Bev, thanks so much for sharing Just One Taste’s release day with me! This is my first solo effort in self-publishing, but I had a lot of help from author/friend Elyssa Patrick. We did a Christmas anthology together a couple of years ago, and she is my technological/logistics guru. So, thanks, Elyssa!
Just One Taste features 5 novellas and 5 short stories that span centuries and genres. These were my “orphans,” written for fun or for projects that never came to pass for various reasons, and I loved all 110,000 plus words of them. They needed a home much better than my stubby little pendrive. None have ever been published before, and some are not in my usual historical niche.
A shape-shifting panther? A telekinetic time-traveler? A warlock’s widow? Why, yes, and a fun contemporary football captain-cheerleader- ten- years- after novella, too. I dug my naughty alter-ego Margaret Rowe out of retirement to write a scorching Regency erotic tale, and the remaining short stories are all historical. There’s something for everyone, like a delicious tasting platter. And the best part? The anthology is only 99 cents!
My work has been in four anthologies with other authors, but JOT is all me. I can’t wait to find out from readers which story they like best! Here’s an exclusive snippet from the first novella in the book, Close Encounters, where hunky contractor Will Garrity gets a do-over with “Princess” Alexandra Russell, his high school nemesis. A first kiss scene!
From the author of the Ladies Unlaced series and 2-time RT Reviewers’ Choice nominee: Just One Taste, a romance anthology. Ten never-before-published novellas and short stories span the centuries and genres. 110,000+ words.
The novellas: A time-traveling, telekinetic hero must change a small town’s history book or lose the librarian love of his long life. An eighteenth century warlock’s widow finds the spell for true love and un-immortality with the help of a hot twenty-first century skeptic. A novice shape-shifting panther discovers his reluctant life mate on a secluded Maine island. A suburban Connecticut divorcee’s high school nemesis heals her heart. And a dominant viscount finds a remarkably submissive wife in Regency England. Plus five sexy, fun historical short stories.
Close Encounters: The football captain and the cheerleader, ten years later/contemporary novella, 18,000 words
Diamonds are Forever: Marry in haste, repent and renew at leisure/ historical short story, 6,000 words
Joyeux Noel: Two Scots far from home find something to celebrate/historical short story, 1,000 words
A Christie Christmas Kiss: Sometimes duty is a pleasure/historical short story, 1,100 words
The Proposal: All you need is nudge/historical short story, 1,000 words
Compromised: The best presents aren’t under the tree/historical short story, 1,500 words
Spellcheck: Eternal youth is vastly overrated/paranormal contemporary novella, 25,000 words
The Catalyst: Getting in touch with the beast within/paranormal contemporary novella, 22,000 words
Out of Time: Last chance for romance/paranormal contemporary novella, 22,000 words
The Honeymoon: When dark desires are just the right color/ historical erotica novella, 15,000 words
Praise for Maggie Robinson
“All I have to see is author Maggie Robinson’s name on a book to know that it is a must read.”–Romance Junkies
“You’re always guaranteed sassy wit and sizzling sensuality when you pick up one of Maggie’s books.”–The Romance Dish
It was a good thing she was wearing heels, because he was so very much taller than she was.
What was she thinking? She wasn’t supposed to be kissing him. She wasn’t supposed to be kissing anybody.
But here he was, cupping her cheek, bending over, smelling great. Some kind of citrus aftershave. She’d have to ask what it was if she could ever move her mouth to actually talk again.
His lips were warm and gentle yet insistent, and Alexandra felt she had no choice but to open hers just a little.
Wow.
Yum.
Man. In every sense of the word.
Alexandra was a smart girl, but just now her vocabulary was reduced to three-letter words.
She hadn’t been kissed in years. Emma’s sticky ones didn’t count. In fact, her whole face was almost virgin territory. She hadn’t even had a facial in ages because she couldn’t afford one. Alexandra realized not even her mother had touched her cheek with affection lately. Will’s callused fingertips sent jolts straight to her—
Best not think of where they were going. Also practically virgin territory.
She had to go home. She had to get up early and feed Emma breakfast and strategize her calendar. Alexandra had no time to give in to her treacherous body. Just because the man could kiss like a genius didn’t mean a thing.
She’d been in Mrs. Macht’s English class with him, and he was no genius.
They had nothing in common. They’d been practically enemies. So why was she still on tiptoe letting his tongue into the corner of her mouth? Why was her hand clutching the collar of his jacket?
Beautiful fabric.
At least she had some semblance of her mind left. She took a shuffling step backward and heard an ominous crack.
Good thing he caught her, even if it meant the kiss had broken abruptly.
“Hey. I’ve never kissed anybody into a faint before.” He gave her a smug grin.
“It’s not the kiss, you id—um, my heel broke.” Her first and last pair of expensive shoes, damn it. She waved him off, picked up the ruined heel and wobbled to one of the benches on the casino concourse.
He sat down beside her, not a hair out of place, breathing normally, not red in the face as she must be. You’d never know from his expression he’d just kissed her senseless. Her face felt it like it was on fire, and her lips were tingly.
“Can you fix it? With glue or something?”
The thing is, she could. Or she used to have the skill. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“There must be a shoe repair place somewhere.”
Not at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino at eleven o’clock at night. Usually Alexandra had a pair of flats in her tote bag, but she’d been in such a nervous rush this morning, she’d forgotten.
“I’ll be okay.” She tried to glare at him. “What was that all about?”
His face was open. Innocent. “What was what all about?”
“That—that kiss.”
“It was just a kiss goodnight. You didn’t like it?”
“You aren’t supposed to be kissing me. This is not a date.”
Will shrugged. “As you wish, Princess. I guess I got carried away.” He stood up, and, without warning, scooped her up in his arms. “Speaking of carrying, I’m taking you to my truck, and then I’ll drive you to your car. Okay?”
It was not okay. “Put me down!”
“You can’t walk in broken shoes, and I wouldn’t let my dog walk barefoot in this place. Think of the germs.”
Alexandra knew he was right, but felt like a ragdoll as he carted her through the casino to the parking garage. He didn’t seem to have any trouble hauling her around, either. Will Garrity was strong, had to be in his line of work. He probably tossed cabers for fun.
For a fleeting second, she pictured him in a kilt. Bare-chested. But he was Irish. Did Irishmen wear kilts? They were all Celts, right?
Proof that she read too much and lived too little.
***
I have a $10 Amazon gift card for one commenter who’ll tell me about their arch-enemy from high school, or their first kiss!
Additional links: ARe
About Maggie Robinson
Maggie Robinson is a former teacher, library clerk and mother of four who woke up in the middle of the night, absolutely compelled to create the perfect man and use as many adverbs as possible doing so. A transplanted New Yorker, she lives with her not-quite perfect husband in Maine, where the cold winters are ideal for staying inside and writing hot historical romances. Her books have been translated into Turkish, Russian, Japanese, Thai, Dutch and Italian.
Website: www.MaggieRobinson.net
Twitter: @MaggieLRobinson
Facebook: Maggie.Robinson
Interesting! 🙂 Would love to read this 🙂
It was a lot of fun to write!
Funny. Right after the e-mail from you, Bev, came Maggie’s newsletter. I would love to win her book. I had many arch-enemies in high school and to discuss how badly they treated me is too painful. My first kiss came from my mom when I was a wee lass just out of her womb. 🙂
It’s funny how unpleasant high school memories last practically forever. I still get flashbacks, LOL.
Good morning, ladies! I think I got my first kiss in sixth grade. I was an early bloomer, LOL. His name was Michael Cummings and he probably wound up in jail, but he was so cute.
LMAO!!!! You’re a hoot. Are you giving us a hint of your horrible taste in men???
No no. I upped my game afterward. Mr. R is a keeper, LOL. But I do think Michael was a little hoodlum. But boy–he had BLUE eyes!
Maggie, the problem with this anthology is a reader doesn’t know which story to read first. 🙂 It’s a good problem to have. Congrats on your release. I wish you many sales and many new fans.
Thanks so much, Bev. It was really a joy to put them all together. And I notice my gravatar is a bit out of date now that I’ve decided to go platinum, LOL.
I didn’t really have an arch enemy in high school. My first kiss was during the summer between 8th grade and HS. We “dated” for a few weeks after being friends for a couple of years. He was a sweet, but totally not for me. The kiss was memorable only because neither of us knew what we were doing and it was awkward!
Oh, I remember awkward. And the smell of Clearasil!
Hello there, my highschool years were great, it was my junior high years that were hard. The guys picked on me all of the time and most of the girls didn’t like me because the guys paid attention to me. That’s when I found out that I loved to read, to show them that they didn’t bother me. I still love to read so very many years later. This book sounds like a wonderful read. Thanks,
Rhonda
Oh, middle school is awful. I taught 8th grade English once and am surprised I lived through it. Glad to know you found your love of reading!
Hmmm, an arch enemy from school… she was actually a good friend of mine until she went around school spreading a lie about me… it really hurt that someone I considered a friend had done something like that… well in return, I never spoke to her again…
This happened with my “best” friend. It wasn’t a lie, but it was a story not hers to tell. Even though it happened decades ago I still feel the shock. We occasionally bump into each other now, and I still feel uncomfortable.
I don’t think I had an archenemy? At least, I wasn’t aware of having one. And my first kiss was just kind of wet, lol.
Ha. Honesty.
I got my first kiss at the age of 12. I was playing hide-n-seek, and he scared me. Lol!
Naughty boy!
Thanks for the excerpt, I’ll have to add this book to my wish list! I was fortunate I never had any arch enemies or nemesis in high school. As for first kiss, it was more of a quick peck in grade school!
Lucky you!
it happened at school
I hope you didn’t get a detention!
Luckily I didn’t have any HS enemies. I do remember my first kiss. A boy, Greg was a year older than me. One night he walked me home from ice skating. It was so cold. My toes were numb. My nose was running. The kiss was wet! Yuck!
Oh my, LOL.
I don’t know that I had an arch enemy but I found out as an adult that a girl on the next block believed we didn’t get along in high school. I found this out through the guy my sister was dating as she was a good friend of his. The strange thing was I only remembered her from when we were young since we had different friends as we got older.
Isn’t it weird how people get their signals crossed?