Sandra Cox's Blog, page 290

Dance Me To The Stars

BLURB
Twenty-eight-year-old Claire Chatfield has everything a girl could possibly wish for: looks, a promising career at New York’s top architectural firm, and an engagement ring from one of New York’s most eligible heir-bachelors! Life should be a dream, but when Alec Brunell, a sexy tango dancer, moves into the apartment one floor above from Claire’s, he unwittingly awakens Claire’s old insecurities, making her question her life choices. Will Claire brave her fears and allow herself to take a chance on Alec, or will she continue to play it safe?
In order to secure his place as his father’s successor, thirty-three-year-old David Lawson must settle down with a wife befitting the future head of Lawson Enterprises - and who could fit the prerequisite better than the stunningly beautiful and incredibly bright Claire Chatfield? There is just one glitch – David Lawson is in love with another woman – a Hollywood Legend Claudia Block.
A successful tango instructor, Alec Brunell has never lacked for women’s attention, but he finds himself at a loss when faced with his downstairs neighbor, Claire Chatfield. Upon hearing of his occupation, most women swoon with desire, but Claire runs for the door. Still, her iciness only adds fuel to his fire, as Alec is determined to change Claire’s view of him.
Claudia Block has been basking in the limelight of Hollywood for more years than she cares to admit. While she still has her looks, she would much rather not mention her age, which makes her unconventional affair with young and handsome David Lawson that much more difficult for her to give up.
Dance Me to the Stars is a love story about finding one’s perfect match - sometimes following one’s heart is as convoluted as learning the steps of tango.
Dance Me to the Stars, has been selected in the first round of entries in the General Fiction category in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest this year.  Excerpt  Upon waking up the next morning, Claire arched her back, relishing the feel of the satin sheets against her skin. Beside her, David lay breathing evenly, still asleep. It had only been a couple of months since she had finally gotten comfortable enough to actually be able to sleep with him in the same bed. Before, Claire would always find an excuse to go home after they made love, but David must have gotten onto her - one night, he insisted on staying at her place, and ever since then they had been taking turns between his and hers apartments. Granted, David’s place was a lot more glamorous than Claire’s – a split-level junior four in a full service luxury building in Battery Park. Clair rose on her elbow and checked the time – it was ten a.m. She snuck out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom to brush her teeth – she might have gotten comfortable enough to sleep in the same bed with David, but she still wanted her breath to smell fresh when he woke up. A few minutes later she tiptoed back into bed and snuggled next to David. Usually, David was always the first to wake up, and together, they would go for a four-mile run. No doubt, upon waking up, David was bound to get upset for oversleeping, but Claire was not about to nudge him – she wanted them to spend the morning reading newspapers over breakfast instead of gasping for breath in sweat-soaked clothes. David muttered something incoherent as he flung his arm across Claire’s chest. Careful not to wake him, she maneuvered out of the way and tucked the comforter up to her chin – she loved lounging in bed like this.“What time is it?” David mumbled groggily, reaching for the clock on the bedside table. “Ten thirty? Claire, are you up?” He turned toward her.“Huh? What?” Claire was a good actress when she needed to be one.“Good morning, sleepy head.” David smooched her. “Well, since we’ve overslept our run this morning, I think there are a few other activities I can think of for us to make up for missed exercise.” He reached underneath her lacy nightgown.“What exactly did you have in mind?” Claire grinned, thinking that her plan had worked perfectly – after all, she much preferred making love to jogging.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie Astor is the author of contemporary romance novels Dance Me to the Stars, On the Rim of Love, and Lucky Charm.  Marie Astor has also authored a collection of short stories A Chance Encounter and Other Stories.
Marie’s latest contemporary romance novel, Dance Me to the Stars, has been selected in the first round of entries in the General Fiction category in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest this year.
Currently, Marie is working on her next novel – a first installment in her romantic suspense series.
Author Website: www.marieastor.com Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Astor/e/B004EBDX9Q/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/marieastorcollectionGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4665230.Marie_Astor Twitter: @marieastor
Giveaways
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZjkyYzg2NDBjMGFiMDllY2U0OGVmNGNmODg1ZjlkOjQ=/.  

This Time Next Week

Minder will be released next Friday. Since its near the end of the month I'm debating on whether to start my promo contest on release day or wait till the first of June. Any thoughts? If so cast your ballot on the right.
Excerpt:

At the cliff’s edge, I stopped and listened to the steady lap of the waves against the rocks. I sucked cold air deep into my lungs. Night sounds surrounded me. A purr of contentment rose in my throat. I was getting used to the purr. It’s a great way to express pleasure.
I pivoted toward the house and saw my aunt silhouetted in the window. I lifted my hand. She waved back.
The wind shifted. I smelled a rabbit. My butt twitched. The perfume of warm flesh filled my nostrils. His rapid heartbeat pulsed through my ears. I forgot about Aunt and went bounding into the forest.

The rabbit saw me. With a frightened squeak, he hopped away, his little powder-puff tail white in the dark. I leapt after him and laughed with exuberance from the sheer joy of being alive.
The rabbit ran deep into the woods. I followed. Fear gave the bunny speed. He stayed just out of my grasp.
It happened gradually.  My joints stiffened. The hair on the nape of my neck rose. A horrific scent filled my nostrils. My stomach flopped. No longer the hunter, at some point, I’d become the prey.

Another Visitor

This guy was another porch visitor and absolutely huge. I went through my butterfly and moth book but couldn't find him. Does anyone know what he/she is?

The Best Home Security System

Words and Genres

I'm blogging today at DowntownYA on words and genres.  If you're in the vicinity stop by and say hey.

Scoundrel's Match

BLURB  The dark time once resided in Kalas. Now, dawn had begun. An infamous womanizer, Richard Bradley had never wanted to tie himself in a serious relationship. Until he was caught in embarrassing circumstances by her. Marguerite Bennett learned her lesson of lover-boy from her ex. Their fates were now crossed and danger from dark time also followed them. Could true love triumph intact?  EXCERPT  Marguerite went around the counter and sat across from him. “So how did you come here?” He seemed relieved that she broke the silence. “For vacation.” “Oh, for how long?” “A month.”  “I heard about how Brig and Dave got out. I mean, isn’t there a funeral at Kalas?” “Yes, but the old king was not my family so I don’t have to be there for the whole month.” “A whole month for one funeral?” “Two exactly but they were royal so Gille wanted a proper ceremony.” “It must be hard for Gille.” “Not really. They’re not like real father and son.” Marge didn’t want to get personal. She changed the topic. “Have you been here before?’ “No, this is the first time.” “What do you think of here?” “It’s beautiful and peaceful.” “Where did you go?”  “Uhm, I haven’t traveled much.” No doubt, you were busy looking for women. He averted his eyes. What else to ask him? What did people talk about when they first met? She smelled like citrus, fresh and relaxing. Richard felt himself stirred. No, he had to control himself; he was in a towel for God’s sake. She seemed to run out of topic. Well, now was his turn to ask about her. “So, how long do you know Brigitte?” “Since middle school. She, Natalie, Alex and I were in the same class.” “You must be very close to keep a fantastic friendship like that.” “We get along great. We have kinda similar background.” “Background?” “Family matter.” She said vaguely. Clue for him not to ask any further. “So, you’re the manager here?” “Yes, I like working in a hotel.” “Why?” “I like working in traveling field. You know, like guiding tourists or working for traveling company. But I don’t like to move around too much, so I work in hotel. It’s good; it’s what I want to do.” “That’s good. A lot of people get the wrong job; they don’t enjoy their job but they have to, you’re one of the lucky ones.” “But you changed your job, right?” “Yes. I’m sure it’s much better, way better than a prison guard.” “That was how you met Brig.” Marge giggled. “Yes, who know my job could help sometime. And it was all in the plan.” “And you really enjoyed that plan.” A male voice chimed in. They both turned to see Dave and Brig hand in hand walked in. Dave held up a bag, indicating clothes. “Uhm, let go to my room, Dave.” Richard pointed upstairs. “So, lover boy, where are all your clothes?” David laughed low in his throat. “Shut up! Just an accident!” Rick snapped. Dave was going to tell Gille, and Rick would never hear the end of this. They got in Rick’s room. Rick took out the clothes. A gray sweat pants and a pink T-shirt. “A pink T-shirt?” Rick scolded. “You didn’t give us time to go shopping.” Dave shrugged innocently. “And you just had in your closet a pink T-shirt? How convenient! You’re sure Brig weren’t mistaken you for a girl?”  “She bought it for Valentine. If you don’t like it, just go bare ass!” “Valentine is months away. You guys are running out of romantic ideas!” Rick complained but put on the clothes. Even he looked girly; he figured it was still better than going bare. Dave laughed out loud. “Man, you need to let me take a picture. You look gorgeous!” “Shut up! This is your pink shirt!” The man just needed to get back at him. “You can keep it. I hope Brig has a camera with her.”  Rick reached under his bed to retrieve his sword. He had to resist the urge to strike the laughing man. Dave raised an eyebrow. “You bring a sword to worship woman? Nice, no wonder she stole all your stuffs.” “Just in case. What if something happens in Kalas, I can come back with my sword ready.” He stomped out of the hotel room. “Yeah, I can’t wait to see you holding the sword in a towel.” He laughed like a maniac. “Cut it out, man. It’s not that funny.” Rick irritated. “That’s because you didn’t look in the mirror.” And he was not going to. The pink T-shirt was stupid, a tight one was worse.  VIDEO TRAILER  YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUDnfDjlalI  BUY LINKS  Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Scoundrels-Match-Door-Dimensions-ebook/dp/B006X9ZEE4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326594070&sr=8-1 Smashwords:http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/122681  ABOUT THE AUTHOR  Hello, I’m Betty Petite. I’m not a writer; I’m only a voice-person for the characters in the Door of Dimensions series. I was born and raised outside of the United States; hence, English is my second language. My personal life is just like any other busy ordinary woman. I have a job and school load to advance my education. Neither English nor writing is my major; science is. I have never thought that I would write a story. The series came as a surprise and I knew I would regret if I didn’t write them down. Hence, my style of story-telling involves a lot of dialogues and characters’ interactions.  The characters came to me and befriended me during hardship. They gave me laughter, hope and a little joyful escape from painful reality. I hope they can do the same for you. Happy reading!  Website: http://bettypetite.weebly.comFacebook:  http://www.facebook.com/betty.petite

Scarlett: The Epitome of Motherhood

I posted this last year but I'm so impressed with this story and the love this mother had for her babies I'm going to re-post it this year.  It always touches me. Its the story of a little cat completely on her own, with no one to turn to, who her life over and over to save her kittens.

In March of 1996, Scarlett was raising her little brood in an abandoned garage believed to be a crack house in Brooklyn. A fire broke out and firefighters arrived to put it out. As they got the fire under control, one firefighter by the name of David Giannelli noticed a calico cat laying outside the building with her young kittens. Fur singed off, paws and ears burnt, eyes blistered shut, the brave calico and had made the trip back into the building five times until she'd gotten out all of her kittens.

Touched by her heroism, the firefighter took her and her little family to the North Shore Animal League in New York. As he carefully placed them in a box to transport them, the courageous calico nudged each kitten to make sure they were all there, then collapsed.

The story of this little kitty's heroism soon spread around the world. The league received over seven thousand offers to adopt Scarlett and her kittens. At the time, I lived in Indiana and placed a call to the League to see how Scarlett was doing. I was told she'd had offers of adoption from as far away as Japan. Sadly, one of the kittens didn't make it, but the remaining four kits were adopted out to forever homes. Scarlett was rewarded for her heroism by being adopted into a family that loved and cossetted her the remainder of her days.

Scarlett died in October 2008.

Her heroism never fails to humble me. Happy Mother's Day, Scarlett.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOMS OUT THERE WHOSE FAMILY CONSIDER HER THEIR HERO.

Finding My Faith

With us today is Carly Fall blogging about her new book, Finding My Faith. Carly will be giving away two eBook copies of The Light Within Me (the first book of this series)at each tour stop and a $15 All Romance eBooks GC for one randomly drawn commenter.


World Building for Faith
While sketching out Finding My Faith, I knew I wanted Faith’s world to run parallel to my hero’s world (Rayner).
Rayner is one of the Forest Dwellers on his planet.  They worship their land, the food the land provides for them, and the different gods of their world.  When looking for a way to incorporate that into Faith, I decided she should be Native American.  Then I did some research into Native American legends, and read some pretty interesting and amazing ones.  I wanted to find one that was real, one that had ancient roots in the Native American culture.  But alas, that was not to be, so I took the liberty of making up my own.
As much as I wanted Rayner and Faith’s upbringing to parallel each other, I also wanted them to be on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as where their lives were when they meet.  Both had grown up wanting to explore beyond their immediate environments, and both were a bit of trouble causing hell raisers (but in a good way) while growing up. 
However, when they meet, they are polar opposites. Faith has moved to the big city, and is busy exploring the life a big city has to offer a woman in her mid-twenties.  She is constantly on the move, going out, seeing new things, meeting new people.  Rayner, however, is not.  He’s an all work and no play guy because his sole focus is to get home to his precious forest and honor the oath he made to his mother that yes, he would indeed come home.
Faith was one of my favorite characters to create.  I love her very distinctive beauty on the inside, as well as the outside.  I love the way she embraces everything life has to offer her, and how she jumps into the pool called life, splashes around, and loves being there.
BLURB:
Growing up in a small Northern Arizona town, Faith Cloudfoot’s life was spent playing in the forests surrounding her house under the protective eyes of her father, and learning about the legends of her Native American heritage. Yearning for more out of her life, she moves to Phoenix, Arizona at the age of twenty-three where she is kidnapped and almost killed.

Rayner has a special ability, one that weighs on him like a curse. He can see spirits trapped in between life and their final resting place. Because he can’t do much to help them, he studiously ignores them. He concentrates, instead, on working with his fellow warriors to right the wrongs caused by the evil criminals from his home planet.

When Rayner sees Faith in her spirit form while investigating a lead in Phoenix, his attraction to her is immediate, yet he follows his own personal code and ignores her cry for attention. When he realizes that she may be a stepping stone to getting him home to his own universe, he engages Faith and begins to use her as a means to an end: going home.

As the attraction grows stronger, Rayner finds himself breaking all sorts of self-set rules, as well as the code of ethics set by him and his fellow warriors. When Faith nears death, Rayner realizes that he must do everything in his power to save her, because if he doesn’t, he may just lose himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Excerpt
I see you, Faith.  He didn't say the words out loud, but instead projected them at her.  Stopping in her tracks, he watched as she turned slowly, carefully looking at the people around her until her eyes settled on his.  When their eyes met, he felt like he had been hit in the solar plexus with a two-by-four.  Jesus, she was incredibly beautiful.  He was certain that she was like no woman he had ever seen.  He wondered how in the world a woman with Native American skin and features could have such fiery red hair.  He had only seen hair like that on women with skin so pale it was almost translucent.  He broke eye contact when some guy in a suit walked right through her.  Literally.
“You can see me?” she asked, giving the guy who had just busted through her a dirty look.
“Yup.”
"How do you know my name?"
He took a second to think about an answer, and then she did something he had never encountered with a spirit.
She turned around and ran.
Rayner sat stunned for a moment, and then he was up after her, his heavy boots pounding on the pavement, his newspaper forgotten on the bench.  He couldn't imagine what he looked like to all the skirts and suits making their way to work.  He wasn't chasing anyone, and he wasn't being chased.  Just some nutjob hauling ass down the sidewalk. Faith had an edge—she didn't need to dodge things like people and cars; she just ghosted through them.
She ran for three blocks, then took a right up 1st Avenue.  He kept projecting his thoughts to her, a mantra that started to get on his nerves.  I'm not going to hurt you, Faith.  I'm here to help.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I live in Arizona with my incredibly supportive husband, our son and our dog.
I love my family, hiking, writing, our pool, and wine, and depending on the day, not necessarily in that order.
To receive my monthly newsletter, please go to CarlyFall.com and sign up at the big box on the right.  I promise not to spam you or sell your information (even if someone tries to bribe me with chocolate chip cookies), but instead I want my newsletter to inspire you, make you laugh, and let you know of super fun promotional activities I'm involved in that usually mean free stuff for you.
To visit my blog, go to www.carlyfall.com, or give me a thumbs up on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carly-Fall/135934843166283
twitter at CarlyFall1
I also love to see what you're reading, so let's get friendly on Goodreads as well!  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4877034.Carly_Fall
Here are the buy links:
http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Faith-Six-Saviors-ebook/dp/B007EZ5F72/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1330535849&sr=8-9
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13505060-finding-my-faith
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-my-faith-carly-fall/1109160383?ean=2940014005883&itm=1&usri=finding+my+faith+carly+fall
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-findingmyfaith-728552-140.html

Galleys

Just when I thought I was done. grin. Working on galleys for Minder. Be back soon. Enjoy your week.

Dog Trauma