Guest Post: How Ryan met Morgan Kearns

I gotta thank Ryan for agreeing to do this. Yesterday, we learned how I met him. This is how he met me in his own words...

 

I pose for a lot of pictures with a lot of different people. I could tell right away that Morgan and Siobhan were going to be fun.

They were really, really cool, but I could tell Morgan was a little reserved because she wouldn’t touch my butt in the pictures. So we stuck her behind the wall.

After the pictures were taken we talked for a long time. Honestly, it’s probably the longest conversation I’ve had with a customer.

When Morgan asked if I wanted to be on her book cover, I thought, Yeah, yeah, she’s so full of shit.

She kept talking and I kept thinking, What the hell? What’s a romance novel cover? Like a porn book? Like Fabio?

Yeah, my hair’s not long enough. I couldn’t get the thought of 90’s rock stars out of my head. I got a Mohawk and tattoos.

But then she took out her phone and showed me some of her other book covers. Okay, I could do that.

When I gave her my number, I thought two things. One: This’d be really cool, but we’ll see. And two: Hopefully this lady’s not crazy. At least she has a family.

Everything turned out pretty good.

I’m on the cover of Lucky 13 and Morgan’s just crazy enough to be awesome.

Enrique Santiago...in the flesh

I've been asked to share the story of how I met my newest cover model, 

Ryan aka Enrique "Ricky" Santiago because... 

well, it's kinda hilarious! 

 To hear my 12-year-old son tell the story, I picked Ryan up in a bar in Vegas. 

This, however, is the REAL story! 

In April of 2012, I'd just finished the edits for

OUT OF LEFT FIELD 

(Deadlines & Diamonds, #3)

and had begun to "talk" with Enrique Santiago. 

He was handsome and charming, sweet and very funny! 

(Yes, I know that makes me sound crazy.) 

 

A few weeks later I went to speak to the Las Vegas Romance Writers of America on the Importance of Cover Art. (It's very, very important, just in case you wondered.)

After the presentation, Siobhan Muir and I returned to the hotel. In the lobby a man approached us, asking if we wanted to take a picture with him. 

Before you panic, he wasn't a stalker or an insane person, it was his job. 

This IS Vegas, after all. 

And taking pictures with random sexy guys is ... normal! 

As we walked up to the backdrop, another random sexy guy strolled up. He smiled and my heart stopped. He spoke and I nearly fainted. He crossed his arms over his chest. I blinked. 

Un-freakin'-believable!  

This stranger was Enrique Santiago.  

The figment of my imagination, personified. His smile, his mannerisms, even his laugh were Ricky!


I stammered my way through who I was and what I did. When I asked if he'd be interested in being on a book cover, he looked at me like I'd lost my freakin' mind. Who knows, maybe I had.

It only took showing him my other covers on my cell phone and giving him my business card (See, they are good to have.) to get him to say, "Oh my God, you're for real!" 

Why, yes. Yes, I am, in fact, for real. 

I have to admit to being a little surprised he gave me his phone number. I thought for sure it'd be some honest-to-goodness crazy person and the joke would be on me. 

 
So as I texted him for the first time, a week or so later, my stomach did those little flip-flops of anticipating a "Who the hell are you? And why are you texting me?" response. 

Imagine my surprise when Ryan actually texted back! 

I invited him to Arizona Dreamin' to participate in the Man of Our Dreams contest. He politely said he'd love to. I don't think he had any clue what he would be in for. However, rumor has it, he'll be back in 2013. *wink, wink*

The story continues: Enrique Santiago, while charming and handsome and funny and... (the list goes on), he did not have a tattoo. 

Thankfully, Out of Left Field had been through edits, but hadn't gone through my proofreaders yet. I went to the few places he appeared and subtly added a "sleeve". 

Another admission: I loved him a little bit more!

And so, there ya go, 

THAT is how the guy I "picked up in Vegas" 

came to be on the cover of LUCKY 13.

Tomorrow, see things through Ryan's eyes.

LUCKY 13

(Deadlines & Diamonds, #4)

is currently available via Kindle, Nook, other Ebook

as well as paperback.

Interview: Cover Model, Ryan Diaz

I'm really excited to have Ryan Diaz joining me today. He's funny and sweet and kind and totally HAWT!

Getting to do the interview over the phone is the best part for me. Starting with the "Hey, babe," that came in lieu of hello. *swoons* 

~~~~

Morgan: Let’s start easy: Cats or Dogs?

Ryan: Dogs. I have an American Eskimo named Kobe.

Morgan: Favorite sport?

Ryan: Ooo… I don’t know if Body-building’s a sport. I’ll go with baseball. I played center field in high school.

Morgan: Where is your favorite place on earth?

Ryan: Um, ah, that’s a tough one. I’ll say the beach in Laguna.

Morgan: What do you do to relax?

Ryan: Go to the gym.

Morgan: You know, Ricky goes to the gym when he needs to unwind.

Ryan: That’s cool.

Morgan: Pretty authentic, huh?

Ryan: *laughs* Yep.

Morgan: What do you look for in a woman?

Ryan: Independence.

Morgan: Are you single?

Ryan: No.

Morgan: Are you a hopeless romantic or just an average Joe?

Ryan: A hopeless romantic.

Morgan: Do you prefer to stay in and cook or to go out?

Ryan: Go out. 100 percent.

Morgan: So, what’s your favorite restaurant?

Ryan: Extreme Sushi

Morgan: What’s your favorite thing to do in Las Vegas?

Ryan: Um, I don’t know. Go to the movies.

Morgan: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Ryan: My height.

Morgan: What’s your favorite season?

Ryan: Summer.

Morgan: What was the last book you read?

Ryan: LUCKY 13.

Morgan: *gets giddy* You actually read it?

Ryan: Of course I did.

Morgan: *still blushing* If you could be a character in any book, who would it be? Why?

Ryan: I’d be in LUCKY 13 because it’s written by an amazing author and has a stud on the cover. *laughs*

Morgan: Do you consider yourself the “Hero” or the “Bad Boy”?

Ryan: Bad boy.

  

Morgan: How do your family and friends feel about your being on the cover of LUCKY 13?

Ryan: They think it’s cool. It’s right up my alley.

Morgan: Was LUCKY 13 a one-time-deal or will we see you on more book covers?

Ryan: Hopefully you’ll see me on more book covers.

Morgan: One last question: After attending Arizona Dreamin’ 2012, do large groups of women scare you?

Ryan: No. No, not at all. As long as they’re friendly and not hostile.

 

Morgan: So, will you be back for more at AD2013?

Ryan: Yeah, buddy!

Morgan: Anything you want to add?

Ryan: I want to shout out to you for letting me be on your book cover and to all the girls from Arizona Dreamin’. I look forward to seeing everybody on May 31^st.

 ~~~~

And I gotta give a huge shout-out to Ryan. He’s an amazing guy with an easy-going humor that’s contagious. I’m still smiling.

Stay tuned for mine and Ryan's version of how we met. 

Enrique Santiago in the Flesh & How Ryan met Morgan Kearns

Warning: they are hilarious! 

Excerpt from LUCKY 13

In this excerpt, Las Vegas Rockets' Left Fielder, Enrique "Ricky" Santiago 

comes face to face with Shayne Xavier. 

Ricky’s brain caught up to his body about halfway across the dance floor. As he realized what he was about to do, his steps stuttered, his mojo warring with a jolt of insecurity. Damn, he hated this part of the dating process. He watched the other guys hit on women all the time, even resorted to studying their lines, but he couldn’t flat-out lie, promise things he’d never be able to give the woman when the sun turned the western skies salmon.

He released his breath about the time his feet came to a stop in front of her. “Hi.”

She smiled, and his heart dropped to his toes. “Hi, I’m Shayne.”

He stuck out his hand. “Enrique Santiago.”

Her hand slipped into his. The softness of her palm against his did funny things to his intestines. Her chin moved up and down in a slow, barely noticeable nod. “You’re the Rockets Left Fielder?”

“Yeah.” She’d heard of him? Sweet! “My friends call me Ricky.”

She raised one brow and quirked the corner of her lip. “And am I to assume we’re friends?”

“I’d like to be.”  

Danger! He had a habit of losing his heart to women he shouldn’t. Truth was, he didn’t bring women around his friends because he started hearing wedding bells when the guys offered a stamp of approval. As he stared into the liquid chocolate of Shayne’s eyes, warning bells blared, whistled, hollered, and warned him to take it slow. Danger, Enrique Santiago!

~~~

LUCKY 13

(Deadlines & Diamonds, #4)

is currently available via Kindle, Nook

other Ebook and Paperback.

Official RELEASE of LUCKY 13

Although it's not Friday, which would be even luckier, 

LUCKY 13 

(Deadlines & Diamonds, #4)

is on sale now! 

Currently available via Kindle, Nook, other Ebook and in Paperback.

What Reviewers are saying about LUCKY 13!

LUCKY 13

(Deadlines & Diamonds, #4) 

is ON SALE NOW

and reviewers are loving it!  

• Sometimes a reader is lucky enough to find a new author and fall in love with her books. And that's precisely what happened when I per chance bought Lucky 13! I'm actually rather picky about my romance reads as it is both the genre I write in and prefer to read. Morgan delivered and pulled me into her story from the start...

• This series just keeps getting better and better with every book Morgan Kearns writes. 

• Awesome, awesome, awesome!  

• Male perfection has a name...Enrique Santiago

• Morgan is a wonderful storyteller, with stories that are touching, realistic, suspenseful, romantic, funny, and more. Everything you could want in a great book/series. Lucky 13 is my new favorite in the series. All I can say is... Bring on book 5!

Get your copy today via KINDLE, NOOK 

 other EBOOK 

or an AUTOGRAPHED PAPERBACK 

(via MorganKearns.com under the 

"Deadlines & Diamonds" tab)