Tory Richards's Blog, page 138

Home for the Holidays Hop!

LINK to 75 participating authors!
Let's talk food! We all have those favorites during the holidays that we don't get any other time of the year, or if we do, rarely. We have the traditional Thanksgiving feast, turkey and dressing, gravy and mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and fruit salad, yams, sweet pickles, pumpkin and pecan pies. But for my family, their special is my homemade dressing, which I always stuff the turkey with. Last year I made a huge cake pan of it for the party at my daughter's work, and it was requested again for this year. It's not hard to make, but it can be a little time consuming, and is so worth it! The dressing I put outside the turkey, on top of the legs, is fought over because it gets dark and crisp.

Here is my recipe and it's simply called dressing. Makes enough to stuff a 12lb. Butterball turkey, and an extra bread pan.

2 loaves of long cheap bread - broken up into large bowl
1 large onion - chopped up
3 celery stalks and some of the leafy part - chopped up
1 package Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage - cooked and drained
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
2 cups more or less turkey stock made from the neck, heart, and gizzards. You boil them for a couple hours, will need to keep adding water to it. Take them out when stock is done, cut them up and feed it to the dog:) (can substitute homemade stock with turkey or chicken bouillon cubes - 2 or 3, I usually add 2 in 2 cups of water and nuke, you may need to break cube up)

Add everything together in a large bowl except the stock. When it's time for the stock don't add the whole thing at one time because you may need less than you prepared. As you begin to add stock mix ingredients thoroughly. By the time dressing is done you want it wet (not dripping) and sticking together. 

Stuff the turkey, pack it in good, and put some extra on the crevice between the legs and body. Don't worry if it gets dark and crisp when cooking. Cook the extra in an uncovered baking dish for about 1 and a half hours. 


Grand Prizes:Shopping Spree: $450+ Gift Card or Paypal CashSecond Place Grand Prize: (1) E-Book from every participating Author*Winners will be determined via random.org

On top of your chances at the grand prizes above, follow my blog and leave your email addy in the comments area for a chance to win a download of one of my books, winner's choice!
Good luck everyone!

Guest Author and Giveaway!

LINK to participating blogs!
A Place for All WomenBy Annabeth Leong

I'm here today to talk about Design and Scandal, a Rubenesque erotic romance that I wrote for Ellora's Cave's Curve Appeal series. I believe so passionately in the idea behind this series—our society desperately needs a broader understanding of what beauty is. It can't always be about being as thin and young as possible, and yet that's what's so often in magazines.

On the other hand, I'm bothered by anything that pits women against each other. As a feminist, I believe that all women ought to have a place at the table. I didn't want to write a book that lifted up curvy women at the expense of slim women—I don't think it needs to be like that.

Since this is an erotic romance, the most important relationship is between the heroine, Kahala Lin, and the hero, James Corwin (a delicious A-list movie star, by the way). A close second, however, is the relationship between Kahala and Madison Marin, a skinny blonde movie star who is Kahala's rival for the hero's affections.

At first, Kahala and Madison see each other as enemies. Kahala, who is a costume designer, isn't interested in designing clothes for someone with Madison's body type. Madison is incredulous and hurt that James might be interested in Kahala instead of her. I don't want to give away the plot, but as I was writing the book, I realized I wouldn't be satisfied if one of these women wound up as the "winner." Too often, this sort of thing becomes a zero sum game, and women turn against each other when they could be supporting each other.

The point is that the societal standards that hurt Kahala hurt Madison, too, and the only way out of that is for them to move beyond the artificial battle they're enacting and think about what each of them really wants.

Design and Scandal is first and foremost about the hot and enduring connection between Kahala and James. But it's also about Kahala and Madison, who begin as enemies and rivals and slowly learn to respect each other.

Bio: 
Annabeth Leong has written erotica of many flavors. She loves shoes, stockings, cooking and excellent bass lines. She always keeps a new e-book loaded on her phone and a paperback stashed in her purse, but her eyes are still bigger than her stomach whenever she visits a bookseller. She blogs at  annabethleong.blogspot.com , and tweets @AnnabethLeong . Watch for her next contemporary erotic romance from Ellora's Cave, Heated Leather Lover.

Blurb:
Costume designer Kahala Lin didn't get into her line of work to make clothes for tiny models. She dreams of creating high-fashion masterpieces for BBWs such as herself. When she's hired to work on costumes for the science fiction movie Laser Sentinel, she passes up the opportunity to dress the film's heroine and ends up with the hardest job on set—pleasing the demanding and devastatingly handsome star, James Corwin.
James is one of Hollywood's best known actors, but he's in trouble when he's forced into working on this dud of a movie. James can't relax and enjoy the shoot on Hawaii's black sand beaches. He needs to prevent this film from becoming an embarrassment, starting with making sure he's not shot wearing nothing but spandex, a headdress and a ray gun. His collaboration with the new costume designer starts out promising, but soon he's so busy taking off her clothes that he's hardly thinking about what he'll wear at all. 

The press, however, discovers their relationship almost before it begins, and the resulting scandal threatens both their livelihoods and James' chances with Kahala.

A Romantica® contemporary erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave


Excerpt:
Kahala wanted to present a smooth, confident image to Madison Marin, but by the time the actress’s private plane touched down in LA, she was shaking. She didn’t think she’d been followed or watched at the Honolulu airport but she couldn’t imagine a way to avoid it once she deplaned in California and made contact with the movie star.

She would be photographed, no question.

Kahala thought she’d made peace with that possibility when she decided to accept the invitation, but seconds from stepping out onto the tarmac, she wasn’t so sure. She handed her water glass to the flight attendant and collected the book she hadn’t been able to concentrate on reading.

She tugged at the dress she wore. One of her most recent creations, it took strong cues from the ideas she’d given Lawrence for Laser Sentinel. There was nothing retiring or shy about the garment. Color blocking laser-beam red with the black of volcanic rock and a bright, retro gold, any woman wearing it had to be willing to command attention. Kahala had put it on as a sort of dare to herself but now she doubted whether she could really live up to the dress’s bold promise.

Seeking comfort, she touched the kukui nut lei Lani had given her at the airport. Its polished brown surfaces provided nice accents to her dress and reminded her of home. They also symbolized protection and peace.

She hadn’t come this far to turn back now. Kahala rose to her feet and stepped out of the plane.

She recognized Madison Marin immediately, even though the actress had worn bulky clothes, a floppy hat and dark sunglasses. Kahala had considered a similar disguise but the thought of being photographed in a ridiculous getup bothered her even more than the idea of her image being captured in the first place. If she did end up having to endure more scrutiny, she wanted to look damn good in the pictures.

Kahala waved in Madison’s direction and the tiny woman ran to meet her, accompanied by two burly, black-suited bodyguards. They hesitated awkwardly for a moment when they actually got in range of each other but Kahala consciously kept her body language open. Madison came in for a quick hug that felt less uncomfortable than Kahala would have expected.

“We can talk in the car. I brought my best driver. He’s usually really good at losing the paparazzi.”

She and the bodyguards hustled Kahala to a black limousine with windows tinted almost the same color as its paint. By the time they arrived, Kahala had to focus all her effort on not panting or obviously displaying signs of the effort it had taken to keep up with them. She slid into the car across from Madison, patting her upper lip with a tissue as surreptitiously as she could.

Madison Marin, however, shamelessly pulled out a towel from behind the seat, yanked off her sunglasses and mopped at her face. Sweat poured down her cheeks and forehead, smearing her makeup and flattening her hair. The car began to move, faster than Kahala was used to and turning often and sharply.

“This 007 stuff always totally stresses me out,” Madison said.

Kahala stared for a moment, then snorted her amusement. “I always thought you Hollywood girls worked out for vanity, but now I see you really need to be able to run fast in LA.”


Buy Links:

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-designandscandal-1303171-369.html?referrer=6bdb1f9160564c0525b41f36e51861a0

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EAV3RPK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00EAV3RPK&linkCode=as2&tag=lucyfelt-20

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00EAV3RPK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00EAV3RPK&linkCode=as2&tag=lucyfelthouse-21

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/design-and-scandal-annabeth-leong/1116524070?ean=9781419947018

Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/design-and-scandal.html

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/design-and-scandal


Giveaway: 
Check out the rafflecopters below for information on how to win one of my giveaways! For the all-digital giveaway, I'm offering a $5 gift card to Ellora's Cave, and digital downloads of two of my other EC titles. For the goodie bag, I've got some fun swag from EC's Romanticon 2013 (the physical prize is US only due to the cost of mailing—apologies to my international friends and fans). Good luck!

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Erotic Romance Coming for 2014

Happy Birthday Baby!
Reaching a milestone in her life, Lana’s friends have arranged for something special for her fiftieth birthday. Dragging her to a popular nightclub, they arrange for a lap dance from one of the male strippers. The very male stripper she’s been secretly admiring for months.


Joe’s been admiring Lana, too, as she hides out in a dark corner of the bar. Overhearing her friends planning her birthday is his opportunity to finally meet the shy beauty. Only one lap dance isn’t all Joe wants from Lana. He talks her into going home with him, promising to make her birthday celebration one she’ll never forget.

I'm passing this on because it worked for me today.A doct...

I'm passing this on because it worked for me today.A doctor on TV said that in order to have inner peace inour lives, we should always finish things that we start. Since we all could use more calm in our lives, I lookedaround my house to find things I'd started & hadn't finished.I finished a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Chardonnay, a bottle of Baileys, a butle of wum, tha mainder ofValiuminuscriptions, an a box a choclutz. Yu has noidr how fablus I feel rite now. Sned this to all ur frenzwho need inner piss. An telum u luvum

Clarification about The Mating Ritual

After doing several cover reveals, chapter reveals, and other such promo for my up-coming paranormal, The Mating Ritual, I thought I should clarify something. A lot of comments have been made from readers saying that they love shifter romances and can't wait to read this book. I hope I never led anyone to believe that the hero in this book is a shifter, because he's not. What he is, is the descendant of the legendary Bigfoot. 

For anyone interested, I am in the process of finishing up, this weekend I hope, my first erotic shifter romance, Scent of a Wolf's Mate.

3 Rafflecopters below are just hours away from ending! Enter them now for a chance at some fabulous giveaways, one is a $200 GC!!

Guess what guys, A Perfect Fit is FREE this week only ove...

Guess what guys, A Perfect Fit is FREE this week only over at Smashwords ! 

Enchanted Times Giveaway Hop

LINK to participating authors here! Happy Sunday folks! Will you just look at that GRAND PRIZE gift card!! With the holidays right around the corner, who can't use an extra $200? I know I can. So okay, here is what you need to do. Just enter the rafflecopter. But wait, you might also want to visit the blogs of the participating authors, too, as they are also giving something away.  
I'm giving away a download of Burning Hunger. Leave a comment of what your favorite holiday food is, and your email addy. Most of all have some fun, discover new authors and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chapter Reveal of The Mating Ritual

Chapter 1
(subject to change)
Toni sat back in the old wicker rocker and closed her eyes; content to listen to the birds and anything else Mother Nature had to offer. She breathed in deeply the crisp mountain air, filling her lungs, thankful to be free at last. Six weeks as a juror on a murder trial and another two sequestered in a hotel room had taken its toll. She was thankful it was over and that her friend, Mary, had offered up her family cabin for a change of scenery, a mini vacation before returning to work and the real world again.

She’d arrived early that morning and had already taken a run around the lake. Weeks of sitting in a chair had been sheer torture, especially for someone that worked out every day. Not that she was a fanatic or anything, but Toni liked to eat, and that meant she had to work it off. Smiling, she thought about the chocolate cream pie she’d brought up with the rest of her groceries. That was going to cost her a few extra trips around the lake.

A rattling in the bushes prompted Toni to open her eyes to investigate. She glanced around, seeing nothing except trees, the lake, and more trees. The cabin was situated on the side of the mountain, deep in the back woods of North Carolina. Mary had told her that her great-grandparents had built it in the twenties, and at their request, the house had not been sold when they’d passed away. Toni was glad, grateful to have a place that she could escape to that was peaceful and quiet, and away from everything.

The phone began to ring inside the cabin, but she didn’t attempt to get up, certain the caller was Mary. She was the only one who knew Toni was there. It’s wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to Mary, just not at that moment. Her friend was a little long-winded, and Toni just didn’t feel like getting into a long conversation that was usually about nothing. Besides, she’d promised to call sometime later that week to touch base.

She and Mary had grown up like sisters in St. Evangeline’s Orphanage and had always been close. Close in age, they’d arrived at the orphanage within a week of each other, too old for adoption at the age of five, when everyone wanted babies or young toddlers.

Mary had been lucky, though, once it had been discovered that she had family. The product of a runaway teen, her mother had died in a car crash. Years had passed before her grandparents found out they had a granddaughter when Mary was fifteen. They’d quickly removed her from St. Evangeline’s, and three years had gone by before Toni saw her again. Throughout it all they had remained in touch.

Mary was the only family Toni had ever known. At twenty-four, Toni worked a mundane job at the local library and had few acquaintances, some people she hung out with sometimes after work, but that was all. She blamed herself for not letting anyone get close to her. No matter where she was, she felt like she just didn’t fit in.

Finally the phone stopped ringing and all grew quiet again. That was one of the things Toni liked best about being in the mountains—it was nature in all its glory, everything was alive with lush and vibrant color, the sounds of birds and animals were comforting music to her ears. The sky seemed bluer, the air crisper. If she could live there year-round she would have, in spite of the rumors that there were some kind of elusive, backwoods people living deep in the mountains.

That story was as silly as the one that had been going around for centuries about Bigfoot. Toni took the rumor as a ploy from small-town locals to draw more tourists into the area to boost their economy. These legends attracted the curious thrill-seekers, photographers, and scientists who wanted to be the first to find these mysterious people and make their mark in history, or the hunters, who had their own big dreams and were certain that these sightings were of Bigfoot. Whenever there was a new sighting the freaks came out of the woodwork and the towns prospered.

The surrounding towns were small and populated with well-established families whose roots went back for generations. They were loyal, good people that chose a simpler way of life that could be considered archaic when compared with some of the country’s upscale communities. Their Mayberry way of life was okay with Toni. Most of the locals were friendly and helpful when the need arose, and generally minded their own business.

A shrill scream drew her attention toward the sky, where she saw a hawk soaring with a fish in its beak. She watched its graceful movements for a moment, envying the freedom it had. Soon it was joined by another, probably its mate, and they soared away toward the mountain peaks. She watched until the tree tops got in the way, and then closed her eyes again with a wistful sigh.

Her thoughts drifted to Marco Rivera. Found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, thanks to her and the other jurors, he would never again know what freedom was. For as long as Toni lived she’d never forget the look he gave each and every one of them, or the curses and threats he’d screamed at them when he was dragged from the courtroom. She was glad it was over and that she’d never have to see him again.

She tried to move into a more comfortable position, moaning low. The muscles she hadn’t used during the trial were stiffening from her first jog since the trial. She should have started with something easier, like a swim in the nearby lake. Maybe a swim now would help ease some of the soreness. She knew the water would be cold but invigorating, and with no one around she could skinny-dip if she wanted to.

Toni eventually dozed until the persistent ringing of the phone woke her. Swearing with annoyance, she jumped up from the rocker, practically tearing the screen door off its hinges as she rushed inside, hoping to get to the phone in time. Something must be up with Mary.

“Hello!”

“Well it’s about darn time!” Mary’s usually cheerful voice was laced with heavy irritation. “I was about to drive myself up there to make sure you were okay.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Toni sat down on the arm of a nearby chair. “I thought we were going to touch base later this week.”

“I know, but there’s something I have to tell you that couldn’t wait. Just in case.”

Toni frowned. “Just in case of what?” She could hear Mary’s little ones screaming and laughing in the background.

“In case you need to go somewhere else. Have you had the TV on at all since you got there?”

“No, why?”

Mary took a deep breath. “Then you haven’t heard. You know who Don Roberts and Lucy Monroe are, right?”

“Of course. They were jurors with me.” Don was a thirty-year-old manager of a men’s clothing store outlet, married and without children. Lucy, a young grandmother at thirty-six, was divorced and running her own little tearoom. You didn’t remain sequestered with the same people for two months and not learn a little something about them.

“Toni, it was on the news this morning. They were both found dead.”

“What!”

“Yes! It’s too early to tell but there’s speculation that it’s connected to the murder trial. The police have been calling me, looking for you. The word is they’re putting the remaining jurors under protective custody until they know what’s going on.”

“You didn’t tell them where I was, did you?” Not too many people knew about the cabin.

“No, that’s why I’m calling you. What do you want me to do?”

Toni thought about it for a moment. “No one but you knows I’m here, and if they did, good luck trying to find this place, it’s not even on a map. I drove around lost for an hour. I should be okay for tonight, don’t you think?”

“Probably, but I don’t think you should take any chances.”

Mary was the ever-cautious one. Toni sighed with resignation. “Damn it!” She unwillingly thought about poor Don and Lucy. They were nice people. She didn’t want to ask how they died. “I guess I’d better call and talk to Detective Todd. I trust her.”

“Good idea, then call me back. Be careful, hon, keep your phone with you, and make sure everything is locked up. Do you want me to drive up? I can be there in four hours.”

There was no way Toni was going to have her come up there if something was going on. “Maybe tomorrow, depends on what Detective Todd advises.” She’d already decided that if they were going to insist on police custody there was no better place to hide out than right where she was. She would just have to convince them of that.

“Do you think it’s just a coincidence?”

Toni thought about the threats that Rivera had hurled at the jurors at the end of the trail. “Probably not, but at least the authorities aren’t taking any changes. I’ll call you back in a few.”

She sighed deeply when she disconnected. This isn’t happening! So much for a few days of peace and quiet with no worries. Apparently Marco Rivera was making good on his threats. Maybe she should just take off and go someplace where no one knew where she was. She could contact the police herself and tell them where she was later. But then she recalled what had come out during the trial—the low-life drug dealer had a lot of people on his payroll, including those who were supposed to protect and enforce the law. Detective Todd was the only one Toni trusted in law enforcement right now.

Damn it! Toni was glad she’d done her civic duty, but she wasn’t going to let it rule her life now that it was over. Still, she’d phone the detective and at least let her know where she was. She was glad she’d added the no nonsense, twenty-year veteran to her contact list so that it was easy to scroll down to her name and call. She didn’t have to wait long before the phone was picked up at the other end.

“Dooley Police Station, Detective Todd, how may I help you?”

“Detective Todd, this is Toni Davenport. My friend Mary said that you’ve been looking for me?” Toni had listed Mary as her emergency contact, so it didn’t surprise her that she’d been called.

“Thank goodness you phoned! Your old number doesn’t work anymore. I suppose she informed you of the circumstances?” There was genuine relief in her business-like tone.

Toni had dropped and broken her phone soon after the trial, and had been forced to get a new one, opting for an unlisted number. “Yes, Mary told me about Lucy’s and Don’s death, that’s just awful. She explained that the other jurors have been placed under police custody.”

“Murders,” Detective Todd corrected. “We’ve established that their deaths aren’t a coincidence. An attempt was made about an hour ago on Mandy Jones. Luckily there was an off duty officer at the same gas station she’d stopped at, and he was able to stop the hit from going down.”

Hit! “Oh, no!”

“Okay, so where are you?”

“I’m in a remote cabin in the mountains. The only ones who know I’m here are you and Mary, and she won’t tell anyone. It would be nearly impossible to find me without directions, and even then it would be hard.”

“Here’s what I want you to do,” Detective Todd began, and Toni could hear the rustle of papers. “Give me explicit directions; we’re going to come to you. If we feel your location is safe, we’ll make a decision about whether or not to remain there temporarily.”

“How long–”

“As soon as we can.”

“No I mean, how long do you think we’ll have to stay in protective custody?”

Detective Todd released a heavy sigh. “There’s absolutely no way of knowing that, but we have detectives working on this round the clock. Don’t go anywhere until we get to your cabin and don’t answer your phone.”

Toni frowned. “Don’t answer my phone?”

“GPS tracking device,” she explained. “We can’t take a chance that they don’t have one. If it’s sophisticated enough it only takes seconds to trace someone’s whereabouts.”

The uneasy feeling in Toni’s belly intensified. The only thing that made her feel better was knowing that it would take hours for anyone to reach her. “What about Mary, I told her I’d call her back.”

“After we hang up I’d rather you not use your phone at all. I have Mary’s number and will call her for you. Look, I’m going to contact the local police in your area and ask them to send someone to stay with you until we get there.”

“Do you really think that’s necessary?”

“It’s just a precaution.” Toni could tell Detective Todd was trying to downplay the situation. “If your place is as secluded as you say, you should be fine.”

Toni thought about the amount of time it had taken her to get there and the wrong turn she’d taken on the way. Once she’d left the main highway and driven deeper into the mountains there were many unmarked turn-offs, and it was easy to take the wrong one, even if you knew where you were going. The dirt roads that crisscrossed the mountains were vast and confusing, but only to those who didn’t live there year round. Knowing all that did make her feel safe, for the time being.

Once Toni had given Detective Todd the detailed directions to the cabin and hung up the phone she felt more isolated than ever. It even seemed quieter outside the cabin than it had earlier. She glanced out the window, surprised at how fast darkness was descending. It had been a few years since she’d been there, and she’d forgotten how rapidly the sun went down in the mountains. She opened up the door to gauge how much time she had before it would be completely dark, estimating that it would be about half an hour.

Toni glanced yearningly at the lake. Did she dare go for a quick swim? By the time she went through her suitcase, dug out her swimsuit, undressed and got into it, it would probably be dark. Better to just take her clothes off and go in her underwear. Without another thought, she rushed to the bathroom for a towel.

She figured she had just about enough time for a few laps. With a towel in hand Toni walked to the water’s edge. She quickly stripped out of her clothes, carefully waded in, and when she was waist deep she kicked off the bottom. It was colder than she was expecting, but the more she swam the warmer she began to feel. She dove several times to the bottom, enjoying the freedom of swimming almost naked. After a while her sore muscles were feeling the benefits of her swim.

As she was making it back to where her clothes were a noise startled her into halting. She tread water while looking around the lake’s shore, assuming it was the local police. Her gaze automatically went to the cabin. She narrowed her eyes against the shadows cloaking the small structure but was only able to make out that there was a vehicle parked close against the side of the cabin. It was parked in a way that blocked her own vehicle so that she wouldn’t be able to leave. Almost simultaneously two men came into view, one from inside the cabin and the other circling around it. Neither were wearing uniforms.
de
They can’t be the police. Then it dawned on her that there was no way that the police could have gotten there that fast. Toni felt her heart rate begin to pick up speed.

“She can’t have gone far, her car is still here.”

“Well, she’s not inside.” Both men began to look around, and Toni instinctively ducked behind some water grass.

“Fuck, maybe she went out for a walk.” One of them suggested.

“It will be dark in a few minutes. You stay inside, and I’ll take a quick look around the area. And remember, we want this to look like an accident. Once we have her we’ll torch the place.”

Toni caught her breath, fear chilling her more than the frigid water and drop in temperature. For a moment she was frozen in place. What do I do? It was obvious that they were there to kill her. How had they found her so fast? It didn’t make sense, unless they had put a tracking device on her car. They could have done something like that any time.

She thought about her clothes. It wouldn’t take them long to discover them, and then they would know she was in the lake. She heard the sound of snapping twigs and leaves as footsteps moved in her direction. Too afraid to chance a glance, she took a deep breath and sank beneath the surface, then swam in the opposite direction.

It was a large lake. Toni wasn’t even sure she could make it to the other side, but she knew she had to try. And then what? She couldn’t very well hide out in the water all night, she’d die of hypothermia. Her last option of traipsing through the woods to find her nearest neighbor wearing next to nothing was no more appealing.

First things first, she had to get to the other side of the lake. She couldn’t hold her breath that long and soon came up for air. A quick glance behind her confirmed one of the men had found her clothes.

“There! I think I see something over there, in the water!” The other man came running from the direction of the cabin. “It has to be the girl! Get the truck!”

Shit! Toni filled her lungs, and dove beneath the surface again. She continued to swim across the lake, praying she made it there before they did. At least she had a head start. She pushed herself to the limit. The next time she came up for air she paused long enough to listen and search for the truck, hearing it in the distance. Thank God, there wasn’t a road circling the lake, but she knew she wasn’t out of trouble yet. If they were determined to get to her, they would find a way.

When she reached the shoreline, she crawled out of the water and lay there for a moment, gasping for breath and trying to think of what her next move would be. The sound of the men’s approaching vehicle decided it for her. She got to her feet, half stumbled up the embankment, and dove into a wooded area, just as the flash of headlights broke through the trees and landed on her.

“Fuck, man, there she is!” She heard one of them shout out his window.

“I’ll get the bitch!” The other one said, and then Toni heard the unmistakable sound of the door being opened and slammed shut again.

She took off in a dead run, tearing through branches and bushes with only one thought on her mind—she had to get away if she wanted to live. It was completely dark now and she was moving on pure fear and instinct, adrenaline giving her the edge not to question where she put her bare feet. With no direction in mind, she ran and ran, pausing only long enough to catch her breath when she had to and listen to see if they were in pursuit.

At first all Toni could hear was her own labored panting and the eerie sounds of an active nightlife surrounding her in the woods. She became frighteningly aware of how noisy the forest became after dark, of the howls and shrieks, the hoots and screeches of animals as they moved about in the brush in search of food. She had no way of knowing what they were, or how dangerous, and the thought of bears was never far from her mind.

“She went this way!”

The closeness of the harsh comment warned Toni that the men were nearer than she’d hoped. She took off again, forced to go slower this time as the forest grew denser and denser the further she went into it. She was constantly tugging her long hair free from branches or pushing the spidery limbs away from her face and arms. When she wasn’t quick enough to avoid the occasional slap against her skin she ignored the sting, focusing on escape. It didn’t occur to Toni that she was following the sound of running water until she came to the edge of a rocky cliff. At least she thought it was a cliff.

Oh! She just managed to stop from falling off, doing a little jig backwards to gain her balance. It was too dark to see but judging by the noise of rushing water she sensed the black void below her was a river, possibly rapids. She stepped back out of fear. One thing was certain; she wouldn’t attempt the descent until day light. She wasn’t a fool, but she was frightened and beyond exhausted. She couldn’t go on, and she knew she needed to find a place to hide quickly.

Toni turned to backtrack, but that’s as far as she got. It was dark, but she could make out enough of an outline to know that she was facing something big. A bear was her first thought, but it seemed too big to be a bear. Then she realized that whatever it was was standing on two legs, which made him appear even more threatening. She held her breath, fighting down the scream that threatened to rise from her throat. When the ominous shadow moved in her direction, she felt her knees buckle and a crippling wave of terror overtake her. Before she could decide or make a move, she heard a rustling, followed by feet stomping on the ground coming toward them.

“Come on, I think I heard her go this way!”

The dark shape her gaze had been riveted to stopped abruptly and stepped quietly back into the shadows, just as the bushes parted and the two men chasing her broke through. They had flashlights, and stopped upon seeing her. She couldn’t make out their expressions, but she could hear them panting and could well imagine their sense of victory at finding her. An evil snicker was all she heard as they began walking slowly toward her.

When they were within inches of her Toni saw movement behind them, and then everything was happening so fast. The large silhouette moved quickly and silently up behind the two men. Without hesitation it grabbed them by the back of their necks and threw them over the bank with a gritty sound of force. She gasped, hearing their screams diminish the further away they fell, realizing that the ravine was deeper than she had first thought. A distant splash indicated at least one of them had hit water.

Toni stood frozen in fear, barely able to breathe as the menacing shadow turned slowly back toward her. She could just make out the glimmering reflection in his eyes. Oh God, this isn’t happening! She swung around to jump, deciding to take her chances in the river after all. But just as her feet left the ground an arm encircled her waist, hauling her back against a hard-as-granite body, while a large hand that smelled of earth and something manly covered her mouth.

The next thing Toni knew she was sinking into a black abyss.

Chris Redding is Visiting Today!

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Look who's here! Friend and fellow author Chris Redding stopped in to spend the day with us. 

Expect the Unexpected
I am no world traveler. In fact I'm very much a homebody. Some days I don't leave the house at all.

But when I was first married to my husband, I followed his career around Europe. The first stop was Geneva, Switzerland. We lived there and took trips to other countries.

On one such trip, we traveled with my sister and her husband. We drove out of Geneva to Lyon then Marseille then across the South of France to Monaco. On the way back we took a motorway that wound in and out of Italy. That day it was getting late and we figured out we had more French Francs than Italian Lira so we had to find a place in France to stay for the night.

These were the days before the Euro and before navigation systems.

We had a map. That was it. I was navigating.

Getting off the motorway, I looked ahead on the map for a town that might have a hotel.

Brille Sur Roya.

It was the next town on this tiny road. So we stopped there. There was a hotel. One. The only one for miles we found out the next day.

Even so, the hosts showed us our rooms asking "Ca va?" (Is it okay?) As if we had any choice in the matter.

We took the rooms. Then walked around the tiny town until dinner at the hotel. Because there was no place else to eat. But dinner was going to cost us 15 dollars a person so we weren't complaining. The town consisted of about 6 buildings. All on one side of the street because the river, Roya, was on the other side.

We had a wonderful dinner. Needless to say.

The point of my story is that you never know what will happen. With a story. With a relationship. With your life.

But that's okay because sometimes you discover something so very unexpected.

Thanks for stopping by today.

cmr

Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two sons, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn’t writing, she works for her local hospital. Her books are filled with romance, suspense and thrills.

Links:
http://chrisredddingauthor.blogspot.com
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