Anne's comments (member since Jul 05, 2009)

Anne's comments from the Book Excerpts group.

Sahara wrote: "Dear Anne,

Thanks so much for group and the invite. I have been meaning to write to you to thank you for all the help you've given me, especially from the historical crit group. I learned so much ..."

Hi Brigitta.

How are you?
Congrats on the nevella publication!
Anne.~

I'm glad so many of you are finding the group useful.
Spread the news about it!
Anne.~

Hi Michael,
I've made 'Literary Fiction' folder for you.
Anne.~

Sharing an excerpt of my Australian historical.

Blurb
Australia 1850. Phillippa Noble, strong minded, spirited and adventurous, urges and encourages her parents and her twin to emigrate to the distant land of Australia to begin again. In a new country they can put their tainted past behind them, and Pippa can forget the unrequited love she felt for a distant cousin.
Pippa blossoms in the new country and is determined that their horse stud will be the finest in the land. However, circumstances ensure that not all is golden. For every success, she has to bear up under the challenges of bushfire, death, the return of an old love and danger on the goldfields. Her strength is tested as she tries to find the right path to happiness, but it is the near loss of her dearest friend that makes her realise true contentment rests within her grasp and she must not let it go.

EXCERPT
The sharp scent of eucalyptus permeated the air and Pippa sniffed deeply, wondrously. At intervals, trees thick with blooms of yellow, which she knew to be called wattles, punctuated the grey-green landscape and gum trees let their little blooms of red dance in the breeze. She jerked suddenly as a low branch jagged at her skirt. Her father
helped to extricate the material and when her petticoat’s lace hem tore, she cared little. Nothing and no one could spoil this day.
Gerald grimaced at the ruined fabric. ‘You should not have come, my dear.’
‘Nonsense, Father.’ Pippa grinned. ‘A little hardship strengthens character.’
'Mr Noble.’ Robson gestured to a large eucalyptus trunk. The surveyor’s initials were cut deep into the bark.
Gerald consulted his maps. ‘This ridge ends another ten yards further on.’
Pippa hurried the remaining distance, nearly tripping in her haste. She stepped beyond a large tree and stopped. Below, bathed in golden glory, lay their valley. Tingles of excitement mixed with reverent joy sucked her breath
away. She scanned the horizon of rugged hills and then gazed down at the inviting valley. It was everything she’d dreamed of and more because it was real. ‘It’s perfect.’
‘How in God’s name are we to get down there with the wagon?’ Robson mumbled, breaking her spell of wonder. He walked closer to the edge and peered down at the jagged outcrops of rocks and boulders that broke up the density of the trees.
Gerald took off his hat and wiped his sweating forehead with a handkerchief. ‘Maybe further along there is an easier route down.’
They walked on for another hundred yards before finding another tree with the surveyor’s initials marked in it and also an arrow scratched next to them. Robson pointed to a gentler slope and a roughly cut track snaking through the trees and scrub. ‘If the surveyor went down there, then that must be the easiest way.’ He frowned. ‘I wonder if he took transports.’
‘Likely packhorses.’ Gerald studied his maps again.
Pippa walked to the edge of the slope. She paused to gauge the steepness and then reached for a nearby sapling to keep her steady as she edged her way down.
‘Pippa!’
Her father’s shout made her stop and glance back. ‘It’s all right, Father. Hold on to the trees.’ Robson and Gerald hurried towards her and gingerly made their way down to her side. Gerald gripped her arm. ‘You are too headstrong. It was a foolish thing to do.’
She tossed her head. ‘I wasn’t going to be left behind.’
‘You’ll be the death of me, girl,’ Gerald panted and wiped his forehead again.
As they concentrated on getting safely to the bottom, the sounds of the bush intensified. An unseen bird made the sound of a whiplash cutting the air, flies buzzed, twigs snapped underfoot and small lizards slithered over rocks.
The track brought them out on the left side of the valley. At the bottom, the trees and scrub thinned out to grassy plains. Emerging out of the shade, the heat intensified. Pippa wished she had brought her parasol with her, but had left it in the gig so she could hold her skirts up with both hands. Sweat trickled inside her collar and dampened her
bonnet. She licked her dry lips. ‘Is there water close by?’
‘Here, miss, I have water with me.’ Robson handed her a leather-bound canteen.
‘Thank you.’ She stopped to drink and chuckled as the cool and pleasant water trickled down her chin. Drinking from a canteen was an art she had not yet mastered.
‘Do you see that thin line of gum trees in the middle over there?’ Robson pointed in front of them.
Pippa studied the ragged thin line and nodded.
‘Those trees edge the creek bank.’ He turned to Gerald. ‘Do you see that flat rise to the right of the creek bend, Mr Noble?’
‘Aye, lad, I do.’
Robson smiled. ‘I think it would make an ideal homestead site.’
Gerald slapped Robson on the shoulder. ‘I think you may be right, my man.’
Pippa hesitated as the two men walked on. She slowly turned a full circle, taking in the broad sweep of the valley. Acres of waist-high brown grass rippled in the infinite breeze like a long slow wave on a lazy sea. She strolled on, enjoying the feeling of walking on her own land. She now understood the power it gave men and why they did almost
anything to acquire property. They broke their backs trying to keep it viable in the hard times and, in good times, they looked to buy more.
The intensity of her feelings was frightening. Her land. Her future.

Buy from Amazon UK, your local library
or from The Book Depository (worldwide free delivery)
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/...
Anne Whitfield

Woodland Daughter is my historical novel set in North Yorkshire England in 1902.
Blurb
A new century brings change to the carefully ordered world Eden Harris maintains — change that threatens all she holds dear.

Excerpt.

Joel rested his body against the ship’s rail, bracing himself for the slightest pain in his shoulder. With one arm in a sling tucked beneath his uniform jacket, he was careful to keep out of the way of people. The slightest touch could have him sweating in pain. The sea breeze lifted the hair on his forehead and neck, cooling him slightly. He needed a haircut, but he’d wait until he’d reach England before attending to that.
Below him on the deck, he watched the crowds scurrying about like ants. Soldiers, nurses, travellers, ship crew, dock workers all hurried back and forth. Behind him, from within the ship, came the noise of eager travellers settling in for their ocean journey.
He stared out into the distance, where Table Mountain dominated the view. He was sad to be leaving Africa. He’d come to think of it as home in a way. The sights and sounds, the heat and people were familiar now. Of course nothing competed against Bradbury Hall, but he’d been in Africa for seven years. It was a long time. The army had replaced his family. He’d learnt to rely on his fellow officers to ease the loneliness, and at first it had worked well. The adventure and excitement kept his mind from thinking of home. But lately, for the last year and a half, a yearning to return home had claimed him and not let go.
The ships funnels belched smoke and the boarding siren wailed. Under his feet he felt the deck shudder as the enormous engines surged with power. Anticipation welled. He was going home. Despite the ache in his shoulder, he smiled. Time to start a new phase of his life. Time to reaffirm the links with his family, the estate, old friends, and… Eden.
He was conscious of the changes awaiting him back home. Much had happened in his absence. Not long after he joined the regiment, his mother died. That had been a blow, but on the whole he had managed to keep the family and home intact in his mind. When he’d left England, his father had been alive, Charlie well, Annabella cheeky, pretty, naive and Eden… Eden had been beautiful, a free spirit of the woodland where she lived.
What awaited him now?
The ship eased from its berth and glided out into the harbour. The breeze sharpened and Joel turned away from the rail. He glanced at a crippled solider standing near the door leading into one of the saloons. The soldier swayed on his crutches, one leg gone in battle.
“Major Bradbury?”
Joel checked his step and hurried over to steady the man with his good arm.
“Thanks, Sir.” The solider smiled.
“Stevens, isn’t it?” Joel mused, helping the man to lean against a wall and out of the way of other passengers.
“Stevenson, Sir, Corporal Dave Stevenson.” He leaned against the support and breathed out slowly. “I still haven’t got the hang of these things yet.” He held up the crutches.
Joel grinned. “I think it might be an art that takes practice, Corporal.”
Dave took of his hat and wiped the seat off from his forehead, his fair hair stuck to his head. “Do you mind, Sir, if I sit down? This leg isn’t used to holding all the weight and gets a bit shaky, like.”
“Of course, man, sit.” Joel again aided Stevenson in lowering to the deck. There were no chairs about and after a moment’s hesitation, Joel join him and gently eased his backside down, careful not to jar his shoulder. “We should have gone inside, it would be more comfortable.”
“Sorry, Sir, but I’m no sailor. Once inside my stomach has a mind of its own. I’m better out here.”
“Well, I’ll keep you company for a while until dinner is announced. My stomach is the opposite of yours. Once on the ocean I’m always ravenous. I do nothing but eat.”
“You might struggle with a knife and fork, using only one hand.”
Joel chuckled. “Yes, true. So far I’ve had only soup and sandwiches.”
Stevenson laid his crutches beside his good leg and gazed out through the iron rail. “So, we’re going back home to England. I’ve been away three years. I should be happy to be going back, but I’m not as excited as I should be, I don’t think.”
“It affects men in different ways.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, Sir, how do you feel? Was your clipped wing the reason for you to go home?”
“Yes. My shoulder stopped a bullet.” He glanced down at his padded and bandaged left shoulder. “Normally they’d take it out and I’d be back in the mix of things, but this Boer bullet went in at an angle and wedge itself deep. The surgeon managed to get it out, but he wasn’t sure what damaged had been done. Only once the swelling has gone down and the soreness gone, will I know what strength remains in the arm.”
“Does your family know about it yet?”
“No, not yet. It didn’t seem worth writing when I was going home anyway. What about your family?”
“Oh aye, they know. I’ve been in hospital a while, long enough for letters to go back and forth.” Stevenson bent up his leg and rested his elbow on it. “They say they don’t care if I come home missing a leg, as long as I’m coming home to them. I’m an only child see, and I used to help my father run our grocers shop.”
“Will you do that again?”
“I guess so. Funny how things change, isn’t it. I hated working in that shop as a lad. All my friends would be out playing football or cricket and I’d be stuck behind a counter. The first opportunity I got to leave I took, and that was the army.” He tapped the toe of his boot on the deck. “Now, I can’t wait to get back there. I miss me mam and dad, and me gran, who lives with us. My mam makes the best jam roly-poly you’ve ever tasted. Dad brews his own beer in the back shed and Gran used to be my partner in cards.”
“There’s nothing better in this world than returning home to a family that loves you.” A picture came into Joel’s mind of the estate in autumn, the tall graceful trees, their leaves turning gold and amber, the squirrels scurrying around in the wood, collecting the last of their booty, harvest time and bringing in the hay, the smell of open fires as the gardeners raked up and burnt the fallen leaves.
He leaned his head back and smiled in remembrance. “I long to go riding with my brother. We used to ride for miles. Sometimes we’d stop at a pub and have an ale and a hot pie smothered in gravy.”
“Me mam has written of a neighbour’s daughter, Vera, who she hopes I’ll one day marry. I’m not so sure what Vera has to say about it though. We got along all right before I went away, but…well, I’m not as I once was.”
“If this Vera is a decent woman, she’ll not mind.”
“Maybe.” Stevenson lifted his face to the breeze. “Will you have a girl waiting for you at home, Sir?”
Joel’s stomach clenched. “Perhaps. I’m ready for a family. However, I’ve been away longer than you, and I’m not sure what to expect when I arrive home.”
“None of us are, Sir, none of us are.”
A group of children ran by, the shoes thundering on the timber deck. One cheeky boy paused and waved to Joel and Stevenson before scampering off again. A harassed nanny tried to catch up as she wheeled a pram after them. Joel watched until they turned a corner at the bow of the ship and were out of sight. His heart constricted, thinking of the boy’s lively face. A son. He wanted a son so badly it hurt. A boy to teach all the things his father taught him, to hunt, to fish, to ride, to play sports. He thought of Charlie. Two sons perhaps. Two fine boys to grow up together like he and Charlie did.
Emotion clogged his throat and he coughed to clear it. He’d been away from home too long…

Woodland Daughter is available from Amazon UK and also from The Book Depository, which has free delivery around the world! http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/978...

Anne Whitfield
http://www.annewhitfield.com

Kitty McKenzie's Land is the sequel to Kitty McKenzie.

They left their luggage piled on the wharf and a seaman from the Ira Jayne said he would keep an eye on it while they sorted themselves out.

“Stay together,” Kitty said, taking Rosie’s hand and hustling her family over to the immigration depot to join the queue of first class travelers.

When, at last, Kitty and her family left the building, it was with great relief and tiredness. They made their way out into the midday sunshine and back to their luggage. The children complained of hunger and the babies needed changing.

“What are we to do now, Kitty?” her sister Mary asked, who, at seventeen, was fully aware of the sailor’s whistles coming her way as she lifted her violet skirts away from the open drain running down to the water’s edge.

Connie jiggled Adelaide in her arms. “I know I need a cup of tea.”

Kitty put her hand to her forehead. “I thought Ben would be here by now. What if he hasn’t received my telegram?”

Mary searched the crowds. “There’s so many people, I bet he can’t find us.”

Kitty walked a few paces, looking for the man she’d crossed oceans for. Suddenly, she stopped and frowned. Her stomach twisted, for behind her somewhere amongst the mass, someone called her. She spun around and only just made out her name being called again. Some sixth sense raised goose bumps upon her skin.

Standing on tiptoe, she scanned the crowds. There, just a flash of a cheek, a hat set a certain way, but it was enough. Kitty gathered her skirts and pushed through the throng. She saw a gap and made for it, her walk turning into a run. Tears blurred her vision and she dashed them away impatiently.

“Kitty!” Ben dodged people and luggage.

The crowd thinned. He paused and then slowly walked to her, as she now walked to him.

“I tried not to believe the telegram. I dared not consider that you would be soon with me,” he told her, crossing the open space until there was no more than twelve inches between them.

A moan bubbled from her lips. Her darling Ben stood before her with his love, his heart plain for her to see. “Are you glad I came?” She risked his rejection, but was certain he still felt something for her, because it glowed in his beautiful blue eyes. He was all she wanted.

“All I wished was for you to be by my side.” Emotion made his voice heavy. He reached up to touch a loose tendril near her cheek. “God, you are so magnificent. The sun has lightened the copper in your hair…”

“I thought you might never return to England, so I came to you.”

“I didn’t intend to stay away much longer, but you have made me the happiest man alive coming here.”

“I’m not alone.”

“If you were one amongst a hundred, I wouldn’t care.”

Kitty’s tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “I have wondered whether you might still want me, or have found another.”

“It is you I love. No one can take your place.”

She sighed, relieved, aching with love for him. “Ben…”

He crushed her to him and held her tight. She cared nothing for propriety, cared nothing for the looks and stares that came their way, for at last Ben held her.

Seagulls soared overhead, dipping and raising as they caught the warm air currents. Their cries mingled with the yells and cusses from sailors and dockmen as they went about offloading the newly arrived ships. Cranes swung heavy netted cargo across the quay to the shrill whistles of the guiding laborers, but none of it mattered as they stared at each other.

Kitty grinned as Ben held her close. The noise of the dock drowned the words they whispered; words that had waited many months to be expressed.

Ben’s eyes glistened with emotion. “I never thought this day would come.”

“Nor I, my love. I still find it hard to believe we actually made it here.”

(c) Anne Whitfield2009

Kitty McKenzie's Land is available in print & ebook.

Kitty McKenzie's Land paperback http://tinyurl.com/t4vpb

Fancy reading a hot little short story?

Check out my steamy modern romance, Avenue Of Dreams!

Blurb
Molly Daniels is summer holidaying in a small town in the country to recover from a broken marriage. She’s hurt, disillusioned and unsure of her future. She last thing she is looking for is a man.
Sebastian Lord is the town’s most eligible bachelor, a title he hates. Having given up on a successful career in the city he now owns a small farm and is content to hide away there, away from the real world that has hurt him in the past. Since his fiancé was killed four years ago, he’s refused to enter the dating game again.
They’re an unlikely pair, but Seb’s wayward dog has a habit of bringing them together. They give into their attraction and share a hot summer together, but can they let go of the past enough to embrace a future together?

Excerpt:
"Hey, sweetheart, remember me?" Seb laughed, waving his handsaw at her.

Molly gazed up at him on the ladder, while he cut dead branches off the apple tree. He wore cutoffs, a white T-shirt, and brown boots and looked as sexy as hell from her position. How had she managed to have wild sex with such a man?

"Who are you again?" She grinned.

"Do I need to come down and remind you?" he threatened light-heartedly.

"Maybe you do, my memory seems to have deserted me."

Laughing, he slowly climbed down, threw the saw onto the ground, and advanced towards where she sat against another tree, crunching on a freshly plucked apple.

She held up her hand to warn him off. "Don’t come any closer. You’re hot, sticky, and filthy."

"You don’t want to play dirty?" His eyes narrowed with passion that never ebbed.

"Ah, remember I am the hired help. You can’t take advantage of me. I have rights." She chuckled as he fell onto the grass beside her.

"Perhaps those rights need defining?" He ran his fingers ever so lightly up her bare calf, making her skin come alive. "What if one of your perks was that your employer had to beg you to make love with him?"

She shivered in anticipation when his fingers roamed over her thigh and under the cuff of her shorts. "And if I refused it?" she whispered.

"You don’t want me to beg?" His eyes widened in mock innocence as he edged one finger under the elastic of her bikini panties.

Purchase from
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.ph...

Regards, Anne.~
http://www.annewhitfield.com
Historical & Contemporary

An excerpt of my Victorian historical, Kitty McKenzie, which is out in both ebook and print. Set in Yorkshire, England, Kitty McKenzie, follows the journey of Kitty as she struggles to keep her family together when the odds are stacked against her.

Excerpt.

Kitty caught her breath at the magnificence of Kingsley Manor. In comparison, her old home, although large, looked like a poor cousin. When they arrived, Benjamin’s parents were out visiting after Sunday morning church service. Alone, Benjamin gave her a private tour of the house. In each superbly decorated room, he stopped and kissed both her hands until it became a game and their laughter echoed throughout the house.

However, Kitty’s first impression of the beautiful Georgina Kingsley chilled her. The woman wore a frozen expression of horror on her face the moment she looked at Kitty. Distressed, Kitty lowered her gaze and fumbled with her black skirts. She wore the best clothes she owned, her black skirts and cream blouse, but her crinoline was bought from the market and her black lace gloves possessed the glassy shine of frequently washed clothing.

After introductions, Benjamin’s father, John, took Kitty’s hand and led her into the conservatory. A maid waited by a table laden with a silver tea service and silver stands filled with dainty little cakes and sandwiches.

“So, Miss McKenzie, Ben informs us you have started a business?”

“Indeed I have, Mr. Kingsley, tearooms.” Her lips thinned into a tight smile.

They were all aware of Georgina’s intake of breath.

“It is a rare thing, a young woman going into business by herself. It must have been quite a decision to make.” John Kingsley’s gaze didn’t waver as he looked at her.

“Upon my parents’ deaths we were left with vast debts that took everything we owned to pay off. For my siblings and myself to survive, I needed to acquire a living for us all.”

Georgina put down her teacup and saucer. Her cold, blue eyes narrowed. “Surely there are relatives who could have helped…your…er…situation?”

“I’m afraid we don’t have a large quantity of relatives. No one offered to help us. There was very little we could do, but sell everything.” Such intimate talk of her family unnerved her. She wished the conversation would turn to a much lighter subject.

“Did you not find that odd, your relatives turning away from you?”

“I hardly think that distant relatives, whom we rarely saw, should have to alter their lives to suit us.” Kitty hated the woman for making her defend the people who ignored her pleas for help.

“And how many are there of you, Miss McKenzie?” Georgina raised an eyebrow. She wore her disgust like a cloak.

“I’m the eldest of seven, Mrs. Kingsley.”

“My, my, so many of you. So, where do you live now?” Georgina flicked an imaginary speck of dust from her beautiful, gray, raw silk dress with its crinoline so wide they had to move the chairs to accommodate it.

“We are to live above the tearooms, Mrs. Kingsley.” She felt like a noose hung around her neck and with each look and question from Georgina Kingsley the knot tightened.

“How extraordinary. To live above one’s own shop.” Georgina didn’t hide the foul look she directed at her son.

He turned away to smile at Kitty. “Of course, it will only be temporary, until I return from the colony. Then we shall be married.”

Georgina paled and her hand shook as she reached for her teacup and saucer. Kitty wasn’t sure whether it was due to shock or anger.

John Kingsley stood and held out his arm for Kitty. “Come, Miss McKenzie, let me show you the gardens and my fine hunters. They are the best in York I assure you.”

When John and Kitty exited the conservatory, Ben stood abruptly and faced his mother. “How dare you,” he ground out through clenched teeth, his whole body rigid with anger.

Unperturbed, Georgina sat quietly drinking her tea. “How dare I?” she asked with laced sarcasm. “My dear, I don’t know what is troubling you.”

“Why must you behave in such a way? She is going to be your daughter-in-law. It wouldn’t have hurt too much for you to be kind to her and make her feel at ease. Instead of treating her like she was something a cat dragged in!” Ben’s chest heaved.

“She is not one of us, my dear. Your union would be a most drastic mistake.” Calmly, Georgina leaned over and selected a small tart from the cake stand.

“That is where you are wrong, Mother! She is one of us. Her father was a doctor, her mother a lady. They lived well and entertained many of the people you do.”

“No, my dear. They were never one of us, for we wouldn’t have let our children be thrown onto the streets upon our deaths.” Georgina contentedly nibbled her tart, secure in the knowledge of her own wisdom.

“Bankruptcy can touch anyone, Mother, even the Kingsleys.”

“Benjamin, you do realize I recall the McKenzies, especially the wife? I cannot recall her name, however.” Georgina’s wave was dismissive. “I was introduced to her some years ago at a party. And let me inform you, she was one of the most vulgar women I have yet to meet. She was loud and dreadfully flirtatious. She was attractive, I’ll acknowledge that, but she was no lady.”

“I don’t care a jot, Mother. It is Kitty, not her parents, who I shall be marrying.”

“Then you are a fool and you will be ruined because of it.” Georgina glared.
(c) 2008 Anne Whitfield.

Purchase Kitty McKenzie in paperback from Amazon.com http://tinyurl.com/rced5

Regards, Anne.~
http://www.annewhitfield.com
Kitty McKenzie http://tinyurl.com/rced5
Kitty McKenzie's Land http://tinyurl.com/t4vpb

Hi Peter,
I added anew folder for you.
My parents emigrated to Australia from Yorkshire with my brother and sisters, I was born here. So I'm a child of two countries as I've lived in both.
Thanks!
Anne.~

I've added five mroe folders, but it is impossible to add a folder for every single genre, some will have to merge with others.
Send me an email if you're not sure.

The group is just somewhere you can post and promote and let others know about your writing. The more people who are encouraged to come and visit the more chances of someone liking your work.
Anne.~

Thanks so much, Ida!

Long Distance Love - contemporary romance.

Can one delicious summer affair be enough to keep them together?

Fleur Stanthorpe, an Australian, arrives in Whitby, England to live out a dream after surviving cancer. She's to open a bookshop café and experience the English way of life for the summer before returning home and settling down.
Only she hasn't counted on meeting gorgeous Irishman, Patrick Donnelly. Their attraction is instant - their goals a world apart. He is looking for a solid relationship for the first time since his divorce five years ago. She is having her last fling at freedom before returning home to family and responsibilities.
Their problems are more than surviving a hot summer of romance, but wondering what will happen when the summer draws to an end and Fleur returns to the other side of the world.

Excerpt

The queue had all but disappeared and panic flooded her, as she knew she must go. Think of Christmas, think of Christmas…
“Ring me the minute you land in Sydney, no matter what time.” Patrick pulled her to him once more and kissed the side of her head. “I want to know that you’ve arrived safely.”
“I will.” She stepped away and only their hands touched. Letting go of one of his hands she reached down and picked up her small luggage bag all the while not taking her eyes off him.
A tear slowly tracked its way down Patrick’s cheek and at the sight of it, a sob broke from Fleur. Men crying always killed her, but this was even worse, this was Patrick crying for her, for their wretched future that they couldn’t plan for.
“I love you,” she whispered.
"I can’t bear this Fleur. I have to go.” Patrick’s voice caught. He dropped her other hand and strode away.
She no longer had a heart. It had exploded and the pieces were floating around her body, never to be put together again because she had a strange feeling that she’d never see him again. She stood at the boarding gate and watched him walk away with his head high and shoulders straight. Typical. The man must hide his grief, pretend it wasn’t there. Whereas a woman would stumble, crawl, scream at the world and cry. Like she was doing. Crying an ocean. They could send her to the Gulf, after a while there she’d have turned the desert into a rainforest. Could you die from over crying?
She sniffed and gulped. So, that was it. All over red rover.
On automatic pilot she handed her boarding pass to the stewardess and went through the detector. The attendants smiled in sympathy at her ravaged face. She hated them. Collecting her things again from the conveyer, she paused and couldn’t help but look back over her shoulder. He hadn’t come back. Of course he wouldn’t. Silly woman what did she expect? What would it achieve? They’d talked until they were blue in the face about what they should, could, would do, but in the end it’d all come down to her catching a plane and flying home.
A black pit of despair swallowed her whole.
In a void, she walked into the plane and was shown her seat and had her luggage stowed away by a neatly polished and smiling stewardess, who didn’t seem to have a care in the world. Bitch. Didn’t she know that Fleur Stanthorpe was dying inside? It was world news, devastating news. For the first time in her independent life, Fleur Stanthorpe was finding out how it felt to truly love another. She couldn’t breath. Oh, great she was going to have a heart attack on the plane.

Long Distance Love is available in ebook and print at all common outlets like Amazon.com, Fictionwise, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599985...

Anne Whitfield

Broken Hero is my historical romance set in England during World War II.
Blurb
Audrey Pearson’s life changed dramatically when WWII broke out and her large home, Twelve Pines on the East Yorkshire coast, became a convalescence home for wounded soldiers. Her life is no longer lavish with entertainment, beautiful clothes and surrounded by a loving family. Soldiers, physically and mentally wounded now fill her home. The smell of disinfectant replaces her mother’s perfume and gone are the friends and acquaintances - instead nurses roam the hallways.
Captain Jake Harding, a doctor training in psychiatry arrives at Twelve Pines. Audrey immediately finds herself attracted to the Captain, but he is remote towards her. Puzzled by his cold behaviour, Audrey tries to learn more about the handsome Captain. He reveals that he’s lost a wife and baby in childbirth and refuses to ever remarry. However, despite this, Audrey believes she can change his mind and make him aware he doesn’t have to spend his life alone.

The ice around Jake’s heart begins to melt. For years he has rejected the possibility of finding love again because of the pain it caused him before, but the beautiful Audrey shows him her love and she needs someone to love her in return.
Could he honestly walk away from her, from the love that could be his?

Excerpt

From downstairs they heard the commotion of the emptying cellar.
“I’d better check that everyone is all right,” Jake said, but didn’t move. He reached out and took one of her hands. “We need to talk I think.”
“We do?” She tried to pretend she didn’t know his meaning. From his sad expression, she knew it wouldn’t be a talk she’d want to have. He was regretting his actions already. Well, she wasn’t ashamed. She knew she loved him.
“Audrey, I can’t be what you want.”
Her chest squeezed, but she raised her chin in challenge. “You haven’t tried, so how do you know?”
“You want a good man to love you. You deserve a man’s love, the right man for you.”
“And what if you are the right man for me?”
“I’m not. You mustn’t think I am.” He ran his hands through his hair. “You’re young and beautiful, there’s many a man who’d love you—”
“Don’t patronise me.” She tossed her head, angered by his attempts to brush her aside again.
“I’m not, honestly. You’re wonderful, and I wish I could be the man you need.”
“But you are! If you just allow yourself to be.” She reached out for him, only he backed away, shaking his head.
"I won’t. Audrey. I’ll never marry again. I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t cope with the responsibility of loving someone again, of the possible pain…”
“But I love you.” There, she had said the words.
He looked appalled. “You can’t.”
“Don’t tell me how I feel.”
“You don’t know what love is!”
“I’m speaking from the heart, Jake. I’m not one of those girls who plays with men’s feelings. I love you like I’ve never loved anyone else before.”
He backed away, shaking his head, his eyes haunted. “No. I won’t do this.”
“What we shared in my bedroom was special. It was meant. You can’t deny that.”
Jake gave a mocking laugh. “It was a kiss, Audrey. A simple kiss that men and women share in times of need. It leads to sex. You don’t have to be in love to have sex.”
“No. I won’t listen to you.”
“It’s true. Don’t make it out to be more than it was.”
“Why are you so certain that it meant nothing?”
“Because I know the difference.”
She felt sick. “So you wanted s-sex? Just any woman would do…”
He wiped a hand over his tormented face. “No, I didn’t mean…Damn, this isn’t what I meant to say. Listen to me—”
“I won’t listen to you, not until you really know what you’re saying. Not until you really know what you want.”
“I don’t want love, Audrey.”
Emotion clogged her throat. “Are-Are you saying you can never love me or any woman ever again?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Why?” she croaked. Lord, could there be a pain any worse than this?
“I don’t want to love another woman again, not ever.” He closed his eyes momentarily. “I wanted to die after Marianne, I nearly did. I can’t do it again, Audrey, I can’t suffer such…such anguish as that again…”
People were coming up the stairs and their chatter filtering up, drove Jake away. With a last glance at her, his eyes sending his apology, he went to meet the others and resume his role of doctor and caretaker of their reason.
But what of your reason, Jake? Audrey inwardly cried. Who will save you from your self-imposed loneliness?

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http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Hero-Anne-W...

Regards, Anne.~
http://www.annewhitfield.com

Authors I hope you find this group useful to promote yourselves.
Readers, I hope you find a wealth of new books to enjoy!
Anne.~
http://www.annewhitfield.com