Lynn Cahoon's Blog, page 34

Meet the Neighbors – R.T. Wolfe’s Flying in Shadows

Meet the Neighbors is a day early this week – because we have a special surprise for you. R.T. Wolfe is here with her newest release Flying in Shadows.  Her debut release, Black Creek Burning, is only 99 cents today so you can get both books in the series without sacrificing your morning coffee.  Now, I’m turning the blog over to R.T. I’ll check back in after work. 

Thanks for visiting with us today! Have a cup of coffee and tell us about your release.

Flying in Shadows is a friends-turn-lovers story of one of the young boys from Book 1, Black Creek Burning. We follow Andy and Rose for a short time in grade school, to their late teens and into adulthood. I’m completely thrilled with how their story flowed. If anyone should be together, it’s these two.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received?

“Finish the damn book!” by Kate Largent (must be said in a strong English accent) LOL!

Amen sister! Desert Island time – 3 must have books.

The Lyndsay Boxer Murder Club Series by James Patterson, the Plum Series by Janet Evanovich and just about any book by Nora Roberts. I know these are cliché, cliché, and cliché, but I suppose they are best sellers for a reason.

I don’t think I’ve read the Patterson series, must run to the library.  How long does it take you to write a book?

It takes me about nine months before I type ‘the end.’ Then, another month of back-and-forths with my editor and critique partners. I love every stage!

I remember when I thought finishing the first draft was done.  Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Music, movies, life experiences and research. I love research and actually take it very seriously. Book 1 in the Black Creek Series, Black Creek Burning, features a landscape designer and a woodworking artist. I made sure to have that book previewed by both a Master Gardener and a one of the talented gals at Sawbridge Woodworking Studios before release. Flying in Shadows was previewed by the Eastcoast Center for Conservation Biology and by Operation Migration regarding the authenticity of the facts on eagles and conservation. So fun.

What does your family think of your writing?

My books fall somewhere between PG-13 and R rated. I feel they are conservative but reviewers often mention ‘hawt’ love scenes. Go figure. I’ve told my three sons that unless they want to be in therapy until they’re my age, they need to stay away from my books. Ha! I wish I could explain the looks on their faces as they nodded their heads like speed racers. They are extremely supportive in helping with book signings and my middle son even wrote and produced the music for the Black Creek Burning book trailer. My husband? Well, I just happen to be featured on the USA Today Happy Ever After blog on Friday discussing what it’s like to married to a romance author. It’s very funny and hope you check it out.

Congrats on the USA Today Happy Ever After blog! What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?

I want them to feel like they’ve been lifted from wherever they are and taken away to the settings of my stories. I want them to feel they have met new friends and laughed and cried right along with them. My readers are what keep me up at night working, and I mean that in a good way. Here are a few messages I’ve received on my contact form:

“My kids had to eat frozen pizza last night because I couldn’t put your book down long enough to make dinner.” –Cindy W.

“Your books always make me cry in all the right places.” –Dani C.

I can go for days on that stuff!

That I totally agree with.  Now – R.T. has a special treat for us, an excerpt from her release…

Flying in Shadows

The Black Creek Series

Book Two

by

R.T. Wolfe

Walking in the dark, Andy readjusted his tackle box. Moonlight shone on the dark ripples creeping down Black Creek. He spotted a raccoon as he crossed the bridge. Startled, the animal hissed at him. Andy stomped his foot and hissed back; he was in no mood for it.

In his peripheral vision, he saw movement Larger movement. A man? The shape disappeared as quickly as Andy imagined it. When you let yourself get this worked up, you start seeing things, he chided himself.

He needed Rose.

She would calm him down and lighten his mood, help him feel normal again. He looked at his watch and winced. What were friends for if you couldn’t count on them to be there? Even at this time of night. Or morning.

* * *

Rose slept soundly in her twin bed dreaming of her favorite spot at the zoo. In the small rain forest building, she allowed a newly emerged monarch butterfly to dry its wings on her apron while sharing facts about the insect to one of two visiting young boys. The other threw pebbles into the nearby wishing pond. The sound of the small rocks plunked as they hit the stone wall before dropping into the water.

Oh, crap. She woke and sat up straight. The plunking noise came from outside, not in her head.

Heart in her throat, she ripped off her blankets and hustled across the hard floor to the window. It was still pitch-black out.

Grabbing the flashlight she always kept on the windowsill, Rose paused for moment. She shook her head assuring herself it was Andy and lifted the window. She found him with the beam as she hissed loudly, “I thought you didn’t get home until tomorrow.”

“It is tomorrow.” He held up fishing poles and tackle box.

“It’s not tomorrow until the sun comes up.” Tugging on a pair of jeans, Rose smiled wildly to herself. This reaction she had to Andy Reed had to stop. It was not healthy.

“I’ve got the worms.” he called. “Get down here.”

***

R.T. Wolfe is the author of the Black Creek Series set in beautiful upstate New York. She enjoys creating diverse characters and twining them together in the midst of an intelligent mystery and a heart encompassing romance.

It’s not uncommon to find dark chocolate squares in R.T.’s candy dish, her Golden Retriever at her feet and a few caterpillars spinning their cocoons in their terrariums on her counters. R.T. loves her family, gardening, eagle-watching and can occasionally be found viewing a flyover of migrating whooping cranes.

R.T. Wolfe website: http://www.rtwolfe.com

Flying in Shadows Amazon buy link: http://amzn.to/XtK6Lw

Flying in Shadows BN buy link: http://bit.ly/XZxMTf

Flying in Shadows Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/11wALc1

R.T. Wolfe Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/RTWolfe2012

R.T. Wolfe Twitter Handle: http://www.twitter.com/RT_Wolfe

R.T. Wolfe Pinterest Page: http://www.pinterest.com/RTWolfe

Romancing the West Blog Hop – Whatcha going to do with a cowboy?

My first love was the teen who came to help my stepfather put up hay every summer.  Too young to help, I was forced into the kitchen to prepare the mid day meal while the man of my dreams threw hay bales onto the flat bed trailer, stacking them high, then transferring the bales to the haystack near the pasture.

Summer in Idaho can get hot.  Shirts for the guys, optional. By the time we all sat down to dinner (what more civilized people call lunch), I was tongue tied and beet red.  Especially if anyone talked to me.

So cowboys in Wranglers and boots and hats flip my switch.  I’ve never been attracted to suits and dress shoes.

Do you have cowboy memories?  Leave a comment with your email to win your choice of an e-copy of one of my releases – like The Bull Rider’s Manager.  You’ll also be entered into a drawing for the Grand Prize Swag Pack.  (**Leaving an email address will get you an opportunity to receive newsletters from me in the future.)

***PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO QUALIFY***

Grand Prize: A swag pack which includes books (both ebooks and paper), Amazon gift card, custom made butterfly jewelry, book cards, magnets and much more all tucked away in a keepsake box. (Available to US residents only. Winner will be announced on February 26 at 10 PM EST)

And to keep hopping?  Go here!

Here’s the blurb -

Barb Carico’s all about business.  Now that her best friend tied the knot with Barb’s new business partner, she’s busier than ever. Managing Jesse Sullivan’s career and public persona can be a handful. Add in an aging mother who goes through home health nurses like candy, Barb’s hanging on the edge.

 Her one salvation?  Hunter Martin, prodigal son of Martin Family Dairy and, hopefully, Jesse’s next sponsor. After his brother’s death, Hunter’s become an instant dad to his seven-year-old niece.  For Hunter, the rodeo weekend with Barb is the perfect excuse to relax.

 When their dinner turns into a quick trip to a Vegas wedding chapel, both Barb and Hunter agree their nuptials were a mistake Barb doesn’t know anything about being a wife or mother but she needs one favor.  A favor she’ll trade her lifestyle, independence, and even risk her heart to make come true.

 

 

Meet the Neighbors -Alicia Dean with Liberty Awakened

Today’s Meet the Neighbor is a fellow Crimson Romance author Alicia Dean.  She’s got a new vampire novella that I’m dying to read and she’s giving away a (Nook or Kindle) copy (or two) to a lucky commenter.   I’ve come to know Alicia a little better in the last year and am amazed at her generous heart and amazing story telling magic. So here’s Alicia…

Thank you so much for hosting me on your lovely blog. I’m delighted to be here!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I was very small, and I first started reading Amelia Bedelia, Ramona the Pest, and Pippi Longstockings books. I was hooked, and I wanted to create stories of my own. I wrote my first romance at around eleven years old. (My hero looked just like Elvis. I still have that story, but I doubt it will ever be published, LOL)

I never got Pippi.  She seemed to always be in trouble. What does your family think of your writing?

They are so, so supportive. I am blessed to have such a loving, encouraging family. My kids, siblings, mother, cousins, etc, are all behind me. My sisters read pretty much everything I write, My youngest sister, Christi, has read all my books except this last one. She’s putting it off either because her fear of vampires or her fear that, for the first time, she won’t like one of my stories. J

What do you think makes a good story?

One that keeps you on the edge of your seat, one that you think about even when you’re not reading it, one that keeps you turning pages. Specifically, I love stories with high tension suspense, and or spooky/creepy but not gory stuff, angst, conflict, secrets you can’t wait for characters to learn, and when characters are in a situation that you don’t see any way of them getting out of, yet the author manages it in a logical way without making you feel cheated.

Tell us about your latest book, including its genre.

My latest is a YA Vampire Novella titled Liberty Awakened Isle of Fangs Book 1. This is a YA paranormal, my first attempt at YA and my first attempt at a vampire story. I loved writing it, and I am getting positive feedback thus far. Hopefully, readers will enjoy it and look forward to the next in the series. You’ll find the blurb below, but in a nutshell, it’s about a girl just out of high school who travels to an exotic island to meet the father she never knew existed. She learns she is a descendant of Van Helsing and must learn to hunt Vampires. There is a love triangle, and I have tried to stick more to the original vampire lore where they can’t go out in the sun, they turn into bats, can’t see their reflection, etc.

What is the craziest thing you did as a kid, and would it ever end up in a book?

I was somewhat of a daredevil when I was a child. I did some very foolish things that will not end up in a book. I used to play ‘chicken’ on my grandparents country road. I would stand out in the road until a car came (while my sisters watched in horror) and not move until it was way too close. Of course, it took a while to play the game, not a lot of traffic around there. I’m not sure why I didn’t do it at home, except because we lived in the city, and my parents kept an eagle eye on us. They would have tanned my hide. (No ‘time out’ back I those days, LOL) Also, when I was eleven, we moved to Missouri and lived out in the country for a brief time. I was a city girl who knew nothing about the wilds. I would catch garter snakes, but one time, I brought a tiny snake to my dad and showed him. He knocked the snake out of my hand immediately. This time, I’d picked up a baby Copperhead.

Snakes totally creep me out. You were a brave kid. So, help me out here, If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

It depends on the genre you like. If you like suspense, I would recommend Death Notice. I was pretty pleased with the story, and it’s the first in a series. I only have one sequel to it so far, but am planning more. If you like paranormal, I would suggest Soul Seducer. It’s different than your run of the mill werewolf, vampire, witch stories. My hero and my villain are Grim Reapers. I’ve received some negative reviews on the book, but personally, I’m pleased with this one too.

I have to say, I LOVED Soul Seducer.  List two authors we would find you reading when taking a break from your own writing.

Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly (Stephen King – there, I snuck an extra one in)

I think besides Lord of the Rings, Stephen King was the first author I read his entire backlist including the Bachman books. 

Blurb:

Evil lurks beneath the surface in the beauty of the tropics…

After graduation from her small, Oklahoma high school, Liberty Delacort is looking forward to a fun-filled summer before college. But when the people she trusts the most betray her, and a letter arrives claiming her deceased father is still alive, she jumps at the chance to travel to an exotic island to meet him.

But her excitement is short-lived. Her father is dying, and he doesn’t want her around. And, in spite of its outward tranquility, the island is filled with danger and ominous secrets. The secrets soon begin to unravel, and she discovers she is a descendant of Van Helsing, the vampire hunter.

The one up side is her budding romance with the sweet and sexy Ryan Kelly. But even that is threatened when—in spite of her fear of him—she finds herself attracted to an insolent, formidable vampire. Her plan to stay away from him fails when she learns he is the only one with the ability to train her to fulfill her destiny—to save humans from a faction of vicious vampires.

Will her inexperience lead to her death—and the death of others—or will she rise to the challenge and realize her full potential as a Hunter?

Website: www.AliciaDean.com

Buy links:

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00B3N6PMA

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/liberty-awakened-alicia-ean/1045658352?ean=2940016048529

 

 

Heartbreaker Winner, and, It’s A Girl

So today I’ve got two announcements.

First, the randomly chosen winner of her choice of any one of my three books is Ashley -

Here’s her comment for the Heartbreaker Hop: “For me its the bad boy! I’ve always loved the bad boy!” 

Have to agree with you there, Ashley.  Look for an email from me on how to redeem your prize.

 

Next, we have a new family member at Casa Cahoon.  Sadie, a year old pup with more energy than I know what to do with, moved in last night. The boys are still trying to get used to the new addition.  Right now they are sleeping.

Between judging contest entries, writing a new Bull Rider manuscript, and fighting off the rest of a week three cold, I’m beat.  And I gave up sugar for lent, so I’m really feeling deprived.

Any suggestions out there on ways to recharge?  And taking off for sunnier climates isn’t within the budget this year.

 

Meet the Neighbors – Lynn Crandall with Dancing with Detective Danger

Today on Meet the Neighbors, I’m please to introduce another Lynn C. who writes for Crimson Romance.  This Lynn (Crandall) writes romantic suspense and her first Crimson book, Dancing with Detective Danger came out in January of this year.  

Please welcome, Lynn Crandall! 

What does your family think of your writing?

I began writing romance novels when my children were very young. My youngest was dubious about my ability to convey a story to an editor, not because of my writing skills but because of my penmanship. He said, “How will the editor be able to read your writing?” Of course, when I showed him my typewritten pages, he was impressed. “Wow, so many pages. That must have taken you forever.” Like I said, he was young. Fortunately for me, all my family has always been intrigued by my writing and supportive of my efforts. When I wrote my first romance novel, Silver Wings, one of my step-daughters would plop down on her stomach while I was reading and read the latest scenes, then provide input, such as it was. My husband is a willing assistant for working on scenes depicting physical struggles. Now, my oldest son has also published a book, though it’s about something to do with computer software.

Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or…?

I am a pantser and a freelance writer for commercial and trade magazines with a background in newspaper writing, so research is where I begin. I feel the research fuels the story that I haven’t gotten completely figured out yet. I create character bios, a loose outline and have ideas for scenes. I think as with newspaper and magazine writing, once the “lede” or “hook” is established, the story flows from there and characters reveal the plot as I progress through their story.

That’s a lot of pre-work for a pantser.  Most of my planning is done in my head trying to answer my ‘what if’ questions.  You rock!

If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what would it be?

Take time to discover who you are and who you want to be. I was always in a big fat hurry to move on and “be,” long before I knew much about myself or the world.

If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

Please start with Dancing with Detective Danger. It released Jan. 21 and I presently am in love with the characters and how they face their struggles, as well as the book’s themes of following truth. Then read my first romance novel, Silver Wings. Readers have enjoyed the element of flying the book features, and I am very fond of those characters, as well, because they, too, faced inner conflicts that could have derailed their happy-ever-after. Both books feature strong family loyalties, something I think many readers can appreciate.

What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work? In Dancing with Detective Danger I hope readers will relate to the emotional journey of Sterling and Ben and enjoy the story’s development until a satisfying happily-ever-after. I feel that it’s fun to read about larger-than-life, idealized characters, but average, ordinary characters who face very human tendencies of dealing with life and relationships but triumph any way are more inspiring and I hope that’s what readers find in my books.

List two authors we would find you reading when taking a break from your own writing.

I am an avid reader and love classics from Jane Austen as well as paranormal romance from Kelley Armstrong.

Thanks for visiting A Fairy Tale Life, Lynn. 

 

***

Uncovering secrets and exposing truth are all in a day’s work for private investigator Sterling Aegar. But when her latest case threatens to reveal her own buried feelings for an old love, Sterling runs for cover.

A body in the bathtub and pleas from a jilted wife to find her wayward husband mean a welcome break from the usual humdrum cases Sterling and her sister, Lacey, are called to investigate. But when Sterling’s old flame, Detective Ben Kirby, walks into the murder scene, she feels her world spin out of control. Danger from thugs and murderers poses no greater threat than the peril she’d suffer if she lets daredevil Ben get too close.

Seeing Sterling for the first time in two years is for Ben like drinking in a healing tonic. He could never forget the way it felt to run his hands over her delicious curves or the way she touched his soul. She remains the one person who can make the emptiness in his gut go away. Finding the murderer is his job, but protecting Sterling from seriously dangerous people is his mission.

As the case unfolds, Sterling and Ben not only solve the murder and locate the missing husband, they confront secrets that set them each free from a painful past.

Heartbreaker Blog Hop – Nature or Nurture?

Who doesn’t love a heartbreaker?  Pat Benatar sang about them.  Romance authors love to redeem them. And women everywhere  go there when they know they should stay away.

So what is the draw of the bad boy?  If we went with our natural instincts, shouldn’t we be drawn in by a stable, hardworking fellow who reminds us more of our dad’s or Ward Cleaver?  Someone who can provide for us and the babies the union will bring?

Maybe we’re working on a deeper set need. Survival of the fittest.  You have to admit, knowing that the one you love can protect you when the country is attacked by aliens from a distant galaxy is kind of comforting.  And definitely HOT.

But maybe it’s the challenge of turning a bad boy into your one and only.  The thrill of the chase so to speak.

Love doesn’t always make sense.

My Shawnee Bull Rider series has its share of bad boys.  James Sullivan lost the girl when he chose the rodeo tour over her.  Hunter Martin never had to grow up, until his brother died, leaving him a niece to raise.   The bull rider himself, Jesse Sullivan is the ultimate bad boy, playboy, buckle bunny magnet.  His story is currently on the computer screen, and for all of his charm, Jesse might just have met his match.

And don’t get me started on my witch hunter from A Member of the Council, Ty Wallace.  That man’s so hot, he could cook an egg to hard boil just by holding it in his hand.

But, just like most women, my inclination as an author is to tame them.  At least a touch.

So what’s your story?  Are you drawn to the man you know can and will take care of you financially or is your heart drawn to something a little more wild?

Leave a comment with your email address to be entered into a drawing of your choice of one of my three e-books AND to be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing.

And click here to keep hopping…

We have THREE grand prizes. Don’t forget to go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

 

Now what are those prizes?

 

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

 

Serenity Woods releases Mr. Insatiable –

Meet The Neighbors Wednesday goes down south – way south – to New Zealand and Lyrical Author, Serenity Woods.  If the kiss in the excerpt is this hot, oh, my….

 

Mr. Insatiable by Serenity Woods

A Lyrical Press Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

Gossip says he is hot between the sheets. Has Mr. Insatiable finally met his match?

Enya’s been curious about Kit’s bedroom exploits ever since his ex-girlfriend spilled the beans about his…skill. But he’s not for her. Enya can’t provide what he wants from life, especially not between the sheets.

After Enya admits she’s not good at sex, Kit persuades her to trust in him. Together, they can create fireworks in the bedroom. A few drinks followed by a discussion about kinky sex, and Enya succumbs to his charm.

Thrilled he’s been proven correct, Kit can’t keep his hands off Enya, and she’s unable, and unwilling, to resist him. But is it just great sex…or something more?

CONTENT WARNING:

Sexy, sizzling hot romance. Please read with air conditioning on.

Excerpt:

When he paused to kiss her hair again, she whispered, “Do you think I’m attractive?” It was a provocative statement, but the need for reassurance after her breakup was too great to resist.

Kit stilled, and she wondered whether she’d overstepped the invisible boundary they’d erected over the years. Just like Tristan had always done, Kit had commented on her burgeoning figure as she’d grown up, made lewd comments when she’d worn a bikini and teased her about the generous size of her breasts, but it had always been done in a brotherly way, in front of the rest of the family. He’d never crossed that line and been suggestive or touched her inappropriately. When they were alone, he was the perfect gentleman, honorable and polite, even if he did continue to tease her, she’d never felt uncomfortable with him. Sometimes she’d wondered whether he actually realized she’d grown up.

He moved back and looked down at her. Even though she wore three-inch heels, he towered over her, his shoulders broad beneath his jacket. She waited for him to make a joke, laugh, or look uncomfortable at being asked to say something personal like that. Instead, to her surprise, he cupped her face with his hands. Looking into her eyes, he held her gaze for a moment, his blue eyes alight with desire. To her astonishment, he smiled wolfishly and lowered his head.

She stood, transfixed, as he pressed his lips to hers. They were firm and warm, and she waited, breathless, while he kissed her, his mouth moving across hers with tender affection. Her mind raced. He was only trying to comfort her. Brother to sister. As if she were kissing Tristan. Yeuch.

Only it wasn’t yeuch. And it wasn’t remotely like how she imagined kissing her brother would be.

She rested her palms on his chest, surprised at the firmness of his muscles beneath her fingers. She’d seen him shirtless in the summer, hugged him and given him teasing pushes a gazillion times, but she’d never touched him. With his lips still slowly brushing hers, and her heart thudding, she moved her hands up and traced his collarbone beneath the white shirt, and then lifted her hands over his shoulders and around his neck, expecting him to draw back, laughing.

Instead of pulling away, Kit’s arms came around her, strong and tight, his hands sliding down her back to her hips. He pulled her against him, and to her complete and utter shock, pressed the hard length of his erection against her, obvious proof he didn’t feel as if he were kissing a sibling either.

Enya’s mouth opened and she gasped, inhaling sharply when his warm tongue brushed hers. For a second she froze, completely taken aback by his reaction, as confused as she had been in her dream by what he was doing and her reaction to him. He stilled, but before he pulled away, desire shot through her, and her instincts took over. Plunging her tongue into his mouth, she threaded her hands through his hair, pressing herself against him, molding her body to his.

Kit groaned, his hands tight on her butt. Unfamiliar yearning swept through her, and she tightened her hands in his hair, grazing her teeth against his bottom lip, pleasure mounting as he deepened the kiss.

She’d forgotten about the heels. She didn’t wear them very often, and when she lifted herself on tiptoe to press her breasts against his chest, she lost her balance. His weight pushed her back the six inches to the wall behind her, and she hit it with a jolt hard enough to make her gasp and break the kiss.

Kit stepped back. “Shit.” He ran both hands through his hair and then surveyed her, hands on hips, apparently lost for words.

Enya pressed shaking fingers to her lips, her head spinning. I kissed Kit Fawkes!

Bio

Serenity Woods lives in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand with her wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son. She writes fun, flirty, and sexy romances in a variety of romantic sub-genres. She’s won several writing competitions and is a member of the Romance Writers of New Zealand. She would much rather immerse herself in reading or writing romance than do the dusting and ironing, which is why it’s not a great idea to pop round if you have any allergies. You can check out all her books at www.serenitywoodsromance.com.

 

 

Facebook:                     http://www.facebook.com/serenitywoodsromance

Twitter:                         https://twitter.com/Serenity_Woods

Amazon Page:               http://www.amazon.com/author/serenitywoods

Barnes & Noble Page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/serenity-woods

Goodreads:                   http://www.goodreads.com/SerenityWoods

Publisher link:               http://lyricalpress.com/mr-insatiable/

 

Sneak Peek Sunday – The Bull Rider’s Manager – Lynn Cahoon

Welcome to  Sneak Peek Sunday!!!  To find other sneak peeks check out the list HERE.  (Thanks Sara Walter Edward for starting Sneak Peek!)

Today it’s Barb and Hunter’s day for a little one on one.  Hmmm, what 6 paragraphs should I tease you with?  Ah, there they are -

Have fun.

***

“Something wrong?” Barb was watching him. He realized he hadn’t said a word since they’d sat down at the table.

“Not a thing.” He picked up the menu and pretended to study it while he watched Barb. No, the woman was off limits for many reasons. His and hers. But God, she was amazing to look at. When he’d seen her surrounded by those goons, he’d wanted to deck every one of them. Especially the heavy set one with his arm around Barb. She’d looked uncomfortable, but apparently this Adam hadn’t seen that.

Sometimes he didn’t understand his gender. Not at all.

“Are you ready to order?” A waitress stood by their table, dressed in a way too short skirt, looking more like a Vegas casino girl than the old west saloon gal the costume was supposed to imitate.

He nodded to Barb. “Ladies first. Or should I order for you?”

A wicked smile crossed her face and not for the first time that day, Hunter wondered what the woman was thinking. He hoped the thought was about him. Or him naked. Or them both naked.

***

 

 

Available at Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/The-Bull-Riders...

Meet the Neighbors – Stephanie Freeman – A Letter from Yesay Releases February 4th, 2013

Today, Meet the Neighbors welcomes Crimson Romance author Stephanie Freeman. Stephanie and I were both proud to be launch authors on June 4th, 2012.  Now, Stephanie’s getting ready for her third release, A Letter from Yesay.  Please welcome her to A Fairy Tale Life. 

Stephanie Freeman, a Maryland educator and author recently published her first three novels: Necessary Evil on June 4, 2012, Nature of the Beast on October 8, 2012 and A Letter from Yesay coming in February 2013 with Crimson Romance Publishing.

Necessary Evil is a compelling tale of heartache and redemption. Detective Cassiel Garret suspects the pretty young temp worker knows more about a string of audacious bank robberies and jewel heists than she’s letting on. But there’s something about her, something that all of his training tells him is terribly wrong. An even deeper knowing makes him believe she’s more than a common thief or an accessory to the crimes that are plaguing his hometown. Does he forego all of his training to follow his heart—or will a call to duty win out?

***

Nature of the Beast is an equally compelling story where twists and turns lead to a dizzying conclusion. Someone wants to kill Willow Daniels. Can she trust an enigmatic nightclub owner or will the secrets that surround him destroy them both?

***

A Letter from Yesay starts off the new year with a book that revisits the shades and shards of memory that define us all. Mystery Writer Garin Carter fills her days and nights with solving mysteries. When her fiction leaves the page will the contents of a letter and the presence of a stranger bring closure to a tragedy or spawn a new one?

Freeman, a graduate of the University of Baltimore’s Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences grew up in a household that thrived on good books. Now, she taps that experience in the first of a planned series of books set in the fictitious town of Shadow Bay, Maryland.

Find out more about Stephanie and her newest release at: 

Website: Stephaniemfreemanauthor.wordpress.com

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/stephanie.freeman.1069

Amazon Links -

Necessary Evil

The Nature of the Beast

Letter from Yesay

 

Sneak Peek Sunday – The Bull Rider’s Brother

Welcome to the first official Sneak Peek Sunday!!!  To find other sneak peeks check out the list HERE.  (Thanks Sara Walter Edward for starting Sneak Peek!)

Today I’m giving you a sample of The Bull Rider’s Brother – A taste of their conflict.

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Lizzie shut her eyes, feeling for him. “You can‘t change people. They are who they are.”  Opening her eyes, she found Jesse standing by the beer tent. A woman in new jeans, boots, and a bright pink satin shirt hung on his arm. Barb sat with a different group, but Lizzie saw her watching Jesse and the woman, too. “Who‘s the buckle bunny with Jesse? She‘s a little old for the rodeo scene, isn’t she?”

James‘s head popped up from watching her hand rest on top of his. “Where?”

“Over by the beer garden.” Lizzie pointed. “The bleached blonde. Don‘t tell me you can‘t see her. That outfit outshines the lights strung around the park.”

James swore under his breath. “I can‘t believe she had the nerve to show up here.”  He stood up and pulled out his wallet. “Lizzie, I’ve got to go.” He gave her a business card. “Call me tomorrow and we‘ll get together for breakfast. We need to talk.”

Holding onto the card by its edges, Lizzie cringed mentally. Buddy, you don’t know the half of it. Aloud she asked, “Where are you going?”

“I need to handle something.” James leaned down and closed her hand over the card. “Seriously, call me. I want to talk to you.”