Elle Hill

“Smile! It can’t be that bad.” "Cheer up!" “You’d look so much prettier if you smiled.”  “Turn that frown upside down!” You’ve heard one or more of these phrases before. They’re a call to lighten the atmosphere, to cheer someone up. To police their face. I know, I know: Most people who utter these phrases aren’t trying to deny the emotional richness of another individual. They’re not trying to invalidate or disrespect. I imagine they think of themselves as happiness fairies, sprinkling light-heartedness, giggle dust, and platitudes to random passers-by. However, they’re also imparting a powerful social message: You owe me happiness, or at least some kind of performance of it. On a pure, Goffman -esque level, I get that the social sphere is a collection of rituals, performances, and fragile, interactive dances. As Goffman would point out, we are super invested in maintaining the smooth flow of social interactions; otherwise, we’d experience a socia...

The Perfect Duke By Dawn Ireland Genre:  Historical Romance (Late Georgian Era) Heat Level:  Sensual Back Cover Blurb: Known as  The Marble Duke  amongst the Ton, Garret Weston, the Duke of Kendal sets himself apart from his peers. Nothing will hinder his guilt-driven attempt to become a perfect duke.  Nothing that is, save the alluring and imaginative betrothed he’d thought dead. His intended believes- of all things -that she is a Vicar’s daughter. The “perfect” duke needs a “perfect” duchess, but how was he to discern her suitability? Employing her as a governess to his niece seemed like an ideal solution. But whose “suitability” is being tested? His betrothed refuses to see he is beyond redemption. And most grievous of all, she stirs his blood, making him forget what’s important.  Cara believes fairy tales really can come true, until she meets the unrelenting and arrogant Duke of Kendal. He looks like a Prince, but acts li...

Several of us   Soul Mate Publishing   authors are hippity-hopping all over the Interwebs in a delicious blog hop. I would like to say I participate in these because I think they help expose me (hee hee) and snag me more reader minions, but we all know it’s because the word “hop” makes me think of froggies. Or maybe bunnies. Whee! First of all, my thanks to Alina K. Field for inviting me to participate in this blog hop.  All right, now I’m going to dazzle you by answering some questions about me. After your pulse returns to normal, please read below about a couple more Soul Mate authors. I urge you to visit their sites, too, and shamelessly lavish them with attention and love. So, hop on, my friends! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 1. What are you working on right now? On August 20, a mere four days ago, Soul Mate Publishing released my latest novel, The Tithe . This 94,000-word, post-apocalyptic, “utopian” novel focuses on the plight of seventy...

CASEY’S COURAGE By Neva Brown Genre : Contemporary   Heat Level : Sensual Excerpt : When they finally stopped swimming and stood up in the shallow end of the pool, the icy wind of early fall shocked them both into quick action...he grabbed a huge beach towel and wrapped it round her and hugged her tightly, pressing her body against his own. Shivering from the cold, Casey snuggled close to Tres. As her shaking eased, she became more aware of his body. He had one arm round her shoulders and the other lower. His hand was on her bottom, pressing her against him from head to toe. He wasn’t cold. His hot, full arousal pulsating against her abdomen fueled a new kind of shiver in her. She leaned into his maleness with primal need. His eyes, bright and feral, devoured her. As she wiggled to step away, he moved his hand from her shoulder to the back of her head. His lips brushed her temple and cheek, trailed down to her neck, then settled gently on her lips th...

The time has come, my friends. After two long years, The Tithe is now available as an e-book. Below are the contents of my media kit's info sheet. Enjoy! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Tithe Elle Hill Publication Date : August 20, 2014 Price : $2.99 Word Count : 94,506 Available Format : E-book Purchase Link Back Blurb : “Every seven years, seven persons from each of the ten towns must go into the desert, where they will enter into the realm of Elovah, their God.” No one knows exactly what happens to these seventy Tithes, but everyone knows who:  the “unworkables,” those with differing physical and mental capacities. Joshua Barstow, raised for twenty years among her town’s holy women, is one of these seventy Tithes. She is joined by the effervescent Lynna, the scholarly Avery, and the amoral Blue, a man who has spent most of his life in total solitude. Each night, an angel swoops down to take one of their numbers. Each night, that is, ...

Big Brother. Dweomer. Mockingjay. The Golden Snitch. Ringwraiths. Great A’Tuin. The shining. You know all, or at least some of these made-up words and phrases. Heck, if you’re anything like me, you’ve extensively pondered the joys of taking second breakfast with a hobbit, maybe after imbibing some butterbeer with Harry and Hermione. I read fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. There’s just something so intriguing about consuming a story that not only includes the usual drama of everyday living but words and ideas that exist uniquely in the universe the author has created. These fictitious concepts and words fascinate me. Why did the author construct this style of government? What magic system did she or he dismiss before deciding on that one? What do the syllables of these words represent? How much symbolism and ideology can be packed into a single word or phrase? I write romantic fantasy and sci-fi. At least part of the great joy of penning my stories comes from stretching the kno...

A mere year after I submitted it to my editor, The Tithe is coming out on August 20! I only have  two more steps before this baby is out of my hands and into the public’s. The first is proofreading. I got this. The second involves choosing a book hook. This is where you all come in. In short, HELP! Below are my back cover blurb (the description of The Tithe ) and my potential hooks. I’ve written about a thousand, narrowed it down to ten, and just can’t decide on one. In case you’re not sure, a hook is a very brief, pithy, attention-catching summary of the story. Think about movie posters that say stuff like: “Even the end of the world can’t deter him from his quest for the perfect burger” or “They took everything she has. Now she’s taking it back” or “Never before has a bicolor Persian cat saved so many.” Quick, dirty, and intriguing. Now that you know what it is, would you review all of my hook finalists below and let me know in the comments section which one you th...

The S.E.R.A. Files Volume II C.T. Green Genre:  Paranormal Romance Heat Level:  Sizzling This is a collection of short stories featuring the men and women of the Supernatural Entity Recovery Agency. #1 SATISFYING SIMON Will satisfaction be guaranteed? For Serena Roberts, getting to know her new SERA partner is an uphill task. Simon’s distant and ‘by the book’ demeanor is at odds with his playboy past. Serena believes she’ll never find out the real story behind the torture Simon endured at the hands of a demon nor discover a way past the Fae warrior’s ice-cold reserve. Simon doesn’t mind his reputation for being hard to please, but when he meets Serena he finds there is something he cares about more than keeping his distance from others. As they hunt for a kidnapper can he trust Serena enough to leave them both satisfied? #2 PROTECTING PENELOPE Angels and demons don’t mix. Prepare for an apocalypse. Adar works as a special operative for SERA...

Son of Thunder By S.C. Mitchell Genre : Paranormal Romance Heat : Sizzling Hook : The son of the Thunder God, Thor, has a lot to live up to...and no time for love. Blurb : The man looked like a god. Then again, he was one. . . 

 Jord Thorson was a god– the son of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. In his search to find his missing father, Jord seeks out the mortal, Meghan Larson, who is in possession of his only clue–Megingjörð, Thor’s magical belt of power. 

 But when the belt decides to take matters into its own hands, locking itself around Meghan’s waist, Jord and Meghan are plunged into the middle of a massive conflict that rages across the heavens. 

 Giants, magical artifacts, and a golden city in the clouds weren’t exactly what Meghan Larson expected when that amazing belt arrived at her museum. Now Megingjörð is stuck around her waist and talking to her in her head. She’s got to be dreaming, but with the wonders around her and hunky Jord Thorson at h...