Author Heather McCoubrey in the House!

Hot on the heels of her debut novel To Love Twice, author of stirring romance Heather McCoubrey will release her next novel Back to December this June!

And just to whet your appetite...

Can Anna escape the claws of her soul-crushing past so she can claim her life as her own and seize the happiness that could be hers?

Heather McCoubrey first caught my interest with her debut novel To Love Twice. In this poignant and mesmerising tale, Kate goes to London and takes a chance on love with the dashing Edward Kent. But can her whirlwind romance sweep away the echoes of a tragic past? And will she allow herself to fall, daring to love again...

Reviews of To Love Twice:

“First book I've ever read completely through! It was awesome. I laughed, I cried, I found some really good points. I loved the romance. Just might read it again!” –Jillian Hucks

“I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Readers who just want a steamy romance will be disappointed... No smut here...but plenty of romance and great character development. I laughed, I cried, I was genuinely surprised a few times and skipped sleep to finish reading and get to the happy ending. I wish it were longer! I am not ready to say goodbye to Kate and Edward.” –Kindle Customer “CharmedGirl”

“I'd recommend this book to anyone. I'm not one for romances but this book had me hooked. And the crazy twist at the end, I couldn't put it down.” –Tiffany Clark

“I'm not normally a fan of romances but this was good and kept my interest… the ending was Awesome. Great snowy day read!!” –Bonnie G

“This story was very unexpected. The plot was great, the characters were real, and the ending was surprising. I never saw it coming. Kate is so strong to have gone through all she did to find love again. Heather, I look forward to your next novel. You have a new fan!” –Ann

After enjoying To Love Twice, I got in touch with Heather, and we soon became author buddies, celebrating each other's triumphs, commiserating over disappointments, venting our frustrations, and giggling over shared delight. And I so enjoy Heather's blog - she helps me relax with her musings on life and inspires me to find balance and time to write in my hectic life as an indie author!

And yes, I'll admit it, Heather is a Patriots fan - - - a Patriots fan!!! I, as you know, am a die hard fan of The New York Giants, but still, we like each other :) A lot more than Tom Brady likes Eli Manning, that's for sure! And guess what? Heather and I both have Pennsylvania in common! I grew up there, and Heather lives there now her husband, two children, Rex the chihuahua, and Fatty the goldfish.

But you don't have to go all the way to Pennsylvania!

You can find Heather McCoubrey on:

Facebook  Twitter  Google+

I cannot wait for Heather's next novel, Back to December! After surviving an abusive childhood, Anna Blackhurst is finally ready to tentatively step into life, and into the world of Cooper Reed. But when her mother is in a terrible accident, Anna feels herself getting sucked back into the nightmare relationship that defined her childhood. Cooper is there for her, but is Anna strong enough to feel worthy of his love? Will she ever break free from the chains of torment that have been holding her down her whole life? Anna has to find the courage to love herself if she and Cooper are to have any chance of loving each other. 

Put Back to December on your To-Read Shelf on Goodreads

And let the anticipation begin! 

Authors - Get Free Promo on My Blog Tour by Commenting!

My #RomCom debut novel She Likes It Rough and I are taking the show on the road fresh off winning Best Humor Book 0f 2013 and Best Indie Book of 2013 from Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards. We will be touring from April 7 thru April 18 and I would LOVE for readers, bloggers, and authors alike to drop by and share insights, quips, or smartass remarks. Or just drop on by to say Hi!The beauty of blogging is, of course, connecting with people who love books or gossip or different takes on this crazy world. But connection is a two way street, and I connect back. Mmmrrh. Readers, comment and I will comment back and we can engage in some lively banter, plus I'd love to field any questions you have. Bloggers and authors, comment and I will comment back promo-ing your  most recent book or blog. Plus banter, too :)

Don't believe me? Check out a guest post I did on the super fun blog More Cowbell this weekend. Especially checkout all the comments and promo! Or check out the comments and the promo of others I did on my feature on the award-winning book site Indies Unlimited last week.

Scroll Down This Link to See the Tour Schedule

Hope to see you on tour!!

Sincerely, GVR Corcillo

Hacked on Twitter! Here's How It Happened

“All you have to do is exercise reasonable precautions.”

DI Lestrade, Sherlock: A Study in Pink, written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss

DI Lestrade would be shaking his head at me. Sherlock would have kicked me out of his rooms a word and a half into my story. But here is my story. I admit I acted foolishly and did not use reasonable precautions. I got tricked into giving away my sign-in and password to my Twitter account. And that was the password to a number of other accounts as well. 

Late last Sunday afternoon, my phone beeped as it always does to alert me that I had an email. I get email every time I am mentioned on or Retweeted on Twitter. Good thing! The email said I had been Retweeted. I looked to see what tweet of mine had been retweeted. Hmmmm...A Dr. Oz diet tip with a link. I had never tweeted any such thing.

I rushed to the computer, knowing I'd been hacked. Someone was now sending spam as me, to steal more passwords no doubt.

Here's How The Heinous Hackers Got My Info:

Earlier in the day I had gotten the following tweet from someone I follow who was in the middle of reading my book: ‪

@gvrcorcillo book is freaking funny I bout peed myself lol #shelikesitrough

Not long after, I got another tweet from someone I follow:

@gvrcorcillo rofl this was made by you? Tinyurl.com/xxxxxxx

(I have taken out the actual link numbers and letters to avoid spreading the piracy plague.)

So I'm thinking, “Did he see the other texts and get my book? Is he a fan? Is that a link to something about my book and how awesome it is?” Yep, the writer demon in me craving praise at any cost took over and gleefully clicked the link. After some glitching, a page opened. And then things got really stupid.

Here is the page that came up:

Screenshot from http://www.zdnet.com

There was the Twitter Bird in the corner and the screen's background was that blue cloud background Twitter has as one of its backgrounds. 

“Oh,” I thought. “Okay. Sign in again.” I was actually pretty annoyed. Seriously, I was as eager to see good stuff about my book as Johnny Dangerously's brother was to get laid in the courthouse on his wedding day. So I quickly signed in with my user name and password, positively jonesing to see what my fan had said. But, the page crashed. And I thought, “Oh, well. Advertising spam. Sigh.” Completely discounting that I had just SIGNED IN on the bogus page!!!!

A few hours later, when I saw that @gvrcorcillo had tweeted two Dr. Oz diet tip tweets that I HAD NEVER TWEETED, it slammed into me like an overpowering wave off shore – the kind that grinds your face into the sand at the bottom: I had given away the keys to my Twitter Kingdom.

I immediately got onto Twitter and deleted the two bogus Tweets. Then I changed my password . Then I sent out a bunch of Tweets explaining thatI'd been hacked and that my Dr. Oz tweets were from Hackers. Then I reported the violation to Twitter. Then I changed every single password I have for anything. The good news is that I just went back into the bogus rotf tweet I originally got. When I clicked on the link, the bogus sign-in page did not come up. Instead, a message cam up telling me that the link was unsafe. And it did not ask me to sign in!

Let me be clear: I am not warning anyone away from clicking on links on Twitter - there is a lot of cool stuff to be found by clicking twitter links - such as my books in many of my own tweets! But DO NOT sign in after you have clicked a link.

This kind of hacking is called phishing, and if it happens to you, forward the suspicious  tweet to spoof@twitter.com then DELETE THE TWEET.

Twitter is wonderful and I love to tweet, but... 

"Beware the the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"
Jabberwocky, written by Lewis Carroll

Sincerely,


GVR Corcillo
@gvrcorcillo 

And the Oscar for Best Butt Lift Goes to...

Last Sunday night I quickly grew depressed then resigned as I squinted through the glitz to see teeming rows upon rows of plastic expressions, over-processed hair, and inflated lips. It's as though stars no longer grow old, but instead grow ludicrously comical and ridiculously fake. Fifty on screen no longer looks like Perry Mason or Edith Bunker, but like a cartoon duck. Why fight aging just to end up with a booby prize? Why fight aging at all? Are wrinkles really so much worse than bubble lips and sucked in cheeks?

Is it so bad to live life and show the evidence?

But wait.

Damn it, I kind of stepped in a puddle here. I uh, em, dye my hair. Ever since the age of 28, I've been having the gray highlighted out of the blonde. I'll never forget the first time I asked my hair guy extraordinaire Jordy if he could touch things up a bit.

Me: Could you maybe highlight it a little? I've got few strands of gray here in front.

Jordy: Honey! You've got gray all over!

So, I, too, fight aging in my own way. By keeping my fly-away split ends as sunny golden as they were when I was a kid. And you know what? You might not like the way my hair looks. You might think I should condition it, perm it, heck, on some days brush it.

But that's okay. Because I like the way I look. And today's stars – or at least the agents of today's stars and LOTS of fans - like the way they look. I'm okay, you're okay. Or even if you're not, it's not my business. And vice versa, I'm sure, to quote Sherri Ann Cabot. I think it's cool to be cool with one another. Sound good? Truth is, lots of people thrill to this idea of acceptance.

How do I know? Because it's the essence of romance and lots of people read romance. Romance reveals the journey of two people becoming more tolerant, more understanding of one another. The Walls of Jericho come down, bit by bit, (not necessarily with the fanfare of a toy bugle) so that two people can recognize and feel that pulsing core of some truth, some frequency, some rhythm that they share. And it is this simpatico that will keep them happily together.

The story starts out, and the two people clash, as do Elizabeth and Darcy, Mindy and Danny. But it's there, early on - a vibe like the hum from a refrigerator that tells you these two would be so good together. For Elizabeth and Darcy, their manners are quite different, yet neither one performs to anyone. Each lives according to exacting truth. But they have to overcome the barrier of disparate manners in order to realize the values they share. And Mindy and Danny? In the first episode, it becomes clear that they know each other on a deep level because each knows exactly how to cut the other to quick. Danny tells Mindy she needs to lose 15 pounds, and Mindy derides Danny for having gotten divorced. But at this point in their relationship, their feelings find expression only through insults and one-upsmanship. As the series progresses, they break down each others' walls and move in closer.

And that's the kind of romance I like. Not one that begins with a mutually immediate sexual spark, but one that begins with something...else. Some subtle hint that lets you know that these two are skating along the same wavelength, that they've got what it takes to be amazing together. It can be just one word, just one action, just one brief exchange. Like Ron's awed amazement - “Hermione!” - when she slaps Draco.

I planted my first clue that Lisa and Jack hear the same distant bongo beat in Chapter Two of my novel She Likes It Rough. It's there for anyone to see by browsing through the beginning of the book online.

Think you can find it?

And by the way, in case you love pop culture references and trivia as much as I do...

1. When Sherri Ann Cabot says, "Vice versa, I'm sure," what is she doing?

2. Who buys the toy bugle?

3. What provokes Hermione to slap Draco?

4. Who is Larry's Lizzy?

Win a Signed Copy of She Likes It Rough!

 Just be one of the first 15 people to write a review of 

She Likes It Rough on Goodreads and/or Amazon! 

1. Download She Likes It Rough, FREE now through December 26, by clicking HERE. 

2. Read the book and compose an honest review.

3.Before you post your She Likes It Rough review on Goodreads and/or Amazon, contact me on the Meet Me page of my website or by commenting on this blog, telling me under what name you will post the review.*   

4. Once the review is posted, contact me again via the Meet Me page on my website or in the comments below. Make sure you contact me using the same email address you used when you contacted me the first time.*  If your review is one of the first 15 to be posted on 12/23/2013 or later, you will win a signed copy of the book. When you contact me, let me know where to send the signed copy and whether you want me to sign the book to anyone specific.

*These steps are to insure that you are no cheeky monkey trying to take credit for someone else's review.

Good Luck and Happy Reading!

Happy Holidays!

-GVR Corcillo

It's That Time of Year...

Chestnuts crackling over a toasty fire, a snowy sleigh ride through a field of firs, peace on Earth...Mmmrrh!

But most of us never actually experience the stuff of the most iconic images Winter Wonderland. Still, we giddily trip into season after season of poinsettias and carols dreaming of silver bells and reindeer and miracles. And that's oaky. In fact, It's Wonderful. Holiday magic isn't about expecting to actually get the ideal. That just leads to waking up on the 26th in your own bed under your own cracked ceiling to realize that, once again, nothing magical happened.

Holiday Magic is about everybody essentially agreeing to be a little happier for a few weeks. We allow ourselves, for one month, to tap into the dreams that make us recognize the flurries of crystalline beauty in our own lives.

I love watching It's a Wonderful Life every year not because I expect my whole town to rally round me and tell me how amazing I am, but because I revel in the joy of having friends who love me and who I love right back.

Twinkling lights all down my block fill me with joy because people are simply deciding to make life a little brighter, a little more special than usual. Because we can do that – we can make our lives better by simply deciding to celebrate every day.

I jump out of bed on Christmas morning not to open gift-wrapped bling under the tree, but to roll up my sleeves along side my husband as we start preparing a feast for those we love most. Mmmrrh... No one dresses up, no gifts are exchanged – we simply enjoy each other's company on a day when life takes a breath and we all just relax. Well, relax...and cook, and arrange chairs and tables, and clean up – but we all do it together so it's cool. (Hint: If you are not the Mom of a family, get off your ass and help Mom this Christmas! The magic doesn't happen all by itself, you know!)

A Christmas Story isn't about Ralphie getting the Red Ryder BB Gun. It's about his Dad giving it to him - his irascible, foul-mouthed Dad who doesn't seem very dialed in to his kids' lives unless they are in trouble. But his Dad really was paying attention and does understand Ralphie's dreams.

Holiday Magic isn't about what you want or what you get – it's about realizing and appreciating what you have. Mmmrh...

...to Fall in Love with Your World

GVR Corcillo

books available 

at Amazon

Mmmrrh...

Mmmrrh.... . . you know, that sound you make when biting into the most succulent piece of peanut buttery chocolate, or when you see an incredibly hot guy and you know you’ll never have him, or when you see the totally cutest little dog ever.

Mmmrrh . . . I live for that sound. More precisely, I live for those moments that create that sound – those drops of life that land on my skin and make me hurt, make me cry, make me tingle, make me feel. They pull me down and touch a core of pure sensation, if only for a few seconds.  But these seconds are too often scattered by the whirlwind pace of frenetic life. 

Moments of mmmrrh... flutter all around us everyday.  We just need to stop, notice, and appreciate.

-Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

-Crashing into someone's cart at Big Lots 2 weeks before Christmas. Could have turned into a macing or knifing, right? But we just  just apologized and smiled at each other with a sense of rueful conspiracy, a la Laverne and Shirley. 

-Seeing the bottom half of the moon. It was late, I was exhausted, and my car was chugging down the freeway. And there it was. The golden orange bottom half of the moon. I guess cloud cover made it look that way, but it really was the coolest view of the moon.

-Forgiving the NY Giants  for their phoned-in season all because punter Steve Weatherford tweeted Happy Birthday to a fan just because that fan asked him to in a tweet of his own.

 These are random drops of mmmruh... Moments that cut right to the essence of love, trust, compassion, understanding, nobility. Moments that I savor in life. Moments that I crave when I’m reading. Moments that I strive to evoke in my writing.

If I can recognize these moments, find these moments, access these moments, re-create these moments – but most of all, remember these moments and the way they make me feel – mmmrrh... what a wonderful world it can be.