Keeping Secrets 

Can you keep a secret? Yeah, me neither. Except when I promise not to say anything. <G> Or when my sister threatened me after a trip to Las Vegas (she’s a 1st LT in the Army and has ninja skills so I listened to her.).

And there was that time that I, along with a bunch of friends and family, kept a secret from my dad for TEN YEARS. Something really hard to do when you live in a small town and everyone knows everything.  What, you might ask, was so horrible, so terrifying that it had to be made Super Sekrit?

Well, my then boyfriend/now husband accidentally locked me in the trunk of my car. Yes, you read that right.  He locked me in the trunk. Accidentally on purpose. What can I say, we were two stupid teenagers goofing around while cleaning out my car, and those were our consequences. Did I mention that my then boyfriend/now husband had to call 911, because the spare key didn’t open the trunk, there wasn’t a button to push in order to open said trunk, and the key that would open it was firmly in my pocket?

Firetrucks, County Sheriffs and EMTs were dispatched to my house, armed with the jaws of life. Yeah, great times. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been had facebook or Twitter been around at the time.

In my debut novel, Twice Tempted, my very naughty British Bad Boy hero has to deal with the consequences of his past, in the form of digital images ready to go viral at the double click of a mouse. His agent’s reaction: Christian must change his party reputation by finding a small town girl to be seen with at the first opportunity.

Too bad for him that the small town girl he runs into at the airport wants nothing to do with the playboy actor. Not at first anyway. 😉

So, dear Season readers, have you ever kept a really juicy secret?

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment to enter, and I’ll give away two copies of Twice Tempted (e-book only) to randomly chosen winners!

 TWICE TEMPTED, available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble (e-book)

~~~

Sometimes…

Born into wealth and power, Christian Romanov is Hollywood’s favorite bad boy with a golden touch…until the day his agent receives pictures of the movie star celebrating his birthday in a not-so-legal way. Now he’s been ordered to find a small-town girl to be seen with in order to improve his partying image. He agrees, but for an entirely different reason-to protect the reputation of an organization that helps get teen off the street and back into the school. Not only is he the anonymous donor that’s been solely supporting the organization since its inception, he’s slated to be their newest spokesman.

What happens in Vegas,

Zoe Ambrose is a hopeless romantic masquerading as a realist. But she’s also a successful novelist, trying to fit herself into a staid life when what she craves is the adventure she found one night in the arms of a playboy who never knew her name. When her successful crime series is optioned by a major studio, she travels to Las Vegas to find that the prince of her fantasies and single night of pleasure is the main contender for the male lead. But for four years Zoe has been publicly eviscerating the man who left her stranded that night—he’s the villain in her series! Now the movie star doesn’t recognize her, and Zoe is determined to protect her heart this time.

Doesn’t Stay in Vegas.

When Christian braves the small town of Holland Springs and Zoe’s overprotective family to win the girl of his dreams, he finds that his Hollywood skills might not cut it—and learns a shocking truth he never imagined. Can he tempt her again and finally give her the epic love story she has refused to write for herself?

Marquita Valentine writes small town romances that are anything but small. Lisa Kleypas, Carly Phillips and Rachel Gibson are among her favorite contemporary authors. Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man — and if that doesn’t work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children. 

You can find Marquita all over the internet:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15730301-twice-tempted

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarquitaValentine

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/marquitaval

Website: http://marquitavalentine.blogspot.com/

Blog: http://ladyscribes.blogspot.com/

 

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By Authors, Giveaways, self-publishing45 Comments on Guest Post & Giveaway: Marquita Valentine

45 Replies to “Guest Post & Giveaway: Marquita Valentine”

  5. Thanks for the fun post. I’ve never kept a really juicy secret, stupid little ones, but nothing big. This book sounds fantastic. Can’t wait to read it.

    1. I’m glad you liked it, Joanne. It’s the only really big secret I’ve kept. But I prefer keeping secrets that are GOOD NEWS for someone and are so happy when they are revealed, lol!

      And thank you I hope you enjoy Twice Tempted.

      Thanks for stopping by!

  6. Yes, I have kept a really juicy secret! Sorry can’t tell you what it was! I like stories with this kind of theme. Thanks!

  7. Goodness. I laughed so hard I almost peed myself! Your story was terrific, I cannot believe you kept that secret for 10 years. I cannot think of anything now but the jaws of life… I am sure it was not funny, and yet it seems like it is now…

    1. OMGOSH, Vanessa! I was crying, too, when I realized I was trapped in there. Then as we heard sirens, I couldn’t stop laughing and I think Hot Builder might have started crying. 😉 I even yelled at the firemen to NOT hurt my car. Silly teenagers.

      Thanks for stopping by!

    1. Really, LSUReader? Hmmm, maybe I should tell you who my NEXT hero and heroine are… ;P I do give a sneak peek at the end of Twice Tempted. 😀

      Thanks for stopping by!

  10. Like you, every thing is open game unless I am specifically told not too. Although not juicy but a secret for my best friend is when I had to go to her house when she was out of town because her daughter threatened suicide. I had to break into the house and call police. She had called one of her friends to say she was taking pills and alcohol and they went to the house but left again but thank goodness they at least called her mother who in turn called me. I believe she really didn’t want to die because she would have never made that phone call but obviously it was a call for help. I’m safe mentioning it here because they don’t do Facebook. Personally I’m not big on secrets because usually those who have things that they hide, could be dealt with a lot better with the help of others and rarely do secrets stay secrets. I do enjoy reading about them though lol.

    1. Oh my word, catslady. What a great friend you are! Hopefully everything ended up being okay your friend’s daughter got help. hugs to them.

      Yeah, I enjoy reading about them, too! 😀

      Thanks for stopping by!

  12. LMAO!!!! OMG, Marquita, I absolutely LOVE IT!!! I want to know what your father said when you finally told him. I’m assuming your now husband still has all his body parts–and they’re all functioning normally? LOL. Love it. Going to pick up your book. It sounds like my kind of read. Welcome to The Season and I wish you many many sales.

    Bev

    1. HEE! We-eelll, my dad didn’t really say anything. He gave my husband (we were married by the time my dad found out) this former MARINE DRILL SERGEANT stare and then went back to eating. LOL! But during those couple of minutes that felt like centuries you could’ve heard a pin drop.

      I think the two grandkids we later had made up for it?!

      OMGOSH, BEVERLEY!!! Thank you, I hope you love it!!! I swear I’ve been hooked on your books since the very first. I’m so honored. 😀

      Thanks for having me on The Season!!

  13. If someone asks me to keep something a secret, then I do. Nothing was as humorous as your story though.

  14. It was smart to not tell your dad. If my daughter’s boyfriend had done that, though, it wouldn’t have been my husband they would be keeping the secret from, it would be me. I am good at keeping secrets but my daughter is terrible.

    1. Too funny, Maureen! Here’s the real kicker: My boyfriend’s GRANDMOTHER drove right by my house when it was happening, with his brother on the passenger side. Also, tons of *his* family members have those scanners and heard about it too. smh. I have no idea how my dad didn’t find out before then.

      Thanks for stopping by!

  16. Only secret I kept was being 17 am pregnant for 6 months before telling anyone…other than that, I really really suck at keeping a secret – it goes in one ear and right out of my mouth. Congrats on your new book!

    1. WOW, now that’s a really big and hard to hide secret to have, Wendy! And I love that (goes in one ear and right out my mouth!)

      Thank you and thanks for stopping by!

  17. Congratulations on the new release, Marquita! It sounds really interesting. I love seeing how different characters come together. And LOL your being locked in the trunk – wow. I mean, WOW. Were the jaws of life used?
    And good on all of you for being able to keep the secret for a decade!

    1. Thank you, Limecello! And me, too! I think that’s what makes the romance genre so great and diversified, along with a HEA. 😉

      I should be thankful it was fall and not Summer, huh? 😀 Luckily, the jaws of life weren’t used. The firemen practically ripped off one side (unhinged it from the top) of my backseat and I stuck the key through a space *just* big enough for it to squeeze through. My cheeks still heat just a little from how embarrassing it was, at the time anyway.

      And it’s amazing *what* you’ll keep a secret when your boyfriend’s life may or may not be on the line. 😉

      Thanks for stopping by!

  18. If the secret is of the kind that could totally ruin a relationship I will never tell anyone. However, when the consequences aren’t so dire, I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut. Best wishes on the book. I love stories with a famous character paired with a not-famous one.

    1. Totally agree with you, Jen! Never want to ruin anyone’s relationship.

      And thank you. Famous with the not so famous kinda reminds me of royalty marrying commoner (hello Princess Kate!), which I LOVE. 😀

      Thanks for stopping by!

  19. Fun story. Thanks for sharing. Will you be including that in a future book? I can keep a secret.

    1. Yes, many moons later it is totally funny, bn100! 😉 Hmmm, I should, shouldn’t I. If I do, I’ll find a way to tell you, but you can’t tell anyone else!!!

      Thanks for stopping by!

  20. Ha! Yes, a good thing all this social media wasn’t around then. Small town talk is bad enough. But a great way to turn it around to someone in the lime light, nowhere to hide. I used to keep secrets for my family, anyone had a secret they would tell me and I would never tell. Nothing terrible, just what people would get for gifts, or who was getting a new car, or someone moving in with a boyfriend. That kind of stuff.

  21. Oh yes, I’ve still got secrets I am holding onto. Probably forever. Most minor secrets I will tell my husband about, but I’ve got a few that I have not even told him.

  22. Congratulations on the release of TWICE TEMPTED. Sounds like I will enjoy it. I hope the release goes well.

    I have a feeling your dad knew about it, but was waiting for you two to fess up. It is virtually impossible to keep that big an”event” a secret in a small town, even without social media. After we got engaged, my now husband and I spent Thanksgiving with my family in Northern NY on the Canadian border. That night a blizzard hit and dumped about 3 feet of snow. We left the next morning to drive to Orlando, Florida to meet his family. I only had a learner’s permit and couldn’t drive out of NY, so I insisted on driving while in NY. The back road hadn’t even been plowed yet. I had no problem with that, but it took 3 times as long to get to the interstate. One lane of I-87 had been plowed and that was icy. I did fine for about 40 miles then hit a tiny patch of ice and spun out into the guardrail. Like everyone else I was only doing 35 so we weren’t hurt as much as the car was. We called my aunt and uncle to come get us. She forbid me to tell my dad saying he would never let me hear the end of it. My now husband was going to tell his mom he was driving, but that didn’t seem fair. He did get chewed out for letting me drive in such bad conditions with no experience. My fault. Nothing like meeting your future mother-in-law after wrecking her son’s car. I never have told my dad what happened. It was almost 41 years ago and my aunt was right. He never would have let me hear the end of it. I think it would be easier living down getting locked in the trunk.

  23. I have never been a good one to tell secret’s too. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t keep them. They tend to leap out of my mouth at inopportune times.

    TWICE TEMPTED sounds like a must read book. I am looking forward to reading Christian’s and Zoe’s story.

  24. All the time. I even have some good ones of my own. I am the best secret keeper. I am also a good friend and would never reveal wht they are.

  25. All the time. I even have some good ones of my own. I am the best secret keeper. I am also a good friend and would never reveal wht they are.t

  26. I’m not good with secrets- having or keeping them. The only secret I had and kept- a friend of mine was sleeping with her best friend’s boyfriend. The only reason why I was able to keep it, because I’m not friends with the other woman and never saw her or her partner. Needless to say my knowledge of that secret ruined a friendship.
    As for happier secrets… Twice Tempted sounds fantastic and I’m definitely adding it to my reading queue!

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