All About the Writing

Weekend Writing Warriors: I DO. . . OR DIE

It's been WAY too long since I've participated in Weekend Writing Warriors. I've got eight sentences here that wanted to play with everyone else's snippets, so I decided it was time to jump back in.

The heroine of I Do. . . or Die is Shelby, a commitment-phobe who has just been shot at while serving as a bridesmaid (for the fourth time), and then again while being escorted home by the sexy detective hero, Ryan. He's insisted on her staying at his house for the night until they can find some other form of protective custody for her. These are her thoughts upon waking the next morning:

I woke up to the intoxicating smell of fresh-brewed coffee, which I have to admit is my second favorite way to be awakened.

Actually, it was the sound of coffee that stirred me out of my deep sleep. I could recognize the high-pitched whir of a coffee bean grinder even in my deeply unconscious state.

And I was about as comatose as you could get without actually losing complete touch with reality. I had known I was tired, which was understandable, considering the wild events of the previous day. But I don’t usually sleep so well when I’m not in my own bed.

Not that I’ve spent a lot of time in other people’s beds. One gigolo in the family is plenty.

~~~~~~~

Thanks for stopping by. I'm looking forward to making the rounds and reading everyone else's eights today.

If you want a whole bunch of eight sentences from this story, it's on sale for a limited time for just 99 cents. I'll include the links below (and the two that aren't underlined? They've got links, but apparently they're shy and don't want to show them.)

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Amazon AU | Amazon CA

 

WeWriWa: Lord Rakehell's Love #3

It's been WAY too long since I've been able to participate in WeWriWa, and I'm thrilled I can do so again. Lord Rakehell's Love is a novella which commences The Curse of True Love Series--where Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, decides to play matchmaker in Regency London, but with unexpected results.

In this scene, Aphrodite is commiserating with her true love, Ares, the god of war, about how things are not working out with this couple as she'd hoped for.

"He is a notorious rake, while she is a wallflower," he said.

"That is what makes them perfectly suited!"

 "Well, we did discuss cursing them, with true love, and that is what appears to have happened."

"We may have discussed it, but this is not at all what I envisioned."

"Did you use an enchantment," Ares asked, "or was it a spell? Maybe you should have attempted a love potion instead."

"I appreciate your assistance, dearest, truly I do. But it is akin to me advising you which helmet to wear in battle--or how best to wield a sword against your enemies."

Thanks for stopping by! If you want to see the previous two snippets, they are here and here.

Also, my inaugural newsletter will go out in a few days, and you'll find out about all kinds of fun things for February. You can sign up on the right-hand side there. One lucky signer-upper will win a $10 gift card!

Now go read some more WeWriWa snippets. That's where I'm off to as well!

WeWriWa: LORD RAKEHELL'S LOVE #2

Today's snippet is from my latest, Lord Rakehell's Love. It's the novella that commences The Curse of True Love series, where Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, tries her hand at playing matchmaker in Regency London. Unfortunately, it doesn't go smoothly.

The hero, Simon, is trying to figure out how to win back Georgiana, who left him at the altar when he was late to their wedding. Oh, and he was also accompanied by his best friend Hugh's ladies-of-the-evening. In this snippet, Hugh, also known as Lord Wastrel, is giving advice to Simon on how to win Georgiana's favor:

"I have it on good authority that females find it quite enticing when a man grovels with his heart in hand."

Simon was not convinced this was the manner in which to prove his love to Georgiana. He had made similar protestations at their wedding, but to no avail. He had sent flowers to her home each day, along with heartfelt letters begging her forgiveness.

Every single bloom and missive had been returned without a reply.

"I have good reason to doubt the success of your plan," Simon admitted.

"You doubt me--after all I have done to earn the title Lord Wastrel?"

"Perhaps I would have fewer doubts if you were named Lord Wedded Bliss."

Thanks to all the Weekend Writing Warriors for stopping by! I'm excited to read your snippets this week.

WeWriWa: Lord Rakehell's Love

It's been way too long since I've been able to participate in Weekend Writing Warriors, and I'm looking forward to reading everyone's snippets. I miss your snippets!

This is from my latest, Lord Rakehell's Love. It's a novella that commences The Curse of True Love series, where Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, tries her hand at playing matchmaker in Regency London. Unfortunately, it doesn't go smoothly. In fact, the hero, Simon, is late to his own wedding, and the bride leaves him at the altar.

In this snippet, Simon is discussing things with his best friend, Hugh:

"I swear I fell in love with her at first sight." He sighed. "Or maybe it was that delightful moment when she mocked my flirtation skills—"

"If I ever have that dreamy quality to my voice when describing a woman I want to bed—"

Simon scowled at him.

"Wed," Hugh amended. "March me to the most public spot in Hyde Park and aim my own duelling pistol at my heart."

"I am an excellent shot, Weyson, but even I am unable to make a direct hit on an invisible target."

Oh, Hugh. I can't wait until you meet your match in the sequel, Lord Wastrel. *evil cackle* Anyway, thanks for stopping by. I'm off to read your posts now!

And stop by my Friday Friends interview with fellow Weekend Writing Warrior, S. J. Maylee. You'll want to see her answers to my Tasty Ten speed-dating questions. (Especially "pecs or abs?")

WeWriWa: I Do. . . or Die

Welcome! It's been a while since I've participated in Weekend Writing Warriors, but I'm looking forward to diving in again.

Today I've got a snippet from I Do. . .or Die, featuring the commitment-phobe heroine Shelby, who has just been shot at during the wedding where she's a bridesmaid. Ryan, the detective who is investigating the case, has brought her to his home for safekeeping. Unfortunately Shelby manages to trip on her blood-stained bridesmaid dress while going through the front door:

I gave up holding back my embarrassment, and concentrated on staying on my feet--which meant my arms were forced to wrap around Ryan, and his nicely sculpted musculature.

His lips were suddenly against my ear, and I heard a warm, rumbling, sexy sound that made me think of warm toffee and caramel and chocolate. He was dessert all right. And boy did I have a sweet-tooth craving that would not quit.

“This is so not like me,” I started to explain, my blazing cheeks hidden against his chest.

“Don’t worry,” he said, patting my back in a comforting way, although it was probably a brotherly type of touch.

Or, God forbid, one of those “yeesh, poor clumsy doofus” pats.

He made sure I was steady on my feet, which was tricky since having his hands on me made my legs about as sturdy as a Gumby doll that had been heated in the microwave for twenty minutes.

Amazon is having a special sale, and I Do. . .or Die is only  $1.99 right now. That's almost 50% off the regular price! Here's the link, in case you need to add this to your TBR pile. :)

Also, I'm starting a new feature called "Friday Friends", where you can get to know some of my writing and book-related friends. I hope you'll stop by this Friday for my first visitor. It's going to be fun!

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I DO. . . OR DIE: Shelby and the Shooting Range

WeWriWa: I Do. . . or Die #3

Purchase I DO. . . OR DIE for $1.99

WeWriWa: I Do. . . or Die #3

Shelby, the heroine of I Do. . . or Die, has some commitment issues, thanks to her gigolo father. She learns how to deal with those through her nemesis -- Serena, the hero's cat. Shelby calls her a "time-share cat", since the feline prefers to live with more than one family.

Here's a snippet where Shelby is taking care of Serena while the hero Ryan is on vacay:

I held my breath so I wouldn’t gag while opening the can of cat food. It was even grosser than emptying the litter box, and that task made me seriously reconsider the possibility of a future with Ryan if Serena was part of the package.

If luck were going my way, though, Serena would decide to stay with a different family--especially if she had any abandonment issues resulting from Ryan leaving her, with me, of all people.

I set the open can on the floor, ready to yell out Serena’s name, but she was right by my feet.

“Oh, you must have known it was dinner time,” I said.

Was it weird that I was talking out loud to a cat? Probably, but how else was I going to have a conversation with her?

It was probably weirder that she could read my mind.

~~~~~

Now that I Do. . . or Die is available in paperback format, I'm doing a giveaway on Goodreads. I'm giving away TWO copies, so check it out when you have a chance.

Thanks for stopping by today. Make sure you check out all the other fun snippets at WeWriWa. I know I will be!

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WeWriWa: I Do. . .or Die #2

WeWriWa: I Do. . .or Die #2

Welcome Weekend Writing Warriors! In this snippet, commitment-phobe Shelby is having lunch with her best friend, Alexa, who is trying to convince Shelby to take the next step with the new man in her life. But lifelong habits are hard to overcome:

“Can’t I just enjoy Ryan without it leading to marriage?”

“Of course you can.” Alexa's tone of voice was gentle, but her expression seemed a bit disapproving. “But that’s kind of like saying you’re quitting drinking, and then having a glass of wine every night with dinner.”

“I only did that one time,” I protested, sliding the glass farther away from me.

“I just mean, if you’re going to do something, don’t do it halfway--you always have one foot out the door, ready to sprint away.”

Now it was my turn to frown. “Is that really what I do?”

~~~

Thanks for joining me today. I've missed this lovely Sunday ritual. I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's posts!

Oh, and I Do. . .or Die is now available in paperback. It's going to be fun to have a print copy to hold in my hands. . .without the e-reader acting as a go-between.

And look at the lovely award I received from J. Rose!

Weekend Writing Warriors: Back on Track

Back on Track is releasing on Tuesday, yes, this Tuesday, April 2nd. I will be sitting over here, having a little squee-fest, and while I'm doing that, I've got eight sentences that I hope you'll enjoy.

In this section, Allie and Matt are on the Napa Wine Train, getting to know each other by telling lies. Baseball superstar Matt has (truthfully) confessed he hasn't dated much lately, and Allie wants to know why not. The playful lies continue:

“Maybe you live in the basement, with your mother and your maiden aunt.”

“I don’t have a maiden aunt.”

“That’s a relief.”

“And I’ve discovered the attic is actually a lot more comfortable.”

“But it must cramp your style, dating-wise.”

He expelled a huge sigh. “True. Mother hates when I bring women home, and women hate when I bring Mother along on our dates.”

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for your comments. They truly add to my excitement for this book's release.

The blog tour continues this week, and I'll be posting more info about the various stops later on. There are quite a few, especially on release day!

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Blurb:  What's a little lie between strangers?

A Strangers on a Train Story

Allie Whittaker is in a dating slump, too busy getting her fledgling marketing company off the ground to have a personal life. All that could change, though, if she can get baseball superstar Matt Kearns on the cover of a charity calendar. Except Matt won't even talk to her.

Matt is in a slump, worried his career might be over. A Napa Valley wine tour isn't enough to take his mind off his troubles--until sexy, funny Allie plops into the adjacent seat and tells him three things about herself. One of them, she says, is a lie.

Matt can't resist playing along, and soon the afternoon getaway becomes an interlude with lies, truths, and desire flowing as fast as the wine. Then Allie lets slip one truth too many...and they both realize they're playing for keeps.

Warning: A handsome hunk, a determined lady and a few glasses of wine. Throw in a little on-the-run action, and what more do you need to while away an afternoon?

Discover more authors at Weekend Writing Warriors!