Shiloh Walker's Blog, page 45
February 27, 2015
For those who like them tormented…(contest!)
Darker than Desire is due out next week. This book wraps up my latest romantic suspense series. For those of you like my more tormented heroes (ahem…Quinn, Broken, etc), the hero in this book is probably going to be right up your alley.
He’s…something.
To celebrate the release of Darker than Desire and the conclusion of the series, I’m giving away an ebook reader. The winner will their choice of a Nook Glow or Kindle Fire (6 in). You can enter by simply leaving a blog post comment, but you can get extra entries and all of that is explained in the widget below. 
Good luck and if you check out the book, I hope you love it…
LUST FOR LIFE
No matter how many times he’s left her in the past, Sybil Chalmers can’t ignore her feelings for the one man who stole her heart years ago. For countless nights, she has waited for him—for his kiss, his touch—and has longed for him to emerge from the shadows of his past. Only when she is in his arms does Sybil really feel alive…and finally, after all these years, that time is now.
A DEADLY DESIRE
He’s a man raised in a world of strict rules and unbreakable traditions and he’s always yearned to break free. But when a family tragedy lures him back home, he finds his one true passion has been there all along. With Sybil, he can explore his greatest potential—and allow her to discover a whole new level of ecstacy. But will a long-buried secret threaten to tear them apart? The only thing he knows for sure is that he will do anything to keep Sybil in his life…and keep her coming back for more…
The skin on the nape of his neck stood up.
His blood started to pump.
Slowly, he shifted his gaze and found himself staring across the neat, tidy little lawn.
There. That was the other thing he felt, a bizarre mix of need, longing and a twist in his heart that he couldn’t fully understand. It only happened around one person.
It wasn’t a surprise that she’d found him here.
Nor was it a surprise when his heart did that odd little twist.
She was the other person who managed to make him feel.
She made him want.
She made him need.
She made him regret, too.
Regret that he needed to push her away, regret that he couldn’t reach for her the way he wanted.
Regret that he wasn’t as strong as he should be, because even as he told himself to push her away, she started up the walk, the short skirt she wore barely clinging to her thighs and all he could think about was pulling her into his lap so that the skirt rode higher and he could cup her hips, pull her down to straddle him.
Vivid, overbright starbursts seemed to explode behind his eyes as that fantasy played out in his mind. It would be so easy. This was a secluded street and people had finally given up on the rubbernecking. Hardly anybody drove down the street to check out the burnt out wreck of the Frampton house. He could pull that stretchy bit of fabric up and be inside her in two minutes. It would be so easy to just lose himself to her.
She came to a halt in front of him while his blood pounded in slow, steady waves, while need clenched inside him like a fist.
Tell her to leave, common sense dictated. He’d already made the decision he needed to make.
But his head, his heart, his cock didn’t want to listen.
“Hey,” she said, her red-slicked lips curving up.
He stared at her mouth, thought about seeing that mouth open, seeing it glide down his chest.
Blinking, he managed, barely, to look away. “Hey back.”
This was yet another thing he lacked, the ability to talk, even to her, about anything that didn’t involve getting her naked and fucking her. Naked wasn’t even necessary as long as he could be inside her, lose himself to her, hide away from the demons that chased him.
But if he kept doing that, all those demons were going to start chasing her, too.
He wasn’t worth a whole hell of a lot and he didn’t care about a whole hell of a lot. But he’d burn this whole damn town to the ground before he let anything from his past start to haunt her. Every moment of peace he’d ever known had come from her. She mattered, more than anything or anybody else in his miserable world.
So instead of reaching for her, he stared out at the water, acutely aware as she sat down at his side. The journals sat at the other and he resisted the urge to grab them, disappear inside the house, hide them away from her. Hide them away, hide their secrets, as if that would make the truth any less than true.
“I don’t blame that kid,” Sybil said out of the blue.
Caught up in his own head, he barely understood what she meant. Looking over at her, he tracked her gaze and then, as a shiver of cold raced up his spine, he looked back over the water.
“Plenty of people don’t. Too bad he couldn’t find a way to trap his dad and uncle in there, too.”
Sybil murmured, “His uncle’s brains splattered all over the chief’s wall.”
“He went too easy.”
“True. But he is still gone.” Her gaze came over to him. “We fell asleep on you. What did you think about the movie?”
He frowned, tried to remember something about it. The boy. Wands. A rock. Then he shrugged. “What sort of name is Snape?”
Sybil laughed. “An interesting one. For an interesting character. Is he a good guy or a bad guy?”
The question caught him off guard. Then he looked down. “What does it matter?”
“Well, if you want to watch more of the series with us, it would be kind of fun for me to know now, what you think of him. He plays a big part in it.”
I’m not watching more. That was what he should tell her. Sighing, he looked away. Everything he should do, he couldn’t do. It had been like that for most of his life. He should found a better way to make people listen. He should have fought harder. He should have run sooner.
Then there were the things he shouldn’t have done. He shouldn’t have involved Lana. He shouldn’t have stayed in town. He shouldn’t have reached for Sybil that first night.
A hand reached up, touched his cheek. “You’re always so serious, baby.”
“Little reason to be otherwise.”
“True.” She moved then and he didn’t even have time to brace himself before she had settled herself in his lap, one leg planted on either side of his hips. Her hands came up, cupped his face. “How much longer until you decide to tell me?”
His hands moved of their own volition, fingers splayed wide across satiny soft thighs. “Tell you what, Sybil?”
“Don’t play games with me.” She dipped her head so that her hair fell around them like a curtain. “You’ve never done it before. Don’t start now.”
Noise clamored in the back of his head, all that chaos rising to a roar as he stared into those beautiful eyes. They slid between gold and green and right now, they all but glowed as she watched him.
Send her away. Tell her.
He slid his hands up, cupping her ass. And he groaned when he found her naked under that sorry excuse for a skirt. “I keep thinking it’s time to tell you to just go. To stay away from me.”
“That’s what I thought.” She rubbed her mouth against his. “Why don’t you do it, then? So I can ignore you and we can fight it out?”
The cool silk of her hair brushed against his cheek. He tangled one hand in it. “This isn’t a game anymore.”
“It never was.” She eased back, watching him with knowing eyes.
He curled his lip. “It was one thing when you were fucking some guy you thought was an Amish builder. It’s another thing when it’s me, possible murder suspect, sick degenerate. It’s just a matter of time before the cops decide to start pulling me, demanding answers about what happened the night I disappeared. Just a matter of time before everything comes out in the open. When nobody knew—”
She lifted a hand and pressed her finger to his lips.
“I always knew.”
BN | Amazon | Indiebound | Book Depository | iBooks
Enter to win the Kindle Fire or Nook via the widget below. As always, the standard disclaimer applies.
Pretty, pretty, pretty please… before you ask any Qs, including whether the contest is open internationally, please read the disclaimer. That’s why it’s there.
If you ask a Q and I don’t answer it, it’s likely because I addressed it in the standard disclaimer.
The winner will be posted to the widget as this contest may hit several blogs. It’s open for two weeks and the winner will have two weeks after that to claim the prize otherwise it’s forfeit.
Kindle
February 19, 2015
Reviewers! Wanna review Darker than Desire?
It’s up on Netgalley and I’m putting together a list for my publicist!
LUST FOR LIFE
No matter how many times he’s left her in the past, Sybil Chalmers can’t ignore her feelings for the one man who stole her heart years ago. For countless nights, she has waited for him—for his kiss, his touch—and has longed for him to emerge from the shadows of his past. Only when she is in his arms does Sybil really feel alive…and finally, after all these years, that time is now.
A DEADLY DESIRE
He’s a man raised in a world of strict rules and unbreakable traditions and he’s always yearned to break free. But when a family tragedy lures him back home, he finds his one true passion has been there all along. With Sybil, he can explore his greatest potential—and allow her to discover a whole new level of ecstasy. But will a long-buried secret threaten to tear them apart? The only thing he knows for sure is that he will do anything to keep Sybil in his life…and keep her coming back for more…
Excerpt…
Carefully, he folded the paper. Then he tucked it inside the journal, keeping it closed.
He couldn’t look at the second journal, not just yet.
It was strange.
For so many years he’d felt little. Except the rage. Rage could always cut through. On the rare occasion when he felt something beyond that hot, heavy burn, it was usually blunted, coming to him from a distance. The few times it didn’t happen that way, it was when Abraham had managed to make him laugh or…
The skin on the nape of his neck stood up.
His blood started to pump.
Slowly, he shifted his gaze and found himself staring across the neat, tidy little lawn.
There. That was the other thing he felt, a bizarre mix of need, longing and a twist in his heart that he couldn’t fully understand. It only happened around one person.
It wasn’t a surprise that she’d found him here.
Nor was it a surprise when his heart did that odd little twist.
She was the other person who managed to make him feel.
She made him want.
She made him need.
She made him regret, too.
Regret that he needed to push her away, regret that he couldn’t reach for the way he wanted.
Regret that he wasn’t as strong as he should be, because even as he told himself to push her away, she started up the walk, the short skirt she wore barely clinging to her thighs and all he could think about was pulling her into his lap so that the skirt rode higher and he could cup her hips, pull her down to straddle him.
Vivid, overbright starbursts seemed to explode behind his eyes as that fantasy played out in his mind. It would be so easy. This was a secluded street and people had finally given up on the rubbernecking. Hardly anybody drove down the street to check out the burnt out wreck of the Frampton house. He could pull that stretchy bit of fabric up and be inside her in two minutes. It would be so easy to just lose himself to her.
She came to a halt in front of him while his blood pounded in slow, steady waves, while need clenched inside him like a fist.
Tell her to leave, common sense dictated. He’d already made the decision he needed to make.
But his head, his heart, his cock didn’t want to listen.
“Hey,” she said, her red-slicked lips curving up.
He stared at her mouth, thought about seeing that mouth open, seeing it glide down his chest.
Blinking, he managed, barely, to look away. “Hey back.”
This was yet another thing he lacked, the ability to talk, even to her, about anything that didn’t involve getting her naked and fucking her. Naked wasn’t even necessary as long as he could be inside her, lose himself to her, hide away from the demons that chased him.
But if he kept doing that, all those demons were going to start chasing her, too.
He wasn’t worth a whole hell of a lot and he didn’t care about a whole hell of a lot. But he’d burn this whole damn town to the ground before he let anything from his past start to haunt her. Every moment of peace he’d ever known had come from her. She mattered, more than anything or anybody else in his miserable world.
So instead of reaching for her, he stared out at the water, acutely aware as she sat down at his side. The journals sat at the other and he resisted the urge to grab them, disappear inside the house, hide them away from her. Hide them away, hide their secrets, as if that would make the truth any less than true.
“I don’t blame that kid,” Sybil said out of the blue.
Caught up in his own head, he barely understood what she meant. Looking over at her, he tracked her gaze and then, as a shiver of cold raced up his spine, he looked back over the water.
“Plenty of people don’t. Too bad he couldn’t find a way to trap his dad and uncle in there, too.”
Sybil murmured, “His uncle’s brains splattered all over the chief’s wall.”
“He went too easy.”
“True. But he is still gone.” Her gaze came over to him. “We fell asleep on you. What did you think about the movie?”
He frowned, tried to remember something about it. The boy. Wands. A rock. Then he shrugged. “What sort of name is Snape?”
Sybil laughed. “An interesting one. For an interesting character. Is he a good guy or a bad guy?”
The question caught him offguard. Then he looked down. “What does it matter?”
“Well, if you want to watch more of the series with us, it would be kind of fun for me to know now, what you think of him. He plays a big part in it.”
I’m not watching more. That was what he should tell her. Sighing, he looked away. Everything he should do, he couldn’t do. It had been like that for most of his life. He should found a better way to make people listen. He should have fought harder. He should have run sooner.
Then there were the things he shouldn’t have done. He shouldn’t have involved Lana. He shouldn’t have stayed in town. He shouldn’t have reached for Sybil that first night.
A hand reached up, touched his cheek. “You’re always so serious.”
“Little reason to be otherwise.”
“True.” She moved then and he didn’t even have time to brace himself before she had settled herself in his lap, one leg planted on either side of his hips. Her hands came up, cupped his face. “How much longer until you decide to tell me?”
His hands moved of their own volition, fingers splayed wide across satiny soft thighs. “Tell you what, Sybil?”
“Don’t play games with me.” She dipped her head so that her hair fell around them like a curtain. “You’ve never done it before. Don’t start now.”
Noise clamored in the back of his head, all that chaos rising to a roar as he stared into those beautiful eyes. They slid between gold and green and right now, they all but glowed as she watched him.
Send her away. Tell her.
He slid his hands up, cupping her ass. And he groaned when he found her naked under that sorry excuse for a skirt. “I keep thinking it’s time to tell you to just go. To stay away from me.”
“That’s what I thought.” She rubbed her mouth against his. “Why don’t you do it, then? So I can ignore you and we can fight it out?”
The cool silk of her hair brushed against his cheek. He tangled one hand in it. “This isn’t a game anymore.”
“It never was.” She eased back, watching him with knowing eyes.
He curled his lip. “It was one thing when you fucking some Amish builder. It’s another thing when it’s me, possible murder suspect, sick degenerate. It’s just a matter of time before the cops decide to start pulling me, demanding answers about what happened the night I disappeared. Just a matter of time before everything comes out in the open. When nobody knew—”
She lifted a hand and pressed her finger to his lips.
“I always knew.”
If you’re interested, leave a link below to either your GR profile or your blog. FYI, the decisions to give the book out aren’t up to me so your chances of getting it are greatly improved if you’re ACTIVELY reviewing on your blog or GRs. Make sure you include that link! If your comment doesn’t appear right away, don’t worry about it… my spam filter is active and I’ll clear them out.
Kindle
February 16, 2015
We’re in the middle of #snarlax
If you want a defintion of Snarlax, go to twitter. But in the midst of Snarlax, an amazing thing happened…
Some of those who follow me on twitter know that bratlet doesn’t just vocalize her parts in her favorite movies.
No, she plays them…like nothing you’ve ever seen.
She does wardrobe changes with Beauty and the Beast.
And now that the weather cooperated, apparently she decided it was time for the epic rendition of Frozen.
I had a front row seat.
You all missed it.
Kindle
February 9, 2015
Online stuff, J.C. stuff, working stuff…aka this, that and the other
This is my idea of a state of the union address. Or a state of Shiloh…as it were.
I’m going to ramble about online stuff, series, J.C. stuff, working, etc… this is a long post, so please bear with me.
Online stuff!
Some people have probably noticed I’m not a) blogging as much b) on twitter as much c) online as much in general
The reasons for this are varied, but it breaks down to the fact that I had to simplify and focus on writing more.
A few years ago, I had a hysterectomy and since then, focusing has been more of an issue. I’ve always been easily distracted, but since then, instead things being like…OH, SHINY…okay, back to work, it’s OH, SHINY, ok…what? Who am I?
It got to the point that I decided to get evaluated for ADD/ADHD, which I always suspected I had (one or the other) and hey, I managed. I cut back on distractions when I worked, no TV on, music to block out noises, etc, etc. I’d leave the house if I things were really bad, write at a coffee shop, so on and so forth.
Lately, the normal tricks just weren’t doing it. Early in January, the tests came back and I’m soooooo ADD. We’re trying medication and I’m going to try a few other things that a friend suggested and see how it goes.
It’s possible the stress of the past few years have aggravated things…who knows, but it’s just best that I limit online time to the bare minimum.
**Now…while I understand the intent behind it, this is often the time when a lot of people tend to offer suggestions, etc. While I appreciate the intent–and I do–for those who don’t know I’m a nurse and I also have an ADHD kid and I’ve researched this thing until my head can’t hold any more. I eat fairly clean, I exercise and eesh…
Anyway. At this point, I think it’s best I focus on what my doctor and I have discussed and limit everything else.
So…long story short… that’s why people don’t see me online as much.
J.C. Daniels stuff!
When is the next book coming out!!! Why are you torturing me like this? Do you like to make me suffer??
I posted some of that stuff on the blog tour. Including the title. You can still see that info if you want to go on a hunt and maybe enter the contest before it’s too late.
Don’t want to do that? Okay, quick run down, next full length book for Kit is in 2016. I’ll post the title here in a few weeks when I have more concrete info. For now, the hosting blogger gets to have it…hers all hers!!!
A couple of weeks ago, I finished a short story that I plan on putting out in the summer and there will probably be another short to go along with it…I hadn’t planned on doing it that way, but there are certain things that need to happen prior to book five so this seems to be the best way to do it. It’s important and I think it will work best in its own story.
More on that soon-ish.
No, I don’t do it to make people suffer. Blame Kit. It’s her story. I’m just writing it.
Series stuff!
I’ve had a lot of people lately asking me why I’m not continuing a series, particularly the Veil series, or the Hunters.
Frankly…because sales sucked and the publishers don’t want to buy more. Publishing is a business. Publishers have to make money–specifically, they have to make money off the books I write for them or they won’t buy more from me. That’s just how it goes.
I’m sorry for those who enjoyed the series… I am. Low sales is why I made the call to go ahead and wrap up the Grimm books. Yes, writing is an art. But publishing is a business and writers have to walk with feet in both worlds.
Being a creator with stories that aren’t making much money means you have to make tough calls. Bills gotta be paid and kids gotta have clothes.
I’m pragmatic, if nothing else. Which brings me to the next topic…
So…crickets chirping.
Working.
I stayed active in the medical field the past eleven years and that was for good reason. I never did expect the writing thing to last forever, because hey… why would it?
To sum it up, I’m probably going back to work part-time. I’m hoping it’s just temporary, but who knows? Writing as a career is, and will probably continue to be, a fickle creature. I’ve been lucky to be able to do it for more than ten years, but this fickle creature just isn’t smiling on me lately.
My priorities have to be my family-my guy and I are parents and partners first. Seeing to the needs of our family will always be the number one priority.
No, I’m not hanging up my writing hat and there are still stories coming this year. Hopefully things get better soon so I can keep saying that in another year or two. Or ten.
How this will affect my writing schedule… I don’t know. I write fast. I’ve got books on deadline that will have to come first and several things in the works already and maybe things will level out sooner rather than later.
But it does mean I might need more time with the indie projects, like the Kit series, etc. It means there probably won’t be as many other side projects.
I’m sorry for that and I do ask that you be patient with me. I’ll do the best I can.
Kindle
February 6, 2015
Upcoming contemporary! Want to read early?
Sloane Redding is the shy one, the timid one. The morning of her wedding, she’s dumped by the man she’d thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. Humiliated, she turns tail and runs, leaving Nowhere, Alabama for a job in the city. Sloane sets out to remake herself. She succeeds…on the outside. On the inside? Different story. She still the shy Redding. Still quiet, still more interested in standing on the standlines. But all of that is about to change.
The night before her brother’s wedding, she strolls in the lone bar in Nowhere wearing wicked red and she’s got one goal in mind: to show her ex-fiance just what he lost.
The night before his best friend’s wedding, D.B. “Boone” Cassidy walks into the lone bar in Nowhere, Alabama with one goal in mind. Get wasted. Former military, he’s spent the past few years as a security specialist and all around troubleshooter. It should have been easy to spot the trouble that night…a sexy woman in wicked red. It should have been easy. Yeah, right.
One thing leads to another and his plans to get wasted turn into a night with the sexy woman in red . Boone gets the shock of his life the next day when he shows up at his friend’s wedding to find out he’d just spent the night wrapped around his best friend’s little sister…and that isn’t the only surprise.
As soon as she said, Sloane wanted to take the words back.
This man was too…there.
Too big, too intense and the temper that had driven her with Rodney had faded, sapping her courage with it. Now, as pale green eyes settled on her face, she swallowed.
He was going to say no.
She could already see it.
With the last bit of nerve she had left in her, she forced one more smile. “You know what? Never mind.”
She went to brush past him and his hand caught her arm. “I hadn’t quite finished mine. Why don’t you sit down with me?”
She tilted her head back and met his eyes. For one brief moment, that connection seemed to sizzle, seemed to burn. Sit down with him. Have a drink. Talk—talk about what?
In the span of what felt like minutes, her mind raced over what he’d consider the boring emptiness of her life. It would take up two minutes, he’d hurry through his drink and leave.
“Dance with me instead.”
For the second time that night—the third, the fourth?—she’d surprised herself, but as the music shifted into a slow song, she caught his hand and back onto the dance floor just a few feet away. He didn’t budge at first. Maybe she should have just cut and run…
But in a rush, she found herself pressed up against him, one big hand pressed up against her spine while the other sought out hers and brought it up, twining their fingers together. Somebody bumped into her and she stumbled, bumped into him. “Ah…”
She looked up at him, an apology on her lips.
But the words died as a shudder rolled through her. Muscles in his thighs flexed—she could feel it. Pressed this close to him, she thought she could feel just about everything. The hand he had on the base of her spine fisted and she licked her lips nervously.
His gaze fell to her mouth.
In the packed, crowded bar, surrounded by maybe fifty other swaying couples, Sloane felt like she was suddenly alone with this man—a man whose name she didn’t know—and she had a burning desire to close to distance between them and kiss him.
And since she seemed to be riding the crazy train to nowhere, she did just that, leaning forward and doing yet one more thing she’d never imagined herself doing.
She kissed a total stranger.
So… wanna read?
I’ll give away some review copies–I’ve yet to determine how many.
You can get ONE entry by leaving a comment.
Get a second entry by adding to your GR shelf Link [ here ]~ if you don’t want to leave link to your GR’s profile, then you can email your profile to shilohwalker2011 at gmail.com.
That’s it. I don’t know how many copies I’ll give away. Depends on participation. If I get a lot of entries, I may limit it to two copies per 25 comments. If I only get a few, I may give copies to everybody who enters.
Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords | ARe
Kindle
February 5, 2015
Like a blue collar hero? Yes? YES!
My publisher St. Martins is celebrating the working man! Check out #14shadesofblue going on right now and maybe you can win NOAH! My Noah! From Deeper Than Need!
Also, if you don’t win, you can buy, cuz he’s only $2.99 right now, through the end of February.
iBooks | Indiebound | Amazon | B & N | BAMM | Kobo
Kindle
February 3, 2015
Kit’s back
Who would be stupid enough to try and get into a fight here?
Answer: Me.
In my defense, I hadn’t planned on the fight.
It was the crazy-eyed shifter who’d crashed into me at the buffet—she started it.
The buffet was loaded with everything from raw cuts of meat—for the shifters—to the most beautiful sugar-spun pastries you could imagine. I was staying far away from the area where things were still bleeding and focusing on the sweets. The sparkly little ball of puffy dough should have looked too pretty to eat.
I’d eaten five of them before I could stop myself and was pondering a sixth when she moved in front of me.
She was so close, I could feel the ripple of her energy on my skin—way too close and I didn’t like it.
I backed up two inches before I realized what I was doing and then I wanted to kick myself.
I already recognized the feel of shifter—and the feel of bitch.
A smug smile curled her lips and I knew I’d just broken one of the cardinal rules when dealing with shapeshifters.
Never back down until they throw you down or your life depends on it.
I could brazen it out, though.
I can brazen my way through anything. With a bright smile, I met her gaze. “Hello.”
She just continued to stare.
A chill raced down my spine, but I ignored it and selected another sweet, this one a delicate cake that resembled a miniature pumpkin—complete with the grinning jack o’ lantern.
She caught my hand before I could pop the cake in my mouth.
“You weren’t raised very well, were you?”
Her voice grated across my nerves.
The words, too, rubbed me raw, but while I can’t lie and say I’ve accepted my less than desirable upbringing, I had come to grips with the fact that it wasn’t me who screwed up.
With an easy smile, I said, “Nope.”
Then, moving into her grip, I waited and when her grip slackened just the slightest, I twisted away. People never expect you to move in when you’re being forcibly restrained.
Once her hand fell away, I backed up—fast.
She’d already tried to grab me again, but now there was five feet between us—and eyes on us.
Instead of advancing, she flared her nostrils and scented the air. “Human,” she pronounced and she said it the same way I might say dead mouse—with utter distaste.
“Guilty.” I gave her a wide grin. “At least, partially guilty. There’s something more in the bloodline than just human.”
“All that matters is the human,” she said, shaking her head. “No wonder you have no manners. I’m curious just what the Alpha sees in you.”
A few more gazes slid our way. Most people only glanced out of curiosity before looking away, but more than a few started to watch us and the low murmur of voices in the immediate vicinity went quiet.
“I don’t know.” I still held my plate. I dragged my finger through the sugary powder that had fallen onto it, and then, still watching her, I popped my finger into my mouth. “Maybe he likes human.”
“For meat.” She all but purred it.
Meat. What the more asshole shifters called those they considered prey.
“If that was what he was looking for, I think he would have moved on by now.”
“Oh.” She gave a condescending laugh. “Precious, it’s only pity that holds him. Pity. Fascination. He’ll tire of you.”
A heavy, familiar tread came to my ears and I knew he was near. Near enough to hear us both and it sent a twist through my gut.
“He’ll tire of you,” she said again and now she smiled. “You can’t even satisfy his hungers now. Your fear is like a stink in the air. You aren’t even a woman.”
“Alice,” a low voice said.
It wasn’t Damon.
I didn’t bother to look from her to Chang. I just put the plate down and leaned closer.
“Maybe I’m not a woman, but at least I’m not a hyena,” I said, curling my lip at her.
A low, ugly growl escaped her and I saw Chang catch her arm. “Enough,” he said, his voice a biting command. “You will leave.”
She tensed, like she’d ignore him, but then she inclined her head.
I saw the promise of retribution in her eyes, though, as she headed down the buffet, her back turned to both me and Chang. That was a look that promised pain.
I guess that’s why I wasn’t surprised when she circled the far end and slid me a cold smile—then she lunged.
Buy:
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Kindle
February 2, 2015
Hitting some blogs…
Okay, so… Edged Blade comes out in…um, one day???? Eeep!
I’m hitting a few blogs with excerpts, Q&A, guest posts…and one of them will have the title for Kit #5.
I will also have prizes. If you drop in and hit the blogs and say hi and be really nice to me, you can maybe win a Kindle Fire or a cool tea infuser cup & a tea mix like Kit drinks. Okay, you don’t have to be nice to win, but seriously, I’m giving away goodies…why wouldn’t you be nice to me?
Feb 2:
Spotlight & Excerpt: That’s What I’m Talking About
Interview: Book-a-Holic Anon
Guest Blog: Under the Covers
Feb 3:
Spotlight & Excerpt : Hannah’s Words
Spotlight & Excerpt : Analysis and Reading
Guest Blog: Literary Escapism
Feb 4:
Interview: Reviews by Crystal
Spotlight Blogging by Liza
Guest Blog: Smexy Books
Feb 5:
Spotlight & Excerpt : Books-n-Kisses
Guest Blog: Fiction Vixen
Feb 6:
Interview: : Rambling Reads
Spotlight & Excerpt : Confessions of a YA & NA Book Addict
Guest Blog: The Bookpushers
Kindle
February 1, 2015
Cool news…!!! Deeper than Need is on sale this month!
If you like my romantic suspense, the first book in my latest series is on sale for $2.99 on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, etc!
Time heals all wounds
Eager to put a dark, troubled past behind her, Trinity Ewing buys an old house that will make the perfect refuge for her and her young son once renovations are complete. The last thing on her mind is finding someone new…but the contractor she’s hired is an irresistible distraction—and Trinity can’t help but fantasize about all the business they could be doing behind closed doors.
So does one man’s touch
Noah Benningfield thought he’d put his demons behind him. But the moment he lays eyes on Trinity, the temptation he feels is too powerful to deny. Soon the attraction between them explodes into something neither of them could have imagined. But their desire will be put to the test when a shocking local murder has them dodging danger at every turn. Can the beautiful and damaged Trinity trust someone like Noah, whose own past is as haunted as her own? The only thing she knows for sure is that she can’t live without a man who makes her feel this good—over and over again…
Excerpt
Nearly a mile from the restaurant to here, made in silence, and each step of the way a memory rose up to slam into him.
Now, standing at the foot of the steps, Noah gazed at that big old house, remembered that day when he’d come out here, despite his father’s attempts to keep him from doing it. He’d ignored the police tape and would have barreled inside if old Max hadn’t stopped him.
Max hadn’t been able to keep Noah from seeing the bloody smears on the windows or the rusty stains on the porch. The lingering ache that had haunted him for so long had finally faded. But now he felt raw, exposed, as he stood there, ready to bare himself to the woman who was coming to mean everything to him.
If they were going to have any chance at all, this talk had to happen. It had to happen now.
Closing his eyes, he forced a breath past the band that had wrapped around his lungs, and then he turned his head and stared at her. The soft light of the fading day painted her skin a delicate gold and he reached up, cupped her skin.
“I’ve got things I need to tell you,” he said gruffly. “Things that are almost impossible for me to talk about. But before I do . . .”
He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to her lips, felt her soften against him, reach for him. He caught her wrists as she reached up to cup his face, felt the maddening beat of her pulse. “The past twenty years of my life have been nothing but a cloud. Everything was just . . .grey. There was no color, no light, no laughter. All that changed the minute you and Micah came barreling into my life. I don’t want to lose that.”
“There’s nothing you’re going to say that will change what I feel. I . . .” She paused and blew out a breath. “Sometimes I get a little scared about just what I feel, considering that we really haven’t known each other that long. But . . . you felt right to me the first time I looked at you. Whatever you have to say to me isn’t going to change the man you are.”
The words rested on his heart, almost painful yet still enough to make him catch his breath. Hope could cut deep sometimes.
iBooks | Indiebound | Amazon | B & N | BAMM | Kobo
It’s a great time to check the series out… book 2 is out and book three comes out in March!
Kindle
January 30, 2015
Claws
Just a couple more days, guys!
“Hello, Kit.”
“Chang.” I cocked my head. “Sorry to crash in like this…sounded like serious stuff. Am I interrupting?”
Chang had an innate courtesy. He’d brush it off. Of course not. How are you, would you like some tea—
To my surprise, the only response he made initially was to sigh.
It was a soft, heavy sigh, one that carried a world of weariness. “I had to call a family up north with grim news. An awful sort of call to make.”
“I…” I stopped for a moment. “I’m sorry. Are there…problems?”
An odd question to ask, maybe, but the look on Chang’s face wasn’t one that spoke of somebody who’d lived to see a ripe old age and then died peacefully in his sleep.
From the corner of his eye, he watched me. There was a strange expression to his features, as though he wanted to say something, but then he sighed and said, “No. Sit. I’ll fix tea. You’ll tell me why you’re here.”
There was no point in arguing.
Chang had fallen back on his role of courtesy.
There was no getting out of it now—and no chance of tugging out any details about that phone call, either.
I waited until I had my tea in hand—tea was a personal addiction of mine, almost as bad as the soaps and lotions and other girly things I bought obsessively. Breathing in the sweet and spicy scent, I sighed. I doctored it with sugar and cream. I liked my tea, with just a little more sugar than most people. Or a lot more sugar.
“How you can drink it that way confounds me,” Chang said. “I keep trying to break you of that habit, but it doesn’t work.”
“To each their own.” I shrugged and took my first sip. Perfect.
Chang had a look of amusement and revulsion on his face.
“When you spend a good ten years of your life scrapping just to get enough water and food to fill the hole in your belly, you develop odd cravings.” I shrugged it off.
Chang’s eyes fell away.
I scowled inwardly, wished I hadn’t said anything. I’d dealt with more abuse in my life than most people had ever heard of—I’d come to grips with what my family had done and generally dealt with it, in my own unique sort of way.
Sometimes, I was even able to not be ashamed of it. But it made other people uncomfortable. Honestly, that’s just plain stupid to me—it happened to me—if I can deal with it, then why can’t they?
But then I had to deal with people looking away, or lapsing into silence…or just…fading away.
“Sorry,” I said, my voice tense.
“Why?” Chang said quietly.
I stared at him, opened my mouth—then snapped it shut. “Fuck it. Never mind.”
But he was too insightful, by far. Unlike many shifters I knew, he didn’t just go by what his senses told him. He looked at people. Saw beneath the surface. Sometimes, he saw so deep, it pissed me off.
“I’m not aggravated with you for speaking of your childhood,” he said softly. “In a way, it…humbles me. I know you don’t always speak freely of your past, Kit.”
He rose.
The languid way he moved couldn’t be called pacing, not by any means.
But Chang rarely made wasted moves and the way he moved from the window at the back of his office to his wall of weapons then to his desk to straighten the non-existent clutter there before repeating the circuit was nothing but wasted movement. And it was done with all the elegance, grace and speed he did everything else with. “At the same time, the thought that any soul could treat a child as I know you were treated makes me…”
He looked up.
For the first time in all the time I’d known him, I saw a faint glow roll across his eyes.
The flash was gone so fast, I couldn’t even place it—just a glow of color too light to belong in that dark gaze, and then it was gone. “It angers me. Children should be treasured.”
“That’s how the world works sometimes.”
His eyes held mine. “And sometimes, the world sucks.”
“I’ve found myself thinking that a lot lately.”
“Yet another reason I like you, Kit. You are a wise woman.”
At that, I snorted. “I’m a lot of things—wise isn’t one of them.”
He chuckled and the tension in the air passed. He returned to his seat and faced me. “Let’s discuss why you’re here. Not that I’m not delighted to see you, of course.”
He’d never say it, but I suspected he had things to do, secrets to pass on and people who needed to kill or be killed.
That was his job, after all.
Since I respected that, I didn’t beat around the bush.
“I’m tracking down—or trying to track down—some information. I could use your help.”
He arched a brow as he lifted his tea cup to his lips.
He’d help if he could. I knew that. Just like I knew he’d stonewall me if he couldn’t.
“NHs are disappearing. I need to know about any shifters who have gone missing…specifically some in Georgia. I need information and if anybody has it, it’s you.”
The cup froze at his mouth.
Without taking a sip, he lowered it. Then he put it down and moved behind his desk to stare out the window. “Who have you been talking to, Kit?”
I started to move my knee back and forth. “Am I going to sound terribly childish if I say I asked you first?”
“Sound as childish as you want. But you’re more likely to get answers from me if you cooperate.” His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Then a faint smile appeared on his face. “You can always ask Damon. However, if you wanted to do that, you would have. You often end up in messes that worry him, a fact I’m sure you’re aware of. This is likely why you came to me instead.”
“You’re telling me this because…” I drummed my fingers on the arm of the chair as I stared at him.
“Only two people possess the information you’re looking for—or possess an in-depth knowledge of it. That I know of. Damon hasn’t spoken to you—he wouldn’t, not about this. If somebody has spoken to you…” He let the words trail off.
“If you’re worried my source might be behind these disappearances, you can draw your claws back in, Chang.”
“My claws aren’t out.” A brow lifted. “Yet.”
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