M.J. Fredrick's Blog, page 18

Excerpt from Guarded Hearts

They ran another three miles before McKenna pulled up, eyeing a snow cone stand on the side of the path. She’d emptied her bottle of water a few miles back and was dying of thirst. Plus, she hadn’t had a snow cone since she was ten. She nodded toward the stand as she worked to catch her breath from that last incline.

“Want one? I’ll buy.”

His eyebrows snapped together and he opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand. Yes, these were empty calories, but suddenly she couldn’t think of anything but a snow cone.

“What flavor do you want?” He drew out his wallet and approached the cart.

“Blue.”

He slid her a look out of the corner of his eye. “Blue isn’t a flavor.”

“Fine. Coconut.” She leaned on the stand beside him and let the scent of the flavored syrups take her back to her childhood, to hot summer afternoons in the park with her mom. Okay, maybe best not to delve too deeply into those memories. The snow cones had been good, though.

Ethan handed over a five-dollar bill. “A coconut and a grape.”

“Grape?” she teased. “I thought you’d at least get something that pretends to be natural.”

“Which of these would that be?” He indicated the rainbow of syrup jugs as the old Hispanic man scooped crushed ice into a paper cone. “Bubble gum, perhaps? Tutti frutti?”

“Ooh, watermelon!” She looked at the man with her best wide-eyed plea. “Can I have half coconut and half watermelon?”

“That’s disgusting,” Ethan declared, taking his snow cone and biting into the ice.

She tapped the back of his hand so his nose dipped into the purple treat. “Be nice.”

He scowled, then tipped her hand up so the snow cone hit her chin. Squealing, she scrambled back, stumbling on the path. He caught her with one hand around her upper arm, but half his ice slid to the path at her feet.

“Oh, no! I’m sorry!”

Eyes glinting, he scooped the ice from the asphalt into his palm, and smeared it down the front of her throat.

She danced backward with a gasp of surprise at his playfulness, and her skin tightened with the shock as the sticky liquid dripped down the front of her shirt.

Pushing aside her worries—wasn’t she entitled to some fun?—she offered him a taste of her snow cone.

His gaze on hers, he leaned close to taste it, and she nipped the other side, close enough that her nose bumped his chin as the flavor washed over her tongue. His scent overpowered even the coconut, clean male sweat beneath his soap.

She pulled back, not meeting his gaze. “I need to get back. I have a lot of work to do.”

The ease that had been between them on the run was gone, replaced by a tension that could be  oh-hell-what-have-I-done?

Or, oh-hell-what-am-I-about-to-do?

The sound registered only a hair of a second before Ethan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to the ground. He landed with a grunt and flipped her onto her back. The breath knocked out of her as his weight dropped over her. As something warm and wet that was not his sweat dripped onto her, she realized the echo rolling over the surface of the lake was gunfire.

Goals the Second Week of Testing

We went to see Hayes Carll in Gruene Hall last night and had a blast. We met some cowboys who work on the King Ranch who came up just to see him, and a girl from Pennsylvania who flew to Midland to meet her boyfriend and they drove down. The weird thing–the cowboys and the boyfriend from Midland are all hunting guides! They say that’s a big business with the oilfields. Who knew?

Hayes was great, though he didn’t have his own band this time. The opening act played with him, which meant he had a girl to sing the duet with him, lol! The crazy? Two of the cowboys recognized me as singing with Hayes the last time! Fred thought that was hilarious.

Anyway, I love Gruene Hall. Gotta look on their upcoming schedule to see who else is playing.

Meanwhile…

Survive testing
Enjoy 3rd grade going on a field trip–LONG lunch!
Format a book for print
Work on oilfield book
Finish edits on Novella From Hell (which I’ve actually figured out how to fix and kinda even like now)
Continue adding books to Google Play (I have a LOT of books)
Read for Rita
Clean house/cook/exercise

Excerpt from What Not to Expect When You’re Expecting

When they reached the doctor’s office, Bailey had to pry her fingers off the “oh shit” handle above her head.

Rick frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Her voice cracked. “You drive like a lunatic!”

“You said you were in a hurry.”

“I don’t see how that was any better for me than driving my tempermental car, seriously.” Also, she’d never ridden in a vehicle that was so exposed. Every time a car had passed by, inches from her leg, with no door in between, she thought she was going to lose her lunch, which miraculously was staying down these days. She shuddered.

“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?”

She got out of the vehicle on shaky legs and prayed Mitch would be able to take her back to the bar. “Thanks for the ride. You don’t need to go in.”

He looked surprised at that, and glanced from her to the building. “I’ll just wait with you until Mitch and Dean get here.”

A small punch of relief rolled through her. She hated going to the doctor, sitting in the waiting room with those endless infomercials on the television with the perpetually chipper hosts talking about terrifying things, waiting because so many patients were booked at the same time. And she was so different from them—not usually something she had trouble with, but these days, she felt particularly sensitive to the idea. She nodded and let him hold the building door for her.

She checked in at the window while he scouted seats, finally asking a roundly pregnant woman if she could scoot over a chair so they could sit together. Bailey watched as the woman blushed, smiled, and did as he asked. Rick rewarded her with that damned sexy smile and Bailey felt the kick of it in her own gut. As she sat beside him, she was aware of the other patients—many with kids already, fidgeting and making her want to fidget as well. The women looked at Rick, the only man here, through their lashes, out of the corners of their eyes, and cast Bailey assessing looks. For just a fraction of a moment, she let herself wonder what it would be like to come in here pregnant with her own child, with her man beside her, to feel the same excitement and anticipation these women were feeling.

But that wasn’t the life she had planned out for herself. She was a successful businesswoman, content with her life. Families were complicated, and her life was simple. She liked it that way.

Redoing a Cover

I thought my original cover for What Not to Expect When You’re Expecting was cute, but perhaps a bit too pastel? So I had my cover artist rework it with no baby colors this time. I still wish I could shave the hero’s upper lip, though.

Excerpt from Don’t Look Back

Del took a quick inventory—where had he been shot? He skimmed his left hand down over his abdomen before the man in front of him swayed and dropped to the ground, grin frozen, eyes open and glazed.

No pain. Del hadn’t been shot. Breath coming fast, he turned to see Liv at the edge of the jungle, the Beretta braced in her bloody hands. Her eyes, when they focused on him, were hard, hot with anger.

Then, as if changing masks, she lowered the gun and hurried forward, hopping over vines, roots, stumbling into him. He caught her against his chest. Her heart pounded under his hands.

“Jesus.” He stroked his thumb over her cheek, hot to the touch.

Leaning into him, she reached up. He flinched as her fingers brushed the tender skin of his temple.

“You’re hurt.”

He could taste her breath on his mouth, and wanted more. He watched her lips form words of concern, but adrenaline drained into another form of urgency. She’d saved his life.

The bushes rustled behind him. He whipped Liv around, pinning her to the tree, covering her body with his. Her breath came out in a grunt. He pressed so close he felt her heart beat. Together they raised their weapons in the direction of the sound.

Recognition hit a moment before his finger tapped the trigger.

My Newest Cover

Not long ago, I got the rights back to two books, Something to Talk About and Guarded Hearts. I put out Something to Talk About in January, and will release Guarded Hearts later this month after a few changes, particularly toward the ending. I actually loved the old cover, so finding a replacement was a challenge! It will be rereleased on February 25 with this cover, which I love. What do you think?

Let’s Talk Covers

 

I’m working on a new series and I’m scanning stock photo sites looking for the perfect images for the Texas-set covers. I’ve been driving around the area where the stories are set, then I go look at stock photos and bookmark images I like. (Just as an aside, there are a LOT of bluebonnet pictures. A. LOT. You non-natives do know they only bloom about a month out of the year, right?) Initially I wanted something like this:

 

Aren’t those beautiful?

But then I love love this cover:

 

 

So now I’m thinking I want scenery with maybe an object. Like, a landscape with maybe a Texas flag, or a small town picture with a rusty Texas star.

I’m also thinking about redoing the cover for What Not to Expect. Sales aren’t great, and while I’m not blaming the cover, I’m wondering if a change might give it a boost. So in my spare time (ha!) I’m looking for possible replacement images. For that, I definitely want a couple.

What do you like on covers? People or no people? “Shorthand” to tell you what the story is about, like a Texas image, or a beach image?

Goals for the Week of Valentine’s Day, TMEA and Hayes Carll

All the other music teachers look forward to this week. I stress about it because I don’t get to stay at the conference the whole time–I have to go back to school and help Coach with his fundraiser, the Valentine’s Dance. Last year I got back to school around 2 after driving and eating, my sub hadn’t helped At All, so the coaches were unhappy. I ended up making $35. Who hoo. I bought hand drums, which I needed (if you saw my instruments, you would laugh. Or maybe cry.) It’s almost not worth the hassle of going to the conference. At least Fred and I don’t have V Day plans on V Day. We’re going to Hayes Carll on Saturday, but Fred has a gig at 5:30, so we won’t get out to Gruene until around 8, so we won’t have time to go eat at Gristmill. I’m betting we don’t have as good a vantage point for the concert as last time :-/

But the thing I’m most excited about is starting my new series this week!

Start oilfield book
Read for Rita
Start revising novella from hell
Continue adding books to Google Play store
Meeting
Breakfast duty
Music teacher conference
Valentine’s dance at school
Go see Hayes Carll in Gruene
Clean house/cook/exercise

 

 

Goals for My First Regular Week Since October!

 

This will be the first week I’ve seen all my classes since OCTOBER! We started practicing for the Christmas program the last week of October and practiced through the second week in December. The last week of December was filled with interruptions, the first week of January we had an inservice and a day when I went to PE, the second week was another day in PE, the third week was MLK, then the ice day, and last week was testing. I may get two more of these before Spring Break, but we’ll see.

 

Finish Novella from Hell
Finish edits for Guarded Hearts
Plot new book–I have index cards and tape and I’m not afraid to use it!
Add books to Google Play store
Write a guest blog
Meeting
Read Rita book
Enjoy having all of my classes for a change!
Clean house/cook/exercise

Goals for the First Week of Testing

After last week, when I had Monday off for MLK and Friday off for an ice day, having a full week will be weird. But it’s not a full FULL week. We’re testing Monday and Tuesday, so I’m not teaching those two days.

1) Celebrate baby brother’s 25th birthday

2) Continue to make progress on the Novella From Hell.

3) Do my self-evaluation for school.

4) Continue edits on Guarded Hearts so I can rerelease it.

5) Testing 2 days, monitoring the halls. It goes from mind-numbingly boring to I-can’t-be-everywhere-at-once crazy.

6) exercise. I keep saying this and not doing it. I gave away my bigger clothes–I need to stay in these, or smaller.

7) cook more at home. I bought a TON of chicken when we had company, and we only ate it one night, so I have a TON in the freezer. They’re big pieces so we split one, so they’ll last awhile.

7) Finish up the Rita book I’m reading and start one of the big ‘uns. Seriously, I have 3 over 400 pages. I never read books that long anymore!