Tracy Reed's Blog, page 17
September 1, 2015
Sometimes Who We Think We Are, Really Isn’t Who We Are…
My book GENERATIONAL CURSE is on special for a limited time…$.99. Get your copy today. Here’s a little teaser in case you haven’t read it yet.
EXCERPT:
“You’re finally realizing that you want more than he’s willing to give you.”
She looked at his large hands and her thoughts got confused. Sean was right. She wanted more and Eric wasn’t capable of more. On the other hand, she was thinking how soft Sean’s hands felt, and how she would love to have them patting a few other parts of her body. She pulled back and stood up. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
“What?”
“I’m a little vulnerable right now and you are…wow… uhm…can we get some air?”
He looked at her and she looked flustered. “Sure. Let me get Simon.” He grabbed Simon’s leash. “Simon.” He called out and a few seconds later, the little dog came running into the kitchen with Winnie following behind him. He reached down and locked the leash onto Simon’s collar while Kyla did the same for Winnie. They boarded the elevator and rode downstairs.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“It’s a beautiful night.”
“Yes, it is. Where are we going?”
He looked at her smiling. “To the park.”
“Seems Simon knows the way.” Noting Simon pulling Sean.
“Shhh, don’t tell Simon he’s not a great dane.” They both laughed. He reached for her hand and their fingers interlocked. She looked down and smiled. “Sometimes who we think we are, really isn’t who we are.”
Mailing List:
Buy Links:
August 30, 2015
Is A Kiss Ever Just A Kiss?
Is a kiss ever just a kiss? This is a question that plagues Sean and Kyla. See for yourself in this excerpt.
GENERATIONAL CURSE is on special for a limited time $ .99. Get your copy and see who won the battle or if they both lose.
EXCERPT:
“So, I’ve been thinking,” she [Kyla] confessed.
“About?”
“I don’t want you to kiss me.”
He [Sean] rolled his eyes. This was becoming a habit, questions about church and sex. “I thought—”
“Hear me out. I don’t want you to kiss me, because you don’t want to.”
“I didn’t say that,” he countered.
He desperately wanted to kiss her, but he knew he couldn’t. She wasn’t like any other woman he had dated. Although he knew what she was up to, he had to remain steadfast in his commitment to God. Looking at her lips, he sensed how Adam must have felt when Eve presented him with that apple…all shiny, wet and juicy. Kyla’s lips were his forbidden fruit. He knew that if he tasted her lips, he wouldn’t be able to stop and his witness would be dead. He couldn’t give in. He needed to show Kyla it was possible to be in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex without being sexually involved.
“I know and I don’t want to kiss you,” she announced.
“You don’t?”
“No.” She put the spoon in her mouth and he became mesmerized by her lips. “You were right. I didn’t realize how personal kissing is…for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He was confused and offended at her statement.
“I understand you a little better now and when you kiss me, I want it to be because you want to. And when I kiss you, I want it to be because you want me to.”
“Where is this coming from?” He went from being excited about possibly kissing her and figuring out if he could control himself, to being annoyed she would make a statement like that. He wasn’t a sex addict who would fall off the wagon behind one kiss. He was a grown man trying to be strong and not give the devil an opportunity to throw him off his game.
“I didn’t realize…I mean, since you can’t have sex, and kissing is all you have…”
“I’m not a eunuch. I didn’t lose my…I can have sex. I’ve just made a decision not to again until marriage.”
“I know.” She smiled picturing Sean naked. She cleared her throat and continued.
This attempt at wearing Sean down wasn’t working. He was a lot stronger than she thought. She was trying to be honest, but instead, she was making herself excited and her only options were calling Eric or self-fulfillment. Her cousins and her girlfriends bragged about their little devices, but she didn’t like artificial entertainment. Besides, she didn’t need one because she could have Eric anytime she wanted..he was just a phone call away.
“I’ve been researching celibacy and for celibate people, kissing is very important.” Sean folded his arms in front of his chest listening to her expound. “I think right now, the thought of kissing you might surpass the actual thing.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She swallowed hard. She knew that was a lie. She closed her eyes briefly and thought how amazing his lips would feel traveling across her body. When she opened her eyes, Sean was smiling at her and she knew she was in trouble.
Mailing List:
Buy Links:
August 27, 2015
He Will Never Love Her The Way I Do
In honor of the last few days of summer, my book GENERATIONAL CURSE is on sale. The ebook is on special for a limited time…$ .99.
In case you haven’t read it or have a friend that hasn’t read it either, I’ll be sharing a few excerpts. Here’s the first one. Hope you enjoy it. If you read Kyla and Sean’s story, tell a friend and write a review. Thanks.
SAMPLE CHAPTER:
“I heard when you have bad news to tell someone you care about, it’s best to do it at a place you don’t like. Because once you share the bad news you’ll always associate it with that place. And if it’s a place you like, you’ll never want to go there again, because you’ll always remember the bad news.”
“Do you have some bad news to tell me?”
“Yes.”
“Then just tell me.”
She closed her eyes, exhaled and blurted out, “My boyfriend is married.”
“What!”
“My boyfriend is married.”
“I heard you.” The silence was thick. Sean sat still staring at her, not blinking and not speaking.
“Say something.”
He finally blinked. “I knew you were keeping something from me. Here’s the funny part. I thought the boyfriend was your way of telling me you were married. I never…”
“I’m sorry but I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“You just say it.”
“I’m sorry. I like you and I couldn’t continue seeing you without telling you everything.” She waited for a response. “Say something.” She reached into her bag, pulled out a twenty dollar bill and placed it on the table. “Okay then.” She stood up.
“Sit down,” he said sternly. The sound of those two words rolling off his lips scared her. “I said, sit down.”
She was frozen in her tracks. Sean had never spoken to her like that. She looked around to see if anyone was looking at them and slowly sat back down, tightly holding her bag. No man had ever shown so much anger towards her. She wasn’t quite sure how to react. He looked at her, processing the information she had just shared. He took a sip of his coffee wishing it had something a little stronger in it.
“Sean, please say something.”
“I’m trying to figure out why my beautiful, smart, friend is doing something so stupid.”
“Did you just call me stupid?”
“No, I asked why are you doing such a stupid thing.”
She squirmed in her seat, trying to figure out the best answer that wouldn’t make him angrier. “He wasn’t married when we started dating.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He got married a couple of years ago.”
“I’m sorry, I’m trying to understand.”
“When I met him, he was single.”
“What happened?”
“He thought it looked better for his practice if he were married.”
“And?”
“I didn’t want to get married.”
“Why not? You’d be…”
“What, a good wife…please. I’m sure I would be if that’s what I wanted. But I’m not the soccer mom, pizza party, arm candy type.”
“Who is when they get married?”
“My mother, my sister. No, that’s not the life for me. I like not having to answer to anyone.” He shook his head in disbelief at what she was saying. “Sean I don’t expect you to understand and it’s for sure I don’t need your approval.”
“Then why did you tell me?”
“I…thought maybe…I’m not quite sure. I just felt you needed to know.”
He nodded and looked at her and saw something he hadn’t seen before, shame. “I don’t get it. You don’t need to share a man.”
“I’m not sharing a man. I allow him to have his life while I have mine.”
Each comment was more insane than the one before. “Your life?”
“Yes. He wanted a showpiece and I wanted my freedom.”
“So you weren’t good enough to be his showpiece?”
“On the contrary, I tried it his way for a while before he got married and I didn’t like it. That’s when I told him I would help him find the best wife that wasn’t me.”
“What! I don’t believe this.”
“What, you think I should be ashamed of how I’m living? I am a successful, single woman living life on my terms. I don’t see why that’s a problem.”
She raised her glass to get the server’s attention to bring her another glass of champagne. The server placed the glass in front of her. She took a couple of sips and the thick wall of silence was up again. He wasn’t sure what to do or say. How could a man knowingly agree to the absurdities she was saying. She stood up and he grabbed her hand.
“Sit down.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, sit down.” The stern tone in his voice and the heat from his touch sent a chill up her spine. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time. She slowly sat down on the wooden chair.
“I thought you were upset.”
“I am, but not at you, at him. I don’t understand a man who would let you do what you did and not have a problem with it.”
“I told you—”
“How long have you been sleeping with him?” he cut her off before she could offer another ridiculous excuse.
“Over five years.”
“How long has he been married?”
“About three years.”
“I want you to stop.”
“Why, because you care about me?”
“Yes.”
“Sweetie, that’s not going to happen.”
“Why? Is it money? I’ll give you—”
“I’ll cut you a little slack because I know you’re in shock.” Her tone instantly changed from jovial to irritated. “But don’t ever say anything like that to me again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yes, he gives me money, but it’s not what you think. He also gives me something you can’t or won’t.”
“Sex.”
“Exactly.”
“So this is all about sex and money.”
“More sex than money.” He got quiet again. “Okay, it’s been fun and I see this is something you can’t handle. I’ll make sure when I come into the show—”
“You know what your problem is? You don’t realize how wonderful you are.”
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t see what I see.”
“What do you see Sean?”
“I see a woman desperate to get out of a situation, but just doesn’t know how.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t see it that way. And you’re wrong. I do know how wonderful I am.”
“No, you don’t. Because if you did, you wouldn’t be with a married man.”
“Sean, I’m not going to argue with you.”
“Let me be your boyfriend.”
“What?”
“Let me date you for a week.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Give me one week to show you how you deserve to be treated.”
“Are you insane?”
“No. What do you do with the boyfriend? I mean apart from the obvious. And not in the past, but since he’s been married.”
“Make love and eat.”
“Do you go out?”
“No, we either order in or I cook.”
“So it is only sex?”
“No, sometimes we watch a movie or talk.”
“But the majority of the time is spent in bed?”
“Yes.”
“Give me one week,” he requested.
“What can you show me in a week that will make me want to break up with…are you gonna slip up and…”
“No. Come on, what do you say?”
She looked at him pondering his proposal. “We never see each other the week I cycle.”
“Why not?”
“Do I need to get you a high school biology book?” She smiled.
“No. If he cared about you as you say, he’d make sure that week, your every need and desire were being met.”
She leaned in close. “What would you do, if I was your girlfriend and it was that time of the month?”
“I’d come over and rub your feet, cook for you and do whatever I needed to make you comfortable. It’s not fair that the week I get to impress you is the week you’re not at your best.”
“It’s the only time I can guarantee he won’t try to see me.”
“Just tell me when.”
Mailing List:
Buy Links:
August 21, 2015
Free Download of “Little Miss Lovesick”
My friend Kitty Bucholtz is an amazing person and a great writer. I wanted to share her book “Little Miss Lovesick” with you. It’s currently free. Here’s a little teaser and some thoughts from Kitty. It’s a perfect read for the last few weeks of summer.
Falling in Love for the Last Time
by Kitty Bucholtz
One of my favorite parts of books and movies is that first meeting between a man and woman where the sparks fly. That electric moment is closely followed by the first kiss. You can only have a first kiss once, so it’s got to be good! Or at least be a good terrible story to tell later.
For instance, my first kiss with my husband of twenty-five years started out as a DISASTER in all caps. I was nineteen and John had recently turned twenty, so I can’t say we were terribly mature young adults. It was 1988 and I’d come of age in the “Me Generation.” My reasoning when I’d asked him out a few days earlier was, I’m a modern 80s woman, I’ll ask him out and so I’ll pay for the movie and dessert.
The date started about as badly as a date can, and it only got worse. By the end of the evening, I was determined to get my kiss and go home (i.e., walk back to the dorms). After all, I was a modern woman, I’d done all the right things, and if men can demand a kiss at the end of a date they paid for, I could, too!
Would you believe me if I told you getting that kiss was about the most work I’ve ever had on a date? I don’t know what John was thinking, but he was playing hard-to-get like his life depended on it! When I finally planted one on his lips, he didn’t react for what seemed like forever. I was pretty mad by then, and I decided I wasn’t sticking around. I was done with him.
But as I started to pull away, he finally moved. In my surprise, I stopped pulling away. Then his hand was cupping the back of my head, and his lips were doing delicious things to mine. The ice cream cookie we’d shared after the movie had nothing on this sweet treat. In fact, I decided maybe I’d give him another chance. :)
That was my last first kiss. Two and a half years later, we were married in the Presbyterian Church of Traverse City in Northern Michigan. If you’ve never been to Traverse City, you’ve got to look it up. It might end up being your next vacation destination. It’s a beautiful area situated on a pair of bays off Lake Michigan. Cherry trees bloom in the late spring, skiing and snowmobiling are popular winter activities, and the food and wine are great all year long.
I fell in love in Traverse City, so it was no surprise to find myself writing my first romance novel set in that beautiful town. My superhero series is located in “Double Bay, Michigan” – remember I told you Traverse City has two bays? In fact, all of my stories so far are set in that area. But in Little Miss Lovesick, I wanted to highlight the character and atmosphere of the real town I love so I used names of real places, including restaurants. (If you go, you must try the cinnamon rolls at The Omelette Shoppe!)
In this excerpt from the middle of Chapter One of Little Miss Lovesick, Sydney Riley runs into the new fishing guide, Matt Engel, on a girls-only fly-fishing vacation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Sparks fly, and not the good kind! But like my own romance, love wins out in the end.
If you like the excerpt, the book is free on Amazon in all countries through Saturday, August 22. And if you’re now thinking about your own romance, whether a summer fling or your last first kiss, tell us about it in the comments. It’ll be fun!
EXCERPT:
Everyone followed Patty into the store. Everyone but me. I waved Emily off, deciding I needed to breathe in some soothing, wilderness air. The sugar blues that follow a sugar buzz wasn’t helping my roller coaster of emotions. I decided to self-medicate. I opened another candy bar and a can of Sprite from our stash.
Starting today, I would force my broken heart to heal if it was the last thing I did. Then maybe I’d lock it away someplace safe.
Don’t say that, said Little Miss Lovesick. Love is the most wonderful thing in the world. You just need to find true love.
True love. That’s what I wanted, but if I thought I had it once and I was wrong, how was I ever going to know how to find it for real?
I walked through the grass, trying unsuccessfully not to tread on the flowers. Closing my eyes, I savored the feel of the breeze on my face. Ahh, heaven. Feeling calmer, I folded the empty candy wrapper and stuck it in my pocket. I took a swallow of ice cold Sprite as I climbed the porch steps—
And ran smack into an opening screen door. Which wouldn’t have been so bad except the body moving through the door was moving in my direction and crashed into me. Cold Sprite sloshed down my shirt, making me gasp.
“Damn! Are you all right?” A hand cupped my cheek and moved the screen door away from my face. Cold Sprite dripped all down my front. I took a step backward in an awkward attempt to get away. I felt my balance wobble. The hand firmly gripped my elbow, moving me away from the danger of the stairs.
Sputtering from the pop up my nose and in one eye, I wiped at my eyes and squinted to see what had just happened.
It’s The Diet Coke Man, Little Miss Lovesick choked out.
I know I watch too many YouTube videos, but Lovesick may have been right. The Diet Coke Man from the “11:30” commercials was standing right in front of me. A flash of the commercial where the office women ogle the construction worker across the street blew through my brain. Dark hair and piercing eyes, built like a Viking. The way his black T-shirt outlined his muscular form did nothing to remind me that Heartbreak was the reason I had to get away.
Luscious, said Lovesick.
Holy… I tried to squeegee the liquid from my eye. Yeah, he looked equally fabulous with both eyes open. He stared at me in a concerned way that made my stomach flutter. I kind of liked men who looked at a woman this way. Like all you had to do was say the word and they’d fix whatever was broken.
The Diet Coke Man brushed drops of Sprite from my cheek and chin and I immediately sprang back, which only caused him to grasp my elbow tighter as I fell onto a lower step. Theoretically, I liked that kind of man. Realistically, I needed to keep my distance.
“Excuse me!” I found my footing and backed out of reach. He let go when I grabbed the handrail on the stairs.
“Sorry, sorry.” He wiped his damp hand on his jeans, and had the grace to look embarrassed. “Are you all right?” He was dangerously appealing standing there trying to help, looking both embarrassed and amused.
I shook my wet right hand, not really wanting to wipe it on my shorts (like a guy), and wiped my face with my left hand. My cold chest caught my gaze and I gasped, pulling the fabric away from my body.
“Fine!” Did I look fine? My shirt was white and wet. My bra was black and lacey. I glared at him so he knew I was lying about being fine. He couldn’t have noticed my glare, however, because he was staring at—
Look for a ring, Lovesick murmured.
You’re not looking for a wedding ring on a stranger who knocked you down and is now ogling your breasts, declared Sergeant Pride.
“Uh, wait right here,” said The Diet Coke Man, and he rushed back inside. As he opened the door, my eyes followed his left hand — but accidentally. Didn’t matter. Couldn’t tell. A moment later he was back, ripping a wad of napkins from a plastic package.
I swear, if he started dabbing at my chest with them like Hugh Grant did to Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, I’d pour the rest of my pop over his head.
“Here, I’ll trade you,” he said as he took the can and handed me the napkins.
“Thanks.” I tried to blot my shirt without making a peep show out of the black lace. I turned slightly to my right for a bit of privacy. Why did I wear this on a camping trip?
I glanced up to see if he was watching. He smiled. My hand paused while blotting my shirt. This man’s smile was so — so gorgeous. His eyes were an amazing shade of blue. I wanted to offer him the smallest of smiles back. After all, he did look fairly innocent and embarrassed. Instead, I stopped giving him the evil eye. That was as accommodating as I was willing to be.
A Rescuing Hero if I ever saw one, sighed Lovesick.
I tried to think of something to say, something funny to diffuse the tension. Something smart so I wouldn’t look like such a dork.
“I, uh…”
“I’m really sorry,” he said. He took my damp napkins and handed me back my pop can. With his left hand.
No ring! Lovesick squealed.
“Let me buy you another shirt,” he said, nodding at my wet chest. He was trying to pretend he wasn’t still staring. Rather gentlemanly for the backwoods.
He was already halfway through the door when I mumbled something that was supposed to be, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll get a fresh one from my suitcase,” but came out as, “No, I-I…”
A moment later he pressed a blue plaid button-down flannel shirt into my hands. I stared at it trying to remember a time I had ever worn a flannel shirt. Before I could think about it further, he grabbed it, ripped the tag off with his teeth, and handed the shirt back to me.
I blinked at him. He was so not Dirk. I liked that about him.
“Sorry again,” he said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get a few things done before we get started.” He trotted off the porch to a nearby pickup (which he’d left unlocked in a decidedly small town way) and started rummaging around.
Before we what? I stood there staring stupidly after him, a flannel shirt in one hand and a forgotten pop can in the other. A fly buzzed past my nose and I snapped out of my trance.
You could go over and talk to him, suggested Lovesick.
Of all the things I might do on this trip, I was not going to flirt with some handsome stranger. No freaking way. My plan was to get over men, not rebound like a basketball.
Kitty Bucholtz writes superhero urban fantasy and romantic comedy, often with an inspirational element woven in. Her stories feature women whose sense of humor and nervous gutsy-ness get them into and out of all kinds of trouble.
Married to her college sweetheart, their romantic romps have included a scolding at Parliament House in Belfast for canoodling, and two trips Down Under while her handsome hubby made a movie penguin named Mumble dance. Meanwhile, she’s (sort of) fighting an addiction to all things Monsters, Inc. Only God knows where they’ll wind up next, but it’s sure to be another adventure filled with romance and laughter!
Download/Buy Link: Little Miss Lovesick
www.writerentrepreneurguides.com
August 17, 2015
TRS END OF SUMMER PARTY
This week I’ll be at The Romance Studio [TRS] End of Summer Party. Stop by this week and see what some of your favorite Romance writers are up to. There are a lot of giveaways and prizes up for grabs. I’ll be giving away signed copies of my next book, The Alex Chronicles: Girlfriends & Secrets. Hope to see you there.
August 15, 2015
August 8, 2015
FLING Box Set is FREE!
In case you haven’t purchased the FLING Box Set at Amazon, you can get it today for FREE. Here’s your chance to read all seven books at a great price…FREE.
August 7, 2015
THE GOOD GIRL PLAYLIST
I recently completed my first blog tour and one of the questions I was asked, was if I listen to music when I write? Yes I do. However, I’ve been reading a lot lately, I’m doing research for some upcoming projects. Anyway, I noticed a new trend, PLAYLISTS. Seems writers are sharing the songs that inspire them, or is significant to their characters or symbolize the theme of the book.
Once a month, I blog at THE ROMANCE STUDIO and last month, I shared the playlist for THE GOOD GIRL part one. In case you didn’t see the post, here’s some of the music that inspired me and represents the characters.
I’d love to know if any of these songs are your favorites.
“I Put A Spell On You” Annie Lennox
“Take Me To Church” Hozier
“Therapy” Mary J. Blige
“Golden” Jill Scott
“Feeling Good” Michael Buble
“All About The Bass” Meghan Trainor
“Stay With Me” Sam Smith
“Hate On Me” Jill Trainor
“The Way You Move” Outkast
“Love Fell On Me” Shelea Frazier
BUY LINK:
THE GOOD GIRL is part of the FLING: NEW ADULT BOX SET available at Amazon.com
FIND ME HERE:
WEBSITE:
BLOG:
www.readtracyreed.wordpress.com
TWITTER:
FACEBOOK:
www.facebook.com/readtracyreed
GOODREADS
August 5, 2015
A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to My First Book
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My First BookI’m sharing a little about how I became a writer on A Slice Of Orange. Stop by and read the first part blog. I also share a little about my cover and there’s a surprise…a sneak peak at my next two releases.
August 4, 2015
Guest Blogging at Musings About The Writing Life and OCCRWA A Slice of Orange
Today I’m at Musings About The Writing Life with Linda Carroll-Bradd. Linda is an OCCRWA Buddy and I’m delighted she invited me to talk about the new man in my life, Phillippe Marchant from my novella THE GOOD GIRL.
Stop by her blog and meet Phillippe and see why Gabriella was so attracted to him and his offer.
