HelenKay Dimon's Blog, page 37

Here I am!

Sorry for checking out. I had a deadline and then went on a short vacation. Specifically, I went here:

Yep, that's Hawaii. We visited with my in-laws who live there and enjoyed the beautiful weather and great food. I'm now back and working on an Intrigue that will come out late 2012. And wading through my email inbox. I had over 1600 emails when I got back. So, if you emailed me and haven't heard back yet, it's coming. I promise!

October Winner

Congratulations to the October Blog Contest Winner – Letina Kelly (Comment #2 on the October 20th blog entry)! Letina, you get your choice of a book from my backlist. Please email me with your choice and address.

Take A Look…

The print copy of SEAL OF MY DREAMS is now shipping from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The digital (ebook) version will be available on November 11th, Veterans Day. This is a charity anthology where all of the proceeds benefit the Veterans Medical Research Foundation. Here's a pretty awesome book trailer for the anthology:

Saturday Snippet

In honor of Halloween, today's topic is scary/thrilling. I decided use an excerpt from my latest Intrigue, THE BIG GUNS. It's not spooky, but the book is a thriller so I think it fits.

Here's the start of the scene:

"Don't you dare give me over to this guy. I will hunt you down and…" Something. She'd do something violent if Zach abandoned her now. Her hands clutched at his shirt. She'd pull out every one of his chest hairs and then start with his skin to make her point.

When he stared at her with cold eyes, a bolt of fear crashed through her. Then she heard it. A whisper so low she thought she slipped into a dream. "Trust me."

Trust me? At Zach's toneless murmur she wanted to run, to scream for help. To do all the things that would seal her death.

Before she could argue, he set her to the side, steadying her with one hand. He made one last command, this one in a much stronger and louder voice for Johnnie to hear. "Stay. I'm not chasing you around the woods again, woman."

"That's right," Johnnie said.

Zach turned back to Johnnie. "Okay, my arms are free. No weapons. No bullets. You want to see who's in charge of the lady now?"

Johnnie nodded in Zach's general direction. "Where's your gun?"

"Lost it."

She hoped that wasn't true. Counted on it being a lie meant to throw the attacker off.

Johnnie's gaze clouded. "No way, man."

"If I have a weapon it would be aimed at you right now."

"I've seen you fight with fists. That was bad enough." Johnnie looked from her to Zach and back again. Sweat

formed in the dirty creases on his forehead as desperation sparked behind his cold eyes.

"Thought you wanted to battle man-to-man," Zach said.

"I have a better idea." Johnnie pointed the gun at her. "Come here."



"Never going to happen." The hours of being bait ended now. She was done being a pawn in this screwed up game.

Johnnie spit a wad of blood onto the porch. "Now, lady."

Zach held out an arm and blocked her path. "Stay right where you are."

"You don't want to fight me," Johnnie said.

Zach held up his hands in surrender. "You're right. So, why don't you put the gun down?"

If she hadn't been watching Zach so closely she might not have seen the sharp blade peek out from the edge of his shirtsleeve.

"No deal," Johnnie said.

"I'm going to put my hands down."

"Fine, man, but I ain't dropping the gun."

"Well, hell, just don't shoot me by accident." The hard edge left Zach's voice, as if he were joking with a friend instead of staring down the barrel of a gun with an idiot attached to the other end. "I don't know any woman worth being shot for, do you?"

Johnnie hesitated then let out a cackling laugh. Within seconds the obscene sound turned to a wheezing cough. "Only good for one thing."

Zach frowned at the other man. "You okay?"

"Let's hope not," she mumbled under her breath.

Johnnie tried to suck in air. "I think you broke my rib."

Zach whistled through clenched teeth. "Man, I start fighting and something takes over."

"You're insane when you throw punches."

"You have no idea." Zach lowered his hands at the same time Johnnie eased his grip on the gun.

As soon as Johnnie pointed the barrel toward the cracked wooden porch, Zach brought his arm down in an arc and sent the knife slicing through the air. The blade shot in a direct line and lodged with a sickening thud in Johnnie's shoulder.

He squealed as his gun fell to the hard floor and his body slammed into the porch post. In a flurry of profanity, he slipped to the ground. A crimson stain seeped from around the new wound.

Sela wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move. Too much of her energy went to keep from screaming. She didn't have

anything left in that second for an escape.

Zach snatched up the gun and aimed it at Johnnie. "Don't you ever threaten her again."

Johnnie heaved and coughed. "Whatcha want with her?"

"That's my business."

Wrong, it was her business. And not knowing provided the perfect reason to get the hell out of there. She inched back toward the wall and started to do just that. If she could keep Zach focused on Johnnie, she had a chance to escape. To where, she had no idea. Preferably somewhere without a gun.

"Don't even think about it, Sela."

She froze at the sound of Zach's husky voice. "What?"

"Whatever it is you're planning in that head of yours."

"I didn't…I…"

"You're coming inside with me."

Wrong, wrong, wrong. She'd tried playing along. Maybe begging would work. "Let me go, Zach."

"This isn't a bargain." He grabbed her elbow. "We have some things to talk about."

She tried to break his hold but wasn't any more successful this time than the last. "You're going to regret this."

"I have no doubt."

____________

Remember to check out the other authors' snippets:

Anne Rainey

Eliza Gayle

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Mandy M Roth

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Selena Blake

Vivian Arend

Alison Kent

Beth-Ann Mason

Shelli Stevens

Lauren Dane

Lacey Savage

TJ Michaels

Shiloh Walker

Coming Up

I have three books coming out at the end of this year. Yes, three in two months. All three are now up for pre-order, so go reserve your copies. The books have one thing in common – they are all part of a anthology. That's pretty much where the similarities end.

First up is SEAL OF MY DREAMS, an anthology of shorts about Navy SEALs. This is a charity anthology where all proceeds go to charity. My story is about an attack at an ambassador residence in the made-up country of Erites. The heroine is in the foreign service and is there to assist in the set-up of a new embassy. The hero is the SEAL who comes to the rescue when the bullets start to fly. It's short but the romance makes me smile and LCDR Hal Robertson is pure hero.

This is a short of about 8500 words. I'm super excited about it because all of the charity aspect and because of the list of authors included in the anthology. It is an honor to be a part of this book.

[image error] The next book is my holiday novella, IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU, in the HOLIDAY KISSES anthology. You can buy this one as the anthology with stories from me, Shannon Stacey, Jaci Burton and Alison Kent or as a solo novella. It's a reuntied-lovers story. These two have been a couple for years, broken up, and are now trying to find their way back to each other again. The hero, Austin Thomas, is what I call adorably clueless. If you like holiday romances, this one is for you. Trees! Snow! Bundling in thick jackets!

I'm thrilled to be in this anthology with these authors. I also love writing novellas. This one is 28,000 words.

[image error]The third release is my short JUST SAY YES in the AGONY/ECSTASY anthology. Jane at Dear Author put this book together. This one is NOT about Christmas. It's a bit naughty and very sexy. It's a workplace romance and I love workplace romances. They are a bit hard to write, what with issues like sexual harassment and such, but I love this short. I was thrilled to be chosen for this anthology and am excited to read all the stories. I'm not going to say much about it because there's a bit of a twist, but this hero is yummy.

This is definitely a short, but I think it packs a lot of punch into 6,000 words. Again, very sexy.

I hope you'll try them all!

Cover Reveal!

I have covers for my December 5th holiday release from Carina Press. The first is for my individual novella, IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU:

Carrie Anders officially broke up with Austin Thomas when she accepted a dream job in the city. Unofficially, she misses him and is tempted to sneak back to her West Virginia hometown to see him. That's why this year, she's not going home for the holidays. Her heart can't take any more mornings-after where nothing has changed—and Austin has made it clear he's not interested in relocating.

Austin's been waiting for Carrie to realize she can't live without him. But when he hears she's not coming home for Christmas, he decides to take action. If Carrie won't come to the country, he's going to bring a piece of the country to Carrie—in the form of a Christmas tree lot just minutes from her apartment. He's certain daily meetings will entice her to come home with him, this time for good.

Their attraction is as hot as ever, but with such contrary Christmas wishes, can either of them get what they really want this year?

The second is the anthology cover:

[image error]

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like…Love!

A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.

Anthology includes:

This Time Next Year by Alison Kent

A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton

It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon

Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey

Stories also available for purchase separately.

Pet Peeve

I'm currently teaching an online class about characterization. The exact title has to do with building realistic and believable characters. I realized when putting together my lectures that I have a pretty obvious pet peeve in romance novels. It has to do with the hero. Basically, I get all grumbly when the hero's sole internal conflict centers on him being anti-commitment. I've posted three lectures and mentioned this pet peeve in every one. And just wait until we get to the in-depth talk on the hero.

I view the commitment issue as the easy way out and one that's not all that compelling. Not putting down any author or author choice here, just stating my view. I need something more. Sure, I've had talk of commitment in my books before, but I've tried very hard not to have the traditional anti-commitment hero. I just think so many times anti-commitment becomes a shortcut for what keeps the parties from getting together. Like, the main conflict – that tension preventing the characters from just declaring their real feelings immediately – is the hero's "I never want to get married" thing.

Many times the hero is said to feel this way and there's no real basis for the anti-commitment bias. Then there's the part with this same hero has no problem commiting to a job or emotionally commiting to good friends or relatives. Yeah, that's a different kind of relationship, but the point is the hero can make connections when he wants to. So then I'm supposed to believe he can connect with people except the heroine? I tend not to buy it. I want something more. If the hero shuns commitment, I want a good reason and need the conflict to go deeper.

Clearly I have decided to spread the word on this anti-commitment issue, and now I have.

Online Workshop

If you've looked at my Events page you know I teach courses at MiraCosta College and UC San Diego extension campus. Starting next week, I'm also teaching an online workshop. In case you're interested, here's the press release:

San Diego Romance Writers present …

Building Characters One Layer At A Time

Instructor: HelenKay Dimon

Dates: October 17-30

Price $20 RWASD $25 others

Link:

http://www.rwasd.com/training/index.html

Course description

Characters are the center of your story. They drive your plot and keep readers coming back. Whether you are writing about a Scottish Laird, a small-town sheriff or a centuries-old vampire, your characters need to be complex, believable and compelling. In this class you will learn how to build characters, layer by layer, until they are unforgettable.

Saturday Snippet

Today's topic is gift. That could really mean almost anything. I decided to go a little more literal and use my Christmas novella, It's Not Christmas Without You in the HOLIDAY KISSES anthology. It comes out December 6th from Carina Press. I don't have a cover or link yet, but soon…

Something or someone thumped against her front door early the next morning. At the sound, Carrie jumped and a black smudge of mascara slashed across her cheek.

"What the hell?" A glance at the small clock on her bathroom counter told her it wasn't seven yet.

After barely sleeping and hours of trying to kick the image of Austin's ridiculously handsome face out of her head, she'd showered and gotten as far as drying her hair and throwing on a robe before the thud. Thanks to the scare, the make-up application was a bust and would need a second attempt.

But first, the door. She wiped off the smear and dropped the tube into the sink. Stepping into the entry, she cursed under her breath and generally worked her nerves into a full-blown fury as she went. There were twenty apartments on her floor and if someone had wandered to the wrong door she'd scream. She glanced through the peephole and her planned unreasonable explode-on-a-stranger rage fizzled. A whirring mix of anxiety and unwanted hope spun around in her belly. The sound of whistling hit her a second later.

No, no, no.



She'd thought about Austin nonstop and now he appeared at her door and…she was a dead woman. No way would her shaky control withstand this. Staring at him through the safety of a window and from six floors up last night made her twitchy enough. Smelling him, seeing him, hearing him, being inches away from touching him. It was all too much.

To keep from bending, she focused on her frustration over his stubbornness. He pretended to listen to her talk about her job but he didn't really hear her. The anger at his refusal to see her as more than the woman who'd always been there for him washed over her. She let it fuel her until it pounded in her ears.

She threw open the door and glared. "How do you know where I live?"

"Uh, hello?"

How the man could look so yummy so early in the morning was a mystery. Hair ruffled from the air and a chill on his skin that swept over her from two feet away. The faded jeans and checkered shirt hanging open over a gray tee added to the scruffy, just-out-of-bed look that never failed to make her jaw drop.

She ended the visual tour with a practiced frown. "You can't possibly expect a warm welcome at this time in the morning."

"It's seven."

"Your point?"

He executed the perfect eye roll. "I've been up for two hours."

"You're not normal." Her gaze bounced down to his hands and she wondered how she'd missed the two cups of what looked like coffee and a white bag of something in the carrier.

The man knew how to get to her. She'd once joked about how a woman could forgive a lot for a man who brought her breakfast. She was trying to weasel a coffee run out of him at the time.

"You've enjoyed my early rising in the past," he said.

She bit down on her lip to keep from laughing at his dumb joke and the sexy smile that followed. "You haven't explained how you found me."

"We come from a town of, like, ten people. They lined up to tell me how to find you."

Traitors. "So, Mitch squealed. That would explain why he won't answer my calls."

"Your brother has to work with me." When she snorted, Austin talked louder. "Then there's the part where I threatened to kill him if he didn't spill."

"I'm going to smack the crap out of him when I see him again." She stood back and opened her arm to usher Austin out of the hallway. "Come in before we give the neighbors a show that will get me evicted."

"In that robe? I'd be willing."

Her skin warmed everywhere his gaze touched. She grabbed her lapels and gathered them in her clenched fist to stop that sort of thing. "I wasn't expecting company."

"I'm not complaining."

Her all but naked and his gaze traveling down her front spelled disaster. "I'll go get dressed."

Before she could shuffle off to the bedroom and lock the door behind her, he raised his hands. The move put the goodies he brought at eye level. "Are you sure you don't want to try these first?"

The smell of deep roast filled her senses. Hot man and hot coffee. Who could resist that combination?

"What's in the bag?"

"A cinnamon-swirl pound cake to go with your grande nonfat vanilla latte." He shook the bag as he spoke.

The evil coffee pimp remembered her usual order.

______________________

Don't forget to check out the other snippets:

Anne Rainey

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Selena Blake

Vivian Arend

Alison Kent

Lauren Dane

Lacey Savage

Shiloh Walker

More on Upcoming

I don't have the cover for my Christmas anthology, HOLIDAY KISSESfrom Carina Press (December 6th release), but I do have the back cover copy. How this works is Carina releases the four contemporary holiday novellas two ways. You can buy each novella individually or you can buy them together in an anthology for a discounted price. That means I'll have two covers – one for the anthology and one for my novella – and two sets of cover copy. Here's the copy for my novella, It's Not Christmas Without You:

Carrie Anders officially broke up with Austin Thomas when she accepted a dream job in the city. Unofficially, she misses him and is tempted to sneak back to her West Virginia hometown to see him. That's why this year, she's not going home for the holidays. Her heart can't take any more mornings-after where nothing has changed—and Austin has made it clear he's not interested in relocating.

Austin's been waiting for Carrie to realize she can't live without him. But when he hears she's not coming home for Christmas, he decides to take action. If Carrie won't come to the country, he's going to bring a piece of the country to Carrie—in the form of a Christmas tree lot just minutes from her apartment. He's certain daily meetings will entice her to come home with him, this time for good.

Their attraction is as hot as ever, but with such contrary Christmas wishes, can either of them get what they really want this year?

Here's the copy for the anthology:

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like…Love!

A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.

Anthology includes:

This Time Next Year by Alison Kent

A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton

It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon

Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey

Stories also available for purchase separately.

I am so excited about this anthology. I've known my fellow authors – Shannon Stacey, Jaci Burton and Allison Kent – since I started writing. They are amazing writers and great people. I am truly humbled to be included in a book with them.