Shiloh Walker's Blog, page 67

I have been sitting on these FOREVER…

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Well. Maybe not.  But it feels like it.  :-)  I share now!

Scarred long ago by the disappearance of his mother, Nichole, Tate Bell aches to spend his days and nights with Ali Holmes, a woman he’s loved for years. But while Ali’s heart pines to be with Tate, her head has reservations…

Ali knows that Tate has never forgiven his father for the fight he had with Nichole right before she left the house—and was never heard from again. Ali thinks that Tate’s unresolved anger is a force to be reckoned with…even though the heat that blazes between them is undeniable. Now both Tate and Ali are left to wonder: Can love really conquer all?

 

Jensen Bell had twelve happy years before her her mother disappeared and her whole world went to pieces. Since then, she’s become a cop—one who takes great pride in her work, and in helping keep others safe. The saving grace in her own life has been Dean West, the only man who can make her burn with desire and help her through her burdens. But when a shocking discovery turns her life upside-down, even being wrapped in Dean’s arms might not be enough to keep her out of harm’s way…

Christina Bell remembers what it was like to be part of a loving family. The youngest of the Bell children, she simply cannot believe that her dad, or anyone else she loves, had a hand in her mother’s disappearance. She’s looking forward to moving on and spending more time with her sexy best friend, Guy Miller, who she is starting to see in a whole new light.Their attraction sizzling and love deepening, Christina feels confident in her life and ability to handle what comes her way…But when Nichole’s body is found—and the mystery of her death slowly reveals itself—Christina is left not knowing who to trust. What if Guy, her one true desire, proves to be her biggest danger?

Releasing in April/May 2014.

Snippet…

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Since we’re seeing the covers from my old Hunters (Samhain) might as well post snippets, right?

Here’s one from Hunter’s Edge

Hunter’s Edge

How fricking classic—a vampire sleeping the day away in a cemetery.

If he’d had much choice, he would have tried to find someplace else, but choices were limited. The trucker had left him just outside Greenburg a little before dawn and with the clock ticking, Kel went for the first secure place that he came across.

Instinct drove him to get closer to Angel, but he hadn’t known where to look. As dawn crept closer, he had to focus on finding someplace dark and solitary. The private mausoleums in the old Greenburg Cemetery definitely fit that description.

He’d banked on being able to get into one of the older ones that didn’t get visits often and he’d been right. The one he’d selected had none of the stained glass windows and a recessed doorway.

Inside, with the door closed, it had been as dark as a tomb, just the thinnest sliver of pre-dawn light visible under the door itself.

As sweet, safe darkness wrapped around him, it took everything he had just to stumble away from the door and get one of the freestanding vaults inside the crypt between him and the door as an extra precaution.

Kel didn’t even remember getting horizontal. As enraged and scared and worried as he was, he’d thought sleep would elude him but it didn’t, hitting him hard and fast.

Normally Kel only needed four or five hours of sleep, but by the time he came awake a little before dusk, he’d been out for probably twelve hours.

The setting sun had kept him prisoner within the small crypt for a while longer. He shrugged out of his jacket long enough to pull on a T-shirt that he’d “borrowed” from the trucker earlier. Killed a bit of time pacing endlessly up and down the stone floor.

Finally the sun set. His body recognized the moment it was safe. He slipped out of the musty, confining crypt with the sure and certain knowledge that he was glad his body wasn’t going to end up in some quiet, private resting place for all eternity. When he did die, he’d be burned and that suited him just fine.

Outside in the cool night air, he lifted his head and breathed in, letting the air wash over and through him, sweeping away the stink of decay.

The sound of a truck moving over the road had him retreating and swearing. It wasn’t that late yet, probably only around seven, and he sure as hell didn’t need anybody seeing him here. Greenburg was a small town and Kel knew for a fact his face hadn’t changed a bit since he’d lived here.

He slipped into the tree line, his mind focused on finding Angel. But something, he couldn’t even explain what, stopped him. Physically stopped him. He couldn’t take another step away and everything inside him urged him to turn around. Unable to deny it, he turned and his eyes sought out the truck creeping along one of the cemetery paths.

It was a beat-up old Ford and even with his eyesight, he couldn’t quite see through the windows. But he knew.

Somewhere inside him, without even seeing her, he knew. He slipped forward, just where the trees gave way to grass and there, he crouched, one hand resting on the trunk of the tree, the other clutching the ring at his neck.

Hiding in the shadows, he watched, spellbound, as the truck came to a stop and the door opened. There was a fist wrapped around his throat, around his heart, and it wasn’t going to ease up anytime soon.

It was her.

Angel.

Tears stung his eyes but he couldn’t move to wipe them away so they just fell down his cheeks unchecked. Angel…

She slid out of the truck and moved through the maze of headstones and aboveground crypts. She came to a halt in front of one… Close, so close. He could smell her now. The cool breeze brought the scent of her to him and he closed his eyes, lost himself inside it.

Her hair was shorter than he’d ever seen it, the ends just barely brushing her shoulders. The silky blonde curls gleamed silver in the moonlight, blowing in the breeze. A stray strand blew into her eyes and she reached up to brush it back.

Even though she was a good thirty feet away, when she spoke, he heard the words as clearly as if she murmured them into his ear. “But for how much longer?” Her voice was soft, sad…despondent. Oblivious to his presence, she reached inside her pocket and pulled something out.

His ears heard a faint rattle, but he couldn’t see what she held. Whatever it was, it caused a look of bitter anger to cross her features. She tucked it back into her pocket and then crouched by the grave.

His heart didn’t beat often, but it did still beat. But when he heard her next words, he thought it might just stop altogether—stop, crack and then wither up and blow away just like so much dust.

“I’m a mess, Kel, you know that? I’ve been like this ever since you left, but it’s getting bad again. I don’t even know who I am right now.”

Kel…shit. Yeah, he knew logically his parents would have had some sort of funeral, however it was done without a body. Logically, he knew he probably had a headstone or something out there somewhere with his name on it.

But logically knowing that couldn’t have prepared him for the sight of his woman kneeling by the side of his grave. She shifted and sat down, pulled her legs to her chest. The grief on her face made a knot form in his throat.

“I miss you. That’s one thing I do know. But it seems like the only thing. I ought to be able to make a bit more sense of my life than that.”

He clenched his jaw shut to keep from speaking out loud, but he couldn’t keep himself from answering her silently. Dear God, baby. I miss you too.

The wind picked up and he watched, helpless, as she started to shiver. He wanted to go to her, wrap his arms around her and offer her some warmth. But how could a vampire offer her warmth? He had to steal it when he wanted it for himself, through blood or sex.

“Twelve years, baby.”

Twelve miserable years.

What would have happened if that night hadn’t ever come to pass? He would have married her, he could have spent the past twelve years sleeping next to her at night, rising to make love to her before they left the house to go out and do whatever in the hell normal people did…in the daylight.

Her voice, harsh and broken, came again. “This isn’t fair.”

The sound of the tears thickening her voice had his hand tightening and he didn’t realize he’d torn the bark from the tree.

Shit, this was killing him. He’d been bleeding and dying inside bit by bit over the past twelve years. Now, face-to-face with her, he saw that she was suffering just as he was.

“I’m so tired of it.”

As she started to lay back onto the grass, Kel shoved to his feet. Fuck, he couldn’t sit there and watch as she lay down to cry over an empty grave. Couldn’t—

 

You can read more here & check out the other Hunter covers.

You can see the rest of the new covers, or get them at a SERIOUSLY discounted price over at Samhain, too.

BAMM | B & N | Book Depository | IndieBound | Amazon  | Kobo



Please note, these are reissues, not new releases, but if you haven’t read them, now is a great time to get them with shiny new covers and cheaper prices.

Pretteh, Pretteh…

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I’ve got new covers for some of my Samhain Hunter books.  FYI, these are old releases.  Nothing new has been added, save for the awesome covers.  These can all be read as standalones, as they are were written as either prequels or to stand on their own.

For more info on the books, go here…

NJRW Conference in a nutshell

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So this year, for the second time, I got to do something cool… and this year was the first year I’d done something quite like this, so it was really cool that I was able to do it twice.  Back in March, I was asked to speak for the Washington Area Romance Writers and give a workshop.  I was still reeling over the awesome of that when I got another email, asking if I’d be interested in doing a workshop for the New Jersey Romance Writers at their annual conference.

I did a workshop on Writing Hot, since that’s kinda one thing I know.  I also figured out a way to expand on the exercise I do in that workshop and make a whole new workshop–character sketches…  So, hey, I’m ready to do this workshop/speaker thing again.

The good points with NJRW:

I didn’t fall on my face with my workshop!
People laughed and seemed to enjoy it
I met some new people which is always cool
Hung out with a bookclub that came down to visit
Sat in on some very good workshops and wished I had a double so I could be in two places at once
Had a breakthrough during Madeline Hunter’s synopsis workshop.
Thanks to the synopsis workshop, I plotted out…four…I kid you not…four books on the drive back home. Yes, it’s a synopsis workshop, but hey.  My brain works weird.
Very much enjoyed the workshops by Connie Brockway & Eloisa James, Carla Neggers, Margaret Mallory and the talks given by Diana Crosby, Virginia Kantra & Connie Brockway.

All in all, it was a great weekend.  I went out to dinner with some readers Friday and Saturday night, hung out with Jane Porter a little-we never get enough time to talk, but she’s a sweetheart.  Talked with a bookseller & fellow writer friend Stacey out of NYC.

Bad points? Not a one.

Many, many thanks to the NJRW group for having me out.

If you’re looking to go to a workshop-say you’ve been dying to try Nationals, but can’t swing it, but New Jersey is more doable?  Go.  You’ll get a wide variety of workshops geared for both the pubbed and unpubbed writer.  You’ll meet a lot of people and trust me, these are wonderful ladies, very welcoming to the newby.

 

Dear Conference Attendees (and the world in general)

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You’re being put on warning.  I may try this.  If I do, you can blame my daughter and my nephew.  He showed this to her.  She showed it to me.  So if you hear GROUP HUG on an elevator…

 

Deeper than Need

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Desire. It’s what we live for.

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…

 

This is the first full length book in the Secrets & Shadows series coming from St. Martins. Book 1, Deeper than Need is due out in June.

It’s romantic suspense.  All the stories are connected… kinda like the Ash series.  You’ve been warned.

Deeper than Desire

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Desire. It’s what we live for.

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…

 

This is the first full length book in the Secrets & Shadows series coming from St. Martins. Book 1, Deeper than Desire is due out in June.

It’s romantic suspense.  All the stories are connected… kinda like the Ash series.  You’ve been warned.

Soldier name…needing cards :)

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His birthday is February 17. He’ll be back in May. For now, we just ask for cards-thanks, thanks for the support, that sort of thing. If you send your email, he may contact you back.

KEEEP IN MIND… this is just support. It’s not a dating service or anything else. Many of the names I posted, the people are married. Yes, I post this for a reason. Read more about the SOS posts here.

1LT Stephen Owens

RPAT

3-401st AFSBn

APO, AE 09354

Going… going…gone

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Well, not quite yet.  But I will be.

Saturday, I’ll be signing in Iselin, NJ for the NJRW Put your Heart in a Book conference and the public book fair.  Deets!

Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel in Iselin, NJ

Saturday, October 19, 4:00-5:30 pm..

Also, there still tickets available, I believe, to the Southern Magic Luncheon on November 2.  I’ll be there.

For info, see:

Southern Magic Luncheon

Info

November 2, 2013

Birmingham AL

 

I’ve got Qs asking when I’ll hit other areas of the country. I’m trying to spread out more as time and my budget allows. This year, I’ve been invited to speak at two conferences which made it easier, but travel is sometimes hard because of my kids, work schedules (my husband’s) and school etc. I’m working on it but sometimes it’s just not easy to work out. Thanks for understanding!

Something I’m playing with…

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In my copious off-time. O.O

It’s …well, a slightly erotic SF.  She’s an assassin.

If I finish it, it will probably be a J.C. book.

“I hated to admit it to myself, but there are only two people who would have done this. Only two who would benefit.  My son and his wife.”

Arching my brows, I edged in closer, searching for weapons.  So far, I’d yet to see a single one.

“I cannot tell if the look on your face is curiosity or merely an attempt to distract me.”  He sighed and then reached out, pushed a plate toward me.  “If you are any good at your job, you’ll recognize this.”

My eyes moved to the plate, a thin disk of what looked like hammered gold.

The sight of the three small berries there made my belly clench, even if I was there to kill him.

Death’s seal, the most poisonous plant in three systems.  Deadly, and outlawed on almost every planet in those three systems.  Just the tongue of it on the tongue was enough to kill a child.  Half of a berry could kill a woman my size.  Three berries could kill three men.

“I’m going to make this easy,” he said quietly.  “My son seeks to kill me, thinking he’ll inherit.”

Cree reached for a berry.

“Wait,” I said, the word ripping out of me despite my intention not to speak.  “Why?  If you wish to fight him, then why do this?”

“I don’t wish to fight him.”  He smiled, rolling the berry between his fingers.  “I wish to deny him what he tries to take by betrayal.”  Then he shrugged.  “And I refuse to let him use another in his endless vendetta against me. Do you know…it’s our belief that for every life you take, you must save two more if you want to leave this existence with your soul intact?”

I inclined my head.  “I have no soul left.  You do this for nothing if you try to spare me.”

“If you had no soul, it wouldn’t concern you to see this berry in my hand.”

He smiled at me as he tossed it up in the air.

I don’t know why I did it.

It should mean nothing to me.

I could easily claim his death as my own.  Poison wasn’t unknown to me.  I suspected I even knew who had provided him with those three priceless, deadly berries.

But my hand moved, almost as though it had a mind of its own and the sliver-thin dart stole the berry from the air and I quickly used two more darts to destroy the other two berries.  He could still lick the plate, I supposed, but somehow I didn’t see this regal, elegant man choosing that route.

“Why?” he asked, his voice puzzled.

Staring at the plate, at the thin stalks of the darts, I shook my head.  “I don’t know,” I murmured.  Then I looked at him.  “Do you count now?  As one half of a life?”

He cocked his head.  “Well.  I suppose I would, even though you came to kill me.  Do you plan to walk away now?”

Walk away.  I’d never walked away from a job in my life.  I had failed before.  Twice.  And I’d suffer more pain than I cared to recall.  The breaking of my bones was a sound that had haunted my sleep for years.

But to walk away?  Never. Doing so meant my life.  It wasn’t much of a life, but it was the only one I had and as though the son of a bitch who held my leash already knew of my failure, I started to sweat.  It didn’t work like that.  I had time, weeks even.

But if I didn’t kill Cree, my handler could choose to end me.

It was as simple as that.

Staring into Cree’s wise old eyes, I made a decision.

I turned my back.

“How peculiar,” he murmured.

I didn’t stop.