by Sarah | May 28, 2013 | Books, Changing Tracks, Hump Day Hook, Writing
Another Hump Day Hook!
Next week I’m having the BIG HUGE cover reveal for book 2 in my Dominion Falls Series, Derailed. So, for a nice lead in this week, I’m going back to my beloved Changing Tracks (Which received 2 new 5* reviews this week on Amazon!!)
Jane and Cole are having the first of many verbal sparring sessions:
“Well, you are a woman.” He eyed her appreciatively. “And women should keep their mouths shut. They don’t get opinions.”
“Just because you own the women you bother to keep company with and they must do as you say doesn’t mean they lack opinions. Just means you lack the fortitude to listen to them.”
“If you’re trying to curry favor, you ain’t on the right path.”
*~*
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 | May 26, 2013 | Books, Tuesday Tales, Writing
The prompt this week was Library.
I’m heading back to Lake Point again this week. This time I’m giving you a sample of Eve’s New Year.
As always this is un-edited mostly, so forgive any errors. :
“What were you thinking?” Eve’s bright smile faded. She opened the next box, and then another. The boxes laid out throughout her office were each filled with books. “There’s enough here to fill a library.”
“A private one, maybe.” Jake tried not to let his disappointment show. He thought she’d be excited by his purchase.
“No one in this town has a need to stock an entire library. Who’s going to catalog these anyway? I told you, Jake. My last day is in one week. I have enough to do without adding in cataloging a library full of books.”
“You don’t understand.” He took the box lid she held in her hands and slid it back in place on the box. “These aren’t for the shop.”
“Then what are they doing in my office?”
“I got them for you.”
Her bright blue eyes got wide and the flush of anger faded away. “What?”
“You always gush over the book listings.” He heaved the box off her desk and set it on top of a nearby stack. This was not going the way he’d planned at all. “I know you like old books, I’ve heard you talk about how you dreamed of having a library full.”
“You heard me?”
“Of course I heard you. You’re my best friend.”
“Right.” Her voice cracked again. It had been doing that a lot lately. “Best friend.”
“I hate that you’re leaving. I just wanted to do something for you.”
“God you’re such an ass.”
“What?” He spun around, but she wasn’t facing him. “I was trying to be nice.”
“Well I don’t need you to try so hard anymore.” She kept her back to him. “I don’t need to be your charity case in the name of friendship any longer.”
“Charity case?” Jake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What the hell?”
“My gallant defender, forcing his good buddies not to pick on the fat girl, the four eyes, the nerd that just happened to live next door to you. I’m a big girl now.” The words remained strong even if her voice was still weak. “And I’m not interested in feeding your need to be a savior.”
“Eve.”
“Just get out. I have work to do if I’m going to be out of here in a week.”
Pain ripped through his heart. “So you aren’t just quitting this job, are you?”
“No. I’m quitting you.”
*~*
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*~*
by Sarah | May 22, 2013 | Book Spotlight, Guest Authors, Writing
I’d like to tell you about my new romance, Lapses of Memory, a novel in which two romances intertwine as a mother recounts her life-long love affair while her daughter juggles two lovers. Sydney Bellek’s love for Elian Davies is reignited each time they meet, but in the long years following each encounter she forgets him. For his part, Elian knows from the age of seven that they are meant for each other, but when she finally understands, he has lost his memory—literally. Can she make him remember her? Will their new love be enough to replace the old one?
Meanwhile, her daughter Olivia chronicles the ups and downs of her parents’ romance, making it difficult to concentrate on her own dilemma—how to choose between the rich and dashing Rémy de Beaumec, who wants to take her around the world, and the strong, silent, American-to-the-core, Benjamin Knox, who only wants to make her happy.
As journalists, Sydney and Elian fly a lot. Since in the story they only meet every few years, the date of their meeting on a plane coincided strangely and wonderfully with new aircraft designs coming on line. Research on the development of flight technology led me to learn a couple of interesting facts. First, the early commercial airlines were designed for comfort rather than speed. The Boeing Stratocruiser that Sydney takes when she is five had sleeping berths and a lounge, and meals were served on china plates with fine wines in etched crystal goblets. As with most advances, luxury was soon sacrificed to speed, and by the 1970s we had the SST Concorde, which made the flight from New York to London in three hours. Second, I was blown away by the amazing growth in customers. In the 1950s air travel was limited to a few adventurous souls and planes carried 100 passengers. The total number of passengers went from 17 million in 1950 to an estimated 2.75 billion by 2011. That’s only sixty years!
I hope you enjoy the excerpt. One lucky reader will win a pdf of one of my last four romantic suspense novels—your choice. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment.
Lapses of Memory, by M. S. Spencer
Secret Cravings Publishing (May 10, 2013)
eBook, 70,000 words
Romance, Action/Adventure, M/F, 3 flames
Buy Link: http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=595
EXCERPT (PG): The Lady Doesn’t Remember
Several beers later they wobbled out to the lobby holding hands. Sydney had learned enough to know this Elian was a complex person and really, really cute. When they reached her room he backed her against the door. She could feel his penis throbbing through his jeans and took a minute to revel in the desire the friction ignited before pushing him away. He set his arms on either side of her, and regarded her with serious eyes. “You still don’t remember me, do you?”
She shook her head. She didn’t really want to recognize him. Placing him in some other context could only be deflating. She liked him now, a tall, thin, russet-haired man with a pulsing member and inviting mouth, currently blowing a tidal wave of pheromones in her direction.
He continued to stand there, making none of the moves she wished he’d make. Finally she took a step toward him and held out her lips. Leaning in, he took them with his. The link pulled the rest of their bodies together. Arms went around waist and neck, bellies ground against each other, thighs intertwined. Sydney fell into a long, dark, winding tunnel that squeezed her, taking her breath away. She no longer felt corporeal, but more like a soft piece of quivering tissue, the bones dissolving, reduced finally to a pool of liquid heat.
He broke away, panting. “Now do you remember me?”
Her arms empty, she tried blinking to drag herself back to the present. Elian swam into view. His azure eyes shot signals, signals that she couldn’t decipher. What does he want of me? Why can’t we live for the moment? Just be in the here and now? For an instant she thought of lying, but somehow she knew he would see through it, that it would only push him farther away. “I’m sorry.”
He lifted his arms, and dropped them in frustration. He gazed at her, pleading. She couldn’t help him. Bits of him seemed familiar—as though those features belonged to someone else she’d known a long time ago. Other bits, like his deep, gruff voice and his air of insolence, were strange and new. A fleeting sense of abandonment passed through her. Whoever he reminded her of had left her once before. She didn’t want that loneliness again. She turned from him and put the key in the door. He caught her arm. “We’ll meet again, Sydney.”
She tried to match the hope in his voice. “Perhaps we will.” She ran inside and threw herself on the bed. After a good cry and a call for room service, she paced the room, trying to get a grip on her emotions. Something deep in Elian’s eyes drew her. She didn’t recognize his face, but she felt a linkage, a bond with him. An affinity shared, but long ago. She understood him, knew him. A face rose before her, but all jumbled as though she looked at it through a kaleidoscope. Eyes, chin, nose, cheeks, all split up into triangles and rhomboids, making the face as inscrutable as a Picasso painting. She gave up.
Halfway through the chicken cordon bleu she stopped, fork stalled two inches from her mouth. Why does he care whether I recognize him? What is this rapport I sense? Is there some deep, dark secret I should know? Oh my God, is he my long lost brother?
Biography
Although I’ve lived or traveled in every continent except Antarctica and Australia (bucket list), the last 30 years have been spent mostly in Washington, D.C. as a librarian, Congressional staff assistant, speechwriter, editor, birdwatcher, kayaker, policy wonk, non-profit director and parent. I’m about to heave the entire ho to Florida, leaving behind the cherry blossoms, the monuments, and the political hacks.
Contacts:
Blog: http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/msspencertalespinner
Twitter: www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/M.S.-Spencer/e/B002ZOEUC8/
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer
by Sarah | May 21, 2013 | Books, Hump Day Hook, Writing
Another Hump Day Hook!
Just yesterday I signed a contract for my Christmas story – Santa, Maybe. Secret Cravings is going to publish it in December in time for the holidays. 🙂
Something about that wonderful little story set in the idealistic small town has me itching to turn it into a series of shorties each set around a holiday. This week I’m bringing you a snip of the New Years story that I’ve titled Eve’s New Year.
Dunc (not the hero, at least not in this story 😉 ) is a 21 year old that does odd jobs around town, including helping out at the antique shop Eve manages. Earlier in the chapter, Eve refers to him as ‘eye candy’…and so he is 😉 Right now, he’s on his way out the door and Eve expresses some frustration:
Too soon Dunc disappeared into the front room and she was left in the store room with no more warmth than the light bulb he’d just screwed in. “Maybe I should have screwed that bulb in. It’s the only screwing I’ll ever get.”
Her inner voice cackled at the horrible joke before she blew a raspberry at no one but herself. Such a loser.
*~*
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 | May 20, 2013 | Character Interview, Guest Authors, Writing
Elaine Cantrell’s character Princess Morgane of her novel [amazon_link id=”B00CRUD242″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Enchanted[/amazon_link] agreed to an interview today. The Prince Alan joined in the conversation for a bit of a fun time.
*~*
1. Tell us a little about yourself. How did you come to your author’s attention? Occupation?
“I am the Princess Morgane, daughter of King Maccus, wife of Prince Alan who is heir to his father King Bowdyn. The entire kingdom celebrated my marriage to Prince Alan, so I suppose that is how she heard of me. My occupation? I am a princess.”
A tall, blonde warrior enters the chamber where the interview is taking place. He hears the last thing Princess Morgane says. “Do not forget, my princess, that I have seen you washing dishes. Mayhap you would enjoy that occupation.”
The princess laughs, her eyes gleam. “My husband jests, though I did indeed wash the dishes when we fought the terrible evil in King Osric’s realm.”
“Fought and prevailed in large part to you, my dear.”
The princess nods to the interviewer. “As you can see, Madame, my husband is a practiced flirt!”
2. What or who is the greatest love of your life? Why? What drew you to them?
Princess Morgane reaches for Prince Alan’s hand. “Our love story did not begin in the the way that most do. Our fathers arranged a marriage for the two of us even though we had never met. I did not expect to even like him, but love grew almost immediately. How could I not love him? He is everything a man should be. He is kind, generous, clever, protective, …”
“Nay, my love. These are qualities that should apply to you. If I possess any virtue at all, it comes out of my love for you.”
The princess blushes and turns back to the interviewer.
3. What’s your greatest fear?
Princess Morgane bites her lip. “I fear that one day I might lose the prince. We live in a dangerous world.”
Prince Alan scowls at the interviewer. “Think no more upon it, my princess. I will take very good care of myself.”
4. What’s your motto in life?
“Aut viam inveniam aut faciam – I will either find a way or make one.”
The prince beams at her. “Well said. After our experiences I do not believe in the word impossible.”
5. How do the other characters in your book view you?
Princess Morgane considers the question. “With no false modesty, I can say that I have found favor with my husband and his family. To this day I possess the red banner given to me by King Bowdyn in appreciation of my service to the kingdom.” Her eyes twinkle. “Perhaps I do not look like a warrior, but I am held in high regard by the army as well.”
Prince Alan laughs. “Indeed. Madame Interviewer, you should hear the warrior Renweard speak of her bravery when she confronted the false princess. Even now he brags of how she killed an enemy to save me. In truth she saved me twice, once in Pygeria, and once when the false princess held sway over the castle.”
6. What do you prefer? To spread & hear gossip, or be the creator of gossip fodder?
“Well, if one must choose, I suppose I would rather be the creator of gossip fodder. It is much more entertaining that way.”
7. What is it about you that is going to draw us readers in?
Prince Alan clears his throat. “I will answer that one for you. She has the heart of a dragon and beauty beyond compare, but she is warm, nurturing, and loving toward all whom she meets.”
“Thank you, my prince.”
8. What was your happiest moment?
She laughs. “Oh, that is easy. My happiest moment was when Prince Alan broke the evil spell upon Pygeria, thereby giving us the chance for a future together.”
9. What trait in others do you find most deplorable?
“I abhor greediness which leads to all manner of deceit and unkindness.”
10. The random question: If you were a color, what color would you be and why?
“Yellow. To me, yellow is a joyous, happy color full of hope and sunshine. I have suffered much in my life, but thanks to my adventures with the prince, my days are now filled with sunshine.” She stands. “Come. Let me show you the lovely painting the prince did for me. It too is filled with the sunshine.”
*~*
| [amazon_link id=”B00CRUD242″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Amazon[/amazon_link] | B&N | Astrea Press |
BLURB:
Blurb:
Forced by his father into a marriage he didn’t want, Prince Alan soon finds that his bride isn’t the sweet, submissive creature he expected. Morgane has the heart of a dragon and beauty beyond compare, but she isn’t thrilled about the marriage either. When black treachery threatens the kingdom, Morgane and Alan embark on a perilous journey that has an excellent chance of ending in failure and death for them and all of their people.Replace this text w/ your blurb, excerpt, author bio & buy links.
Excerpt: In this excerpt, the hero meets his bride for the first time.
The sound of a trumpet interrupted Alan. Meryn entered the room behind the trumpeters and called in a ringing voice, ʺHis majesty, King Maccus, and his daughter, the Princess Morgane, wife of Prince Alan, heir to the throne of his father, King Bowdyn.ʺ
Everyone at the table rose to their feet and bowed as Maccus and Morgane paused at the door. Alan could not stop staring at the princess. He had not expected her to be so beautiful. Her red‑gold hair cascaded across her shoulders in swirling waves he ached to touch. Even from this distance he could see that her eyes were the color of the sea on a cloudy, stormy day. Her white, beribboned gown made their unique color stand out. She had a willowy, lithe figure.
Every inch the king, Bowdyn crossed the room and took Princess Morgane’s hand. ʺCome. I will introduce you to your husband, Prince Alan.”
She did not limp, but she stepped very quickly as if she did not want her feet to touch the floor any longer than necessary. Still, she held her head up high as she made her way across the hall, her heavy, stiff skirts rustling on the stone floor. ʺMy son, this is your wife, Princess Morgane. Morgane, this is your husband, Prince Alan.”
Bowdyn placed Morgane’s hand into Alan’s. Her fingers were icy cold. He bowed to her and kissed her hand. “It is my honor to meet you. Will you be seated beside me?ʺ
Morgane seated herself beside him as he held out her chair. Her skin looked as smooth as satin and as creamy as the finest milk, but no one could miss the horrible red scar that marred her face. She turned her head and caught him staring. Her face flushed red, causing the scar to look that much worse. Turning away from him, she fastened her eyes on the wall in front of her.
BIO:
Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina where she obtained a master’s degree in personnel services from Clemson University. She is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary society for women educators, Romance Writers of America, and EPIC authors. Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love Contest. When she’s not writing or teaching, she enjoys movies, quilting, reading, and collecting vintage Christmas ornaments.
by Sarah | May 19, 2013 | Books, Tuesday Tales, Writing
The prompt this week was Bite.
This time I’m sticking with my story from last week. This section is actually the beginning of the story, where last weeks was probably around Chapter 2.
The story is still unnamed, but a few ideas are being batted around for a good Independence Day themed title 🙂 (Suggestions are welcome, though…I’m stumped)
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. :
“No, not here.” Amanda whined. The car sputtered and spurted. It barely made it to the shoulder before dying. She hit the steering wheel hard, like that would do her any good, and dropped her forehead to the wheel.
Tears she’d managed to keep at bay since Pennsylvania welled up again. She had no idea where she was, other than New York. The last few signs had said something about Rochester, but she’d left the city behind.
She lifted her head, wiping the tears from her eyes so she could see. The road sign ahead read ‘Lake Point. 1 mile’. A groan escaped and she dropped her head to the steering wheel. A solid thump resonated through her already pounding head, taking the decibel level of her headache to near migraine levels. “What am I going to do?”
There was nowhere left to go. She’d had no destination in mind, and should’ve been grateful the car had taken her this far from Illinois.
A shuddering breath racked her lungs and a sob tore from her gut. For three days she’d driven all over the place. She didn’t want to follow a straight line, and half the time had felt lost.
Who was she kidding, all she felt was lost. Her location no longer mattered.
A sharp knock on the window startled a shriek out of her.
“Ma’am? Y’all right in there? Do you need a hand?” Another tap on her window drew her toward the window and the—the fricking cowboy standing outside.
A cowboy? Her hands shook too hard to move, and she imagined she looked frightful. The way his eyes widened didn’t lessen that belief. She pressed down her lock and nodded. “I’m fine. Go away. I’ll call someone.”
“Sorry I startled you, miss.” A smile broke on the disturbingly handsome face. “Name’s Clay. It’s right smart of you not to open up. You got someone to call?”
No she didn’t. Worse, the pay-as-you-go phone she’d bought was dead after her last call to Grace. At this point in time she had no one to call. No one but the man outside her window, but she wasn’t about to get out and hitch a ride with a perfect stranger.
“How about I call Calvin? He’s a sheriff. And I’ll call for a tow and have the car taken to my garage.” Clay apparently took her silence for an acknowledgement that she didn’t know what to do. He turned on his phone and started dialing.
All she could do was nod rapidly, even after he’d turned away. She had no idea what else would work. Her voice didn’t want to work, the world had crashed in when the car died. The reality of what she’d done, and how alone she was now dug at the dark hole in her soul until her lip trembled again.
Thankfully the cowboy backed off and went back to his truck. It left her free to try to gather herself together. She turned the rear view mirror toward herself and let out a bitter laugh. Red splotched her face, the damn dark circles under her eyes a deep purple now that the makeup had been cried and wiped away.
She sniffled and wiped at her cheeks to remove the last salty vestiges of the ‘hysterical woman’ she’d so often been accused of being. At this point maybe she should have felt relief, but she felt more scared than ever.
Flashing lights came into view at the edge of her mirror and she shifted it back to get a better view. A cop car had pulled up behind Clay and the sheriff now stood shaking the cowboy’s hand. So he wasn’t a homicidal maniac, or if he was he was a damn good one.
A strangled laugh choked out and she cleared her throat. After a long exhale and a shake to remove the last of her nerves, she unlocked the door again. By the time the cop got to her car she felt somewhat composed, even if she looked like hell.
“Everything all right, miss?” The short man stood at the ready, one hand on his holster just in case she was the homicidal maniac. Not that she blamed him after the show she’d just put on. No wonder Tony always said she was too emotional.
The mere thought brought up a whimper so fast she couldn’t stop it. Luckily it wasn’t a full on sob, and she was able to nod. “My car broke down. I’ve got no one to call. I’m just…”
“It’s okay. Clay’s already called a tow for you. If anyone can fix this, he can.” The man reeked of doubt when he took in the car. It was a heap of junk, and she knew it. “How about I give you a ride to the garage? You can wait for it there.”
There wasn’t anything else to do. Short of finding another heap of junk that would wipe her out of the last bit of money she had. If there was a higher power, it was telling her to stop where she was. With a long sigh she shrugged. “I suppose. So he’s okay?”
Sheriff Calvin glanced back to the truck and snorted. “Clay? He’s harmless. Don’t bit or nothing. Damn good with cars, too. Don’t let the cowboy thing freak you out. We try not to.”
She allowed an uneasy laugh and grabbed her purse. Once she stepped out, she took a deep breath. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I’m Sheriff Calvin, most people just call me Calvin. And this here is Clay Ryley.” Calvin gestured to the cowboy.
Clay tipped his hat. “Sorry again about startling you, Miss. I saw you stall out and thought I’d try to help.”
“I appreciate it. Sorry for, well, this.” She gestured to her face. “It’s been a long drive.”
“No problem. You go on with Calvin, I’ll wait for the truck.”
She nodded and let the sheriff lead her toward his car. Before she got in, she chanced another glance at the cowboy. Figures on the one day in her life she met a hot cowboy she was a total wreck. Death warmed over probably looked better.
With a sigh, she slid into the car and pulled her purse tight against her chest.
*~*
Hope you enjoyed it! Click on the Tuesday Tales badge to see more excellent entries!!
*~*
Another Hump Day Hook!
