December 20, 2014

Excerpts

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LynnSexySaturday_bannerThis week’s My Sexy Saturday theme is “A Sexy Sleigh Ride”—MSS’s “hats off to the holidays,” so to speak.

Sadly, none of my characters take a literal sleigh ride. However, in HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, there is a sexy Porsche ride that will suffice. In this scene, Cher and Derrick, best friends in high school, are getting reacquainted a decade later when she reluctantly returns to her hometown for some much-needed R&R. They’ve just kissed, and Derrick asks “What was that?”

Enjoy!

***

Home for the Holidays | Arlene HittleCher pressed her back against the Porsche’s passenger door, hoping Derrick wouldn’t notice her heart still thrummed too fast. He’d been the star of some of her wildest fantasies over the years, but that kiss of his was more potent than any she’d conjured up in her imagination.

Maybe it was a good thing he’d rebuffed her in high school. She wouldn’t have known how to handle that kind of passion back then.

Like you do now?

She brushed aside her conscience. Of course she did: Humor was always her best defense. Her only defense, really. She found a few jokes were a much more effect way to get her way than tantrums or stony silence.

With that in mind, she tipped her lips into a grin. “I think it was you taking advantage of my resistance, weakened by extreme hunger.”

He chuckled. “That your way of saying I should quit flapping my gums and start driving, your diva-ness?”

“You got it.”

Home for the Holidays is available at AmazonBarnes and NobleKobo and in print through CreateSpace.

 

November 28, 2014

Feature

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I love a good Black Friday sale. Many years, you’ll find me waiting in line in an attempt to get something. Unlike the parents out there, I’m intent on finding deals for ME. That’s how I got my wireless printer (for less than $50) and bedroom TV. I’ve also picked up Old Navy Sweetheart jeans (my favorites) at a deep, deep discount.

However, since I just started back to work this week, I have no disposable income this year.

Boo-hoo.

If you’re a booklover on the prowl for a good Black Friday bargain, may I suggest this one:

blackfridaysale

That’s right. All Turquoise Morning Press books are 50% off—including my All Is Fair in Love & Baseball series.

Better yet, if you’re one of those people who hates to fight the Black Friday crowds, you can hit this sale without leaving the house.

For more details, visit the Turquoise Morning Press bookstore.

 

November 27, 2014

Musings

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Yesterday on Facebook, Katie MacAlister asked her friends/followers what they were thankful for. But she didn’t want the standard answers—family, friends, health. She wanted us to share the quirky and offbeat things we’re glad to have in our lives.

Some of the answers were hilarious:

Screen Shot 2014-11-26 at 3.38.06 PM

It got me thinking a couple of things:

  1. How would I answer that question?
  2. That would make a great blog post!

So here I am, blogging my answers. (They weren’t kidding when they said you can find ideas anywhere…) In no particular order, I’m thankful for:

My Target Red Card. Sure, they got hacked, but who hasn’t these days? I just dig the 5% discount on all the cat food, cat litter and Chobani yogurt I pick up at Target on a regular basis. Every cent saved is another cent I can add to the balance of my Starbucks card.

FocusReindeer

A car that runs—and lets me dress him up for Christmas. No kidding. Focus (or the Silver Streak, as I affectionately call him) is getting up there in years, but he’s a great little car. He starts up even on cold days and never objects to the cheery red nose and antlers I love to make him wear during the holidays.

My Keurig machine. I got it ages ago, but was too scared/lazy to figure out how to work it. The Boyfriend got a new apartment and convinced me to let him set it up there. He quickly figured out the setup and just as quickly decided the K cups were too expensive. He sent the lovely machine back up the mountain with me—so now I can have fancy coffee drinks at home. This will save me money at Starbucks, right?

Gourmet pizza. Picazzo’s has the best pizza. They make a mean Caesar salad, too. (The dressing…OMG, the garlicky goodness of the dressing… It’s seriously the best salad I’ve ever had.)

A job. (Okay, I cheated. This is a serious one.) The work is only part-time and temporary, but even that is better than nothing. I thought I’d enjoy not having a day job—more time to promote my books, and write and edit new ones. That was only half right. Even though I did spend a lot of time writing/editing/pushing sales, I spent just as much feeling hopeless, worthless and frustrated. Seriously—I’ve had a regular, full-time job since graduating college in 1994. So when my old boss called me and asked me to come back for a temporary, part-time gig, I jumped at the chance. I started Monday, and it felt great to be back.

SkylineFlagstaff. So what if the weather’s cold and residents are frustratingly resistant to welcoming any kind of chain stores or new housing developments? It’s still a gorgeous town, and people care about one another. I do wish it had a Trader Joe’s, though.

It goes without saying that I’m also thankful for family, friends and…well, my health leaves something to be desired. I need to get back on the “eat well and exercise” bandwagon.

Anybody see which direction it headed?

 

 

LynnSexySaturday_bannerI’m in the throes of NaNoWriMo…and way behind, so this blog post has to be quick. Friday was Day 21, and I just crossed the halfway mark (25K) Thursday. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll make it to 50K

Chalk up another one for “plotting rules, pantsing drools.”

This week’s My Sexy Saturday theme is “Our Sexy Thanksgiving.”

Say what?

“… This week show us all the characters love family. Maybe it’s someone who doesn’t have one and suddenly they find themselves with one. It could be about someone who has always looked in and wanted a home with all the trimmings including a family. There are many ways to be thankful and we’d love to hear some of those wonderful stories.”

Okay. I think I can find something that fills the bill.

Blind Date Bride | Arlene HittleIn BLIND DATE BRIDE, Damien is the only child of college professor parents—and when he meets his reality TV wife’s family, he’s a bit overwhelmed. Her sisters ogle him, her brothers threaten him and he earns dirty looks for being a Cubs fan in a house full of White Sox lovers. In this seven-sentence snippet, Damien and Kari have arranged an after-dinner walk to keep her parents from watching the latest installment of “Just Married” (because it contains some embarrassing footage of Kari and Damien making out in his car).

A quick primer: Steve and Sean are Kari’s brothers. Claire and Shannon are her sisters. Frank and Sarah are her parents.

***

When they got back to the house thirty-five minutes later, Kari and Damien exchanged a glance. She took a deep breath and whispered, “Here goes nothing.”

Damien pushed open the door and was immediately greeted by Sean’s hostile stare. Steve, however, flashed him a thumbs-up, mouthing the words, “Good job.”

Kari’s other sister greeted them with a harsh laugh. “I stand corrected.”

Beside him, Kari’s face flamed fire engine red. Damien narrowed his eyes at the other woman. For some reason, he didn’t like this sister much.

It was then that Shannon came rushing to the rescue. “Mom, I have some bad news: The DVR malfunctioned.”

Sara Parker stamped her foot in frustration and looked at Kari. “I so wanted to see you in action, dear.”

Kari sucked in a breath at her mother’s word choice. Even Damien found it unfortunate. He was about to say something to come to her rescue when her brothers threw in their two cents’ worth. Sean tried unsuccessfully to stifle a snort and Steve quipped, “Trust me, Ma. You didn’t miss a thing.”

Find BLIND DATE BRIDE at AmazonBarnes & Noble and Kobo, and in print at CreateSpace or Amazon.