Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Tour & Giveaways "High Octane Ignited"



Title:  High Octane: Ignited

Author:   Rachel Cross  and Ashlinn Craven
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publish Date:  May 19 2014 
Publisher:  Crimson Romance

Event organized byLiterati Author Services, Inc.

 

~ Book Synopsis ~

Everyone’s fueled by something…

Cassidy Miller is living her dreams as an EMS helicopter pilot saving lives in Arizona. When her helicopter crashes in bad weather and a member of her crew is killed, her life, as she knows it, is over. Suspended from her job and desperate to escape memories of that night, she jets to Europe and is swept along on a whirlwind world tour of Formula One racing courtesy of her father, an executive sponsor of a team.

Sexy, daredevil British driver Ronan Hawes has no room in his life for anything but winning. Strategy meetings, press conferences, practices, sponsor events and racing consume him. Half way through the season, he’s on track to win the Formula One World Drivers Championship--a title that has eluded him for years--and no emotionally damaged woman, felon father, rookie rival or rumor mill are going to run him off course.

From Brussels to Abu Dhabi, Texas to Germany, their relationship speeds across the globe, navigating the dangerous turns of life, love and racing.

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Purchase Links

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Excerpt:

Jet lag and alcohol might not have been the best pairing. It added up to a foggy

sensation in the elevator on the way to his room.Cassidy Miller had used everything else to escapefrom her memories, so why not try sex?

 

Ronan Hawes slipped his card in the slot and pushed open the heavy door with one arm, indicating that she should precede him. She was so close, she got a whiff of whatever scent he was wearing.

 

“God, you smell good,” she blurted out. The door clicked shut behind them. “What is that?”

 

Expression sheepish, he admitted, “Calvin Klein, but I’m under contract with

Burberry.”

 

She smiled. “You unfaithful swine. What’s wrong with Burberry?”

 

“Too ... British. Reminds me of Prince Charles. I have some bottles in the bathroom if you fancy it though.”

 

“No,” she said, suddenly noticing the intensity of the inner gold ring of his irises.

 

“You’ve met the prince?”  

 

“Several hang around the circuit, but I only got within sniffing distance of my own at a ceremony for an ex-teammate. I buggered off, though, before our aftershaves clashed.”

 

Of course he was in that league. They all were. And what did she sound like? An

enthralled schoolgirl.

 

“I know.” Ronan reached for her hand, teasing his thumb across her knuckles, making her breath catch. “This royal chitchat is putting you off, killing the moment. Just tell me to shut up.”

 

“No, no, it’s um—” She broke off as his hand slid up her arm, sending a delicious

shiver to the back of her neck. She stepped back two paces. “Mind if I raid the minibar?”

 

He looked surprised but recovered smoothly. “Nightcap? Pardon me for not offering, through here.”

 

He led her over to the bar area and extracted a bottle. “Bourbon, wasn’t it? On the rocks?”

 

Cass shook her head. “Straight up is fine.” She didn’t need him to take a trip to the ice machine. Better to get her drink and get this over with. She studied himwhile he poured. He was exceedingly good-looking.Enviable bone structure, square jaw. And suave.Definitely suave. What had she expected? That he’d jump her like some hick? Even standing still, her head was swimming, and her stomach was vaguely nauseated. All those drinks on an empty stomach. She’d be comatose if she weren’t careful. As if on cue, the room spun. She reached out a hand and made her way unsteadily over to the loveseat.

 

“All right there?” The tiniest frown appeared between his eyes, but his smile remained.

 

“Fine. It’s the shoes, not used to heels,” she mumbled. Oh God. Had she just slurred?

 

He carried the drink over and set it on the glass coffee table, out of reach. She leaned over to grab it, nearly pitching face first onto the table. Now he was staring at her, not amused in the slightest. “You sure you’re all right?”

 

She waved a hand in his direction and picked up the drink, then stared into the glass as the nausea welled up. “Excuse me.”

 

She dashed for the bathroom.

 

About the Author


Fueled by black jelly-beans and Pinot Noir, Rachel Cross writes fast-paced contemporary romance with a twist. She lives in coastal California with her surfer/pilot husband and two daughters. Her past includes stints as a firefighter, paramedic, clinical manager and Weekly World News tabloid model.

 

Connect with Rachel Website | Facebook | Twitter

 


Ashlinn Craven enjoys writing “head versus heart” romances where lovers face toe-curling problems usually caused by wayward technology or each other. In her twenties she worked her way across Europe's technology hot-spots before succumbing years later to Alpine serenity, writing, marriage and motherhood . She lives in Switzerland which held its last Formula One race in 1954.

 

Connect with Ashlinn  WebsiteFacebook | Twitter

 

 AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT!


Inspiration for the book

 

It’s not easy to write the perfect heroine for a Formula One racecar driver. These drivers are revered the world over. They have buckets of money and prestige and arguably the best job in the world: driving the fastest cars on the planet.

 

The heroine in High Octane: Ignited, Cassidy Miller is a helicopter pilot. Not just any helicopter pilot, an emergency medical services (EMS) pilot.

 

Flying EMS carries a certain prestige in the aviation world—in part due to the inherent danger of the job.  EMS pilots land on highways and other unfamiliar terrain, night and day. Those factors and the impact of inclement weather make the job of EMS helicopter pilot one of the riskiest occupations around. Along with a crew of a nurse and a medic, they put their lives on the line all over the worldevery day to help others.

 

hope you enjoy reading Cassidy Miller’s story, the tragedy that changed her life and the F1 driver, Ronan Hawes who helped her pick up the pieces. This book is the start of a new series, High Octanefeaturing F1 drivers.

 

The Top Ten Things you learned in writing your book.

As High Octane: Ignited (and the other two books of the series) take place in the world of Formula One, we had to brush up on our knowledge of the sport before putting pen to paperIt’s an ecosystem all to its own, so, rather than mentioning all the usual things one learns from writing a novel (e.g. voice, dialogue, pacing, world building), we’ll just go over some interesting facts that turned up in research before and during writing the book:

1.
Formula One drivers are fit.

…which is great for Romance--we all like our heroes to be fit and sexy! But these guyswell, they’reanother category of fit. For example, the average human being has a resting heartbeat of 70 bpm. Drivers have a resting heart rate of about 45-50 bpm. Come race time, this ramps up to 180bpm for 90 minutes or more. No other sport keeps a heart rate so high for such a long period.

To achieve this, drivers require very high aerobic fitness levelsThe second part of the training is specifically for the neck. They need a very strong neck because every corner puts a load of around 20-25kgs on the neck. strong upper body and forearms is vital too. A normal person could do two or three laps in a Formula 1 car under those stresses before they’d physically be unable to continue, and as for the mental pressure

 

2.
Drivers need superhuman powers of concentration

The load on the brain of a formula one is also staggeringThis is a sport where the brain has to be working hard for the whole race.

In tennis you have a break every few seconds, in boxing, every three minutes, in shooting you break all the time. This means a Formula One driver’s brain is working in a different way. They need to enter an almost meditative state before the race to achieve the concentration levels that will sustain them through the 90 plus minutes of full concentration required for a race.

3.
The average formula one fan is probably not a romance reader…

According to http://www.f1deals.com/blog/demographics-spectators-formula-grand-prix.html,  the average F1 fan is a 38,married European man who holds a professional degree and has an above average salaryThis is not a demographic that typically reads romance. Nonetheless, the female fan base comprises 28%, and as more than 60% of F1 fans are married, they often tend to attend the races along with their wives. Let’s hope our Formula One series entices some of these people to try a romance!

4.
Refuelling doesn’t happen during a race anymore

This was one of facts that we discovered during the writing process and forced us to re-work some of our plot—oops! From 2010, refuelling is no longer permitted during the race meaning every car starts with a full fuel load. The 2010 season cars are about 22 cm longer than 2009 cars to accommodate the enlarged fuel tank this necessitates. (from Wikipedia)

5.
F1 drivers have a tough life and very little time for themselves.

With a race every two weeks between March and November, the schedule for a driver is gruelling. It’s not just the two hours we see on a Sunday. There are trials before that, training, long distance travel, meetingsproduct endorsementsDespite the money and the international glamour often attached to the sport, the day to day routine can be quite Spartan. It’s no wonder they need a little fun and romance in their lives to keep them sane!

6.
You need to be rich to get into F1

Well, it’s not a must, but it makes it much easier because Motorsport in general is expensive; even karting costs from a few thousand to over a hundred thousand dollars a season. Formula Ford and Formula Renault cost nearly two hundred thousand dollars a season. Formula 3 costs over half a million dollars and GP2 around $1.5 million. The drivers pay for these costs unless they have sponsors or are part of an organisation that pays for drivers e.g. racing steps foundation, Red Bull Junior Team, McLaren Driver Program and the Ferrari Driver academy.

7.
Champagne squirting originated in Formula One

The tradition was started by Dan Gurney following the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Gurney was handed a bottle of champagne, which he spontaneously shook and sprayed over members of the press and doubters around him, beginning a tradition for victory celebrations everywhere. However, drivers will generally refrain from spraying champagne if a fatality or major accident occurs during the event.

8.
Drivers are a superstitious bunch

Numbers are assigned in accordance with each team’s position in the previous season’s constructors’ championship but the number 13 is not designated to any driver. Drivers have all kind of superstitions and follow ritual such as wearing lucky underwear during a race.http://www.formulaf1.com/2006/11/01/felipe-massa-another-underwear-idiot/

Our own hero in High Octane: Ignited Ronan is very superstitious about the colour blue and the heroine’s blue underwear in particular!

9.
Formula One races aren’t just on a track

Unlike other types of racing, Formula One races can be day or night, on city streets or specially designed courses. Did you know we have a Formula One course in the US? It is in Austin, Texas!

10.
Formula One romance is different!

The very competitive, rule-dominated world of Formula One, where twenty two alpha male drivers are thrown together for nine intense months forms the ideal grounds for developing highly-chargedromances. Watch out for the next two books in the series!


 

The Top Ten Things you love about your characters.

The hero of High Octane Ignited is the British Formula One driver, Ronan Hawes. Here are just some of the things we love about him:

1.
His Protective Instinct: Ronan has a tormented heroine on his hands from the very first night. But, despite his own challenging race schedule and personal problems, he never hesitates to do the right thing and to be there for her.
2.
His Sense of Humour: Not too many guys would laugh after falling into a smelly Venetian canal in pursuit of an expensive Italian shoe the heroine has pretended to fling away, but our Ronan takes it in his dripping wet stride.
3.
His Tall, Blond and Handsomeness: Even though he’s in a sport where being tall (over 6 foot) is a distinct disadvantage, we’re not going to hold this against him, nor are we complaining about his Celtic good looks or his highly trained body. Our inspiration for Ronan was the gorgeous Jensen Button.
4.
His Bravery: Anyone who straps themselves into a machine travelling around bends at speeds of 200mph is …well…brave is one word for it.
5.
His Determination to Succeed: every Formula One driver needs this in epic proportions. But by the end of the hero’s journey, Ronan sees beyond his desire to be the next world champion—he’s defined success in terms of more lasting values.
6.
His Ability to Adapt to Circumstances: the heroine puts Ronan through various hoops, as does the carousel of Formula One, and his scheming father. At each stage, Ronan’s character and his resolve is tested.
7.
His Camaraderie: Many Formula One drivers slip into bitter rivalries as the pressure of having to win at all costs gets to them. Ronan manages to keep a level lead in his dealings with other drivers –even Maddux Bates. He’s widely liked and respected by team members and opposing ones alike.
8.
His Generosity: Money means little to Ronan. It’s a nice to have. But when he sees people have been wronged, he uses his own funds to put it right.
9.
His Suaveness: Even though he’s drop dead sexy and in an environment where woman are flinging themselves in his path, he’s a still a British gent.

 

10.
His Superstitious Nature: In such a high risk sport, every driver wishes for good luck. Not surprising when the consequences of bad luck are very grim indeed. Ronan has a thing about the color blue and …a certain item of female’s clothing which he insists on always having with him. We won’t tell you which one—you just have to read the book.

Cast for High Octane: Ignited

 

(Also see http://www.pinterest.com/ashlinncraven/high-octane-ignited/)

RONAN HAWES – Jensen Button

CASSIDY MILLER – Maggie Gyllenhaal

ANDERSON MILLER – Michael Caine

JIM (STEPFATHER) – Albert Finney

MADDUX BATES – Chris Pine

VIVIENNE MAC CLOUD (RONAN’S EX) – Charlize Theron

BENNY (LEAD ENGINEER) – Martin Sheen

 

 Describe the book using the letters from the title of the book.  

 

It’s a longish title – High Octane: Ignited which gives us a whole bunch of letters to give you a flavour of what’s inside!

 HEARTFELT: you’ll feel it too!

I – IDIOMATIC: A mixed bag of UK and US English expressions.

G – GRIPPING: the questions of life-or-death always are!

H – HAPPY ENDING: in case you were wondering.

O – OPTIMISTIC: despite the dangers past, present and future.

CCAPTIVATING: not your average heroine meets larger-than-life hero.

T- TRANSCULTURAL: from Abu Dhabi to Japan to Monaco, our novel deals in all currencies.

 ARTICULATE: you’ll enjoy our snappy dialogue and intelligent world building.

 NONSTOP: The Formula One season takes no breaks for the weak of heart.

 ENTERTAINING: fun, danger, passion and moral dilemmas. What’s not to like?

I – IDEALISTIC: both hero and heroine struggle to make their world better.

 GLOBAL: see TRANSCULTURAL.

 NEWTONIANthe mathematics of aerodynamics, the physics of g-forces and friction.

 INCOMPARABLE: we’ve not read a romance like this before – you won’t have either!

 TECHNICAL: more vehicles than James Bond.

 EBULLIENT: and effervescent, the fun just never stops.

 DARING: we boldly go where few romance novels have gone before—the high stakes world of Formula One racing!


Playlist for “High Octane: Ignited” via Spotify: 

 

AWOLNation –SAIL

Mike Oldfield – FIVE MILES OUT

Fleetwood Mac – THE CHAIN (BBC Formula One theme tune)

The Allman Brothers Band  TOP GEAR THEME TUNE

Swedish House Mafia  DON’T YOU WORRY CHILD ft. John Martin

Mike Oldfield  FLYING START

Yes – LEAVE IT 

Vin Diesel – MY WAY

Yello – THE RACE

Wim Mertens  STRUGGLE FOR PLEASURE



Giveaway

 

"High Octane:Ignited"

"Rock Her", by Rachel Cross

"Rock Him", by Rachel Cross

"Spiraling" by Rachel Cross

"Maybe Baby" by Ashlinn Craven

25.00 Amazon Giftcard.

 

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