Tempt Me With Forever
Page 27
As for the locations you can visit from Tempt Me, besides Hackberry, they are: the Barataria Preserve, which is my favorite escape from the city; the coffee house from the start of the novel, named Rue de la Course, in New Orleans’ Carrollton neighborhood; St. Patrick’s Church, which does actually face a set of gorgeous 19th century American-styled townhouses; and, of course, the intersection of Toulouse and Bourbon street, where Inked at Bourbon exists in my book. My only suggestion is to wear close-toed shoes and to protect your head from the onslaught of Mardi Gras beads. And speaking of beads and the French Quarter . . . second lines are a true part of New Orleans culture. To get them set up, you contact the NOPD, request a detailed cop, and they’ll even help you plan the route and find a band to play you some music. Awesome, right?
Thank you so much for reading Tempt Me With Forever, and as for Lizzie and Gage . . . we’ll certainly see them again in Owen’s story!
Acknowledgments
Thank you.
Truly, those two little syllables don’t even convey the amount of gratitude I feel—not just in support of Tempt Me With Forever, but for the entire NOLA Heart series. This series began two years ago with Say You’ll Be Mine. I wrote that story feverishly, coming home from work each night to type away at computer until my eyes dried, my fingers hit the wrong keys, and the words blurred on the screen. In 2015, a career as a published author was a far-fetched dream. It lurked on the horizon, popping up here and there, a constant reminder that while I may spend my days in historical archives, the reality of becoming a full-time author was not tangible. And so back to the archives I went. Two years later, that tendril of hope that refused to slacken is real. Not only does the release date of Tempt Me With Forever mark the fourth and final NOLA Heart novel, but it is also an exact marker of time that I stepped off the edge of insanity and decided that I could do this for a living. I could write. I could tell stories.
And, oh yeah, I could—but they’d be nothing (and, admittedly, they’d be terrible) without those who have hoisted me up when the doubt rolled in. To Terra Kelly and Samantha Garman, the two of you have listened to me rant, you have listened to me rattle on about book ideas and marketing ideas, and I’m convinced that the reason my phone battery is always so low is in thanks to you two. May we remain Boozers Who Write for the rest of our lives, and no matter what Brian says, y’all are my rock and my friends.
To my VIPers and to my die-hards in Book Boyfriends Anonymous, thank you. No really, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If not for your enthusiasm in this series, Lizzie & Gage’s story would never have been told, and that’s too sad to even contemplate. But even more, thank you for being there for me. Your undying support has been a lifeline when I would have otherwise remained closed off in the writing cave. Y’all are my pack, as Julian would say, and I thank my lucky blessings every day that I met each and every one of you. Love you!! Xx
To Najla, who took this project on from Book 2 and ran with it. You rock, girl. You have a way of taking my ideas and creating utter beauty from them. Eight books in now, and I would not trade a single one of them. You’re amazing!
To Kathy, your What Would Kathy Do? T-shirt is happening. It is. With your feedback, each book grows stronger. Thank you for pushing me and never letting me take the easy way out. My characters are better off—especially the sex scenes when you rightly question the penis size of every one of my heroes, LOL.
To Tandy, thank you for making my books sparkle and shine. Trust me when I say that no matter how many revisions go down, they always need your special touch at the end.
To the ladies of Give Me Books, working with you has been such a pleasure. Thank you for getting my books into the hands of bloggers and eager fans. And to every blogger, reader, and fan who spread the word about Tempt Me With Forever, thank you. I can’t say this enough—it’s because of you that people have even heard about Lizzie and Gage!
A special shout-out in this book must go out to all the first responders of New Orleans, those that I know personally and those that I don’t. Your job is not easy and it is never-ending, and for every person you help, protect, and guide, thank you.
And, lastly, to you, Dear Reader, thank you. This book tugged at my soul in a way I didn’t anticipate. Like Lizzie with YouTube, Tempt Me holds a magnifying glass to my own fears of having an NOPD officer as a significant other; but it also holds a magnifying glass to the fears and experiences many of the first responders that I know, too. Thank you for taking a chance on Lizzie and Gage, and I so hope that you enjoyed the ride.
Much love,
Maria
Also By Maria Luis
NOLA Heart series
Say You’ll Be Mine
Take A Chance On Me
Dare You To Love Me
Tempt Me With Forever
Blades Hockey series
Power Play
Sin Bin
Coming Soon
Breathless: a Love Serial (Dec 2017)
Put A Ring On It series (2018)
About the Author
Maria Luis is the author of sexy contemporary romances, though she may or may not have (read: she does) a few historical romances hiding in the cobwebs of her computer.
When she’s not writing about strong men and the sassy women who sweep them off their feet, Maria is a historian/content marketing buff with a specialization in medieval England and 19th century New Orleans. What do these two eras have in common, you ask? Not much, except for disease, scandalous activities, and crime—Maria’s favorite topics.
Maria lives in New Orleans with her better half, where she can generally be found hiking with her two dogs, Zeus and Athena, kayaking in Louisiana’s inter-coastal waterways, or curled up on the couch with a good book!
Find Maria out in the wild!
www.marialuis.org