Catching Heat – Alison Packard

Breaking His Rules ~ Another Excerpt and a Giveaway

Published on August 24, 2014 by Alison Packard9 Comments

With release day quickly approaching (can you believe summer’s almost over?) it seemed like the perfect time to share another excerpt from Breaking His Rules and, of course, do another giveaway!

It was after ten when Jake pulled up to the curb in front of her townhouse. The porch light was on and bathed the small garden and walkway near the front door in a warm golden glow. Inside, the house was dark. Paige was either upstairs in her bedroom at the back of the unit, or she’d decided to spend the night with Rob.

“You talked to Gentry, didn’t you?” Melissa asked the question that had been on her mind ever since she’d seen Trey head toward the men’s room not long after Jake had done the same thing.

“We had a brief discussion.” Jake’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “I didn’t lay a hand on him. If that’s what you’re worried about.”

“The only reason I’d worry is because I wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble because of me. Him, I couldn’t care less about.”

“My father taught us to respect women. What Gentry said to you was out of line. I took it upon myself to call him out on his behavior.”

“I guess he thought I’d be flattered that he found me attractive.”

“His success has gone to his head. He’s got women panting after him all the time and he takes advantage of that situation on a daily basis, according to J.T.”

“Well, he picked the wrong woman tonight. I wish I would have had the nerve to deck him. Paige would have done it in a heartbeat.” She sighed. “Paige thinks I need to stand up for myself more. She says I always turn the other cheek and let people like Shauna and Denise get away with insulting me.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes,” Melissa admitted, with a tentative nod. “I was always heavier than all the other kids. When they made fun of me it was easier to pretend it didn’t matter instead of confronting them.”

“But it did matter, didn’t it?”

“It hurt.” Her heart clenched at the thought of those painful times. “A lot. Luckily, I had Paige. I don’t think I would have gotten through school if she wasn’t there with me. She fought my battles for me. No one would dare say a word to me when she was nearby.”

“You’ve never struck me as the kind of person who wouldn’t stick up for herself.”

“That’s because you don’t really know me.”

“I think I do.” Jake reached up to brush a lock of hair from her cheek, and then quickly lowered his hand. “That strength you think you don’t have is there. Inside you. One day you’ll figure that out.”

Breaking His Rules will be released on Monday, September 8, 2014 and is available for pre-order now at the following e-book retailers:

And now for the giveaway! Just leave a comment on this blog post and win an e-book copy of one of my books: Love in the Afternoon, The Winning Season, A Christmas for Carrie or Catching Heat OR you can choose a print copy of either Love in the Afternoon or The Winning Season. The contest is open internationally and will close on Friday, August 29, 2014 at 9 pm PST. Good luck!

Spring is Here and the News is Good

Published on March 21, 2014March 21, 2014 by Alison Packard4 Comments

There’s something about Spring that just makes me happy. Perhaps it’s because I’m not the biggest fan of winter, and never have been. Judging by that statement you might think I grew up in a part of the country where people endure an endlessly long winter complete with snow, blizzards and ice storms. Nope. Not this girl. I grew up in California and I now live in the high-desert. My winters have been pretty mild, to say the least. But as I’m the biggest wimp on the planet when it comes to being cold, I’m not fond of even a mild, snow-less winter.

I took the picture at the top of this post a month ago. In February! See those beautiful pink blooms on the trees? They’re gorgeous, aren’t they? I never tire of seeing them and I never will. To me, those blooms mean Winter is on its way out and Spring is on its way in. Time for celebration!

There’s more to celebrate than Spring, though. You’re hearing it here first. I recently signed another contract with Carina Press. A two-book deal that will have me continuing my Feeling the Heat series through next year. Yay! I’m super excited to be writing for Carina Press and working with my amazing editor, Angela James. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I can’t say enough about everyone at Carina Press or my fellow CP authors. They’re the best!

So…what’s up book-wise, you may be wondering. 🙂 Well, as many of you know, Catching Heat, featuring J.T. Sawyer and Angie DeMarco was released last month. Afterward, I heard from a number of readers that they wanted more of the Sawyer brothers. Especially Jake. Your wish has been granted, my friends! LOL. My next book will feature Jake and Melissa, whom you met briefly in Catching Heat. The book started out as a novella, but I’m happy to report that its evolved into a longer novel. I don’t have an official release date as of this posting but as soon as I do, I’ll let you know.

After that, it’s back to baseball with another San Francisco Blaze story. Details on that one coming soon!

To those of you still enduring cold weather, you have my deepest sympathy. But you’ll have the last laugh when you’re enjoying your beautiful summer and I’m hibernating indoors for three months straight due to the 100 + degree heat. It’s brutal, my friends. Brutal.

Catching Heat Virtual Book Tour

Published on February 10, 2014February 10, 2014 by Alison Packard8 Comments

I’m excited to announce that my very first Virtual Book Tour begins on Monday, February 10th! The tour is hosted by Bewitching Blog Tours and will run through February 24th. Below is a list of the sites kind of enough to have me stop by. I’ll be sending out links to these sites via Twitter and Facebook throughout the tour, so I hope you’ll check them out.

Oh, and there’s a giveaway! To celebrate the release of Catching Heat, I’m giving away two $25 Amazon Gift cards. You can enter the drawing at: a Rafflecopter giveaway Good luck!

Tour Schedule

February 10 – Interview at Manga Maniac Cafe
February 10 – J.T. Sawyer interview at Provocative Pages
February 10 – Spotlight appearance at Stories of Romance
February 11 – Spotlight appearance at Girl Meets Books
February 11 – Spotlight appearance and review at Kawehi’s Book Blog
February 12 – Spotlight appearance at Darker Passions
February 12 – Interview and review at Books with Bree
February 13 – Interview with Pembroke Sinclair
February 14 – Guest blog at Passion for the Romance
February 14 – Spotlight appearance at Bookworm Bridgette’s World
February 17 – Guest blog at Ramblings From a Chaotic Mind
February 17 – Spotlight appearance at Share My Destiny
February 18 – Spotlight appearance at Midnight Musings with Bertena
February 19 – Guest Blog at Ramblings from this Chick
February 19 – Interview at Book in the Bag
February 19 – Review at Musings from an Addicted Reader
February 20 – Interview at Book Chick
February 21 – Interview at All I Want and More
February 21 – Spotlight appearance and review at Ramblings of a Book Lunatic
February 24 – Spotlight and review at Snarky Mom Reads
February 24 – Review at Fic Central

Feeling the Heat aka My Series Finally Has a Name!

Published on January 14, 2014January 14, 2014 by Alison Packard5 Comments

When I wrote my first book, Love in the Afternoon, I wasn’t planning too far ahead. But then a funny thing happened. I liked my secondary characters, Matt and Kelly, so much that I had to write about them in The Winning Season, and then I liked the secondary characters so much in that book that I had to write a book about them too. And so now I have a series! Very cool, right? Yes, but not so cool if you can’t come up with a series name.

A series name is crucial these days when so many authors write books with characters that are connected in one way or another. It lets readers know that a) you have a series and, b) what order to read your books in if they aren’t familiar with them already.

The biggest problem I had when I tried to come up with a series name was that I’d started the series with a book set in Hollywood (with two soap opera actors) and then moved it up to San Francisco, where my hero plays for the fictional MLB baseball team, the San Francisco Blaze. My upcoming release, Catching Heat, also features a player from the Blaze, and my holiday novella released last month (A Christmas for Carrie) is connected to the series as well.

For months I racked my brain trying to come up with something—anything—that would tie all the books together, and after a few truly cheesy ideas (Hearts Ablaze, Hearts on Fire), I finally came up with one that I thought could incorporate all the books in this little universe I’ve created. So I sent my latest idea to my editor, Angela James, at Carina Press and, lo and behold, she liked it and shared it with the team. And they liked it too! So now when someone asks me what my series name is I can finally tell them!

It’s Feeling the Heat.

PS: That little stick figure doing the happy dance at the top of this post is how I would look if I had a picture of me doing it…only skinnier.

CATCHING HEAT ~ A Preview and a Giveaway!

Published on January 4, 2014February 7, 2014 by Alison Packard15 Comments

After The Winning Season was released last July, one of the most often asked questions that came my way was: “What about J.T. and Angie?”

For those of you who asked, here’s your answer. J.T. Sawyer and Angie DeMarco get star billing in my next release, Catching Heat, and I’m thrilled to share the details with all of you.

Life has taught Angie DeMarco that all baseball players are womanizers, and her incredible one-night stand with sexy San Francisco Blaze back-up catcher J.T. Sawyer seemed to prove it. Determined not to give in to their sizzling chemistry a second time, she’s kept her distance ever since, focusing on her accounting job with the team. But now she’s laid off…and pregnant.

J.T. was hurt by Angie’s rejection, but with one more year with the Blaze, he has no time for love. He needs to spend the off season training hard so he can negotiate a better contract with a new team at the end of the year. But when Angie shows up on his doorstep, he‘s overwhelmed by wanting to not just do right by her but pursue a relationship with her. Hoping for a second chance, he proposes.

Angie agrees to marry J.T. on one condition: the marriage will be purely a business arrangement. But as Angie spends time with him and his family, and J.T. neglects his training to spend time with her, what begins as a union in name only slowly grows into something more—something that looks a whole lot like love and friendship.

Release date: February 10, 2014

Available for pre-order on: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

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And now for the giveaway details: To celebrate the upcoming release of Catching Heat, I have a few print copies of my first book, Love in the Afternoon to giveaway to four lucky winners. Because my books have been digital release only, a print copy is pretty rare. Of course, if you don’t care for print books, I’m more than happy to provide a Kindle, Nook or Kobo e-book copy of Love in the Afternoon or The Winning Season. Basically, it’s the winners choice! The giveaway is open internationally and will close at 9 pm PST on Saturday, January 11, 2014 .

It’s super easy to win. All you have to do is leave a comment below. Good luck!