Posts Tagged ‘excerpt’
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.
Welcome, welcome. This week’s My Sexy Saturday theme has forced me to dig deeply into my personal archives.
This week, we’re traveling the universe as we give our wonderful sci-fi romance, of any subgenre, a nod to entertaining us with their wonderful stories.
Y’all know by now that I write contemporary romantic comedy. What you probably don’t know is that one of the first stories I wrote (still unfinished, as a matter of fact) was a sci-fi/comedy/romance. It fills part of two spiral-bound wide-ruled notebooks, pencil on yellowing sheets.
A communications specialist named Marc—human, but from a distant utopian planet that’s nearly all water—scans the universe’s airwaves for beings open to alien contact. He sees an Earthling woman and—despite protests from his brother, who learned all he knows about Earth women from the movie “Earth Girls are Easy”—undertakes a mission to woo her, wed her and take her back to his planet.
Of course, mayhem ensues from the moment Marc sneaks aboard the space shuttle, which is docked at the International Space Station. (Brother Rik notes that Earthlings are the only species arrogant enough to assume no need for security in space.) He’s a fish out of water, so to speak, trying to fit into California culture, win over Kyree’s overprotective friends and convince her she’s meant to be his life mate.
This story will probably never see the light of day. I started it in the mid-90s, long before I joined RWA and started learning about the craft. That means it’s rife with head-hopping, telling instead of showing and other beginner mistakes.
But the premise is fun and I had a blast writing the parts I finished. (Just imagine Marc shopping for condoms for the first time, with assistance from the boyfriend of Ree’s best friend.) I’ll share a snippet here—head-hopping and all—in hopes of brightening your day.
****
Marc had decided it wouldn’t be right to make love to Kyree until he convinced her of his origins. Now was as good a time as any, he supposed.
“Ree,” he began cautiously as they stepped onto the beach. “Remember when I told you I’m from Quaaline?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”
Marc sighed. He could sense she still wasn’t ready to believe him. “Never mind.”
Ree gave him an odd look. She hoped he didn’t actually believe he was an alien. She knew some real sci-fi nerds who tried to become someone dashing, like Captain Kirk, Han Solo or Lance Lincolnway, to overcome their awkwardness—but Marc was charming enough on his own. He didn’t have to pretend to be a hero.
Marc watched her face as the thoughts ran through her mind. He raised an eyebrow in amusement and murmured, “If I’m Han Solo, you have to be my Princess Leia.”
Kyree smiled at him. “That can be arranged.”
Have you heard about the My Sexy Saturday blog hop? I just did, and it sounded like so much fun I decided to jump right in.
The rules:
Post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words. The choice is yours. It can be from a WIP or something you already have published. Your post should be live by 9 am US Pacific Time on Saturday. Put those lucky 7s to work for you!
For my first stab at My Sexy Saturday, I thought I’d treat you to an excerpt from “Home for the Holidays,” a Christmas novella set in small-town Langley, Indiana, in my former neck of the woods.
When singing sensation Cheryl Stanton finds herself back in Langley — against her will — for some much-needed R&R, she runs into old friend Derrick Mullins. Derrick was the one guy she wanted to date in high school — and the only one who was immune to her charms … or so she thought.
In this scene, Derrick, now a paramedic, has come to the scene of the accident that resulted when Cher’s mother swerved to avoid a cow standing in the road. (I mentioned this was small-town Indiana, right?) His mind on business, he doesn’t recognize Cher right away — a fact that peeves her to no end, even though she is in disguise.
Here’s the excerpt:
His eyebrows shot skyward. “After ten years? I don’t think so. A lot’s changed since then.”
“Well, excuse me for not peaking in high school.”
A spark lit Derrick’s smoldering gray eyes. “Sweetheart, you can trust me when I say I’ve improved with age.”
That look set fire to her very soul, offsetting the chill in the crisp November air. To distract herself from the flash of desire, 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 just 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.”
Coming to ebookstores near you in November 2013.
Don’t forget to check out the other participants’ posts.
Popular Posts
Reading Alley
