Nancy Gideon's Blog, page 21

WeWriWa: Who was he? . . . LOVE’S OWN REWARD - $0.99!!

It’s Valentine’s Day, the favorite day of romance writers! Actually, my favorite is payday, but that’s just me! With all thoughts turning to love, I’m featuring the start of an . . . interesting relationship that began with admiration but quickly dissolved into distrust that only an uncomfortable truth can resolve. Here’s that first meeting between scientist Charley and reporter Jess – opposites who shouldn’t but do attract . . .

“You undressed me.”

A very slow, very wide, very sexy smile. “No need to thank me. It was no trouble at all.” He was still grinning when he began to crack eggs into one of her little-used skillets.

Just wait a minute, Charley thought. There’s a man in my kitchen whom I’ve never seen before making me breakfast in his bare feet. He’s talking about filling my prescription and taking off my clothes as if he’s been doing it for years. And I’m sitting here with a cup of coffee when I should be dialing 911! Except she didn’t feel threatened.

(and the rest of the scene . . .)
Whoever he was, he could have done anything he wanted to her while she was knocked out cold. For all she knew, the entire Detroit Lions backfield could have filed through to have carnal congress with her. She’d have no way of knowing. But she didn’t believe he’d taken any unfair advantage. And she didn’t think he meant her any harm. So that left one last question.

Who was he?

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LOVE’S OWN REWARD by Dana Ransom, a BelleBooks/BellBridge Classic
Dana Ransom was one of my pen names (along with Lauren Giddings and Rosalyn West) back when I was working with three different NY publishers. Garnering the courage to go up to the head of Zebra/Kensington at an industry party to ask her what they were looking for got me a four-book contemporary deal as a launch author in a brand-new line after writing historicals for them. I adored writing these “Lucky In Love” books and was thrilled to have BelleBooks reprint them. LOVE’S OWN REWARD is on S*A*L*E for just $0.99 through tomorrow.

Don’t forget . . . REMEMBERED BY MOONLIGHT from my Nancy Gideon “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series is also $0.99 through the end of the month . . . if you like the taste of something a little darker.

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I’m spending my Valentine’s Day working the soreness out of my shoulder after the first of my two COVID vaccinations. An hour well spent in the car along with more than hundred fellow Lansing-ites at a drive-thru vaccination site set up in a Michigan State University pavilion that took in six lanes of ten each at a time. What amazing efficiency from the Health Dept and its volunteers! Check out the line behind me in the rearview mirror!

Another three week wait (actually four counting the week after #2) and I can go hug on my grandguy, which is what I wish I could be doing today!

Happy V-Day, fellow warriors! Write On!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.


Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: In the Line of Duty . . . An Untarnished Hero and a $0.99 S*A*L*E!

So, it’s a month with THREE different sales going on in three different series! Hard to keep an eye on what else is important . . . that work in progress! I’ve finished the first draft of my Texas-set romantic suspense and am digging into round two of the edits. All the surface corrections are finished. Now, it’s time to dig into the meat of the story, fleshing out (pardon the pun!) the scenes, deepening the backstory and picking apart those pesky inconsistencies. So far . . . still loving it. Especially the fun scenes like this one, early one when our estranged married couple are two-stepping around their issues.

“Gun or knife?”

No use sugar coating it. “Knife, in the line.” In a roundabout way that was kind of true.

“So, you decided to use your forced medical leave to . . . do what exactly?” She turned on him then, looking way up with fireworks crackling in her fierce glare. “Check on the long abandoned marital property?”

He angled toward her, letting his gaze do a slow assessing sweep from tousled blonde hair to the impatiently tapping toe of her well-heeled Ropers. What that female could do to a plain denim shirt and Levi’s . . . “Looks to be in mighty fine shape to me.”

That threatening squall blew up in his face. “Look all you like but don’t even think of touching.”

“Yes, ma’am.” A smoldering stare locked with hers. “Not unless invited.”

(and the rest of the scene . . .)
His smile tempting all sort of trouble, he turned to lean his back against the fence as he appraised the rest of the nearby property from neglected house to meticulously tended outbuildings and barn. “Could use another set of hands. Whatever you need, just ask. Injured or not, I’m both willing and able to take on any job.”

I love feisty banter and these two are experts at dancing around what’s really behind their problems – Hers: A family ranch going under, His: A killer released and coming for evens . . . against his wife. We’re still early on in this scene so there’s still hope they’ll get to the real heart of the matter soon . . . in more ways than one.
S*A*L*E*S Galore! Shapeshifter, contemporary romance, and vampire . . . oh my! February has them ALL . . . and for only $0.99. (I was planning to offer Remembered by Moonlight for free all month but . . . Amazon threw in the proprietary monkey wrench. Sigh!) Here’s a look at these Sweethearts of a Deal for February . . .
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Baby, it’s cold outside here in Michigan . . . just the time cuddle up to (or sink your teeth into!) a good book . . . while it’s on SALE!

Promo over. Back to edits. Hope you all are staying warm, staying healthy and staying close to the keyboard!

Write on, Fellow Warriors!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.


Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

IWSG: Ya Gotta Have Friends . . .

I’m thrilled to co-host the Insecure Writers Support Group this month along with  Louise - Fundy Blue, Jennifer Lane, Mary Aalgaard, Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, and that leads me right into our question for February:

“Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?”

I started posting on these first Wednesdays of the month ages ago to meet fellow writers, and that goal has been met over a hundred-fold! Writing is such a solitary occupation . . . then add a pandemic on top of it . . . How else are we going to feed that need to connect with our own except on social sites such as IWSG? When I started out, I confess, I was hoping to sell more books (aren’t we all?!). What I didn’t expect was to find my people. Yes, you are my people. You sit alone in front of a screen making make-believe come to life in the hearts and minds of others. You share the same frustrations, the same goals, the same dreams, and disappointments that I feel. I believe that’s the definition of friends.

When I started writing, I didn’t know anyone else who shared my excitement for the written word. And then, after being invited to speak at a Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America meeting, I found a place to belong and more than that, to learn and grow. I started my blog to further that connection (okay, and to sell books!), but never a real joiner, I didn’t reciprocate as much as I should have. And then I found IWSG. I don’t even remember how, but it was a miraculous discovery that, along with Weekend Writing Warriors, expanded my circle exponentially. I look forward to my blog friends’ posts. I’m thrilled to receive and reply to comments. I love cheering for accomplishment and offering a shoulder to those who’ve suffered setbacks. Because we’ve ALL been there.

I’m excited to host because it means I’m expanding my reach to new friends. I’m going to find fantastic new reads and learn about bold and sometimes scary new journeys into our writing world. This is especially important since the only humans I’ve seen lately are on Zoom and TV.

IWSG is my writer family. And as always, I’ve gotcha!

And because I already warned you about wanting to sell books . . . I’ve got three $0.99 S*A*L*E*S going on this month in different genres/pen names. Maybe one of them will catch your eye . . .
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REMEMBERED BY MOONLIGHT, now just $0.99 through the month of February, is my first indie-pubbed book, a continuation of my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series that just concluded with RISE BY MOONLIGHT, Book #15! This is the perfect spot for a new reader to jump in and get to know the characters that populate this action-packed world as our hero struggles to regain his own lost memory.
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LOVE’S OWN REWARD, now only $0.99 from February 1st - 15th, was my first contemporary romance written as Dana Ransom, and a launch book for Zebra/Kensington’s Lucky In Love line back in the ‘90s. It’s been repackaged and rereleased by BelleBooks.
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Sink your teeth into MIDNIGHT REDEEMER, part of my “Touched by Midnight” series that follows a centuries-old vampire on his search to reclaim his humanity. It’s only $0.99 from February 16-28!

Something for everyone!

And now, I’ve got posts to visit so I can find something good to read!!


The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.The awesome co-hosts for the January 6th posting of the IWSG will be Louise - Fundy Blue, Jennifer Lane, Mary Aalgaard, Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, and Nancy Gideon!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

WeWriWa: A Wounded Hero . . . and a $.99 S*A*L*E!

Coming home to a place you’ve never lived. That’s what it feels like to Jimmy Redbone, hero in my new project, An Untarnished Hero, because the woman he loves lives there. Though the cost to this wounded lawman for making the trip is mighty, so is his need to protect his wife from a danger he knows is coming. Hope you enjoy this new snippet . . .

Defying the bone-weariness dragging on every inch of his six-foot-one frame, Jimmy Redbone stood in the unwelcoming dust of his wife’s greeting, mesmerized by sight of her walking away from him with that prideful snap of her hips. For a whip of a thing, she packed a mighty wallop of arrogance. He’d liked that about her from the first defiant lift of her chin to the steady bore of those soul-scorching dark eyes. Hers was a beautiful spirit, impossible for even the most determined man to control . . . not her grizzly bear of a father or her fool of a husband. And he was here to make sure it wouldn’t be broken.

Slowly, he shook the travel dust from the black Stetson with a thump against his thigh and then, calling up the same iron determination that kept him upright in the saddle for eight grueling miles, turned from one source of misery to tackle the porch steps. He groaned mightily at the effort of mounting each of the four warped risers, his face popping sweat and knees trembling by the time he reached the top. A low growl from the ugly animal crouched there made him pause, but fear of collapse forced him to step around the beast and head for the door under its scrutiny. He slipped another glance toward the barn as he caught his breath, then let it out in a shaky sigh.

( . . . and the rest of the scene . . . ) 
She was right. He shouldn’t have come back, not without naming the reason for their long separation. That answer he’d hold as close to his chest as the worry pounding through it. At least, until truth needed to be told. But for now, it was time to sit down before he fell down.

While I’m hunkering down to my first round of edits for this contemporary romantic suspense, I’ve got lots of things keeping me busy, starting with a $0.99 sale until the end of January for MIDNIGHT KISS, the first book in my “Touched by Midnight” vampire romance series. If you haven’t sunk your teeth into this series yet, what more encouragement do you need? 

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I’ll also be doing a giveaway as part of Abbie Roads’ FB Release Party for her new book, CAPTURING FATE. Over 100 authors will be participating, each offering a unique prize on January 29th. Stop in and leave as many comments as you like for a chance to win your choice of one of my books from several different genres! Each author is only posting once. I’m planning mine for 10:00 a.m. EST. 

I’ll be making a BIG book giveaway announcement next week. I know . . . I’m such a tease!

One thing about this isolation is I’ve been diving deep into binge watching series old and new. Bridgerton, The Expanse, Oz, Teen Wolf, and now, North and South. Yes, I’m an eclectic viewer. What have you been tuning in or turning the pages of lately? 

All masked up and nowhere to go! My COVID-19 portrait: greying hair, no makeup, in my writing bunker. Looking forward to that shortest month of the year that brings us ever closer to spring!

Happy 2021! And Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: An Untarnished Hero

I grew up watching Westerns with my dad (who was MY hero!). I adored those strong, silent types who stood for good and demolished evil (by the end of each episode!) to rescue the girl, the dog, and the town before riding off into the sunset. Sigh . . . I often wondered what would become of that modern day hero if he stayed put, married the girl, and established roots beside her. How would he adapt to a life so different from the way he’d made his living? Jimmy Redbone, the stoic hero in my new WIP is that guy who, as a U.S. Marshal, dedicates his every waking hour to the service of his badge. Until he meets Willamina Sayers, a rancher’s daughter who’s determined to be that girl who won’t be left behind. Here’s a continued look at our hero’s rather single-dimensional life up until that fateful meeting . . .

During his years of lonely and more than a little dangerous duty, he’d had work associates, not friends. In four days, Jimmy felt closer to ranch foreman, Matteo Ramos than the agents he’d stood beside - some for better than a decade.

He’d lived detail to detail and didn’t own anything permanent except July. With no expensive habits to speak of, everything he made went into the bank. He woke up, showered, picked up his badge and gun and went to work. When on protective duty, he lived from cheap hotel room to rathole motel room on the road with folks who tried to bribe him, seduce him, or escape him while he did his best to keep them alive. He was a shield for the scum of the earth, a babysitter for drug addicts, money launderers and mobsters. Helluva good way for someone like him to make a living. But no way to build a life.

Willamina Sayers had been the exception, he admitted to himself, drawing in a deep, cleansing breath.

I’m so loving this story, having just reached the end of the first draft. What fun I’m having taking some of the shine off that unblemished surface! After angsting over a suitable title since Chapter Four so I can start thinking about promo (I know it’s a way down the road, but it’s never too early to start!), I finally found one that doesn’t show up a dozen times in an Amazon search. What do you think of AN UNTARNISHED HERO ? 
While I take a short breather before starting the first round of revising, I look forward to seeing what you’re up to in your creative endeavors and how the new year is treating you so far.

Happy Not 2020 and Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

IWSG: To Correct and Serve!

Our Insecure Writers Support Group question for the New Year is: Being a writer, when you’re reading someone else’s work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people’s books?

Like most writers, I’m a bookaholic! My TBR list is longer than the days I have left to read (and that’s a long, long time!). I read everything across the board: Thrillers, regencies, YAs, best sellers, romances, mysteries, westerns/historicals, even cereal boxes! As a writer, I’m just finishing the first draft of what will be my 71st published (hopefully!)book. I’m a frequent volunteer to judge published and unpublished contests (please don’t immediately contact me to judge – I am writing!). I find nothing sexier than a well-crafted paragraph (except maybe that Duke in Bridgerton!).

As a reader and a writer, I used to feel it was my obligation to finish what I started, both with manuscripts and with books I started reading. I’d make excuses: It’ll get better, I paid good money for it, someone thought it was good enough to publish so it must be! But when I started working fulltime once my boys were in higher grades, my time grew more valuable and wasting it on something I didn’t enjoy was something I could no longer afford.

My biggest pet peeve: Books that aren’t properly edited. Even the best story can go into my DNF pile if I’m continually pulled out of it by poor grammar, bad formatting, continual typos, and WTFudge! moves by the characters. BETA readers and a professional editor are the final polish ANY manuscript needs before going into the eager hands of readers. 

Of course even the best book can have errors that are out of the author’s hands. Example – my FIRST book on one of the first pages had the word “shirt” with the “r” left out if it! Mind you, this was through a NY publisher!

Throwing an unprepared, unvetted book out into the hands of the public is the biggest mistake an author can make, because once burned, even the most voracious reader is unlikely to return for seconds. And that next great book is what we’re all looking for, isn’t it? 

Hope all my IWSG friends are enjoying a less stressful New Year both on the home front and at the keyboard!!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.The awesome co-hosts for the January 6th posting of the IWSG will be Ronel Janse van Vuuren, J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner, Sandra Cox, and Louise - Fundy Blue!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

WeWriWa: A Fresh Start, A New Hope!

A fresh start, a new hope! Thanks to long time writer pal, Diane Burton for the Star War reference, I have my mantra for 2021! Putting aside old baggage and moving ahead. Getting stronger, wiser, kinder. Putting away fears, grudges, and obstacles of the past to begin a new journey forward. Starting with that stroke of midnight and continuing every day in 2021, it’s a plan I mean to keep in my writing. A new project, a different genre, and an excited outlook for what’s to come. And in this scene from my going on 55K romantic suspense, my U.S. Marshal hero Jimmy Redbone considers his job and his marriage in the same (though rather tarnished) light.

Willamina had looked at him as part savior, part trusted protector, intriguing him with the raw strength stretched taut beneath her fear. She’d treated him with equal parts respect and awe, obeying him to the letter and believing in him without question. In their four months of isolation, they were more comfortable with each other than he was with those he’d know his enter career. He’d seen everything he’d ever want in her honest dark eyes: Love, respect, need, desire. And then he’d ruined it all by not being able to return those things in kind.

She’d never belonged with him in Houston, caged in his apartment, wasting away, longing for the freedom of the life she’d led. But she loved him, so she stayed.  Until fate set her free from their marriage prison by calling her home.

(and the rest of the scene . . . )

After basking in her light, he suffocated in his own darkness without her. He’d always known he had nothing to give, that she, like everyone else in his life, was only temporary. He’d figured he’d just get over it and go on with the empty and perilous routine of his life.

Until Angel Soto gave him a reason to hope.

He’d sunk his teeth into that chance to make things right, seeing only the end result and none of the consequences . . . even at the risk of throwing twenty years of respect and hard work away.

As we’re learning more about him, he’s learning more about himself and what’s really important to him. He has a way to go yet, so I hope you’ll come along with me in the weeks to come to see what he discovers.

And now I’m off to find out what your characters are up to after taking another wintery look out at the world through my office window . . .


Happy Snowy New Year! And Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: Just Stay Gone . . . RomSusp W.I.P.

Happy almost holiday!! With our lights up and our pantry groaning, I’m feeling the joy of the season. Something I’m currently denying my hero and heroine in my new project. What a Scrooge I am!! Here’s the rest of that opening scene that I’ve been sharing from my West Texas-set contemporary suspense.

Stepping into the welcoming shade of the low building where familiar scents and sounds soothed like the stroke of gentle hand, Willa took a big breath. Blinking back the burn in her eyes, she removed July’s tack, secured a lead rope, and began a leisurely grooming. July stood contentedly as she slipped her hand beneath the strap of the rubber curry comb and began circular motions down long neck and sides to loosen trail dirt, following that path first with the short, brisk strokes of a stiff brush then using one with softer bristles in a follow up to remove any remaining dust. He whickered contentedly as she ran fingers then a wide-toothed comb through his mane and tail to work out any knots, and finally, her emotions calmed.

As she ran her hand down the back of each of his four legs, he obediently lifted his feet. She scraped each hoof from heel to toe to remove any debris, seeing to the handsome animal’s needs as lovingly as she once would have its rider’s after a long day tending to the Great State of Texas. Once, but not now. She leaned against warm hide, finding comfort she could no longer seek from the man inside the house that had never been their home.

“Damn you, Jim.” The curse dragged up from her now jerking throat, the sound as raw as the ache in her chest as she added, “Why didn’t you just stay gone?”

Just when you think there’s no coming back from something . . . hope’s there to tease you. Kinda like those last few warm, sunny days before the winter ick settles in. Here’s hoping my hero and heroine will find a little warmth to sustain them (I’m kind of confident they will!).

How bad was 2020? This was our evening sky on Thursday night! Remind you of any particular movie? 

We had a murmuration of between 500 to 700 blackbirds completely swarming all around our neighborhood for at least an hour. The trees and sky were full of them, cawing and circling in swooping patterns. The cats were freaking and quite honestly, I was kind of nervous stepping outside to take pictures. Hurry up, 2021! I don’t want to say the sky is falling, but . . .

Here’s wishing you all the happiest of holidays, however you celebrate them, and wishing the rest of my family were here.

Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: Separation Anxiety . . . RomSusp WIP

Absence can make the heart grow fonder. But when weeks become months and more months without word, that separation can lead to anxiety . . . and worse things, like insecurity. When Willamina stayed in West Texas after her father’s funeral to handle the family’s horse breeding ranch while her U.S. Marshal husband, Jimmy Redbone returned to his job in San Antonio, she didn’t think there’d be trouble until separation stretched out into silence. When he shows up out of the blue expecting a welcome, she’s run out of patience and excuses. Here’s the final line from last week’s excerpt to pull you into today’s peek at my modern-day western romance: “Do I need a reason to come home to you, Willamina?”

That question, issued in a low, almost caressing drawl, kindled her fraying temper, a match strike to dry scrub. “Apparently you do since you haven’t thought up any other excuse to make the trip for going on six months.”

He squared up in the saddle. “Been working, Will. You know that.” Weathered features tightened as he added more softly, “And you know why.”

Yes, she did, and that gut-twisting knowledge took some of the starch from her temper. Turning her attention from him, she gripped July’s bridle, smiling at the affectionate butt of his head. Her neutral tone gave nothing away as she spoke without looking up. “Step on down and wash off the miles while I see to this ole boy.”
(. . . and the rest of the scene . . .) 
“You don’t have to do that.”

Those words rubbed the bristle of hair up on the back of her neck all over again. She all but bit off his head with her fierce, “I’ve got no reason to let this animal stand wet and hungry since he’s never been anything but faithful.”

The trail-worn lawman had nothing to say to that.

His failure to argue pierced a too long lonely heart as she wondered if the opposite had been true in his case.

Dayum, girl! You sure know how to make a fella feel right at home!

At least, I’m feeling comfortable heading into Chapter Sixteen at 45K and am really enjoying the ride these characters have been taking me on – without a full synopsis to blaze the trail! I hope they know where they’re going!

After days of dragging out decorations, I’m finally feeling the holiday spirit (must be the sugar high from the Mackinaw Island fudge I ordered for the family!). As you might know, being OCD I’m an avid collector of anything that catches my ADD attention. For more than 20 years, I’ve been buying an annual Christmas nutcracker to add to my burgeoning collection. I didn’t think I’d find one to commemorate 2020 until I came across THIS perfect guy! 

He’s the embodiment of my journey through these Stay-at-Home months in Michigan (I may have gotten some gray since my last trip for hair color, but I’ve got a long way to go to catch up to him – especially with that full beard!).

I’m off to see what you’ve been doing . . .

Happy fast approaching Holidays and Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: Not Just a Visit . . . A New W.I.P.!

Geez, I’ve been gone for so long I feel like a visitor! Well . . . life happens. and even when we can’t really DO much of anything, time just slips by too quickly . . . especially when you’re starting a new book. But I’m finally back with my Warrior buddies to post another snippet from my contemporary romantic suspense. You might recall from the opening scene last shared (hangs head) about month ago, U.S. Marshal Jimmy Redbone has finally shown up at the front steps of his wife Willamina’s ranch after no contact for six weeks. He’s still living and working in San Antonio while she’s moved to the family horse ranch out in the wilds of West Texas after her father’s death. Their relationship is . . . complicated since it started out with her as the witness he was protecting. She’s spoiling for a fight when he finally rides up to the door.

When the animal was reined in, Willa set her shotgun aside, gestured for Django to stay, and took the front steps down to parched earth. The horse’s wicker of greeting invited a rub of the damp velvet nose and a cooed, “Hey there, handsome fella,” before she looked up at his rider to demand in a not so friendly voice, “He carry you all the way from San Antonio?”

Lightening blue eyes targeted her from beneath the tipped brim of his dusty hat. A slow, wide smile flashed bright against dark, days old scruff surrounding a strong jaw and the soft mouth she remembered too well. The husky timbre of his voice set everything inside her shivering when he replied, “Woulda if I’d asked him, but I trailered him as far as Roscoe’s. Knew he wouldn’t want to miss a chance to stretch his legs and come home for a spell.”

Just a visit, not a destination. The whisper of longing disintegrated as she snapped, “What’s your business here, Jimmy, cuz pleasure isn’t happening?”

His solar flare smile faded slightly. “Do I need a reason to come home to you, Willamina?”

Ooo. Not such a warm welcome so far. But they’ve got more than just their relationship to worry about since the man her testimony put in prison just got released on a technicality. The plot thickens . . .

I don’t know about you, but it’s seems like my calendar has never been so full with all the TV binge watching and Zoom meetings with my critique and writers groups. I’ve had to actually wear makeup! I’ve discovered that virtual holidays may be a necessity but are just not all that much fun. Sigh. After not putting up Halloween decorations or cooking the Thanksgiving meal, I’m wondering if Christmas can revive my lack of enthusiasm. I did just hang the live wreath on the door. Maybe I’ll just take a peek at all those red and green tubs stored in the basement as soon as I finish visiting your blogs . . . Is that Christmas music I hear? If only it could be as magical as last year. 

Hope you all are managing to scrounge up enthusiasm on the computer screen. I’ve been busy plotting as I go (a first for me!) on this new project and am moving happily into Chapter Twelve. Looking forward to sharing more with you and to catching up on what you’ve been doing!

Glad to be back, Fellow Warriors! Write On!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.