by Sarah | Apr 16, 2013 | Books, Hump Day Hook, Masked Hearts, Writing
Another Hump Day Hook!
And this week it’s time for more Masked Hearts. Release day is just a few days away, so I thought I’d finally give you another taste of Roy and Minnie.
Hope you enjoy:
“Why don’t you fight?”
“For what?” Minnie dropped the bucket and held out her arms. “I have nothing, Roy. I am not you, I can’t look like them. There will never be freedom for ones like me. What is there to fight for?”
“Me.”
*~*~*
Hump Day Hook asks authors to post one paragraph of one of their stories, whether a WIP, one contracted, or already published. Please visit and comment on the participants – you might just stumble on the next great read for your library! To see more participants, click on the HDH banner below:
by Sarah | Apr 16, 2013 | A to Z Challenge, All About Denver, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us
He started it.
Growing up he had many cute saying, turns of phrases.
“I don’t like your shirt.” When he was mad (because he wasn’t allowed to say he didn’t like a person.)
“Fizzers” for feathers…because, of course.
But by far the favorite.
The one he no longer says, even if we do…
An expression of love.
More than “I love you.”
More than “I love you forever.”
No, he took it all the way.
“I love you forever and never be done.”
Never be done.
He doesn’t say it that way anymore.
Rolls his eyes if we say it.
But Molly says it now.
And I hope she keeps saying it for a long time.
Because we will never be done loving any of the three of them.
*~*~*
The A-Z Challenge has over 1900 participants, all blogging from A to Z this month. Check them out and see if you can’t find a few new favorites!!
by Sarah | Apr 15, 2013 | Guest Authors, Guest Post, Writing
Meet Rachel Fox, heroine of THE BULL RIDER AND THE BARE BOYCOTTER. Rachel, an animal rights activist, gets attention for her cause by running naked in front a bucking bull, while 10,000 angry rodeo fans watch.
Rachel’s from Brooklyn, NY, a borough full of passionate people. When we first meet her, she’s had a tough year: her mother died, her boyfriend left, and she learns she’s infertile. To top it all off, she just lost her job caring for bovines at the Brooklyn Zoo.
Taking advice from her Aunt Bess, an activist from way back — “A good, old-fashioned cause always gets a woman’s mind off her problems” — Rachel decides to go west. Having cared for bulls for many years, she’s convinced that bull riding abuses those animals. Spurs cut hides, bull ropes chafe and electronic prods damage nervous systems. She’s on a mission to improve things for the bulls, and to keep her mind off her troubles.
With her long dark hair, big brown eyes and olive skin, Rachel looks a lot like Kim Kardashian but with a lot less attitude and a bigger rear end. While in Brooklyn Rachel is considered full figured, at the rodeo, she fits in perfectly.
Then Rachel runs naked in front of Logan Cooper’s bull and she meets her match. Sparks fly between the handsome cowboy and the bare boycotter, except she’s trying to shut down the rodeo and he’s not going to let her.
*~*
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Book Description:
Animal right activist Rachel Fox is a woman with a mission. The plan is to step into bull rider Logan Cooper’s ring wearing nothing but a poster calling the rodeo a ‘blood sport’. While rescuing this passionate protester from a nineteen hundred pound charging bull Logan decides he likes what he sees. Only problem, he’s got to direct Rachel’s love away from the livestock and onto him. With the press hot on their heels, because who isn’t interested in a story about a bull rider and a naked protester, Logan brings the dark haired, curvy figured Brooklynite to his Montana ranch.
Except, now that he’s got Rachel in his bed he’s nervous his annoying, problematic brothers and surly preteen nephew will scare her off. But when Rachel meets Logan’s deeply flawed family she realizes the bulls aren’t the only ones who need saving, the Cooper brothers need her help too. The only problem is Rachel has a secret, after believing she was infertile, it turns out that this sexy bull rider may have changed her childless fate forever.
by Sarah | Apr 15, 2013 | A to Z Challenge, All About Me, Story of Me
*For the record that’s me WAY over on the left.
The mind is a crazy place some times.
It plays tricks on you.
The things you remember versus the things you don’t.
Like I remember those shirts.
I only vaguely remember that fence.
And the names of our friends at the magical land we called the cottage (Where this was taken, near our cottage in Canada)? I remember only one, because I’m friends with her on facebook, and she’s the one that took this picture.
Yet I cling to that place.
To the neighbor that kept pepperoni sticks in her fridge (snack sized that we swiped all the time), and games in the loft of her cottage. We’d sled down the hill of her cottage in winter, and roll down ours with our giant innertube in the summer.
The boat lifts that littered the water.
The day my aunt shoved my head underwater and made it so I was no longer afraid to swim under the water.
Hours out on our boat.
Playing Star Wars with our friends.
Croquet on the lawn.
Watching Sesame Street in French.
Hovering under blankets and umbrellas while dad and my uncle set off fireworks in a rainstorm.
I remember great joy.
Times of laughter.
Times of youth.
Youth that passed by too fast.
The memories have holes.
But the spirit of joy does not.
*~*~*
The A-Z Challenge has over 1900 participants, all blogging from A to Z this month. Check them out and see if you can’t find a few new favorites!!
by Sarah | Apr 14, 2013 | Books, Hybrid, Tuesday Tales, Writing
The prompt this week was Chocolate.
I have created a cover for it…see? I have my reasons for the cover, and for saying that I’m unsure how long this story will continue through Tuesday Tales. Thoughts and plans are brewing, but until I’m set in what I want to do, Hybrid and Jyoti and Jdyne will stick around for a couple more weeks.
Remember, this is a meme with many contributing authors, so make sure to click the link at the bottom of the image to take you to see more!
Anyhow, as always this is un-edited mostly, so forgive any errors. :
“If I’m to speak before the assembly I should change. These human clothes are already too small.” I held out my arms to demonstrate the way the sleeves now only hit three-quarter length when they’d hit my wrists earlier. Of course, I wouldn’t mention the chocolate kiss melting in the pocket of my jeans in this heat.
“We’ll return to the castle so you might change. Will you be dressed as a warrior?”
“Testing me, Father? Of course I won’t dress as a warrior. They’ll think me hostile and side with Alatus more firmly before I ever open my mouth.” I set my hands on my hips and frowned. “What about the family? My appearance is already altering, if I go back to them.”
“You forget what powers I have, child. You’ll be restored if that’s what you wish. If you think it’s safe for them.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” With a sigh, I lifted my arms and gave a great stretch. I grew taller, but more impressively, flames travelled along my arms to add to the decorations. I could feel the same sensation crawl along the flesh of my face.
Jdyne diverted his eyes as the transformation took place and the human clothes burned away. “I wasn’t aware that’s what you meant by change, child.”
My eyes closed and I let the fire take over until it had replaced my clothes in the form of an almost living dress. It ebbed and flowed when I walked, draped to cover what humans found indecent, and slipped along my flesh like a second skin, which it was. “Did you not tell them the truth, father?”
“They don’t know about it. No one but Addrannyn knew of the phoenix. Only five other hybrids had the birds influence before he figured out how to create eggs without the birds influence and brought in enough helpers to make more hybrids, so I didn’t think it was necessary.” Jdyne shook his head and the last of the human illusion shivered away to reveal his fully scaled self. Now on all fours, his head swung to face me. The voice carried the same, but rang through my head instead of my ears. “Some secrets were meant to keep you safe.”
“All the secrets in the world failed to keep m safe. They did the opposite. It’s time for truth, Father.” I slipped my hand along his nose, then through he comb atop his head. The rough scales scratched my flesh, but by the time I lifted my hand, they wounds had healed. “Shall we fly?”
The long elegant head dipped in a bow. After a momentary crouch, he took off into the air. Long silver wings unfurled and he offered a long call to the heavens. It echoed around the countryside and calls of all kinds were returned.
I couldn’t stop my grin as the king took his place in the sky, his scales and wings reflecting the glory of our two suns in an almost blinding display.
After several minutes of enjoying the sight, I spread my arms. The flames spread to reflect my arms and formed into long elegant wings. For the first time in fifteen years I crouched and took off into the air, letting the wind almost blind me as I raced higher than my father.
I let out a call like his, more high pitched, similar to the bird, while still all dragon. Familiar calls of welcome were returned and I chuckled, dropping down to fly next to Jdyne.
His silver eye blinked at me before he flew toward our castle. Once again his voice entered my head. “You have never flown these skies with the wings of a phoenix. You’ve always clung to the dragon. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“The time for lies and secrets is over.” I repeated. “I am all of these things, and will not hide it any longer. Alatus will have his war if he is determined enough. I prefer he do it with the full knowledge in the open.”
“You’ll test the limits of the Assembly’s tolerance.”
“I always have, Father.”
*~*
Hope you enjoyed it! Click on the Tuesday Tales badge to see more excellent entries!!
*~*
Another Hump Day Hook!
