My Memorable Firsts

Thanks so much to Romance Junkies for helping me celebrate the release of my debut contemporary romance, Under Her Spell. After having written numerous books, selling my first book is a very exciting accomplishment for me. I’ll never forget where I was or what I was doing when I found out I’d sold. I was in a hotel room in Orlando reading Facebook. We experience a lot of firsts in life, some more memorable than others. I took a trip down memory lane and thought I’d share some of my other firsts. I have a horrible memory, so I really had to think hard on some of these. Here they are in no particular order.

The first book I wrote. Under Her Spell is the first book I published, but like most authors I didn’t publish the first book I wrote. My first book was a really bad rough draft for a romantic suspense, which is packed away in the depths of my basement, never to see the light of day again.

The first book I submitted. The first book I polished and submitted to agents was a romantic comedy titled Love Is in the Air. It was an RWA Golden Heart finalist. Yay!

The first romance novel I read. Love Me Marietta, a historical romance by Jennifer Wilde. I read it twice when I was fifteen years old. I just looked up the author and learned that Jennifer Wilde was a pen name used by Tom E. Huff. Interesting…

My first car. A 1981 red Mustang with a sunroof. It was truly love at first sight and I just had to have it, even though I didn’t know how to drive stick. I learned real fast, so I could cruise the streets with Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” blaring out the windows.

My first job while in school. I started babysitting at the age of twelve and continued through high school while also waitressing and working at a grocery store.

My first job out of school. I worked for American Airlines in Milwaukee for two years.

My first emergency room run. I was a junior in high school and I was at a bonfire where I either sat in a patch of poison oak, which I’m allergic to, or they were burning it. I missed two weeks of school and I couldn’t wear makeup or contacts for prom court. Needless to say, I don’t have a copy of my prom pics.

My first husband. My first and only husband ever is Mark. We’ve been together 19 years.

My first house. We bought our first house a year after we were married. We still live there in the Milwaukee area.

The first movie I saw in the theater. Bedknobs and Broomsticks. This may have sparked my interest in spell casting.

The first time I moved away from home. I was 19 and I moved to Milwaukee to work for American Airlines.

My first cat’s name. Blanco. My dad was studying Spanish and chose the name. I’ve had a dozen cats since Blanco. I’m a huge cat person.

The first time I flew and the first time I saw the ocean. I was 14 years old and my parents took my sister Sandy and I to California. I can still hear Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” playing on the ride at Disneyland.

My first rock concert. Def Leppard at the Green Bay Brown County Arena. I think I still have my Def Leppard sleeveless sweatshirt somewhere.

My first kiss. I was 13, but I won’t say who, since he might not know he was my first.

Please answer the following question to be entered to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift certificate.  The winner will be announced here November 1.

What are three of your most memorable firsts?

Thank you to everyone who stopped by today. Please check out the upcoming stops on my blog tour, ending November 27. I’ll be giving away a variety of gifts, such as e-books, writing journals, Amazon or B & N gift certificates, and Godiva chocolate on Halloween. If you comment on 5 or more of my 23 blog stops, and are a Facebook fan, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win one of two $25 Amazon or B & N gift certificates at the end of my blog tour. Winners will be announced on my website’s news page the end of November. My December Holiday Giveaway for my readers will also be revealed at that time.

ABOUT ELIZA DALY

Eliza Daly’s first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. She and her friends were huge Charlie’s Angels fans and she would sit in her bedroom at night writing scripts for them to act out at recess the following day. She was Kelly Garrett. Fast forward to the present, she’s still writing stories about beautiful women who always get their men. The journey from fourth grade script writer to published author wasn’t an easy one, but it was always an adventure and the final destination was well worth it.

When Eliza isn’t traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she’s at home in Milwaukee working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband Mark, and her cats Quigley and Frankie.

You can find Eliza on the web at Website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Under Her Spell is available at Amazon, iTunes, Google Play (Nook compatible) and Barnes & Noble (coming soon).

UNDER HER SPELL BOOK BLURB

When a series of failed relationships and business ventures have Monica Jackson doubting her self-worth, she turns to spell casting to attract positive energy and the opportunities needed to achieve her goals.  But can Monica’s belief in spells restore her belief in herself?

Monica creates a spell to find her soul mate, and one to ensure the success of her new romantic event planning company, Enhance Your Romance.  Monica is confident she has found her niche until divorce lawyer Reed Walker opens a practice next door to her office.  The anti-marriage slogan plastered on his office window, and his down-on-love clients, quickly prove detrimental to Monica’s business.  When his arrival appears to trigger a string of bad luck, Monica fears one of her spells sent negative energy into the universe and it has returned to her threefold.  Although Reed is beyond sexy, and she admires his self-confidence, she’ll do whatever it takes to get the universe back on her side, and Reed out of her life. No way is she losing another business.

Reed finds himself attracted to Monica’s beauty and her optimism. His job and his parents’ divorce have made him a pessimist, especially when it comes to love. However, he soon finds that Monica’s pro-love attitude is rubbing off on him, causing him to lose his edge.  If Reed doesn’t distance himself from Monica, he’ll likely destroy his reputation as a pit bull divorce lawyer.

Can Monica and Reed look past what they might be losing to realize the love they have found?

Buy a copy of the Book Today!