HelenKay Dimon's Blog, page 38

SEAL Short

I've mentioned before that I'm part of this awesome anthology called SEAL Of My Dreams. This is a charity anthology, meaning all of the proceeds benefit a cause. In this case, the Veterans Research Corp. The website is live, so check it out HERE. My story is called Finding Home and here's an unedited excerpt:

Megan slipped her shoulder out of her hiding place and peered around the desk. The door to the office remained close but the shouting had stopped. She couldn't even hear a low rumble of voices, which touched off a free-fall in her stomach.

She cleared the throat, trying to fight off the cough tickling her. Smoke choked the room now. A steady stream of gray haze moved through the one-story building from outside. That meant there was an open window somewhere and either a huge lapse in protocol or a situation too horrible to contemplate.

She shifted to her knees, ignoring the hard shaking that moved her body from side to side. She'd keep low, crawl then run. She repeated the plan until it was the only thought running through her mind.

"Don't stop." She mouthed the words, surprised when they escaped her lips.

She tried to get a foot under her when something moved in front of her. A face peeked around the doorway connecting the area to the hallway running to the back door and kitchen. A scream raced up her throat but she stopped it in time when the figure put a finger to his lips. Black pants, black long-sleeve tee, black hair. The man almost blended into the dark wall, which she guessed was the point.

Even from across the room, a good fifteen feet away, she could make out his shocking blue eyes. The black watch and razor short haircut shouted military but she'd met every Marine protecting the Ambassador on this mission and he wasn't one of them. She'd remember that face, lean with a strong chin and a serious frown that comforted rather than scared her.

Ducking low, he ran in a line straight for her. Crouched and soundless. Focused and determined. He reached her before she could lift her hands to fend him off. Then he balanced in front of her, right at the small opening under the desk. "Lieutenant Commander Hal Robertson, United States Navy."

Relief raced through her, zapping every ounce of strength as it went. "You're a SEAL."

It wasn't a question because she knew. The steely determination, the visible lack of fear. He walked into a disaster, his gaze constantly surveying as if he were analyzing and dissecting every move and every exit.

"Yes, ma'am." He lowered his weapon as he stared straight into her eyes. "You are?"

"Megan White." She held out her hand.

He folded her cold fingers in his palms, heating them with a gentle rub. "Are you hurt, Megan White?"

"Scared witless."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Then let's get you out of here."

The anthology comes out Veterans Day, November 11th.

Contest Winners!

I actually have two contests running, so I'll post the winners on both:

1. Trinity Faegen contest – I decided to give away two copies. The winners are Angel (comment #7) and JessicaT (comment #10).

2. The monthly Contest – The winner is Laurie (comment #3 on the September 8th entry).

Congratulations to the winners!! Email me so I can get those books out to you.

Contest!

Today is the day of my dear friend's first YA (young adult) book release. Take a look:

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—she is an Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx's biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God's promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he's finally found the girl he's been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

You can order it at a whole bunch of places, including B&N or Amazon.

And…I'm giving a copy away. Leave a comment here about the book or YA or any related subject and you'll be entered to win. I'll send the prize from Amazon (or the Book Depository if you're international), so as long as you can get books from either of those, you can enter. I'll post the winner's name on Sunday. Good luck!

Saturday Snippet

Today's topic is milestones. I actually had some trouble with this one. I wasn't sure what to post. I decided to go with a scene from IMPULSIVE. Here, the heroine hasn't quite learned to trust the hero and follows him to what turns out to be an important family event. The scene ends up being a turning point in the their relationship but maybe not the way you'd expect. Here's the start of the scene:

Katie was so busy studying him, admiring the tranquility of the moment and the way his bright blue tie highlighted the rich tone of his skin, she almost missed the shiver that moved through him. It was a sense of awareness mirrored in the tilt of his head and roll of his shoulders. She wasn't prepared for him to look up or for his gaze to search the room, but that's what happened. Heat burned in her cheeks as his dark eyes centered on her.

Part of her wanted to run. She could turn around and get out of there and pretend this moment never happened. But her feet were rooted to the floor. Pinned by his gaze, she could not move.

After helping his mother into her seat, Eric kept walking. He stalked down the aisle, causing several heads to turn in his wake. He didn't stop until he stood in font of her.



"Hi." She had no idea what else to say, so she went with that bit of quiet brilliance.

"Just happen to be here today, did you?"

"Hardly." She peeked over his shoulder and saw his mother looking back at them. "You should go sit down."

"In a second." With a hand on Katie's elbow, Eric guided her back down the stairs and out into the sunshine.

She didn't wait for the yelling to start. This called for an offensive strike. "I can explain."

"You know what I think?"

"Not really."

"You have trust issues." The words were accusatory but his tone sounded more amused than anything.

"I know this looks bad."

"It sure doesn't look good." He touched his hand against her lower back. "Come inside."

She slid out of reach and faced him again. "I'm going to skip, but thanks."

"It's a memorial service not a human sacrifice."

"I picked up that much." Her mind went to the photo of the woman with the sweet smile. "Who died?"

"My grandmother."

A mix of sorrow and remorse filled Katie until she thought she'd drown in it. Here she was stomping around him like an out of control idiot, yelling about Deana and keys, and he was in mourning. "Oh, Eric. I am so sorry."

"It's okay."

She grabbed the sleeve of his suit jacket. "It's not. I know how devastating it is to lose someone."

"You've had more than your share of loss."

But they weren't talking about her. They were talking about the strong man in front of her. Without a word or request for support, he was trying to work his way through a death in the family. She'd examine how she felt about not being clued in later. The one thing that nagged at her was the timing. It didn't make sense. Either she met him right after or he could so compartmentalize his life as to be with her one day and suffer alone the next.

The latter option clashed with everything she thought she knew about him. Eric was not cold and heartless, but he had kept his loss to himself for a reason. She wondered what he could say that would make that realization bearable because right now it wasn't. It sunk inside her, hard and heavy.

But she would worry about how this made her feel later. Eric's grief was the issue now, and from what she could tell he was burying it. "I had no idea."

"About what?"

"Your grandmother's death." She smoothed her hand up and down his arm. "When did it happen?"

"Twenty-three years ago."

Katie had never experienced the sensation of having ice water dumped on her but she guessed it felt a bit like this. "Come again?"

"This is a Buddhist ceremony."

"Uh, okay."

"Under the tradition, we have memorial services at three years, seven years, seventeen years…well, let's just say there's a whole calendar of events set aside for both mourning and celebrating life. This one is an important one."

"You're Buddhist?"

For some reason, he smiled. "That's really all you got out of that entire explanation?"

"Frankly, I barely understood a word. I thought I'd go with the most obvious thing I didn't know about you."

"This is one of those things that you do out of obligation and tradition. Parts Shinto and Buddhist. It all means

something to my parents, so I'm here for them."

All those words and she still didn't get it. "You should go back inside before they worry."

"They're fine. You, however, look ready to bolt."

"In the span of ten minutes I found out you're Buddhist, have a dead grandmother and celebrate these services I've never heard of in what has to be the most spectacular part of the island I've ever seen. I can't believe I missed it before now."

"I've been coming here since I was a kid."

"For church?"

"It's a temple."

Clearly he thought the distinction was important. That made one of them.

____________

Remember to check out the other authors' snippets:

Anne Rainey

TJ Michaels

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Lauren Dane

Vivian Arend

Shelli Stevens

TJ Michaels

Jody Wallace

Eliza Gayle

Denise A. Agnew

Beth-Ann Mason

What I'm Working On Now

My short story for this:

First Class

Tonight I start teaching Writing Popular Fiction at UCSD extension. It is the first time I've taught this class, so I'm a bit nervous. The first day is always a little bumpy as the members of the class get to know each other and me. Since this is a new course it could be extra bumpy. Then there's the part where the class goes from 6:30p.m. to 9:30p.m., so people are half asleep by the end. But none of that matters. I love teaching writing classes and having a class filled people who enjoy reading and writing is kind of amazing.

Now I'm off to revise the syllabus for the last time. I have a feeling I'll stray from it (often) during the semester, but it's worth pretending I know where I'm going when we begin the class.

Guest Blogging & Contest

I'm at the RomCon blog today talking about how to keep all the characters straight in a miniseries. I'm also giving away a copy of THE BIG GUNS. COme over and say hi and you'll be entered to win – RomCon.

On Television

While I am very excited (and a tiny bit crazed) about my new release – THE BIG GUNS – there are a few things I'm not excited about in television land, so I thought I'd share:

1. The Charlie's Angels reboot. This might be brilliant but I'm kind of reboot-ed out. Enough with remaking things from my childhood – Karate Kid, Footloose, and anything else Hollywood is thinking of remaking. Honestly, Hollywood. Enough. Buy my books if you want to make something new.

2. The new show Revenge. Again, this could be Emmy gold, but have you see the commercials? There's a pretty chick in a long dress walking on a beach and talking about getting revenge for her father's death. That sounds like a book, maybe a Lifetime movie. I'm having a tough time seeing how there's enough plot for more than two episodes. The hubby is convinced it will be cancelled by the third episode.

3. The Ringer. This one is just me being childish. I'm not ready to see Sarah Michelle Gellar as anyone but Buffy. I apologize but I'm still stamping my foot.

4. Another Torchwood. Okay, I am a sci-fi geek girl but I watched the Miracle Day miniseries and still am confused. What was with that ending? Not to spoil it for you, but the answer to What is The Blessing? is a crack in the Earth's wall that looks like lady parts. I kind of felt like I was getting punk'd.

5. Criminal Minds. I used to love this show, which probably says some scary things about me, but when the show's folks broke up the team last season I stopped watching. And don't even get me started on the spinoff. This show, like Hawaii Five-0, is on HelenKay probation. If Five-0's writing stops sucking and Criminal Minds stops messing up a good cast, I'm solidly back in. And while I'm at it, Glee is on probation too. It felt kind of Afterschool Special-ish to me last season (and if you don't know what that means, you're likely much younger than I am – damn you).

6. That new series on Showtime with Kelsey Grammer. I cleary read too much on TMZ about him dumping his wife and kids for a younger version because I see his face and want to kick him, and that makes me sad. Yeah, it's not my business but I'm done. Dude, if you want to leave your wife that's your business but there's a way to do it without looking like an asshat.

7. Pan Am and anything with Playboy bunnies. The reviewers may be excited but I'm really not.

8. Anything with doctors or families of police officers. Yeah, I know this wipes out a lot of new shows, but there are so many. Actually, maybe there aren't many but it feels that way. Guys in uniform – yes. Four generations of cops – no.

9. Grey's Anatomy and Brothers & Sisters. Are either of these still on? If so, I think we should reconsider. Grey's Anatomy lost me years ago with that stupid episode about the ship hitting the pier and Meredith jumping into the water…see, just thinking about it made me angry. It was that dumb.

10. Anything with a circus. I don't know if there is anything scheduled like this. Really doesn't matter. My general rule is no circus-themed television shows.

I'm sure there's more, but you get the idea.

Release Time!

Today is the official release date for THE BIG GUNS, the final book in my Mystery Men miniseries. And let me go ahead and answer the question I've gotten over and over in emails…yes, the "Rod issue" is resolved in this book. Even though I think you can read the books out of order, there is an overarching mystery element and the loose ends are tied up here. This really is the last book in the miniseries. That makes me sad because I loved writing about these guys, but I'm thrilled with this last book and hope you love it too.

Named a Recommended Read for September by Dear Author!

"The action and suspense begins on the very first page and doesn't let up until the last chapter, with startling revelations and plenty of explosive action." -Romantic Times

"This has been a fun, exciting series, and here's hoping for lots more Intrigues from Dimon." -Wendy, The Good, The Bad and the Unread

You can pick the book up at Target, Walmart, some grocery stores and here:

-Amazon

-Barnes and Noble

-Books-A-Million

-Harlequin

Thank you to all who bought the series and who give this one a try.

Almost Release Time

THE BIG GUNS, the final book in my Mystery Men miniseries from Intrigue, officially comes out next week but appears to be shipping from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Yay!!!

I think of this as a woman-in-peril story. Sometimes folks view the woman in this type of story as weak. I don't. The heroine, Sela, is very pretty and a lot of people write her off as a hot, dumb blonde. Many think she's sleeping with the boss, Trevor. She's none of those things. I see her as a survivor. Here's an example – after she's kidnapped (that's not a spoiler since it happens in Chapter 1) and Zach comes to the rescue, she doesn't sit down and cry. She fights.

"Sela, don't move!" The harsh whisper echoed around her.

Zach.

Short brown hair and a lean body that proved he had not gone soft since his days in the military. She couldn't see him, but she sensed him. He found her. Just one more unfairness on the worse day of her life.

She tried to climb to her feet but he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up as if she weighed little more than a kitchen towel. She kicked out her legs and fought him anyway.

"Stop," he ordered.

That was never going to happen. The fear pumping through her had her keyed up and ready for battle. She called him every name she could think of and none of them nice.



He coughed when she landed a heel in his shin. "I have parents."

She stilled. "What?"

"They're likely sitting on a sofa in Pennsylvania."

"I don't-"

"So that particular nickname you just called me doesn't apply."

"You're joking? Now?" Did he think it would calm her down? Because it did and the realization made her furious.

"Do you have a better strategy?" he asked.

"Yeah, we get out of here before Johnnie finds us." Hope skipped through her. "Unless you killed him."

"First, keep your voice down." Zach's grip loosened but not enough for her to slip away. "Second, he's very much alive. Bleeding and dumb as a stick, but alive."

For some reason, that struck her as the wrong answer. "Why?"

Zach pressed a finger against his lips. "Quiet."

"Just kill him and be done with it."

"Bloodthirsty little thing, aren't you?"

"I have no idea why you showed up when you did, but I've got to get out of here." She lowered her voice when Zach scowled. "You can either help me or not, but I'm going."

When she started squirming again, he clamped her feet between his legs and trapped her arms by her sides. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"I'm going to hurt you." She clenched her teeth together and strained her neck. She tried to lift her arms but his iron hold settled around her again.

"Probably, but then you won't have any way out of here. Now, stop." Zach whispered his harsh command against her ear.

She froze this time. No movement at all. "Out?"

"Yes."

"We're leaving?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Wrong answer. "When will you be?"

"Still deciding the best way to proceed, but I can think of better places to spend an evening than with that guy." Zach's voice softened, but his grip sure didn't.

"What are you talking about?"

"In case you didn't notice, the creature in that cabin wants you dead or, at the very least, plans to take you to someone who does."