Archive for the ‘Excerpts’ Category
I’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.
In 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 Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo, and in print at CreateSpace or Amazon.
This week’s My Sexy Saturday theme, “I’m too sexy,” necessitates a trip back through time…way, way back to October 2013, when my first book came out.
Okay, so it was only a little more than a year ago. Not long at all in the big picture.
DIVA IN THE DUGOUT’s hero, Dave, is arguably the sexiest of all my heroes. Whether he’s on the field or on the playground with the 4-year-old daughter he just met for the first time, the Arizona Condors’ bad-boy shortstop is smokin’ hot.
Because, really, what’s sexier than a man who obviously loves his child?
Need proof? Google “Chris Hemsworth with baby.” An ovary explosion is guaranteed.
***
When they got to the park, Melinda hung back with her camera phone, documenting daddy-daughter time. She wanted Tara to have a reminder of this day in case Dave hightailed it out of here, never to be seen again.
It amazed Mel how easily Tara had accepted Dave. The sheer joy on Tara’s face every time she looked at her father made Mel wonder if she’d done her baby wrong by not looking for him.
But she wasn’t ready to concede the point. He could be a jerk…he could be a pervert….
He waved away a fly that landed on Tara’s head and then ruffled her hair as she chortled at something he’d said.
He could be a fantastic father if you give him half a chance.
Melinda swallowed hard. She owed Dave that much, just as she owed him more than a couple of hours with Tara…if he wanted it.
She crossed the playground to the curly slide Tara was clambering up. Dave shadowed her, ready to catch Tara if she started to fall. Regret squeezed her heart again. Maybe keeping him in the dark hadn’t been her wisest choice.
Find DIVA IN THE DUGOUT at Turquoise Morning Press, Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iTunes.
Are you as sick as I am of Christmas creep? I don’t know about you, but I tend to get a little ragey when I see Christmas wreaths decking the superstores in September. Let’s give Thanksgiving its chance to shine, shall we?
I’m not really in the mood to read holiday stories before November, either, but perhaps I’m in the minority. Publishers have been releasing Christmas books for weeks now.
Anyway… With Halloween and Election Day firmly in 2014’s rear view mirror, it’s safe to trot out holiday reads.
Speaking of holiday reads, check out the ad My Sexy Saturday authors took out in the Nov./Dec. BTS eMag. (It’s on Page 109.)
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS is in a unique position to capitalize on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Cher and Derrick get reacquainted on Black Friday. Driving home after a successful mother-daughter shopping expedition, Cher’s mother veers into a ditch to avoid an escaped cow. Derrick is the paramedic who answers the call and comes face to face with the woman he’d rejected in high school because he didn’t want to hold her back.
Enjoy this My Sexy Saturday snippet detailing the first time Cher and Derrick have spoken to one another since high school.
***
The smoldering fire in Derrick’s gray eyes set her soul ablaze, offsetting the chill in the crisp November air. “Sweetheart, you can trust me when I say I’ve improved with age.”
To distract herself from the flash of desire his comment sparked, she lowered her lids and tapped her inner smart-aleck. “You think so, huh? You’re not wine or cheese.”
That was a line of crap and she knew it. Even in the watery gray early morning light, he looked as good now as he had in high school. Better even, if she took into account the broader shoulders and more masculine presence.
He knew it, too, judging by his sly grin. Damn the man. Why couldn’t he have developed a paunch, or better yet, started balding?
A low, sexy laugh rumbled from deep in his throat. “Wine and cheese aren’t the only things that get better with age, Cher.”
Her mother hadn’t raised a fool, so she knew even The Grinch’s twenty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole wouldn’t be long enough for her to touch that comment safely.
When she remained silent, Derrick shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and looked at his heavy black boots for two beats. Then he met her eyes and flashed her the charming smile she’d never been able to resist.
Home for the Holidays is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and in print through CreateSpace.
Happy birthday! My first novel, DIVA IN THE DUGOUT, debuted a year ago today.
To celebrate, this week’s My Sexy Saturday snippet is from DIVA, the first book in my All Is Fair in Love & Baseball series. Arizona Condors shortstop Dave Reynolds is one of baseball’s bad boys, but the death of his mother has left him wondering if it’s time to change. An ultimatum from his boss to clean up his act or lose his job at season’s end further fuels his desire for something different. In this scene, Dave has discovered that a one night stand five years ago with a woman who wouldn’t tell him her name resulted in a child he had no clue existed—until now. The girl’s mother was the only woman to sneak out on him in the middle of the night.
Melinda Cline had her reasons for not exchanging names with the sexy ballplayer she picked up in the bar she sneaked into with a fake ID. And she’d lived with the consequences of her rash decisions ever since. She loved her daughter, but she hated being the subject of town gossip. And now the man she’d never planned to see again insisted on being a part of their daughter’s life. Even worse? She wanted him in her life, too.
Let the games begin!
****
Melinda glanced down at the big hand engulfing hers. That same hand had once helped her forget the humiliation of being dumped for a woman twice her age. She coughed and raised her eyes back to the face she’d never forgotten. Muscles—Dave—hadn’t changed a bit. He still had the same chestnut hair and eyes that looked straight into her soul. She suspected he also had the same easy smile, even if he wasn’t laughing now. She saw it in the crinkles at the corners of his piercing hazel eyes.
She swallowed hard against memories best left forgotten. “I’d like to say I’m pleased to meet you.”
“Why don’t you?”
Because I’m not. Mel was polite enough not to speak the words aloud. “Excuse me for having mixed feelings.”
Dave’s answering bark of laughter didn’t reach his eyes. “You have mixed feelings?”
“I never planned on seeing you again.”
“Obviously. Please tell me you didn’t get yourself pregnant on purpose.”
DIVA IN THE DUGOUT is available at Turquoise Morning Press, Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iTunes.
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