Laurel O'Donnell's Blog, page 75

Angel’s Assassin is the featured book today on All Romance eBooks Book A Day Giveaway

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

 

Angel’s Assassin is the featured book today on All Romance Ebooks Book-A-Day-Giveaway!

If you don’t already have Angel’s Assassin in your romance novel collection, here’s your chance.  Enter today for your chance to win!

 

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

First Kiss Friday – The Lady and The Falconer

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

Here’s the first kiss between Logan and Solace from my romance novel, The Lady and The Falconer!

“Who are you?” she asked softly.

“Logan,” he replied.

Solace’s heart pounded, her eyes captivated by the way his lips caressed the word.  “Logan,” she repeated dully through the haze of fog that had enveloped her.  Her gaze shifted to his silver eyes, eyes the color of glinted steel.  She could smell the thick scent of leather and something musky and…  masculine.  Even though their bodies weren’t touching, she could feel the strength emanating from him, the power.  She wanted him to touch her, wanted to feel his fingers on her skin, his lips on hers.  The thought frightened her, and she pulled away with such force that her head smacked the plate armor behind her.  Even with Logan’s hand on it, it swung backward.

Suddenly, she was swept into his arms, and he turned his back to the suit of mail as it lurched forward, clutching her in his embrace and hunching his shoulders to protect her.

The suit of armor toppled around them, crashing to the floor.  Solace hid behind Logan for a long moment after the noise had ceased.  Then, realizing what had happened, she lifted her head.  His arms were still around her, a fact that was strangely reassuring.  But it was in his eyes she found true comfort.  There was something tender and caring deep within his orbs, and for a moment Solace thought it was worry as his gaze swept her face, looking for something.  So intensely did they search that she believed he could see into her very soul, see the reason why she still clung to him, see the reason for the ease with which her body lay against his.

Embarrassed, she looked away.  The scattered pieces of plate mail on the floor caught her attention, and she lowered her eyes to the fallen shield.  Blue and gold reflected up at her in the sun’s bright light.  There was a crest upon the shield, but before she could look at it, Logan’s hand was at the nape of her neck, turning her head toward his.  His lips descended over hers, desperately, warming hers with his, igniting a fire so hot that it threatened to consume her.  She clung to him as if he were her only hope at salvation.  She tilted her head to his in an innocent mixture of curiosity and relinquishment.  His desperation turned into a slow seduction as he gently coaxed her mouth to open to him with gentle touches of his lips and tongue against her soft skin.

She tentatively parted her lips for him, and he urged them wider, entering her mouth with his tongue, exploring the soft recesses.  A groan escaped her lips, and she leaned fully against his strong, hard body.

Logan broke the kiss, pulling back slightly.  “You shouldn’t be here alone,” he repeated.

His body was pressed against hers, and his arms were still securely around her, binding her to him.  Solace stared at him through half-opened eyes.  She felt she was floating, caught in a foggy dream.

“It’s dangerous,” he whispered.

 

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

February Author Hunt! One Day Only!

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

Do you like scavenger hunts?  Well, this is along the same lines, except you will be looking for clues about me!  I’ll be giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card as well as my ebook, Angel’s Assassin!

Come join the fun!

Let’s see how well you know me or get to know me!    Simply go to the website http://www.abookloverslibrary.com/

Then sign in using your email or facebook and click on the question to find the question.  Find the answers to the various questions located on the Rafflecopter widget.  Hint – all the answers are on my website.    Come back to my website and look for the answers.  Each answer you get right is an entry to win!

Good luck!

 

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

A Post About Me

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

So, you want to learn more about me?  I’m just a normal person.  I’m a Mom.  I’m a cat lover.  I’m a home owner (yes, I hate paying taxes too!).  I love playing Sims and I love singing on Rock Band.  But what I like to do most (well, other then spending time with my family) is writing.

I’m Laurel O’Donnell.  The name Laurel comes from the laurel tree and is symbolic of honor and victory.  Awesome!  No wonder I write about knight of honor.  When I grew up, my family called me Laurie.

Tell you more?  When I was growing up I wanted to be an actress.  I loved performing on the stage!  I was in several college plays and took countless acting and drama classes in college, which I really believe helped my writing.  It helped me to get inside the character’s head, to see their motivation.

I read a lot when I was young, much more then I read now.  I guess I had more time.  My favorite author growing up was Isaac Asimov.  I really enjoyed Sci Fi then.  More then reading, I enjoyed the movies.  Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars.  Nowadays, I don’t get to the movies much.  I’m busy writing and doing family stuff.  If I do have time to watch a movie, it’s usually on Netflix.  So, I have to say the best movie I saw last year was Titanic (for the thousandth time).

I come from an Italian family and food has always been a big part of my life.  Desserts are my specialty, especially cookies which I make around Christmas.  My favorite dessert, which I can’t make, is Crystal.  My Grandmother used to make it.  It is dough that is cooked in oil and sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Delicious!  I haven’t had it for years.  Since I love desserts, it is only logical that I don’t like vegetables.  I can’t stand Brussel Sprouts.

I see a lot of terrible things on the news and often wonder what people are thinking.  But, the thing that scares me the most is that something horrible will happen to my children.  This terrifies me.  My children are all teenagers, driving, doing crazy things, taking unthinkable risks.  Okay, I admit it, they are teenagers and not of sound mind.

I’ve never had an imaginary friend.  Not as a child, nor as an adult.  I simply heard voices in my head…

I do believe in aliens.  It’s arrogant for us to think we are the only species among all those stars.  There simply has to be something or someone else out there.

That pretty much gives you a glimpse into who I am.  There’s so much more coming.  Right now, I’m working on the next installment of my Lost Souls series entitled Deception.  This series has so much potential!  Not only are my brave characters battling evil, but they all have their own problems they need to deal with.

Here’s a sneak peek at Deception, coming soon!:

Sam, a Lost Soul (souls who refuse to pass into the afterlife become wandering spirits, trapped between the world of the living and the dead), has found out that her husband is not dead, but a Changed (beings who were once Lost Souls but who are now dark, dangerous and disturbed monsters).

 

 

Sam fazed to her car.  She was glad to see Damien wasn’t near it.  He lounged against the wall with that infamous masculinity.  His head was bowed and his long dark hair hung over his face, shielding it.  How many times had she seen him like this?  The past came searing back, so long ago.  He wore different clothing back then, but it was the same pose.

Sam mentally shook herself and clenched her jaw.  Damien wasn’t the same man.  Her husband would never have killed that human so coldly.  She thought of the horrible tragedy surrounding coach Frederick’s death, then quickly put aside the memory of their failure to save the human.  “I’m starting to think you’re following me.”

“I am.”

The timbre of his voice sent chills down her body.  She had always reacted to his deep voice with anticipation.  “Why?”

“You’re the only one who knows how to blast Changed who have made the Jump.  You’re the only one using that technique to stop them.”

Sam nodded.  “That’s right.  You don’t like us blasting your friends.”

“They are no friends of mine.”

“But you want us to stop.”

Damien lifted his head and pinned her with his black eyes.  “I don’t want you to blast them.  Go ahead and kill them like you used to, I don’t care.  Just don’t blast them.”

Sam narrowed her eyes.  Perhaps the other Changed were not his friends, but he still belonged with that race of hideous monsters.  Damien was of the same grotesque stock now.  “You’re out of luck.  We’re going to keep blasting them.  We’re going to save the humans and kill the Changed.”

Damien jerked away from the wall.

A rush of power swept through Sam and her muscles tensed in preparation.

Damien’s gaze swept her and he released a breath as he relaxed.

The moment of power disappeared.  Sam cocked her head in confusion.

A small smile crept over his lips.  “You always knew how to get me angry.”

“You didn’t have to kill that human.  He was a coach.  He was a father.”

“You were blasting him.  I warned you not to.”

Sam’s jaw clenched.  “Tell me you did it because he was doomed anyway.  Tell me you did it to save his family from scandal and humiliation.”  That was the argument she, Ben and Christian had.  Kill the man to save the family.  She wanted to know Damien had that moral dilemma too, that he hadn’t killed the human just because he didn’t want her to blast the Changed.

Damien grinned softly.  “I’ll tell you that, if you want me to.”

Part of Sam cried out for her lost love because he was a monster now.  He no longer cared for life.  “Thanks for straightening me out in that matter.”  She began to faze.

Damien was suddenly before her, grabbing her wrist.  He was so fast!  And even more shocking…somehow he was able to grab her wrist during her faze.

“I’m not done talking to you.”

“How did you do that?”  No one had ever interrupted her faze like that before.  She never even knew such a thing was possible.

“I can do a lot of things now,” he said.

She yanked at her hand, but he held it firmly.  Then, he tugged her against him, his arm circling behind her, holding her close.  His chest was firm just like she remembered.  He was too much like she remembered, like she wanted him to be.  Her gaze swept his face.  “Going to drain me again?”

Those lips, a sensual slash on his face, curled in amusement.  “You’d like it too much.”

She felt herself melting against him, her body instantly warming to his hold.  She fought the feelings.  Not my husband, she told herself.  Her jaw clenched.

He lifted a hand and wiped a strand of her hair back from her cheek.  Small blue electrical shocks danced between his fingers and her cheek.  “Life is different for me now, Sammie,” he whispered.

Yes!  You’re a monster, she wanted to scream at him.  She knew his morals, the morals that had been so filled with honor and pride, were now corrupted with evil.

“I’m so glad I’ve found you.”

 

 

 

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

The Lady and the Falconer – top 200 historical romance novels on Kobo

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

The Lady and the Falconer has cracked the top 200 list of best selling historical romance novels on Kobo!

Thanks everyone for your support. And thanks as always for reading!

You can read sample chapters, reviews and more right here:  The Lady and the Falconer.

 

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Inspirational Quote Monday! #6 of 2013

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

It’s Inspirational Quote Monday! Here’s the quote for the week – “Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops… at all.” – Emily Dickinson

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

First Kiss Friday – Arouse by Nina Lane

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

Today’s First Kiss Friday featured guest is Nina Lane, author of erotic romance Arouse, the first book in the Spiral of Bliss series.  Welcome Nina!  Here’s the first kiss between Olivia Winter and Professor Dean West.

After dinner, we had coffee and shared a sinfully rich chocolate torte. He took a couple of bites, then sat back and watched me. Warm tension tightened my belly. I swiped a dollop of chocolate from my lower lip.

“You, ah… you look at me a lot,” I remarked.

“You’re very pretty.”

I didn’t know about that, but the compliment poured through me like honey. “I like the way you look too.”

That was an understatement. One glance at him and I went all hot and fluttery inside.

He leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table. Curiosity and heat simmered in his expression.

“What is it about you, Olivia?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you so sweet and determined and guarded all at once?”

“I didn’t know I was all those things.”

“You are. Why?”

I shrugged and sank my fork into the torte again. If I was eating, I couldn’t talk much. “This is really good.”

Dean’s mouth twitched with a smile, but his eyes were still curious as he sat back again. He continued watching me as I polished off the torte and scraped the plate clean.

By the time he paid the bill and retrieved our coats, I’d realized the danger of Professor Dean West. If I let him, he would slide right past all my defenses. No one had ever done that before.

We went outside into the cold. He didn’t touch me. This time, though, I wanted him to. I nudged his elbow. He looked at me, then extended his arm and waited. I moved closer, falling into step beside him as we walked back to State Street.

It felt exactly the way I’d imagined it would, pressed to his side with his body heat flowing into me and his arm strong and tight around my shoulders. I fit against him like a puzzle piece locking into place.

“Where do you live?” he asked.

“Off Dayton Street, not far from the Kohl Center. I walked.”

“Next time I’ll pick you up.”

My pulse leapt at the idea that there would be a next time.

“And this time,” Dean said, “I’ll drive you home. I’m parked by the museum.”

When we reached the parking lot, he unlocked the door of a black sedan and ushered me inside before getting into the driver’s seat. I told him my address, and we fell silent on the short ride home. The buildings of downtown passed by in a blur of light and shadows.

When he pulled up in front of my apartment, my damned nerves got tense again. I fumbled around collecting my bag and buttoning my coat.

“So, thank you,” I said. “That was really nice.”

“Yes, it was. Thank you too.”

I took hold of the door handle. “I’ll just…”

“Olivia.”

I turned to face him. His eyes glittered in the light of the streetlamps. He reached out slowly, as if he were trying not to startle a kitten, and curled his hand around my wrist.

His touch spiraled heat into my blood, igniting flashes of unbearably intimate thoughts—me in his arms, his lips sliding over my throat, his hands on my bare breasts. The air grew hot, compressed.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” Dean said.

My heart crashed against my chest, and a hard tremble swept through me. I parted my lips to draw in a breath.

“I… okay.”

He leaned across the console and lifted his hands to cup my face. His touch was gentle, still cautious, but the heat brewing in his eyes left me in no doubt as to his desire. We were closer than we’d ever been before, so close that I could see the darker ring of brown surrounding his irises.

For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then his hands tightened on me as he lowered his mouth to mine. And the world fell away the instant our lips touched.

***

AROUSE: A SPIRAL OF BLISS NOVEL is available now at Amazon:

http://amzn.to/12LfRnB

Visit Nina at http://www.ninalane.com

 

 

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Heartbreaker Blog Hop!

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

Heartbreakers.  No woman likes a man who is a Heartbreaker.  He breaks your heart.  And who likes to have their heart broken? 

It’s not that we don’t try, or that we don’t hope.  It’s that these men keep themselves emotionally detached.  Then, along comes the heroine, the only one who can break through that detachment and soften their hearts. 

In romance novels, those are the types of women we authors write about.  So, it’s not so much the heartbreakers that I enjoy, but the strong heroines who can teach the heartbreakers how to love.

Who’s your favorite heartbreaker? 

 

As a gift for my readers, I have a short story.  Please check out my medieval romance, The Bride and The Brute.  It’s Free!!!!

For this Heartbreaker Blog Hop, I will be giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card!  All you have to do to be entered is subscribe to my blog on the bottom left side of the side bar and leave a comment.  Don’t forget to leave your email in the comment!

Below is an excerpt from Angel’s Assassin, my newest medieval romance.  Enjoy!

“I loved this book. Angel’s Assassin is how Historical Romance is supposed to be. There were equal parts romance and plot and O’Donnell weaves them together masterfully.”  Overflowing Bookshelves Review

“This is the quintessential historical romance–practically perfect in every way.”  My Devotional Thoughts Review

Angel’s Assassin

Damien moved up beside Aurora as she stood looking out over the dark waters.  He had accompanied her as she retreated from the grisly sight of her slain friend to the comfortable confines of the tower.

She stared out at the ocean.  Tendrils of her golden hair whipped about her face like a cape.  When lightning speared the sky, it threw a turbulence of light and dark shadows across her face.  He saw the vulnerability in her eyes, saw the rippling of unshed tears.  And then the streak of lightning disappeared, plunging her features again into blackness.  Thunder rumbled above them.

“Why did you kiss me?” she wondered.

The abrupt question seemed out of place, but he knew she was trying to force her mind away from the gruesome scene she had just witnessed.

Lightning flashed in the distance, growing closer every second.  The wind picked up around her, snapping her hair behind her.  Damien watched the strands fly about her face, the face that sent his dark intentions soaring toward a bright light, toward a radiance that offered a shimmering ray of hope.  She had a face that was simply mesmerizing to look at.  The delicate, yet strong and regal, line of her jaw.  The cheekbones of a Greek goddess.  The lips that created the most sensual mouth any man could ever imagine.  A mouth that created a voice that would humble any Siren.

“Was it to punish me?  Was it to teach me something?” she asked

“To tempt you.”

“Tempt me?” she echoed, confused.

“I wanted you to be like me,” he answered truthfully.  She deserved to know the truth in her last moments.  “I wanted you to be flawed, weak.  I wanted you to be like everyone else.”

She faced him and Damien was shocked to find vulnerability in her large eyes, a deep sadness.  “You are my weakness.”

Shock speared through Damien.  Me? he silently questioned.  Why on earth would I be her weakness?  But her words rang true.  He remembered the look of concern in her eyes when she realized the arrow had poisoned him.  He recalled the way she lifted her lips to his when he tempted her.  Could it be?  Could she truly mean what she said?  Damien lifted his hand to brush one of those golden tendrils from her cheek.  It encircled his hand.  No.  It couldn’t be.  It was her grief talking.  She needed someone, anyone to distract her from her pain.  “You don’t know what you’re saying.”  He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

For a moment, she stiffened, but then she relaxed against his body.  The tight expression on her face melted into one of anguish.

Damien’s heart twisted at her pain.  He wanted to relieve her agony, to reassure her.  He bent his head to her lips.

Angel’s Assassin at Amazon

Angel’s Assassin at Barnes and Noble

Angel’s Assassin at Smashwords

 

Visit http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/ to continue with the Blog Hop

 

 

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

My Writing Process

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

Today, I’m going to tell you a little bit about my writing process.  For me, it’s not so much a process as an emersion.  When I sit at the computer to write my story, I try to tune everything else out.  It’s usually quiet in my house, the kids at school or at friend’s houses.  The cats are curled up sleeping nearby.  I really try to focus on the characters and “see” the scene I’m working on.

Before I begin writing I have to know the character’s names, at least their first name.  That usually gives me a strong sense of who they are.  For instance, in Angel’s Assassin, I named the hero Damien.  You might laugh, but I’ve always connected that name with evil or darkness, probably from the movie The Omen.  Damien thinks of himself as evil, as tainted.  He is a killer, an assassin.

For the heroine, I named her Aurora, which means the dawn.  Light to Damien’s darkness.  You get the picture.

I have a very general description of the characters, what they look like, etc. and then I begin to write.  I let the characters lead.  I know approximately where the scene is headed, but other then that, I let them have full reign.  They come alive in my head.  Dialogue is easiest for me, so I write that first and go back and fill in description in a later rewrite.

For full length novels, like Angel’s Assassin, I rewrite at least five times.  Each time, honing in on something different.  The first pass I’ll concentrate on Damien’s point of view, the second time maybe Aurora’s point of view.  Then description and flow, etc.  It usually takes me about a year to write a novel.  But I will never release a novel until it feels complete with a satisfactory ending.  I want my readers to be swept away by the world and the characters and to fall in love with my story.

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Inspirational Quote Monday! #5 of 2013

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

It’s Inspirational Quote Monday! Here’s the quote for the week – “The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy