All posts by Kerri Williams

Blog Bites with Kate Bell

KateBelle-glamfrontlores I’m excited to introduce this Aussie author to you all, please welcome Kate Bell to Blog Bites. 

I write: Erotic and dark, sexy fiction – with a twist. It’s been described as ‘Unexpected. Interesting. Sexy.’  My female characters take a non-traditional route to their happy ever after via the master of all lovers, Ramon Mendez.

I’m from:Somewhere other than here I think. Born and raised in country Victoria, I now live in Melbourne’s green wedge. It’s the closest thing to country I can get while living in the city.

Three words to describe me: Unexpected? Interesting? Sexy? My husband would just say ‘Pain in A*’.

 At home I cook: Quickly. Too busy writing. Used to eat all whole foods. Now a can is good. I am a vegaquarian though (that’s a vegetarian who eats fish – nothing with legs – except prawns – but they don’t have brains – do they??).Untitled

My worst habit is:Nail biting – been doing it since I was 12 and can’t seem to kick it.

It’s a bit daggy but I love: DISCO MUSIC. Yup. Cleaning day is all about Ami Stewart, The Village People and Saturday Night Fever at my house. Get your glitter and flares on! Get down with a mop!

My first job was: Awful. Cleaning toilets in an engineering factory. I used to waste time reading the porn magazines left in the dunny’s. (I know – but  I’m an erotic fiction writer – what do you expect?)

Breaking the Rules by Kate Belle - loresMy day job is: WRITING! I used to be a public servant, but they seemed happy to get rid of me with a golden handshake.

Saving for: Saving??? Ha – don’t make me laugh. Writers don’t earn enough to save. My beloved has promised Miss 8 a trip to Disneyland though – maybe when she’s 33.

Three things people might not know about me are:

  • I’m a qualified astrologer. A proper one. I can tell you everything you already know about yourself.
  • If it wasn’t for Margareta Osborn, I might not be here.
  • I almost daren’t admit this, but, I’m not a big fan of happy endings (cringing with my arms over my face among the howls of protest. Sorry folks!)

Favourite author: Oooh tough call. Can’t name just one, I’m a book slut you see. Not a scrap of loyalty. My current BFF’s include Bloom by Kate Belle - loresMargareta Osborn, Tobsha Learner and Susan Johnson.

Plotter or panster: Used to be panster, now I plot like a demon. Saves a heck of a lot of time!

I would most like to meet: Ramon Mendez. Anytime soon. I’m ready and waiting (blows kiss).

When I was young I wanted to be:A writer. Go figure. I wanted to write for Dolly magazine. I had high aspirations.

Latest project: The Yearning is a dark, sensual tale of forbidden first love. A young teenage girl lures her charismatic teacher into an illicit affair, the consequences of which haunt them both until they meet again twenty-five years later. (WARNING – no happy endings with this one, but it WILL get you thinking and talking.) Published by Simon & Schuster. Ebook released 1 April 2013, print book released 1 May 2013. http://books.simonandschuster.com.au/Yearning/Kate-Belle/9781922052636

Thank you for sharing with us today Kate.

If you would like to learn more about Kate and her books, go to her website http://ecstasyfiles.com/

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

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by Kerri Williams on May 17, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on May 17, 2013

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Blog Bites with Lily Malone

  It’s a pleasure to introduce, Lily Malone. 

Lily_MaloneI write: Contemporary romance.

I’m from: Margaret River in WA. We moved there in January which was coming home for me. I’d just spent 12 years in the Adelaide Hills in SA, previously.

Three words to describe me: A tad zany.

 At home I cook:  A mean muesli bar.

It’s a bit daggy but I love: Michael Jackson music and the Twilight movies (yes, all of them, although I laughed more at the latter ones).

My day job is:  administration/reception for a real estate firm, although my nametag says: sales and marketing coordinator

Saving for: early retirement, Greek Island holidays and lots of wine

Three things people might not know about me are:  I was once the answer to a quiz question; I will drive around the block six times rather than reverse (parallel park); I will never live in NSW because you have to reverse/angle park.

Favourite author: John Sandford.

Current reading: I just finished Drive Me To Distraction by Caitlyn Nicholas; I am waiting on House For All Seasons by Jenn J McLeod.

Favourite book as a child: Fury. (It was about a black horse). The Silver Brumby series (I still read these sometimes) and The Black Stallion. (Do you see the common theme here?)

Favourite movie: All the Bourne movies, except Legacy (the last one). Matt Damon all the way for me.HBOB Cover

I would most like to meet: Black Caviar.

When I was young I wanted to be: A jockey. But I grew.

Why I write: I don’t know. It’s a fairly thankless task with people always saying: “Haven’t you finished it yet??”

Latest project: The Goodbye Ride. It’s a novella set in the Adelaide Hills over the June holiday long weekend. And no, contrary to how you might be thinking, it isn’t about riding horses. It’s about riding motorbikes.

For more about Lily and her novels, go to her website-

http://lilymalone.wordpress.com/

Thank you Lily for sharing a nite with us. It has been fun and a pleasure.

Kerri

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

 

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by Kerri Williams on April 19, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on April 19, 2013

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Blog Bites with Venetia Green

carol  A small message from Venetia…

Hi everyone, and thank you Kez for hosting me on Blog Bites.

First, some unashamed self-promotion:

I am insanely, ecstatically pleased to announce that first contracted novel has a release date. A Hawk Enslaved will be available through Ellora’s Cave and all good e-book vendors on the 23rd May 2013!

For more info about my book, please check out my website: www.venetiagreen.com

Now, about me …

I write: medieval historical romance with a dash of erotica and a good seasoning of Vikings. Throw in a bit of plague and madness, and that’s about it. Shortly though, I’m going to try my fingers at more ‘serious’  historical fiction; the question is – am I allowed to keep the naughty bits?

I’m from: Perth, WAahawkenslaved_msr

I procrastinate by: knitting. It’s therapy.

Favourite author: Kim Wilkins, an awesome Aussie author with a penchant for cussing. Read her advice for writers on her blog. Brilliant!

Current reading: Hilary Mantell’s Wolf Hall. It’s my duty as a historical author.

Favourite book as a child: Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain, C.S. Lewis’s Narnia stories, and a tome on Viking mythology. I was destined for medievaldom from the age of 7.

Favourite movie: Umm, probably Gladiator, although I do love The Princess Bride and my recent favourite is the BBC mini-series North and South. Richard Armitage can scowl at me any day.

Plotter or panster: plot, plot, plot.

Latest project: Just finishing a Viking-themed erotic romance. Next is my serious project, a re-imagining of Chaucer’s ‘The Wife of Bath’. (If anyone has encountered her in The Canterbury Tales, you’ll know that this was one medieval tart who seriously got around!)

Thank you for sharing with us on Blog Bites Venetia.

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

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by Kerri Williams on April 5, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on April 5, 2013

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Blog Bites with Victoria Black

VictoriaI’d like to introduce today’s bite, Victoria Black.

I write: erotic romances. Any genre that takes my fancy. So far I’ve written and had e-published a World War Two Historical, and a Fantasy. I have two Contemporaries on the go.
I’m from: just outside Brisbane
Three words to describe me: Social, Often Lazy
At home I cook:  anything low in carbs. Yet another diet. Sigh.
My worst habit is: I start projects full of enthusiasm but often run out of steam. It’s that afore-mentioned lazy streak, I’m afraid.
It’s a bit daggy but I love: reading the Fifty Shades trilogy. LiesAndSeduction_125x190
My first job was: working Saturday mornings at Woolworths at Coorparoo, back when it was set up a little like in “Are You Being Served?“ 
My day job is: (big smug smile, as I write this) NO JOB. I AM RETIRED. 
Three things people might not know about me are: I used to work as an extra on various TV ads, movies, and TV shows; I worked briefly as a deck hand on a prawn trawler; I caught buses around Mexico when I knew about ten words of Spanish.  
Plotter or panster: My style seems to be I’m a panster, then wish I’d been a plotter, as I have to go back to the start and re-write the whole book. 
I would most like to meet: my old classmates, after I’ve lost another five kilos and maybe had a touch of botox.
 
HeavenlyRevenge_SM  Why I write: I get to write the books I’d love to read. It’s a bit laborious, really, and it would be a lot easier if     someone else would do it. You know – I tell my pet author the gist of the story I want, and she writes it. But I jest. I went into writing romance for all the wrong reasons, mainly the idea that I’d make a ton of money. I doubt that will happen, with all the wonderful authors out there, but I’ve surprised myself by finding I actually love writing.
  Latest project: I’m half  way through an erotic contemporary, currently and boringly entitled “Blue Sea” (It’ll change), which is written entirely from a man’s point of view. My husband will come in handy as an editor.
To find out more about Victoria and her work, go to her website http://victoriablack.htmlplanet.com/
Thank you Victoria for sharing with us today, it has been a true plessure.RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com
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by Kerri Williams on March 22, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on March 22, 2013

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Blog Bites with Alissa Callen

alissaPlease welcome one of our rural fiction authors,  Alissa Callen.

I write:long and short rural fiction

I’m from: central west NSW

Three words to describe me: wife/mother, dog-walker, introvert

 At home I cook:  anything that I shouldn’t – especially double-chocolate brownies

My worst habit is: Google

It’s a bit daggy but I love: hugging my teenage  kids in public

My first job was: nannying in LondonAC

My day job is:  writing

Saving for: children’s education

Three things people might not know about me are:  Eldest of  7 kids, U2 fan, once lived in a small cottage on the west coast of Scotland

ac book2Favourite author: Louis LÁmour

Current reading: Border Laird’s Bride – Allison Butler

 

When I was young I wanted to be: taller

Why I write: to justify using Google as ‘research’

Latest project: Small town series based in a bush town that holds an annual Elvis festival.

*Thanks so much Blog Bites for having me.

You’re very welcome and thank you Alissa for joining us here today.

If you would like to find out more about Alissa and her life, go to her website http://www.alissacallen.com/

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

 

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by Kerri Williams on February 22, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on February 22, 2013

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Blog Bites with Susanne Bellamy

susannebellamyI write:  Contemporary romance. My debut novel is White Ginger

I’m from:  Toowoomba in SE Queensland

Three words to describe me:    (My husband refused to answer this one!) A blonde cactus- Short, fair, prickly?

 At home I cook:  A top lasagne with meat and vegetarian halves; saves cooking separate meals for vegetarian daughter and carnivore son.

My worst habit is:  Pinterest! Lol

It’s a bit daggy but I love:  Old black and white movies. Casablanca  is one of my all time favourites.

My first job was:  Check out chick at the old Woolies walk round store. I manned the express register and was never more than two cents out.

My day job is:  High school teacher

Saving for: Next trip overseas. 2014, hopefully with my daughter. We have to hit Paris again now she’s grown up enough to enjoy more than the EiffelTower!

I procrastinate by: Playing solitaire, one more game then I’ll just check the emails. Oh look, more people liked the Mosaic Mini I pinned…sb book

Three things people might not know about me are:  I love salt and vinegar chips over chocolate (is that heresy amongst writers?), a single malt over wine, and I studied ballet for thirteen years.

Current reading:  The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney, then on to The Light Between Oceans by M.L.Stedman

Favourite movie:  Other than B&Ws, movies like Kate and Leopold, Hysteria, SKYFALL!!!!!

Plotter or panster:  Panster, definitely, but I’m trying different methods of plotting to see what fits my style. I do like to get to know my characters in a casual way while I write the beginning. It makes the rest easier.

Why I write:  I love it and I control the world within my pages. (Shades of  despotic megalomania creeping in here)

Latest project: Merger in Melbourne is my current WIP (check out the board and see what I mean about my addiction!  http://pinterest.com/susannebellamy/the-melbourne-merger/ ), although I’ve also got a half written ms set in Nepal with definite leanings toward romantic suspense. I’ve just got to decide which way I want to go with it.

Thank you Susanne for sharing with us today.

If you would like to learn more about Susanne and her books…and pinterest, go to her website: www.susannebellamy.com

 

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

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by Kerri Williams on February 8, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on February 8, 2013

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Blog Bites with Coleen Kwan

It’s a pleasure to introduce, Coleen Kwan. 


ColeenKwanHeadshot2I write: Contemporary romance and steampunk romanceColeenKwan_AshersDilemma

I’m from: I live in Sydney’s inner west. I was born in South Africa and moved to Australia many years ago.

Three words to describe me:  Quiet. Determined. Daydreamer.

 At home I cook:  Something quick and easy. I’m not a very adventurous cook, so I tend to cook the same dishes too often.  I watch Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Minute Meals for inspiration.

My worst habit is: Being a couch potato. I know I should do more exercise or more housework, but my comfy leather couch is just too enticing.

My first job was: Selling shoes. I wasn’t very good!ColeenKwan_RealMenDontBreakHearts

My day job is: Writer and general herder for two teenagers.

Saving for: A holiday to China.

Three things people might not know about me are:  I like doing Sudoku puzzles. I once won a swimming race for non-swimmers. I prefer winter to summer.

Favourite author: A hard question, but I’ll have to go with Winston Graham. Every few years I re-read his Poldark series. I’m always amazed at the amount of historical detail in his books. The scenes detailing the Battle of Waterloo were compulsive reading for me.ColeenKwan_MoonlitEncounters

Current reading: Chaos Burn by Rebekah Turner

Favourite movie: The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Plotter or panster: I think I am a plotser. Before I start writing, I prefer to have a plot with a breakdown of each chapter, but once I begin writing, the story sometimes takes an unexpected turn of its own. I like it when that happens; it’s like a little bit of magic.

Why I write: I write because of all the silly ideas milling in my head. I write because I like mucking about with words. I write because it’s fun creating characters and stories.


Latest project: In the past two months I’ve had four new releases.ColeenKwan_ShortSoup

  •  Real Men Don’t Break Hearts is a sweet contemporary romance set in a small rural town.
  • Short Soup is a contemporary romance featuring Chinese-Australian characters.
  • Asher’s Dilemma is a steampunk time travel romance.
  • Moonlit Encounters is an anthology of short stories my writers’ group has just published.

 Wow, Coleen. What a an awesome and exciting line up. Thank you for sharing with us today.

To find out more about Coleen and her work, go to her website  www.coleenkwan.com

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

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by Kerri Williams on January 11, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on January 11, 2013

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Blog Bites with Elise K. Ackers


189192_549573425057962_1935644928_n

  It’s a pleasure to introduce Elise K. Ackers to Blog Bites toady.

I write: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance and Young/New Adult fantasy.

I’m from: The gorgeous and eclectic Melbourne, Victoria. But I grew up in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. You’d think I was a RAAF kid!

Three words to describe me:Dedicated, empathetic and creative.

 At home I cook: Only when I have to. Since I bought a slow cooker my menu has doubled (to a whopping eight dishes), but my favourite thing to cook is honey mustard chicken in noodles. It’s very sweet – almost like having dessert for dinner.

My worst habit is: Wanting to be blonde when I’m a brunette, and a brunette when I’m blonde. It’s an expensive habit and a constant cycle.

 It’s a bit daggy but I love: Pictures of animals doing crazy things, and the captions people put on them.

My day job is:Project support for a Government project management organisation. It has its really fascinating moments.

 Saving for:An outdoor dining set (for all those meals I cook, ha!), a trip back to the United Kingdom, a house… All the catalogues turning up around Christmas time are distracting me, though.

I procrastinate by:Moving furniture around the house. Or putting all my filing into a pile then finding a drawer to stash it in.

Three things people might not know about me are: I am often fighting the urge to get on a plane and see somewhere new, fairy lights make me kid-seeing-a-kitten happy, and I think about baked cheesecake at least once a week. (Note: I don’t actually have cheesecake every week. Unfortunately.)

 Current reading:Nowhere Else by Fiona McCallum and The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa.

Favourite movie: Only You starring Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei. I’ve watched it so many times. I love the concept of destiny, and love makes us all a little crazy.

Plotter or panster: My stories come to me in a flash – like a movie on 30x speed. So by the time the haze passes, I’m inThe Man Plan Cover
catch-up mode trying to retell the story I’ve just ‘seen’. So I’m a plotter in the sense that the story arc is known to me, but some of my best writing has come from unexpected characters or moments, making me a panster, too.

When I was young I wanted to be: A marine biologist, a veterinarian, a psychologist… all of those were flashes in the pan, though. I’ve been telling stories and writing fiction since I was very young. I can’t remember ever not wanting to be a writer.

Latest project: My contemporary romance The Man Plan has been released with Destiny Romance this week, and my next contemporary romance Unforgettable will be released with Escape Publishing next month. As for a work-in-progress, I’m writing the last of a novella series scheduled to come out next year.

To find out more about Elise, go to her website http://www.elisekackers.net/

Thank you Elise.

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

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by Kerri Williams on December 14, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on December 14, 2012

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Blog bites with Bronwen Evans

It’s a pleasure to introduce the wonderful regency romance author, Bronwen Evans. 

I write: Regency historical romances but I’m just about to release my first contemporary with Entangled Publishing Indulgence line on 15 December. The Reluctant Wife.

I’m from: Wellington, New Zealand. I’m a Kiwi, born and bred.

Three words to describe me:  Happy, optimistic, and determined.

 At home I cook: A lot of pasta!

My worst habit is: Not doing the ironing (I tend to buy drip dry – who doesn’t?)

My day job is: Author, and for 2 days a week I’m Executive Director of a surgical society.

Saving for: My new house I’m building with my twin sister

I procrastinate by: Playing bridge online – it’s terrible…

Three things people might not know about me are:  1. I love fast, sleek European cars (I own a BMW), 2. I played representative netball in my younger days, 3. I lived in the USA for three years while my Dad was at Cornell University. – upstate New York

Favourite author: I have many! Gaelen Foley, Emma Wildes, Nicola Jordan, Mia Marlowe, Shana Galen and more…

Current reading: I usually have two books on the go – The Navy Seal’s Promise by Soraya Lane, and When you Give a Duke a Diamond by Shana Galen.

Favourite movie: Australia (romance). I love Hugh Jackman. Casino Royale (action). Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (comedy).

Plotter or panster: Definitely plotter – I have to sell of a proposal so I need to know the story

I would most like to meet: Stephen Fry – his brain is amazing and his vocabulary spectacular – a modern-day Oscar Wilde.

When I was young I wanted to be: Don’t laugh – an accountant. I love numbers.

Why I write: To ease the stories in my head and to make a living from something I LOVE to do.

Latest project: Invitation to Passion. Book three in my Invitation to – series, due March 2013.

 If you’d like to find out more about Bronwen and her novels, go to her website   http://www.bronwenevans.com/

Thank you Bronwen for sharing.

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

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by Kerri Williams on November 30, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on November 30, 2012

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Blog Bites with Carla Caruso

 Introducing the lovely Carla Caruso.

I write: Romantic comedy (and yes, I’m a sucker for a Jennifer Aniston movie, too)

I’m from: Adelaide (recently returning from a three-year stint in Sydney)

Three words to describe me: Creative, easy-going, humour-loving

At home I cook: …Actually, I burn! My hubby’s the household chef. (Who knew you could burn couscous? I found out I could the other day…)

My worst habit is: Being easily distracted from knuckling down and writing

It’s a bit daggy but I love: Retro music like ‘90s R&B, ‘80s pop and easy-listening (my parents always had the radio on at home). Oh, and I treat my cat, Luca, like my baby…

My first job was: as a check-out chick (a pretty hopeless one, too)

My day job is: a freelance journalist

Saving for: a house extension – we’re doing up an old bungalow, which could do with a nice, airy, open-plan extension out back

Three things people might not know about me are: I have a super scent, a salty tooth (as opposed to a sweet one) and I’m a dunce at speaking Italian despite my name

Favourite author: Sophie Kinsella hands down

Favourite movie: The Vow (Channing Tatum’s doing it for me at the moment!)

Plotter or pantser: Plotter, but not a hard-core one – I keep the plot points brief and write copious notes as I go along

I would most like to meet: Ex-magazine queen-turned-novelist Maggie Alderson – another author crush. I think she’d be cool!

Why I write: Because it makes me happy – and it’s the only thing I’m good at (as opposed to check-out operating and cooking)


Latest project: Cityglitter (Destiny Romance) – it’s a fun romance about a gorgeous fairy living a glam life in the big city, who does the one thing she promised herself she’d never do: fall in love with a human, www.destinyromance.com. Oh, and I have my first short story coming out with alfiedog.com called The Grass is Greener on November 18

Thank you Carla for sharing a bite.

If you would like to learn more about Carla and her novels, go to her site http://www.carlacaruso.com.au/blog.html

 

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

 

9 Comments
by Kerri Williams on November 16, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on November 16, 2012

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