Image by Louise Dav from Pixabay
By
Sadira Stone (Guest Blogger)
Romance
novels are often set in exotic or glamorous locales—tropical
beaches, haunted castles, space stations, Miami nightclubs, New York
skyscrapers, snowed-in mountain cabins. But for the Book
Nirvana series, I chose a more mundane
setting: an indie bookshop in Eugene, Oregon. No one’s going to
jump out at my characters wielding a sword, a ray gun, or a magic
crystal, but I’ve loved creating the bookshop of my dreams. One of
the benefits of writing fiction is trying on all those dream careers
you never pursued. In an alternate universe, I run a bookshop, a
café, a dance studio, an art studio…
Who
doesn’t long to spend time browsing the aisles of a quirky
bookshop, discovering new stories, lounging in a cushy armchair while
sipping your favorite coffee or tea? Audiobooks and eBooks are great,
but there’s nothing like that lovely, vanilla-ish scent of books,
nothing like discovering a new author I never notice in my online
browsing. Even though my home bookshelves are overflowing, I’m
still a bookstore junkie.
Here’s
an excerpt from Through the Red Door,
Book One in the Book
Nirvana series, in which the hero gets
his first glimpse of the heroine’s bookshop.
****
Nick
pressed his back against the red door and blew out a long, shaky
breath. He’d heard about Book Nirvana for years, but nothing
prepared him for what he found inside. The shop was aptly named, that
was for damned sure.
From
the first jingle of the brass bell over the doorway, he knew this
place was something special. The sweet, almost edible scent of books,
both new and used, wafted out to greet him. The early-summer sunlight
bathed the shop in a welcoming glow and highlighted the colorful
posters on the walls—Peter Max’s psychedelic sunset pointing
toward the art books, the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine above the music
section, and a lush still life of fruit, bread, and wine for the
cooking section. Further down the long, narrow space, comic
superheroes, a futuristic spacescape, an armored knight charging into
battle, and, above a lacquered red door at the rear, Ingres’s La
Grande Odalisque threw a languid glance
over her bare shoulder—at once an invitation and a dare.
But
the jewel of the collection was Clara herself. His friend at the
University of Oregon told him about the pretty shop owner, but
“pretty” hardly did her justice. Her unruly dark hair glimmered
with just a hint of red fire. Those eyes—dark, like the Pacific on
a stormy day, somewhere between green and gray—eyes a man could get
lost in. Something about this woman set his pulse to revving like a
race car at the starting line. Caught off guard by her startling
beauty, he’d behaved like a horny teenager, ogling as her delicate
fingers fiddled with the locket between her breasts. She noticed,
too. Damn.
****
Beneath
that sexy poster and behind that red door is what brought Nick, a
cultural anthropology professor, to Eugene: a collection of
historical erotica—artwork, photography, erotic stories, studies of
sexual practices. Furnished with a plush Persian rug and an antique
settee, this little jewel-box room is stuffed floor to ceiling with
sexy books. Clara keeps it locked, only handing over the key after
approving each visitor. But she hasn’t stepped through that red
door since the death of her husband Jared, who curated the
collection. Too many painful memories of passion lost.
Each
book in this steamy contemporary romance series features a different
member of the Book Nirvana staff. Runaway
Love Story, coming June 24th,
features Laurel, a new shop assistant who sparks hard and fast
with—well, let’s say the character from Book One who didn’t get
his HEA. I’m currently writing Book Three, which features Margot,
Clara’s youngest shop assistant. Of course, every couple in the
series has a steamy encounter behind that red door.
Giveaway
I’m
giving away one eBook copy of Runaway
Love Story,
Book Two in the Book
Nirvana Series. To
enter the drawing, pop over to my website
and sign up for my quarterly newsletter. Then comment below that
you’ve signed up. On Friday, June 7, I’ll choose a random winner.
And
please remember, we authors live and die by reviews. So if you enjoy
a book, take a moment to leave a review on Goodreads, Bookbub, or
your favorite book vendor site. Thanks!
From
May 31 through June 13, Book One in the series is just 99 cents
(eBook) on Amazon,
Barnes
& Noble,
and Apple/iTunes.
Blurb for Through the Red Door, Book Nirvana Book One:
Letting
him inside could be her salvation…or her undoing.
Clara
Martelli clings to Book Nirvana, the Oregon bookshop she and her late
husband Jared built together. When rising rents and corporate
competition threaten its survival, her best hope is their extensive
erotica collection, locked behind a red door. In dreams and signs,
her dead husband tells her it's time to open that door and move on.
When a dark and handsome stranger's powerful magnetism jolts her back
to life and he wants a look at the treasures of that secret room, she
can't help but want to show him more.
Professor
Nick Papadopoulos is looking for historical erotica. Book Nirvana's
collection surpasses his wildest dreams, and so does its lovely
owner. A widower, he understands Clara's battle with guilt, but their
searing chemistry is too strong to resist. Besides, he will only be
in town for two weeks, not long enough for her to see beyond the
scandal that haunts his past.
Blurb for Runaway Love Story, Book Nirvana Book Two
Coming June 24th.
She
hates average...he's as average as they come.
High
school history teacher Doug Garvey is trying to enjoy his last few
weeks of summer vacation, but receiving his final divorce decree hits
him harder than expected. After a brief fling fizzles, he fears love
just isn't in the cards for him. If only he could find someone who's
real, someone interested in something beyond herself…maybe a new
running partner who can keep up with his more carnal appetite. When
sexy, straight-talking Laurel runs across his path, he dares to hope
again.
He's
done with social-climbing posers...she's ambitious and has big
dreams.
Fired
from an art gallery, Laurel Jepsen shelves her pursuit of an art
career in San Francisco to help her beloved great aunt Maxie move
into assisted living. While out on a morning run, she's harassed by a
group of teens until a tall, broad-shouldered hottie steps in,
pretending to be her boyfriend with a kiss that makes her wish it
were true. But she's only passing through, not looking for a
relationship.
Their
fierce chemistry burns up the sheets—and the couch, the shower, the
forest—but falling in love would ruin everything. Laurel can't stay
in Eugene, and he can't leave. Doug's only hope is to convince her
the glittery life she's after could blind her to the opportunities
already in her path.
About
the Author
