Lynn Thompson's Blog, page 46

Blake-A Montana Dayton Novel Ch.3

We rode in silence, thinking our own thoughts, when Max suddenly stopped at the same place I’d been yesterday when I saw him. The bridge remained up stream, where I wanted to be.

“Why did we stop?”
“To take a break, the animals need some water.”
“Okay.” I dismounted, grabbed a protein drink, granola bar, and the trail mix. My stomach growled loudly at the mere sight of food. A light blush crept up my checks at the sound.
“There’s more, help yourself.” I told Max as I stretched, bit the granola bar in half and chugged the protein drink to quiet my hunger.
He laughed. “Here’s my proof you weren’t going to meet me for lunch.”
I gave him my most innocent look. “It’s a snack.”
He chuckled. “It appears we’re having lunch together after all.”
Oh brother. We ate in silence. When we finished off the last of the trail mix we mounted up and rode to the edge of my property.
“Spill it Max, what do you want?”
“To enjoy your company.”
I stopped. “I don’t believe you, what do you really want?”
“I really am enjoying your company. Let’s go.”
“I’m not moving, but you can leave.”
“I don’t want to do this here.” He said as he surveyed our surroundings. “We’ll go back to your place and talk.”
I stared deep into his eyes for a moment. He knew what was going on. The problem was, I didn’t think he wanted to tell me.
I followed him back to the barn, we unsaddled the horses, brush them down, and tossed them some hay without saying a word to each other. I wanted to hear him out, but I needed to be mentally prepared for what he had to tell me also. I mean, what was so important that he couldn’t tell me on the horse ride? I caught myself, maybe I was overreacting and he did just want to spend time with me. We headed up to my place. I started coffee brewing while Max stoked the fire.
“Coffee’s done. I‘m sure you can find everything you need.” I left him to pour his own coffee and took my smokes out of my coat pocket. I found an ashtray and sat down in the chair by the fire keeping some distance between us.
“I take my coffee black,” Max glowered as he sat on the couch across from me and gazed into my eyes “I know everything about you Montana. I’ve decided you need to be protected.”
Talking about getting straight to the point.
“Excuse me, I don’t need a protector. What do you know about me?”
Max held my gaze. “You and your sister won the lottery, that’s why you’re living up here.”
“I’m living up here because I love the mountains,” which was also true, plus I didn’t want people constantly on my doorstep.
“And because no one up here has any inkling you’re worth a ton of money,” he put his hand up to keep me from speaking. “You’re also a sensitive, you pick up on things not many other people do. It’s what makes you so good at investing in small businesses. You have the intuition, who will succeed and who will fail.”
“Everybody has that ability.” He’d done his homework. I wasn’t thrilled he’d dug this deep into my past.
“That ability comes naturally to you.” He almost snarled, my attitude frayed his nerves.
“So, why do I need a protector?”
“You know why,” he said grimly.
“No I don’t, please explain your reasons to me.” I needed to know what I was up against.

Rose rapped on the door. Figures, I thought as I stashed my smokes under the chair and yelled “Come in.” Rose didn’t know I smoked and I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture.

“Wow.” She said bustling through the door straight to the fireplace. “It got real cold outside real quick. Max what a pleasant surprise.”
Bear stomped in right behind her. “I brought steaks for the grill.”
“I’ll give you a hand.” Max said to Bear as his eyes traced over my face. He stood up, “I could use a refill on my coffee.”
Great! I was still in the dark about what was going on. I had a split second vision of kicking Rose and Bear out on their butts and cornering Max for some answers. Instead, I watched Max follow Bear out of the room and gave myself a inward mental shake. I should stick with figuring this out on my own. I didn’t need or want Max in my life anyway.
While the men tended to dinner in the kitchen Rose turned to me, “I need to talk to you after they leave tonight.”
“Okay, when are you leaving for Cali?”
“Two days, and Bear would like to spend the day with me tomorrow, so we’ll talk tonight.”
“Do you mind if I drive you to the airport? I have some errands to run.”
Rose laughed, “I hoped you would, Bear has a big party he’s throwing for a costumer that day, and I would prefer not to leave my car at the airport for the next couple of months.” Her frown turned into a sighed, “I would rather stay here this winter, but my family would pack up and move in with me if I did, neither of us wants that.” She grinned again. “The boys are heading out to grill. I’m gonna see if they need help.”
My eyes followed Rose, Bear and Max as they stepped outside onto the deck. As soon as the door closed behind them I raced upstairs and stashed my gun under my pillow.

Scrivener: Part Two for Smashwords

I have finally bought Scrivener. I was working with the free trail for a while and decided that this software was definitely worth having. Working with has been interesting and so far fairly easy, so here I am at part two of my new adventure into the not so known… ( link for the post on (Scrivener: Part One )

I have uploaded one of my novels to break apart and read one more time before it goes to print and am slowly getting through reading it due to life’s demands. My next stopping place in Scrivener is the find and replace option.

Find and Replace- easier than I thought it would be. The find and replace is in the tool bar under edit and find. Piece of cake, it just took me a few minutes to find:)

Word Definitions- This is cool! If you highlight a word and right click on it you can scroll down to writing tool and look up that word in several different locations- google, wiki, dictionary, thesaurus, etc..

Formatting- For paragraph changes: Highlight or click in front of what you would like to change the go to format-text-spacing, add your changes then click okay and yes to changing spacing.

Text Size- Highlight the words you want to change and make changes with the tool bar on top of the page.

Bookmarks- contents, hightlight chapt. one etc.., left click scrivener links, link to chapt. one etc.



Images- Edit, insert, image from file

*I did add a couple of spaces after the end of my chapters to allow for room between the last sentence and next chapter.*

Smashwords normally allows for 3 spaces max. Do Not use page breaks, you’ll end up having to go in and delete them all!!

Linking TOC- Highlight Chapt. one.. etc., left click, scrivener links, manuscript, chapt one… (Unfortunately, I have not figured out how to keep the scrivener links. When I compiled everything into PDF format the links disappeared, so I had to download into open office and re-link everything:()

Compiling- Before you start to compile you need to go into contents and make sure everything you want in your book is checked “as is.”

For separators I used Text-empty line, Folder- empty line, Folder& Text- empty line, Text & Folder-empty line.

Formatting- Level 1+ I checked title, Level 1+ I checked title, and the next level 1+ I checked text– there is also a italic blue A in the left hand corner–click on that and you can adjust your formatting size, font, etc. on all levels for compiling.

*Smashwords doesn’t like the font to be any bigger than 14– I stick with 14 on Chapters and 12 on text, using times new roman*

Don’t forget to take your book into word 97/2000-check your links-and make sure there is no unwanted space between text, and page breaks. Smashwords formatting can be very unforgiving:) Smashwords also has a formatting book that can be downloaded off their site.

Here’s a handy community for answers I haven’t covered G+ Scrivener Community https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109597039874015233580?cfem=1

Happy Scrivenering!:)

Blake is now on Smashwords and Barnes & Noble:)

Blake-A Montana Dayton Novel Amazon.com (UK) Amazon.com Smashwords Barnes&Noble

If Montana had known what she would be confronting that night, she never would have sedated Max.

Lottery winner and venture capitalist Montana Dayton is on vacation, sorely needing a break from her business. She purposely had a house built deep in the mountains, away from civilization in hopes to spend the winter alone with her dog Killer. Unfortunately the universe is conspiring against her. Montana’s getting creepy feelings from something or someone on her property and Rose, her neighbor, is bringing new “friends” into her life.

If that wasn’t enough to ruin Montana’s vacation, the dangerously attractive Max surely would! Max has the uncanny ability to show up when he’s not wanted. What Montana doesn’t realize is Max knows what’s out in the woods and it’s his job to find it.

Max knows Montana can sense it even though she cannot see it and has decided that she needs to be protected from the unseen danger, but who will protect Montana from Max?

Blake-A Montana Dayton Novel Ch.2:2

After showering, more coffee and making sure we had everything we needed for winter I had time to do some scouting around the property and maybe go fishing. I put on my favorite black hiking boots, black leather trench coat, and slid my gun into the back waist of my jeans. I’m not overly fond of guns but I know how to shoot and can hit whatever I need to. On the way out the door I picked up my fishing supplies and my camera.

“Come on Killer, we’re going out.” He yawned big and gave me his “you’re crazy” look before ambling out the door.
Rose’s jeep sat in her driveway when we passed her house. Since I didn’t feel up to talking to her anymore we went straight to the barn and surprised Pumpkin. The poor cat didn’t have a chance to take two steps before Killer pounced, putting one huge paw on her. She rolled onto her back, attempting to play dead, while he sniffed her everywhere before starting to give her a bath. I laughed and watched them for a minute. I was pretty sure the cat wanted to die out of humiliation and the “please help me” glare on her face was priceless.
I left Pumpkin to fend for herself and wandered to the stalls, wondering briefly when I would meet Max and Chase. I rubbed Aces nose. I love Lightning, but she’s a poke like Killer. Ace’s stance showed the power he carried in the muscles of his legs. I’d bet he could run fast, and I might need a fast horse while I scouted the woods. I weighted the consequences of borrowing Ace before deciding I’d take my chances with Lightning.
With Lightning saddled up I called Killer. He took his paw off Pumpkin and left her drenched in his dog slobber.
“At least you didn’t get swallowed whole.” I told her, laughing again. The cat gave me the evil eye and bounded up to her shelf.
We spent two hours making a loop around my property, looking for any kind of evidence a lunatic resided on my land and came up empty handed. I hadn’t been spooked since last night, so we decided to stop at the stream and go fishing. While we were kicking it, waiting for the fish to bite, I secretly hoped they wouldn’t, because Yuk, I hated gutting fish, I thought about the property next to mine. We’d passed the bridge to my neighbor’s a short ways back and I decided I wanted to cross the river and scout that area in the morning.
Either I was losing my mind or something planted itself on my land. I was rooting for the later.
My eye lids drifted closed. The warmth of the sun beat down on my face and I began to relax. Within a few short minutes the awareness of eyes on me pin-pricked my senses. I glanced around with my lids still at half mast, slowly I put down my pole, took a deep breath and concentrated on which direction the vigilant energy was coming from. I jumped up and turned in the direction of the bridge in one fluid movement with my gun drawn.
A drop dead gorgeous guy sat on top of Ace grinning at me. My blood began to boil with just the thought of him spying on me. I stepped forward, ready to march right up to him and give him a piece of my mind when I caught something in my peripheral vision flashing through the bushes. My heart stopped beating for a second, tingling assaulted my skin, causing every strand of hair on my arms to rise. I spun around and slowly turned in a circle with my gun drawn. There was nothing there. I returned my attention to the horse and rider, most likely Max. He had disappeared too. Dropping my arms I heaved a sigh. Something was definitely haunting me, I just needed to figure out what.
I packed up and hopped onto Lightning’s back. I placed my gun in my pocket for easier excess and trotted Lightning back to my place, keeping my eyes open for anything and everything that moved around me.
When we reached the barn I unloaded Lightning’s saddle and harness, brushed her down, fed her and hiked up to Rose’s house. I left Killer at the stairs, he still wasn’t brave enough to pass through all of the do-dads on her deck. I banged on her door. The door swung open as Rose stepped out.
“Hi,” Rose said, a little bit surprised I stood on her front porch, “let’s sit in the chairs around back. It’s gonna be cold real soon, so we might as well enjoy these last few days of warmth.”
We sat down, enjoying the view for a few minutes. This was another reason I moved up here. The sun sat low in the sky creating an incredible sunset of pastel pinks and lavender colors. Soon the stars would be out and up here in mountains the universe seemed close enough to touch.
I took a second to scan the landscape for anything out of the ordinary.
“What’s up?” asked Rose. “You’re starting to creep me out.”
Great! I’m starting to creep Rose out and there’s something out there more threatening. Go figure.
“I need more information on Max. What does he look like? What does he do?”
Rose laughed. “Did you finally meet him?”
“Maybe,” in a roundabout way, I thought to myself.
“Well he’s a handsome young man, probably a few years older than you and he’s very nice.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Describe him for me please.”
Rose sighed, “Max is tall, dark and handsome. He’s got black hair and intense gray eyes.”
“Anything else?”
She blushed, “I wasn’t really checking him out you know. I kinda got a man.”
I smiled. “I thought you might have something with Bear. What does Max do?”
“Yeah,” Rose said all dreamy eyed, “I really like Bear.” She glanced at me. “Max said he worked for the government, but that’s all. Anymore questions I have a date tonight.”
“One more then I’ll let you go. Have you noticed anything strange happening around here?”
“No, everything’s fine. Are you all right?”
I smiled, glad Rose wasn’t bothered by the weirdness that was throwing me off kilter.
“Yeah, probably just culture shock. Do me a favor Rose and be careful if you’re coming in at night. There are bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and all kinds of wild animals up here.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she laughed, “and don’t forget about Max’s wolves. His wolves might be what’s making you nervous.”
I’d forgotten about the wolves, besides my gut told me animals weren’t the problem. And I didn’t think Max was the watcher I felt either. I exhaled a deep breath. I would figure out who was watching me. I had to be patient.
“Have fun tonight.” I said standing up.
Rose blushed again. “I will.” She hurried back inside.
I went home, started a fire, and rummaged in the cabinet for some Oreo cookies.
“I’m getting in the bath,” I told Killer as I checked my doors to make sure they stayed secure. I carried my gun, cookies and some water, I don’t like milk much, up to the bathroom and settled into relax mode. I left the tub looking like a prune, put my robe on, and found some warm fluffy socks. Time to get down to business, I grabbed my laptop and went back downstairs. I hoped to find some geographical maps of my property and my neighbor’s.
I didn’t get far. As a matter of fact, I stretched out on the couch, turned on the TV, and lights out Montana.

When I woke up stiff again I started thinking about bringing my bed downstairs, I mean what’s the use of having a one if I didn’t even sleep in it. I stretched, worked out some of the kinks in my muscles and smelled coffee. At once I opened my eyes and reached for my gun, which, of course, sat on the counter in the bathroom. Probably a good thing I thought, I’m sure it’s just Rose, after all she’s the only one with the extra key to my house. But I didn’t sense Rose. I threw my legs over the couch and limped toward the kitchen. That’s when I wished I had my gun.

This is ridiculous, I thought as I glared at Killer and poured myself some coffee. Max sat comfortably at my table, smiling at me, looking hot, and drinking my coffee. If I’d had my gun on me I’m sure the threat of seeing it would have forced him out of my house quicker.
“I was going to make you breakfast, but I didn’t find any eggs or bacon in your refrigerator, only protein drinks.”
“You must be Max. How did you get in?”
“Trade secret,” he held out his hand for me to shake, “and you must be Montana.”
I glanced at his hand, glared at Killer again, and sat down across from him.
Killer wagged his tail and grinned as if to say “everything’s good.”
“What do you want?” I said, trying to glare at Mr. tall, dark and handsome.
I’m not sure the glare had the effect I wanted it to have. My blood rushed to my ears and my heart tried to leap out of my chest. My reaction to his sexiness set me on edge and to top it off I sat at the table in only my robe and my socks.
Max was one of those guys you admire from a distance. The hot boy next door, the one who’s friendly, but already taken. I’ve known a few in my lifetime.
His shoulder length black hair lit up with a blue tint when the rays of sun peeked through the window. I wanted to brush my fingers through his hair.
I chuckled under my breath, I needed to brush my fingers through my own hair and wash my face. I didn’t want to imagine what I looked like this morning, after sleeping on the couch.
I watched as his lean muscles flex under his clothes with the slightest of movements. My stomach tightened a notch. I gazed into his steel gray eyes and became entranced with the blue specks in them. He’s taller than me, at least 5’9 or more, I couldn’t tell, because we were sitting down, and he’s a couple years older than me. I sat back in my chair as far as I could. I’d have to keep at least a ten foot distance from him, if not more.
“I wanted to introduce myself over breakfast.”
“I don’t eat breakfast. Are you married?” I couldn’t believe that just came out of my mouth.
“No.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Damn, I did it again.
Max’s smile grew “No.”
I stood up pointing to the door. “Get out.”
Max stood up, still smiling, and raised an eyebrow. “I’ll go, but I’m coming back in a few hours. We’ll meet for lunch. That will give you enough time to wake up and get dressed.”
I gazed up at him. Max was taller than I originally thought, somewhere around 6’1 or 6’2. He towered over me.
Max gave Killer a scratch behind the ears, squatted down face to face with him and told him he was a good boy.
“What’s your dog’s name?”
“Killer.”
He laughed, “I love it.”
I locked the door behind him, went upstairs, put on some sweats, and grabbed my gun. A good workout was in order, guys like him; especially single made me nervous. They knew they were hot and used it to their advantage. I found a DVD with a lot of punching and kicking, and proceeded to get rid of some of my anger. No way was I going to meet him for lunch or anything else. I pictured a moth being drawn to a flame, saw me as the moth, and started punching harder.
I finished with my workout exhausted and sore. I wanted a nap, but had to shower and leave before Max returned. Maybe he would get the hint and stay away if I wasn’t home.
I threw on my clothes and make-up in no time. I never got the chance to get my map, so I would have to wing the scouting trip. I lit a cigarette and peeked in my fridge. Hmm… protein drinks, I took out two along with a bottle of water before searching my cabinets for food, trail mix, granola bars, and Oreos. I ate an Oreo while stuffing more in a bag with some trail mix, and a couple of granola bars. I needed to go shopping
“Come on Fluffy,” I said to Killer, he whimpered. I still held on to some anger at him for letting Max in. “If I didn’t love you I’d consider trading you in for a real guard dog.” I glanced at him again and laughed. “Stop pouting, it’s not going to work.”
I marched down to the barn with Killer still sulking beside me.
“You stay here Killer, I’ll be right out, besides I’m sure Pumpkin has a big enough complex from yesterday.”
Ace’s stall stood empty, so I quickly saddled Lightning, led her out of the barn, and ran right into Max. I cursed under my breath. He sat tall on Ace and they both looked magnificent. Ace with his sleek white hair glistening in the sun and Max with his black hair, sunglasses, and black leather jacket contrasted perfectly. Max’s blue jeans hugged his legs just enough to show his well defined muscles. I quickly mounted Lightning. Once I obtained a better eye level with Max I tried to figure out what to do.
“Nice day for a ride.” he said grinning.
“I figured I’d have enough time to exercise Lightning before lunch.” Liar. I hated lying, but I also felt the need to be nice to Max.
“You weren’t planning on meeting me for lunch, so what are you plans?”
“You can’t prove that. I think we should cancel anyway, I’d like to check out my property and enjoy the weather before it snows.”
“I’ll join you.”
He was enjoying this way too much, he was smiling way too much, and I was starting to get crankier. I suddenly felt like I was a magnet for strays.
“I’m sure you have better things to do then follow me around.”
“Nope, nothing I can think of.” His Cheshire cat grin showed his perfect white teeth.

Introducing–>> Jamie Eubanks

As this weeks featured author

Jamie Eubanks was born in Blythe, California and has traveled the country extensively, living in various places in the USA, including Vermont, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Louisiana & California. She has enjoyed a wide array of professions, including entertainer (bass player & singer in various night clubs), acquisitions at “The Jewish Community News” (San Gabriel & Pomona Valley issues), and presently runs a small private investigations firm in Southern California. She is also a regular at the Red Dragon Karate studio in Azusa, CA.

url  https://www.goodreads.com/JaeEubanks

website https://www.facebook.com/JAEubanks1

twitter username JAEubanks1

genre Suspense, Paranormal, Mystery

 

 

 

Hidden Doors, Secret Rooms

“Superbly crafted and flawlessly executed, Eubanks doles out both plot and back-story in small doses, expertly keeping readers turning page after page.” –Kirkus Reviews Jillian Braedon possesses a secret so explosive that she must be silenced. On the run with her five-year-old daughter, stranded in the middle of a blizzard and critically injured, Jill sends little Valerie off into the raging storm alone. The child stumbles onto the property of retired musician-turned-recluse, John Mills, begging for help. John soon finds himself caught up in their torment, and face-to-face with the pursuing covert agents, who will do anything to destroy the secret, and silence everyone involved.

Blake-A Montana Dayton Novel Ch.2

Rose stood on the deck waiting for us when we reached the house.

“Hi Rose,” I said, keeping an eye on her mood. “Hope you weren’t waiting too long.”
“Nope, I just got here.”
“Good, let me grab my purse and we’ll head out.” I jogged into the house and returned in a flash.
“What did you tell Bear about me?”
“Only that you’ve had great luck as an investor. I’m taking my own vehicle down so I can visit with him longer. You can follow me.”
“Okay.” I said as we all piled into my Ford.
I dropped Rose off at her rundown blue jeep. Anyone who knew Rose could see her coming from a mile away. The tailgate of her jeep was covered with stickers of fairies frolicking in the woods and she had a small crystal unicorn with a gold horn and hoofs hanging from her rear-view mirror. She pulled onto the dirt road and we carefully maneuvered around the deep ruts toward the paved road.
Within ten minutes we reached the small town Killer and I had passed through the day before. The town consisted of the basics for mountain life, a automotive garage with towing and snow plows, a bed and breakfast, a place that sells fishing supplies along with horse rentals and snowmobiles, a gas station that also sells some winter apparel, and of course a bar and grill. We pulled into the parking lot of Pops Bar and Grill and got out of our vehicles.
“Does Bear own this place?” I asked as my eyes gazed over the exterior of the bar.
“Yep, it’s been in his family for a long time.”
We climbed the steps up to the rectangular building and on to a narrow deck. The only window on this side of the building was on the front door. The sign in the window said closed.
“It’s not open Rose.”
“Not open to the general public right now. Bear put this together special for us before business hours. He wanted to have some extra free time to meet you. We’ll go around back.”
We rounded the side of the building and stepped onto a full deck in the back with high railings. Well placed solid wood picnic tables covered most of the open area. The stunning view off the back deck caught my eye.
The deck stood at least five feet off the ground. A few feet beyond was the same stream by my house, but wider, making it a river. On the other side of the river a rock bed sloped up to the tree line with purple mountains set against the crisp blue sky.
While I was enjoying the view Bear must have come out of the bar, because I heard Rose croon.
I turned around. My first thought was thank goodness this wasn’t a find Montana a man set up. My second thought was, now I understand why everyone calls him Bear.
Bear’s a big guy with more muscle than fat. His demeanor screamed rugged mountain man. At first glance he seemed to be about the same age as Rose, whatever that is, but then I realized he’s probably a bit older. He has shoulder length sandy blond hair, mixed with gray. His beard and mustache was solid gray and his sharp blue eyes were surrounded with laugh lines. He looked like a big bear, but not as hairy. He also adored Rose.
I sat down at one of the picnic tables and waited for them to stop goggle-eying each other. Watching them was both endearing and embarrassing. Endearing because they were kind of old, embarrassing for the same reason.
Bear pulled his eyes away from Rose and noticed me sitting at the table. He interlocked his hand with hers and came over to introduce himself.
“Hi, I’m Tom Tomson,” he said. “You must be Montana.”
“Very nice to meet you,” Tom Tomson I thought, no wonder he liked being called Bear.
“The pleasure’s all mine,” he said smiling, “but call me Bear. I hardly ever answer to Tom.”
“Okay Bear” My eyes wandered back to the mountains. “This is a wonderful place you have. The view is absolutely enchanting and the landscape looks like an oil painting.”
“Thank you,” he glanced at the mountains with a grin. “It’s the reason I moved up here. Follow me and I’ll give you the grand tour. Afterwords you ladies can help me set up for the feast.”
I didn’t want to move from my seat. Natures energy seemed to flow through me, wrapping her lovely hands around me. I could sit on the deck forever with the sun beating warmly down on me.
I took another moment to enjoy the surrealism of the day before entering the bar and grill. I found the interior bigger than I’d imagined. A stage for bands and a dance floor faced the left side of the room. The tall wood tables and chairs were strategically placed along the edge of the dance floor to the center of the restaurant. A good size walkway lay in between the tables and the bar. The bar covered most of the wall. A long mirror was bolted up behind the shelves of glasses and bottles of alcohol. Bar stools sat in a neat row, waiting for costumers to come in and claim them. The kitchen was located behind the bar to the right through some double doors.
I wandered around and scanned over the pictures on the walls while Rose and Bear disappeared into the kitchen. Most of the pictures consisted of a hunter bagging his animal, or a fisherman catching his fish. A few pictures, I assumed, were a younger Bear and his family. When the pictures had circled me back to the bar I started collecting the items they’d put out for our feast. I took them outside and placed them on the picnic table closest to the river. Bear and Rose joined me. We all sat down and dove in. We were starving.
“Ooh, what is the meat? It’s so good!” I asked Bear.
“That’s smoked elk. I shot a big one this year.” He said smiling.
I loaded my plate with smoked elk, potato salad, corn on the cob, and rolls. While I ate I debated on how many pieces of peach cobbler I wanted. And how long it would take me to burn off all of the calories I had already consumed.
Once we were done eating and rearranging our jeans so we could plow into the peach cobbler Bear glanced up at me from his plate, “I have an ulterior motive for feeding you.”
“Really? What’s that?” My eyes drifted to the cobbler.
“Rose says you’re an investor and I wanted to talk to you about investing in my business.”
“Is your business doing badly?”
“No, but me and my son want to add on, were thinking about having a few people invest with us.”
“Hmm…,” my first real day of vacation and already someone wanted to discuss business.
Bear’s grin widened “I actually don’t want to go into detail now. I need to open the bar and I know you’re on vacation, but I’d like to meet with you later. Maybe in a week or two with my son if that’s alright with you?”
“It’s perfect. It gives me a little time to settle in.” I sighed with relief, under my breath.
“Well,” Bear said as he stood up “I have to go to work now.”
“The food was fabulous,” both Rose and I announced together.
“I’ll help you pick up, then Killer and I are going home to for the night.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay for a drink.” Bear said looking at Rose, but speaking to me.
“I brought my own car down, I’ll be staying.” Rose replied, blushing.
“I still need to unpack, but thank you.” I grinned.
“Well, come inside anyway, I have a few elk steaks for you and steak bones for Killer, your horribly vicious looking attack dog.” Bear said laughing.
I started laughing too. Killer hung his head down a notch. I swear his fur turned a blush color as he followed us through the door.
We finished cleaning up then Bear hefted a heavy cooler full of meat and bones into the truck. We all said goodbye and I headed for home. All I could think about was changing into sweats and starting a fire.

My senses pricked as soon as I pulled into my driveway. I was being watched. The hair on the back of my neck and arms stood to attention and a chill crawled up my spine.

I examined the area, nothing seemed out of place, but that didn’t matter. The forest surrounded me, shadows danced as the cool breeze ebbed and flowed through the trees. If something was hidden in the woods watching me it could be hiding behind one of the huge pines, or oak bushes, or anywhere.

I parked and slightly turned my head to glance at Killer. He must be a defect. He wasn’t reacting at all to the unseen vibes floating off the wind. I thought animal’s had a sixth sense about stuff like this and Rose never mentioned being spooked. My nerves shook, panic tried to take over my clear thinking. I inhaled several deep breaths to calm myself and glanced around again. Knowing my doors were unlocked made me feel a little better. I wouldn’t have to mess around with a key, but at the same time someone might have been in my house or might still be.
“Okay Killer we’re getting out, grabbing the meat and running for the door. This is important so you’d better be listening. If anything moves out there I want you to attack. Got it Killer?”
He yawned. I think he was ignoring me, but at least he was ready to get out of the truck. I searched for anything I could use for a weapon. I found absolutely nothing so I threw open the door before I lost my nerve.
“Come on Killer!” I whispered as I hauled out the cooler and booked it up to the deck. I flew into the house with Killer on my heels, slammed and locked the door behind me then raced to the back locking that door too. After sliding down onto the floor and collecting my nerves I realized the spooky sensation had dissipated.
“Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me?” I shook my head. “Nothing, I’ll figure this out.”
As my jitters subsided I walked back into the living room to check on Killer. He stood gazing at the fireplace with such longing I had to start a fire for us or feel guilty for thinking of my own needs first. Once the logs started to burn he settled down on the floor and closed his eyes. I put the meat away and bolted upstairs, time to start unpacking and get on the computer.
I found my smokes in the first box I unpacked and lit one. My 357 Revolver showed up in the fifth box, with the bullets. I loaded bullets into the gun and searched my house, rechecking the doors. Whoever was watching me hadn’t been in the house, at least not that I could tell. I changed into my sweats and fluffy pink socks before kicking back on the couch with my laptop. I thought about calling Rose and telling her, but she would have said something to me if she was having problems. I also had to take into consideration my ability to pick up on strange occurrences and some paranormal activities along with sensing other people and their intentions.
Not saying these episodes were in anyway paranormal. A mad psycho serial killer might be on the loose, on my land.
I spent the rest of the night on the computer, researching escaped convicts and haunted lands, coming up with nothing. I wasn’t any closer to finding out what may be on my property. I set down my computer and fell asleep on my couch, thinking The next morning I woke up so stiff I could barely move.
Mental note buy a bigger couch or make it to my bed.
I stood up, did some yoga stretches, found my gun, made some coffee, and reached the front door with Killer by my side. I hid my gun in my coat pocket and headed for Rose’s house. Her jeep wasn’t in the driveway and she didn’t answer her door. She probably spent the night with Bear, good for her.

Scrivener- Part Two: for Amazon

I have finally bought Scrivener. I was working with the free trail for a while and decided that this software was definitely worth having. Working with has been interesting and so far fairly easy, so here I am at part two of my new adventure into the not so known… ( link for the post on (Scrivener: Part One )

I have uploaded one of my novels to break apart and read one more time before it goes to print and am slowly getting through reading it due to life’s demands.

My next stopping place in Scrivener is the find and replace option.

Find and Replace- easier than I thought it would be. The find and replace is in the tool bar under edit and find. Piece of cake, it just took me a few minutes to find:)

Word Definitions- This is cool! If you highlight a word and right click on it you can scroll down to writing tool and look up that word in several different locations- google, wiki, dictionary, thesaurus, etc..

Formatting- For paragraph changes: Highlight or click in front of what you would like to change the go to format-text-spacing, add your changes then click okay and yes to changing spacing.

Text Size- Highlight the words you want to change and make changes with the tool bar on top of the page.

Bookmarks- contents, hightlight chapt. one etc.., left click scrivener links, link to chapt. one etc.



Page Breaks- Edit, insert, page break



Images- Edit, insert, image from file

Linking TOC- Highlight Chapt. one.. etc., left click, scrivener links, manuscript, chapt one… (Unfortunately, I have not figured out how to keep the scrivener links. When I compiled everything into PDF format the links disappeared, so I had to download into open office and re-link everything:()

Compiling- Before you start to compile you need to go into contents and make sure everything you want in your book is checked “as is.”

For separators I used Text-empty line, Folder- empty line, Folder& Text- empty line, Text & Folder-Page Break.

Formatting- Level 1+ I checked title, Level 1+ I checked title, and the next level 1+ I checked text– there is also a italic blue A in the left hand corner–click on that and you can adjust your formatting size, font, etc. on all levels for compiling.

Happy Scivenering!:)

Blake-A Montana Dayton Novel Ch. 1:2

The next morning I woke up to hot breath in my face and half of a dog lying on my chest. “Good morning to you too Killer,” I pushed him off me. I tried to roll over to go back to sleep, but he planted his big face right in front of mine. One “Woof”, he sneezed. I was now covered with dog slobber.

“Thanks.” I cringed as I wiped off my face with a tissue. “I suppose you want to go out?”
Killer’s tail started thumping on the bed. “Okay,” I yawned. “Let me get dressed. Don’t make a habit out of waking me up this way.”
I threw on some sweatpants and a shirt before plodding downstairs with killer on my heels. I smelled coffee as soon as I stepped into the solarium. Oh, thank you Rose.
Taking a short detour into the kitchen I poured some coffee. I noticed the machine was on a timer before I headed for the front door. I stepped onto the deck. The morning chill caressed my bare feet. My java steamed in the crisp air and my feet were getting cold fast. I started to say “Hurry up Killer,” but he felt the same way I did. He’d already bolted inside the the front door.
“My turn,” I mumbled. I refilled my cup, took a long hot shower to warm up again, and applied a touch of makeup. A little blush, eyeliner, mascara, and I’m done. I stepped into my walk-in closet to rummage for some clothes and smiled. Rose had unpacked some of my boxes. I found worn jeans, a black long sleeved, low cut, turtle neck sweater, some thick socks, black boots, and a dark green flannel shirt.
After I dressed I went back into the bathroom and contemplated my hair. It’s fairly long, a tad wavy, (if I don’t brush it right away) and normally reddish blond. Right now it’s colored a rich dark auburn. I’d been debating on putting gold streaks in for the last week. But have been holding off out of pure laziness.
I’ve got a small pink rhinestone stud in my nose and a belly button ring with pink dangling rhinestones‘. I’m slim, but still need to exercise. I’m the proud owner of five tattoos. Four of them are a Gaelic vine in different colors I drew myself, and one’s a phoenix.
The Gaelic vines start on my left upper arm and travel up my shoulder. They snake diagonally down my back and end just past my right hip. The phoenix is on my right thigh. I had them draw the designs on me that way so I can cover them. I love tattoos.
Unfortunately, some people look down on tattoo’s and think the worst. Contrary to their belief I very rarely drink and I don’t do any drugs, unless you count caffeine a drug. I smiled and took another hit of coffee. In my line of business it’s better to be able to cover them when I need to.
I brushed my hair and proceeded to check out my loft. My bathroom was beautifully built with granite counter tops and tiled floors in bone gray colors. Cobalt blue streaks wound through the bone gray, adding a touch of glamour to the bathroom. The shower’s built into the corner and my beloved Jacuzzi sat against the wall, both of them tiled in the same colors.
I stepped through the door and into my bedroom. My queen size, four poster bed was placed in the middle of my room. I fluffed up the cobalt blue down comforter and wandered over to my dresser. I glanced in the mirror attached to the dresser and grinned. Could life get any better than this?
I clicked on the track lighting strung across the ceiling above my bed. The cobalt blue vanity lights shined off my wood floor and radiated a soft glow onto the throw rugs.
Rose did an amazing job decorating. In between my bedroom and the stairs was a small office space with a desk, computer, filing cabinet, and of course some rosemary hanging from a silver string. I breathed in the scent. I still had some unpacking to do, but it could wait.
I walked downstairs, found a protein drink for breakfast, and searched for Killer. He was staring wantonly at the fireplace.
“Come on Killer, we’re going to find Rose and check out the rest of the property.”
He gazed longingly at the fireplace one more time before standing up and expelling a heavy sigh. I couldn’t help but grin as we walked through the solarium, he was already acting spoiled. I noticed more rosemary hanging form silver string by the back door. “I wonder what that’s about.” I mumbled under my breath as we strolled across the deck and down the stairs.
Rose’s house was built behind and to the right of mine a short distance away. A small hard packed dirt road edges off the main drive to her house, so she doesn’t have to walk too far. It’s built similar to mine, except her loft’s the guest room, and her bedroom’s where my solarium is, just a bit smaller to accommodate an extra downstairs bathroom.
I stopped abruptly halfway to her house. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up on end. A creepy sensation settled over me. I glanced at Killer. He sat down, giving me his “what’s up” face. I slowly turned in a circle, eying the landscape and trees surrounding me. I checked out Killer again, no reaction from him. I didn’t see anything. The sensation didn’t last long before everything went back to normal.
“What was that about?” I asked Killer as we started walking. I glanced at him again, not expecting him to answer and smiled. “Must be culture shock, straight from the wild city to the wild, peaceful forest.” My gut told me otherwise. I ignored it. “I might need a couple of days to adjust.” I said, shaking off the eeriness of the moment before.
Killer and I halted again when we reached Rose’s front deck. We stared wide eyed, taking everything in. Crystals, fairies, dragons, unicorns, and Pegasus’s covered her deck. Some were in the form of statues, but most were wind catchers, sun catchers, and chimes. Pots of rosemary sat on both sides of the entranceway and one sat in front of her door.
Killer whined and planted himself below the steps.
“Okay, you stay here.” I climbed the stairs up to Rose’s door, announced myself and tried to enter. How weird, I thought. The door’s locked. I knocked. Rose hurried out, quickly closing the door behind her.
“My house is a mess. I’ll show it to you later.” She huffed, almost running down the front stairs.
Rose was dressed in light teal leggings, a dark teal tie-die long sleeve hoodie and bright red hiking boots. Her long silver hair was tied back in a braid with brilliant blue dragonfly rhinestone clips on both sides of her head, holding the wisps’ of stray hair back.
Rose’s full name is Rosemary Parks. I used to work for her helping out around the house. Now she works for me, kind of. The deal is she can stay on as long as she wants for free as long as she takes care of the property while I’m gone. So far everything’s worked out great. She’s a little taller than me, but almost everyone is, a little rounder, and much older. I’ve never asked her age and she’s never told me. I do know she acts younger than her age and looks younger too.
“I’m packing, and then I have to clean before I leave this weekend.”
“Why so soon? I thought you’d be here another couple of weeks so we’d be able to spend some time together.” I said pouting.
She growled. “You know my kids. They don’t think I can take care of myself.”
“You did tell them I would be here right?”
Another growl, “Yes, but they decided I might get stuck in a snow storm, end up staying all winter, and break my hip from slipping on ice or something.”
Rose’s kids live in Los Angeles, California and desperately want her to move somewhere closer to them. Rose can’t stand the smog or the noise pollution, so she visits for a couple of months once a year over the holidays to pacify them.
“Anyhow,” she said as we started walking to the barn with Killer on our heels, “I had the solar panels rechecked, they’re good to go, and the wood pile’s full thanks to Bear.”
“Who’s Bear? And what’s with the hanging rosemary in my house?”
She got this huge grin on her face “You’ll meet Bear later today. He’s invited us to an early dinner. The rosemary’s for protection against evil spirits, negative energy, and to prevent illness. I read about it in a book. You should burn some every once in a while too.”
I pondered that for a minute. No evil spirits were allowed on my land or in my house. I hardly ever got sick and negative energy was definitely not allowed on this trip. I could handle the rosemary, I’d just add it to the growing list of Rose’s little quirks. Bear, on the other hand, would hopefully be Roses age.
Rose stalled at the barn door, turned around and peered at me like she was trying to read my mood. “How did you sleep last night?”
“Really good. What’s up Rose? Is there a problem? You’ve been acting weird all morning.”
“Well, we adopted a barn cat,” she tossed her braid back, while eyeballing Killer, “her name is Pumpkin.”
I side stepped her and entered the barn. On the right, shelves reached close to the ceiling. Most of them full of odds and ends for my horse. A plank leaned against the side for a cat walk. On the top shelf was a huge orange tabby cat with yellow eyes.
“She keeps the mice away.” Rose said.
“I bet.”
Pumpkin looked like she had her fill of mice, along with the dried cat food on the top shelf. The cat had to weigh 20 plus pounds. There was no telling where the hair ended and the fat began.
Rose’s back came up. “I found her in town. No one would claim her, so here she is.”
“It’s okay Rose” I mumbled as the cat began to hiss at us. “I’m sure we could use a barn cat.”
Pumpkin hissed again louder, apparently she’d noticed Killer. Killer sat down and whined at Pumpkin. Pumpkin glared down at him.
“I’m going to finish checking out the barn and say hi to Lightning.” I walked into the stall with Rose right on my heels.
“There’s something else I need to tell you.” Her voice sounded rushed.
I have four stalls in my barn and one horse. I found two.
“You took up horseback riding?”
“No.” She replied from right behind me. “You know I only like horses from a distance. I meant to talk to you, but I’ve been busy. That horse there is Ace and he belongs to Max.”
“Who’s Max?”
“Oh, you’ll like him. I offered him use of the barn in exchange for Chase.” Rose grinned.
“Who’s Chase?” I asked, wondering if Rose was being vague on purpose.
Rose sighed, “He’s the kid taking care of the horses. Max is paying him to come take care of Ace and Lightning while he builds his barn. Plus Chase said he’d take care of Pumpkin for me too. Chase likes Pumpkin.”
“Why does this guy Max own a horse and no barn?”
“He’s got wolves.” She replied, like I should already be aware of this. “Look I’m not comfortable with you staying here alone all winter.”
“So you’re bringing people into my vacation I don’t know!” I was starting to growl now. “Rose I have a video cam on my computer to talk to my family, Killer, Lightning, now Pumpkin, and a truck. I won’t be isolated up here.”
“You’ll like Max and Chase,” she humphed, putting her foot down. “Subject closed!” She stomped out of the barn.
I blew out a breath and rubbed Aces nose. Ace gave me the impression he was a top breed horse, but I don’t know much about horses. He stood tall with a mix of gray and white hair, white mane and tail. Gorgeous.
I frowned, my first day here and already I was becoming stressed. I closed my eyes, rolled my shoulders and relaxed by picturing his owner as a short, pudgy, balding, middle aged man, who needed wolves, and a gorgeous horse to feed his ego. I smiled and held on to the image.
Lightning’s my horse. She’s in the stall across from Ace. She’s a sleek black female with four white socks, black mane, and a black tail. I think she’s a mutt. She doesn’t carry the same princely demeanor as Ace. I adopted her down in Hurley because I wanted a sweet horse to ride up here. I grabbed a brush, stepped into her stall, and started brushing her, wondering again what had come over Rose.
“Woof!” I snapped out of my zone, put away the brush, and went to make sure Killer wasn’t killing Pumpkin. Nope, he still had his eye’s glued to her, but now his tail thumped on the hay strewn floor. I glanced up at the cat. Not to upset. Good.
“Come on Killer, I suppose we should get ready to meet Bear.”

Introducing–>> Shannon Pemrick

As this weeks featured Author

 Shannon Pemrick was born in 1991 in a small city in the Southwestern corner of New Hampshire where she was raised with her younger sister. Thanks to her limitless imagination, she spent most of her days daydreaming about the impossible in hopes it could one day be possible. This imagination sparked a love of the arts that eventually lead her down the road to writing where she discovered her first book idea.

Shannon currently lives in her home town with her Fiancée, three cats, and species confused dog. Experimental Heart: Pieces is her first published book and the first in the Experimental Heart series.

Further information about her and her book can be found on her website as well as her Facebook page where she loves to hear from her readers.

website http://shannonpemrick.com

genre Science Fiction, Fantasy

 

 

Experimental Heart: Pieces (Experimental Heart, #1)

“…Do you know what it’s like to kill without regret?”

Eira only knew one thing in life. To kill. Designed to be an emotionless killing machine of war she had no desire to be a puppet of another’s master plan. Escape was the only option. A normal, free life was the only goal. Labeled as a failure, she took the opportunity to run and was hunted.

“…Do you know what it’s like to kill without being able to feel?”

Now given a second chance at life thanks to a mysterious dragon, Eira is forced to make a crucial decision. Accept his help to gain her desired freedom or keep running with an eye over her shoulder.

“…Do you know what it’s like to live in hell?”

But, can she really trust him?

“…Didn’t think so…”

 

Blake-A Montana Dayton Novel Ch. 1

*Revised and Updated on Amazon*

“Oh Killer, it’s so nice to almost be home! What a crazy last nine months. I almost forgot how beautiful the mountains are up here.” I sighed as I drove the narrow road with the hairpin curves.

“Soon winter will be upon us.” I grinned. “All of those brilliant gold leaves on the Aspen trees will be bare against the Pine trees, and wow, the fresh air smells fabulous.” All of the tension left my body as peace from the surrounding mountains settled in. There was nobody else on the road, and as far as the eye could see were the reds, gold’s, and greens of the trees.
“We’re almost to Valles Calderas, wouldn’t it be nice if we spot some elk herds.”
Valles Calderas is a vast meadow surrounded by the mountains and is one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world. Because the meadow is so green it’s hard to imagine it was once a volcano. Yellow and purple flowers dotted the grass, making it look fantastical. At one time it was private property with cows grazing on the land along with the elk, but now it’s public property, empty of the bigger wildlife until fall when the elk seem to come out from hiding. That’s what I was hoping for on this trip.
I’ve driven this road many times in my life, and had different experiences each time I’ve come up here. Mountain lions have jumped out in front of my vehicle, racing to the other side of the forest in an awesome blur. I’ve seen bears, and twice I’ve stopped for a big herd of elk crossing the highway. A bit scary, but quite a sight. A few times I’ve felt like I was driving on a parallel plane. The trees and rocks seemed just a tad out of their original place. Some nights I the drive was peaceful, other nights I would get crept out on certain stretches of the road. And, of course, there were the times when the drive was surreal like now.
Once I stopped to view the vastness of the Valles Calderas and one lone coyote walked right up to my truck. We checked each other out for about ten minutes before he took off back into the valley, very cool. I love these mountains and that’s why I chose to live here.
I kept my eye out for elk as Killer lay contently next to me with absolutely no interest in what was going on around him.

“Oh well, I don’t see any elk this time. Too bad.” We drove in silence for a while, “I have such big plans for us this winter Killer, you’re going to love it up here. We’re going to hike, fish, spend lots of snowy days sitting in front of the fire, and we’ll have tons of peace and quiet!”

My name is Montana Dayton. I am officially on vacation. Killer’s my 6 month old, 80 pound adopted chocolate lab/ bull mastiff mix puppy. He probably doesn’t have a vicious bone in his body. But when he runs, which is rare, he starts foaming at the mouth. He reminds me of Stephen King’s rabid Cujo. Right now he’s lying in the passenger seat of my truck with his head plopped down uncomfortably on my lap.

“I have to admit I’m starting to get a little nervous.” Silence from Killer.
“Okay this is something you don’t know, I let Rose oversee the construction of the houses, the modeling, and the decorating of the interior. I’ve only seen the blueprints, so I’m not sure what we’re going home to.”
I adopted Killer on a whim a week ago from my mother’s dog preserve in Hurley, NM. To be honest, he wouldn’t stop following me around. What’s a girl to do? Besides he’s cute and he doesn’t talk literally, I’ve heard a “woof” once. I can tell him all of my deep dark secrets knowing he won’t tell a soul, and his greatest quality is he doesn’t talk back. For the only man in my life he’s perfect.
“Okay Killer we’re almost there. See that dirt road? It leads to our casa.”
I down-shifted and turned on the gravel road in my big, gas guzzling Ford F-150, four wheel drive pickup, painted forest green camouflage colors. I then realized I’d made a great investment buying the truck. The ruts were horrendous and in major need of grading.
I noticed the for sale sign on the truck and fell in love. I took the beast for a test drive and purchased it right away. Besides, does it really matter that I look like a teenager driving it?
I’m 28 years old, 5’2”, and the steering wheel almost touches my chin for me to reach the gas pedal. The old Ford was already coming in handy. And looking younger than you really are is a good thing right?
I gazed at the landscape around me as I worked my way around the ruts. Both sides of the dirt track were thick with big beautiful Pine trees, Blue Spruces, Aspen, and some Oak bushes. The sunlight sparkled off the leaves of the trees casting a shadowy, lacy pattern over us. My truck blended in with the landscape. My skin prickled with anticipation.
I found the perfect piece of land for myself. It’s a three mile drive up the dirt road before we reach the clearing to my house. A huge meadow sits behind my back door, forest surrounds the meadow, and a big stream runs through, with good fishing from what I’ve been told. There’s also a small wooden bridge that crosses over the stream to the other side of the forest, which is private property like mine.
“Yes my driveway is graded!” I exclaimed as we reached the house. My driveway’s shaped into a horseshoe for easy turn around access and is big enough to hold several vehicles. I pulled in, turned off the truck, and stared at the A-Frame house for a few minutes.
“This is a good sign Killer, no dragons or fairies anywhere.” Killer smiled and some drool pooled out of his mouth leaving a long wet mark on my pants. I shook my head as I wiped off my leg with the bandana I’d bought just for these occasions. “Let’s check out the casa, and then find Rose.”
We ambled up the stairs to the front door, which is off a full deck and went inside.
“First we find the kitchen and get you some food and water Killer. Killer?”
On one side of the entrance way a long dark skinny table sat against the wall with two top drawers. Below the dresser a braided rug covered the floor, creating enough distance underneath for shoes. On the other side of the wall was a coat rack, and in the corner by the doorway was a big bunch of rosemary hanging off a silver string.
The rosemary enveloped the air with a nice pine scent. Through the entrance way is a big open space with a high ceiling and long ceiling fans hanging down. My living room sat to the right side of the entrance, and my kitchen sat to the left.
Killer was lying on the big throw rug in the living room in front of a roaring fire at Roses feet. Rose sat in a big overstuffed chair eyeballing him.
“Is he safe?” Rose asked, scrutinizing Killer.
“Yeah, he’s good.”
Rose didn’t seem to certain. I called Killer. He cocked his head at me, put his head on his paws and closed his eyes.
“Okay Killer, food and water are in the kitchen when you’re ready. You would think as a puppy he would want to run and play after the long drive up here.”
“He doesn’t look like a puppy to me.” Rose examined Killer.
I laughed. “He’s 6 months old; I can’t wait until he grows into his gangly self.” I watched him sleeping. “I’m pretty wiped out too. I want to check out the rest of the house before I hit the sack.”
Rose slowly got up and tiptoed around Killer. “He’s going to take some getting used to, but he does seem like a big softy. So, what do you think?” Rose asked, spreading her arms around.
“I think the house is perfect.” One couch, one chair, an entertainment system with a big screen TV, stereo, two gaming systems, all the DVDs and dreaded exercise games I needed.
Rose stared at me with her eyebrows raised. “There’s hardly any furniture in here. What if you decide to entertain? Where will everyone sit?”
“That’s the point.” I laughed. “No entertainment in my abode. Only me and Killer this winter.” Don’t get me wrong, I like people, just not all of the time. Besides, right now I’m on vacation.
“Let’s go into the kitchen,” She sighed. “You really should be more social, meet more people, find a man, and have some kids. I don’t understand why you want to stay up here alone all winter. When you get old like me you can have your “peace” time.” She finger quoted peace and gave me a loving, but disappointed gaze.
“Let’s not go there again. I already meet a lot of people and right now I‘m on vacation. You know I don’t want people to know who I am and where I live.” I replied as we walked into the kitchen. “These granite counter tops and all of the new appliances are gorgeous.”
I slid my fingertips over the glossy black, with dark gray specks, granite counter top. The appliances were black, and exactly what I ordered. Black is a perfect color for someone like me. I have a bad habit of spilling dark drinks and food often. The tile floor was a beautiful Santa Fe Brown with stain guard, making it super easy to clean.
“I’m proud of myself. The island I added myself to kind of separate the living room and kitchen.” Rose smiled. “It sits six people; see the bar stools, six of them. Just in case you change your mind and have a few people over.”
I rolled my eyes and yawned. “The kitchen is perfect Rose. What’s next?”
“Solarium, then your room and bed. You can check out the rest in the morning.” Rose led me to the back of the house, past the downstairs bath, and we entered the solarium. The solarium windows were made out of thick glass. The windows allowed the natural sunlight and warmth in while keeping out the cold. Rose had planted my garden in this room a few months earlier, and the plants were already bursting with fruits and vegetables.
I turned around in a full circle, admiring all of her hard work.
“Thank You Rose. This is wonderful.”
“Your room’s upstairs, I’m going to go check the barn. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You’re an angel.” I smiled and aimed for the stairs.
The spiral staircase to my left was almost dead center in the solarium. I climbed up the wood steps, walked through my office space, longed for my bed, and went straight into the bathroom. I think it took me two minutes total to clean up, strip, and fall asleep.

Introducing–>> Susannah Scott

SUSANNAH SCOTT lives in the Missouri Ozarks and is the lone female in a very loud household of males ranging in age from 4 to 40. Susannah loves to hear from her readers. Please visit her website at www.susannahscottbooks.com or follow her on Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/SusannahScott

website http://susannahscottbooks.com/

twitter username susannah_scott

genre Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary

*

Luciana de Luca has a PhD in sass and gemology—and a problem. Her twin brother’s gambling debts have gotten out of hand, and a mob enforcer is blackmailing her to rob the latest, greatest mega-casino on the Strip. Although Lucy has worked her whole life to get away from her family’s grifter past, to save her brother, she dons three-inch heels and a sluts-r-us dress and struts into Alec’s Gerald’s casino, determined to put her long-forgotten thieving ways to the test again.

Alec Gerald, a shape-shifting dragon, has built the Crown Jewel casino to provide sanctuary for his people amongst the flash and awe of Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the sexy little thief trying to steal his largest diamond exhibit turns out to be his mate, and he must woo her before he loses his dragon form forever. But before he can handcuff her to his bed and explain the details of a mating ceremony, an enemy attacks and threatens to destroy his casino, his people, and his newfound mate.

Luck of the Dragon *Special Edition Print*