Stephanie Browning's Blog
January 12, 2021
New Look for a New Year!
It's 2021 and we have two new covers to share and another romance on the way!
When Susan and I first started writing romance as Stephanie Browning, we had three rules:
1. The bedroom door would only be slightly ajar;
2. Our women would be strong-willed and independent, and our men respectful. He could be a hottie on the page, but…
3., There would be no abs on the cover.
But with three contemporary romances and one boxed set already on the market, and a novella on its way, we realized it was time for a fresh look! So we've lightened up on the abs, made sure our covers reflected the story inside, and voilà! .
OUTBID BY THE BOSS
When Chas Porter catches Samantha Redfern bidding on an antique candlestick that rightfully belongs to him, he’s furious! But this is no ordinary candlestick; it’s the perfect mate to the only possession of worth Sam’s grandparents took when they fled England. One that Chas is desperate to recover.
MAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
If she’d known Jack Rutherford would walk back into her life, more ruggedly handsome than the day he left, Nicki Hamilton would have stayed in Toronto and left the past where it belonged. But he owes her. Big time. For fifteen years of silence, a dozen unanswered letters, and one broken teenaged heart.
UNDONE BY THE STAR
As heir-apparent to London’s most exclusive hotel, Alexis Kirkwood has spent her life preparing for the top job. But when she mistakes American film star Marc Daniels for a plumber, the sparks fly. An intense intimacy develops…until Marc’s celebrity gets in the way and hijacks Alex’s carefully-laid plans.
When Susan and I first started writing romance as Stephanie Browning, we had three rules:
1. The bedroom door would only be slightly ajar;
2. Our women would be strong-willed and independent, and our men respectful. He could be a hottie on the page, but…
3., There would be no abs on the cover.
But with three contemporary romances and one boxed set already on the market, and a novella on its way, we realized it was time for a fresh look! So we've lightened up on the abs, made sure our covers reflected the story inside, and voilà! .
OUTBID BY THE BOSS
When Chas Porter catches Samantha Redfern bidding on an antique candlestick that rightfully belongs to him, he’s furious! But this is no ordinary candlestick; it’s the perfect mate to the only possession of worth Sam’s grandparents took when they fled England. One that Chas is desperate to recover.
MAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
If she’d known Jack Rutherford would walk back into her life, more ruggedly handsome than the day he left, Nicki Hamilton would have stayed in Toronto and left the past where it belonged. But he owes her. Big time. For fifteen years of silence, a dozen unanswered letters, and one broken teenaged heart.
UNDONE BY THE STAR
As heir-apparent to London’s most exclusive hotel, Alexis Kirkwood has spent her life preparing for the top job. But when she mistakes American film star Marc Daniels for a plumber, the sparks fly. An intense intimacy develops…until Marc’s celebrity gets in the way and hijacks Alex’s carefully-laid plans.
July 9, 2018
The Goddess of Single Women!
When Susan and I were working on Outbid by the Boss, we had no idea our heroine would suddenly invoke the Goddess of Single Women. In fact, we didn’t even know there was one until Samantha Redfern found herself in dire straits…although to be fair to the Goddess, it was Sam who made the decision to blow off her trip to New York.
But to outbid her boss at an estate sale north of London…that’s just asking for trouble!
We like to think the Goddess would approve!
Chapter One, Scene Three:
Clutching the candlestick to her chest, Sam hurried for the exit. She had a plane to catch. And now, she realized with a frisson of panic, she not only had to nip back to her flat, she also had to stop at the bank. It would take all her savings and half her rent money to replace the firm’s cash, but her purchase was worth every penny.
As she dashed through the open doorway, Sam remembered thinking how nice it was that the morning rain had given way to a sun-filled afternoon and then…
Woof!
She ran smack into a wall of solid masculinity, gasping as the base of the candlestick dug into her ribcage.
She staggered backwards. A pair of strong hands grabbed her upper arms to steady her, holding her fast as she regained her balance.
And then he spoke.
The “thank-you” Sam was about to utter caught in her throat.
“In a hurry, are we?” The voice was well-bred, well-schooled and awfully familiar.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
And began to mentally chant.
Please, please, please…anybody but Chas bloody Porter. Please, please, please…
“Anytime…” the voice said, rudely interrupting her pleas to the goddess of single women caught in compromising positions.
Stupid woman must be on a lunch break, thought Sam.
Her lids fluttered open and she followed the buttons of the beautifully-stitched, pale-blue oxford-cloth shirt he wore beneath his soft leather jacket to the button at the base of his neck. It was open. Revealing enough of the man to make one feel that every inch of him would be just as enticing as the dark stubble on his chin, the slightly battered but still patrician nose and…the steel-blue eyes washing over her like an icy Arctic wind.
“Miss Redfern, isn’t it?” Chas Porter said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I could have sworn you were representing us in New York this week. You do remember the two-day sale at Sotheby’s? Previews in….what?” He removed his left hand and checked his watch. “Twenty-four hours?”
“Which, allowing for the time change,” replied Sam choking back an urge to flee “gives me twenty-nine hours…
“Now, if you don’t mind…” She pointedly eyed the hand grasping her left bicep, an amazing feat given the fact that her knees had turned to water and her brain was sending high-pitched alarm signals to every nerve in her body.
Chas dropped his hand and stepped back, his eyes resting on the candlestick nestled protectively between her breasts. “Very nice workmanship. Get it for a good price, did you?”
Sam flushed and like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, whipped the candlestick behind her back. Which of course thrust her chest forward.
She raised her chin defiantly.
Chas Porter gazed down at her, his eyes slightly hooded, impossible to read.
She stared back at him. The candlestick was hers. Or was it? She felt an unexpected stab of fear. Had he seen her use her expense money to pay for it?
A young couple coming up the steps dropped hands and gave them a wide berth. “We are blocking the entrance,” hissed Sam. “And, as you so rightly pointed out, I have a plane to catch.”
“Not today, you don’t,” Chas shot back. He crooked his finger and abruptly turned away leaving her little choice but to follow him down the steps and around the side of the building.
For an instant, Sam rebelled. Who did Chas Porter think he was, calling her to task as though she were a lowly serf. He was her boss, she reassured herself as she hurried to catch up, not some feudal lord who expected her to do his bidding. Perhaps she should just tug her forelock and be done with it.
But to outbid her boss at an estate sale north of London…that’s just asking for trouble!
We like to think the Goddess would approve!
Chapter One, Scene Three:
Clutching the candlestick to her chest, Sam hurried for the exit. She had a plane to catch. And now, she realized with a frisson of panic, she not only had to nip back to her flat, she also had to stop at the bank. It would take all her savings and half her rent money to replace the firm’s cash, but her purchase was worth every penny.
As she dashed through the open doorway, Sam remembered thinking how nice it was that the morning rain had given way to a sun-filled afternoon and then…
Woof!
She ran smack into a wall of solid masculinity, gasping as the base of the candlestick dug into her ribcage.
She staggered backwards. A pair of strong hands grabbed her upper arms to steady her, holding her fast as she regained her balance.
And then he spoke.
The “thank-you” Sam was about to utter caught in her throat.
“In a hurry, are we?” The voice was well-bred, well-schooled and awfully familiar.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
And began to mentally chant.
Please, please, please…anybody but Chas bloody Porter. Please, please, please…
“Anytime…” the voice said, rudely interrupting her pleas to the goddess of single women caught in compromising positions.
Stupid woman must be on a lunch break, thought Sam.
Her lids fluttered open and she followed the buttons of the beautifully-stitched, pale-blue oxford-cloth shirt he wore beneath his soft leather jacket to the button at the base of his neck. It was open. Revealing enough of the man to make one feel that every inch of him would be just as enticing as the dark stubble on his chin, the slightly battered but still patrician nose and…the steel-blue eyes washing over her like an icy Arctic wind.
“Miss Redfern, isn’t it?” Chas Porter said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I could have sworn you were representing us in New York this week. You do remember the two-day sale at Sotheby’s? Previews in….what?” He removed his left hand and checked his watch. “Twenty-four hours?”
“Which, allowing for the time change,” replied Sam choking back an urge to flee “gives me twenty-nine hours…
“Now, if you don’t mind…” She pointedly eyed the hand grasping her left bicep, an amazing feat given the fact that her knees had turned to water and her brain was sending high-pitched alarm signals to every nerve in her body.
Chas dropped his hand and stepped back, his eyes resting on the candlestick nestled protectively between her breasts. “Very nice workmanship. Get it for a good price, did you?”
Sam flushed and like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, whipped the candlestick behind her back. Which of course thrust her chest forward.
She raised her chin defiantly.
Chas Porter gazed down at her, his eyes slightly hooded, impossible to read.
She stared back at him. The candlestick was hers. Or was it? She felt an unexpected stab of fear. Had he seen her use her expense money to pay for it?
A young couple coming up the steps dropped hands and gave them a wide berth. “We are blocking the entrance,” hissed Sam. “And, as you so rightly pointed out, I have a plane to catch.”
“Not today, you don’t,” Chas shot back. He crooked his finger and abruptly turned away leaving her little choice but to follow him down the steps and around the side of the building.
For an instant, Sam rebelled. Who did Chas Porter think he was, calling her to task as though she were a lowly serf. He was her boss, she reassured herself as she hurried to catch up, not some feudal lord who expected her to do his bidding. Perhaps she should just tug her forelock and be done with it.
December 14, 2016
We have our winners!
Congratulations to all the winners of our recent Goodreads Giveaway!
And many, many thanks to all the romance lovers on Goodreads who entered our contest for a copy of Undone by the Star. We had so much fun writing this contemporary romance and its companion book, Outbid by the Boss, also available on Amazon!
And while we're hard at work on a new Stephanie Browning romance, please keep following us!
...And watch for our next giveaway!
And many, many thanks to all the romance lovers on Goodreads who entered our contest for a copy of Undone by the Star. We had so much fun writing this contemporary romance and its companion book, Outbid by the Boss, also available on Amazon!
And while we're hard at work on a new Stephanie Browning romance, please keep following us!
...And watch for our next giveaway!
August 28, 2016
The Perils of Writing Romance!
When Samantha Redfern walked into the dining room at Porter Hall wearing nothing but the sheerest of nightgowns, Susan and I were aghast! We were only three chapters into Outbid by the Boss, our first contemporary romance and our heroine was already breaking the rules.
She should have been safely tucked up in her own bed, by herself, for at least another two, maybe three chapters.
The problem was Chas “bloody” Porter. From the moment they bumped into each other at an estate auction north of London, we were doomed:
Her lids fluttered open and she followed the buttons of the beautifully-stitched, pale-blue Oxford-cloth shirt he wore beneath his soft leather jacket to the button at the base of his neck. It was open. Revealing enough of the man to make one feel that every inch of him would be just as enticing as the dark stubble on his chin, the slightly battered but still patrician nose and…the steel-blue eyes washing over her like an Arctic wind.
And who could blame her? This guy’s the real deal! Handsome, rich, and already half-in-love with the delectable Miss Redfern.
We made the same mistake in Undone by the Star….
As heir-apparent to one of London’s most exclusive hotels, Alexis Kirkwood has spent her life preparing for the top job. But even heirs-apparent can have an off day. Especially when a drop-dead gorgeous movie star sneaks in the tradesman’s entrance, and finds the one woman in London who has no idea who he is.
Her eyes dropped to the scuffed work boots, automatically checking them for dirt, swept up the length of his jeans, tantalizingly snug, and then landed on the beat-up canvas hold-all in his left hand. Her gaze rose, drawn by the square jaw brushed with the perfect shadow of a beard….
If this was the guy they sent to fix the toilets, she would have to spend a little more time in maintenance.
Alex might have mistaken Marc Daniels for a plumber, but there was no mistaking their attraction. That’s why writing romance is such hard work. From the moment they meet, you know your main characters are destined to be together, but it’s your job to keep them apart.
And then, just when everything is going really well, you callously break their hearts. (Commonly known as the “black moment” in the romance business.) Leaving you with roughly 5,000 words to patch them back together again.
Without any help from all the king’s men…or even his horses!
She should have been safely tucked up in her own bed, by herself, for at least another two, maybe three chapters.
The problem was Chas “bloody” Porter. From the moment they bumped into each other at an estate auction north of London, we were doomed:
Her lids fluttered open and she followed the buttons of the beautifully-stitched, pale-blue Oxford-cloth shirt he wore beneath his soft leather jacket to the button at the base of his neck. It was open. Revealing enough of the man to make one feel that every inch of him would be just as enticing as the dark stubble on his chin, the slightly battered but still patrician nose and…the steel-blue eyes washing over her like an Arctic wind.
And who could blame her? This guy’s the real deal! Handsome, rich, and already half-in-love with the delectable Miss Redfern.
We made the same mistake in Undone by the Star….
As heir-apparent to one of London’s most exclusive hotels, Alexis Kirkwood has spent her life preparing for the top job. But even heirs-apparent can have an off day. Especially when a drop-dead gorgeous movie star sneaks in the tradesman’s entrance, and finds the one woman in London who has no idea who he is.
Her eyes dropped to the scuffed work boots, automatically checking them for dirt, swept up the length of his jeans, tantalizingly snug, and then landed on the beat-up canvas hold-all in his left hand. Her gaze rose, drawn by the square jaw brushed with the perfect shadow of a beard….
If this was the guy they sent to fix the toilets, she would have to spend a little more time in maintenance.
Alex might have mistaken Marc Daniels for a plumber, but there was no mistaking their attraction. That’s why writing romance is such hard work. From the moment they meet, you know your main characters are destined to be together, but it’s your job to keep them apart.
And then, just when everything is going really well, you callously break their hearts. (Commonly known as the “black moment” in the romance business.) Leaving you with roughly 5,000 words to patch them back together again.
Without any help from all the king’s men…or even his horses!
