As I’m ringing in another, hoping there are still plenty of “firsts” ahead of me, I thought I’d share with you some of the first lines in my books. Every author knows that we have one line, one paragraph and if we’re lucky–one page to grab you, the reader and keep you turning pages. I can spend days tweaking and reworking the beginning of my stories. When you look at them individually what do you think? Does the line make you want to keep reading or not so much?
1. Jahara Khateri’s life was over. As she stared out the windows of the crowded helo-train, she knew nothing could change the course of her life. She felt the hollow reality as obvious as the barren expanse of the desert stretching between her and the horizon.
2. Nicholas Gradin III splashed three more finger of thirty-year-old scotch into the crystal tumbler sitting on the antique desk, not bothering to add ice. He didn’t need some watered-down version of liquid courage. At this moment, he needed straight up, balls-to-the-walls confidence that everything would work out in his favor.
3. Margaret Callaghan hid her heartache behind dark sunglasses and the Starbuck’s double-double mocha latte she carried like a shield. The steaming coffee hadn’t helped dislodge the hot coal of despair burning her throat or soothe the quiver of her bottom lip. Mercifully, the front receptionist’s desk of Summit Rehabilitation and Wellness Clinic was empty at this hour of the morning, giving her hope that she just might be able to reach her office and pull herself together before anyone could question her misery.
4. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”
How could this have happened to someone so young? Julie Tilling dabbed at the tears ruining the makeup she’d meticulously applied to her rounded cheeks. She stared at the coffin suspended eerily over the marred earth of the cemetery, not sure what to make of this farce.
5. Sara Lancaster had definitely made the wrong decision. Less than twenty-four hours ago she was sure this weekend was just what she needed. Eight hours ago, excitement had fluttered in her stomach as she’d left Boston, overjoyed to accept the invitation. Hell, just two hours ago she’d been giddy with anticipation as she’d collected her bags at the Key West airport and caught a taxi to the boat landing. But her tiny apartment and the bungalow where she currently stood weren’t merely thousands of miles apart—a whole world separated the comfortable life she’d finally made for herself and the fantasy she was standing in.
6. It wasn’t much of a noise, just an inconsequential thump in the night that was enough to rouse Professor Paul Morgan from his dreamless slumber. Still cradled in the gentle arms of sleep, his blood thick with sleeping medication, he wasn’t sure if he’d simply imagined the sound. But when another muffled bang was followed by a whoosh of air—he had no doubt the commotion coming from the first floor had nothing to do with his mischievous tabby, Zeus.
* UNCONTROLLED BURN *
7. Meghan Tilling’s body quaked with fear and the bone-chilling thirty-eight degrees of the cooler where she was trapped. She pressed her forehead against the icy metal of the door, her palm caressing its pebbled surface, trying to fight the panic lurking like a sinister shadow and threatening to overwhelm her in despair. How ironic that the annoyance of driving in a Maine snowstorm had kept her at Tilling Gardens and Plants, the business she co-owned with her two sisters. Finishing the shop’s holiday arrangements and festive decorations had seemed a better alternative to a white-knuckled drive home in the heart of a nor’easter. Except now, instead of being stranded in a ditch on the side of the road with a chance of being rescued, she was going to freeze to death alone in the walk-in cooler that was the lifeblood of her business.
8. Jesus. Even though Jonathon Brierton wasn’t particularly religious he prayed for Divine intervention. Not that he wanted any lightning strikes or halos of light illuminating the shadowed corner of the club where he’d hidden himself, but a little more help in the patience department would certainly go a long way at the moment. It went against his baser nature to sit back and wait rather than walking over and convincing the copper-haired beauty leaning over the railing across the way to put on his collar and join him in one of the private dungeons below.
9. Lilly D’Angelo wasn’t expecting a trip down memory lane when she sauntered into the dingy tavern, but the acrid stench and gruff hum of the Friday night crowd carried her back to one of the seedier establishments on Chicago’s south side nonetheless. Except for the clientele, the owner had managed to replicate nearly every detail right down to the blue haze of cigarette smoke and the soft crooning of a jazz band on the corner stage.
* A TOUCH OF LILLY (An All Romance Ebook BESTSELLER!) *
10. Deirdre Tilling slammed the spade into the soil. Her booted foot thumped down on its metal edge, driving it deeper and transferring her frustration to the wounded earth. She’d been working the flowerbeds around her farmhouse since noon. And though the sun stretched the shadows of the maples long across her lawn, painting their leaves a deeper crimson, the hours of heavy labor hadn’t helped ease the pain of loneliness.
Welcome to my weekling Six Sentence Sunday where I share a little snippet from one of my books. This week I’ll give you a little snippet from my shifter series. Bonded by Need is a sexy menage story involving two alpha males and one very confused polymorphic shifter …
“Jealous, yeah, I was fucking jealous when you left with Zane,” Cole declared as he stalked back to Jayda, pulling her against the solid wall of his chest. “You’re a wolf shifter and my lover. I don’t want your cougar half to be attracted to some cat on the prowl.”
“Zane’s not on the prowl.” She breathed long and slow, willing herself to tell Cole the truth. “But something did happen between us this morning up on the ridge.”
Currently available FREE at Ellora’s Cave and Amazon
Thanks so much for stopping by this week and thank you especially to those who take time to comment. Be sure to check HERE for other authors participating this week.
Welcome to my weekly Six Sentence Sunday where I share a little snippet from one of my books. As promised, in celebration of Halloween, I’m going to stick with my paranormal theme. Here’s a snippet from Mating Bonds, part of my sexy erotic susepense “Shifting Bonds” series.
The cougar nipped Jayda’s ass and she yelped in surprise even as tingles of pleasure shot through her.
“I’ll meet you back at the cabin and we’ll go for a run later.” she said as she tried to push him away, but he outweighed her by fifty pounds.
Undeterred, he bit at the hem of her jeans, tugging until she lost a sneaker. His nose nudged under the hem of her t-shirt and Zane’s tongue rasped along the tender flesh of her belly.
She laughed. “You are one determined man, aren’t you—and more than a little horny I see.”
Also available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Thanks so much for stopping by this week and thank you especially to those who take time to comment. Stop HERE to check out other authors participating this week.
Welcome to my weekly Six Sentence Sunday where I share a little snippet from one of my books. As promised, in celebration of Halloween, I’m going to stick with my paranormal theme. Here’s a snippet from Bonded by Need, part of my sexy erotic susepense “Shifting Bonds” series.
His strong cougar body brushed against Jayda—a shoulder running along her side, the flick of his tail along her jaw, the unexpected nip of his teeth on her haunches making her jump and her womb clench.
Zane stared at her, his pupils dark and bottomless. Jayda thought she’d like to fall into them and stay safe and warm in the cougar’s aura forever.
But the mournful howl of a wolf rent the stillness of the night and broke the spell holding her captive. She’d heard it so many times, Jayda knew immediately Cole called to her. When she turned, Jayda saw him high up on the ridge, Cole’s wolf head thrown back, his anguished wail splitting the night.
Also available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Thanks so much for stopping by this week and thank you especially to those who take time to comment. Stop HERE to check out other authors participating this week.
Welcome to another Six Sentence Sunday where I post six sentences from one of my books. The days are hot and so are my snippets this summer! How about a little heat from my paranormal shifter suspense novel, BONDED BY NEED
The sweet taste of her exploded in Zane’s mouth and pumped fire through his veins. His hands were everywhere on her—running the silken length of her braid, kneading her back, caressing her face. Her deep moans vibrated against his chest, straight to his heart. Zane had never wanted a woman with the desperation he felt with Jayda in his arms.
Smiling at her, Zane kissed her nose and whispered, “not here, let’s go inside.” He prayed Jayda didn’t come to her senses between the truck and her office.
Also available at Ellora’s Cave and B&N.
Thanks for stopping by. I always appreciate your comments. Please click HERE to check out other authors participating in Six Sentence Sunday this week.
See you next week!
Welcome to my weekling Six Sentence Sunday where I share a little snippet from one of my books. This week I’ll give you a little more from my shifter series. Bonded by Need is the next in my sexy erotic susepense “Shifting Bonds” series.
With the ease borne of years of shifting, the wolf before her rippled and shuddered until it too became human. The man towered over her, his fists planted firmly on narrow hips. The wild mane of dark hair framed the scowl on his face and stuck to his broad shoulders. She couldn’t stop her eyes from traveling down his furred chest and lower still over his flat belly to his aroused sex. A primal need pulled at her womb. Even angry, this man, her lover, was a powerful aphrodisiac.
Also available at Amazon
Thanks so much for stopping by this week and thank you especially to those who take time to comment. Stop HERE to check out other authors participating this week.
Since Halloween is tomorrow, I thought I’d treat you to six sexy lines from my paranormal shifter FREE READ Mating Bonds.
Jayda untangled herself from Zane and stood, brushing the moss and leaves from her bottom and thighs. In the blue wash of the moon, she knew the the man who’d discovered them in the clearing could see every inch of her curvaceous body.
“Well, there is…er…was a meeting, but the wolves kept going round and round about the same things so I sent everyone home.” Cole cocked his head, no doubt studying her as she finger-combed loose debris out of her long hair.
She stepped around her cougar mate, stalking slowly toward Cole. “Well, we’re glad you found us.”
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I’ve been thinking a lot about promotion lately. (But really, if you ask most authors, their marketing concerns rank right up there with their looming deadline and the next line edits.) Because, let’s face it, our books might as well just be sitting on our computers if they’re not out their finding readers.
But then again … there is such a thing as TOO much. And I wonder when an author knows when they’ve crossed that line. I mean, I think everyone else knows when a promotion, whether it’s blog/contest announcements or a promotional excerpt that’s blasted everywhere, is driving them insane. Eventually, that cool promo the author was so excited about, becomes the spam that every receiver just deletes with an eyeroll.
And you know, I’ve begun to wonder if I am that author. I know there’s a balance between letting people know my new book is out and becoming a nuisance in the inbox. The fact is, when you hit that point, people no longer see you anyway.
Yet there is that 10 exposure thing before a person consciously recognizes your name. That’s right. We need to see something an average of 10 times before it works its way into our psyche. And of course the same 10 things aren’t going to be seen by the same 10 people so that means a smattering of promo across different avenues to be sure you’ve hit everyone more than once…or does it?
There are so many ways to market that a gal can go crazy trying to keep up with it all. And the old addage, do what you enjoy doesn’t always apply, because quite frankly, I enjoy more than I should. Sometimes to the detriment of my writing. LOL! There are times when I’d be just as happy sitting around chatting on twitter or making a book trailer as writing my next book. Heck, that other stuff is easy, which meant I did it A LOT.
Well no more. I’ve dropped out of Yahoo loops I wasn’t really using. I’ve stopped blog surfing (which is rather ironic since I blog) and I’ve limited my twitter to a couple days a week. You see, I’ve been watching some really successful authors and they don’t market. They write. Now isn’t that a novel idea?
Anyway, I just thought I’d share with you the newest in my “paper” marketing…romance trading cards. They came out beautiful. I’m so pleased. Frauke at Croco Designs took my vision and turned it into these …
Aren’t they gorgeous? I’ve just started sending them out. (And yes, Zane is noticeably missing from the “Bonded” set … there was a glitch that’s been fixed and he should be arriving soon.) They’ll be making their debut appearance in some goodie bags at RWA National Convention in a couple of weeks.
So what do you think? When does an author’s promotion become an annoying buzzing in your ears. Because you know me … I just gotta know!
Today is the release of my FREE read from Ellora’s Cave, MATING BONDS. This short story is part of the Shifting Bonds series and gives readers who haven’t had a chance to meet Cole, Zane and Jayda a little taste of their relationship.
Here’s the BLURB:
Danger threatens at every turn in Lonesome Forks. Just for one night, Jayda, Zane and Cole want to put the politics of warring shifters aside and enjoy the carnal pleasures of their mated triad.
Tempted into shifting and lured into the Montana forest by pride leader Zane Brodan, polymorphic shifter Jayda Kynslan can’t resist her cougar mate’s seduction. And when wolf leader Cole Takoda joins the fun, what’s a gal to do but give herself over to her animal urges and enjoy the lustful temptations offered by both her mates.
And a short Excerpt:
Zane kept himself between the police chief and Jayda. “You always sneak up on people, Takoda?”
“No sneaking required. I drove the police truck most of the way up the fire road. Walked the last hundred yards, breaking sticks and shuffling leaves.” He shrugged. “But I guess you weren’t listening for crickets or…wolves, were you, Brodan? Not a good way to protect your woman.”
Zane relaxed and sat back down on the ledge. “We figured all the wolves were tied up. Wasn’t there a council meeting tonight?”
“We figured you’d be tied up for another couple of hours.” Jayda stood and brushed the moss and leaves from her bottom and thighs. In the blue wash of the moon, she knew the police chief could see every inch of her curvaceous body.
“Well, there is…er…was a meeting,” Cole stammered. “But they kept going round and round about the same things.” Cole cocked his head, no doubt studying her as she finger combed loose debris out of her long hair. “I was tired of arguing and sent everyone home.”
She stepped around Zane, walking slowly toward Cole. “Well, we’re glad you found us.” Oh, how she loved teasing her wolf mate. It had been just over a year since he’d shown her the animals living inside her. Who would have known she was a polymorphic shifter with the ability to be human, cougar and wolf? Now she had two men showing her all the things her body should have learned decades ago.
“Still, you two should be a little more cautious. I have no doubt some of the pack is riled up and looking for trouble.”
“Well, Zane’s woman can protect herself against the big, bad wolves,” she said as she stood in front of Cole, her breasts brushing the soft fabric of his uniform. “I was pretty sure she proved that tonight.” Jayda leaned in, pressing a chaste kiss on his bottom lip.
But as she expected, he would have none of the softness she offered.
~~~~~~~~~
If you enjoy this short read you can discover how it all began with BONDED SOULS
It’s been one of those weeks. You know the ones. When you have these crazy highs and just as quickly your stomach drops to your feet as you plummet into the depths of despair.
Yeah, that describes my week.
On the upside. I signed a contract with Ellora’s Cave this week for a short story titled “Mating Bonds”. It’s part of my “Shifting Bonds” series. And since I go into edits next week, I suspect it will be available shortly after that as a Naughty Nooner. Meaning … it will be FREE!!!
My gift to my readers!
Also on the happy news … it looks like we sold our house. Oh, no wait, no we didn’t. Well … yes we did. But no, no, I’m mistaken. And wait … oh, yes we did. The thrill of the chase–NOT! Yeah, we sold after some interesting negotiations. But of course we’re taking a beating (like every other seller on the house market.) Yeeeeeeah, the ups and downs of buyers and sellers and this wonderful economy. But selling the house is a good thing because now I can go live with Mr. Nina once again. And I really do miss the guy. Only … don’t even get me started with the housing market down there. I’m still nursing the wounds of selling my house. I need to recover just a little bit before bashing my head against the wall of that real estate. Even I can only take so much pain. LOL!
*Happy thoughts of being with Mr. Nina*
And with all this real estate stuff going on I didn’t get any writing done and this is a very bad thing. It’s only mid-Feb and my New Year’s resolution is taking quite a beating. That’s all right, I’ve still got today and tomorrow to pull this week’s word count out of the cellar. Later chicks … I’m refilling the wine glass and digging into the dark chocolate stash. I’m feeling the need for a little reinforcement …
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