Maddy Barone's Blog, page 5

Tuesday Teaser 9/3/19: Gina’s Wolf Part 51

Wow! September is here. I am so looking forward to fall. I want to sleep under a blanket. I want to feel cool enough to enjoy a cup of hot tea. I want to wear my flannel.

I also want my air conditioner to work!

It broke down about a week ago. No, two weeks ago. Maintenance came a week later to fix it. It did work for about 4 days, but yesterday it died again. Luckily the weather has been fairly cool, but my apartment is hot and stuffy if it is even 70 degrees out. And I really, REALLY hate to be hot.

OK, enough whining. Tomorrow is back to work after a wonderful (if non air conditioned) 5 day weekend. I did some spinning, some knitting, some reading, some sewing, and some sleeping. I did some writing too. Here is some of it:

___________________________________________________________________________

Gina
remembered all the times her mother had bowed to Todd’s wishes, telling Gina to
do the same. How many times had her mom brushed off her daughter’s unhappiness?
How often had she showed impatience with Gina’s yearning to have her own life? She
tried to keep accusation from her voice. “You married him.”

“I
did.” Her mom’s bloodshot eye gazed blindly toward the covered window. “I was a
widow, alone with  a small daughter to
protect, when I met Gerald. He was attractive. Oh, not handsome,” she added,
correctly interpreting Gina’s expression. “But charismatic. There was something
about him that made me feel cherished and safe. I married him because there had
already been two attempts by men to steal us and force me to marry them. I
thought he was our best choice.”

“He
was a monster,” Gina said flatly.

Her
mom’s hand picked at the blanket covering her. “Yes, he was, but I didn’t know
that at first.” Even with the swelling and bruises, the bleak expression was
plain on her mom’s face. “In the beginning, he was charming. He told me over
and over how lucky he was to have gained a wife and a daughter at the same
time. He treated you like you were his own.”

Gina
remembered times when Todd had played with her. Maybe she had even believed him
when he said he loved her. Maybe.

“Then
I found out that I was wife number two.”

Gina
blinked at that. “You didn’t know he was already married?”

“Of
course not. Plenty of men never have even one wife. Whoever heard of a man with
two? I confronted him about it, and when he admitted that he had a wife I told
him we weren’t legally married, and I was leaving.”

 “I bet that went over well.”

Her
mom grimaced. “He became very, very sweet. You know the tone he uses—used—when he
grew truly angry? He made threats. I wanted to leave. I wish I’d been brave
enough to run then. I talked myself into believing we were safer with him than
we would be on the run.”

Gina
hurt her lip making a rude sound. Her mom looked quickly up at her.

“You’re
right,” her mom agreed in a whisper. “We would have had a better chance then,
before he became so powerful. But remember that I was a young woman with a
little girl, and no family or friends to help. Maybe I could have found a place
to hide if it was just me. But with a little girl? No. And I couldn’t leave you
behind. Do you think Gerald Todd would have given up searching for us?”

Gina
sighed. “No. But you should have run anyway.”

“Maybe.
I stayed because I thought it was safer.”

“It
was easier.”

Her
mom hesitated. “Maybe,” she said again. “I told myself I was making the best
of  a poor choice. As long as he didn’t
hurt you, I could bear it.”

“Is
that what he threatened?”

He
mom nodded her head slightly. “He didn’t threaten me directly. It was always
you who would pay for anything I did or said.”

Gina
stared at her hand clenched over the wooden arm of the chair. “You were
trapped.”

Her
mom croaked a bitter laugh. “From the moment I met him.” She shifted her weight
in the bed with a stifled grunt of pain. “I know h…” Her voice trailed off
uncertainly, apparently balking at the word ‘hate’. “Don’t like me. I made
choices that hurt you. I honestly thought they were the best choices under the
circumstances.”

“I
don’t hate you.” Gina was almost surprised by her swift words. But they were
true. “I don’t even dislike you. I was angry with you. It seemed like you didn’t
care enough about me. I understand better now.”

Silent
tears slid into the hair at her mom’s temples. “Gi-Gi, I’m so sorry. I am so
sorry.”

Tears
stung her own eyes at the forgotten nickname. She hadn’t been called Gi-Gi since
her father died. “It’s going to be okay. Like you said, we’re free now. You
freed us when you shot him.”

“I
had to do it.” Her mom’s voice was thick with tears. “I’ve never killed anyone
before, but he would have killed you if I hadn’t stopped him. I had to
do it.”

“I’m
glad you did.” She could feel the bruises on her throat when she swallowed. “It
worked out. He’s dead and we’re with people who will take care of us and never
threaten us or use one of us against the other. We’re safe now.”

Her
heart lightened when she said that. The truth of it was like the sun, chasing
away shadows and warming the cold places in her heart. The mother she had
despised for years could become a real mother, and she could be a better
daughter. She would be a better daughter.

“Mom?
What do you think about Jay?”

Her
mom was silent for a long moment, and when she spoke it wasn’t about Jay. “Tell
me about your husband.”

“Cole.”
She smiled a little. “He’s not perfect. He gets bossy and tries to order me around.
He’s gotten angry with me a time or two. He never tries to manipulate me. He
doesn’t threaten. He’s never raised a hand to me. He would die to keep me safe.”

“He
loves you.”

“And
I love him. He is what a husband should be. I think he learned that from his
dad.”

“That’s
good.” Her mom nodded. “Okay. What do you think about Jay?”

“I only
met him just now. But if he’s like the other men of his family I think you can
trust him.”

Her
mom went back to pleating the sheet. “I can’t have any more children.”

“I
doubt Jay cares. Why don’t you take some time to get to know him? ”

“How much
time would he be willing to give me?”

The
bitter note in her mom’s voice made Gina wince. “He’s waited over fifty years
for the right woman. Ask him. I bet he’s willing to give you all the time you
need.”

Her
mom smoothed out the pleats she’d created and looked at Gina. “I’ll think about
it.”

“Mom,
you deserve to be happy.” She reached and gently picked up her mom’s hand. “We
both do.”

Fingers
tightened over her own. “Can we start over, Georgina?”

“I’d
like that. I’d like that a lot.”

“Good.
Jay told me he would take me to where he lives as soon as I’m well enough. You
will live there too. We’ll start a new life there. A better life.”

“Yes.
Are you tired now? Should I leave you to rest?”

“I am
a little tired.” Her mom gave her hand a squeeze before taking it back. “Could
you ask Jay to come back in? I think I rest better when he is near.”

A few minutes later, Gina left Jay sitting in the chair, his knees touching the edge of her mom’s bed, while he whispered to her. A new stepfather? She was okay with Jay for a stepfather

Tuesday Teaser 8/20/19 Gina’s Wolf Part 50

Merry & Masuka

Thank you, everyone, for your kind thoughts. Putting Merry to sleep was a difficult thing to do. Was it too soon? Could she have had a few more months? And poor Masuka, who had been her constant companion for 13 years, has been crying pitifully for the last week. But it’s done. Merry is no longer suffering from arthritis. I think she and my mom are taking care of each other in heaven.

Mom & Merry

I didn’t do a great deal of writing this past week, but I’m in a scene that I hope will allow Gina and her mom to re-connect. Throughout the book I’ve tried to show that Gina resents her mom for putting Gerald Todd before her own daughter. I’ve kind of cut this off in mid-scene but I’ve run out of time to write more tonight. Tomorrow two of my brothers are coming for supper, so I need to clean the bathroom and the kitchen tonight. I worked only 9.46 hours today but my third brother called while i was trying to finish this scene, so it will wait for Friday night.

But we’re getting close to the end of this at last!

Chapter 15

When
Gina next work she knew immediately there was no one in the bed with her.
“Cole?”

“He’s
out, helping bring Ray home from the hospital.”

Gina turned
her head around and saw Patia sitting in the chair five feel from the bed. The
room was dimly lit. “What time is it?”

“A
little after seven,” her sister-in-law replied. “Breakfast will be ready soon.”

Gina
sat up in bed, feeling her head throb, but not as viciously as it had last time
she’d been awake. She wasn’t sure if breakfast would be a good idea. “You
didn’t go with them?”

“Dad
says it would be dangerous. Lots of Omaha men are still celebrating the
victory.” She made a face. “Drinking all night,” she added in disapproval. “Dad
says they might be drunk enough to bother me.”

Her
tone said any man who tried to bother her was stupid and would deserve whatever
Cole did to him. “When will they be here? Cole, I mean. Are they coming here or
taking Ray to Mayor Madison’s house?”

“Ray’s
coming here.” Patia’s voice was very firm. “The hospital is full and the Mayor’s
house is for the overflow of people hurt in the fight.”

“Is
he well enough to move? Is there an ambulance or will they carry him on a stretcher?”

“He’s
getting better. Ray’s dad took the bus. Dad thought it would take them maybe an
hour or an hour and a half, but the streets are full of people, so it might
take longer to get through the crowds.”

The
last time Gina had seen Ray he had been awake but weak in a hospital bed. “Were
many people hurt?”

Patia’s
face clouded over. “Over forty from Omaha were killed and about the same number
hurt. My brother Wolf’s Howl was shot and so was my cousin Eagle, but it’s not
serious and they’ll be fine in a week or so. But my cousin Red Feather is dead.”

Red
Feather’s youthful face flashed in Gina’s mind. One more in a long line of sins
to lay at her stepfather’s feet. He destroyed lives wherever he went. He had
destroyed hers one bit at a time until at last he’d tried to kill her. If her
mom hadn’t…

“I
want to see my mom,” she said abruptly. “Is she here?”

Gina
glanced at the door. “She’s down the hall. I can take you there.”

Gina used
the bathroom and took a moment to look at herself I the mirror. She wouldn’t win
any beauty contests anytime soon, but she thought she looked better than she’d
expected. Walking carefully, she went back to the bedroom and dressed slowly.
Surprisingly, her head didn’t hurt very much. But she felt weak and trembly,
grateful for Patia’s arm to lean on when she left the room. Over the mezzanine
railing she saw the public dining room set up for guests but deserted.

“No
one’s coming for breakfast?” she asked.

Patia
shook her head. “Not with injured women in the house. Cole is amazingly tolerant,
considering that you are hurt. He threatened only three people since he brought
you home. But Jay? I’ve never seen him so growl-y. He’s taken protecting us to a
new level of crazy. No one is getting near your mom.” When she glanced at Gina’s
face, she gave a little laugh. “Not you; you’re her daughter. But when that
little driver, Sal, tried to help the men carry your mom into the house, Jay
leaped on him and pinned him to the wall so fast he didn’t know what had
happened.”

They
stopped in front of the door to the room at the corner of the mezzanine. Patia
tapped on it very softly, so softly that Gina didn’t hear it, but it opened at
once to reveal a tall man with silver gray streaks winging through his black
hair at his temples to be lost in the twisting braids that hung past his
shoulders. His somber face was handsome, dominated by a proud nose, and black
eyes that went immediately to Gina. He nodded silently, as though in answer to
a question, and stepped back to let them in.

Gina
looked across the dim room and found her mother laying on her pack in the bed. Her
legs shook when she looked at her mother’s swollen face. Both her eyes were
surrounded by deep bruising, and only one could open. Her lips were puffy, and
her forehead and one cheek were grotesquely swollen.

“Uncle
Jay, Gina’s still not very strong,” Patia whispered.

Without
a word, he picked her up and carried her a few steps to a chair next to the
bed.

“Gina,”
her mother croaked.

Gina fisted
her hands on the arms of the chair. “Oh, Mom,” was all she could say. “Tanner
did that to you?”

A vicious
growl behind her lifted the hairs on her arms.

It
looked painful when her mom lifted her eyes to look over Gina’s head. “Jay, I
need a few minutes alone with my daughter.”

The growling
stopped. “Okay,” said the man behind her in such a deep rasp that his voice
barely sounded human. “I’ll be right outside. Call if you need anything.”

The
door closed quietly, leaving Gina alone with her mom. She examined the older
woman’s face again, noting each bruise, lump and abrasion.

“Are you
alright?’ she asked.

Her mom’s
head moved restlessly on the pillow. “I will be.” Her hand twitched, as if she
wanted to reach out to Gina, but it went still again. “I’m finally free. We
both are. Free of Gerald Todd.”

The fierce
satisfaction in her voice surprised Gina. “You loved him.”

“No,
I didn’t.”

Gina
remembered all the times her mother had bowed to Todd’s wishes, telling Gina to
do the same. How many times had her mom brushed off her daughter’s unhappiness?
How often had she showed impatience with Gina’s yearning to have her own life? She
tried to keep accusation from her voice. “You married him.”

“I
did.” Her mom’s bloodshot eye gazed blindly toward the covered window. “I was a
widow, alone with  a small daughter to
protect, when I met Gerald. He was attractive. Oh, not handsome,” she added, correctly
interpreting Gina’s expression. “But charismatic. There was something about him
that made me feel cherished and safe. I married him because there had already
been two attempts by men to steal us and force me to marry them. I thought he was
our best choice.”

“He
was a monster,” Gina said flatly.

“Yes,
he was, but I didn’t know that at first.” Even with the swelling and bruises,
the bleak expression was plain on her mom’s face.

“Then
I found out that I was wife number two.

Tuesday Truth: Rest in Peace, Merry-Miaow

Merriadoc Brandycat 2003-2019

My 17 year old cat Merry has been failing for almost a year. She didn’t eat much. she lost weight, she became sluggish, she walked very carefully, as if every joint ached. A month ago I took her to the vet, thinking it might be time to put her to sleep. The vet gave her an antibiotic and told me to bring her back if she didn’t improve. Well, she did perk up for a while, but then stopped eating completely. I brought her in this afternoon and the vet said it was time.

I got Merry when she was about 10 weeks old. She was this adorable little white fuzz all with a splotch of gray on her head. Of all my cats, she was the dainty little lady. Maybe I loved her best.

OK, I wrote a long paragraph about her last minutes of life, but it was graphic and painful, so I will just say she fell asleep and pass peacefully.

I need some time, so I am not going to post the usual teaser. Next Tuesday you will have a teaser. maybe by then I will have stopped crying. I think I;’m crying more now than I did when my mom passed away in May. Or maybe I’m crying for both of those frail, gallant old ladies.

Tuesday Teaser 8/6/19 Gina’s Wolf Part 49

Here it is, already August. School in North Dakota starts on August 22, just over two weeks from now. We start early so we can have lots of snow days. Some years we don’t have any, and some years we have a dozen. Well, as dozen is unlikely, but 1 or 2 is about guaranteed. 3 or 4 are usual, and 6 or 7 are not uncommon. So we start early.

Am I depressing you with the idea that summer is almost over? It’s not, not really. Plenty of hot weather ahead of us this year. Find your new book boyfriend by going on the Beat the Heat Scavenger Hunt! Hop along to a few author websites, answer some easy questions, and be entered to win a $30 gift card to your favorite online bookstore. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBookstore, Kobo, you name it. You can find out more about it HERE.

Have fun! Meet new authors! Win prizes!

And now, here is this week’s snip from Gina’s Wolf. See? Martine? I listened!

Tuesday Teaser 7/23/19 Gina’s Wolf Part 48

What a long week it’s been and it’s only Tuesday! Working overtime again, which is nice on the paycheck but even just a few hours cuts into my writing time. Which is my way of excusing the shortness of this week’s teaser. Sorry! We’re almost done. I have a lot of re-writing to do, and this section will need to be smoothed out. I’m sure my editor will have lots and lots of suggestions for improvement.

Here you go:

He
smiled at her, so handsome her heart turned over. “Good enough. You know, my
mom and dad have these kinds of discussions and then they go into their room
for the rest of the day.” His smile took on a heated curve. “Are we done
discussing?”

An
answering heat flared in her. “Yeah. I think we’ve discussed enough.”

He slid one arm between her back and the bed and pulled her so close she could feel his breath on her face. She tilted her head to touch her lips to his, but he pulled back.

“Actually,”
he said, “there is one more thing I need to say.”

Gina
suppressed a protest and waited with all the patience she could gather.

He
leaned close again. “I love you,” he whispered, and covered her lips with his.

How could
the heat of his mouth ease the stress-tense muscles in her neck and shoulders?
And how did it replace that tension with a different kind of tension? He was
magic. The warm honey of desire flowed through her, languorous at first, before
becoming urgent. His lips caressed the arch of her throat, the corner of her
jaw, the tender spot behind her ear.

Through
the haze of desire, she became aware of drums. No, it was her pulse, sending flaring
pain through her head. A whimper escaped her.

Cole
lifted his head away and looked down at her. “You’re hurting.”

She
almost reached to pull his head back down, but she couldn’t deny the pain. “A
little,” she said. “My head.”

“I’m a bad mate.” Cole’s face showed rueful regret, but he brushed a smiling kiss over her nose before removing his arm and sitting back on the bed. “I’m rushing you. I should let you rest.”

She was
cold without him embracing her. “Don’t go,” she blurted. “I was so afraid for
you when my stepfather had you. I want to keep my eyes on you so I will know
you are safe.”

“Move
over a little.” He stood up and unbuttoned the shorts. Kicking them off his
long legs, he slid into bed beside her. “I can hold you. That’s enough for now.”

He
settled her on her side, her head billowed by his shoulder, her lips close to
his throat. She could have laid like this for hours. His scent was soothing.
She let the comfort of his presence wash over her. She was safe. He was safe.
They were together again. After a while, her mind stirred with questions she
tried to ignore. Loathe to give up the comfort of simply lying in her husband’s
arms, she tried to ignore the questions. It was impossible.

“Cole?
How did you get out of the cage? How did you find me?” She wet her lips. “What
happened?”

His
chest rose and fell in a sigh. “How much do you remember?”

She
didn’t want to remember. “I was in the tent. My stepfather…” Her voice trailed
off as a shudder of horror ran through her. “He was going to kill me. He really
was.”

Cole
soothed her with a gentle hand stroking her arm. “He can’t hurt you; he’s dead.”

“I know. My mom shot him to save me. And then Tanner― Oh, God.” She struggled to sit up, new horror icing her lips. “Tanner tried to kill her.” She caught an odd expression on his face. “Where is she? Is she okay?”

“Sh,
sh, she’s okay.” He tried to get her to lie back down against him. “Everything
will be fine. Tanner and Jon are dead. The Kansas-Missourians surrendered to
Omaha. We won.”

“But
what about my mother?” she demanded.

“She’s
okay.” He finally gave up trying to make her lie down again and sat up too. Gina
couldn’t decide if he was nervous or guilty or just hesitant. “Have you met
Jay, my dad’s beta?”

Gina
gripped his forearm. “What? Who cares? What does he have to do with my mom?”

Cole took a deep breath. “Well, see, Jay led the Pack to Omaha. When we–me and the others– carried you out of the camp and back to Omaha, we brought your mom with us. Jay met us on the road and, um, when he saw your mom, his wolf chose her for his mate.”

Tuesday Teaser 7/16/19: Help With Cover Art

Hello! This week there is no teaser. But I thought you’d might like to see what I am playing with for cover art. I need some help! One of the hardest things is to pick out the model you want to portray your hero. I have selected few but can’t quite decide between them. I like all of these, at least to an extent, but I don’t absolutely adore any of them. I thought maybe you would like to help me pick one. if you would be so kind, could you tell me in the comments which you like and why? There are Six images and I have put a number on the bottom left corner of each. Please ignore any backgrounds. No right or wrong answers. I’m just looking for some feedback.

Have a good week and thank you!

Half-turned portrait of naked handsome sexual attractive brunette guy with muscular body white towel on hips standing with crossed arms isolated on gray background

Tuesday Teaser July 9: Gina’s Wolf Part 47

Hello! This is later than I planned because we’ve had some nasty storms last night and today, so I wanted to stay off the computer in case of an unlikely lightening strike. All over town tree branches–some thick ones– are scattered over lawns and streets. Some houses are damaged and we have a flood warning. The potted plants on my balcony were blown over but luckily no damage here.

Tour de Fleece

I’m also participating in the Tour de Fleece, which is a spinning (spinning wheel/yarn making) challenge that runs along with the Tour de France bicycle race. My personal challenge is to spin 4 ounces of luscious merino/yak/silk roving in a very fine weight. I am off to a rather slow start, but I hope to catch up.

We’re getting quite close to the end of Gina’s Wolf now. This is only the rough draft, and I have a lot of revisions to make and re-writing to do. Usually when I write I self edit what I wrote the previous day and the story doesn’t change much along the way. This one is different. Thank you to everyone who either left comments or emailed me personally to tell me the level of violence wasn’t out of line.

So I’ll leave you with this little tidbit and then sit down to spin for an hour before bed. Enjoy!

Gina
didn’t know where she was when she first woke. She didn’t know how much time
had passed since Cole had carried her out of the camp. Vague flashes of memory
pierced the darkness of her mind. Being juggled against Cole’s warm chest as he
ran through muddy fields. A slower, smoother pace and the flash of early
morning sun off ice. The roar of some vehicle and the rattle of tires over
uneven ground. Her head aching viciously.

She
swallowed and raised her head from the pillow to look around the room. Safe,
she thought. This was the room she and Cole shared at the Limit. Another glance
showed the chair beside the bed was occupied, but not by Cole. The slumped
figure there had long brown hair.

“Carla?”
she called.

Her
mother-in-law jerked upright, eyes blinking sleepily before she lunged to her
feet and reached a hesitant hand toward Gina. “Gina, how do you feel? Does your
head hurt?”

Gina
took a moment to consider her head. Pain was there, but it was much less than
it had been the last time she’d been awake. “A little. Where’s Cole? What
happened? What day is it?”

Carla
held up a hand. “One question at a time. Cole went to lie down about fifteen
minutes ago. He hasn’t left your side since he brought you back to Omaha
yesterday morning.”

 The door opened and Taye stepped in. His face
was set in a cool expression. “You’re awake. That’s good.” He dipped his head
in his wife’s direction. “Carla, I’ll get Cole.”

Gina
struggled to sit up. “What’s the matter? Is he mad at you?”

Carla
pulled a wry face as she stuffed pillows behind Gina’s back. “We’re in trouble.
All of us women are in trouble.”

“What?
Why?”

Carla
sat back down in the chair with a sigh. “You snuck out and put yourself in
danger, and me, Rose, and Patia didn’t even try to stop you. In fact, we helped
you.”

Gina
shook her head. She had thought Taye loved his wife. She would have sworn he
adored her and would do anything for her. She’d hoped that she and Cole would
have that same kind of relationship. “He shouldn’t be mad at you! It was my
idea.” She gulped to keep back tears. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it would ruin
things for you.”

“Ruin?”
Carla smiled and reached out to take Gina’s hand. “Do you think this is the
first rough patch me and Taye have had? It isn’t. You know, married couples
―even the ones that love each other deeply― have trouble from time to time. The
only cure is to talk it through. We need to tell each other how we feel and work
it out. The last few days have been too busy for us to have the time to do
that, but we will.”

“Really?”

“Sure.”
Carla squeezed her fingers. “A word of advice from an old married woman. It’s
okay to get angry and be hurt, but don’t stay angry and be sure to tell Cole
how you feel. My son is a good man, but he’s not a mind reader. I’ve gotten to
know a whole lot of men since marrying Taye and joining the Pack, and I’ve
noticed that most them are blind to even the broadest hint. The best way to
communicate is with words. Okay?”

Before
Gina could respond, fast footsteps sounded in the hall and the door burst open.
Cole came in, hair rumpled and heavy-eyed, dressed in only cutoff shorts. Those
eyes brightened when he saw her.

“You’re
awake.” He seized her and held her with fiercely gentle arms, carefully
avoiding touching her head or face. After a long moment, he let her go and sat
on the bed. “I am so angry with you. You scared me.”

Over
Cole’s shoulder she saw Taye hold out a hand to Carla. “Come on, mate, we need
to talk,” he said.

Carla
stood up, giving Gina a significant glance. Gina waited until the door closed
behind the older couple before touching a hand to Cole’s cheek. “Why are you
angry?”

“You put
yourself in the enemy’s hand.” His nostrils flared. “You could have been killed!”

“Me?”
That squawk hurt her head.  She lowered
her voice. “You were going to be killed. Your dad was going to just let it
happen. I had to do something!”

Cole
closed his eyes and shook his head. “My dad would never let that happen.”

She
jerked her wrist free. “He said–“

His
breath came out of him in a deep sigh. “I know. I know.” He captured her hand
again and held it gently. “You haven’t had a chance to get to know him yet, but
Mom should have known better.”

Her
eyes narrowed. “Your dad was very convincing.”

“I
guess he must have been, if Mom went along with your crazy plan.”

“And
Rose and Patia.”

His
eyebrows rose. “So, this is Dad’s fault?”

She
made herself consider. Throwing back a sarcastic reply would be easy, but easy
wasn’t the right thing here. She wondered if her mother-in-law was having this
exact same discussion. “Not your dad’s fault,” she said carefully. “I knew what
my stepfather was capable of. I kept imagining what he would be doing to you
and I couldn’t bear it. I had the best chance of getting to you.”

Cole
stroked his thumb over her fingers. “Did you even consider talking to my dad?”

“No.
I knew he wouldn’t let me.”

“Ha! So
you knew trying to rescue me was stupid.”

The
word ‘stupid’ grated, but she put it aside to search his face, trying to see
inside him. “Cole, maybe it was stupid. But I love you. If there was even the
smallest chance that I could get you free, it was worth it.”

He
was quiet for a moment. “I promised I wouldn’t give you orders. But please promise
me you won’t ever do something like this again.”

She shook
her head slowly. “I would do it again if I had to.” She lifted a hand to stop his
protest. “But I promise to talk it over with someone.”

“Someone
like my dad?” he asked pointedly.

“Someone
like your dad,” she agreed.

He smiled at her, so handsome her heart turned over. “Good enough. You know, my mom and dad have these kinds of discussions and then the go into their room for the rest of the day.” His smile took on a heated curve. “Are we done discussing?”

An answering heat flared in her. “Yeah. Done.”

He leaned close until his lips were only a breath from hers. “I guess I do have one more thing to say.”

Gina almost told him to save it for later, but she kept her mouth closed and waited.

He whispered, “I love you.”

Tuesday Teaser 7/2/19: Gina’s Wolf Part 46

To my friends north of the border, Happy Canada Day a day late! For my American friends, Happy 4th of July a couple of days early! In honor of the holidays, I have put Wolf’s Glory at $0.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. If you haven’t read it yet, this is a good time to grab it. It goes back to regular price on July 6. You can click any of the store names to go to the book there.

I have done a little writing this past week. Not as much as I’d like to, but at least I got some words.

Tuesday Teaser 6/25/19, Gina’s Wolf Part 46

It’s been a tough road writing-wise lately. Just before my mom had her stroke I was excited and ready to finish Gina’s Wolf. You know what they say about the best laid plans, right? Sigh. I’ve spent hours in front of my computer but the words just won’t come. I know what comes next, I know what happens in the next chapter, but the words just aren’t’ there.

I still don’t have the excitement back, but I am writing a little. Part of this is due to my writing group, The Word Weavers of Fargo-Moorhead are a great bunch of ladies. I love the support they’ve given me. The result is a new snip from Gina’s Wolf tonight. I will continue to write this story. I WILL get it done!

Tuesday Truth 5/21/19

Carol Evelyn Karlson 1956



Carol Karlson Cascio 2017

If any of you follow me on Facebook you will know that my mom had a stroke on Thursday May 2. It was a massive, horrible stroke with a massive, horrible brain bleed. The neurologist in the ER told us Mom would never wake up. But she did. On the third day in ICU they took her off the sedative. She came out of it enough to respond to shouted commands. Then they removed the breathing tube and she was able to breathe on her own and could talk a little. She recognized us and smiled her beautiful smile.

But after several hours of breathing on her own she began to struggle. The doctor recommended sending to her Palliative Care. That move, on Day 5, really wore her out. She was still smiling but it hurt to listen to her try to breathe. On Day 7 she was moved to a nursing home. My brother Steve and I were with her almost every hour. On Day 11 she passed away while neither of us were with her.

She was a stubborn Norwegian/German American. She did not die until all her children and grandchildren could travel to see her while she was able to talk. Her funeral was on Saturday. It was simple and quiet.

I find myself staring numbly into space for long minutes without even realizing time has passed. I’m afraid I have done no writing during the past few weeks, so there is no teaser for you. I hope to get back into a regular writing schedule this week. I am off to Lori Foster’s RAGT in a couple of weeks and that will cut into the writing too. So Gina’s Wolf will be delayed. I am so sorry. But I will keep you posted on the progress.