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Cover reveal: Shore Feels Right

9/21/2014

Liquid Silver Books graphics designer Valerie Tibbs has done it again. If you liked her cover for The Shore Thing, you'll love her design for Shore Feels Right, Book 2 in the Gulf Shore series.

Shore Feels Right is coming in November from Liquid Silver. Here's a sneak peek of what the novel is about:

Once a pariah among her coworkers, marine biologist Monica Sims has spent months reinventing herself as she seeks redemption. A history of failed relationships leaves her leery of romantic involvement, until she meets Cosby Williams, the new co-owner of Nauti-Toys watercraft rentals. As things heat up between them, Gulf Shore Aquarium responds to the stranding of a group of pilot whales. When a billionaire bachelor lends his private plane to the rescue effort, Monica catches his eye — and an obsession is born. How will she cope with the unwanted attention? And will her past sins come back to doom her newfound happiness with Cosby?

Monica was, for lack of a better word, the villain of The Shore Thing. She's the ex-girlfriend of aquarium chief photographer/videographer Evan Sanders, and she thinks nothing of disrupting his relationship with education specialist Danielle "Dani" Davidson.

Just as Monica despairs of ever finding a man of her own to love, she meets Cosby, who has come into Bikini Barb's Bar & Grill to have a drink with his brother, Gavin.

All of your favorite characters from The Shore Thing are back in Shore Feels Right, and you'll find out what's next for Dani and Evan, head dolphin trainer Flipper O'Riley and Trident, the rescued baby dolphin. Plus, readers will meet a couple of new faces: animal rights activist Tara Langley and billionaire Truman Raines, a buddy of aquarium director Wesley Coffey, Jr.

For more information on Valerie and her work, go online to www.tibbsdesign.com.

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My moment in the Dolphin Tale 2 "spotlight"

9/11/2014

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Here I am, posing with a promo showing the true stars of Dolphin Tale 2, Winter and Hope.

If there's one overriding impression I took away from being an extra in a major Hollywood motion picture it's this: "Background actors," as they're euphemistically called, are basically just living props.

Wear this, hold that. Go stand here, go sit there. Hurry up and wait. And then wait some more.

It's an interesting way to spend a day, and it makes for a great story to tell family and friends, especially if you survive the editing process and actually end up on the big screen. Hey, that's me! That blurry face in the distance, recognizable only because I know that I. Was. There.

Dolphin Tale 2, the sequel to the family-friendly, 2011 box office hit, opens in theaters across the country on Friday, Sept. 12. Two days before that, Warner Brothers and Alcon Entertainment screened the film for audiences at two premieres at Ruth Eckerd Hall, a performing arts center in Clearwater, Florida, where both movies were shot.

While the original and the sequel boast A-list stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Harry Connick, Jr., it's the two teenage actors, a pelican and several spunky dolphins who steal the show. The undisputed diva, of course, is Winter, who lost her flukes as a baby because of entanglement in a crab trap line and became the only dolphin in the world to swim with a fully prosthetic tail.  People come from all over the world to visit her at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she's lived since her rescue in 2005.

I've been volunteering at the aquarium for two years, which is how I came to be an extra in Dolphin Tale 2.  CMA has hundreds of volunteers, and we were all invited to submit our names, photos and vital statistics for a casting company's consideration.

I was lucky enough to get called for the shoot in Tarpon Springs at Florida Hospital North Pinellas (formerly Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital). Thankfully, that's about a 20-minute drive, in light traffic, from my home, because the "call time" was well before dawn.

Now, let me state right here and now that I am notoriously not a morning person. It's not unusual for me to be climbing into bed or to have logged only a couple hours of sleep when my husband is getting up around 5 a.m. for work. Early birds can feel superior all they want, and many of them undoubtedly do. But they have no monopoly on putting in a productive day. I consider the wee hours of the morning as prime time for reading and writing.

I'll get up before 11 a.m. if I have to, but if I don't, I won't. It's as simple as that. It's not a matter of being lazy, as some people like to insinuate about those of us who aren't early risers. It's just that our body clocks tick along on a different schedule than the breakfast crowd. While they're hitting their pillows by 10 p.m., I'm just getting my second wind.

So knowing this about me, you'll understand how much I wanted to be an extra in Dolphin Tale 2 to agree to show up at 6 o'clock on an unseasonably (for Florida) chilly November morning in 2013.

A catering service had set up two tents in a parking area behind the hospital, and we were invited to help ourselves to an impressive array of complimentary breakfast foods and beverages, including omelets cooked to order and just about any imaginable kind of juice made from fresh fruits and vegetables, including some that appeared as appetizing as puddle water.

After checking in and providing the necessary documentation, I trooped to the wardrobe area along with other extras picked to pose as medical staff. A woman sized me up, handed me a pair of light blue scrubs and told me to go change in a tent behind her. It was dark in there, and darned cold, especially with other women constantly flipping open the flap to enter and exit.

After struggling into my nurse's garb, which didn't fit great but was good enough for who it was for, I encountered a particularly cranky costumer whose patience already appeared to be exhausted. Her snippy answer to my seemingly innocuous question about the paperwork we all were issued told me all I needed to know about whether she enjoyed her job and what she thought of extras.

The next stop was a trailer where a makeup artist from Miami sized up my face and hair and found them lacking, or at least that's the impression she gave me. As she did her best to make me presentable, a young lady walked in and sat down in a chair not far from me. I almost didn't recognize her because she looked nothing like the ice pop-eating preteen she portrayed in Dolphin Tale. It was Cozi Zuehlsdorff, who plays Hazel Haskett, the aquarium director's daughter. The 15-year-old (she's since turned 16) chatted away with her makeup artist as if they were old friends.

I quietly commented to another makeup artist about how grown up Cozi was, and the woman nodded knowingly and said, "She's really going to be something." Then the woman quickly amended, "She already is something."

After I left the trailer, fumbling clumsily with the doorknob on my way out, a very entertaining (and adorably good looking) production assistant named Mario herded us into a van for the short ride to the front of the hospital. We trooped inside, and those of us playing medical personnel had our pictures taken for temporary I.D. badges. We paraded up and down the maze of hospital hallways, attracting plenty of attention, then outside, where we apparently weren't needed yet, and then back inside to cool our heels in a conference room.

There, I learned about the way this extra business works. To my surprise, only one other person in the room had any connection to the aquarium. (Her husband works there.) All the rest were chosen after they'd registered online with the casting company, and many of them bragged about the other movies they'd appeared in as extras. A few were seriously pursuing an acting career. One woman kept her kids out of school and drove almost two hours from an Orlando suburb to be there. Even though they had an agent, she said, they'd landed work only as extras up to that point. And another stage mother acted as though her teenage daughter was in line to be the next Sandra Bullock or Charlize Theron.

Finally, we were on the move again, playing follow the leader through the halls and back outside, where we stood around for a bit while crew members passed out various props. One dug around in a big box and handed me a pen on a lanyard and a stethoscope. He gave another stethoscope to the young man I'd been paired with, a pretend intern doctor wearing a white coat over his scrubs. Come to find out he was a student at my alma mater, the University of South Florida, and he lived in the same Clearwater area town as I do, about two miles, give or take, from my house. Talk about a small world.

Although Dolphin Tale 2 was shot in the late fall and winter, the story is set during the summer. That meant, of course, that none of us were dressed for such a chilly day. At least I had on long pants. The poor people playing hospital visitors had been told to show up wearing clothes and shoes suitable for a 90-degree day.

We were all part of a scene-setting shot of the hospital exterior, and the idea was to make it look like business as usual. "Visitors" and "staff" strolled to and from the parking lot, others milled around as though on break, and my "intern" buddy and I appeared to be headed out to lunch. After numerous takes, the director apparently wasn't happy with what they'd shot, so they repositioned many of us and gave us new instructions. Luckily for me, my new assignment put me almost front and center in the scene. My partner and I were to walk straight ahead from the main entrance, then turn right and keep going across the front of the building.

For such a routine scene there were a lot of moving parts, and the action ended with an ambulance crew pulling up and unloading a "patient." We did the same thing over and over, and then again and again.

The film crew had set up the camera on a crane not far from the street, at least 100 yards from where I was stationed. A few extras closer to that part of the parking lot said they saw Ashley Judd over there, but I never caught even a glimpse of her.

One thing I knew for certain, though. She was sitting in the sun, where it was considerably warmer than where I was in the shadows of the building. Each time a crew member yelled "cut" and they reset the scene, many of us ducked inside the building or huddled beneath beach towels passed out for that purpose. The crew had to cut short one take after a couple of extras forgot to take off their towels.

In the midst of all this, actual patients and visitors were coming and going from the hospital. One older woman, oblivious to the fact we were making a movie, wandered in and out of camera range until she was politely escorted elsewhere. A couple of folks approached me and seemed confused when I explained I wasn't really a nurse and they could get their questions answered inside at the front desk.

Finally, just as I'd nearly given up on the prospect of warming my chilled bones anytime soon, the filmmakers sent all of us inside to hang out in the lobby for a while. There, I saw the diminutive, bespectacled director, Charles Martin Smith, pass unnoticed through the crowd. I recognized him only because I'd seen him at the aquarium weeks before, doing whatever directors do before shooting starts. Years ago, Smith played a nerdy teenager in American Graffiti, and he has a cameo role in Dolphin Tale 2 as a government inspector.

While we were sitting around, doing what extras do best -- waiting -- a woman asked if we were actors and I answered that we were only extras. A crew member overheard me and said, "You certainly are actors. You're background actors." The woman seemed impressed, but as with so many other things in the movie business, our status was just an illusion.

Once we'd finished shooting the scene outside the hospital, the rest of the day passed pretty uneventfully, for the extras anyway. We sat around a lot, ate lunch -- another impressive catered spread -- and had our hopes dashed just when it appeared we'd get to see the two female stars film a scene in which an injured sea turtle gets an MRI. We navigated a corridor jam-packed with carts loaded down with cables, cameras, lights and other equipment and arrived outside the set just in time to hear someone say "Cut!" and "That's a wrap."

Judging by the comments made by crew members with walkie talkies, we weren't supposed to be on that floor and in that hallway, so off we trudged to sit around and make more small talk. Finally, around 3 p.m., they culled about 10 people from our group and dismissed the rest of us.

As one of the discards, I left with mixed feelings. Like everyone else, I'd wanted to be part of one more scene, hopefully something meaty. But it had been a long day, and I also looked forward to heading home and flopping in my recliner. I found out later that those chosen to stay never got to be in front of the camera again. They hung out for about two more hours, doing nothing, before being sent on their way.

As I turned in my scrubs and the paperwork needed to pay me the going rate of $64 for the day ($8 an hour for up to eight hours), I considered how the experience had been interesting and memorable, certainly, but not even remotely glamorous. And I thought about the aspiring actors and attention-seekers who'd gladly spend another day being shifted around like furniture just for the opportunity to be an extra on this or some other film.

That's not to say I wouldn't have gone back if the casting company had e-mailed me with the offer. But I wouldn't have done it for any other movie. Both Dolphin Tale films are special to me because I love the animals at Clearwater Marine Aquarium and believe in its mission of rescue, rehab and release. Plus, my grandnephew, Tanner, is a huge Dolphin Tale and Winter fan, and I figured he'd get a big kick out of his Aunt Annette appearing in the sequel.

In the months since my stint as an extra, I occasionally wondered whether I'd get my onscreen moment or end up cut out of the picture. At Wednesday's "blue carpet" premiere in Clearwater, I finally got my answer.

Nobody else watching would've recognized me, but by goodness I'm there! That and 50 cents won't buy a pack of gum, but it doesn't matter. My bragging rights are secured.

In case you're wondering, I recognized a lot of familiar faces in the scenes shot in and around the aquarium. A handful of dolphin trainers, a sea turtle expert, a couple of animal care interns and assorted staff and volunteers make recognizable appearances in Dolphin Tale 2, and I was glad to see so many of them represented.

And I'm especially happy the sequel illustrates so well the wonderful, lifesaving work that Clearwater Marine Aquarium does in its primary role as a marine animal hospital.

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Meet Danielle "Dani" Davidson

9/6/2014

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Danielle “Dani” Davidson vows to just say no to workplace romances after her first post-college job is soured by a messy breakup with a manipulative coworker at a fish hatchery. That’s just one reason she doesn’t trust any man with her heart, let alone one who swims with sharks for a living. So why can’t she get cameraman Evan Sanders out of her mind?

Evan is twice shy, too, after an alluring but self-absorbed colleague at Gulf Shore Aquarium takes a bite out of his heart. Thought he’s dead set against dating anyone else he works with, he’s intrigued by Dani’s shyness and tempted by her intelligence and low-key sexiness.

Their attraction smolders until an unfortunate encounter with a stingray sends Dani to the emergency room and Evan steps up to help her through her recovery. The two also bond over the rescue of an orphaned baby dolphin. But will Evan’s vindictive ex-lover, his career ambitions, and Dani’s inhibitions tear the young lovers apart?

Now that you know the gist of Dani’s story, let’s hear from the leading lady herself.

1. Tell us about your name. My full name is Danielle Rose Davidson. My parents didn’t know until I arrived on the scene whether they were having a boy or a girl, so they chose Daniel and Danielle as their baby names. Rose is my maternal grandmother’s middle name. I’d love to have a little boy one day and name him Daniel.

2. What’s your main goal in life? To be happy. I daydream about someday snuggling with the love of my life on our front porch swing while our two children romp with their puppy on the lawn.

3. What do you do for a living? Do you enjoy your work? I’m an education specialist at Gulf Shore Aquarium, where I lead tours, interact with guests, and generally share my passion for marine life. It’s my dream job, and I absolutely love it. I adore the animals, and my coworkers (with one notable exception) and my boss are great. And then there’s chief photographer/videographer Evan Sanders. He’s not just eye candy, he’s a whole semi-truck load of dark chocolate, red licorice, and peanut butter cups! Not that I’m attracted to him or anything.

4. What do you do with your free time? I enjoy watching nature shows on TV with my pet parrot, Ozzie. He’s so much fun because I never know what he’ll say next. Sometimes after work at the aquarium, I sit in the grandstands and watch the dolphins. I could do that for hours. And the “snipe and gripe” girls’ nights out at Bikini Barb’s Bar & Grill usually are a blast.

5. What’s your living space like? Let’s just say the thrift store furnishings in my apartment make shabby chic look opulent. The linoleum floors in the galley kitchen and bathroom might as well have been salvaged from the break room in a factory somewhere, and the appliances aren’t much better. Before I moved in, I scrubbed the place down with enough disinfectant to de-germ an entire hospital. But I’ve got a sizable college student loan to pay off, and it’s all I can afford right now.

6. Where are you from? And how did you end up in Florida? I was born and lived most of my life in Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri. When I was a kid, my parents took me on a Florida vacation, and I fell in love. With the state, sure, but with marine life in general and dolphins in particular. I visited the beach for the first time and collected so many shells that my dad joked we'd have to rent a U-Haul to get them all home. I still have them stored in my closet. We also went to Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando. I could've stayed at SeaWorld for days, weeks even, and I think that's when I decided I wanted to work at an aquarium when I grew up. Disney World was terrific, too, of course. What child doesn't love Donald Duck and Goofy and Dumbo and Chip 'n Dale and Mickey Mouse and, well, you get the picture. But hands down, my favorite part of Disney was SeaBase at Epcot. My parents had to drag me out of there so we could see what else the park had to offer. After I graduated high school, I decided to study marine science at the University of South Florida's campus on the waterfront in St. Petersburg. And that's when I fell in love with the west-central part of the state specifically.

7. Have you ever been in love? Not yet. I definitely want to be someday, but for now I'm busy building a career and enjoying being on my own.

8. We already know how much you adore dolphins and sea creatures. Tell us some of your other favorite things. I love country music, especially Miranda Lambert's songs. Baseball, particularly the St. Louis Cardinals, although I watch a lot of Tampa Bay Rays games now. I like other sports, too. Jimmie Johnson is my favorite NASCAR driver, and I expect to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. I read, mostly romance novels, chick lit and books about marine life. I already mentioned my fondness for nature documentaries. I also like Fish Tank Kings on the Nat Geo Wild channel, Covert Affairs, Castle, Motive, Rizzoli & Isles, Bones, Royal Pains, and Nashville. Let's see, what else. African gray parrots, of course. Dogs. Kayaking. I'd like to become a certified scuba diver someday. Chick flicks, comedies, and movies about animals. I've never ridden on a motorcycle, but I wouldn't mind trying that. And I eat a lot of soup and salads, although Bikini Barb's has great wings, nachos, and fries.

9. Tell us more about this guy who caught your eye at work. Evan? I don't know that much about him, honestly. He seems very nice, and his hotness rating is "sizzling." But I'm afraid he's way out of my league. I mean, he dated and dumped a woman who looks like actress Charlize Theron, for cripe's sake.

10. Have you looked in the mirror lately, Dani? You probably could have any man you wanted. Me? Seriously? I mean, that's a wonderful compliment, and I appreciate it very much. But I've never seen myself that way. I have to say, though, there is some really nice scenery at Gulf Shore Aquarium, if you know what I mean.

The Shore Thing is available from these online retailers:

Liquid Silver Books ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo ~ aRe

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Welcoming the Nebula Nights blog tour

9/2/2014

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Today I'm hosting author Greta van der Rol, who's here to tell us all about her participation in a box set that's an incredible deal for 99 cents. Take it away, Greta:

Thanks for having me.

Joining this wonderful group of authors in the Nebula Nights boxed set was a very simple decision for me. Science fiction romance is something of a niche market. A lot of traditional romance readers are put off by the very thought of science fiction, thinking it's all about space ships and battles with aliens--techy stuff. At the other end of the spectrum, there's a perception that SFR is all erotic. Neither of those notions is correct. Sure, some SFR is erotic, but a lot of it isn't. Sure, some SFR is tech-heavy, but a lot of it isn't. The Nebula Nights collection covers the spectrum, with a variety of sexual “hotness” and a wide range of settings. There's sure to be something for everyone.

Nebula Nights is all about raising the profile of the genre and of the authors who participated. We've worked hard to give it our best, and I'm sure I won't be the only one praising the cooperative spirit within the group. It's been frankly amazing at how quickly and professionally this has all come together.

Each author has presented the first book of an existing series. Like everyone else, I have a back list. I'm hoping that readers who enjoy my novel in the set, The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy, will seek out the further books in the Ptorix Empire series and/or my Morgan Selwood series.

Here's what Nebula Nights is all about:
11 sci-fi romances that’ll sweep you away!
If you like your science fiction blazing with adventure and your space opera spiced with romance, this boxed set is for you. From first contact to battles for survival and love on war-torn planets, this collection from best-selling and award-winning authors will leave you sighing with satisfaction.

Her Cyborg Awakes by Melisse Aires
Her gentle cyborg servant helped her escape violence--but now he’s changed into a warrior! Is he safe?

Removed (The Nogiku Series, #1) by SJ Pajonas
In this Japan-inspired tale, one woman’s family destiny is key to the survival of the last city on Earth.

Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. by PK Hrezo
Welcome to Butterman Travel, Inc., where time is always in your hands.

Noelle In His Heart by C.E. Kilgore
Noelle wishes for someone who understands she has love to give but commitments to honor. Stranded on Earth, Steve longs for someone who will understand that his alien heart can love just as deeply.

Stark Pleasure; the Space Magnate’s Mistress by Cathryn Cade
Kiri te Nawa survives the perils of the galaxy on her wits … although when it comes to space magnate Logan Stark, she’d rather use her body.
But can she trust him with her secrets?

Birth of an Empire: The Beginning by Catrina Taylor
Three former genetic experiments chose peace over war in a sector that’s known only war for a century. As each one squares against its government, they will question the experiences that guide them.

Escape From Zulaire by Veronica Scott
When the planet erupts into war, Sectors Special Forces Capt. Tom Deverane must decide whether to save Andi Markriss, the intergalactic businesswoman he loves, or sacrifice her to save Zulaire.

Solia’s Moon by Lyn Brittan
SFR Galaxy Award winner! When Dr. Solia uncovers her company’s foray into creating humanoid life, she enlists the help of her handsome ex, Sheriff Sable, in bringing a little justice to the universe.

The Key by Pauline Baird Jones
Her orders are simple: Do the impossible and do it yesterday. But this time the impossible actually might be impossible. The only way it could get worse? If her heart starts beating for the wrong guy.

The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy by Greta van der Rol
The Galaxy teeters on the brink of war. Can ex-admiral Saahren persuade the woman who hates him to help him prevent the coming conflagration? And perhaps even love him?

Mirror Image by KG Stutts
Maddie’s entire world is turned upside down when she finds out that she's a clone. Now she must work with her counterpart to protect Earth.

Greta's bio:
Greta van der Rol loves writing action-packed adventures with a side salad of romance. Most of her work is space opera, but she has written paranormal and historical fiction.

She lives not far from the coast in Queensland, Australia and enjoys photography and cooking when she isn't bent over the computer. She has a degree in history and a background in building information systems, both of which go a long way toward helping her in her writing endeavours.

Greta's links:
http://gretavanderrol.net/
http://twitter.com/GretavdR
http://www.facebook.com/Greta.J.vanderRol

Nebula Nights sales links:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MAXCS1E

Barnes& Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nebula-nights-pauline-baird-jones/1120035779?ean=2940149669080

All Romance eBooks - https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-nebulanightsloveamongthestars-1584205-166.html

Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/nebula-nights-love-among-the-stars/6i1z-zUcokmv2XKfGFUdEA?MixID=6i1z-zUcokmv2XKfGFUdEA&PageNumber=1

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Cover reveal: Shore Feels Right

My moment in the Dolphin Tale 2 "spotlight"

Meet Danielle "Dani" Davidson

Welcoming the Nebula Nights blog tour

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