The Triple Play Curse novellas by Lori Ryan ~ Giveaway ~ Interview

 The Triple Play Curse novellas

by Lori Ryan

Lori will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please be sure to use the RaffleCopter below to enter. You may increase your chances of winning by visiting the other tour stops. You may find those locations here.

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Interview:

Crystal: Today I am so excited to have Lori Ryan stop by. Welcome Lori! Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Lori: Hi! Thank you for having me here today. I love getting to connect with readers. So . . . a little about me. Well, instead of the tedious bio stuff you normally read, let me tell you a few odd facts about me. Let’s see . . . I have three kids – two delivered naturally and the last by cesarean. No, there’s nothing weird about that. But, I did find the cesarean much easier to recover from. I’m told that’s a little odd! What else? My husband is incessantly patient. Far too patient and tolerant for my own good. I’m afraid I’ve become a spoiled brat. Hmmm . . . let me think of one more thing. Oh! I know. I once had a pet rat. He was a cool little guy who lived on top of a table. Just hung out there and didn’t leave so he didn’t need a cage! 

Crystal:  Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Lori: It’s hard for me to come up with a favorite from these books. I loved them all! But, here’s a scene from the first book, Game Changer:

Ashlyn couldn’t believe how nervous she felt, standing in one of the tunnels beneath the baseball field, waiting where the security guard had told her to wait for Rafe. The guard stood at the end of the tunnel, his gaze averted, though she knew he was watching her from the corner of his eye. She wondered how often he’d had to escort a player’s—well this was awkward, wasn’t it? What was she? Not a girlfriend. But, that’s probably what the guard would assume. The guard would probably assume Rafe wanted to kiss his girlfriend before the game. He certainly wasn’t likely to guess Rafe wanted to kiss his good luck charm before the game. A good luck charm he’d cut a deal with to be here. 
She’d been relieved to see she wasn’t seated with the wives and girlfriends behind home plate. That would be weird. What would she have said to them? How would she introduce herself? Rafe must have anticipated that she’d feel uncomfortable there and had gotten her a ticket that was every bit as good as the wives and girlfriends’ section, but was just behind the team dugout. 
A door opened and Rafe jogged down the deserted tunnel toward her, nodding to the guard as he passed him. Ashlyn couldn’t help but notice the raw power he displayed in his uniform—arms pushing at the edges of his sleeves, thighs filling out the tight pants with muscles that made her mouth water. His hair fell onto his forehead in a way that should have said boyish charm, but on him, it said something more along the lines of lick me. 
The ease with which he jogged toward her, completely comfortable and in charge, was sexy as sin. That was her single thought as he approached. Just sexy as sin. He pulled up short in front of her. 
“Hi.” His voice was low and quiet, as he leaned into her.
Ashlyn realized she had no idea what they would do. In Anna’s kitchen, the kiss had just kind of happened. There hadn’t been time for her to be nervous or edgy, which was the way she felt now. But, here, in the ballpark tunnels, it was awkward for a split second. And, then, suddenly it wasn’t. Suddenly, Rafe was grinning at her as he cupped the back of her head with one hand, pulling her hip toward him with the other. Her whole body pressed to his and his mouth lowered, capturing hers in a kiss that curled her toes. And, nothing was awkward or uncomfortable about it. It was incredible. And, all too short. 
He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. “I’ll see you after the game, Ashlyn.”
And, that was it. He was jogging away and her legs were jelly. Before she knew it, the guard was clearing his throat. She followed him up to the stands where she took her seat and proceeded to watch one of Rafe’s best games ever. Only, her mind was still stuck on the way her lips tingled after that kiss, and she squirmed in her seat every time she looked at him out on the field.


Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for the Triple Play Curse novellas?

Lori: The motivation for this series came from watching Nomar Garciaparra play for the Boston Red Sox years ago. In fact, the hero in book one is based on Nomar. Sexy guy, huh? Nomar was not only sexy, he was fascinating to watch. He was extremely superstitious and had to step out onto the field the right way, approach the batters box in a precise way, and then adjust his gloves with the right number and order of tugs and taps and what not. If he messed all of that up, he had to step back out of the box and start the whole sequence again. I loved watching him. Thinking of him made writing this series easy and fun! 

Crystal:  What are you currently working on?

Lori: I’ve got two books in the works. I’m writing a new book in my Sutton Capital Series (read book one in the set for free here on all major retailers: http://bit.ly/LEmysite). This book features Samantha and Logan and is a romantic suspense featuring a former Navy SEAL and a sexy, slightly awkward computer geek. The other book is the third in my Evers, Texas series, featuring Shane Bishop and Phoebe Joy. This small town series has tons of fun characters and the kind of great small town feel that makes you want to keep coming back again and again. Well, at least, that’s what it does for me!

Crystal:  Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing? 

Lori: Oh, how I wish! I have a five year old, two and a half year old, and a two month old. There’s no routine here! 

Crystal:  Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?

Lori: Lol! Yes. For this one, I had to text my husband at work every day with my list of questions. We had fun.

Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Lori: I love Toni Anderson and Melanie Shawn. Let’s see . . . Jill Shalvis and R.L. Mathewson and Bev Petersen . . . too many to name them all! 

Crystal: Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Lori:I definitely want to write more military romance! 

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BLURB:

The Triple Play Curse

Every member of the Strikers, San Francisco’s professional baseball team, knows about the Triple Play Curse. When one Striker falls in love and gets either married or engaged during the season, two more will fall for a total of three. And, whenever the curse is in play, the team suffers for it. More errors and injuries, lost pennant runs, you name it. No one wants to trigger the curse.


Game Changer (Book One):

Shortstop Rafe Wilson has his routines down to a science. How he ties his shoes, what shirt to wear under his jersey, which foot touches the field first, and how to enter the batter’s box. It works for him. The proof is in his stats. No question; the routine works. Until it doesn’t. When Rafe is left scrambling to figure out what went wrong, he quickly finds the newest addition to his pregame routine. A kiss. And, not just any kiss. Ashlyn Daniels’ kiss to be exact. But, can he convince Ashlyn to be part of his arsenal of “superstitions” that keep his game going? Or will the pregame kiss trigger an even worse superstition? The Triple Play Curse.


Game Maker (Book Two):


Pitcher Aiden Kyle knows the Triple Play Curse has the ability to mess with his life and with his team’s performance. And, now that the curse has been triggered, Aiden also knows he has to do all he can to avoid being its next victim. And that means strippers and hand lotion in the shower for the rest of the season for him. Until Lily Dupree whirls into his world with a crash that puts a kink in his plan. If Aiden can find a way to help Lily and get her out of his life, he just might avoid being the next victim of the curse.



Game Clincher (Book Three):

After two of his teammates fall prey to the curse, Gage Collier realizes he’s got worse things to worry about than the power of the curse alone. He’s got his mother to fear, and the woman is on a mission. When a columnist spills the beans that the curse is in play and there’s only one victim left to be had, Gage’s mother spins a web designed to trap him into being its third victim and give her the grandbabies she’s been wanting. Though the bait she sets is tempting, Gage has no interest in falling in love. With his mother strategizing against him, Gage probably doesn’t stand a chance, but he’ll go down fighting before he takes this hit.


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EXCERPT:

From Game Maker, book two:

“What’d you bring for dinner?” he asked and opened the fridge.

“Beef enchiladas, tofu lettuce wraps, or chicken manicotti.”

He groaned again. Everything she made was fantastic, but he loved that manicotti.

He knew he was paying her, but he kind of liked feeling so taken care of. Like she put thought into each dish she made for him and really cared about whether he liked it or not.

“I brought you a new snack to try,” she said, looking over his shoulder as he bent into the fridge, and pointing to a container on the right side of the bottom shelf. “They’re a banana nut pancake with agave. I’ve been snacking on them all week and thought I’d let you try them this week.”

He pulled out the pancakes, grinding his teeth together to ignore her closeness and the tortuous scent of cinnamon and sugar that followed her everywhere. She took the container from him and popped it open, removing the smaller container of agave from inside.

“Just heat them for thirty seconds,” she said and popped it in the microwave.

When she handed him the hot pancakes with a fork, and then drizzled the agave over them, he had to fight the urge to grab her and drizzle it on her stomach, her breasts, her ... other places.

She licked a drop of the sweet syrup off her thumb and he froze.

Christ, he had to get out of here.

She gestured impatiently to the pancakes. “Go ahead.”

He tore his eyes from her mouth and cut a piece of the pancake with the side of his fork, then tasted it.

Another groan. Yup. They were heaven.

“These are amazing. How are these good for me?” he asked.

She grinned. “They have oat flour in them for protein, and the pecans give them a little more protein that balances out the carbs.”

“Did you give these to all the guys?”

“I just gave them to select clients this week. Figured I’d see how they liked them before I gave them to everyone.”

He felt a grin tug at his face. “I’m select?”

She laughed but rolled her eyes at him. “You’re nice. If you don’t like them, you’ll just tell me.”

“What do people who aren't nice do?” He put the now empty pancake container down on the counter as he scowled.

“Nothing really,” she said, shaking her head at him. “It’s just that other people can sometimes be rude about it. You’re gentle. I mean your notes. When you tell me what you like and don’t like, you’re gentle about it.”

He took two steps closer, all but pinning her to the counter.

“You think I’m gentle?” he asked, incredulous. What was wrong with him? Why did he have the urge to throw her to the floor and show her just how ungentle he could be?

Her breath caught, and there was no mistaking the heat in her eyes as she lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“Yes?” she said. It was a question, not an answer.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Lori Ryan is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes contemporary romance with a twist of suspense. Her books range from sweetheart to steamy in heat level (for sweeter, read the Evers, TX series.)

She lives with an extremely understanding husband, two wonderful children (with another on the way!), two mostly well-behaved dogs, and a lone little cat in Austin, Texas. It's a bit of a zoo, but she wouldn't change a thing.

Lori published her first novel in April of 2013 and has fallen in love with writing. She is the author of the Sutton Capital Series, the Evers, Texas Series, and will be putting out several novellas with baseball player heroes in Bella Andre's Kindle World, Game For Love, in late 2014. She loves to connect with her readers. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter or subscribe to her blog.

www.loriryanromance.com
www.facebook.com/loriryanauthor
Twitter: @loriryanauthor

Buy Links:

Game Changer Amazon
Game Maker Amazon
Game Clincher Amazon

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