All About the Writing

Six Sentence Sunday: Summer Lovin' Part 4

Here's one last snippet from Summer Lovin'. It's right after Mia and Luke shared a dinner that Luke cooked, followed by a kiss that was interrupted by the puppy, now nicknamed Hellboy:

If Hellboy hadn't had such a short attention span the previous night, Mia might have given in to the urge to have her very first fling.

She adjusted the lawn chair so it was in a reclining position, and then grabbed the tube of sunscreen. She couldn't take a chance on falling asleep and getting sunburned, and after tossing and turning all night, spending way too much time reliving the kiss, she could barely keep her eyes open now.

Talk about a kiss. It made her want to—

She squeezed the tube of sunscreen so hard it came out in a huge splat.

To celebrate the arrival of summer, and to thank you for stopping by each week, I am giving away a free e-book copy of Summer Lovin' to anyone who wants one. Just let me know in your comment if you're interested, and I'll email you a coupon code you can use to read this on the e-reader of your choice.

Now I'm off to read YOUR Six Sentence Sunday snippets!

Six Sentence Sunday: Summer Lovin' Part 3

Mia is trying to explain to hunky car-washing neighbor Luke how the puppy in her arms helped cause the damage to his car. To Luke's amusement, she uses words like "devil hound" and "Satan's minion" to describe the animal he thinks of as a dust bunny with legs:

The dog licked her cheek once, as if it would prove his innocence, then stared at Luke with the most solemn expression.

"He looks like he was rolled in adorable, and then dusted with cute."

She smiled, banishing the frown that had been hovering there since he'd opened his front door. "That's the problem--it's disguising his true nature."

"Do you hear what she's saying about you, buddy?" Luke asked, scratching under the puppy's chin.

The dog whimpered, putting his paw over his nose.

Thanks for your comments, and your camaraderie. This is a great way to spend a Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday: Summer Lovin' Part 2

It's my favorite time of the week again!

Last week Mia, the heroine, and Bootsie, the puppy she's dogsitting, watched the hunky next-door neighbor while he washed a sporty little BMW. After a while, Mia dozes off, and when she wakes up, she discovers Bootsie chewing up her favorite shoes. She does everything she can to get the shoes back before they're completely thrashed, but the puppy is winning the battle, so Mia finally decides to distract him with a ball. She tosses it just a little too hard though:

The dog raised his head, the shoe forgotten, and watched with Mia as the ball flew over the fence, picking up speed.

Mia cringed, praying for a lucky bounce into the neighbor's grass. The ball hit the driveway and then practically leapt into the driver's side headlight. The breaking plastic made a tinkling sound as it drifted to the asphalt, bits of red and yellow glittering in the sunlight.

Mia heaved a sigh, and then bent over and picked up her doggy co-conspirator.

"You better hope he thinks one of us is cute."

Thanks again for stopping by. And there are lots more to check out at the Six Sentence Sunday website.

 

Six Sentence Sunday: Summer Lovin'

Since summer is finally here, I decided to share some snippets from my first self-pubbed work, a romantic comedy novella titled Summer Lovin'. 

Mia is dogsitting at a friend's house. She's lounging in the backyard, talking to the Bichon puppy while she watches the hunky neighbor guy washing a car, trying to figure out what his job might be:

"I wouldn't have expected chauffeurs to be so muscular, but he is getting a pretty good workout with that wax on, wax off routine. See how his arms flex each time he washes the hood of the car? Hey, I know--maybe he's a music video stud."

The car washer/chauffeur paused for a moment, the sponge gripped in his hand.

Mia buried her face in the puppy's furry neck and giggled.

To her relief, the hunk bent down to pick up the hose and started spraying the suds off the car.

There are lots of great writers sharing their sentences at Six Sentence Sunday. Go check them out!

Oh, and if you haven't heard my latest news, feel free to check out my last post: Sold!

Six Sentence Sunday: Lord Midnight #4

Here's one last snippet from Lord Midnight. Gabriel has promised to help Marisa escape her upcoming wedding, but when he disappears for a while, she wonders if she's misplaced her faith in him. To her amazement, he shows up at her betrothal ball, which is a masquerade. He is dressed in his typical highwayman regalia, which others believe is a costume, and he asks her to waltz with him.

"You're mad!"

"I know."

She groaned at his cheerful response. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as he pulled her close enough to cause a scandal. His sandalwood scent enveloped her, reminding her of other intimate moments they had shared, driving her to the brink of madness. She could not even think clearly, yet he twirled her about the dance floor, as if they were at their own private betrothal ball.

Thanks again for stopping by. Make sure you check out all the great snippets to be found at the Six Sentence Sunday site. I'm on my way there now!

 

Six Sentence Sunday: Lord Midnight #3

Here's another scene from Lord Midnight, where the highwayman Gabriel is asking Marisa to have faith in him. He realizes she gives her trust willingly, but he has never demonstrated his own in her, until now:

Gabriel untied the knot holding his mask in place and lowered the thin piece of black leather, shocked at how vulnerable he felt.

A tender smile lit Marisa's face. She traced her fingers around his eyes, and down his nose, as if memorizing every bit of his features. His heart thumped madly, though whether at her delicate touch or his fear of exposure, he was not certain.

She continued to outline his face until her exploration ended with her fingertips against his lips. He kissed the soft skin, relishing her answering sigh.

I'm really enjoying everyone's Six Sentence Sunday snippets each week. I often have to make my comments much later in the day, thanks to work commitments, but it's something I really look forward to. Happy Sixing!

Six Sentence Sunday: Lord Midnight #2

Last week, Marisa, the heroine of Lord Midnight, described her first encounter with a highwayman who stopped her carriage while she was en route to the home of her betrothed.

This week, the highwayman Gabriel has his own thoughts about their meeting:

He could not help but be enchanted by her beauty. Yet it was the mischievous sparkle in those innocent eyes, and the utterly bold manner in which she had inspected his costume, which made him smile now. She had not swooned or fainted when he kissed her. Instead she had accused him of distracting her from her purpose. He laughed at the unexpected notion.

What could such a spirited miss want from a highwayman?

Thanks to everyone who stops by each week. This has been so much fun, and I really look forward to it every Sunday. I hope you'll discover some more intriguing snippets at www.sixsunday.com.

Six Sentence Sunday: Lord Midnight

I've decided to let Shelby and Ryan take some time off this week, and while they're taking a break, I'm posting from Lord Midnight, my Regency historical romance.

The heroine, Marisa, is traveling with her brother to the country estate of her betrothed, and she's praying for divine intervention to halt the upcoming wedding. The carriage is stopped by a highwayman, and Marisa describes him this way:

His strong jaw and elegant cheekbones denoted noble bloodlines, yet it was unlikely a man of aristocratic lineage would become a knight of the road. Perhaps he had been born on the wrong side of the blanket, and his only opportunity in life was to take up this lawless profession. Still, he wisely wore a strip of leather to conceal his identity, though it did nothing to disguise his appeal.

His long blond locks fluttered, as if the light breeze found them as irresistible as Marisa did. His thigh-high leather boots, and the black cape which swirled around him, made her heart skip more than once. She glanced again at his face, to see amusement sparkling in his blue eyes, right before he tossed her an impudent wink. 

Don't miss all the other great Six Sentence Sunday writers. Click here to choose from some tantalizing teasers.

 

Six Sentence Sunday Part 8: I Do. . .or Die

Thanks for visiting again for Six Sentence Sunday.

In today's snippet from I Do. . .or Die, Shelby is reflecting on an unexpected passionate interlude between her and Detective Ryan Nichols. Although they had agreed not to do anything about their attraction until after the case is over, it's not proving easy, for either of them.

He was back to being Detective Nichols, the one who had told me that whatever happened was up to me. So if I chose, I could walk away. Yeah, like that would ever happen. Once I was done with Detective Sexy Pants, he'd be lucky if he didn't have to retire early with a disability pension.

Ryan finally pulled into the driveway, and I was ready to bolt out of the car and grab the garden hose, dousing the flames he continued to ignite in me. I had a feeling it wouldn't do any good, though, because it felt like he'd fired up one of those trick birthday candles that won't extinguish no matter how many times you try.

Six Sentence Sunday Part 7: I Do. . .or Die

Thanks to everyone who has been stopping by to read the snippets from my romantic comedy/mystery, I Do. . .or Die. I appreciate your compliments on the heroine, Shelby, and Detective Ryan Nichols, the man who will help her change her non-committal ways--one of these days.

Here's a scene right after someone shoots at Shelby, while she's in Ryan's car, and he's trying to keep her protected:

"I don't think they followed us, but the shot came from back there," Detective Nichols said, half to himself, twisting in the seat while keeping his body lowered over mine.

"I can’t really see."

My face was embarrassingly close to a certain portion of his anatomy. A part that was well worth investigating, but this wasn’t really the time, or the place. Although I was definitely developing an interest.

And it was clear that his interest was well, um, it was developing too.