Welcome! This is my first time participating in Weekend Writing Warriors, and I'm excited to get started. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's snippets, and I hope you'll enjoy mine.
Those of you who have stopped by for Six Sentence Sunday will be familiar with I Do. . .or Die, and Shelby, my commitment-phobe heroine who is the target of a gunman, the first time during a wedding she's in. Getting shot at happens to be the best thing to happen to her love life, though, because it puts her in contact with Detective Ryan Nichols, who becomes her 24-hour bodyguard.
In this snippet, they've been trying to come up with some likely suspects, but getting nowhere. Ryan suggests they take another look at the people involved with the wedding:
“I have a better idea--why don’t we crack open a case of vodka?”
“Maybe a little later,” he said with a laugh, clicking his pen off and on a few times. “Sorry. It helps me think.”
I decided I could be accommodating about that particular quirk, because I knew I wasn’t going to be here more than a few days, if that. Any longer and it would probably drive me insane.
Just one more reason to avoid that whole commitment thing. Ya gotta get out before the cute stuff becomes the motive for a murder charge.
Thanks for stopping by today. I'm looking forward to being a fellow warrior!
Blurb: “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” is Shelby
Atwood's personal credo. She’s managed to avoid commitment all her life - no
pets, no plants, not even a long-term lease. Heck, she’s had colds last longer
than her romantic relationships. How could she be any other way when she has a
gigolo for a father?
But then gunfire erupts at the latest wedding she’s agreed to be in, and it ends up being the best thing to happen to Shelby’s love life. Detective Ryan Nichols is assigned to the case, and when the shootings don’t stop, he becomes her 24-hour bodyguard. Shelby wouldn’t mind except Ryan is too appealing, too sexy, and too happy to remind her of the raucous bachelorette party when she mistook him for a stripper.
Shelby’s plan is simple: find the shooter, have a fling with Ryan, and return to her non-committal life. Unfortunately, the shooter is very elusive. Shelby’s feelings for Ryan are way more than adrenaline-fueled lust. And returning to her normal life is now impossible since, despite her lifelong resistance, she’s managed to put her heart smack dab in the line of fire.
Hi Donna, great to see you over on wewrwa! I enjoyed the realism and the humour in this weeks snippet! Got to love that clicking pen grr!
Posted by: Gemma Parkes | March 24, 2013 at 06:11 AM
A murder charge, that Shelby cracks me up. I remember a later conversation concerning that pen too, too much, Donna. I loved this book
Posted by: S. J. Maylee | March 24, 2013 at 07:51 AM
Cute snippet--as always. Love your voice, Donna. So glad you're here on the WeWriWa list. :)
Posted by: Karla Doyle | March 24, 2013 at 08:11 AM
lol Ahhh 'the cute stuff' becoming murder stuff! Loved it! Great 8, Donna! Glad to see you on WeWriWa! :D
Posted by: karen Y. bynum | March 24, 2013 at 08:15 AM
Gemma -- thanks for the welcome! I missed the Sunday camaraderie, so I'm glad to be doing this. :)
S.J. -- aww, I'm happy to hear you loved the book!
Karla -- thanks so much! I'm glad I'm here too. Sundays just weren't the same without you guys!
Karen -- it's a fine line, isn't it? LOL Great to see you too. :)
Posted by: Donna Cummings | March 24, 2013 at 08:46 AM
This is adorable. I love her.
Posted by: A.S. Fenichel | March 24, 2013 at 08:56 AM
That last line made me lol:)
Posted by: Eleri Stone | March 24, 2013 at 09:22 AM
Cute snippet. Sounds like a fun read. I love that last line.
Posted by: Joanne Stewart | March 24, 2013 at 09:31 AM
Thanks, A.S.!
Eleri -- I'm always glad to make someone LOL. :)
Joanne -- thanks so much!
Posted by: Donna Cummings | March 24, 2013 at 09:53 AM
Very enjoyable excerpt, definitely makes me want to read the book! Love the detail about the pen clicking...
Posted by: Veronica Scott | March 24, 2013 at 10:02 AM
You certainly get the gist of her character in these 8! Wonderfully written. Love the detail about the clicking pen. :)
Posted by: Jenna Jaxon | March 24, 2013 at 10:30 AM
Oh lord, you so got that right: Ya gotta get out before the cute stuff becomes the motive for a murder charge. Hilarious! I know the story's not meant to be funny but it's just so relatable to a commitment phobe like me. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: India Masters | March 24, 2013 at 10:35 AM
Veronica, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Jenna -- thank you -- I had a lot of fun with Shelby and Ryan.
India -- it's a romantic comedy, so it's actually meant to be funny, but it can be a bit confusing when it's just a small snippet like this. :)
Posted by: Donna Cummings | March 24, 2013 at 11:03 AM
LOL_ Love that 'cute stuff becomes murder charge' LOL great line.
~Summer
My 8
Posted by: Summer Ross | March 24, 2013 at 11:20 AM
Enjoyed your snippet very much. This is my first week doing this, too. I'm enjoying reading everyone's offering. Good luck to you, darlin'.
Posted by: Vonnie Davis | March 24, 2013 at 12:06 PM
Lovely! Murder charge... lol. Great set up to te joke there.
Posted by: william | March 24, 2013 at 12:08 PM
At least she realises the cute stuff becomes motive for murder. smart woman
Posted by: Sassyspeaks.wordpress.com | March 24, 2013 at 12:21 PM
LOL I love that last line. Very cute
Posted by: Isabella Leigh | March 24, 2013 at 12:40 PM
Shelby is hilarious! I loved this book so much.
Welcome to WeWriWa, Donna. I'm so glad you've joined. Great excerpt, as always.
Posted by: Kate Warren | March 24, 2013 at 12:46 PM
Wonderful 8, Donna! I can hear the laughter in your typing as you wrote this!
Also my first week here!
Posted by: Cynthia Hudson | March 24, 2013 at 03:56 PM
I need to get this book! Amazing voice and overall just a fun romantic snippet.
Posted by: Carrie Crain | March 24, 2013 at 04:36 PM
Seems like the more someone points out their lack of desire for commitment, the harder they fall. :) Great snippet!
Posted by: ED Martin | March 30, 2013 at 06:35 PM