C.A. Szarek's Blog, page 16
May 13, 2013
Tell Me About it Tuesday Welcomes H.K. Carlton!
Today on Tell Me About it Tuesday I am welcoming fellow TEB author, HK Carlton! I am so excited! The book looks like an AWESOME read! Thanx for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy the interview!!!!!!
Q. Do you do any special research for your novels?
For one of my historical romance novels, The Devil Take You, I did a ton of research. The setting is 1307 Scotland, during the Wars of Independence. Some of the characters in the book were real people as were several of the events that occur during the novel. I wanted to be certain they were correct and chronological. As well as making sure that dialogue, costuming and geography for the time was correct and believable. I had a lot of fun though.
I also had to do a little bit of reworking geographically in my erotic time-travel romance, Lost Time, and my editors were also able to point me in the right direction, so to speak, since they live in the UK.
Q. What’s your favorite genre to read? Do you write it?
Not so long ago, I would have said historical romance. That’s what I used to read 90% of the time and that is what I began writing. I thought that was my genre. But I have found that I really enjoy writing erotic romance. And reading it too, when I have the time.
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it? I was working on several projects, all in the erotic genre. But I put them all on hold when a good friend and fellow Total-E-Bound author, suggested that Streetlight People needed a follow up. I am diligently working on Toni’s story. (when I’m finished, fingers crossed that it gets accepted)
Q. Did you ever write a character you didn’t like? Or one that gave you problems, going against your intentions for them or your story?
The character Gard in The Devil Take You, is a thief, a liar, a cheat, a marauder, a murderer, a rapist and just about every other rotten thing you can think of for the time period. But somewhere along the way, the heroine was not the only one that fell for him. He is so completely flawed that I just wanted to fix him. But I knew that I needed to keep him a bad ass all the way through. He demanded it.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff. You know, just between the two of us.
Q. The opportunity to go on a surprise vacation arises. You have 90 minutes to pack and get to the airport. Where will you go and what will you pack?
I would go to Scotland, with hopes of finding my missing Highlander. And I would not need a return flight. (sorry hubs) I would pack my laptop, Kindle, some clothes, my daughter; if I could convince her to come with, and I’d worry about everything else when I got there.
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
It used to be historicals first, now I pick up whatever strikes me at the moment. I can read anything in any genre if it captures my interest.
Q. If they make a movie about your life, who do you want to play your part?
Alyssa Milano
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I do not own a passport and I need to apply for one right away to go on that fantastic trip to Scotland to seek out my absentee Highlander.
Drumroooollllllllll please.....
Tell us about your new book!
My recent release in the erotic genre is entitled Streetlight People, an m/f/f ménage story, about some college kids who do a little experimenting. I hope you like it.
Blurb:
We all have hidden desires. Sometimes we conceal them, even from ourselves.
Andrea, your average college co-ed, has signed up for some extra courses at the local university, but so far the only thing that has sparked her interest is the sexy guy on campus with the tight-fitting jeans, muscle-hugging T-shirt and ever-present shabby cowboy boots. From their fiery exchange of awareness, the admiration is not completely one-sided.
After a miserable day at her part-time job and a few drinks, Andi takes a walk, only to find herself in the arms of her campus crush, Street. As the two get to know each other rather robustly against a storefront window, Street’s girlfriend appears and issues a deliciously steamy proposition.
Andrea soon realises she’s about to get a crash course in down-and-dirty street smarts that she won’t soon forget, under the smouldering tutelage of Street and his exotic-looking girlfriend, Toni. Apparently, you can score anything on the street these days—even a threesome!
After a frenzied night of satisfying experimentation, Andi sneaks out while her two companions sleep, escaping the particularly awkward morning after. But in the stark light of day, Andi has to admit that her feelings for Street are more than simple infatuation, and Toni isn’t a part of the new equation.
Could Andrea possibly hope Street might feel the same?
Excerpt:
Oh, God. There he was. Sexy Campus Guy. I didn’t know his name and that was okay with me. That way, when I fantasised about him, I was free to give him any name I wanted. I could call him something dark and dangerous, like Rutger, if that’s what I was feeling that night—or if I was in a soft, romantic mood he was Rogan.
I snorted at my own silliness and climbed up the ladder for the tenth time. I was hanging decorations for the monthly university mixer. I didn’t usually help out with this kind of thing, but they were short-handed so I’d volunteered to help. And—bonus for me—SCG was here too.
I stabbed the tack into the soft ceiling tile, hanging up yet another green streamer, then looked down over the heads of the other students.
I spotted Sexy Guy’s blond head immediately. He was head and shoulders taller than most of the other guys. He was explaining something to one of the other students, gesturing with his big hands. I took the opportunity to check him out.
He was wearing a tight, green school T-shirt with short sleeves that cut right through the middle of his biceps, showing off the nice swells of muscle there, and a pair of snug jeans. They were skinny, tight, and although I’d have liked to know all his secrets, I appreciated the slightly baggier fit in some places.
From across the room he looked up at me, still staring at him from the ladder, and his mouth took on a lopsided grin. I scooted my way down the ladder.
I have a boyfriend, I had to remind myself. And SCG had a girlfriend, I was pretty sure.
"Hey, Andrea, will you quit mooning over the eye candy and go grab me a new roll of tape?" one of the other volunteers asked, laughing at me.
I did as she’d asked, then tossed it up in the air as I passed under the ladder she stood on. She caught it. "Thanks."
"Don’t mention it."
I had one more streamer to hang to finish the row, making almost a shower effect in the school’s colours. I stepped up the rungs one by one and realised at the top that someone had moved the ladder—but if I stretched I could still tack the streamer in the right spot.
All of a sudden, I heard clapping. It got louder. I turned to see what the commotion was and realised a group of guys had gathered behind me and were applauding my ass. One of them even held up a piece of paper with a sloppy ‘9.9’ on it.
"Thanks, guys." I bent in a mock bow. "I‘ll be here all week," I quipped, climbing down. Guys were so easily amused.
"How about less clothes and a pole next time, Blondie?" Sexy Campus Guy commented in a low voice as he sauntered by.
I closed my eyes for a split second. Ooooh, I thought, I’d take the chance to dance around his pole any day.
When I turned back around, he’d climbed up the ladder and his appealing package was at eye level. I stared. Like an idiot.
I swallowed the extra saliva that seemed to have gathered in my mouth as I looked at the…not quite a bulge because he wasn’t hard, but the very nice hint of what might be concealed inside. Apparently, I was easily distracted and entertained as well.
Fuck! I had to get out of there. And the first thing I was going to do was break up with old What’s-His-Name.
This looks like such a fun, hot read! I can't wait to check it out! Thanx for stopping by and sharing, HK!
BUY IT! Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Barnes & Noble
More HK:
BlogFacebookTwitter: @AuthorHKCarlton
May 12, 2013
Six Sentence Sunday: Chance Collision Again!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
I decided I would share more SIX SENTENCES of my WIP, Chance Collision.
This book is #2 in my Crossing Forces Series. Collision Force, the first book in this series will be available for pre-order NEXT FRIDAY from Total-E-Bound Publishing! (May 17) YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope you enjoy!
“So, what, I’m supposed to follow you around until this is over?” Nikki snapped.
“No.”
“No?”
“I’m supposed to follow you around.” One corner of his inviting mouth lifted and she tried to glare again. She couldn’t, but Nikki refused to let it go. He couldn’t cover this up with humor.
So I totally cheated. That's 8, but who cares? Hehehe.
I am deep in the middle of writing this book, so I hope this little tidbit made you want more!
I'm out!
Happy Sunday and once again, Happy Mother's Day!
I decided I would share more SIX SENTENCES of my WIP, Chance Collision.
This book is #2 in my Crossing Forces Series. Collision Force, the first book in this series will be available for pre-order NEXT FRIDAY from Total-E-Bound Publishing! (May 17) YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope you enjoy!
“So, what, I’m supposed to follow you around until this is over?” Nikki snapped.
“No.”
“No?”
“I’m supposed to follow you around.” One corner of his inviting mouth lifted and she tried to glare again. She couldn’t, but Nikki refused to let it go. He couldn’t cover this up with humor.
So I totally cheated. That's 8, but who cares? Hehehe.
I am deep in the middle of writing this book, so I hope this little tidbit made you want more!
I'm out!
Happy Sunday and once again, Happy Mother's Day!
May 6, 2013
Tell Me About it Tuesday welcomes Maggie Nash!
I am VERY excited to WELCOME a good friend of mine, and fellow TEB author, Maggie Nash! I absolutely ADORE Maggie's books & I'm SOOOOOO glad that Maggie stopped by!!!!!!!!!
Meet Maggie, in her own words!
Check out her AWESOME interview!
Q. How has your journey in publishing been? Anything you would or wouldn’t do again?
It’s certainly been an interesting one. I sold the first book I ever wrote, and while that was pretty exciting for me at the time, I think it might have been better for me to get a few under my belt first…don’t get me wrong…I learned a lot in a short space of time, but I think having a few books written first helps you stay ahead of the race. I’ve spent most of my time in catchup writing! I think having a few books written already helps to develop more discipline as well.
Q. What made you pick your particular genre?
I think it chose me! I started writing romantic suspense, then my publisher asked me to add more sex and make it hotter….so how could I resist? That led to writing BDSM and now I’ve also written historical…but at the end of the day, I write what I like to read…so it’s easy!
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I’m working on a fantasy/contemporary series that is based in modern times and ancient Greek mythology. It’s a bit quirky and fun and the heat level is a lot cooler than some of my other stuff!
Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
The one’s that are finished! I get to hate the ones that I’m still writing as they can be tough to wrangle into shape!
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff?
Q. If you won the lottery, what is the FIRST thing you’d do? What would you buy and why?
The first thing I would do is book to go to RT! Then I’d probably pay off all my debts, give my kids a share, if there’s any left I’d invest it…and then take a long, relaxing holiday. Quit the day job…
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
I have eclectic tastes…I’ll read just about anything as long as it has a good story. Of course, romance fiction is my favourite – but crime, scifi , womens’ fiction…
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
O-kay….well I flunked English in my final year at school. Yes…I did indeed. I can only blame myself, because I was terribly lazy that year and I had my first serious boyfriend. Plus I hated the prescribed books and didn’t finish reading them at all….
That was a FANTASTIC interview. I thank Maggie for letting me torture her.
Now what you've all been waiting for....
TELL us about the new book!!!!!!!
"Kinky Bet was released on 29 April, and it’s my first release for a while so I’m very excited!"--Maggie
YAY! CONGRATS MAGGIE!
Blurb:
Excerpt
For the tenth time since she’d left work, Erica Neilson wondered what the heck she was doing. She sighed, spying the large group of people congregating around the bar at the local RSL club, her workmates’ favourite watering hole. She had her friend Nicole to thank for being there tonight.
She scanned the group again, looking for her crazy friend, finding her towards the back of the room playing a lively game of darts with a couple of the new medical students. One of them checked her out with more than a little bit of interest. Erica looked him over and he wasn’t half bad.
Her friend always attracted men like flies. She loved her to pieces but she sometimes envied Nicole’s easy confidence and femininity that never failed to draw a crowd of appreciative males. Nicole’s face lit up with a mischievous grin while she flung her arms around her in a tight hug.
"You came," she whispered in her ear before releasing her and stepping back.
"Of course I came. I promised I would."
Nicole giggled. "Yeah, well, you weren’t too enthusiastic about it. I was expecting you to find some excuse and blow me off again."
She blinked, remembering how she’d almost done exactly that, but since she’d stayed home the last two times Nicole had asked her to join them she’d figured she’d better bite the bullet this time.
Nicole laughed again, and winked at her. "Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me. I won’t tell Jack."
Jack? Oh crap, I forgot it was his last day. That’s why they had asked her to come. Thank goodness she’d given in to her guilt and had turned up. "I came because I didn’t want to let you down again. I’d forgotten all about Jack to be honest." She smiled.
"It doesn’t matter why you’re here, sweetie. I’m just glad you are. You need to have some fun."
"I have fun." Every night. When I’m asleep.
Nicole coughed. "Sure you do, hun," she said, handing over her darts to one of her adoring crowd. "But you need to start taking some chances. Take your clothes for instance."
Erica looked down at her tidy grey business suit and plain black flats. "What’s wrong with my clothes? They’re my work clothes."
"Sure, they’re very practical, but you could jazz them up a little, honey. You’ve got great curves. You should flaunt them a little."
Erica blushed as Michelle, one of the nurses from the hospital where she worked, sidled up next to Nicole and joined in. "You sure do, sweetie. You need to stop hiding under all those boring old suits."
Oh great. Does everyone have an opinion on my life? "I’m a manager. I have to look professional. This suit is my uniform."
Nicole and Michelle shared a look before Nicole leaned in close to whisper. "Sure, honey, but there’s wearing a suit, and then there’s wearing a suit."
"I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about."
Nicole moved in front of Erica and undid the top three buttons of her blouse.
"Hey! What are you doing? This is a work function. I have a reputation to uphold."
Nicole stepped back. Both she and Michelle stared at Erica, thoughtful looks on their faces. So this is what a piece of meat feels like.
Her fingers reached up to redo the buttons, but Nicole swatted her hands out of the way. "No, honey, leave it as it is. Trust me, you look fabulous."
She looked down at her ample cleavage, now on view for the entire world to see. "I seriously doubt that."
Nicole laughed. "Sure you do, and with a few more touches, you’ll be the knockout I always knew you to be."
Before she had a chance to ask what they had in mind Nicole had removed the pins from her tight bun and was shaking Erica’s long blonde curls around her shoulders.
Michelle produced a makeup bag and shuffled through the myriad of bottles and tubes. "You know, honey, you’d look really great in this new shade of lipstick I bought yesterday."
Erica stepped back, her arms folded across her chest. "Hey, what is this? Let’s make over Erica night?"
"Why not. You’re always complaining that you never get to meet any guys. Here’s your chance."
I cannot WAIT to read this!
Find Maggie:Website Blog Facebook
Buy it!(like RIGHT NOW)
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA
Meet Maggie, in her own words!
I’m Maggie Nash and I write romance novels. Some of them are suspenseful, some are pretty hot, and some of them are a little bit kinky, but what they all have in common is a fun, romantic ending. I started writing more by accident than design when one day I ran out of books to read so I started writing one myself. And boy am I glad I did, because writing has become a huge part of my life. I live with my family on the beautiful south coast of New South Wales in Australia. You can find me most days having a cappuccino at the beach!
Check out her AWESOME interview!
Q. How has your journey in publishing been? Anything you would or wouldn’t do again?
It’s certainly been an interesting one. I sold the first book I ever wrote, and while that was pretty exciting for me at the time, I think it might have been better for me to get a few under my belt first…don’t get me wrong…I learned a lot in a short space of time, but I think having a few books written first helps you stay ahead of the race. I’ve spent most of my time in catchup writing! I think having a few books written already helps to develop more discipline as well.
Q. What made you pick your particular genre?
I think it chose me! I started writing romantic suspense, then my publisher asked me to add more sex and make it hotter….so how could I resist? That led to writing BDSM and now I’ve also written historical…but at the end of the day, I write what I like to read…so it’s easy!
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I’m working on a fantasy/contemporary series that is based in modern times and ancient Greek mythology. It’s a bit quirky and fun and the heat level is a lot cooler than some of my other stuff!
Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
The one’s that are finished! I get to hate the ones that I’m still writing as they can be tough to wrangle into shape!
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff?
Q. If you won the lottery, what is the FIRST thing you’d do? What would you buy and why?
The first thing I would do is book to go to RT! Then I’d probably pay off all my debts, give my kids a share, if there’s any left I’d invest it…and then take a long, relaxing holiday. Quit the day job…
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
I have eclectic tastes…I’ll read just about anything as long as it has a good story. Of course, romance fiction is my favourite – but crime, scifi , womens’ fiction…
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
O-kay….well I flunked English in my final year at school. Yes…I did indeed. I can only blame myself, because I was terribly lazy that year and I had my first serious boyfriend. Plus I hated the prescribed books and didn’t finish reading them at all….
That was a FANTASTIC interview. I thank Maggie for letting me torture her.
Now what you've all been waiting for....
TELL us about the new book!!!!!!!
"Kinky Bet was released on 29 April, and it’s my first release for a while so I’m very excited!"--Maggie
YAY! CONGRATS MAGGIE!
Blurb:
Who knew losing a bet could be this much fun?Erica Nielsen agreed to a bet with her best friend, but she never imagined losing would involve a weekend of punishment at Dangerous Liaison, a BSDM retreat. But was it really punishment being trained by a sexy Irishman who takes her on a sexual journey of a lifetime?Conal Brennan agrees to help a young woman find her submissive nature. He always enjoys being the one in control, but one look at the Nordic blonde he calls 'Fire girl' and he’s not sure who’s controlling whom.
Excerpt
For the tenth time since she’d left work, Erica Neilson wondered what the heck she was doing. She sighed, spying the large group of people congregating around the bar at the local RSL club, her workmates’ favourite watering hole. She had her friend Nicole to thank for being there tonight.
She scanned the group again, looking for her crazy friend, finding her towards the back of the room playing a lively game of darts with a couple of the new medical students. One of them checked her out with more than a little bit of interest. Erica looked him over and he wasn’t half bad.
Her friend always attracted men like flies. She loved her to pieces but she sometimes envied Nicole’s easy confidence and femininity that never failed to draw a crowd of appreciative males. Nicole’s face lit up with a mischievous grin while she flung her arms around her in a tight hug.
"You came," she whispered in her ear before releasing her and stepping back.
"Of course I came. I promised I would."
Nicole giggled. "Yeah, well, you weren’t too enthusiastic about it. I was expecting you to find some excuse and blow me off again."
She blinked, remembering how she’d almost done exactly that, but since she’d stayed home the last two times Nicole had asked her to join them she’d figured she’d better bite the bullet this time.
Nicole laughed again, and winked at her. "Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me. I won’t tell Jack."
Jack? Oh crap, I forgot it was his last day. That’s why they had asked her to come. Thank goodness she’d given in to her guilt and had turned up. "I came because I didn’t want to let you down again. I’d forgotten all about Jack to be honest." She smiled.
"It doesn’t matter why you’re here, sweetie. I’m just glad you are. You need to have some fun."
"I have fun." Every night. When I’m asleep.
Nicole coughed. "Sure you do, hun," she said, handing over her darts to one of her adoring crowd. "But you need to start taking some chances. Take your clothes for instance."
Erica looked down at her tidy grey business suit and plain black flats. "What’s wrong with my clothes? They’re my work clothes."
"Sure, they’re very practical, but you could jazz them up a little, honey. You’ve got great curves. You should flaunt them a little."
Erica blushed as Michelle, one of the nurses from the hospital where she worked, sidled up next to Nicole and joined in. "You sure do, sweetie. You need to stop hiding under all those boring old suits."
Oh great. Does everyone have an opinion on my life? "I’m a manager. I have to look professional. This suit is my uniform."
Nicole and Michelle shared a look before Nicole leaned in close to whisper. "Sure, honey, but there’s wearing a suit, and then there’s wearing a suit."
"I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about."
Nicole moved in front of Erica and undid the top three buttons of her blouse.
"Hey! What are you doing? This is a work function. I have a reputation to uphold."
Nicole stepped back. Both she and Michelle stared at Erica, thoughtful looks on their faces. So this is what a piece of meat feels like.
Her fingers reached up to redo the buttons, but Nicole swatted her hands out of the way. "No, honey, leave it as it is. Trust me, you look fabulous."
She looked down at her ample cleavage, now on view for the entire world to see. "I seriously doubt that."
Nicole laughed. "Sure you do, and with a few more touches, you’ll be the knockout I always knew you to be."
Before she had a chance to ask what they had in mind Nicole had removed the pins from her tight bun and was shaking Erica’s long blonde curls around her shoulders.
Michelle produced a makeup bag and shuffled through the myriad of bottles and tubes. "You know, honey, you’d look really great in this new shade of lipstick I bought yesterday."
Erica stepped back, her arms folded across her chest. "Hey, what is this? Let’s make over Erica night?"
"Why not. You’re always complaining that you never get to meet any guys. Here’s your chance."
I cannot WAIT to read this!
Find Maggie:Website Blog Facebook
Buy it!(like RIGHT NOW)
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA
May 5, 2013
Six Sentence Sunday: Chance Collision!
So, since I haven't done it in a while, I decided I would share with you all SIX SENTENCES of my WIP, Chance Collision, instead of doing Lusting For Covers this week.
This book is #2 in my Crossing Forces Series. Collision Force, the first book in this series will be available for pre-order in a matter of weeks from Total-E-Bound Publishing! (May 20) YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, here's how the book opens.
Hope you enjoy!
The paper airplane sailed down the long hallway, heading toward Chief’s Office. Pete cringed as the click of high heels registered at the same time as the feminine yelp. Ethan dashed around the corner, and he hurried to follow his partner’s son. Nikki, his boss’s administrative assistant, was bent down towards the little boy. Ethan’s copper curls were several shades lighter than the woman, but Nikki’s hair was as natural as the kid’s. Usually neatly coiffed at the back of her neck, today her locks were loose and flowing. Appealing.
I might have cheated. That might be seven, but does one lil word as a sentence count? NAH! *grin*
I am deep in the middle of writing this book, so I hope this little tidbit made you want more!
I'm out!
Happy Sunday!
This book is #2 in my Crossing Forces Series. Collision Force, the first book in this series will be available for pre-order in a matter of weeks from Total-E-Bound Publishing! (May 20) YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, here's how the book opens.
Hope you enjoy!
The paper airplane sailed down the long hallway, heading toward Chief’s Office. Pete cringed as the click of high heels registered at the same time as the feminine yelp. Ethan dashed around the corner, and he hurried to follow his partner’s son. Nikki, his boss’s administrative assistant, was bent down towards the little boy. Ethan’s copper curls were several shades lighter than the woman, but Nikki’s hair was as natural as the kid’s. Usually neatly coiffed at the back of her neck, today her locks were loose and flowing. Appealing.
I might have cheated. That might be seven, but does one lil word as a sentence count? NAH! *grin*
I am deep in the middle of writing this book, so I hope this little tidbit made you want more!
I'm out!
Happy Sunday!
April 30, 2013
Tell Me About it Tuesday Welcomes Olga Godim!
This week I am welcoming another Gypsy, Olga Godim!
So, without further ago, MEET OLGA!
She let me interview her! She had some great answers, check it out.
Q. Do you do any special research for your novels?
Not really. This particular novel came from my daydreams, my personal experience, and the people I met. When I was young and poor, I often thought: what if someone showed up at my door, a lawyer maybe, and said that I had been switched at birth and my birth family is rich. And they’re looking for me. What would I do? What would my mother do? And – here was the real question – what would my other mother do? Would she want me and love me just as much as the mother I knew and loved?
From that daydream came the idea for one half of the book – the story of Amanda, a mother who discovers after 34 years that her daughter was switched at birth, by mistake. Amanda loves the daughter she raised but she wants to find her biological daughter too. Her search takes her around the globe, first to Russia, then to Israel.
The second part of this novel is about Amanda’s birth daughter Sonya. Sonya’s story was born after I met Irina in Montreal. Irina is a unique woman, an immigrant from Russia, like Sonya. Irina came to Canada with nothing and accomplished so much. I was inspired by her optimism and determination. She told me about her life and her struggles to find her place in her new home. I was awed by her courage, so much so that I based Sonya on her – not the appearance or the profession but her indomitable spirit and her lovely soul. After meeting Irina, the novel was practically alive in my head before I even started writing it. Had I not meet Irina, this novel would’ve been different or perhaps not written at all.
I’d also like to mention that the relationship between Sonya and her daughter Ksenya sprouted from my own experience with my daughter Liza. At the time, Liza was a teenager, prickly and rebellious like many teenagers. Now she is a young woman, bright and loving. I’m grateful to her for the inspiration, but I could’ve forgone the rebellion. I would’ve had fewer gray hairs then.
Q. What’s your favorite genre to read? Do you write it?
My favorite genres are fantasy and romance. That is what I read, with a sprinkling of cozy mysteries and occasional mainstream. Rarely, I add a non-fiction book to my reading pile. I write fantasy almost exclusively and have over a dozen fantasy stories published in magazines. For me, fantasy is a genre where I’m not constrained by the limits of reality. I allow my imagination fly, play with magic, dragons, and brave heroes, and it feels liberating. By writing fantasy, I can be anyone I want: a smart sword-wielding mercenary, a capricious princess, an Adept magician, or an orphan kikimora (a Russian mythological creature, not very nice).
Strangely, my newly-released novel “Lost and Found in Russia” is a contemporary mainstream, the only one of my novels that’s not fantasy. It came out of me almost by accident. Even strangerstill, it was published first. But I have hopes for my fantasy novels – I’m shopping for a publisher for them now.
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I’m writing a novel which is part of a fantasy series. I already have one novel about the same heroine – a young and very powerful magician. In the new novel, she finds herself in a foreign kingdom, where female magic is anathema. The acolytes of the local god, all men, confine any female magic worker they can find – witches and sorceresses – to a ‘nunnery’, where they suck the magic out of the women with a special spell and use that magic for their own purposes.
My heroine is in this kingdom in secret, at the request of her queen. She is not in danger from the local god or his monks, but she is very angry at the plight of the local female mages? Should she interfere? Try to help the poor, abused women? Or should she maintain her incognito status, complete her assignment for the queen, and leave. If she interferes, she might cause a diplomatic incident, maybe even a war, between their two kingdoms. If she does nothing, the imprisoned female witches will continue to suffer. I have almost settled on her ultimate decision, but I’d welcome others’ opinions.
Q. Did you ever write a character you didn’t like? Or one that gave you problems, going against your intentions for them or your story?
I have trouble writing villains. I don’t understand them. Why would anyone want to rule the world, or even a village? It’s so much hassle. Unfortunately, villains, or at least opposing forces, are practically a requirement in fantasy, so I try to find reasons for my antagonists to think and act the way they do.
In my novel “Lost and Found in Russia”, there are no villains. One of my heroines struggles against too much time that’s passed between her and her goal. Another has problems with society’s misconceptions or her own daughter’s teenage rebellion.
Sometimes, and it happened in “Lost and Found in Russia”, some of the secondary characters suddenly take initiative and step forward without me planning it. I usually let them, although previously I had no intensions to promote that particular character or even didn’t know he existed. I treasure such situations, as these characters come out the most alive and vibrant.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff. You know, just between the two of us.
Q. The opportunity to go on a surprise vacation arises. You have 90 minutes to pack and get to the airport. Where will you go and what will you pack?
Oh, this is a cruel question. So many choices! I hate doing things in a hurry. Seriously, where would I go? A European tour would be nice, especially with a good tour guide: France, Italy, Spain, Austria. I’d probably bring a couple of stories back home: travels always spur my creativity.
Other choices depend on the timing of such an exciting event. If the timing was right, I would travel to the Frankfurt Book Fair. Do you know that it is the oldest book fair in the world, over 500 years? Soon after Gutenberg had developed his printing press (it happened in Mainznear Frankfurt), the first Frankfurt Book Fair was held by local booksellers. Alternatively, I would go to the World Fantasy Convention, wherever it was held that year.
As to what to pack: my Kindle, definitely. I have a bunch of books on it I haven’t read. I can’t wait for this opportunity to arise. Are you offering, Chrissy?
LOL. If I was was rich, you betcha.
Q. If they make a movie about your life, who do you want to play your part?
Judy Dench or Maggie Smith. Am I too presumptuous? I admire both actress and I’m, alas, of the same generation. And the younger me: I don’t know. Most young actresses today are long-legged, skinny and blond. I was never like that. Seriously – maybe Ellen Page or Emma Watson. They both could do it… if they didn’t wear makeup. I hate makeup, never wear it myself.
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I’m a young writer – only 10 years old. I have been writing since March 2003. Yes, I know the exact month when I started writing my first story.
By education, I’m a computer programmer. I worked with computers for decades. I’m also a daydreamer. Since I was a little girl, I’ve always made up stories and played them in my head, like a one-woman theater, but I never told anyone about my secret daydreams. I didn’t write them down. To tell the truth, I was a bit embarrassed by them. I was a professional woman, a single mom with two children. I never thought I could be a writer but I couldn’t get rid of my daydreams. I loved my dream-world heroes and heroines. Sometimes, they were more alive and precious to me than the people around me.
As my children grew up, I grew dissatisfied with my computer job. Then, in 2002, I got very ill. During my long recovery, my daydreams became more persistent. They swarmed me, they wanted to be told. So I decided to be brave, stop resisting, and at last let my dreams out. From my first paycheck when I returned to work, I bought a laptop and started writing a story, the first writing I did since high school. I was 46.
And I discovered that I didn’t know how to do it. Dreaming was one thing. Writing was quite another. It took me ten years of learning to get to the point where I’m today, and I’m not nearly in the end of my learning curve. I don’t think this road ever ends.
I also collect toy monkeys. I have about 300 monkeys in my collection.
I collect dragons, myself. I have several hundred. Monkeys are cool!
Now for the cool part! Tell us about the new book!
Blurb: A Mother-Daughter minuet—Russian style.
After a shocking discovery that her daughter was switched at birth thirty-four years ago, Amanda embarks on a trip to Russia to find her biological daughter. Meanwhile, Sonya—a thirty-four-year-old Russian immigrant and a former dancer— battles her daughter’s teenage rebellion. While Amanda wades through the mires of foreign bureaucracy, Sonya dreams of dancing. Both mothers are searching—for their daughters and for themselves.
Excerpt:
“I’ve discovered that you’re not really my daughter. I have another daughter somewhere in Russia.” Amanda held her breath. What would Gloria’s response be to this revelation? Every night, Amanda thought about ways to put it into words, to explain it to her daughter, but she couldn’t find any better approach than the blunt truth.
“What is it?” A mischievous dimple appeared in Gloria’s right cheek, untouched by the bruises. “A twist from a new book by some obscure Russian writer?”
“No,” Amanda whispered. Of all the possible scenarios she had envisioned during her nightly speculations, she hadn’t thought Gloria would simply discard the news. “Your blood type is ‘O’ negative. The doctor said. Both Donald and I had ‘O’ positive blood. They probably switched you at birth in that Russian hospital.”
Slowly, Gloria’s hands stilled, and she lifted her eyes to look at Amanda. She opened her mouth, attempted a smile, closed it, opened it again, and then blinked.
“This is a joke?”
Amanda shook her head.
“This is the truth?”
Amanda nodded. Unable to watch emotions flickering across Gloria’s face, she surged up and kneeled in front of her daughter’s chair. “I love you Gloria,” she said hoarsely, caressing her daughter’s leg under the worn denim. “You’ll always be my daughter. But there is another one somewhere in Russia. She might be starving, unemployed.” Amanda’s throat closed. No matter how often such thoughts visited her lately, she had had to fight for air every time.
“She might need my help. Our help. I have to go there and find her. I have to bring your sister home.” She smiled weakly. “Maybe she can be your new designer. Maybe she has inherited Donald’s creativity. Say something, please.” Amanda’s gray eyes bored into her daughter’s green ones. Would she understand? Forgive?
“So I have another mother somewhere in Russia?” Gloria said, her lips stretching in a mirthless grin.
“Another mother?” Appalled, Amanda pulled away.
More Olga!
Goodreads
BUY IT!!!!Amazon|Amazon UK|Amazon CA | Barnes and Noble
So, without further ago, MEET OLGA!
Olga Godim is a writer and journalist from Vancouver, Canada. Her articles appear regularly in local newspapers, but her passion is fiction. Her short stories have been published in several internet magazines, including Lorelei Signal, Sorcerous Signals, Aoife's Kiss, Silver Blade, Gypsy Shadow and other publications. In her free time, she writes novels, collects toy monkeys, and posts book reviews on GoodReads.
She let me interview her! She had some great answers, check it out.
Q. Do you do any special research for your novels?
Not really. This particular novel came from my daydreams, my personal experience, and the people I met. When I was young and poor, I often thought: what if someone showed up at my door, a lawyer maybe, and said that I had been switched at birth and my birth family is rich. And they’re looking for me. What would I do? What would my mother do? And – here was the real question – what would my other mother do? Would she want me and love me just as much as the mother I knew and loved?
From that daydream came the idea for one half of the book – the story of Amanda, a mother who discovers after 34 years that her daughter was switched at birth, by mistake. Amanda loves the daughter she raised but she wants to find her biological daughter too. Her search takes her around the globe, first to Russia, then to Israel.
The second part of this novel is about Amanda’s birth daughter Sonya. Sonya’s story was born after I met Irina in Montreal. Irina is a unique woman, an immigrant from Russia, like Sonya. Irina came to Canada with nothing and accomplished so much. I was inspired by her optimism and determination. She told me about her life and her struggles to find her place in her new home. I was awed by her courage, so much so that I based Sonya on her – not the appearance or the profession but her indomitable spirit and her lovely soul. After meeting Irina, the novel was practically alive in my head before I even started writing it. Had I not meet Irina, this novel would’ve been different or perhaps not written at all.
I’d also like to mention that the relationship between Sonya and her daughter Ksenya sprouted from my own experience with my daughter Liza. At the time, Liza was a teenager, prickly and rebellious like many teenagers. Now she is a young woman, bright and loving. I’m grateful to her for the inspiration, but I could’ve forgone the rebellion. I would’ve had fewer gray hairs then.
Q. What’s your favorite genre to read? Do you write it?
My favorite genres are fantasy and romance. That is what I read, with a sprinkling of cozy mysteries and occasional mainstream. Rarely, I add a non-fiction book to my reading pile. I write fantasy almost exclusively and have over a dozen fantasy stories published in magazines. For me, fantasy is a genre where I’m not constrained by the limits of reality. I allow my imagination fly, play with magic, dragons, and brave heroes, and it feels liberating. By writing fantasy, I can be anyone I want: a smart sword-wielding mercenary, a capricious princess, an Adept magician, or an orphan kikimora (a Russian mythological creature, not very nice).
Strangely, my newly-released novel “Lost and Found in Russia” is a contemporary mainstream, the only one of my novels that’s not fantasy. It came out of me almost by accident. Even strangerstill, it was published first. But I have hopes for my fantasy novels – I’m shopping for a publisher for them now.
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I’m writing a novel which is part of a fantasy series. I already have one novel about the same heroine – a young and very powerful magician. In the new novel, she finds herself in a foreign kingdom, where female magic is anathema. The acolytes of the local god, all men, confine any female magic worker they can find – witches and sorceresses – to a ‘nunnery’, where they suck the magic out of the women with a special spell and use that magic for their own purposes.
My heroine is in this kingdom in secret, at the request of her queen. She is not in danger from the local god or his monks, but she is very angry at the plight of the local female mages? Should she interfere? Try to help the poor, abused women? Or should she maintain her incognito status, complete her assignment for the queen, and leave. If she interferes, she might cause a diplomatic incident, maybe even a war, between their two kingdoms. If she does nothing, the imprisoned female witches will continue to suffer. I have almost settled on her ultimate decision, but I’d welcome others’ opinions.
Q. Did you ever write a character you didn’t like? Or one that gave you problems, going against your intentions for them or your story?
I have trouble writing villains. I don’t understand them. Why would anyone want to rule the world, or even a village? It’s so much hassle. Unfortunately, villains, or at least opposing forces, are practically a requirement in fantasy, so I try to find reasons for my antagonists to think and act the way they do.
In my novel “Lost and Found in Russia”, there are no villains. One of my heroines struggles against too much time that’s passed between her and her goal. Another has problems with society’s misconceptions or her own daughter’s teenage rebellion.
Sometimes, and it happened in “Lost and Found in Russia”, some of the secondary characters suddenly take initiative and step forward without me planning it. I usually let them, although previously I had no intensions to promote that particular character or even didn’t know he existed. I treasure such situations, as these characters come out the most alive and vibrant.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff. You know, just between the two of us.
Q. The opportunity to go on a surprise vacation arises. You have 90 minutes to pack and get to the airport. Where will you go and what will you pack?
Oh, this is a cruel question. So many choices! I hate doing things in a hurry. Seriously, where would I go? A European tour would be nice, especially with a good tour guide: France, Italy, Spain, Austria. I’d probably bring a couple of stories back home: travels always spur my creativity.
Other choices depend on the timing of such an exciting event. If the timing was right, I would travel to the Frankfurt Book Fair. Do you know that it is the oldest book fair in the world, over 500 years? Soon after Gutenberg had developed his printing press (it happened in Mainznear Frankfurt), the first Frankfurt Book Fair was held by local booksellers. Alternatively, I would go to the World Fantasy Convention, wherever it was held that year.
As to what to pack: my Kindle, definitely. I have a bunch of books on it I haven’t read. I can’t wait for this opportunity to arise. Are you offering, Chrissy?
LOL. If I was was rich, you betcha.
Q. If they make a movie about your life, who do you want to play your part?
Judy Dench or Maggie Smith. Am I too presumptuous? I admire both actress and I’m, alas, of the same generation. And the younger me: I don’t know. Most young actresses today are long-legged, skinny and blond. I was never like that. Seriously – maybe Ellen Page or Emma Watson. They both could do it… if they didn’t wear makeup. I hate makeup, never wear it myself.
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I’m a young writer – only 10 years old. I have been writing since March 2003. Yes, I know the exact month when I started writing my first story.
By education, I’m a computer programmer. I worked with computers for decades. I’m also a daydreamer. Since I was a little girl, I’ve always made up stories and played them in my head, like a one-woman theater, but I never told anyone about my secret daydreams. I didn’t write them down. To tell the truth, I was a bit embarrassed by them. I was a professional woman, a single mom with two children. I never thought I could be a writer but I couldn’t get rid of my daydreams. I loved my dream-world heroes and heroines. Sometimes, they were more alive and precious to me than the people around me.
As my children grew up, I grew dissatisfied with my computer job. Then, in 2002, I got very ill. During my long recovery, my daydreams became more persistent. They swarmed me, they wanted to be told. So I decided to be brave, stop resisting, and at last let my dreams out. From my first paycheck when I returned to work, I bought a laptop and started writing a story, the first writing I did since high school. I was 46.
And I discovered that I didn’t know how to do it. Dreaming was one thing. Writing was quite another. It took me ten years of learning to get to the point where I’m today, and I’m not nearly in the end of my learning curve. I don’t think this road ever ends.
I also collect toy monkeys. I have about 300 monkeys in my collection.
I collect dragons, myself. I have several hundred. Monkeys are cool!
Now for the cool part! Tell us about the new book!
My novel “Lost and Found in Russia” is a contemporary women’s fiction, encompassing the exploration of mother-daughter relationship and a self-discovery story.
After the shocking revelation that her daughter was switched at birth 34 years ago, Canadian scholar Amanda embarks on a trip to Russia and Israel to find her biological daughter. Intertwined with the account of Amanda’s journey is the story of Sonya, a 34-year-old Russian immigrant and a former dancer, currently living in Canada. While Amanda wades through the mires of foreign bureaucracy, Sonya struggles with her daughter’s teenage rebellion. While Amanda rediscovers her femininity, Sonya dreams of dancing. Both mothers are searching: for their daughters and for themselves.
Blurb: A Mother-Daughter minuet—Russian style.
After a shocking discovery that her daughter was switched at birth thirty-four years ago, Amanda embarks on a trip to Russia to find her biological daughter. Meanwhile, Sonya—a thirty-four-year-old Russian immigrant and a former dancer— battles her daughter’s teenage rebellion. While Amanda wades through the mires of foreign bureaucracy, Sonya dreams of dancing. Both mothers are searching—for their daughters and for themselves.
Excerpt:
“I’ve discovered that you’re not really my daughter. I have another daughter somewhere in Russia.” Amanda held her breath. What would Gloria’s response be to this revelation? Every night, Amanda thought about ways to put it into words, to explain it to her daughter, but she couldn’t find any better approach than the blunt truth.
“What is it?” A mischievous dimple appeared in Gloria’s right cheek, untouched by the bruises. “A twist from a new book by some obscure Russian writer?”
“No,” Amanda whispered. Of all the possible scenarios she had envisioned during her nightly speculations, she hadn’t thought Gloria would simply discard the news. “Your blood type is ‘O’ negative. The doctor said. Both Donald and I had ‘O’ positive blood. They probably switched you at birth in that Russian hospital.”
Slowly, Gloria’s hands stilled, and she lifted her eyes to look at Amanda. She opened her mouth, attempted a smile, closed it, opened it again, and then blinked.
“This is a joke?”
Amanda shook her head.
“This is the truth?”
Amanda nodded. Unable to watch emotions flickering across Gloria’s face, she surged up and kneeled in front of her daughter’s chair. “I love you Gloria,” she said hoarsely, caressing her daughter’s leg under the worn denim. “You’ll always be my daughter. But there is another one somewhere in Russia. She might be starving, unemployed.” Amanda’s throat closed. No matter how often such thoughts visited her lately, she had had to fight for air every time.
“She might need my help. Our help. I have to go there and find her. I have to bring your sister home.” She smiled weakly. “Maybe she can be your new designer. Maybe she has inherited Donald’s creativity. Say something, please.” Amanda’s gray eyes bored into her daughter’s green ones. Would she understand? Forgive?
“So I have another mother somewhere in Russia?” Gloria said, her lips stretching in a mirthless grin.
“Another mother?” Appalled, Amanda pulled away.
More Olga!
Goodreads
BUY IT!!!!Amazon|Amazon UK|Amazon CA | Barnes and Noble
April 28, 2013
Lusting for Covers: Collision Force!
Okay, this week I am gonna toot my own horn, cuz I am ABSOLUTELY in lust-love of the cover for my upcoming release from Total-E-Bound, Collision Force.
I am super excited, and I hope you all will love it, too.
Lusting for Covers is a weekly meme, held on Sunday, that allows bloggers to share their current cover obsession with fellow book lovers. It can be new, old, a reprint, or even a book that is not yet out-- it's all up to you! Join in on the fun, head over to TBQ's Book Palace and list your Lusting For Covers candidate.
This meme is hosted by TBQ @ TBQ's Book Palace. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Badboy, married to his job FBI agent Cole Lucas always gets his man. So when the unthinkable happens and one gets away, Cole grits his teeth and hunts human trafficker Carlo Maldonado all the way to Antioch, Texas, where he collides with Detective Andi MacLaren.
Cole doesn’t do small towns and he doesn’t get involved with women he works with, but Andi tempts him in ways he doesn’t want to acknowledge.
Two murders, her partner shot and leading the investigation on her own, the last thing Andi needs is a cocky FBI agent that sees her as no more than a tagalong.
Widow and single mother Andi is used to being on her own. When Cole gets stuck without a place to stay, crashing on her couch puts them in dangerous territory.
Attraction and passion bring Andi to a place she left behind when her husband died.
Her three-year-old son quickly wiggles his way into Cole’s heart, and he starts contemplating things—family, love—that he’d never planned for himself.
Can being forced to work together make them stronger or will their differences jeopardize their case and their hearts?
Collision Force (Crossing Forces Book 1) will be published from Total-E-Bound Publishing!Ebook and Print!
Pre-Order May 20, 2013
Pre-Release June 3, 2013
General Release July 1,2013
I am super excited, and I hope you all will love it, too.
Lusting for Covers is a weekly meme, held on Sunday, that allows bloggers to share their current cover obsession with fellow book lovers. It can be new, old, a reprint, or even a book that is not yet out-- it's all up to you! Join in on the fun, head over to TBQ's Book Palace and list your Lusting For Covers candidate.
This meme is hosted by TBQ @ TBQ's Book Palace. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Badboy, married to his job FBI agent Cole Lucas always gets his man. So when the unthinkable happens and one gets away, Cole grits his teeth and hunts human trafficker Carlo Maldonado all the way to Antioch, Texas, where he collides with Detective Andi MacLaren.
Cole doesn’t do small towns and he doesn’t get involved with women he works with, but Andi tempts him in ways he doesn’t want to acknowledge.
Two murders, her partner shot and leading the investigation on her own, the last thing Andi needs is a cocky FBI agent that sees her as no more than a tagalong.
Widow and single mother Andi is used to being on her own. When Cole gets stuck without a place to stay, crashing on her couch puts them in dangerous territory.
Attraction and passion bring Andi to a place she left behind when her husband died.
Her three-year-old son quickly wiggles his way into Cole’s heart, and he starts contemplating things—family, love—that he’d never planned for himself.
Can being forced to work together make them stronger or will their differences jeopardize their case and their hearts?
Collision Force (Crossing Forces Book 1) will be published from Total-E-Bound Publishing!Ebook and Print!
Pre-Order May 20, 2013
Pre-Release June 3, 2013
General Release July 1,2013
April 22, 2013
Tell Me About it Tuesday Welcomes Jorja Lovett!
This week I am welcoming fellow TEB Author, Jorja Lovett.
Welcome to my blog, Jorja!!! I am SO glad that you've stopped by and let me interview you!
Without further ado, meet Jorja!
Q. How has your journey in publishing been? Anything you would or wouldn’t do again?
I think it's fair to say it's been a learning experience for me. I've had my fair share of knock backs but that feeling of signing a new contract is addictive. It's also been an incredibly rewarding process. I like to think with every story I write I'm improving as an author. If I was starting out again I think I would take time to learn which publishers to avoid…
Q. What made you pick your particular genre?
I love a good love story, so romance will always be where my heart lies. It also means I can cross over into erotic and paranormal elements which I frequently do.
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I'm actually working on the sequel to The Wolf on the Hill. It focuses on Rory and Naomi's story and also gives a catch up with the other characters in the Olcan Hills.
Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
It might sound cheesy, but The Wolf on the Hill is my favourite story I've ever written. I love Caleb and Mia and I've really put my all into their story. Total-E-Bound are the first of my publishers to let me keep my Britishisms and I think you get more of a feel for my voice. I have a very dry sense of humour which I hope comes across in my feisty characters.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff?
Q. If you won the lottery, what is the FIRST thing you’d do? What would you buy and why?
A plane ticket to somewhere hot. We've just had two weeks of heavy snow here in Northern Ireland and I've got a miserable cold right now. I would buy a gorgeous villa near the beach and spend my days writing sexy books with a cabana boy nearby
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
I like novels that will put a smile on my face at the end, whether they are YA or erotica lol
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I am quite shy…until you get to know me ;)
SO, I love this cover...and I can't WAIT to hear about this book! So, SPILL!
Blurb:
Book one in The Wild Irish Wolves Series.
Can two stubborn wolf shifters let down their guards long enough to take a chance on love?
Lone wolf Caleb Jackson is only back in town long enough to sell his late father's house, and the bad memories with it. He never expected to find his mate.
Good girl Mia Blake never behaves badly. Except for the time she shifts into her wolf, chases a stranger through Olcan Hills, and has the hottest sex of her life on the forest floor.
He has no desire to settle down. She is afraid to upset her family. But, with someone determined to destroy Caleb's inheritance, and his secret fling with Mia getting hot and heavy, moving on isn't as easy as he'd hoped.
Can either of them let down their guards long enough to take a chance on love?
Excerpt:
Rain soaked Mia’s fur as she bounded through the woods bordering the Olcan Hills, relishing every inch of earth mashed beneath her claws. Trees became nothing more than a blur as she raced by, running to find her release out here where she answered to no one but nature.
This was freedom.
When she reached the top of the hill she came to a standstill and released her primal scream of frustration in a howl, unleashing everything she couldn’t say to her overbearing family, pouring every hidden truth of who she really was into one long mournful call.
In the distance, another wolf echoed her cry and answered with one of his own. This was the reason her mother despised her shifting into her wolf form. She went kind of crazy and forgot all sense of danger in the excitement. Exactly the reason why she did it in secret. And now, here she was, totally exposed in the Northern Irish countryside, crouched and listening out for the intruder’s approach.
Snapping twigs and rustling leaves marked his stealthy journey towards her but she stood her ground, regardless of how loudly her heart was beating in her ears. The wind carried his scent and raised the hackles along her spine when she sniffed the air. Another shifter, but one she didn’t recognise. Big bro would use her pelt for a rug if he found out she’d strayed beyond the boundary.
Amber eyes glowed in the dark shadows as the large grey wolf stalked through the forest. She bowed in submission. Even if she had a clue how to fight, he was double her size and twice as powerful. He growled a low warning and sniffed her with interest, his wet nose nudging her clammy fur. Did he expect her to roll over and show her belly? Pride wouldn’t let her, but she was careful not to make eye contact as he circled around her twice in case he took it as a challenge.
She only lifted her head when she saw him pad away, heading back to the cover of the trees. He stopped, looked back at her, and cocked his head to one side. When she didn’t move he returned and nipped her ear. She yelped in surprise and indignation. Of all the nerve!
The rules of engagement were abandoned in the heat of her outrage and, in a snarling frenzy, she launched herself at him. For an animal so large, the grey wolf moved gracefully, dodging her attack to race ahead and leaving Mia in dogged pursuit.
Tree branches tore at her skin as she ploughed heedlessly into the woodland, but the pain dulled in the exhilaration of the chase. As they wove their way through the undergrowth, Mia’s anger subsided to let her long-neglected sense of fun take over.
He wanted her to follow him. She knew that from the glances he kept throwing back at her. So she stopped and slipped quietly behind the stump of an uprooted oak, waiting to see what he would do. White wisps of steam escaped from her nostrils as she fought to get her breath back and suddenly the area seemed too quiet.
With a thud Grey leapt onto the tree stump, and leant back onto his haunches ready to pounce. Mia took off again and this time she was the hunted. She didn’t get very far before he sprang and knocked her off her feet.
In a tangle of limbs they rolled through the leafy debris of the forest floor, shifting into their human form as they came to rest, with her pinned to the ground by a hard, muscular, naked body.
"Well, that was fun." He grinned down at her, making no attempt to get off her, his green eyes full of mischief.
"If you say so." Mia’s heart still raced but she was at enough of a disadvantage wedged underneath him without admitting she enjoyed the capture as much as the chase.
"I didn’t hurt you, did I?" He bent his head to kiss the scratches marking her shoulder and suddenly the only ache she felt was hidden deep inside.
"No." She swallowed hard as he ventured closer to her already puckered nipples.
"Do you want me to stop?" His hot breath on her sensitive skin engulfed her in a tide of hormones she hadn’t been ruled by in a long time, if ever.
Maybe a piece of her wolf was still in her system, thriving on the excitement and danger, but she was horny, and ripe for the picking. "No."
With a need to touch, to taste this handsome stranger on her tongue, she manoeuvred enough room to free her hands and wind them into his dark blond hair, pulling him down into a kiss.
He massaged her breasts, first with his hand, quickly followed by his mouth. The sucking and licking around her straining pink tips made her arousal too great to bear. She writhed against him, wet and waiting, but he let her suffer further still whilst he covered her mounds in tiny, exquisite bites.
Bewitched by the woods and her fantasy lover, she swapped the dull reality of her life for this moment, cavorting like the sort of woodland nymph she longed to be. Someone who lived without fear of consequences or judgement.
She wanted him. Prim and proper Mia Blake, who never stepped out of line, was lying naked in the woods with a stranger’s erection pressing into her abdomen, and she loved it. A restlessness seized hold as her body cried out with need. Her limbs trembled, her fingers and toes curled, waiting for that final act of completion. As dusk settled around them and an ethereal fog swirled between the trees, she lost herself in the erotic dream and let him sink into her.
Find Jorja!!!!!
Facebook Website Blog Twitter:@jorjalovett
BUY IT! TEB
Welcome to my blog, Jorja!!! I am SO glad that you've stopped by and let me interview you!
Without further ado, meet Jorja!
Q. How has your journey in publishing been? Anything you would or wouldn’t do again?
I think it's fair to say it's been a learning experience for me. I've had my fair share of knock backs but that feeling of signing a new contract is addictive. It's also been an incredibly rewarding process. I like to think with every story I write I'm improving as an author. If I was starting out again I think I would take time to learn which publishers to avoid…
Q. What made you pick your particular genre?
I love a good love story, so romance will always be where my heart lies. It also means I can cross over into erotic and paranormal elements which I frequently do.
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I'm actually working on the sequel to The Wolf on the Hill. It focuses on Rory and Naomi's story and also gives a catch up with the other characters in the Olcan Hills.
Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
It might sound cheesy, but The Wolf on the Hill is my favourite story I've ever written. I love Caleb and Mia and I've really put my all into their story. Total-E-Bound are the first of my publishers to let me keep my Britishisms and I think you get more of a feel for my voice. I have a very dry sense of humour which I hope comes across in my feisty characters.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff?
Q. If you won the lottery, what is the FIRST thing you’d do? What would you buy and why?
A plane ticket to somewhere hot. We've just had two weeks of heavy snow here in Northern Ireland and I've got a miserable cold right now. I would buy a gorgeous villa near the beach and spend my days writing sexy books with a cabana boy nearby
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
I like novels that will put a smile on my face at the end, whether they are YA or erotica lol
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I am quite shy…until you get to know me ;)
SO, I love this cover...and I can't WAIT to hear about this book! So, SPILL!
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Blurb:
Book one in The Wild Irish Wolves Series.
Can two stubborn wolf shifters let down their guards long enough to take a chance on love?
Lone wolf Caleb Jackson is only back in town long enough to sell his late father's house, and the bad memories with it. He never expected to find his mate.
Good girl Mia Blake never behaves badly. Except for the time she shifts into her wolf, chases a stranger through Olcan Hills, and has the hottest sex of her life on the forest floor.
He has no desire to settle down. She is afraid to upset her family. But, with someone determined to destroy Caleb's inheritance, and his secret fling with Mia getting hot and heavy, moving on isn't as easy as he'd hoped.
Can either of them let down their guards long enough to take a chance on love?
Excerpt:
Rain soaked Mia’s fur as she bounded through the woods bordering the Olcan Hills, relishing every inch of earth mashed beneath her claws. Trees became nothing more than a blur as she raced by, running to find her release out here where she answered to no one but nature.
This was freedom.
When she reached the top of the hill she came to a standstill and released her primal scream of frustration in a howl, unleashing everything she couldn’t say to her overbearing family, pouring every hidden truth of who she really was into one long mournful call.
In the distance, another wolf echoed her cry and answered with one of his own. This was the reason her mother despised her shifting into her wolf form. She went kind of crazy and forgot all sense of danger in the excitement. Exactly the reason why she did it in secret. And now, here she was, totally exposed in the Northern Irish countryside, crouched and listening out for the intruder’s approach.
Snapping twigs and rustling leaves marked his stealthy journey towards her but she stood her ground, regardless of how loudly her heart was beating in her ears. The wind carried his scent and raised the hackles along her spine when she sniffed the air. Another shifter, but one she didn’t recognise. Big bro would use her pelt for a rug if he found out she’d strayed beyond the boundary.
Amber eyes glowed in the dark shadows as the large grey wolf stalked through the forest. She bowed in submission. Even if she had a clue how to fight, he was double her size and twice as powerful. He growled a low warning and sniffed her with interest, his wet nose nudging her clammy fur. Did he expect her to roll over and show her belly? Pride wouldn’t let her, but she was careful not to make eye contact as he circled around her twice in case he took it as a challenge.
She only lifted her head when she saw him pad away, heading back to the cover of the trees. He stopped, looked back at her, and cocked his head to one side. When she didn’t move he returned and nipped her ear. She yelped in surprise and indignation. Of all the nerve!
The rules of engagement were abandoned in the heat of her outrage and, in a snarling frenzy, she launched herself at him. For an animal so large, the grey wolf moved gracefully, dodging her attack to race ahead and leaving Mia in dogged pursuit.
Tree branches tore at her skin as she ploughed heedlessly into the woodland, but the pain dulled in the exhilaration of the chase. As they wove their way through the undergrowth, Mia’s anger subsided to let her long-neglected sense of fun take over.
He wanted her to follow him. She knew that from the glances he kept throwing back at her. So she stopped and slipped quietly behind the stump of an uprooted oak, waiting to see what he would do. White wisps of steam escaped from her nostrils as she fought to get her breath back and suddenly the area seemed too quiet.
With a thud Grey leapt onto the tree stump, and leant back onto his haunches ready to pounce. Mia took off again and this time she was the hunted. She didn’t get very far before he sprang and knocked her off her feet.
In a tangle of limbs they rolled through the leafy debris of the forest floor, shifting into their human form as they came to rest, with her pinned to the ground by a hard, muscular, naked body.
"Well, that was fun." He grinned down at her, making no attempt to get off her, his green eyes full of mischief.
"If you say so." Mia’s heart still raced but she was at enough of a disadvantage wedged underneath him without admitting she enjoyed the capture as much as the chase.
"I didn’t hurt you, did I?" He bent his head to kiss the scratches marking her shoulder and suddenly the only ache she felt was hidden deep inside.
"No." She swallowed hard as he ventured closer to her already puckered nipples.
"Do you want me to stop?" His hot breath on her sensitive skin engulfed her in a tide of hormones she hadn’t been ruled by in a long time, if ever.
Maybe a piece of her wolf was still in her system, thriving on the excitement and danger, but she was horny, and ripe for the picking. "No."
With a need to touch, to taste this handsome stranger on her tongue, she manoeuvred enough room to free her hands and wind them into his dark blond hair, pulling him down into a kiss.
He massaged her breasts, first with his hand, quickly followed by his mouth. The sucking and licking around her straining pink tips made her arousal too great to bear. She writhed against him, wet and waiting, but he let her suffer further still whilst he covered her mounds in tiny, exquisite bites.
Bewitched by the woods and her fantasy lover, she swapped the dull reality of her life for this moment, cavorting like the sort of woodland nymph she longed to be. Someone who lived without fear of consequences or judgement.
She wanted him. Prim and proper Mia Blake, who never stepped out of line, was lying naked in the woods with a stranger’s erection pressing into her abdomen, and she loved it. A restlessness seized hold as her body cried out with need. Her limbs trembled, her fingers and toes curled, waiting for that final act of completion. As dusk settled around them and an ethereal fog swirled between the trees, she lost herself in the erotic dream and let him sink into her.
Find Jorja!!!!!
Facebook Website Blog Twitter:@jorjalovett
BUY IT! TEB
April 18, 2013
Release Party!
I have some awesome friends who are hosting a party for me, and I am so excited!
This coming Saturday is my release party to celebrate the release of my debut, Sword's Call!
We'll have food, raffles, and alot of fun!
I will be selling and signing books as well, so if you haven't gotten a paperback of Sword's Call yet, come on down! If you have, bring it and I will sign it!
Anyone who is in the area is welcome to stop by! I hope you all say hello!
April 15, 2013
Tell Me About it Tuesday welcomes Sheila Deeth!
This week a welcome another fellow Gypsy! I'm glad to have her stop by! Hope you all enjoy!
Sheila grew up in the UK and has a Bachelors and Masters in mathematics from Cambridge University, England. Now living in the States with her husband and sons, she enjoys reading, writing, drawing, telling stories, running a local writers' group, and meeting her neighbors’ dogs on the green.
Sheila describes herself as a Mongrel Christian Mathematician.
Thanks for letting me torture you with some interview questions!
Q. Do you do any special research for your novels?
I always said I couldn’t write historical fiction because I wouldn’t want to do the research. What I hadn’t realized of course is that you really need to do your research for any kind of fiction. If it’s science fiction, I need to make sure the science at least makes sense. For spiritual speculative fiction I have to check my signs and symbols haven’t got confused. Divide by Zero’s contemporary fiction, and I needed to find out, amongst other things, how American houses differ from English ones—my editor asked how Granny could sleep in the living room since there wasn’t a door, but of course an English living room would have had a door. Help! So yes, despite all my intentions to avoid it, I do have to do some research for my novels and novellas.
Q. What’s your favorite genre to read? Do you write it?
My sons say I have no taste. I also don’t have a favorite genre, but if I had one I would almost certainly write it.
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I’m editing the sequel to Divide by Zero. One reviewer described Divide by Zero as a human patchwork quilt, which I love! It’s written from multiple points of view, weaving together the lives of a subdivision because, of course, it takes a subdivision to raise a child. When tragedy strikes, it takes a child to raise the subdivision too. But by the end of the novel I was really curious about a different child in the story. Pretty soon she was insisting I write about her so Infinite Sum is set in the same subdivision but told from a single point of view—that of a girl growing up, keeping quiet, and struggling with feelings of helplessness and guilt.
Q. Did you ever write a character you didn’t like? Or one that gave you problems, going against your intentions for them or your story?
When Divide by Zero started coming together I thought it might be a mystery because I didn’t know who was going to commit the crime. Even when I wrote the first draft of the vital scene, I wasn’t sure who it was, and when I found out I was really surprised. I guess the character disappointed me then, but I had to find out more about him and now, though he’s not a nice guy, I feel really sorry for him. Oh, and the novel’s not a mystery anymore—it’s contemporary drama.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff. You know, just between the two of us.
Q. The opportunity to go on a surprise vacation arises. You have 90 minutes to pack and get to the airport. Where will you go and what will you pack?
Can I go to Hawaii please? And I mustn’t forget to pack my kindle, my kobo and my charger. Plus a camera. A computer so I can do some writing…
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
A book, a kindle or a kobo. But books are best—the pages turn so easily and I never have to make coffee while waiting for them to wake up.
Q. If they make a movie about your life, who do you want to play your part?
Someone unknown seems appropriate.
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I can’t tell left from right, and please don’t tell me to make an L with my hand—which hand, and which way up are you asking me to hold it?
Even MORE FUN! Please tell us about your recent release.
Divide by Zero was released last summer—my first novel; in print and ebook; on Amazon and in real book stores!!!!! It weaves a tapestry of lives in the Paradise subdivision of a small university town. But one thread’s unraveling; one life falling apart. When a tragic crime threatens to leave the community in ruins, a small boy, raised by the subdivision, will raise his neighbors’ hopes with a surprising piece of wisdom.
Blurb:
It takes a subdivision to raise a child, and a wealth of threads to weave a tapestry, until one breaks. Troy, the garage mechanic's son, loves Lydia, the rich man's daughter. Amethyst has a remarkable cat and Andrea a curious accent. Old Abigail knows more than anyone else but doesn't speak. And in Paradise Park a middle aged man keeps watch while autistic Amelia keeps getting lost. Pastor Bill, at the church of Paradise, tries to mend people. Peter mends cars. But when that fraying thread gives way it might take a child to raise the subdivision...or to mend it.
Excerpt:
Peter gazed down at the golden pond of his drink. I’m not my father he told himself though his reflection wasn’t sure. I’m faithful, good and true. I’m not like him. I don’t hurt people.
He glanced up at the woman dancing on the stage. She was young and beautiful, unblemished and free. He watched her swirl, swinging her red skirt high above her knees. Mary had danced this way in their youth. She’d hung on his arm, long curls of hair brushing his face, filling his nose with the perfume of roses and sun. Her eyes shone like blades of new grass in a painting. Her lips brushed his, soft as petals falling in rain. But this wasn’t Mary, and Peter wasn’t his father. He wondered if his parents had ever known any dance but hurting and tears.
“You could try your chances with her, old man,” said the friend at Peter’s elbow. “See how she’s looking at you?”
Peter shook his head.
“I mean, seriously, she’s got all the moves. And look at those…” The friend fisted hands in front of his chest, but Peter shook his head again, making his ears ring. The conversation clattered too loud and jarring. He shouldn’t have come here, shouldn’t have let them persuade him. He should have stayed working, or gone home alone.
The friend of a friend from a table close by rocked a lazy hand. “Old Pete, you know, I rather think he likes…” Long fingers dangled in the air as words trailed away.
Not that Peter minded, but why should not wearing a ring and not dating mean people assumed he dated men? Crazy world we live in. He sighed, lifting the glass back to his lips. Drink up. Get out of here. I shouldn’t have come.
The dance ended. The woman placed her mike back on the stand. She stared over the crowd then glided towards their table as if she’d seen Peter watching. Broad hips swayed under the bright red dress. Thick hair tumbled on bare shoulders. Her teeth were white, eyes green; but she wasn’t Mary, wasn’t who he wanted to see.
“I’m off.” Peter coughed, slapped down his glass and added, “Got work to do tomorrow.” He wasn’t used to this, the company, the drink, going out instead of going home. He had rules to keep him safe and lived by them. Now Peter staggered as he climbed to his feet, steadied himself, leaned over the table, then felt sick. Sour smells of drink, sour memories flooded in. He’d given up women long ago; perhaps it was time to give up alcohol too. It had been a mistake letting his friends drag him here, risking temptation in public. Lead us not… remembered prayer? He shouldn’t let friends lead him away from his silent home, or drink lead to despair; no ring, no girls, no nothing the safest way.
He remembered the smell of his father’s breath and the ringing sound of his voice. He remembered the sodden thump like wood on wet earth and his mother’s whimpering cries like a kitten in distress. He remembered many things and thrust them away with straightened arms. Then he struggled to find the door.
“Don’t leave.” Was someone calling him back? His mother, but she wasn’t here? Dreams and reality mixed and melded in his mind then tumbled free. Cold air should wake him.
Peter tugged the door awkwardly and stopped, trapped somehow in a gap between yesterday and tomorrow, between outside and in. Warm air wafted behind—“Shut that door, man!” Cooler breezes blew ahead. He remembered hiding outside in the cold, under the picnic table in un-mowed grass. A rotten plank, fallen free long ago, lay splintered and soft. He thudded it hard as he could against the ground. “Take that. Take that.” It didn’t drown the sound. Later his mother let the cat out; Peter crept through the line of yellow light spilling from the back door. He hugged her battered knees as he passed, smelling sweat and blood. Then he stepped around the hulking, snoring shape of his dad and climbed upstairs to bed.
In the cold air Peter remembered Mary and thanked the Lord he’d left before he could hurt her. No ring, no women; he’d seen his temper, watched those storm clouds over his head, and taken a hike. She was probably married to someone else now, had long forgotten him. She never answered his letters, never acknowledged cards or gifts he sent her for the lad. She’d stand in the kitchen cooking hot dinners for a stranger’s family tonight. Peter imagined the swirl of her dress—wide, fifties style, like the picture on flour packs—her face bright and free. She’d enjoy clear days of sunshine, sweetness and light. She deserved it, for sure.
And the boy, little Troy? He must be better off with another dad too. Peter slammed his fist into the wall outside the bar, making his knuckles bleed. Not the first time; they were thick and rimmed with scars. A couple shuffled by, heading in for a drink. “Let’s get inside,” muttered the man. “Let’s get away from him.” But it was only a wall Peter hurt. Forever, for always, for mercy, Peter wasn’t his dad.
Looks like a great READ! Where to find it:
Amazon |Amazon UK| Barnes & Noble
More Sheila:Sheila's Blog Sheila's Website Twitter Facebook
She loves to hear from readers! Hit her up! sdeeth@msn.com
Sheila grew up in the UK and has a Bachelors and Masters in mathematics from Cambridge University, England. Now living in the States with her husband and sons, she enjoys reading, writing, drawing, telling stories, running a local writers' group, and meeting her neighbors’ dogs on the green.
Sheila describes herself as a Mongrel Christian Mathematician.
Thanks for letting me torture you with some interview questions!
Q. Do you do any special research for your novels?
I always said I couldn’t write historical fiction because I wouldn’t want to do the research. What I hadn’t realized of course is that you really need to do your research for any kind of fiction. If it’s science fiction, I need to make sure the science at least makes sense. For spiritual speculative fiction I have to check my signs and symbols haven’t got confused. Divide by Zero’s contemporary fiction, and I needed to find out, amongst other things, how American houses differ from English ones—my editor asked how Granny could sleep in the living room since there wasn’t a door, but of course an English living room would have had a door. Help! So yes, despite all my intentions to avoid it, I do have to do some research for my novels and novellas.
Q. What’s your favorite genre to read? Do you write it?
My sons say I have no taste. I also don’t have a favorite genre, but if I had one I would almost certainly write it.
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I’m editing the sequel to Divide by Zero. One reviewer described Divide by Zero as a human patchwork quilt, which I love! It’s written from multiple points of view, weaving together the lives of a subdivision because, of course, it takes a subdivision to raise a child. When tragedy strikes, it takes a child to raise the subdivision too. But by the end of the novel I was really curious about a different child in the story. Pretty soon she was insisting I write about her so Infinite Sum is set in the same subdivision but told from a single point of view—that of a girl growing up, keeping quiet, and struggling with feelings of helplessness and guilt.
Q. Did you ever write a character you didn’t like? Or one that gave you problems, going against your intentions for them or your story?
When Divide by Zero started coming together I thought it might be a mystery because I didn’t know who was going to commit the crime. Even when I wrote the first draft of the vital scene, I wasn’t sure who it was, and when I found out I was really surprised. I guess the character disappointed me then, but I had to find out more about him and now, though he’s not a nice guy, I feel really sorry for him. Oh, and the novel’s not a mystery anymore—it’s contemporary drama.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff. You know, just between the two of us.
Q. The opportunity to go on a surprise vacation arises. You have 90 minutes to pack and get to the airport. Where will you go and what will you pack?
Can I go to Hawaii please? And I mustn’t forget to pack my kindle, my kobo and my charger. Plus a camera. A computer so I can do some writing…
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
A book, a kindle or a kobo. But books are best—the pages turn so easily and I never have to make coffee while waiting for them to wake up.
Q. If they make a movie about your life, who do you want to play your part?
Someone unknown seems appropriate.
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I can’t tell left from right, and please don’t tell me to make an L with my hand—which hand, and which way up are you asking me to hold it?
Even MORE FUN! Please tell us about your recent release.
Divide by Zero was released last summer—my first novel; in print and ebook; on Amazon and in real book stores!!!!! It weaves a tapestry of lives in the Paradise subdivision of a small university town. But one thread’s unraveling; one life falling apart. When a tragic crime threatens to leave the community in ruins, a small boy, raised by the subdivision, will raise his neighbors’ hopes with a surprising piece of wisdom.
Blurb:
It takes a subdivision to raise a child, and a wealth of threads to weave a tapestry, until one breaks. Troy, the garage mechanic's son, loves Lydia, the rich man's daughter. Amethyst has a remarkable cat and Andrea a curious accent. Old Abigail knows more than anyone else but doesn't speak. And in Paradise Park a middle aged man keeps watch while autistic Amelia keeps getting lost. Pastor Bill, at the church of Paradise, tries to mend people. Peter mends cars. But when that fraying thread gives way it might take a child to raise the subdivision...or to mend it.
Excerpt:
Peter gazed down at the golden pond of his drink. I’m not my father he told himself though his reflection wasn’t sure. I’m faithful, good and true. I’m not like him. I don’t hurt people.
He glanced up at the woman dancing on the stage. She was young and beautiful, unblemished and free. He watched her swirl, swinging her red skirt high above her knees. Mary had danced this way in their youth. She’d hung on his arm, long curls of hair brushing his face, filling his nose with the perfume of roses and sun. Her eyes shone like blades of new grass in a painting. Her lips brushed his, soft as petals falling in rain. But this wasn’t Mary, and Peter wasn’t his father. He wondered if his parents had ever known any dance but hurting and tears.
“You could try your chances with her, old man,” said the friend at Peter’s elbow. “See how she’s looking at you?”
Peter shook his head.
“I mean, seriously, she’s got all the moves. And look at those…” The friend fisted hands in front of his chest, but Peter shook his head again, making his ears ring. The conversation clattered too loud and jarring. He shouldn’t have come here, shouldn’t have let them persuade him. He should have stayed working, or gone home alone.
The friend of a friend from a table close by rocked a lazy hand. “Old Pete, you know, I rather think he likes…” Long fingers dangled in the air as words trailed away.
Not that Peter minded, but why should not wearing a ring and not dating mean people assumed he dated men? Crazy world we live in. He sighed, lifting the glass back to his lips. Drink up. Get out of here. I shouldn’t have come.
The dance ended. The woman placed her mike back on the stand. She stared over the crowd then glided towards their table as if she’d seen Peter watching. Broad hips swayed under the bright red dress. Thick hair tumbled on bare shoulders. Her teeth were white, eyes green; but she wasn’t Mary, wasn’t who he wanted to see.
“I’m off.” Peter coughed, slapped down his glass and added, “Got work to do tomorrow.” He wasn’t used to this, the company, the drink, going out instead of going home. He had rules to keep him safe and lived by them. Now Peter staggered as he climbed to his feet, steadied himself, leaned over the table, then felt sick. Sour smells of drink, sour memories flooded in. He’d given up women long ago; perhaps it was time to give up alcohol too. It had been a mistake letting his friends drag him here, risking temptation in public. Lead us not… remembered prayer? He shouldn’t let friends lead him away from his silent home, or drink lead to despair; no ring, no girls, no nothing the safest way.
He remembered the smell of his father’s breath and the ringing sound of his voice. He remembered the sodden thump like wood on wet earth and his mother’s whimpering cries like a kitten in distress. He remembered many things and thrust them away with straightened arms. Then he struggled to find the door.
“Don’t leave.” Was someone calling him back? His mother, but she wasn’t here? Dreams and reality mixed and melded in his mind then tumbled free. Cold air should wake him.
Peter tugged the door awkwardly and stopped, trapped somehow in a gap between yesterday and tomorrow, between outside and in. Warm air wafted behind—“Shut that door, man!” Cooler breezes blew ahead. He remembered hiding outside in the cold, under the picnic table in un-mowed grass. A rotten plank, fallen free long ago, lay splintered and soft. He thudded it hard as he could against the ground. “Take that. Take that.” It didn’t drown the sound. Later his mother let the cat out; Peter crept through the line of yellow light spilling from the back door. He hugged her battered knees as he passed, smelling sweat and blood. Then he stepped around the hulking, snoring shape of his dad and climbed upstairs to bed.
In the cold air Peter remembered Mary and thanked the Lord he’d left before he could hurt her. No ring, no women; he’d seen his temper, watched those storm clouds over his head, and taken a hike. She was probably married to someone else now, had long forgotten him. She never answered his letters, never acknowledged cards or gifts he sent her for the lad. She’d stand in the kitchen cooking hot dinners for a stranger’s family tonight. Peter imagined the swirl of her dress—wide, fifties style, like the picture on flour packs—her face bright and free. She’d enjoy clear days of sunshine, sweetness and light. She deserved it, for sure.
And the boy, little Troy? He must be better off with another dad too. Peter slammed his fist into the wall outside the bar, making his knuckles bleed. Not the first time; they were thick and rimmed with scars. A couple shuffled by, heading in for a drink. “Let’s get inside,” muttered the man. “Let’s get away from him.” But it was only a wall Peter hurt. Forever, for always, for mercy, Peter wasn’t his dad.
Looks like a great READ! Where to find it:
Amazon |Amazon UK| Barnes & Noble
More Sheila:Sheila's Blog Sheila's Website Twitter Facebook
She loves to hear from readers! Hit her up! sdeeth@msn.com
April 14, 2013
Lusting for Covers: Battle Heat!
First of all, I ADORE this series. I cannot WAIT for the 3rd book. There are currently two books out, and they are so different than what's out there, so I really recommend them.
Lusting for Covers is a weekly meme, held on Sunday, that allows bloggers to share their current cover obsession with fellow book lovers. It can be new, old, a reprint, or even a book that is not yet out-- it's all up to you! Join in on the fun, head over to TBQ's Book Palace and list your Lusting For Covers candidate.
This meme is hosted by TBQ @ TBQ's Book Palace. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Holly Okeanos is alone, held against her will by the immortal that destroyed her people, she’s desperate for revenge and vows to fight until her last breath to regain her freedom.
The beast inside Ares must feed. He’s struggled to control the bloodlust since the dawn of time, but only carnage sates the monster within. Holly tries to provoke him at every turn, but merely thinking of her calms the beast and settles his mind.
With an escalating rebellion and a resurrected Scarab to defeat, Ares doesn’t have time to deal with his infuriatingly beautiful captive, or answer the questions he asks himself every time she’s near. Could she be the woman to quiet the beast inside him? If she is, how will they overcome thousands of years of hatred between their races. . . and each other? GET IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amazon| Barnes & Noble
Lusting for Covers is a weekly meme, held on Sunday, that allows bloggers to share their current cover obsession with fellow book lovers. It can be new, old, a reprint, or even a book that is not yet out-- it's all up to you! Join in on the fun, head over to TBQ's Book Palace and list your Lusting For Covers candidate.
This meme is hosted by TBQ @ TBQ's Book Palace. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Holly Okeanos is alone, held against her will by the immortal that destroyed her people, she’s desperate for revenge and vows to fight until her last breath to regain her freedom.The beast inside Ares must feed. He’s struggled to control the bloodlust since the dawn of time, but only carnage sates the monster within. Holly tries to provoke him at every turn, but merely thinking of her calms the beast and settles his mind.
With an escalating rebellion and a resurrected Scarab to defeat, Ares doesn’t have time to deal with his infuriatingly beautiful captive, or answer the questions he asks himself every time she’s near. Could she be the woman to quiet the beast inside him? If she is, how will they overcome thousands of years of hatred between their races. . . and each other? GET IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amazon| Barnes & Noble
