Karen Docter's Blog, page 193
February 5, 2017
**Author Peek** Interview with Marla Josephs’ BETRAYED Character, Nick
**Author Peek** Interview with
Marla Josephs’ BETRAYED Character, Nick!
INTRODUCING…Marla’s BETRAYED (A Reluctant Series Novel) character, Nick.
Karen: What is your name? Do you have a nickname?
Nick: Nick is actually my nickname.
Karen: Who is your best friend? What kinds of things do you do when you’re together?
Nick: Reid Snow is my best friend. What do we do together? Um…well, you know. Burgers, beers, and ball games are always fun. But, I guess I should come up with something more appropriate if you’re going to publish this. Let’s see…we really just like to hang out. Doesn’t really matter what we do.
Karen: If you have a family, how do you get along with them? If you don’t, are there people in your life that you consider family? How do you get along with them?
Nick: I have a wonderful family. My sister, parents, and I are very close. And, we get along very well. I do have extended family that I also get along with very well.
Karen: When you’re angry, what do you do? Where do you go? How do you deal with your anger?
Nick: I have a pouty chair. (laughs) At least that’s what my girlfriend calls it.
Karen: A pouty chair?
Nick: Oh man, this is another one we should leave off the record. But, it’s just a chair I sit in when I’m working things out. It’s in this corner, and it’s a really uncomfortable chair.
Karen: So, why do you sit in it?
Nick: I think it forces me to face whatever it is I need to work out. Especially when I’m angry and I think I’m in the right. It forces me to see it objectively, and most of the time, I’m out of bounds. Does any of this make sense?
Karen: Um…sure. (trying not to laugh.)
Nick: Definitely leave this out. My girlfriend already calls it my pouty chair. I don’t want her to also know that I’m admitting to being in the wrong.
Karen: If you had to make me a meal right now, without going to the store, what would you find in your refrigerator to feed us?
Nick: Not sure. But, probably breakfast foods! I always have fruit, eggs, and usually ingredients for pancakes or crepes.
Karen: What’s the one thing you’re afraid of losing?
Nick: (Looks like he has something in mind, but doesn’t want to say it.)
Karen: What was the first thing that came to mind?
Nick: It’s sort of personal.
Karen: Oh? Well we can move on to the next question if you don’t want to share.
(He nods.)
Karen: What are you most ashamed of in your life?
Nick: (Laughs but with little humor) Uh, I’m not real comfortable with that one either. I take it we’re getting to the personal questions?
Karen: Yes. We are. But, you don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to.
Nick: So, can we just skip the personal questions if I just give you a little information?
Karen: Maybe.
Nick: (cringes a little) I did something a long time ago that really hurt my girlfriend. And, I’m not real proud of that. And, we were apart for a very long time. But, now…well, now she’s given me a second chance. And, I don’t intent to blow it. Is that good enough?
Karen: (smiles and nods her head) How about, what makes you happy? Is that too personal.
Nick: (Grins now) Keeping my woman happy, always makes me happy.
Karen: That’s always a good answer.
February 2, 2017
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s: Fish Fillets w/Shrimp Sauce
It’s time for Karen’s Killer Fixin’s! Over the years, I’ve filled two 4-inch, 3-ring binders with my own creations as well as recipes my family and friends were willing to share with me. I simply love to cook and want to share that love with my readers. So every Friday, I share one recipe I think you and your family might enjoy. It might be a main course recipe. A cookie or baked item. Candy. Salads. Whatever strikes my eye and fancy…which today is FISH FILLETS w/SHRIMP SAUCE!
I don’t have nearly enough fish recipes now that I’m looking for healthier dinner options but I do have a few to share. This is a wonderful, flavorful way to cook something quick and different. Very tasty!
I hope you enjoy today’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 296 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
FISH FILLETS w/SHRIMP SAUCE
[Serves 5-6]
1 lb. fish fillets
1 T. lemon juice
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Shrimp Sauce (below)
2½ to 3 cups hot cooked pasta
Arrange fish with thick part on outside edge in baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cover and microwave on high 3 minutes. Rotate dish ½ turn. Microwave until fish flakes, 2-4 minutes longer. Remove fish and keep warm. Prepare Shrimp Sauce. Pour fish and sauce over hot macaroni.
Shrimp Sauce: 2 T. butter, 1 T. flour, 1 cup milk, 1 egg yolk (slightly beaten), 1 can shrimp (rinsed and drained), 1/3 cup finely chopped cucumber, 1/8 tsp. chili powder, dash of pepper. Microwave butter in 4-cup measure, uncovered on high until melted, 15-30 seconds. Stir in flour and milk. Microwave, stirring every minute until thick, 2-3 minutes. Stir in at least ½ the hot mixture into egg yolk. Blend egg mixture into remaining hot mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Microwave uncovered on medium (50%) 2 minutes; stir. Micro until hot, 1-2 minutes longer.
Happy Eating!
February 1, 2017
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Final Exit (EXIT Inc. #3) by Lena Diaz
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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FINAL EXIT
EXIT Inc. #3
By LENA DIAZ
Blurb
Lena Diaz concludes her sexy, suspenseful EXIT Inc. series as an FBI agent teams up with a beautiful assassin to uncover a deadly government conspiracy…
After a tragic mistake nearly destroyed his life, Special Agent Kade Quinn will do whatever it takes to save his career. His latest mission? Track and capture the remaining EXIT operatives to determine if they’re still a threat. But his next target—a stunning female assassin—is both elusive and dangerously appealing.
Bailey Stark has outsmarted the FBI so far, but she’s tired of running. Tired of watching her friends ambushed by government agents in tactical gear and never seen again. She suspects they aren’t being evaluated—they’re being exterminated—and she’s determined to convince Agent Quinn his mission is a lie before it’s too late. Bailey doesn’t want to rely on him. She definitely shouldn’t desire him. But she knows teaming up with the skilled, sexy agent may be her only hope.
Kade doesn’t want to believe Bailey’s claims, but he promises to keep her safe. Trusting one another is difficult. Fighting their attraction is harder. And as they uncover the disturbing truth behind his mission . . . staying alive will be nearly impossible.
EXIT Inc. – What the Heck is it?
Just what is “EXIT”? The simple answer is that it’s an acronym that stands for “EXtreme International Tours”. EXIT Inc. is a company that matches tour guides and vacation packages with people who want extreme, fun, and dangerous outdoor experiences all over the world. This can range from riding fiver rapids and ziplining across deep canyons to climbing Mount Everest or some other equally exciting but dangerous endeavor. All under the protection of an experienced and capable guide. But is that really what EXIT is about?
Of course not.
The tour company part of EXIT Inc. is just a front, a cover for its real mission as a clandestine government organization. Many of the tour guides at EXIT are really agents, called Enforcers, who take on the dirty jobs that other alphabet agencies can’t, or won’t, tackle—including assassinations. The Enforcers take out the bad guys before the bad guys can hurt more people.
Or, at least, that’s what it’s supposed to be about.
What the heroes in the EXIT books quickly discover is that there is far more to EXIT than even they knew. There’s a conspiracy, that may go all the way to the top. Enforcers are being tricked, used for someone’s personal gain. As a result, some of the people being “taken out” by Enforcers may not be bad guys after all.
Each of the EXIT novels (there are three in all, with FINAL EXIT being the last) focuses on a different Enforcer, and a dilemma each of them has to resolve. Meanwhile, the series itself has an overarching thread through all of the books, showing what happens to EXIT Inc. as its Enforcers begin to realize they are being used. FINAL EXIT is the explosive conclusion when readers finally find out what happens to the company and those who are behind it.
Yes, the books are most enjoyable when read in order as a series. However, each one is also stand-alone, following a specific problem that the hero and heroine have to tackle together while they fall in love. It’s always my goal to make each of my books a fully satisfying read regardless of whether you’ve read any of the others in the series.
The first two books, EXIT Strategy and No EXIT, feature heroes who are Enforcers. In FINAL EXIT, it’s the heroine who’s the Enforcer. How cool is that? I loved writing a super-strong female character who was smart, fierce, and willing to fight to the death for the people she cared about. And who better to pair her with as the love interest than a by-the-book FBI agent who was her polar opposite? Bailey and Kade were a super-fun couple to write. Forced to work together against EXIT, they have to overcome their mutual distrust of each other in order to survive. And along the way, of course (after all, it is a romance), they fall in love. And they live happily ever after!
FINAL EXIT
EXIT Inc. #3
By LENA DIAZ
Excerpt
Friday, 11:55 p.m.
It was a perfect night to catch a killer. A warm breeze blew out of the south at about six miles per hour. Rain-heavy clouds covered the half-moon, plunging the cliff where Special Agent Kade Quinn stood into darkness. He was betting on the old cliché, third time’s a charm. And also betting on the numbers—that his six, shiny new special agents could take down one highly skilled, remarkably cunning, experienced assassin.
Not the kind of odds to go to Vegas over. But he had to work with what he had. If things went as planned, Bailey Stark would soon be in custody like the dozens of other EXIT Inc. Enforcers that his team had managed to capture. The now-defunct company could never again fool the public into believing that all it did was offer vacation packages, so-called “EXtreme International Tours.” The clandestine organization’s true legacy as a corrupt front for government-sanctioned murder would end with the capture of the last few Enforcers. By the time his mission was over, every last one functioning members of society.
And innocents like Abby would never again become the victims of killers like Bailey.
Between the nightmare of his wife’s death and the near-constant ache in his ruined left leg, Kade had his own, very personal, debt with EXIT. And he planned on collecting. He scanned the tree line. Past the red oak and Ponderosa pines, the Colorado Rockies squatted like dark sentinels watching over tonight’s operation. Below him, in the middle of a wide, nearly treeless valley, was ground zero, the two-story cottage that Bailey believed would be her sanctuary. Instead, it would become her last stand. A quarter-mile-long driveway connected a two-lane highway to this remote property. At close to midnight and an hour’s drive from Boulder, the road was essentially deserted. Kade couldn’t have asked for a better place to launch an ambush. And if his intel was correct, Bailey should arrive within the next half hour.
Only a few minutes later the two-way radio on his belt crackled to life. “Big Bear to Lone Wolf. Come in.”
Kade rolled his eyes and pressed the transmit button. “Kade here. What’s the situation report, Nichols?”
“You’re ruining my fun, boss.” He shook his head but played along. He had to pick his battles. “Lone Wolf to Big Bear. What’s the sitrep?”
“Much better.” A chuckle sounded through the radio. “A beat-up, dark blue Camaro just turned off the highway. One occupant. Looks to be our target. She’s heading toward the cottage.”
“Use the SUV to block the road behind her. If she gets spooked, I don’t want her doing a one-eighty and making it to the highway.”
“Affirmative. Big Bear out.”
Kade clicked off the mic and belatedly wished he’d downed a handful of antacids before driving out here. Being assigned these eager, raw newbies had to be his penance for his breakdown after the accident. They were also the reason he was here in person rather than monitoring the mission remotely per the usual protocol. Tonight’s target had already tricked his team and gotten away—twice. Kade was here to make sure that didn’t happen again.
“Cord,” he said through the two-way. “Sitrep.”
“You mean you aren’t going to call me Little Bear?”
“Do you want me to?” He was half-afraid of the answer.
“Hell no. I’m not in junior high.”
“You guys know I can hear you, right?” Nichols chimed in.
“Sitrep,” Kade growled.
“She just passed my ten o’clock,” Cord announced. “Dom should have her in his sights in a few seconds.”
“Already do,” Dominic confirmed. “The car is pulling up to the house. We’re all set.”
“Radio silence in three, two, one.” Kade clicked off the transmitter.
They couldn’t risk the sound of static or a mistimed transmission alerting their target. Or at least, that was the official reason for breaking communications. Unofficially, he needed a few moments of silence to get his impatience under control. What had happened to the bureau’s standards? Big Bear, Little Bear? Hell, two of his agents—Dom and Jack—had tattoos. Since when had the FBI allowed tats? Quantico was going soft.
He looked through the binoculars. Instead of driving into the attached garage as expected, Bailey did a three-point turn and parked the Camaro pointing down the driveway. Was she suspicious? Had she purposely positioned her vehicle for a quick getaway? His hands tightened around the binoculars. The driver’s door opened. A petite woman in dark-colored shorts and a white T-shirt emerged. A pistol was holstered at her waist and her shoulder-length, curly red hair reflected like flames in the soft glow of the porch light. Even at this distance she had the kinds of curves that made men pay attention—including Kade, much to his chagrin.
He had more reason than most to despise Enforcers, and yet his breath caught every time he looked at one of her photographs in the case file. He couldn’t imagine the effect she’d have on him if he ever got within a few feet of her in person. It was bad enough that his pulse quickened whenever those deep green eyes gazed back at him from her pictures. But what he hated the most was the odd feeling of kinship he felt toward her, a tug of empathy when he saw the shadows in her eyes, the same shadows he saw every time he looked in a mirror. He couldn’t help wondering what had happened to harden her and make her look so lost, so sad, so incredibly . . . alone.
Meet Author Lena Diaz. ..
Originally from Kentucky, romantic suspense author Lena Diaz also lived in California and Louisiana before settling in Northeast Florida with her husband, two children, and a Shetland Sheepdog named Sparky. A Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® finalist, she’s won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense and has been a finalist for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award. She loves to watch action movies, garden, and hike in the beautiful Tennessee Smoky Mountains.
~~~
Links to Lena’s website, blog, books, etc.
Link to Follow Tour:
http://tastybooktours.com/tours-master/final-exit-exit-inc-3-by-lena-diaz
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30317403-final-exit
Goodreads Series Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/139120-exit-inc
Buy Links: AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE | iTUNES | KOBO
Author Links: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER| GOODREADS
~~~
Thanks, Lena, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Congratulations FEBRUARY 2017 Blog Subscriber Giveaway Winner!!
Time to announce the FEBRUARY 2017 #WINNER of my Monthly Blog Subscriber Giveaway, where special readers can win a read or coffee – two of my favorite things—on me!!!
And the winner is…
COOKIELOVESBOOKS…
Congratulations! You have won a $5 gift card from Amazon or Starbucks (your choice)! I’ll contact you privately to arrange for delivery of your gift.
Dear Readers,
If you missed this month’s giveaway, you can still subscribe to my blog at http://www.karendocter.com/ to get my blogs delivered straight to your email and be entered EACH MONTH into a random drawing for #FREE $5 gift card. On the first of each month, I’ll draw one name at www.random.org from all of my subscribers to receive the card.
More wonderful perks to subscribing to my blog? The blogs, when they appear in your Inbox, are pretty and easy to read. You can discover new authors, recipes and reader fun…and many of the authors sponsor GIVEAWAYS just for commenting!
If you’re only in the mood to receive my Special Release Alerts, you can subscribe to my mailing list instead. This is NOT a newsletter, but the occasional Karen/K.L. Docter news release.
Thanks for joining me on Karen’s Killer Book Bench!!
Karen/K.L.
To avoid SPAM filters, I’m announcing this random giveaway on the blog so that all current subscribers will know who won. If your name is announced and you don’t hear from me and can’t find an email in your SPAM folder, please contact me at kldocter@yahoo.com. Thank you!
Winners selected by random.org.
January 31, 2017
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: End Of The Road by LS Hawker
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
END OF THE ROAD
By LS HAWKER
Blurb
Great minds can change the world…or leave it in ruins.
When tech prodigy Jade Veverka creates a program to communicate with her autistic sister, she’s tapped by a startup to explore the potential applications of her technology. But Jade quickly begins to notice some strange things about the small Kansas town just beyond the company’s campus—why are there no children anywhere to be seen, and for that matter, anyone over the age of forty? Why do all of the people living here act uncomfortable and jumpy?
On the way home one night, Jade and her co-worker are run off the road, and their lab and living spaces are suddenly overrun with armed guards, purportedly for their safety. Confined to the compound and questioning what her employers might be hiding from her, Jade fears she’s losing control not only of her invention, but of her very life. It soon becomes clear that the threat reaches far beyond Jade and her family, and the real danger is much closer than she’d ever imagined.
END OF THE ROAD
By LS HAWKER
Excerpt
Jade Veverka unwrapped the frozen Bomb Pop she’d bought from the gas station on the corner of Main and 3rd and took a bite. She sat gazing at the pile of magazines on the barbershop coffee table while a rhythmic alarm-clock buzz went off in her head. Not an urgent warning, just buzz buzz buzz.
Her friend and coworker, Elias Palomo, sat in the barber chair, getting his customary fade crew cut, the same one he’d presumably sported since his plebe days at the Naval Academy. So the background to her mental alarm clock was an actual buzzing from the electric razor punctuated now by a sharp yip of pain from Elias.
“Sorry about that,” the barber said.
Elias rubbed his ear, and Jade attempted to keep her face neutral, looking at his scowl in the mirror.
Buzz buzz buzz.
She leaned forward and fanned the magazines—Popular Mechanics, Sports Illustrated, ESPN—all this month’s issues. Jade took another bite of Bomb Pop and grinned.
“What are you smiling at?” Elias grumbled, rubbing his nicked ear.
“I don’t know how to tell you this,” Jade said, “but you are not the center of my universe. I do occasionally react to things outside of you. I know it comes as a shock.”
“Shut up,” he said, his dark eyes flashing.
Jade stared now in fascination as the razor tracked upward on Elias’s skull, his glossy black hair—or what was left of it—uneven, his scalp an angry pink. This guy was the worst hairdresser Jade had ever seen. And the least talkative. In her experience, growing up in rural Ephesus, Kansas, barbers had always fit the stereotype—gregarious and gossipy.
Elias was the shop’s lone customer, and only a few folks walked by outside the window, through which Jade could see the hardware store and the occasional slow, passing car.
Buzz buzz buzz.
It struck Jade now that this was less a barbershop than what amounted to a barbershop museum, complete with an actor playing the part of the barber. She wanted to point this out to Elias, but it would mean nothing to him. He’d grown up in Reno, Nevada, a vast metropolis compared to Jade’s 1200-population hometown an hour southeast of this one, which was called Miranda, Kansas.
Not only was this man not a barber, he wasn’t a Kansan either, Jade would have bet money.
“Hey,” she said to him. “What’s your name?”
The man went on butchering as if she hadn’t spoken. Elias’s eyes met Jade’s in the mirror, and his dark thick brows met on either side of a vertical crease, his WTF? wrinkle. He leaned his head away from the razor, finally making the barber pay attention.
“The lady asked you a question,” Elias said.
Jade had to hold in a guffaw. This never failed to tickle her, him referring to her as a lady. No one other than him had ever done that before. Plus she loved the authoritative rumble of his voice, a trait he’d probably developed at Annapolis.
The barber froze, his eyes locked with Elias’s. Weird.
“Need a prompt?” Elias said. “Your name.”
The man cleared his throat.
“Is it classified?”
Jade did guffaw this time, and she watched the barber’s jaw muscles compress as she clapped a hand over her mouth.
“My name’s Richard.”
“Hello, Richard, I’m Elias. This is Jade. We work out at SiPraTech.”
Jade could see from Richard’s face he knew very well where they worked. He nodded and got back to destroying the remains of Elias’s hair.
“Whereabouts you from, Richard?” Jade said.
He pulled the razor away from Elias’s head and blinked at her.
What in the world was this guy’s problem?
Buzz buzz buzz.
Elias emitted a loud sigh, clearly exasperated by the guy’s reticence, and waved a hand as if to say, “Carry on, barber-not-barber.”
Jade laughed again.
“Here,” Richard mumbled. “I’m from here.”
Like hell. What was he, in the witness protection program or something?
And then it hit her. The magazines, every last one of them, was a current issue. In a barbershop. The place where back issues of magazines go to die.
She’d worked for SiPraTech just over three months now, and Miranda, the closest town, had always given her an itch. Something about it was slightly off, but she couldn’t say what. She’d brought it up to her team members—Elias, Berko Deloatch, and Olivia Harman, and each of them had looked at her as if she was schitzy. They all came from big cities, so Miranda struck them as weird in general.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz.
As if drawn by static electricity, her eyes tracked to the window where a man in mirrored shades peered into the barbershop. The man had a dark mustache and wore a blue baseball cap pulled low over the sunglasses.
What was he staring at? She glanced behind her, but there was nothing to see but a white wall. When she turned back, the man mouthed something at her, his exaggerated soundless enunciation wringing a sharp intake of breath from her.
“What?” Elias said in response to her gasp.
Was it her imagination, or did this man she’d never seen before say her name?
Jade Veverka.
Meet Author LS Hawker.
..
LS Hawker’s debut thriller, THE DROWNING GAME, is a USA TODAY bestseller and an International Thriller Writers Thriller Awards finalist in the Best First Novel category. She grew up in suburban Denver, indulging her worrisome obsession with true-crime books, and writing stories about anthropomorphic fruit and juvenile delinquents. She wrote her first novel at 14.
Armed with a B.S. in journalism from the University of Kansas, she had a radio show called “People Are So Stupid,” edited a trade magazine, and worked as a traveling Kmart portrait photographer, but never lost her passion for fiction writing.
She’s got a hilarious, supportive husband, two brilliant daughters, and a massive music collection. She lives in Colorado but considers Kansas her spiritual homeland.
Visit LSHawker.com to view book trailers for THE DROWNING GAME and BODY AND BONE, listen to her podcast with daughter Chloe, The Lively Grind Cafe, and read about her adventures as a cocktail waitress, traveling Kmart portrait photographer, and witness to basement exorcisms.
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Links to LS’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://LSHawker.com
Facebook:
YouTube:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B014LBUPXK
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: LS is giving away a signed paperback copy of her second novel, BODY AND BONE, to one lucky reader who comments on her Author Peek Interview or Killer Book Bench blogs. Good luck!
Thanks, LS, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
January 30, 2017
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: At Close Range (Tracers #11) by Laura Griffin
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
AT CLOSE RANGE
Tracers #11
By LAURA GRIFFIN
Blurb
New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin “delivers the goods” (Publishers Weekly) again with the eleventh title in the gritty, heart-pounding Tracers series.
When a lakeside tryst ends in a double murder, police detective Daniele Harper arrives on the scene determined to get answers. Clues are everywhere, but nothing adds up. Dani turns to the Delphi Center crime lab for help, but soon regrets it when her secret attraction to their chief firearms examiner threatens to distract her from the most important case of her career.
As a ballistics expert and former Navy SEAL, Scott Black knows firearms, and he knows he can help Dani unravel her case. Scott has managed to hide his interest in his best friend’s younger sister for years, but when her investigation brings them together, the sparks between them quickly get out of control. Scott resolves to keep his hands off Dani and his eyes on the goal—identifying a killer. But when that killer zeroes in on Dani, all bets are off. There isn’t a line Scott won’t cross to convince Dani to trust him so that he can help her take down a ruthless murderer who has her in his sights.
AT CLOSE RANGE
Tracers #11
By LAURA GRIFFIN
Excerpt
Dani watched him. Scott stood beside the car, his back to the victim as he skimmed his flashlight over the ground. The firearms expert was tall and broad-shouldered, with the super-ripped body of a former Navy SEAL. Instead of his usual tactical pants and combat boots, he wore jeans and a leather jacket tonight, so maybe he’d been out when he’d gotten the call. Dani knew from experience that his jacket had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the Sig Sauer he carried concealed at his hip.
Something glinted in the grass, and Scott crouched down to tag it with a numbered marker. Two minutes on the scene and already he’d discovered a piece of evidence. He stood and squared his shoulders, and Dani felt a pang deep inside her as he approached.
He stopped and towered over her, and for a moment they just stared at each other.
“Was the passenger door closed when you got here?” he asked.
“That’s right.”
“Where’s the girl?”
“No sign of her.” She nodded at the woods. “One of our officers is searching near the lake with Travis.”
He watched her for a moment with those cool blue eyes. His gaze shifted to the woods. “You need a K-9 team.”
She bristled. “I know.”
He strode over to his truck and opened the toolbox again. He took out a metal detector, which would help him locate shell casings or bullets, and maybe even the second victim if she was wearing jewelry or a belt.
Then again, the killer might have taken her somewhere else. Dani glanced back at the road and got a queasy feeling in her stomach. Where was she? She turned her attention to the lake, visible just beyond the trees. It was a scenic spot, usually–a tranquil little oasis for couples. But not tonight.
She glanced at Scott again, and he was watching her closely–so closely it made her wonder what he was thinking.
“You coming?” he asked.
She nodded at the body. “I’ll stay with him until the ME shows.”
Scott walked off, and Dani let her gaze follow him until he disappeared into the woods.
The medical examiner’s van rolled up, followed closely by Ric, and Dani’s stomach tightened as she thought of everything she didn’t like about this case. And it wasn’t even an hour old yet.
Ric walked over, his expression grim as he took in the scene. “The media has it.”
“That didn’t take long.”
“It was all over the scanner,” he told her. “I give us ten minutes, tops, before they roll in here with their cameras. We need to barricade the road.”
“Daniele.”
She turned toward the sound of Scott’s deep voice calling her from the woods. He was a tall silhouette at the edge of the trees, and from his tone Dani knew it was bad.
“What is it?” she yelled back.
“I found her.”
Meet Author Laura Griffin.
..
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author LAURA GRIFFIN started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of romantic suspense. She is a two-time RITA Award winner (for the books Scorched and Whisper of Warning) as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award (for Untraceable). Laura currently lives in Austin, where she is working on her next book.
~~~
Links to Laura’s website, blog, books, etc.
Link to Follow Tour:
http://tastybooktours.com/tours-master/2016/11/8/at-close-range-tracers-11-by-laura-griffin
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29430839-at-close-range
Goodreads Series Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/46965-tracers
Buy Links:
AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE | ITUNES | KOBO
Author Links:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
~~~
Thanks, Laura, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
January 29, 2017
**Author Peek** Interview with LS Hawker, END OF THE ROAD
**Author Peek** Interview with
LS HAWKER!
INTRODUCING…LS.
1. How did you get started writing?
I went to a groovy progressive elementary school that had no desks but cushions on the floor and we got to do pretty much whatever we wanted. If we didn’t “feel like” doing math for instance (which, coincidentally, I never did), we didn’t have to. So I read books and wrote stories pretty much all day every day. While this “education” didn’t prepare me for middle school, where I had to sit at a desk and go to classes and do homework, it did program me to be a writer for good and for always.
2. What genre(s) do you write in and why?
I write suspense and thrillers. I started out writing YA (because I was a YA at the time), but found that I loved dreaming up horrible and terrifying situations and watching my characters try to squirm out of them. Whenever someone tells me one of their stories, I always play the “what-if” game in my head, wondering how that story might have been different if the worst had happened. I guess I’m a little on the sadistic side.
3. What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?
I often plot while I’m driving. It’s the perfect place to let my mind wander and be inspired by whatever I see out the window. I also think about Disney World.
4. What is your favorite part of writing?
When I get into the zone and characters begin doing things I never expected them to do.
5. What is your least favorite part of writing?
When I can’t make what’s on the screen as real as what’s in my mind.
6. Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who would they be and why?
C.S. Lewis would be my dad because he was so well-read, well-educated, cultured, and a theological giant as well as an excellent writer. And Mother Maybelle Carter would be my mom, because she invented the scratch technique on the guitar and was one of the most influential American musicians of all time. She would have taught me guitar at a young age.
7. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
From my own varied and harrowing adventures, and true-life story podcasts like This American Life and The Moth.
8. Tell me about your ideal reader .
My IR likes staying up late reading, saying, “just one more chapter,” who likes fast-paced narratives and quirky characters.
9. What is your “go to” routine that helps you get in the mood to write? Special beverage? Music? Etc.
I listen to movie soundtracks when I’m writing. I burn candles. My office ceiling is covered in Christmas lights, and coffee and/or bourbon are usually involved.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
END OF THE ROAD comes out January 31, 2017. It’s the story of a computer science grad student to designs a program to communicate with her autistic sister and is tapped by a well-funded startup to develop the software. But the startup is not what it seems, and neither is the reason they want the program. Peril, hijinks, and nerdiness ensue.
~~~
Be sure to come back to learn more about LS and her novel, END OF THE ROAD, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
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Links to LS’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://LSHawker.com
Facebook:
YouTube:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B014LBUPXK
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**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: LS is giving away a signed paperback copy of her second novel, BODY AND BONE, to one lucky reader who comments on her Author Peek Interview or Killer Book Bench blogs. Good luck!
Thanks, LS, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Congratulations Week 01-16-17 & 01-23-17 Blog Giveaway Winners!
CONGRATULATIONS WEEK
01-16-17 & 01-23-17
BLOG GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!
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Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger…
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Janet and Will are giving away an ebook copy of DESERT ICE to two lucky readers who comment on their Author Peek Interview or Killer Book Bench blogs. Thank you, Janet and Will, for sharing your story with us.
WINNERS: LINDA MOFFITT & EILEEN ABERMAN-WELLS !
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Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Julianna Douglas…
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Julianna is giving away an ebook copy of BUTTERFLY SERENADE to one lucky reader who comments on her Killer Book Bench blog. Thank you, Julianna, for sharing your story with us.
WINNER: EILEEN ABERMAN-WELLS!
~~~
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with Adele Downs…
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Leave a comment and sign up for the monthly newsletter from Adele Downs. http://www.adeledowns.com/newsletter.html
TWO lucky winners will receive a Swag Pack by USPS mail filled with Bromley’s Earl Grey tea and other goodies from Adele Downs. The tea will be the perfect complement to Adele’s Original Banana Bread recipe. Enjoy!
Thank you, Adele, for sharing your story with us.
WINNER: KATHLEEN BYSLMA!
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Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Kat Martin…
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Kat is giving away an ebook copy (winner’s choice Kindle, NOOK, paperback – US ONLY) of INTO THE FURY, BOSS, Inc. Book 1, to one lucky reader who comments on her Killer Book Bench blog. Thank you, Kat, for sharing your story with us.
WINNER: GLENDA !
~~~
Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Tess Summers…
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Tess is giving away an ebook copy of OPERATION SEX KITTEN (San Diego Social Scene Book 1) to one lucky winner who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog. Thank you, Tess, for sharing your story with us.
WINNER: COLLEEN C.!
~~~
Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Cindy Charity…
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Cindy is giving away an ebook copy of THE COMPASS to TWO lucky winners who comment on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog. Thank you, Cindy, for sharing your story with us.
WINNERS: BN100 & SAMANTHA!
~~~
EVERYONE’S A WINNER!!!
Don’t miss the SEASON OF SURVIVAL BOX SET:
3 Action-Packed Romantic Suspense Series Starters
By Bestselling Authors Kim Cresswell, K.L. Docter & Rachel Kent
*** NEW Release Price Special ***
*** ONLY $.99 ***
See what you’re getting in this collection of three full-length novels…
REFLECTION (A Whitney Steel Novel – Book One) by Kim Cresswell
Blurb: Lunch with the ex-husband is not always a fun thing especially when bullets start flying and reporter Whitney Steel finds herself in the middle of a human cloning story that will rock the world…providing she lives long enough to get her byline.
“A deeply emotional romantic suspense that starts bold and holds you captive to the very end.” –New York Times Bestseller, Dianna Love
KILLING SECRETS (A Thorne’s Thorn Novel – Book One) by K. L. Docter
Blurb: Some secrets are better left dead. Too bad the Angel Killer’s digging them up. Rachel James’ ex-husband is released from prison determined to reclaim her and her traumatized child, his key to the James fortune. Patrick Thorne isn’t interested in helping another of his parents’ charity cases, especially after losing his unborn son and wife to suicide. Only trust will untangle the secrets that dominate their lives, free a child of her silent prison, and save them both from a killer who stands too close.
“This romantic suspense is full of wonderful secrets, twists, turns and has an evil serial killing villain. The kind of killer we see on the TV show CRIMINAL MINDS.”–RT Book Reviews, Bernadette Cychner
BROKEN PIECES (Bits & Pieces – Book One) by Rachel Kent
Tara Jacobs had her life completely planned. She truly did have it all after a lifetime of struggles. Unfortunately, her stepbrother arrives in town and threatens to ruin her well-laid plans with some blackmail. Tara stops at almost nothing to keep her skeletons from tumbling out of the closet.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2fwCWdl
Kobo: goo.gl/K86bZJ
iTunes: https://goo.gl/j3hlrt
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32764369-season-of-survival-box-set
*The Season of Survival Box Set contains adult situations, language and violence. Each story can be read as a stand alone. This is a reissue of the Seasons of Thrills Box Set.*
HAPPY READING!
~~~
All giveaway winners chosen by random.org from reader comments with the exception of Rafflecopter giveaways which are determined and announced offsite by publisher/authors. Thank you!
January 26, 2017
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Cindy Charity #recipe ~ Potato Soup
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with CINDY CHARITY!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, CINDY CHARITY, and her favorite recipe for POTATO SOUP!
THE COMPASS
The Divided Star Series Book 1
By CINDY CHARITY
Blurb
Darkness is coming…..in truth, it’s already here. The only thing that can defeat it is the Compass. Only problem is…..she doesn’t know.
Feisty and defiant, Ali Hayes is determined to break free from her controlling parents. New York is the perfect place to assert her independence and prove once and for all, that she wasn’t crazy. However, strange events begin to happen, threatening to open the door to the past that she swore she had nailed shut. And when a sexy, immortal warrior, claiming that she was needed to save the world, tries to abduct her off the street, Ali has to rethink the whole sanity thing.
As a warrior of Agrona, Finn O’Shea was tall and imposing, in battle, he knew no equal. He had come to Earth’s realm in search of the one destined to save his world. When he finds her, he soon learns that he would need more than just his sword…..he needed magick. The very thing he had turned his back on.
THE COMPASS
The Divided Star Series Book 1
By CINDY CHARITY
EXCERPT
Ali always thought that the phrase, ‘seeing red’, was an overreaction, but it perfectly fit how she was feeling right now. Her head hurt, her body ached, and she smelled like a sewer. And the one responsible was standing in front of her, relaxed, looking like cover model in his too well fitting jeans, too form fitting shirt, and badass leather jacket; telling her that she needed to calm down. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. She took several menacing steps forward, holding her purse in a tight, doubled fisted grip. Her goal was to gain the satisfaction of hitting him. But her heel caught, and she was propelled forward.
Finn only had a second to react. He caught her, grunting under the surprise. He had a moment to enjoy the feel of her soft body. Then, she punched him, catching him under the jaw. It was a paltry punch, but it did shock him.
“Get your hands off of me!” When she found herself released quickly, Ali stumbled, and nearly fell before he grabbed her—again. “Stop it.” She pulled away and the heel of her boot was snagged once again. Only this time, there was the sickening sound of wood splintering. “Oh no—oh please no.” She went down—hard.
Finn had no idea what was happening, only that she had yanked herself out of his grasp, and was now sprawled on the ground. Energy snapped in the air, a result of her high emotional state. He crouched down to aid her only to have his hand slapped.
“You’ve done enough.” Tears clogged her throat. Her right boot was now missing its fabulous heel. One tear fell, followed by another. This just bites! Glaring up at Finn, Ali laced her words with acid. “These are my favorite boots and cost me a small fortune.”
The attachment mortal females had to shoes and clothes never made sense to him, but seeing how upset Ali was over this particular pair, had him wanting to fix it. “I can repair your boot.” Without pause, and ignoring another swipe of her hand, Finn took hold of her and lifted her to her feet. She hobbled due to the broken heel. To regain her balance, she placed her hand on his bicep. Her touch ignited a firestorm within. Hot, and powerful, the energy raced through his system like lightning, rooting him the ground.
The muscles in his neck corded as he fought against it. His body struggled to absorb it, to try to neutralize it, but it was too strong. He watched Ali’s eyes widen and glaze over, her nails dug into his arm. Seeing her in distress ripped a roar from him, yet, he could do nothing. The sheer force of having so much power travel through him was enough to send him to his knees. This went beyond the desire he had felt when he had connected to her mentally.
She was on fire, she had to be; her blood felt like it was boiling. Ali tried to let go of Finn, tried to step back, but she couldn’t move. Her muscles seized, causing sharp, jabbing pains. Something in her shifted, it was dark and menacing. She didn’t like it, it made her feel sick. Her vision went in and out of focus; she saw Finn’s face, it was set in hard lines of pain. For some reason that bothered her more, she didn’t want to see him in pain. Her throat felt swollen and it was so dry, it would be agonizing to speak. But he was the only one who could give her an answer. “What’s happening to me?”
All her ire was gone, replaced by vulnerability. As much as he wanted to—needed to, Finn couldn’t answer her. His body was dealing with the force of her touch. The leather of his jacket could not protect his skin, it burned where her fingers clutched. It was like thousands of tiny living barbs were digging their way into his flesh, burrow deep and anchoring there. And while they were digging, pulses of energy shot into his system. In his mind he saw bright lights in various colors. They pulsated and flashed with frenzy.
Finn!
Cian’s voice, filled with panic, reached him. He sounded like he was millions miles away. Through the torment, Finn responded. Her touch, it scorches. I cannot stop it—the lights, there’s something in the lights but I cannot see what it is. He felt Cian’s attempt to interfere, but all it did was strengthen the connection, and pain unlike he had ever known, cleaved a bellow from him. To put it in mortal terms, it was like sticking a fork into a light socket. He knew he had to remove Ali’s fingers, but his brain wasn’t listening to his commands. It was though they were fusing together, her energy and his.
Her eyes began to drift close. Ali fought against it. She still hadn’t told Finn what she thought of him. He needed to hear it; he was too bossy, and way too sexy. She rarely lost her temper so completely, but she sure had now—the gorgeous oaf. She moved her mouth, tried to form the words. Frustration had her growling. Then, just as suddenly as it had happened, everything stopped, like a switch being flicked off. Her hand slipped off of his arm and fell limply to her side. She was so dizzy. Why was she so dizzy?
Finn doubled over and struggled to get air into his lungs. His body was racked with spasms. Raising his head, he saw Ali. She weaved a bit. Her eyes were cloudy. He immediately dismissed his own condition and focused on her. “Ali, lass, look at me, concentrate on me, on my voice.” He saw her try, and for a brief second, he believed she gained clarity.
“I’m so going to kick your ass when I wake up.” She crumbled to the ground, her bones like liquid. Finn was on her in a flash. He gathered her limp body into his arms, ignoring the stench that wafted off of her. He bent his head to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. She lived. Cian’s voice came to him.
Get her home, Finn—there’s nothing more we can do this night. We will provide all the protection we can.
Staring down at Ali’s face, he committed every line to memory. The curve of her cheeks, the way her nose tipped ever so slightly at the end. Her lips were slightly parted, Finn found himself fixated on them. Unlike most mortal women, Ali wore no color on her lips. Ever so lightly, he traced a finger along a cheek, marvelling at the softness of it. A smile tugged at his mouth. She looked so peaceful, but he had been subject to her temper.
Rising, he held her close to his chest, jolting when she curled inwardly into his embrace. Her brow wrinkled and she murmured something he couldn’t quite decipher. However, he got the feeling that it had something to do with him. Shifting her slight weight, Finn collected her purse, and then brought the address of her building to mind. He felt Cian’s boost and soon, he and Ali faded from the alleyway.
About Author Cindy Charity.. 
Cindy lives on the beautiful shores of Lake Huron with her husband, three kids, Murphy (a Great Dane) and a cat named Albus. A long time lover of the written word, Cindy decided to try her hand at writing when her eldest daughter was born.
Writing in both the paranormal and contemporary genres, allows Cindy the freedom to explore both sides of her personality (her family claims she has more than two, but that’s another story!)
When she is not thinking of ways to test her characters, Cindy is an Early Childhood Educator, as well as an Educational Assistant. When not writing, or wrangling kids and pets, Cindy enjoys reading (of course!) hiking, time with family and friends, and chocolate (and wine! Must not forget the wine!)
You can connect with Cindy on Face book, Twitter, or fire off an email; she’d love to hear from you!
~~~
Links to Cindy’s Website, Books, & Social Media:
Amazon, The Compass: http://amzn.to/2kzJcCM
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CRCCharity
Pinterest: https://www.pintrest.com/crazykool
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cccrazycanuck
Blog: www.cindycharity.wordpress.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ccdugan
Amazon Author Page:
www.amazon.com/author/cindycharity
Contact: cindycharity@live.ca
I hope you enjoy the recipe Cindy is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 295 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
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POTATO SOUP
[Recipe courtesy of www.allrecipes.com]
NOTE FROM CINDY: Although I love to cook (everyone in my family does!) I don’t have a recipe book, and I don’t have recipes that were passed down to me. We’re more of a ‘let’s see what happens when we add this and this’. Sometimes it works, most times….it doesn’t. But I do like to try out recipes and the one I’ve included here is one that I found at: www.allrecipes.com
It is hands down, the best potato soup I have ever tasted (even my kids love it!) for the Dutch oven, a large pot will do.
1 pound bacon, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups chicken stock, or enough to cover potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
3 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease.
Cook celery and onion in reserved bacon drippings until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add cubed potatoes, and toss to coat. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Return bacon to the pan, and add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.
In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream, tarragon, and cilantro. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Puree about 1/2 the soup, and return to the pan. Adjust seasonings to taste.
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Cindy is giving away an ebook copy of THE COMPASS to TWO lucky winners who comment on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog.
Thanks, Cindy, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
January 25, 2017
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Operation Sex Kitten (San Diego Social Scene Book 1) by Tess Summers
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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OPERATION SEX KITTEN
San Diego Social Scene Book 1
By TESS SUMMERS
Blurb
Ava Ericson thought she had her life planned out: graduate with her PhD, marry Brad Miller when he finished law school, have 2.5 babies…and mediocre sex for the rest of her days. But when Brad dumps her upon learning he’s passed the bar, citing new “opportunities” available, she has to rethink her future. Believing her lack of experience was the reason Brad broke up with her, she launches Operation Sex Kitten (OSK), a plan to become a vixen in bed and get Brad back. Things might go astray when she meets the notorious attorney, Travis Sterling, the bachelor who she is sure can teach her a thing or two in the bedroom. As she enjoys putting OSK theories into practice, she realizes the real ‘operation’ will be for the two not to fall in love. Fun and romantic, Operation Sex Kitten turns up the heat with explicit scenes while you root for love to conquer all.
OPERATION SEX KITTEN
San Diego Social Scene Book 1
By TESS SUMMERS
Excerpt
Ava woke to the smell of coffee. She opened her eyes and could see the dawn’s light starting to shine through her blinds. Taking a delicious full body stretch, hands above her head, and letting out an mmm as she finished, she wouldn’t have been able to wipe the smile off her face if her life depended on it. She’d finally had movie sex.
She looked over to see Travis in the doorway with a cup of coffee, clad only in his boxers, smiling back at her.
“Morning,” he said with a low voice.
“Good morning!” she replied back with a smile. Ava stretched again, only this time the sheet covering her naked body slipped down to her waist. She watched his eyes dance with delight when she didn’t rush to drape it back over her and instead laid there, enjoying being naked in front of him.
Sitting down on the bed next to her, he leaned in and asked, “Regrets?” while tucking her hair behind her ear.
Ava flipped over onto her stomach, hugging her pillow, facing him, her ass only half covered by the sheet. Last night had been incredible. She’d gained some of the experience she was searching for and put some of her theories into practice, with mindblowing results. At least for her.
“Not a single, solitary one,” she purred. “You?”
“Are you kidding? I had you, naked, in my arms all night. My only regret is I can’t lie in bed naked with you all day.”
“Mmm, you’re right, that would be lovely.” She slid over and put her head in his lap and closed her eyes while picturing what that would actually be like.
He stroked her hair for a minute before speaking. “I think it’s best if I go before anyone wakes up around here and sees me sneaking out of your place like a tomcat. I have two boys I’m sure are still sawing logs in my guest room, but I need to get back before they know I was gone.”
She knew he was right, of course, but would have loved to have a round two of last night before he left. What has gotten into me? She grinned. Travis had gotten into her— literally.
“I’m only thinking of your reputation, darling,” he drawled when she didn’t move her head so he could leave.
She sighed. That damn reputation.
She got out of bed and put on the tattered robe she had left there after she moved into her condo. Travis slipped his shorts on and T-shirt back over his head and met her at the door leading out to the pool. Having never had a one-night stand before, she wasn’t sure what to expect next. Operation Sex Kitten had just gotten underway; this was all new to her. Do they exchange numbers, promising to call, but both knowing that’s not going to happen? Or do they leave it as it is, no empty promises, nothing more than a goodbye with a kiss?
Those thoughts were swirling around Ava’s head as she stood there, hand on the doorknob, ready to open it and send him on his way, so what he said next confused her a little.
“When can I see you again, Ava?”
Wait, what? Is that just something he’s supposed to say or did he really mean it? She was at a loss for words. More importantly, do I want to see him again?
He brushed the hair away from her face. “I can see you again, can’t I?”
“I’d love to see you again,” she murmured. She was sure there was a lot more she could learn from him.
“Then why the hesitation?” He took a step back and tilted her chin toward him.
My God, he has a commanding presence.
“I guess I wasn’t sure this was more than a one-time thing,” she answered as she dropped her eyes from his.
“Is that what you want?” He almost seemed hurt at the thought.
“No. I’ve just—I’ve just never done something like this before so I’m unsure of the protocol.”
He laughed at her use of the word protocol. “Well, the protocol in this situation is you have dinner with me tonight.”
She tried not to smile too widely when she told him, “I’d like that.”
“I’ll be in touch later today then with the details.” He leaned down and gently kissed her while opening the door. “Last night was incredible,” he murmured against her lips.
He hadn’t taken three steps out the door when Ava called after him. “Travis?” He swung around and waited.
She held her right palm facing up in a questioning manner. “Um, what’s your last name?” She was a little ashamed to be asking at this point. She was sure even sex kittens learned last names first.
He grinned at her. “Sterling,” he responded, then turned on his heel and quickly made his way to the pool gate that led to the driveway before anyone else saw him.
After he quietly and gingerly closed the gate behind him, he put his hand up to wave goodbye to her as she watched him from her doorway. Ava walked back in the pool house and slumped down on the couch.
Holy shit. I just slept with Travis Sterling.
Meet Author Tess Summers.
..
Tess Summers is a former business woman and teacher who always loved writing but never seemed to have time to sit down and write a short story, let alone a novel. Now battling MS, her life changed dramatically, and she has finally slowed down enough to start writing all the stories she’d been wanting to tell, including the fun and sexy ones! Married over twenty years with three grown children, Tess is a former dog foster mom who ended up failing and adopting them instead. She and her husband (and their six dogs) split their time between the desert of Arizona and the lakes of Michigan, so she’s always in a climate that’s not too hot and not too cold, but just right!
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Links to Tess’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website:
https://www.tesssummersauthor.com/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31697986
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2c6p1si
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2cmStbo
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2cg7r6g
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/operation-sex-kitten/id1132787302?mt=11
Google Books:
https://books.google.com/books?id=cXSlDAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Liquid Silver Publishing:
http://liquidsilverpublishing.com/product/operation-sex-kitten/
Kobo:
https://store.kobobooks.com/ebook/operation-sex-kitten
Like my page:
https://www.facebook.com/TessSummersAuthor/
Friend request me!
https://www.facebook.com/tess.summers.56
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MmmTess
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/TessSummers
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/tesssummers
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Tess is giving away an ebook copy of OPERATION SEX KITTEN (San Diego Social Scene Book 1) to one lucky winner who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
Thanks, Tess, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
