SEX AND THE SINGLE THERAPIST by Marcia James
A crime of passion… To clear an innocent friend, Las Vegas sex therapist Dr. Ally Skye launches her own investigation into a patient’s murder. The last thing she expects is to find herself trading heated words and hot kisses with a sexy cop. Can this free-spirited amateur sleuth and her posse of Vegas insiders solve the crime before the killer targets her?
A sexy complication… Cynical homicide detective Zack Crawford has the murder of a tom-catting cad to solve and a grieving widow to investigate. The last thing he needs is the interference of a red-hot sex therapist who haunts his dreams. Ally is trouble, and he’s determined not to risk his bachelor freedom for any woman. Besides, given her job, would she grade his performance in bed?
A dynamic duo… In their search for the truth, Zack and Ally form an uneasy and sexually charged alliance. Murderers, extortionists and psychos are no match for these reluctant partners. Crime-solving was never this sexy or this fun!
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Marcia James writes hot, humorous romances and finaled in eleven Romance Writers of America contests before selling her first comic romantic suspense, At Her Command. Her latest release is Sex and the Single Therapist, a comic romantic mystery. In her eclectic career, she has shot submarine training videos, organized celebrity-filled nonprofit events and had her wedding covered by People Magazine. In addition to writing fiction, Marcia presents author promotion workshops. After years of dealing with such sexy topics as how to safely install traffic lights, she is enjoying “researching” and plotting her novels' steamy love scenes with her husband and hero of many years.WEBSITE *** FACEBOOK *** TWITTER *** NEWSLETTER
WIN - Leave a question for Marcia today at her Cyber Launch Party and join the fun! Marcia will have prizes up for grabs throughout the day! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are today's winner! And be sure to check out Marcia's contest over on her Website - she's got an adorable prize up for grabs!
Good morning Marcia and super congrats on your latest release!! I'm so excited about your book and about learning more about your new series!
ReplyDeleteTell us all about Dr. Alley Skye and what you have planned for this series.
While I've known you for year, you might be a new author for some of our readers so please tell us a bit about you and your other work?
Hope you enjoy your special day here as we launch your latest book and thanks so much for all the fun you have planned for us today!
Oh and readers - you have to check out Dr. Alley Skye's Sex Q&A over on Marcia's website!! Too fun! http://marciajames.net/QandA/
ReplyDeleteDeNita is right you are a new to me author and I just love discovering new reads.Congrats on your new release. I'm loving the picture. What kind of dog is that?
ReplyDelete1_trouble AT msn DOT com
Hi, DeNita! First I'll let everyone know more about today's contests. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'll randomly pick one winner an HOUR from the comments here to receive a free e-book of my first comic romantic mystery, At Her Command.
While readers can only win one e-book, EVERYONE who leaves a comment will be entered into the drawing for the grand prize -- a tote filled with dog-themed goodies from jewelry to notepads to my infamous thumbcuff keychain!
Remember to leave your email address, as DeNita suggested, so we can contact the winners about prizes.
-- Marcia ;-)
Hi, Donna! I love your cat photo. ;-) I'm a sucker for dogs and cats, and I always have four-legged characters in my books (and I'm not talking about shape-shifters). ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe dog in my photo is a Chinese crested hairless dog. I have one in each of my novels and novellas. I think they make a wonderful foil for the Alpha male heroes. ;-D
In Sex & the Single Therapist, I have a "crestie", as well as two mellow cats and a canine shedding machine named Marty. All of my animal characters were rescued from the street or adopted from shelters.
-- Marcia ;-)
DeNita -- You asked about my "Dr. Ally Skye, Sex Therapist" comic romantic mystery series...
ReplyDeleteI loved the idea of mashing two genres -- hot romances and cozy mysteries -- into one series. Ally helps her homicide cop boyfriend, Zack Crawford, solve sex-related crimes, something he's not thrilled about. In fact, being a bit of a prude, he's not too happy about her choice of profession either. But when the two of them are together, sparks fly. ;-)
The Las Vegas setting offers the series lots of opportunities for sex-related crimes, since Vegas has definitely earned the nickname, "Sin City." And we also see Ally with her sex therapy clients, which provides some of the humor and the poignant moments in the book.
The series will follow Ally and Zack's developing relationship, as well as offer secondary romances with the hero and heroine's friends. And, of course, there will be plenty of dogs and cats in the series.
-- Marcia ;-)
Hi, Marcia, Thanks for celebrating your latest release with us here! your new series sounds like a fun mix, with a little mystery, a little romance, and one of those dynamic duos! What inspired these characters and this series?
ReplyDeleteDo you typically base your characters on people you know in real life? Has anyone ever claimed to recognize him/herself from one of your stories?
f dot chen at comcast dot net
Hi, flchen1! Great questions!
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of the J.D. Rob futuristic police procedurals, and love the way the author (Nora Roberts in disquise), adds humor and romance to the series. I also like the way each of her books begins just a week or a month after the last one. It really draws you into the lives of the characters.
Since I love to read both mysteries and romances, I often add a little mystery to my books. And I liked the idea of a series that allowed me to have a hot ongoing romance between a heroine who is fine with anything sexual between consenting adults and a hero who is more of a "meat and potatoes" sex guy. Ally definitely chips away at Zack's prudishness as the series progresses.
I can't say that any "real" people inspired the series. Usually my characters are a mix of traits that I admire in friends and others. Of course, my characters aren't perfect, but neither are my friends and family. ;-)
So far no one has insisted that they are the inspiration for any of my characters. That might be because I put my characters in some crazy situations. In At Her Command, my first novel, I put FBI, DEA, and DC police under cover at a sex club in Washington doing some kinky things. No one claimed those characters were based on them! ;-D
-- Marcia
The winner of the first free e-book is Donna! I'll email you privately to see what format of e-book you would like.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
-- Marcia ;-)
Marcia - I just read the ABOUT ME page over on your website and I can't believe all the things I didn't know about you!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting! I love the part about your wedding - that's really incredible and so generous!
Loved the "Did you know" lines too - what an interesting life you lead!
Marcia, love the sound of your book. comic cozies are great! Adore the dog! :) I'd love to know how many books you've written??
ReplyDeletebrowncarole212(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for dropping by my website, DeNita! My wedding reception was "different" (in a good way), although the wedding itself was a simple church one. We asked our guests to consider donating to charity vs. giving us a wedding gift, so the reception was part wedding reception and part non-profit party.
ReplyDeleteSeveral charities sent press releases to publications about the reception, and it was covered in People magazine, as well as the Washington Post, Brides magazine, and several local DC TV stations.
The reception was a wonderful time. If I could change one thing about the reception, it would be that the bride and groom be given a few moments to actually eat. The food was great, but we were so busy, we only got to taste a few things. But I guess that is true of the bride and groom at any reception. ;-)
-- Marcia ;-)
The winner of my second e-book is flchen1! I'll email you private about the prize.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
-- Marcia ;-)
Congrats on the new series. The mystery aspect of this series really appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteacm05atjuno.com
Hi, Caroline! Right now, I have available two full-length books: At Her Command (which is in both e-book and trade paperback)and Sex & the Single Therapist (which is currently in e-book, but will be available in print later this spring).
ReplyDeleteI have a short story e-book, Love Unleased, that is currently for sale on the All Romance eBooks site, but will be available on Amazon and B&N at the end of 2012.
I have a sexy novella e-book, Heating Up the Holidays, that I'm reissuing on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords in March.
And I donated a story to Tails of Love, a Berkley anthology headed by Lori Foster, that is available as an e-book or as a paperback. I'm one of ten authors who donated stories, and all of our advances and royalties go to a no-kill animal shelter in Ohio. We've raised over $10,000 for the shelter so far. It's a fun romance anthology featuring matchmaking animals, and the money goes to a great cause!
I'm currently writing the second in the Dr. Ally Skye series.
-- Marcia ;-)
Hi, Anne! In the first book, Sex & the Single Therapist, someone has killed the philandering husband of one of Ally's friends, so she's trying to discover the killer before the police lock up her friend for the crime.
ReplyDeleteIn the second of the series, there's a serial killer doing away with customers of phone sex lines.
My books are light on "blood and guts", but there is definitely a core mystery for amateur sleuth Ally to solve with the help of her friends -- a group of Vegas insiders.
-- Marcia ;-)
Thanks Marcia. I have 3 rescue kitties and am hoping to adopt a dog soon. I too love J.D. Robb books and Rourke is my ideal man.
ReplyDeleteHi Marcia,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new release. It sounds like a book I would enjoy since I live in Las Vegas and like a little comedy in my romance novels.
How hard was it to write comedy into a romance novel?
Have you ever been to Las Vegas? Why did you pick Las Vegas? Was it because you could write about the naughty goings on in sin city? lol
miztik_rose@yahoo.com
Yay Marcia!
ReplyDeleteYou already know about my critters. Nothing like having our own pack. :}
May your launch inspire lots of sales.
Donna -- that Roarke is pretty yummy! ;-D
ReplyDeleteThat's great about your rescue pets. I try to guest-blog about animal issues when I get a chance. February is Responsible Pet Owners Month. I mention that and spaying/neutering pets in the guest-blogs I'm doing this month.
-- Marcia
ROFL! It does sound like your characters face some pretty intense and interesting situations! And it's true that real life can be stranger than fiction, but I guess a lot of people might not necessarily want to admit that either ;)
ReplyDeleteDoes your husband read your stories?
Hi, Mary! I love Las Vegas and visit at least once a year.
ReplyDeleteI picked Vegas as the setting because of its sexy reputation and because there is such a diverse group of people in the area -- from the obvious (casino workers, show people, and tourists) to the large retired community, the military base, and the families.
I enjoy including humor in my books, although I don't write strictly romantic comedy. My books' humor is often situational, though I do like characters who can banter.
In Sex & the Single Therapist, the secondary heroine, Leslie, is very southern and some of her sayings are great -- like "Don't pee down my back and tell me it's raining!" Her southern sayings were fun to research. ;-)
-- Marcia ;-)
Hi, Linda! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have a pro-animal friend who likes to say "Go pets!" It's a great cheer for those of us who love dogs and cats.
-- Marcia ;-)
Caroline -- you are the latest winner of my free e-book! I will contact you privately about what format you would like.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
-- Marcia ;-)
Remember: everyone, including the e-book winners, is entered in the drawing tomorrow morning for the grand prize!
ReplyDelete-- Marcia ;-)
flchen1 -- My husband does read my stories, and he tells his coworkers and family whenever I have a new release. (Yes, he's a keeper!) He also brainstorms with me when I run into a snag -- usually part of the mystery plot. He's great to bounce ideas off of. ;-)
ReplyDelete-- Marcia
I love the cover of Sex and the Single Therapist. It is really eye catching. I am starting to really enjoy the romance/mystery/caper books.
ReplyDeletejepebATverizonDOTnet
Marcia, wanted to stop by and say 'hello'. Your new book looks terrific. No need to enter me in the giveaway. I'll get a copy myself. Love the cover!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jen B! Thanks for your kind words about my book's cover. ;-) I designed it, but since I can't draw a stick figure, I hired an illustrator to turn my rough sketch into a colorful cartoon cover.
ReplyDeleteI wanted the cover to show that the book is sexy, but it's also a humorous book. Originally I had a cartoon of a "crestie" dog peeking around the pedestal holding Freud's statue, but the cover was just too busy then. It was hard to cut the dog, but we did. ;-(
-- Marcia (who has dogs on all of her other book covers)
Hi, Kate! {{waving to my fellow Tails of Love anthology author!}}
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it!
By the way, for those of you who haven't read a Kate Angell contemporary romance, I can highly recommend them! Here's the link to her website: http://www.kateangell.com/
-- Marcia ;-)
Your a new author for me but i love the sounds of this book. What made you come up with the title?
ReplyDeleteelizabeth_14@hotmail.co.uk
Jen B: You're my latest winner of a free e-book! I will email you privately to see what format you want.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
-- Marcia ;-)
i like the book wow you have t he gut that would write the book and then you dog wow it a cutie what kind is is thanks for the book look
ReplyDeleteHi, Elizabeth! I wanted my comic romantic mystery series to have titles that gave readers a hint as to the order of the books. ;-) So Sex & the SINGLE Therapist is the first book. Death & the DOUBLE Entendre is the second (which I'm writing now). And Murder & the Menage a TROIS is the third. I capitalized the word hints in each of the titles. Adding the hints appealed to my funny bone. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe titles also give you a hint as to the mystery plots. In Sex & the Single Therapist, the amateur sleuth is a sex therapist, but it's the murder victim's sexual escapades that gets the man killed in that book.
In Death & the Double Entendre, the murder victims like to talk dirty to phone sex operators. In Murder & the Menage a Trois, the three victims are swingers who enjoy group sex.
I also wanted the titles to be similar in cadence and alliteration.
-- Marcia ;-)
desitheblonde -- I have Chinese crested hairless dogs in all of my books. They are definitely a unique breed. Some of the "crestie" show dogs are amazingly beautiful and look almost like little fairy ponies with long manes and tails. Other cresties are so goofy, they win the World's Ugliest Dog Contest year after year.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend's show dog crestie in my PR photo and a caricature of a crestie as my dog logo (which you can see in my avatar next to my comments).
Cresties are tiny dogs and the perfect comic sidekick for big, macho Alpha heroes. ;-D
-- Marcia ;-)
Hi Marcia. Congratulations on your new book. Sounds good. Your dog is so cute. :)
ReplyDeleteCrystal816[at]hotmail[dot]com
Hi, Crystal GB! Thanks for the kind words about my dog. ;-) And thanks for stopping by my cyber launch!
ReplyDelete-- Marcia ;-)
My latest e-book winner is desitheblonde! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteIf you would like an e-book, please post your email address in these comments or email me through the Contact Me page on my website (http://www.marciajames.net/contact.html).
-- Marcia ;-)
Hi Marcia!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to why you chose a crestie as your "brand" dog as opposed to some other small breed?
Thanks! I am so excited that I won. I meant to mention it in my first comment. My daughter is crazy about the Chinese Crested dogs. She keeps beggin me to get her one. Is it a lot of work to keep them groomed? Are they tolerant of kids?
ReplyDeletejepebATverizonDOTnet
Hi, Janie! Thanks for visiting my cyber launch!
ReplyDeleteMy first romance, At Her Command, features a tiny Chinese crested hairless dog as an "undercover" DEA drug-sniffing dog. His name is Smokey. The character was so popular, I decided to have a caricature made of Smokey, and I use that as my author logo/mascot.
I picked a "crestie" dog for Smokey since cresties are so unique. Plus the tiny dog was the perfect comic sidekick for the DEA heroine and the perfect comic foil for the Alpha male hero.
-- Marcia ;-)
Hi, JenB! I have to admit that the crestie in my PR photo doesn't belong to me. It's a show dog owned by an acquaintance. I'm VERY allergic to cats and dogs.
ReplyDelete;-(
I think because I want a dog so badly, I love writing about them in my books. I try to support my local shelters in ways that unfortunately don't include fostering or adopting. Maybe, when I'm retired, I'll load up on antihistamines and get a dog. Maybe by then the allergy drugs will be better.
As for cresties, I hear that they are high maintenance. The hairless ones need to wear sunscreen in bright sunlight and doggie sweaters in cold weather.
I don't know if they are good with children or not. Usually there are online resources that talk about breed compatibility with families, other pets, etc. I have heard that some of the best dogs with children are labs and golden retrievers. But temperments can be different dog to dog as well as breed to breed.
-- Marcia
JenB -- I wanted to let you know that I sent you a private email, in case it went into your spam filter. If you answer it and let me know what format you want, I can send you the e-book.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
-- Marcia ;-)
The latest winner of my free e-book is Janie Mason!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I will send you a private email about what format you would like.
-- Marcia ;-)
Marcia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for responding to my questions about Chinese Crested dogs. I have read all of the sites I could find but I haven't been able to find any owners. We adopted a rescue mutt and she now controls our family :) So sad that you are too allergic! I think it is great that you have incorporated something as identifiable as a Chinese Crested in your stories. I checked out your site and I LOVE the doggy drawing on the main page.
Jen B.
Congratulations!!
ReplyDeleteSEX AND THE SINGLE THERAPIST looks like so much fun.
Love your dog: what breed is it?
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
JenB -- One of my Facebook Friends who owns a crestie said that her crestie was as adventuresome as her border collies, and all of her dogs get along.
ReplyDeleteI think a dog can be trained to be more social, but I'm not sure I would recommend a crestie for a household that has small children. Like some Chihuahuas, some cresties can be high strung, from what I understand. And they are delicate dogs, so children can't rough house with them like they might do with a lab.
Thanks for your kind words about Smokey, my mascot. ;-)
-- Marcia ;-)
Hi, Marybelle! The dog in my PR photo and the dog who "posed" for my avatar/mascot is a Chinese crested. The "crestie" dogs come in two types: hairless and powderpuff (which have fur over all).
ReplyDeleteThe hairless version can look amazing or goofy. They often win the World's Ugliest Dog contest. But some are so beautiful, and their markings differ wildly. Some have white tuffs of hair and pink skin. Others have brown hair and liverspotted skin. Others have black hair and brown skin. And others have a mix of the above markings.
They are definitely a unique breed!
-- Marcia ;-)
Marybelle! You're my latest e-book winner. I'll email you privately to see what e-book format you'd like.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
-- Marcia ;-)
Hey Marcia, this looks like such a fun(ny) book! Too bad I didn't get much chance to talk to you Saturday, but this is on my TBR list now!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jeanette! Thanks for stopping by! It was great seeing you at the booksigning last Sat, and I wish we could have had more time to talk, too.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! You are my latest e-book winner, so I'll contact you privately about what format you want.
Happy Valentine's Day!
-- Marcia ;-)
The drawing for the grand prize will be at 9:30 am EST. Everyone who commented is in the drawing, and I appreciate all of you who stopped by my cyber launch!
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day!
-- Marcia ;-)
What a great party and what a wonderful guest of honor you have been Marcia! Hope your latest release is a huge hit for you and can't wait to celebrate the release of book two in your new series!
ReplyDeleteI just had to tell you, that I was watching a rerun of Psych on TV early this morning and there was a Chinese Crested dog in it - how funny is that? Must be a sign!
Hope you enjoyed your first Cyber Launch Party with AuthorIsland!
Thanks, DeNita! I had a great time!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Psych is one of my favorite shows. I think I remember that episode. ;-)
Have a wonderful Valentine's!
-- Marcia ;-)