Winter Blogfest: Sandra Carmel

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an ebook for the first in series from my two trilogies: Capture (book 1 of a steamy paranormal sci-fi trilogy, The Cure, featuring vampires) and Last Hope (book 1 of a steamy contemporary romance novella trilogy, Intertwined Love).

Christmas in Australia

While you northern hemisphere dwellers are freezing your bits off over Christmas, in Australia, we’re often scorching hot. Though, I’m from Melbourne, which I believe is world-renowned for its unpredictable weather. Four seasons in one day is no exaggeration. I remember one Christmas in particular, where it reached 40 degrees Celsius and dropped down to 17 in just a few short hours! I’ve included a photo of Mum and I on Christmas Day a couple years ago all decked out in our summer gear.

My background is Italian; however, I’m born in Australia, and so we don’t have the standard Christmas staples when it comes to our shared feast. It’s a big, extended family affair and there can’t just be meat and veges. Oh no! Some sort of pasta, usually several options such as gnocchi and lasagna are included as well as specific Italian festive food e.g. arancini (aka rice balls with essentially a meatball in the center), and savory donuts, some with anchovies. And then, of course, there’s dessert. But not just one—multiple. From a fruit platter, to cheesecake to apple slice to rum balls and cannoli. I come away almost every year, feeling like I’m about to burst.

I was going to say, ‘enough about me’ but apparently it’s not. LOL. I can’t possibly finish this blog post without some mention of my passion—writing racy, flirty and downright dirty romance. Speaking of which, my steamy contemporary novella, Last Hope, book one of the Intertwined Love trilogy, has strong links to Christmas. It deals with some tough but rewarding challenges, physically, mentally and emotionally for Cole and Hope on their journey to love, which I feel fits with the whole spirit of the season. What better time than Christmas to inspire hope and joy? And on that note, wishing you and your family a safe and lovely festive season and happy and prosperous New Year.

A perilous journey to the peak of love…

Cole, a cutting-edge game software company CEO, organizes a Christmas present his long-term girlfriend, Hope, will never forget—a marriage proposal at the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge on Christmas Eve. And it ends up unforgettable all right, but not in the way he’d envisaged.

While on a mountain climbing trip, he has an accident and sustains a life-changing spinal injury, forcing him to miss their special date, leaving Hope stranded, alone and without answers. Cole struggles against his heart’s desire and cuts Hope out of his life without explanation, determined not to burden her with his disability. Can he confront his fears, pull himself back together and rekindle a relationship with the love of his life?

Sandra Carmel is an Australian author of racy, flirty and downright dirty romance novels, novellas, short stories and poetry, who enjoys stimulating herself and others with words. An obsession with classic romance novels, particularly Jane Eyre, and her infatuation with Mr Rochester were key motivators in commencing her romance writing journey. So far, she has taken the scenic route from steamy paranormal to sci-fi to contemporary, creating provocative stories that delve beneath the surface of desire. She reads and writes a lot, frequently disrupted by her ever-attentive, cheeky cats, and sinfully amorous array of book boyfriends.

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