Saturday, September 29, 2012

A Regal Beauty And A Devil-May-Care Smuggler

My new book cover is here. Woo hoo!  A Marriage of Inconvenience will be published at the end of November. This is Ravyn Graham's book and is the third book in the 12 Dancing Princesses series. The first one being Allura which is on sale for $0.99 and the second book is The Wager.


BLURB:

A REAGAL BEAUTY

When the duchess decides to wed her to a wastrel and a fop, Ravyn Grahm takes matters into her own hands and declares her engagement to another man. Instead of fessing up and telling her great aunt what she has done, she goes through with the pretense. Aric Lakeland is the bastard son of an earl and has a dangerous reputation. But Ravyn is willing to do most anything to keep the duchess from discovering the lie.

A DEVIL-MAY-CARE SMUGGLER

He'd bought land in America, looking to put down roots and end his life of adventure, but Aric Lakeland got more than he bargained for when he encountered a beautiful heiress who made a promise she didn't want to keep. But the promise could not be undone and standing between them were more obstacles than either ever dreamed. Aric had made plans to spend the rest of his life in America and that was at odds with Ravyn's plan of living in England and running her father's estate. Now, he'll have to choose between his dreams and the woman he loves more than life.

EXCERPT:

“No. I couldn’t explain your absence any more than I can explain your presence,” she was quick to say. She tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair. “Do you think the Duchess will see things differently in the morning? No one but us needs to know you are here--in my bedroom.”

“I doubt she will see anything different. For whatever reasons, it seems she has her heart set on this marriage. The Duchess told you the truth. Your father wanted to see you married. And for some reason you have several suitors but you have accepted no proposals. Am I wrong?”

She lowered her lashes for a moment then looked at him. “I refused them all.”

“Why?”

She shrugged her shoulders. Shoulders he knew would break if they were put to an honest days work. “I didn’t love any of them. Most, I didn’t even like. They never wanted me. They wanted my inheritance. What kind of marriage would that be?”

“And you expected to marry for love?” His smile grew. He was stunned. “Aristocratic marriages are not usually done that way.” His heart went out to her. Her dream was a young girl’s dream. Didn’t she know love was made from poet’s verses, not real life? Love did not exist.

“But my father promised.”

“Ravyn, this is the real world. Love is not real.“

“You, sir, are wrong,” she told him vehemently. “What will happen if we cannot explain our way out of this mess?” she asked him.

His sigh was heavy. “Go to sleep.” At the moment, he did not want to think about what might happen. He did not want to tell her a short and false tale of a miracle that might happen tomorrow morning. They were not going to explain their way out of this.

“Aric,” she sat down on the bed. It was the closest she had willingly been to him since they’d retired for the night. “What will I tell Christel?”

“Tell her the truth,” he said quickly. “I’m sure your cousin will understand even if the Duchess does not.”

A long silence followed. She stared out the window. Moonlight filtered through sheer curtains and played with the firelight. Shadows danced on the walls.

“Aric?”

“What?”

“What is it you want in a wife?” She turned to look at him. Her face was pale, dark circles underlined her eyes, but he thought he’d never seen her so beautiful.

He rose on one elbow again, touched a finger to her nose while he grinned. “I want a woman who can haul water, hoe the land, plant seed and bear my children,” he paused. “And of course cook.”

She turned a ghostly shade of pale.

“I could do none of that,” she whispered, her lips trembling as she spoke. “You must be joking.”





Friday, September 28, 2012

Sin, Sex, Love, at Mist Harbor

It's Guy Day Friday at my blog today. I love featuring the guy's point of view. Misha Petrovich is the guy and just what does he think when he discovers an heirloom locket around the neck of a woman who runs a boarding house.


EXCERPT:

Ariel Cameron touched him like no other woman ever had. He felt her needs and her fears. He understood her desperate struggle with her disability because in a strange way he was crippled too.

Even while he kept his distance, watching her, she’d burrowed a deep path into his heart. His gut tightened into a hard knot of pain and anger.

Until tonight, he’d never kissed her, never held her hand in his. Until a few hours ago, he’d stayed away from her, sensing the danger in coming too close.

Too late he knew the threat to him was real. The kiss they shared had kindled a fire inside, an inferno he could not smother. Unknowingly, she toyed with him, played with his emotions and like a starving man, he begged for more.

He felt ripped apart, torn, battered, and confused. He didn’t like the feeling.

Birds floated on wind currents overhead. Sea gulls, he supposed, perhaps cormorants. He’d never learned what to call them but he’d heard people talking. Ariel knew the names of all the birds in these parts and the flowers too. She spent a lot of time reading and baking. Her oatmeal raisin cookies melted in his mouth.

He threw his head back and laughed at himself and the way he vacillated from one extreme to the other. When he wanted to push her from his thoughts, he remembered her cookies. He laughed again. The wind and the waves ate his laughter and left an empty hollow in the pit of his stomach.

He was a man in agony. His decision to pursue a union with this woman might well open a path to hell. All he had was gut reaction. In the darkest hour of the night, when his mind wandered to thoughts of her, he felt a foreboding sense of doom.

He turned and looked at the boardinghouse. "Bloody hell," he muttered and retraced his path. Men slipped in and out of the back of her house. But he was too late. The men disappeared in the grayness of the dawn.

He paused. Rain drizzled from the iron gray clouds above, ran in rivulets down his face and neck to pool beneath his collar. He should have grabbed his coat on the way out the door, but he’d been in too great a hurry to escape the stifling confines of her house, to escape the haunting memories of his past and the turbulent emotions of the present he now faced.



Thursday, September 27, 2012

Myst Harbor, laugh, love, family

Revisited the fictional town of Myst Harbor, Oregon this week. Myst Harbor is actually Newport, Oregon in 1894 and the setting forThe Locket. The Locket is the 3rd book in the Lakota/Pinkerton series.

My family spent a few days Yurt camping at Beverly Beach. If you haven't spent any time in a yurt or don't know what it is, it is half way between real camping in a tent and the good old luxurious motor home camping.


A Yurt

I alway like a bit of the fantasy in a book. And the Locket starts out with just that. 

Excerpt:

The Legend

The Crimea, 1294


Light mysteriously broke from the eastern horizon. The dark silhouette of a man on horseback stood in bold relief. In one hand he held a saber, in the other a rose. He held both objects aloft, his arms stiff while his battle cry filled the air, the sound stark and terrifying.

The lone man remained on top of the hill but a moment and then, as if the delicate flower burned his hands, he threw the rose to the dry desert sands. When he turned his horse and rode away, the rose was trampled beneath the hooves of his stallion.

A breeze lifted the petals of the flower from the stem one at a time, leaving only the thorns behind. Clouds rolled in, thunder demanding its place next to the sheets of lightning that suddenly controlled the dawn.

We spent some time at the lighthouse at Yaquina Head a place where smugglers loved to store there ill gotten gains in caves at the waters edge. 


Looking to the south of the lighthouse one can see craggy rocks and endless beach. Of course the town is fictional. The name of the town, derived from the fog that often blankets this area was not in existence this day of our visit. As one can see it was an absolutely beautiful day.


Blurb:

Seeking revenge for crimes against his family, Misha Petrovich follows a path that leads straight to Ariel Cameron's boarding house in Mist Harbor, Oregon. A family heirloom in Ariel's possession leads Misha to believe she is guilty. The locket has been handed down to the oldest girl in the Petrovich family for generations. 

Ariel is innocent of wrong doing, but her father is not. Misha is torn by his feelings for Ariel and his need for restitution against her father. Knowing the relationship between them is fragile, Misha does everything in his power to protect Ariel's father. His efforts are to no avail when her father is shot.

Ariel comes to realize Misha's steadfast courage and determination to protect her and her father, despite what has happened to his family. Ariel's love and devotion heals Misha's heart.




Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Private Pirouette

Please welcome Alla Munro  author of Private Pirouette.

Lila will be awarding a $25 Amazon or BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and to a randomly drawn host.

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT! :D


Private Pirouette
by Lila Munro

~~~~~~~~~~~~~



BLURB:

Piper McGee can smell a set up a mile away. She can smell a Marine even further. Born to a dual-enlisted couple who divorced before she was old enough to remember a single family holiday together and proceeded to redefine the very definition of family through several marriages and even more step-siblings, Piper has made it her life’s promise to herself to never become involved with one of the few and the proud. They’re among the most irresponsible people she knows, leaving destruction in their wake and broken hearts paving the way to their next duty station. And in her opinion, Alec Douglas is just another example, until he pries her heart open along with other parts of her, making her question everything she's ever let herself believe about honor, courage, and commitment.

What does a man do with six month’s down time and no warm body to share his bed? For Sergeant Alec Douglas, contemplating that question led him to fall prey to his two best friend’s plan to find him that very thing. They know Alec has yet to stay with any one person for more than a few dates. They also know a tragedy from his past created the problem and while that haunts him, making it nearly impossible for Alec to trust his heart to anyone, they also know he’s a sucker for a challenge. Will the enticement of a few thousand dollars riding on him breaking his own rule be just the thing to disrupt his cycle? Taking their bet might be profitable, but is winning the money they’ve dangled under Alec’s nose worth losing himself to the girl they’ve picked out for him?

In his quest to get her to say yes to his crazy proposal, he tracks her all over town only to discover the beautiful, long-legged blond isn’t the studious book worm he mistook her for. In fact, she's one of Jacksonville’s finest in the form of Orchid, exotic dancer. Her rejection only spurs him to make sure her dancing days are over and she only performs her private pirouette for him, and only him, for the rest of their lives if he has his way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~



EXCERPT:

Marines!  Piper couldn’t wait to graduate and get the hell out of Jacksonville on the first train to anywhere.  Anywhere where men had more on their minds than a quick roll before hopping on the bird for the next trip to the sandbox, or where ever the action currently was.  Anywhere there were men that weren’t careless with what they’d been entrusted with, people’s affections and lives.  Why couldn’t she just for once get hit on by someone worthwhile?  Someone who knew the difference between an adjective and an adverb?  Someone who wanted more out of life than to fight other people’s wars?  Someone who wasn’t the type to start a family then abandon it? 

The one good thing she could say about the latest government robot to try to drag her off to bed was he was extremely good looking.  He was taller than she was, which wasn’t common, by at least four inches.  He was tanned to golden perfection, which made his brown hair look darker than it probably was, and he had the most unusual eyes she’d ever seen. They were some strange light brown straying to a golden color.  When he’d reached around her, she could plainly see he was ripped.  His forearm was a corded mesh of muscle and taut skin. The smell of sunshine, fall leaves and the whiskey he’d been drinking drifted off him. Her heart had raced and her palms got clammy.  Damn it.  If she hadn’t been reminded of his status in life by his cropped hair and the big eagle, globe, and anchor etched on his bulging bicep, she might have been tempted to actually go out with him.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lila Munro currently resides on the coast of North Carolina with her husband and their two four-legged kids. She’s a military wife with an empty nest and takes much of her inspiration for her heroes from the marines she’s lived around for the past fifteen years. Coining the term realmantica, she strives to produce quality romance in a realistic setting. Her genre of choice is contemporary romance that spans everything from the sensual to BDSM and ménage.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, trips to the museum and aquarium, taking field research trips, and soaking up the sun on the nearby beaches. Her works include The Executive Officer’s Wife, Bound By Trust, Destiny’s Fire, Salvation, Three for Keeps, the Force Recon series, the Slower Lower series, the Identity series, and most recently the Toy Box Tales in conjunction with BethAnn Buehler. She’s a member in good standing of RWA and Passionate Ink. Currently she’s working on sequels to several series to be released throughout 2012-2013. And has a brand new line scheduled for winter 2012-13.

Ms. Munro loves to hear from her readers and can be found at Realmantic Moments  Facebook Pinterest Goodreads  Twitter You can also contact her via email at lilasromance@gmail.com and you can find all her works at: Amazon Nook ARe Bookstrand


PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!!


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Soul Within

Please Welcome Nancy Adams author of the Soul Within.

The author will be giving away a $20 Total-e-Bound or Amazon gift card to one random commenter during the tour.


The Soul Within
by Nancy Adams

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Alex’s body is in a coma. His soul, however, is not. Desperate to become whole, he must first convince stubborn beauty Evening Sinclair that he is not dead.

For generations, the Sinclairs have been healers. Using a gentle touch to heal the body and a soothing word to heal the soul, Evening Sinclair is no different. Yet despite her secret abilities, Eve has a somewhat normal existence. She enjoys her small physiotherapy practice, dotes on her eight-year-old daughter and occasionally helps souls get back into their bodies-that is until Alex, with his brooding good looks and glowing eyes, appears in her kitchen.

Alex is desperate to get back into his body-two innocent lives depend on it. His only obstacle is Eve and her stubborn fear. Unfortunately for Eve, Alex is ruthless and just as stubborn. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He will not 'go away' and no matter how much Eve tortures him with her lush body and perfect mouth, he will not change his mind. Eve will merge him, and if it takes him haunting her day and night, she will merge him back with a body-any body.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~



EXCERPT:


Alex’s stomach twisted. He knew Miles could be vicious, they both could, but this woman went far beyond the normal witness. “We’re not doing this.”

“She can identify me.” Miles glared at the woman on the floor. “I have more to lose than you.”

Like Alex, Miles was a trained killer and he was good at his job. But Miles had the one thing that could be used against him, a family. A wife, children, a house with a white picket fence. Christ, he even had a dog. All Alex had, was his job. He had had a family once, when he was still in his teens. But he had lost them, so he understood where Miles was coming from. Though that didn’t make killing this woman and her unborn child right, even he knew that.

“What is she going to do? Look at her.” Alex slid his pistol back behind his back as he straightened next to Miles. “Let’s take her back to the shop and give her to the CO. Let him deal with her.”

Miles turned, his face blank. “This is still my op and I’m still on point. She dies.”

Alex’s decision was made before Miles could squeeze the trigger. Alex slammed him into the wall, his fist smashing into Miles’ face. The blow knocked him down, but he was far from out.

Alex reached for the woman. “Get up.” He bent down barking, “Now!”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Nancy’s addiction for a good trash novel began in her late-teens when her grandmother gave her a bag of Harlequin Romance books. She was hooked and spent the next few years lurking in the dark corners of used bookstores searching for her next fix. Until, one marriage and two kids later, her own ideas had her jumping up at 3 am (much to her husband’s annoyance) and typing them into her laptop. Beside her husband and children, Nancy has three passions, rearranging furniture, buying bed linens and, of course, writing. Nancy lives in Eastern Ontario with her family and two over sized lap dogs. 


Website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc

Email address:  Fancy-nancy@hotmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/NancyAdams.scribblingseduction

Website: to come – will let you know if it is up and running before tours start


Monday, September 24, 2012

Fill In The Blanks Monday



1. My favorite college football team is Oregon State OS because  I graduated from OS. I won't say how many years ago. Of course it was called OSU back then.

2. My favorite fall color is  orange. I love the color of autumn leaves. This is my favorite season too.

3. My favorite genre is historical romance. I love going back in time and reading about different eras. I sometimes wondered if I lived in some of my favorite time periods.

4. Something I have been learning lately  I have been learning so much about the internet. I've joined triberr and I am a member of 4 tribes. One of the tribes I inadvertently set up when I was trying to join. I am chief of this tribe with only one member. 

5. The first romance book I ever read was  A Pirate's Pleasure by Heather Graham. The book was given to me by my mother-in-law. Needless to say I fell in love with this book and have read romance ever since.

6. My favorite workout is Jazzercise. I've tried Zumba and group power as well as spinning but I alway go back to Jazzercise. I started Jazzercise thirty-one years ago. Whew... and I've never stopped. There were a few years when I went 8-10 times a week. Oh for the days where I had so much extra time.

7. Something I am proud of  my children. All three have grown up to be independent happy adults. They are very special to me.

Can you fill in the blanks?



Sunday, September 23, 2012

2-0 Beavers Won!


Bobble Head Babes & The Continuing Saga

My walking partner and partner in bobble heading is back from Hawaii, her favorite place. I don't think I have any bobble head moments this week. But we did have fun walking Shaw Square. It's about a 5 mile walk in the Oregon mist.

Looking forward to a mini vacation on the Oregon coast. Can't wait to take some new pictures and maybe capture another sunset. Never camped in a Yurt before so this will be a new experience. My daughter say "they have heat." I need heat. It's supposed to be in the 60's which is a nice temperature but I'm sure the nights will be pretty cold. 

Ah... the other bobble head babe did have a moment when she first arrived in Hawaii. She left her cell phone on the shuttle that took her from the airport to her room. She had to go back early in the morning to get it. 

Woo hoo!! Beavs won. They have dropped two ranked schools now. Hubby says they will be ranked after this but I will believe it when I see it. Go Oregon State! 

Now I get to cheer for the Ducks. (I live in a split household. Two of us are Beavs and the two are Ducks then there is one Willamette U grad. But she routes for the Ducks.)

Ducks won 49-0 great Saturday!









Saturday, September 22, 2012

Girl Power Unleashed!!




EXCERPT:

"Which is worse? Drawn and quartered or shot?" he asked, a wry grin on his face.

"Drawn and quartered."

A soft yet determined female voice behind Damian startled him and then a cold sweat broke out on his skin.

"Hold your hands high, both of you. Stand up, then turn slowly around." Amorica's voice was utterly feminine, but Damian didn't doubt the wealth of determination he heard.

"What did you hear?" he asked. Hands held high, he looked at Ryder who was leaning against the horse's stall, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Enough--too much," she said.

"I don't suppose you'd like to hear an explanation?" Damian asked.

"I believe you said enough to hang yourself. But you will not have to concern yourself with me or my reputation. I will leave of my own accord." Tears streamed down her face.

"I cannot let you do that," Damian said. "You cannot think to overpower two men with one pistol. I cannot let you leave with the knowledge you gained here this night."

He watched the tiny lump in her throat, saw the trembling of her arms as she struggled with the weight of the pistol. Yet she held her ground, arms outstretched, the weapon pointed at his heart.

"I can shoot you." Her voice was frighteningly calm--devoid of emotion.

Ryder stepped forward. "Take your best shot. One of us will be left standing when you're done."

"I don't like the way that sounds," Damian said. He turned his attention back to Amorica. "Easy, put the gun down. We can talk about whatever troubles you." His arms began to lower, his hands outstretched, reaching for the pistol as he spoke.

"Talk won't change how I feel. You are a horrible, treacherous man.

It is your kind that would shoot a helpless woman as easily as you would squash an ant."

Damian moved closer.

Amorica stepped back, her hands shaking. He watched her eyes and heard Ryder's deep snarl.

"Tell me what happened. What woman?" Damian asked, moving closer once again. The wind wailed around the eaves. Rain pounded on the rooftop.

"Do you want help?" Ryder asked.

"No," Damian said, disliking the tone he heard in Ryder's voice. "If I were you, I would watch my own back. It is not just me she wants to shoot."

"Ah, but your advice falls on deaf ears at the moment." An owl flew from one rafter to another, wings flapping loudly.

Amorica did not look away. Damian studied her eyes, her shaking arms and faltering backward steps.

"Put the gun down, Amorica." He tried again.

She shook her head and stepped away from him once more. "Don't come any closer."

"Or you'll shoot?" he queried.

"Don't doubt it."

Friday, September 21, 2012

THE WAGER

Well, once again it's Guy Day Friday. So Damian Andrews is the guy today. Amorica is his gal. They each made a wager. One they couldn't refuse. Will they understand?


EXCERPT:

She didn't answer. The silence echoed between the trees in the moss-covered glade. The sun rose higher and burned brighter.

He touched her again, stroking her back whether she wanted his touch or not this time.

He clenched his teeth. "Amorica, you're my wife. Why won't you give in to your own hunger and passion?"

He rose up on an elbow. "Tell me, Amorica. I want to understand.

You're flesh and blood, and you're very much a woman. You're doing your best to deny me in every way save telling me to stop."

"I didn't deny you anything," she said.

"You did, and you know it."

She was silent again then burst out. "I don't owe you anything. You take what you want. There is nothing else that should be yours. You're a--" She broke off.

He caught hold of her shoulder and rolled her around once again. He met her eyes, those green eyes that were brilliant with tears that she would die before she shed.

"I'm a what, Amorica," he demanded harshly.

She shook her head.

"Answer me. No? All right. I'll answer for you. I'm a smuggler. Well, my dear Mrs. Andrews, you're one too. You're presence on the beach tonight made it abundantly clear that my wife could be involved in the same nefarious schemes. You might well be subject to the same punishment."

She stared at him. But then her lashes fell over her eyes. "I would take my chances with the patrols." She whispered vehemently.

"Bloody hell, Amorica," he said quietly. "Fine, have it your way. Like it or not, you will go to Newgate and hang with us if we are caught." Her eyes rose to his. "I would turn you in before I hung beside you." He traced a path across her neck. "I don't know, Amorica. You will think differently when you see the handbills seeking out the woman with the ebony hair, placed beside those seeking me. I wonder what bounty they will put on your head. Would you surrender to me or the hangman's noose?"

"I will surrender to no one."




Thursday, September 20, 2012

Brain Storm


Please Welcome Edward T. Keller author of Brain Storm a Young Adult novel released today by Rogue Phoenix Press.

MEET EDWARD:
INTERVIEW:
Q: What or who inspired you to start writing? 
A: A combination of authors whom I wanted to be like, and authors whom I thought I can totally do better than. Same as everyone else in the business, I’d say.

Q: How did you come up with ideas for your books? 
A: Power-walking with music blaring in my ears, or lolling on the sofa, or having a coffee and staring into nothing. Specifically Brain Storm formed itself while I was taking a bath right after a 1950’s sci-fi flick marathon.

Q: As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans? 
A: Get better and better and better. Then, when I’m fifty - bam! - I’ll suddenly become the new Tolstoy.

Q: Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing? 
A: I’ve tried Authonomy, and it sucked – it’s based on a warped economy of making alliances in order to accumulate points which allow you to reach the top and be seen by ‘real editors’. A system geared to destroy any incentive of really helping the other grow as a writer. A cunning ploy by HarperCollins to divert the flow of crap from their slush piles and into an arena where the wannabies can fight it out among themselves. I very much recommend either finding 1-2 writing buddies with whom to grow together, or work with teenagers, like in the Young Writers Society – because they don’t pull punches and don’t sugarcoat. 

Q: When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step? 
A: I submitted my work from the very start. It’s just that it took me two years of writing to make it publishable. Ah, I remember writing my first short stories and being convinced that they are Hugo, Nebula, and Nobel material rolled into one. Those were the days.

Q: What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing) 
A: Worst advice in writing was ‘show don’t tell’, ‘don’t head-hop’, ‘don’t use passive sentences’. Best advice was ‘study the masters’. Best advice concerning publishing comes from lurking in the Absolute Write Water Cooler. Taken with generous pinches of salt.

Q: Do you outline your books or just start writing? 
A: I always outline anything bigger than a short story. Of course, it’s very rare when more than 40% of the initial outline survives.

Q: Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you've gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books? 
A: Smoking. My considerable experience, nay – mastery of the practice, has been invaluable. Also coffee drinking. 

Q: Do you have an all time favorite book? 
A: I do indeed – An Alien Heat by Michael Moorcock

Q: Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book? 
A: I’ve just finished a sci-fi end of the world epic, on the strength of which I’ll try to ensnare an agent. I’ll probably use a pen name different from both Edward Keller and Harry Kane, in order to seem like a ‘promising newcomer’.

Q: Who is your favorite actor and actress?
A: Roger Moore and Sigourney Weaver. 

Q: What is your favorite reality show?
A: Come the revolution all reality shows will be lined up against the wall.

BLURB:

Twins Alex and Sasha are in the small town of Maple Junction and their summer vacation quickly turns into a summer nightmare. Everyone is being controlled by an unknown sinister force. A primitive sinister force. On the streets it’s back to the Stone Age. Calling for help is not an option. The only allies are a group of small children. The twins can trust no adult, not even their own father, and at times--not even themselves. But someone must stop the madness.



EXCERPT:
The raindrops hit the windows of the cafe in waves of different strength. One minute it was a drizzle, then almost a downpour, then a drizzle again. Hundreds of tiny, short-lived streams ran down the windowpane, paths intersecting, merging upon meeting into slightly fatter raindrop rivers...
What Alex thought he was doing was monitoring the situation outside through the window. What he in fact had been doing for the last minute or two was floating in a thoughtless trance, lulled by the irregular patter of the rain and the shifting streams that blurred his view.
Sasha and the other kids had gone to the toilet, escorting each other just to feel safer. So they almost missed a development of the highest importance. Luckily he wasn’t that hypnotized by the rain.
He blinked, rubbed his eyes and pressed his face to the cool glass to see better. Yes, something definitely was up. He could see many figures lurching through the streets.
Alex opened his mouth to shout to the others but his common sense overruled this impulse. What if the zombies outside heard him and tried to break in? All they had to do was break the glass. Instead he jumped up and ran to the mall’s toilets, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.
His sister and the two boys were already outside, waiting for Li-Hua, who was washing her hands. Sasha saw his urgent expression. “What’s wrong, bro?”
“I don’t know,” he panted, “but I saw lots of the zombies walking on the street, all in one direction...”
“And?”
“I don’t know. We have to check it out.”
Huddled together, uncertain glances exchanged and unuttered fears written on their faces, they opened the mall’s door cautiously. Immediately the sounds of the rain become much louder. Many people were walking slowly in the downpour. A man was passing just ten yards from the mall.
Alex saw the man look at them and held his breath, but the man didn’t change his course, he only brushed them with a vacant gaze. All of the townsfolk looked far too preoccupied with their own zombie thing to pay attention to a bunch of scared kids.
“They aren’t going to the plaza this time,” said Sasha.
“I think they’re going out of town now,” said Nash. “This is Patriot Road - it leads right out of town.”
Alex thought about the possible options. What could they do? Trail the zombies to wherever they were going? Walk behind them in the rain, miserable and wet, without knowing where they would end up? Suddenly he grinned. “I’ve got it! We’ll follow them in Dad’s car.”
Sasha looked at him with doubt. “Can you drive?”
“Sure I can,” he said, “Sam showed me back in Detroit. It’s real easy. I remember everything.”
“Hm,” said Sasha with more doubt.
“Okay!” Alvin agreed more enthusiastically, “let’s go then!”
“You all wait here,” said Alex, “it’ll be faster if I just run back home and return with the car.”
“You remember where the keys are?” asked Sasha.
“Of course,” he waved the question away, “always on the TV.”
“If anything, we’ll call you,” said Sasha pointing at the bulge on her pants pocket where her phone was.
“Okay!” said Alex. Then he took a deep breath, and ran out into the rain. It took him only three or four minutes of running to get to his house but by this time he was thoroughly wet all the same. He ran into the hall, grabbed the keys off the TV, then went into the bathroom and wiped his face with a towel.
He went for the door, then stopped, turned back, and ran up the stairs to his room. He yanked open the closet door and scooped up his whole heap of long sleeve shirts and thin pullovers. With this stash of warmer clothes pressed to his body, he went into the garage and unlocked the car.
He threw the clothes on the back seat, slammed the door, got into the driver’s seat, and said, “Oh boy.” The dashboard suddenly looked much more complicated than he remembered it.
He grabbed the steering wheel with both hands, squeezed his eyes shut, opened them again and put the key into the ignition. But he didn’t turn it just yet.
He breathed out and looked around. Right, the handbrake will go up. Then I press the clutch, put the car into first gear... He checked whether it was in reverse, it wasn’t. Good. So I put it into first gear, slowly start releasing the clutch, shift to second gear, and off we go.
He turned the ignition and the car came to life. The dashboard lit up, the seat sent a train of tiny vibrations up his spine. He pressed the gas too hard, the engine roared with frightening intensity and he let up a bit to make the roar go down, and released the clutch. The car jerked forward, he panicked, let go of the clutch altogether and the car died.
Cussing under his breath, Alex turned the ignition again, and allowed the car to move forward. This time he didn’t lose control and drove, in choppy, abrupt bursts, up the driveway and onto the street. He spun the wheel and laughed and shifted to second gear. The rain flicked at his face through the rolled down window.

BIO AND LINKS:
Edward T. Keller
daynovemil@gmail.com 

Ted Keller used to be a journalist, metal lead guitar, and a pretty wild one. Now he's a husband, a dad, and a story teller. Back as a kid he would swallow books whole, without chewing. Now he's returning the favor. Eat up.




Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Turbo Should Be Leashed

Any pet peeves?


So I suppose this is a bobble head moment. Can't get this turned right
sigh...


No pun intended, dogs on busy highways should be leashed. My hubby and I were walking our dog this morning. We live in the country and to access a dog walking friendly road we have to walk about a quarter mile on a busy highway. There are a couple of houses on this section who have big dogs and they never have them on a leash. It isn't a problem when we are starting our walk because we are on the same side of the highway. When they rush out to say hi to our dog, no one is in dire trouble and about to get run over. When we are on our way home, the situation is reversed.

This morning turbo jettisoned across the highway. Luck was with him because there were no cars on the road. However, in his eagerness to greet my dog and the ensuing sniffing and hello's, my dog slipped his leash. And of course he smelled freedom. Rogue took off down the highway. At least he knew his way home but he thought he owned the road. This time luck was with him too. The cars that appeared saw us waving and saw Rogue trotting innocently along the center line.

What could have been a tragic ending, ended peacefully with Rogue showing us the way home. He remained just far enough ahead that we could not get the leash back on him.

I truly don't understand why people own dogs and don't look out for their safety.

Pet peeve of the day. Accidents can happen no matter how well trained your dog.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Heroes Live Forever

Please welcome Chris Karlsen author of Heroes Live Forever.

Chris will be giving away a digital copy of her thriller, "Golden Chariot" to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and a $50 Amazon gift card to another randomly drawn commenter during the tour. One randomly drawn host will receive a $20 Amazon GC.

So don't forget to comment!



Heroes Live Forever
by Chris Karlsen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Elinor Hawthorne has inherited a house haunted by the ghosts of two medieval knights, Basil Manneville and Guy Guiscard. Basil is the man of her dreams, her knight in shining armor. She falls in love with him and he with her. Basil soon realizes she needs to live a normal life, a happy life with a mortal.

A lifetime later fate intervenes. Basil, still in love with Elinor, is told her spirit lives on in a young woman and he is given another chance at life to find her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~



EXCERPT:

At the top of the stairs, goose bumps suddenly dotted Elinor’s skin and the hair on her arms stood on end. She glanced back, but didn’t see anything strange, or more to the point, Lucy’s ghost knight.
                                                                       


~~~~~~~~~~~~~



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Author Bio:

I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.

My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue horse. 


Links: http://www.chriskarlsen.com/index.html
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/chriskarlsenwriter
http://pinterest.com/chriskarlsen/

Please comment! 

Chris will be giving away a digital copy of her thriller, "Golden Chariot" to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and a $50 Amazon gift card to another randomly drawn commenter during the tour. One randomly drawn host will receive a $20 Amazon GC.