Heatherly Bell's Blog, page 6
June 6, 2017
10 Things you didn’t know about Airman to the Rescue
The working title was “On A Wing and a Prayer.”
My favorite title would have been, “Built for Love” but that was taken.
Of all three “Heroes” books, this was the romance that practically wrote itself. Matt and Sarah were already very much alive to me in Breaking Emily’s Rules (the first book).
My editor emailed me to say she’d fallen in-love with Matt.
I also fell in love with Matt.
I would cast Chris Hemsworth as our hero, Matt Conner, and that’s who I pictured while writing the book.
I used some of my former experiences with my youngest son as inspiration for Matts teenage son, “Hunter.” Such as ordering a milkshake “like a man.”
Originally Hunter’s friend, Megan, was going to discover her parents were having an affair. But that was changed so that Hunter could have an experience that taught him a lesson.
The photo that went viral of Hunter’s mother’s boyfriend, and caused all the uproar, was originally far more troublesome. So we changed it.
April 26, 2017
Yet another teaser…
He deepened the kiss, and she got lost in the sensation of his tongue teasing hers over and over again. She craved him completely, his kiss and his taste. Every single cell of him. More than she’d wanted or needed any other man in her life.
His hand slid down her spine to the small of her back and he broke off the kiss.
“I’m not sure what you’re doing to me, but I think I need to stop kissing you.”
“I’m not sure I agree with you.”
Airman to the Rescue
Pre-order:
http://amzn.to/2mUbLsw
http://apple.co/2mTSKGB
April 24, 2017
A Teaser
“This is all I need. Just you. More than ever.”
She reached up and pulled on his neck, trying to bring him close again. Being that he had the rock-solid strength of a building, he didn’t budge.
He still studied her, almost as if he caught something in her eyes, too. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear that. Because I’ve been watching you all week, and I swear I got hard every time you even looked at me.”
Oh boy.
Finally, he allowed her tugging and he bent down and kissed her again, slowly and more deliberately. He stopped kissing her only to grab her wrist and pull her out of the shed.
“Inside.”
Airman to the Rescue
Pre-order:
http://amzn.to/2mUbLsw
http://apple.co/2mTSKGB
http://bit.ly/2lP28du
http://bit.ly/2m8yTTZ
April 23, 2017
Airman to the Rescue
He took a step toward her as if he’d only now realized she stood, waiting, for something from him. A signal, anything that showed what had happened in his office meant as much to him as it did to her. Everything around them seemed different now, the air charged with a different level of electricity that felt far more intimate.
Pre-order:
http://amzn.to/2mUbLsw
http://apple.co/2mTSKGB
http://bit.ly/2lP28du
http://bit.ly/2m8yTTZ
April 22, 2017
Airman to the Rescue
She’d just passed the couch when she was summarily spun and tugged down by her waist onto the couch. She wound up splayed on top of an edgy and sexy Matt. Perfect.
“We spent our first night together right here,” he said.
The unexpected romance behind those words sliced right through her. She straddled Matt and smiled as she slowly unclipped her hair.
“I remember.”
Pre-order now:
http://amzn.to/2mUbLsw
http://apple.co/2mTSKGB
http://bit.ly/2lP28du
http://bit.ly/2m8yTTZ
April 5, 2017
Forever my Girl release day!
While you’re all waiting for Airman to the Rescue this June, and believe me, I’m foaming at the mouth to bring it to you, here’s a new little something from me. A novella in the St. Helena Vineyard world of Marina Adair, which was an absolute joy to write from start to finish.
When Marina asked me to the first round of releases back in October, I had to decline. Smashed up against deadlines and my own Christmas release (Crazy for You), I couldn’t manage it. But then she asked me again for the Spring pairing, and I was able to say: YES! YES! YES!
Kind of like Meg Ryan with that famous diner scene in When Harry Met Sally.
I hope you love to see photos of your favorite bestselling authors. Here’s one of me, #1 national bestseller Marina Adair, and author Grace Conley (who has two novellas in the St. Helena Vineyard world now) after we stuffed our faces with a late breakfast. Yes, we all live within driving distance of each other in our northern California Bay Area.
When I first set out to write in Marina’s world, I had no idea what I’d do or who I’d write about. It’s one thing to write in my own series world, but another to jump into another author’s established world. But here Marina was, asking me to do it! Once I read Need You for Mine, book three in the Heroes of St. Helena, I had no more doubt whom I’d write about.
The secondary character of “Baby,” who was caught in a compromising position with the hero at the start of the book, begged to be told. I love a story of redemption, and when I can look behind the curtain and see why a character behaves badly. There’s always a reason. So, with Marina’s blessing, I gave “Baby” a name and a past. And then, just because I can, I gave her a DeLuca of her own. David DeLuca is a Colorado DeLuca and a ski bum turned Army Ranger. When he meets Mallory aka Baby, he won’t know what hit him!
I hope you’ll pick up your copy today, and please do let me know what you think I always love to hear from you.
February 21, 2017
~ Cover Reveal ~
Love the new cover for book two of the Heroes of Fortune Valley series, coming June 1, 2017. I think it’s lighthearted, fun, and romantic. I hope you all like it, and that you’ll be ready to read all about Matt and Sarah’s romance come this June. I loved writing their HEA.
February 3, 2017
Friday Shenanigans
I was on the phone with a government agency this afternoon, and because that usually means being on hold for manymanymany minutes, I had the call on my iPhone speaker. I was in the kitchen trying to write book 3, and waiting to speak to a representative. But suddenly the lady comes on the line and I begin to pull together my information. We start talking. Still on speaker phone. On my iPhone. Which I don’t know how to use all that well, given I’ve had one for a little over a year now.
My son comes in the kitchen and waves at me to take her off speaker phone. I am annoyed. I give him the “Mom look” but I do attempt to pick up my phone at which point I nearly drop it. I do, however, save the iPhone from falling and shattering its screen as they’re known to do. It looks a little like a “pratfall.”
“F%#@!” I say loudly to the government representative.
“Sorry?” The nice woman says.
Son dissolves into laughter to the point where he has to physically leave the room. I cough and try to contain my own laughter. I pretend the reason I can hardly speak is because I have a bad cough. She seems to buy it.
Once we get off the phone, son has returned and says: “How do you pratfall with a phone?”
It takes talent.
January 31, 2017
Release day jitters
It’s release day eve and I’m excited to hear what you think of Breaking Emily’s Rules. Drop me a line and let me know what you think. Stone is one of my favorite Alpha heroes. A kind of stoic but strong man who feels a lot more than he’d like to admit.
~~~~~~~~~
She didn’t speak when he moved the hair from her neck and kissed the tender spot under her ear, then licked it. In fact, she went so far as to moan, a little sound that coming out of her meant he must be doing something right. And she did her magic again, fingers threaded in his hair, pressing even closer. Yeah, this was so much better than talking. Talking was for chumps.
~ Breaking Emily’s Rules, Heroes of Fortune Valley
January 26, 2017
Six more sleeps
Until Breaking Emily’s Rules releases into “the wild.” I’m excited to have this baby out in the world. Please do let me know what you think. I always love hearing from readers. Meanwhile, here’s an excerpt to hopefully whet your appetite for one sexy pilot, Stone Mcallister.
His navy blue eyes held an intensity which threatened to knock her figurative sword right out of her stone-cold hands. “I know.” He smiled, the naked desire never leaving his steely eyes.
“If that’s your way of introducing yourself, your momma didn’t teach you right.”
He blinked but stuck out his hand. “Stone Mcallister.”
A big hand, warm and rough. “Stone Mcallister, I don’t know what I’ve been doing in your mind, but you should know I’m not that kind of girl.” Defensive Training 101. Make light out of it, joke around. I’ve got this.
“No, you’re a liar with a fake boyfriend. I get it.” Here came that wicked smile again. It should be made illegal in all fifty states. She fervently wished he’d put it away before somebody got hurt.
Emily swallowed, suddenly feeling both parched and guilty. “I don’t usually lie, either. But you make me nervous. I’m only here to dance.”
“And what do you think I’m here to do?” He took another pull of his beer and then set it down.
Create mayhem with a woman’s body, heart and mind. “I don’t know, but I don’t like the way you’re looking at me. And you don’t look very innocent.”
“I’m not.”
“Right. But listen, I prefer to keep my clothes on in front of all these people so if you don’t mind, at least imagine me in a swimsuit.”
Mentally she wore full body armor, but let him imagine her in a swimsuit. It had to be better than naked.
“All right, a swimsuit it is. One of those string bikinis.”
Not exactly what she’d had in mind. “No. Have you ever watched Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman?”
“Yeah. She’s hot.” He smiled again.
“Imagine me in a skirt like the one she wears, with one of those high-neck tops that go all the way to the chin.” Emily put her hand under her chin.
He looked up and to the right then back at her. “Still pretty hot.”
“Anyway, nice meeting you, Mr. Subtle.” Emily turned, but he grabbed her hand.
“I think you should dance with me.”
“That’s what you get for thinking.”
“One dance.” He put his bottle down and pulled her onto the dance floor.
For the next few minutes, he proved he could dance, strong large hands wrapped around her waist as he stayed in step. Emily danced three dances in a row with him; though, she suspected no one else dared interrupt. A couple of times Ronnie Walter approached as if he would cut in, but Stone’s glare chased him away.
When the music slowed to “Let Me Down Easy,” Stone pulled her against him. Fast tunes had played all night, which meant his hands only briefly lingered on her waist, but she couldn’t risk a slow song. She could should stop the torture of a slow dance now, but she found his granite rock rock-hard chest and the way her head fit under his chin too seductive. He smelled like a man. Leather and some kind of light aftershave that didn’t make her dizzy. Not what she had planned for tonight or any night since she’d decided to be done with men.
“I haven’t seen you here before,” Emily said against his chest as she tried to pretend for one moment she might go home with this guy. Never times infinity to the tenth power. This kind of guy couldn’t be controlled.
“I haven’t been here before.” His hand lowered to the small of her back, and she might have trembled a little bit.
“Why not?”
Here was the problem, because there was a problem with every handsome man from here to Poughkeepsie. Of course he was married, probably with a wife and kid at home. She’d call that strike, one, two and three. If this guy was single, then Emily was the tooth fairy.
A veil went over his eyes and he stopped smiling. “New in town. And I don’t like bars.”
“You’re married.”
He stopped moving, like she’d slapped him. “I would be at home with my wife if I was married. And we wouldn’t waste time dancing. Or if we did, it would be the horizontal kind.”
Emily cleared her throat and tried to dispel the image of Stone dancing. Horizontally. “So you think we’re wasting time here?”
“Not if I do this right.” He grinned and twirled his finger in a strand of her hair like he had every right to do it.
She stared at his finger like she would cut it off, but this seemed to have no effect on him. “What don’t you like about bars?”
He was probably an alcoholic and it was too hard to be around booze. Strike two. Stone was up to bat, unaware he was about to strike out.
“People. Noise.” He threw a glance in the direction of the band.
“That’s music.” She glared at him.
“If you say so.”
“Where did you learn how to dance?” For a man who hated country music, he knew his steps.
His eyes closed for a brief second. “Long story. Let’s just say it involved a dare, a G-string and a six pack of beer. I’d rather not say any more. What about you? Looking for something? Or someone?”
“What makes you think I’m looking for someone?” Heavens, her shield had slipped.
“You’re kidding. Every guy in this place has his eye on you.”
Not possible. She whipped her head around, wondering which one of them had fooled her. Stone, at least, was obvious. “No, they don’t. I went to school with half of these guys. They only want to dance with me.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And you. What about you? Who gave you subtlety lessons, because you should really get your money back.”
“Hey, I’m only trying to protect you. From the others.”
Emily managed to crack a smile. “My sister and I come here whenever we want to dance. That’s all.” She wanted to spell it out for him because he didn’t look like the kind of guy who was used to hearing the word no from a woman. “And do you have to look at me like that?”
“Like how?”
“Like I’m a steak and you’re not a vegetarian.” Maybe if he’d stop looking at her like she was a T-bone, she could stop sweating. Already, a trickle had slid down the inside of her thigh straight into her boot.
“True, I’m not a vegetarian. But I don’t bite unless I’ve known you for at least a month.”
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