Kay Springsteen's Blog, page 17
June 12, 2011
Ryan McGee's Despair
How about a glimpse into Ryan McGee's worst nightmare?
He stood against the back of his brother's truck, staring in the direction of the mountains where he knew Sandy waited, unable to communicate, perhaps trapped, likely injured. But it wasn't the intimidating behemoths of rock he struggled in the dark to see.
It was her face he conjured.
Sandy's face, with the chicory eyes flashing fire at him on a mountain road. Sandy, flirting with him at her bar, performing a sexy song and dance. Sandy looking over her shoulder with that half-smile, enticing him to follow her. With eyes darkened by passion when they kissed. Her face showing her vulnerability while she slept. Eyes that held compassion for a defenseless baby animal. Her face, streaked with soot and set with defiance. Her face lit by concern as she sat a vigil by his bed in the hospital. Then as he'd last seen her, eyes filled with hurt…….
Available now: Lifeline Echoes, from Astraea Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble (Author-rated PG for mild violence)
Coming soon Elusive Echoes – Their love has always been on simmer…will it survive when the heat is turned up?
Also available: 
June 11, 2011
The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award
The Irresistibly Sweet Blog AwardThe rules of the award are simple:
1) You link the person who sent it to you
Thank you, Elaine Cantrell
2) List seven random facts about yourself
a) I'm a softie for all creatures great and small.
b) I love hiking.
c) Baseball and hockey are my favorite sports to watch.
d) I love a good long and tortuous water slide.
e) I could read when I was less than age 4, but when I entered kindergarten at age 5, I had no idea how to skip.
f) I once attended school to be a teacher.
g) I am a passionate photographer.
3) Pass the award on to 10 other awesome blog buddies
4) Contact them and let them know
Available now: Lifeline Echoes, from Astraea Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Coming soon: Elusive Echoes They've been in love since they were children, but will their love lasts when the heat gets turned up? Astraea Press June 2011
June 9, 2011
What Inspires You?
Sometimes you don't need to know the context of a quote to find personal inspiration. Here are a handful of quotes from a few romance authors.
What about you? Where do you find inspiration?
A cat improves the garden wall in sunshine, and the hearth in foul weather.~ Judith Merkle Riley
If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.~ Nora Roberts
Until you lose your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is.~ Margaret Mitchell
I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together again and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken – and I'd rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived.~Margaret Mitchell
Nobody had ever told me how to do these things…I didn't want anyone giving me advice until I had it all figured out on my own.~ Diana Gabaldon
I make it a policy to try never to make a complete idiot of myself twice in the same way. After all, there's always all kinds of new ways to make a complete idiot of myself. Why repeat the old ones?~ Margot Dalton
Look, pick it up, open it anywhere and read three pages. If you can put it down again, I'll pay you a dollar.~ Diana Gabaldon
So I write for women like that, women like me.~ Judith McNaught
The hero of 'Whitney' was very much patterned after Michael. Michael was my great love. He was the best of men, and could make me laugh. He could also laugh at himself, and that's pretty special.~ Judith McNaught
Grandpa Patterson used to say: Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from any direction.~ Debbie Macomber (Texas Two – Step)
Thank you for stopping by!
June 8, 2011
Words From the Silver Screen
It's movie time again! Join me on a trip through the Silver Screen's version of Memory Lane. Can you name the movies these famous quotes came from?
1. "Love means never having to say you're sorry."
2. "Show me the money!"
3. "Here's looking at you, kid."
4. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"
5. "I want to be alone."
6. "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again."
INTERMISSION: Popcorn break!
7. "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good."
8. "Toga, Toga"
9. "Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make."
10. "They're here."
11. "Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast."
12. "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are staring to death."
BONUS: "When I was your age, television was called books."
ANSWERS:
1. Love Story
2. Jerry Maguire
3. Casablanca
4. Apocalypse Now
5. Grand Hotel
6. Gone with the Wind
7. Wall Street
8. Animal House
9. Dracula
10. Poltergeist
11. King Kong
12. Auntie Mame
BONUS: The Princess Bride
What's YOUR favorite movie quote?
For more movie quotes: Check out my friend, Jean Joachim's blog.
Heartsight: Astraea Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Matrimonial Mayhem: Astraea Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble (charity release)
Lifeline Echoes: Astraea Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Coming this month from Astraea Press!
June 6, 2011
The Wisdom of Shrek Applied to Writing
Shrek: For your information, there's a lot more to ogres than people think.
Donkey: Example?
Shrek: Example… uh… ogres are like onions!
[holds up an onion, which Donkey sniffs]
Donkey: They stink?
Shrek: Yes… No!
Donkey: Oh, they make you cry?
Shrek: No!
Donkey: Oh, you leave 'em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin' little white hairs…
Shrek: [peels an onion] NO! Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.
[walks off]
Donkey: Oh, you both have LAYERS. Oh. You know, not everybody like onions. What about cake? Everybody loves cake!
Shrek: I don't care what everyone else likes! Ogres are not like cakes.
Donkey: You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, "Let's get some parfait," they say, "Hell no, I don't like no parfait"? Parfaits are delicious!
Shrek: NO! You dense, irritating, miniature beast of burden! Ogres are like onions! End of story! Bye-bye! See ya later.
Donkey: Parfait's gotta be the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet!
I love Shrek. There are days I truly believe some of the worst ills of the world could be solved by applying the Wisdom of Shrek. The above scene is one my daughter can repeat verbatim, including the voice inflections. Consider this parody, in which the word "ogre" has been substituted with variations on writing and stories:
Writer: For your information, there's a lot more to writing stories than people think.
Donkey: Example?
Writer: Example… uh… stories are like onions!
[holds up an onion, which Donkey sniffs]
Donkey: They stink?
Writer: Yes… No! Well, okay sometimes but most just need a good editor.
Donkey: Oh, they make you cry?
Writer: No! Well, okay, some do, but it's usually a good cry, even though your heart may be breaking for the characters.
Donkey: Oh, you leave 'em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin' little white hairs…
Writer: [peels an onion] NO! (Unless of course the writer wants them to, as in stories with zombies and vampires and other monsters.) Layers. Onions have layers. Writing has layers. Onions have layers. You get it? They both have layers.
[walks off]
Donkey: Oh, you both have LAYERS. Oh. You know, not everybody like onions. What about cake? Everybody loves cake!
Writer: This is true, and writers do try to give readers bits of cake. Rich red velvet cake with buttercream icing. But we still do it in layers.
Donkey: You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, "Let's get some parfait," they say, "Hell no, I don't like no parfait"? Parfaits are delicious!
Writer: Yes, people DO like parfait. And if we do it right, we can give our readers parfait. But ultimately, writing is like onions! End of story! Bye-bye! See ya later.
Donkey: Parfait's gotta be the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet!
And if a writer "does it right," we may start out with onions…but the end result has the potential to be parfait every time. I've been working with a writing partner recently, and I mentioned that I write in layers. Some people get that immediately but Kim Bowman wanted me to clarify (it turns out she does the same thing but it never occurred to her to label what she was doing). The best way to explain the layering technique as it applies to me would be to explain it as a process. I construct a scene in my mind – this can take anywhere from an instant to a few days. But generally, I have an idea of how it's going to go when I start writing. At that point, it's all about getting the scene down. It could be action-driven or dialogue-driven. For this demonstration, let's examine my recent writing prompt project, Sweet Treats and Hot Air.
One of the scenes began like this: 
"Did I do okay, Uncle Kevin?"
"Perfect delivery, Meelie Bug!" called the balloon pilot.
Lina whirled and looked into the laughing blue eyes of one of her fellow firefighters.
"Thanks for the Sweet Treat." The pilot lifted the cone from Lina's unresisting fingers.
"Kevin Daly, if you think you're going to take me for a ride in this thing, you can re-think your plan!"
"Relax. We're going to enjoy a nice, smooth ride together. Want a lick?"
After I got the basic dialogue applied to the scene, I went back and added some action:
The child turned and laughed. "Did I do okay, Uncle Kevin?"
"Perfect delivery, Meelie Bug!" called the balloon pilot.
Lina whirled and looked into the laughing blue eyes of one of her fellow firefighters.
The water bottle slipped from Lina's fingers and her jaw went slack. After a moment she remembered to blink.
"Thanks for the Sweet Treat." The pilot lifted the cone from Lina's unresisting fingers and indulged himself with a long stroke of his tongue over the ice cream.
Lina clamped her hands on her hips. "Kevin Daly, if you think you're going to take me for a ride in this thing, you can re-think your plan!" She thrust her leg over the edge of the basket only to pull it back quickly with a little squeal when she realized they were already more than a full story off the ground.
"Relax." Kevin winked. "We're going to enjoy a nice, smooth ride together. Want a lick?" He offered the ice cream cone in Lina's direction.
And after the actions, I added a few thoughts and some emotion, with the end result looking like this:
The child turned and laughed. "Did I do okay, Uncle Kevin?"
Uncle Kevin?
"Perfect delivery, Meelie Bug!" called the balloon pilot.
Lina knew that voice! She whirled and looked into the laughing blue eyes of one of her fellow firefighters . . . who happened, she recalled now, to have a special taste for vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles . . . and apparently participated in hot air ballooning as a hobby.
The water bottle slipped from Lina's fingers and her jaw went slack. After a moment she remembered to blink.
"Thanks for the Sweet Treat." The pilot lifted the cone from Lina's unresisting fingers and indulged himself with a long stroke of his tongue over the ice cream. Lina's mind rather inconveniently presented her with possibilities of other things that pink tongue might like to indulge in and she closed her mouth with a click of her teeth.
Spurred by indignation, Lina clamped her hands on her hips. "Kevin Daly, if you think you're going to take me for a ride in this thing, you can re-think your plan!" She thrust her leg over the edge of the basket only to pull it back quickly with a little squeal when she realized they were already more than a full story off the ground.
"Relax." Kevin winked. "We're going to enjoy a nice, smooth ride together. Want a lick?" He offered the ice cream cone in Lina's direction.
Relax? Lina's heart threatened to burst from her chest. I'm floating in a basket being held up by nothing more than hot air with the department's hottest eligible male.
Parfait? Maybe not yet, since my crit partners never got a chance to work their magic on this, but closer to dessert than an onion, I'm thinking.
Sweet Treats and Hot Air started out as a writing prompt but has morphed into a full story that I am hoping to finish this fall. Check out the tab in the menu above, or click here to read more.
June 3, 2011
Several Paragraph Weekend
Since Six Sentence Sunday is taking a break, I thought I'd treat you to a longer excerpt from Lifeline Echoes this weekend. But Ryan and Sandy's story is just the beginning. Sean and Mel get to tell their story later this month in Elusive Echoes. You'll want to be caught up on the haps around Orson's Folly by the time Elusive Echoes releases. So here's a taste of Lifeline Echoes:
"Much better than rattlesnake." Ryan popped the last of a spicy tortilla into his mouth. Stretching out his long legs, he rolled onto his side, propped his head on one arm, and took pleasure in watching Sandy's hands as she chopped a pair of mangos into bite-sized pieces.
Sitting cross-legged in front of him, she drew her sharp knife through the rind of a lime, cutting it in half before looking up. "Says the man who didn't pack anything or rustle up a rattlesnake." She squeezed both lime halves over the chopped mangos with a motion that had Ryan thinking of more sensual pursuits.
He tore his gaze from her hands and lifted a shoulder. "I didn't have to. You brought a whole kitchen with you."
She plucked a chunk of mango from the bowl between them. When she held it to his lips, he took the fruit into his mouth, then snagged her hand, bringing it back to his lips and licking the sweet stickiness from her fingers. When he swirled his tongue over the tip of her index finger, she touched her tongue to her lips. Ryan's blood began a quick drain southward.
With a tiny smile, Sandy slipped a chunk into her own mouth. "Did you know the mango tree is sacred in India? It's a symbol of love and some people believe it can grant wishes."
Keeping his eyes on her, Ryan slipped another piece into his mouth and chewed slowly. She seemed intent on setting a more leisurely pace. At least one of them had sane thought processes. She took another piece of fruit into her mouth, this time sucking on it, closing her eyes in obvious delight. Watching her eat was becoming an excursion into exquisite sensual torture.
"Do you have wishes, Sandy?" Time for a different kind of distraction.
She shook her head. "No, not anymore. I think I've used up my quota of wishes. What about you?"
Silence fell between them while he contemplated the woman across the blanket. For just a minute incredible sadness had shown on her face, but she'd recovered quickly. He chose his words with care. "I think we've got the beginning of something nice here. I'm really wishing it'll keep going."
Available at Astraea Press, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
And watch for Elusive Echoes, coming in June 2011
May 27, 2011
A Memorial Day Six Sentence Sunday
In honor of Memorial Day, this is from Camp Wedding (in Matrimonial Mayhem)
Trish was unsurprised when the last set of swords dropped to block their path.
"The price for passing is a kiss," Colonel Robb informed them.
Beside her, Trish felt Dan's start of surprise, but he bent and placed a gentle, chaste kiss on her lips. The swords didn't lift. Trish lifted her gaze to regard Dan's superior officer.
"The price for passing is a proper kiss," announced Colonel Robb.
To read more
from Camp Wedding, and five more completely new stories by various Astraea Press authors, order your copy of Matrimonial Mayhem today.
Through November 30, 2011, all proceeds will benefit the Governor of Alabama's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, for the hardest storm-hit areas of the State of Alabama.
Astraea Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Return to Six Sentence Sunday or Enjoy a short Memorial Day Tribute.
And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free, and I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me and I'll proudly stand next to him to defend her still today, 'cuz there ain't no doubt I love this land, god bless the USA. -Lee Greenwood
Let us never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we might experience and enjoy freedom.
Have a safe and happy Memorial Day, ~Kay
May 24, 2011
The Right Way and the Wrong Way
I grew up with a dad who had been a sergeant in the U.S. Army and a National Guardsman after that, so you might not be surprised to learn that my life was pretty regimented. Toys and other belongings had to be stowed – one of those place for everything and everything in its place deals. Dressing casual wasn't a problem – I was allowed to wear pants or shorts, or if I chose, I could wear dresses and skirts. Revealing was not allowed, though, and rumpled was not acceptable. So my mom ironed. A lot. And while my dad didn't perform any sort of inspection, he noticed little details.
I was also expected to be up and at the day (even in the summer) by 6 or 7 a.m. To be truthful, I'm not sure that was his rule so much as I went to bed so early at night that I was up at first light. And no lounging around the house watching morning TV in my pajamas for me. I had chores (nothing I couldn't handle, always age-appropriate) and being up meant it was time to get dressed and get at those chores. My dad was so regimented that when he and my mom had their house built in a brand new subdivision in Livonia, Michigan, he insisted the plans for the curvy (and I thought appealing) sidewalk leading to the house be made straight. My dad appreciated a good squared off angle. I swear he couldn't SEE circles (or maybe he just refused to acknowledge them).
But Dad (known to the world as James M. Springsteen) was full of wisdom and good advice. To this day, close to 22 
years following his death I remember his motto: There's a right way to do things and a wrong way. You should always make sure you do things the right way.
When I wrote the first Echoes of Orson's Folly book, Lifeline Echoes, I needed a father figure for my hero, Ryan. Since the story primarily takes place on a ranch in Wyoming, I was thinking of a Robert Redford type for my hero's dad, Justin McGee. But the outward picture of Justin is just that, an outward picture. I needed to build a man of substance. For that, I turned to my dad and our relationship, which was sometimes tough and regimented, but always filled with love, even when I did things that let him down.
Back in the planning stages of Lifeline Echoes, I had no idea it was possible for a secondary character to take on such a strong dynamic. But Justin did just that. In Lifeline Echoes, readers were already telling me they were in love with Ryan's father. By the time I rolled Elusive Echoes off my computer, I recognized Justin is actually the backbone of the stories. He's not just the father to my heroes, brothers Ryan and Sean McGee (Lifeline Echoes and Elusive Echoes), but a father figure to at least half the fictional town as far as I can tell, and I've had some readers tell me they see their own father in Justin. I know I see a lot of my own father in him, even parts I didn't intentionally put there. So far he hasn't told his kids the right way/wrong way thing, but I expect it to happen any book now.
A Taste of Justin (from Lifeline Echoes)
He smelled the cigar smoke when he hit the door to the porch.
"Evening," his father greeted easily.
"You let Sandy leave." Ryan tossed the words at his father without stopping.
"Was I supposed to stop her?" Justin calmly surveyed his son.
Ryan paused his forward momentum. "Yes. She's safe here."
A pained expression crossed Justin's face and he slapped at a mosquito on his neck. "She's got a business, boy. She has to tend to it or she won'ʹt have it long."
"She needs to be safe—I need her to stay safe." Ryan moved toward his car.
His father's quiet voice stopped him. "Ry, I haven't been in a position to give you advice in a lot of years, so maybe you'll think it's late for me to be starting now." Justin waited for Ryan to meet his eyes. "Maybe if I'd spoken up more when you were younger, things would be different. But I can't change the past. I can see you love this gal."
Justin pulled out a cigar, studied it, then slid it back into his pocket.
Not caring that he showed his impatience this time, Ryan jiggled his car keys.
"Son, you came home missing something. Or maybe missing someone. Did you go looking for what you're missing—maybe hoping to find it in Miss Sandy?"
The car keys fell to the porch with a clink. Frowning, Ryan stooped to retrieve them. Only the fear that echoed his father's kept his anger at the invasive nature of the question in check. Still, he couldn't keep the chill out of his voice. "She say something to you?"
Justin chuckled. "Nothing I didn't already see." He shook his head. "She doesn't deserve to be your second choice, son. And as long as you keep yourself walled off, separating the pieces of your life you don't want to talk about, you aren't making her your first."
The breath rushed from Ryan's lungs with the emotional sucker punch. "It's not like that. We haven'ʹt had time—"
Justin's pointed stare halted Ryan in mid-denial. There had been plenty of time, lots of opportunities, he realized. He'd always found a way around the subject, reasons not to talk.
"You know," his father continued, "Love comes with a lot of things. Happiness, responsibility . . . fear. Open up to her. If she loves you, she'll understand anything you have to tell her. But don't smother her with everything you're feeling right now, son. She isn't one who's going to take easy to that kind of love."
Forcing himself to take a deep, calming breath, Ryan asked, "Are you telling me not to see her tonight?"
Justin shook his head. "I'm strongly suggesting, son, that if you woke up from your nap, missed your girl, and wanted to see her, maybe hold an enlightening conversation, she'll take it a lot more kindly than the attitude you're wearing right now."
The emotions gripping Ryan suddenly drained out of him, and he nodded. Then he chuckled. "You're the second person today to give me that advice."
"Really," Justin said in a droll tone. "Who would be the first?"
Ryan drew a deep breath, blew it out. Avoiding his father's sharp stare, he mumbled his answer. "Sandy."
Justin's hearty laughter followed Ryan to his car. "You know, a lady usually likes to get a call first before a gentleman drops in on her. Gives her time to spruce up a mite."
Ryan could feel the warm smile spreading over his face as he reached for his cell and called up Sandy's number.
>I hope you've enjoyed this taste of Justin from Lifeline Echoes. Watch for him in Elusive Echoes, Sean's story, too.
Lifeline Echoes is currently available from Astraea Press, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel. Elusive Echoes will be available at the end of June 2011.
May 20, 2011
Six Sentence Sunday Echoes
The story of Ryan and Sandy in Lifeline Echoes was only the beginning. Sean and Mel continue the story in Elusive Echoes.
The letter sat next to the register behind the bar. It might as well have been a rattlesnake. It bore a sender's name but no return address, though it was postmarked in Des Moines, Iowa. Denny DeVayne; Mel couldn't remember if she'd ever seen her brother's name written out before. She had seen his freakishly neat handwriting, and recognized that now. But he was part of the life she'd walked away from the second she'd turned eighteen, some eleven years earlier. Nothing good would be contained in that letter and she didn't want to open it.
Blurb: They're two people caught between friendship and something more; they can't move forward, and they can't let go.
Drawn together from early childhood, Sean McGee and Melanie Mitchell seemed destined for each other. But at age thirteen, Melanie was wrenched from the people she loved and forced onto a path she loathed. Sean was no stranger to people leaving, but losing Melanie devastated him. When she suddenly reappeared in Orson's Folly, Sean was overjoyed. The Melanie who came home, though, wasn't the same girl. She's got a harder edge and she's obviously hiding something, but Sean no longer knows how to reach her.
Returning to Orson's Folly as an adult, all Melanie wanted to do was forget the years she spent away. But she soon learned that going home didn't mean she could return to her old life—or her childhood sweetheart, Sean. Even their mutual attraction to one another hasn't rebuilt the bond of trust and closeness they once shared. It's been seven years since she returned and now everything Melanie wants to forget has broadsided her. She must confront her demons and relive her past in an unexpected way or risk losing the only man she's ever loved. But even if she succeeds, Sean might be lost to her anyway.
Available June 2011 Astraea Press
Return to Six Sentence Sunday or check out the Orson's Folly story that started it all:
Voices form a powerful connection. The day the earth rocked LA, Sandy Wheaton became a voice lifeline over the radio for trapped firefighter, "Mick." Less than twenty four hours later, she had fallen in love with him. Shattered when she learned that rescue came too late, she sought solace Wyoming, the home state he had loved. Now, seven years later, she's made a life there as the owner of a popular local bar. But her wounds are still fresh, and she longs to let go of the past and her lost love so she can begin living again. That opportunity presents itself when the local prodigal son returns home. The attraction between them is instant. It feels like she's known him far longer than just a few days.
Sixteen years ago, Ryan McGee left home in the midst of controversy. After living through a harrowing trauma, he finally returns home when his family needs his help through some troubling times. All he wants to do is make amends with those he hurt most and to get back to the life he'd never wanted to leave in the first place. When he meets the sexy bartender, he starts thinking in terms of forever. But there's still someone out there he wants to find, someone who once believed in him and gave him hope.
Available from Astraea Press, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Also available: Heartsight and Matrimonial Mayhem (Camp Wedding)
The story of Ryan and Sandy in Lifeline Echoes was only t...
The story of Ryan and Sandy in Lifeline Echoes was only the beginning. Sean and Mel continue the story in Elusive Echoes.
The letter sat next to the register behind the bar. It might as well have been a rattlesnake. It bore a sender's name but no return address, though it was postmarked in Des Moines, Iowa. Denny DeVayne; Mel couldn't remember if she'd ever seen her brother's name written out before. She had seen his freakishly neat handwriting, and recognized that now. But he was part of the life she'd walked away from the second she'd turned eighteen, some eleven years earlier. Nothing good would be contained in that letter and she didn't want to open it.
Blurb: They're two people caught between friendship and something more; they can't move forward, and they can't let go.
Drawn together from early childhood, Sean McGee and Melanie Mitchell seemed destined for each other. But at age thirteen, Melanie was wrenched from the people she loved and forced onto a path she loathed. Sean was no stranger to people leaving, but losing Melanie devastated him. When she suddenly reappeared in Orson's Folly, Sean was overjoyed. The Melanie who came home, though, wasn't the same girl. She's got a harder edge and she's obviously hiding something, but Sean no longer knows how to reach her.
Returning to Orson's Folly as an adult, all Melanie wanted to do was forget the years she spent away. But she soon learned that going home didn't mean she could return to her old life—or her childhood sweetheart, Sean. Even their mutual attraction to one another hasn't rebuilt the bond of trust and closeness they once shared. It's been seven years since she returned and now everything Melanie wants to forget has broadsided her. She must confront her demons and relive her past in an unexpected way or risk losing the only man she's ever loved. But even if she succeeds, Sean might be lost to her anyway.
Available June 2011 Astraea Press
Return to Six Sentence Sunday or check out the Orson's Folly story that started it all:
Voices form a powerful connection. The day the earth rocked LA, Sandy Wheaton became a voice lifeline over the radio for trapped firefighter, "Mick." Less than twenty four hours later, she had fallen in love with him. Shattered when she learned that rescue came too late, she sought solace Wyoming, the home state he had loved. Now, seven years later, she's made a life there as the owner of a popular local bar. But her wounds are still fresh, and she longs to let go of the past and her lost love so she can begin living again. That opportunity presents itself when the local prodigal son returns home. The attraction between them is instant. It feels like she's known him far longer than just a few days.
Sixteen years ago, Ryan McGee left home in the midst of controversy. After living through a harrowing trauma, he finally returns home when his family needs his help through some troubling times. All he wants to do is make amends with those he hurt most and to get back to the life he'd never wanted to leave in the first place. When he meets the sexy bartender, he starts thinking in terms of forever. But there's still someone out there he wants to find, someone who once believed in him and gave him hope.
Available from Astraea Press, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Also available: Heartsight and Matrimonial Mayhem (Camp Wedding)
