Monday Moments about Love In touch

Monday Moments features 
 Love In Touch -  by Lucy May Lennox. 

There's a *GIVEAWAY* of a $25 Amazon or B &N gift token and an ebook of Love In touch! Read on for that Link.

There's a fantastic author interview to read with your morning cuppa, afternoon tea or evening snack; find out about the book that's got such an interesting cover and read the whole of Chapter One. But first, let's get to know Lucy... 

Welcome, Lucy! Take yourself back 20 years and tell us if you had any aspirations to become an author at that time. 

Well, 20 years ago I was a college student majoring in Creative Writing, so yes, absolutely! I was writing all the time but the professor kind of killed it for me. I wanted to write SF space operas, and he wanted me to write middle-brow serious fiction. Clearly literary fiction was the only kind of writing that was valued at school, but to me so much of it was boring, self-serious, dispiriting nonsense. After four years of that, I only wanted to write for fun for myself and my friends, which is what I did. For years I wrote an ongoing story back and forth with friends over email, just parodying our favorite movies and TV shows and being silly. It was really fun and cathartic. It's only in the past 5 years or so that I've gone back to writing things other people might actually want to read.

It's funny--when I was a teenager, I was determined to become a novelist, and I applied to colleges looking for Creative Writing programs. I went to visit one very prestigious college (which shall remain unnamed) and an English lit professor told me he saw no pointing teaching creative writing, because if I wanted to write I could just do it. At the time I thought that was a lazy and pretentious answer, but now I wonder if maybe he was right. Maybe I would have been better off just writing on my own all along.

  

Now jump forward 20 years from today. What do you think you’d like to be doing then?

Who knows! Writing even more, hopefully. But who knows what the technology will look like by then. Maybe it will be even easier to combine words and images, like comics or animation, even for people like me with limited drawing skills. That would be awesome.

What’s your preferred genre for reading material?

I read lots of genres, as long as it's written well. I guess my favorite is historical fiction, the more meticulously researched, the better. I like Young Adult, because authors will take on more topics and themes that in serious fiction, and there's usually more hope and optimism. I like reading the classics of English literature too. I've been slowly working my way through classic novels I missed in school.

What do you think will be the main reading materials within the next decade? Books, some form of portable tablets?

I don't think the book is going away that quickly. It's a form of technology that's been around for hundreds of years because it's efficient and useful. In ten years, tablets might be replaced with something else, we don't know yet. But books will still be around. The idea of the novel, as a story of a certain length, structured in a particular way, with the conventions of showing characters' speech and thought that we are all used to, that will certainly be around even longer, no matter what platform we're reading on.

In recent years there’s been a movement towards popular cult-type stories- sometimes driven by what’s been popular on TV and the cinema, like Vampire, shifter, time-shift sub-genres. What do you see as being the ideal focus to capture the imagination in 5 years time?

Haha, if I knew the answer to that, I'd be rich. Seriously, I'm so far out of the mainstream, I have no idea what most people will like. If I can reach even a tiny niche audience with stories they can't find anywhere else, I'll be happy.

Can you give us an idea of what your writing schedules might be like during the remainder of 2013 and on to 2014?

I have a huge historical novel already written that I'd like to get published.

Fast and furious:

Ice cream or chocolate cake? Cake. I'd like to say ice cream too, or both together, but I'm lactose intolerant. Damned internal biology. Please don't mention ice cream; I might cry.

Home made lemonade or rum cocktails? Lemonade.

Cycling tour of France or a beach holiday in the Caribbean? Beach. I love France but I'm not up for anything more physically challenging than walking around a museum or going shopping.

A date with a politician, or a date with Gerard Butler?

Um, neither? I can't think of a worse type for a date than a politician, the kind of person who is professionally insincere, and I had to google Gerard Butler to know who he is. I don't think I've seen any of his movies. No wait, I did see Beowulf. Man, was that CGI creepy. So no. If we're talking Scottish actors, though, Ewan McGregor can call me up anytime.

Children or pets? At the moment I have neither. 

Thank you for a great interview, Lucy! 

Kassie has felt adrift ever since her dad died when she was in college. Now 24 and living in Seattle, she gets interested in learning sign language through her roommate, a sign language interpreter. One day at a Deaf community event, she sees a young man sitting off by himself. Kassie feels compelled to try signing to him–the fact that he’s strikingly handsome doesn’t hurt.

Jake has been deaf and blind since birth. His disability has cut him off from the world, but beneath his isolated exterior, is a smart, sweet guy with a dry sense of humor. Despite the odds, he’s highly educated, but at 26, he’s gotten stuck in a rut, with few friends and no clear career plans. Until a sweet-smelling girl introduces herself to him unexpectedly, and opens up a whole new world to him.
Jake is more intelligent, more genuine than anyone she has met before, and for the first time Kassie starts to feel like her life has some direction. But as their friendship deepens into something more, the difficulty in communicating with each other only grows, and it seems like everyone they know thinks their relationship won’t work. How can they come to a deeper understanding of each other, and find a future together?
Dev Love Press 

Buy Love in Touch from:  Paperback Amazon US I Amazon UK I Amazon Canada I Amazon Germany I Amazon France I Amazon Spain I Amazon Italy I Amazon Mexico I Amazon India I Amazon Brazil I Amazon Japan I Smashwords I Barnes and Noble

Here's a bit more about Lucy: 

Lucy May Lennox is a lifelong resident of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Her first ambition in life was to become a child actor, but when she grew too old to be an adorable prodigy, she turned to writing instead. A connoisseur of novels featuring men with physical disabilities, she grew frustrated with all the cliches, ignorance and stereotypes and decided to write her own positive take on disability. In addition to writing, Lucy also enjoys cooking and gardening, and is an amateur opera singer.

Find Lucy at: 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Today's *Giveaway*  
To enter the draw for the $25 Amazon or B & N gift token; or to win an ebook click  
HERE

Thank you for visiting today, Lucy. Best wishes with your writing!

 ...and now as a special extra you can read a lovely chunk from the beginning of Love In Touch...

CHAPTER ONE

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kassie asked as she slammed the car door shut behind her.
Erik smiled down at her, his brilliant white grin reassuring. “Of course. You’ll be fine.” He jogged across the parking lot while Kassie dawdled behind, even though the rain was increasing from a mist to a steady drizzle.
“I don’t know. My signing still sucks. What if they don’t understand me?”
Erik put an arm around her, hugging her to his lean tall frame. “Come on, you’re not here as an interpreter. This is just a casual meetup. And since when have you been shy?”
Kassie grinned despite herself, then looked up at the low-slung building before them. A sign over the door read Seattle Deafblind Center. She glanced up at Erik again.
“OK, but you’ll help me if I get stuck?”
“You’ll be fine,” Erik repeated as he pushed the door open.
To Kassie it seemed purely by accident that she ended up in this place at this time. She had moved to Seattle after graduating from college because she wanted to get away, to start over. She had chosen a small school in Indiana near home, but her father had gotten sick in her freshman year and died in her junior year, leaving her to sleepwalk through college in a haze of grief that prevented her from making any friends, let alone boyfriends. By the time she graduated she was ready to start over in a new place where she didn’t know anyone. She found a job easily enough as an administrative assistant (well, secretary really) to the head of finance at the corporate office of a big name department store. The pay was alright, even if the job itself felt pointless and boring. The atmosphere in the office was decidedly stodgy despite the store’s inept attempts to be edgy and hip.
It was because of her housemate, Erik, that Kassie started taking American Sign Language classes at Seattle Community College. Erik was a CODA, a hearing Child Of Deaf Adults, and worked as an ASL interpreter. Learning ASL seemed like a good way to get involved with something more meaningful than her current job, but after over a year of classes Kassie was, if anything, even more painfully conscious of how far from fluent she was. From time to time she accompanied Erik to pizza nights and meetups at the Seattle Deaf Community Center, but while people there were nice, they always seemed a bit mystified by her presence. Inevitably someone would ask if she was training to become an interpreter.
No, I just want to learn, she’d reply, doing her best to make her signs quick and natural. Usually the other person would smile, but somewhat hesitantly, as if that wasn’t really enough of an explanation.
If she signed, I’m Erik’s friend, people assumed they were a couple, which seemed ridiculous to her because he was so obviously gay. But apparently it was the only way people could make sense of her presence there.
Still, she kept going with him every month or so. The meetups, just casual gatherings  to chat in ASL for a few hours in the evening, were good practice. Then one day Erik mentioned to her that he had been asked to attend a similar meetup, but for deafblind people. Impulsively, Kassie volunteered to go with him, but the thought of her inadequate signing skills was making her uncharacteristically nervous.
Kassie followed Erik into a medium-sized meeting room with round tables and plastic chairs arranged around the hard linoleum floor, like a school cafeteria. A dozen or so people stood or sat eating pizza, just like the Deaf meetups she had been to before, except everyone sat much closer together, signing in pairs. Erik greeted several people with great animation, hugging them and introducing Kassie. Most of them seemed able to see her signing well enough to understand her, even some of the people carrying white canes. Only one woman put her hands on top of Kassie’s as she spelled out her name.
As Kassie started to relax and look around, she noticed a figure sitting off by himself, separated from the small knot of people. She watched for nearly half an hour, but no one approached him. She gauged him to be about her age. His eyes were closed and his brows pinched up in a frown, but even so he was strikingly handsome, with close-cut, glossy black hair contrasting with a pale complexion.
She nudged Erik, pointing toward him with her chin. “Who’s that?”
“Oh, that’s Jake,” Erik replied. “Don’t worry about him–his intervener will be here soon.”
“His what?”
“Intervener, it’s like an interpreter for deafblind people. Like Mandy there,” he added, waving to a woman who was signing into the hand of another woman seated beside her.
“I’m going to say hello to him,” Kassie said. It seemed wrong to her that one person should be excluded from the group.
Erik looked slightly pained. “Kassie, you don’t understand,” he said. “Everyone else here has Usher’s Syndrome. They’ve been Deaf all their lives–only started to lose their vision as teenagers or adults, and most of them still have some sight. They’re all ASL native speakers. But Jake is profoundly deaf and totally blind from birth. I’m not sure he even knows ASL.”
Kassie stared at him, her eyes growing larger. “How can he not know ASL? He must know something, right?” she asked, a little shocked.
Erik explained, “It’s hard to learn the signs if you can’t see them. I think he uses a different manual alphabet that’s easier for him.” Seeing the look of concern on Kassie’s face he added, “Don’t worry about him, he’s fine.”
Kassie turned to look at Jake again. He didn’t look fine to her. He looked bored and lonely. She knew how it felt to be on the outside, to have no one to talk to. What if he was just waiting for someone to go over to him? It didn’t hurt that he was cute too. If they were at a party she would find some excuse to talk to him. “I’m going to say hello to him,” she insisted.
“Try printing block letters on his palm, he might understand that,” Erik suggested with a shrug.
Kassie squared her shoulders and marched across the room, daring Erik to stop her, but he had already turned his attention to someone else.
Jake did not seem to notice her approach his chair. He sat with his back rigidly straight, but his head dipped slightly down and to the left. Up close he was even cuter, with his strong, slightly triangular jaw. The contrast between his glossy black hair, slightly grown out on top, and his pale skin was startling. His eyelashes were dark and thick too, although his eyes opened only slightly, showing a line of white.
Kassie waited for a moment, but when he still did not give any sign of noticing her she tapped him on the shoulder. Jake jumped so high she nearly retreated, overcome with guilt for having startled him, but he was already holding out his left palm toward her. Realizing it would be even more cruel to walk away, Kassie extended a trembling finger and wrote very slowly in the palm of his hand, H-E-L-L-O.
To her extreme surprise, he saluted her with the ASL sign for hello, then added, My name is Jake, in rather jerky, hesitant signs. At least that’s what she assumed he meant; rather than spelling out his name, he made a name sign, tracing a sort of J against his chest with his pinkie finger.
Kassie made to introduce herself as well, with his hands resting on hers, realizing only too late that when she gestured towards herself, she brought his hand directly onto her breasts. Jake seemed to realize the same thing–he breathed in sharply and flushed from his neck to his hairline, bright pink splotches standing out against his white cheeks. Flustered, Kassie tried again, this time only moving her hand halfway. My name is K-A-S-S-I-E, she signed, fingerspelling her name then adding the name sign Erik had given her, a K at her right temple, a reference to her short, curly blond hair.
Jake did not reply, so she made the signs again, even more slowly, but he kept tugging her hands towards him. She gently tugged back, but that only seemed to agitate him. He brushed his fingers over her palm, then made some rapid signs she couldn’t follow. She stared at him helplessly. He sighed in irritation as he repeated the signs, the splotches on his cheeks turning darker red.
This time Kassie picked out C-A-R-T-E-R, but that was all. What is carter, she wondered, feeling increasingly panicked. She glanced behind her, trying to spot Erik, but instead a small balding man with round glasses set atop a hooked nose suddenly appeared and insinuated himself between her and Jake. Before she realized what had happened, he pushed her aside and put his hands under Jake’s. Immediately they began signing back and forth rapidly.
Kassie shifted from foot to foot, unwilling to end their conversation so abruptly. If you could even call it a conversation, but still, it seemed rude to walk away. “Umm…excuse me, but who are you?” she asked the interloper.
Without pausing his signing with Jake, the man gave her a sour look. “I’m Joel Carter, Jake’s intervener,” he snapped.
“Oh, of course!” It seemed so obvious now. “I’m Kassie,” she said, fingerspelling her name again and adding her name sign at the end, so he could repeat it into Jake’s hand. “I’m a friend of Erik’s. I was just, um, saying hello to Jake.”
Carter passed along the message, then said, “Jake says hello.” Kassie watched their interaction curiously. Carter was not using any ASL signs or fingerspelling she recognized. Jake held out his left palm flat and at an angle, while Carter tapped and brushed it in different places with his fingers, sometimes straight or bent, sometimes one or more than one finger at a time.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Carter, but do you mind telling me what system you’re using? Erik said Jake doesn’t know ASL, but I guess he was wrong about that. Anyway it looks like now you’re using something else. I’m just curious,” she finished lamely, realizing she was starting to babble.
Carter was not pleased with her question. “He knows some basic ASL,” he answered shortly, “but we’re using the deafblind manual alphabet.”
“Oh, I see.”
Carter stared at her but did not say anything more. After a moment Kassie realized what was happening: Carter didn’t want to talk to her. He wanted her to go away, but being an ethical interpreter he was not going to say anything to her he would not also sign to Jake.
“Well, um, ok, nice to meet you, Jake,” Kassie said, and patted him on the shoulder as Carter interpreted. Again Jake jumped a bit, and Kassie fled back to Erik on the other side of the room.
For the remainder of the evening Kassie stuck close to Erik, signing briefly with a few people, but for the most part feeling like an observer. At the Deaf meetups there were always lots of people, and she rarely had a problem finding someone willing to let her practice her ASL. But here she realized it was hard to sign to more than one person at a time, and even harder to initiate small talk with a stranger. She never realized how much she relied on catching someone’s eye to begin a conversation. She ended up chatting with one of the interpreters about her ASL class, although she knew her teacher would scold her for using her voice.
Back in the car , Erik asked, “So what did you talk about with Jake?”
“Nothing,” she replied truthfully.
“I told you his intervener would show up,” Erik said as he pulled out of the parking lot. “But he is kind of a hottie. I don’t blame you for wanting to chat him up.” He turned to wink at her.
“Oh my God, what are you talking about?” Kassie protested. “Not everyone is a horndog like you.”
Erik just laughed. In the two years they had been living together they had grown close, even though initially they only met through Craigslist. Erik was the ideal housemate, a good cook and fastidiously clean, even if he was kind of loud and liked to play techno turned all the way up. After feeling alone for so long, Kassie was glad to have someone to joke around with. She liked going out with him to gay clubs where she could dance however she liked, and no one hit on her. Not that she was against dating–she had attempted a few relationships, but somehow the guys she met all seemed self-involved and shallow.
But even though Erik was fun, he definitely had his own life that didn’t always include her, and she tried not to be too clingy. She tried to find activities that would get her out of the house more, and suddenly she found she was running around all the time.
Now she caught sight of the clock on the car radio.”Oh no, is that the time? Do you mind dropping me off at my yoga class? I’ll take the bus home.”

Thank you, Lucy for a lovley peek at Love In Touch.
Slainthe!

Featuring 'Wolf Within Series' - ***INTERVIEW, REVIEW and a GIVEAWAY***

It's a very busy feature today! 

There's an excellent interview with Amy Lee Burgess

My review of 'Beneath the Skin' -  Book 1 of the series
A short excerpt from 'Beneath The Skin'

***And a fantastic GIVEAWAY as well.*** 

Let's meet Amy first:

Amy Lee Burgess is a transplanted New Englander living in Houston, Texas with two dogs and lots of DVDs. In an attempt to bond with the city after being forced out of New Orleans post-Katrina, she turned to her writing. Determined to finally finish that novel she’d been hacking away at since high school, Amy managed to come up with a wolf shifter character named Stanzie Newcastle. She and Stanzie have been BFFs ever since.

In addition to Stanzie, Amy has also forged a relationship with several vampires, a witch or two, and other assorted supernatural creatures she hopes will entertain her readers. But she will always have room for coffee and butterscotch squares with Stanzie.
 Amy’s Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Here's what Amy answered when I put some questions to her....

Take yourself back 20 years and tell us if you had any aspirations to become an author at that time.

Twenty years ago I was writing a series of vampire novels that I shared only with a few friends. I never thought I’d have a prayer at being published so my aspirations were pretty low. I just knew I loved to write, but I didn’t have much confidence that anything I actually wrote would be available for more than just my friends. Luckily, times change and confidence grows!

I believe that is so true of many of us, Amy. What was your main daily occupation back then?

I was a scopist at a court reporting agency.  Court reporters took down depositions on their steno machines which fed into a translation program on a computer. It wasn’t 100 percent accurate so I would come in after that and translate things that didn’t make it through and fix mistranslations. Also edit for spelling and punctuation.  I think that gave me a rather overinflated sense of competency as far as the English language goes. I’ve been thoroughly disabused of that notion by the poor women who have edited my books. 

And today? How do you tend to spend an average day?

I still have to work in a corporate environment. I still deal with information management but not through court reporting.  I start each morning writing for an hour.

I wish I were so disciplined! Now jump forward 20 years from today. What do you think you’d like to be doing then?

Living in France writing full time.

That's an intreresting answer, Amy. I've lived in Holland and loved it, but although I understand a lot more of the French language I've only visited France a couple of times. Back to the questions... What’s your preferred genre for reading material?

I like all kind of things but I love paranormal romance, mystery, horror and urban fantasy the best.

I'm trying to broaden my scope in reading, and have been covering many different sub genres of fiction- though I still have my favourites!  What genre/ sub-genre do you feel comfortable writing in?

Paranormal anything, but mainly romance and mystery. 

What do you think will be the main reading materials within the next decade? Books, some form of portable tablets?

Oh, definitely tablets.  Books will never completely go away, but they will be more for sentimental value.  And for when the electricity and internet go down.

In recent years there’s been a movement towards popular cult-type stories- sometimes driven by what’s been popular on TV and the cinema, like Vampire, shifter, time-shift sub-genres. What do you see as being the ideal focus to capture the imagination in 5 years time?

That’s a good question. I’m hoping gargoyles. I just finished a novel about them.  I think shifters in general will be very mainstream on television and in the movies five years from now.  Another hot sub-genre will be technomagic I’ll bet.

Technomagic? Sounds like an area I need to gen up on though I'm fairly sure I won't be writing in it unless I learn an awful lot more about it! Can you give us an idea of what your writing schedule might be like during the remainder of 2013 and on to 2014?

The fall of 2013 will be taken up with editing a vampire novel I have coming out from Loose Id in December. Winter 2014 will be editing the next Wolf Within novel which will be coming out through Dark Continents Publishing.

Winter/Spring/Summer 2014 I aim to write at least two more novels, hopefully three.  Another Wolf Within, the second in my vampire series and the second in my gargoyle series. However, if I sell the gargoyles next year I will also have to make time to edit.  That’s my goal. 

Sounds like a busy schedule, Amy. Best wishes with fitting it all in. 

Fast and furious:

Ice cream or chocolate cake? Ice cream

Home made lemonade or rum cocktails? Rum cocktails for the win!

Cycling tour of France or a beach holiday in the Caribbean? Cycling tour of France. I speak some French. Luckily I know how to say “I’m tired” because if I have to ride a bike all day, that’s probably what I’ll be moaning.

A date with a politician, or a date with Gerard Butler? Is this a trick question? Gerard Butler!

Children or pets? My dogs emphatically ordered me to answer pets to this one.

Fantastic answers, thank you, Amy! 

My thoughts on 'Beneath The Skin'

(I was given a copy of this book for review)

Beneath the skin has many themes running through it. There’s abandonment, guilt, blame, love lost and love growing, insecurity and a lot of confusion of feelings. There’s a good pace throughout, which keeps the story ticking along. I’ve not read enough of the shifter paranormal sub-genre to know whether the notion, that as shifters they can change at any time, is a novel one - given that sex is involved as a catalyst – but in Beneath The Skin they don’t need to wait for that full moon, or other such natural circumstances. However, when Constance does eventually shift in the novel, the experiences are not as satisfying as she would wish them to be. It’s an interesting concept that she still has a lot to learn about the change, and like many human teenagers, she rebels against being constrained by rules. Fortunately, Liam Murphy is there to eventually help her become less impetuous. Unfortunately for Constance (an interesting choice of name), her first attempt in the novel to have sex with an old friend to initiate shifter-change, is beset by devastating circumstances. Nobody wants to be branded a murder but poor Constance is definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time and is blamed yet again for the demise of another Pack member. Those thought to be ultimately responsible for the unfortunate happenings to young Pack members around the world, provides quite a startling ending to this first novel in the series. The novel is well written, well edited, and is an easy read in one sitting.

Blurb:
If you could shift into a wolf, what would you discover about yourself?
Two years after the deaths of her bond mates, Constance Newcastle is ready to start over. The problem? The rest of the Great Pack, gathered in Paris to shift into wolves together, is not so sure she deserves the chance. Although the Great Council ruled the car crash an accident, even Constance blames herself. She was driving, after all.
Treated like a pariah by those she longs to rejoin, Constance reunites with an old lover. Everything looks promising until he mysteriously dies. Accused of his murder and desperate to clear her name, Constance joins forces with handsome, confident Liam Murphy, a former Alpha pack leader with a past as tragic and troubled as her own. Guided by the mysterious Councilor Jason Allerton, Constance and Liam discover they are not alone– throughout the Great Pack, people are dying. Can all the deaths be accidents, or is something more sinister going on?
CONTENT WARNING: Vulgar language, some sexual situations

 ***Amy's GIVEAWAY***
You can win yourself a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card or...
the entire Series of The Wolf Within in ebook formats. 

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE DRAW 

These are the other books in the series that you could win: 

Excerpt from Beneath the Skin:

Run. Run, run, run. Scared. Littles hide, no scrape legs, no make noise. Wind no push things. Fur stick up. Me scared. Me follow scent. Her. Me love Her. See big hard thing. Pushed in. Black water drip, drip, drip. Blood. Smell blood. Drip, drip, drip. Scared. See Her. See Her in big hard thing. Her two legs now. Her eyes no see Me. Look up to Big Shiny and little shinies. No see. Smell blood. Smell Her. No hear beat thing. No hear blood move under skin. Her no move no more. Her gone. Me look up see Big Shiny. Me cry loud.
* * * *
When I jerked awake, a smothered scream on my lips, the digital clock on the nightstand read five thirty-two in the morning. I rolled over and reached out instinctively for the reassuring warmth of Grey’s body, but of course he wasn’t there. He never would be there again.

Two years, I told myself as I threw back the covers of the single bed in a small, unfamiliar Paris hotel room and staggered for the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. The dregs of the dream slipped away under my fingertips as I massaged my cheeks and forehead, blond hair spilling over my shoulders into the wet stream of the water.

My hair was getting long. Two years, I told myself again, bitterness twisting my face.
I scowled into the mirror and saw my own reflection–as familiar to me as anything in the world. I thought of the wind, the trees at night, the scent of the pine needles embedded in the soft earth of the forest.

Everything conspired to create a wall between me and the rest of the world. I hadn’t connected with anything or anyone for so long I barely remembered what it felt like not to be alone.

My thirty-second birthday had come and gone three months earlier. Once upon a time there would have been a celebration. Grey and Elena would have been there with me. Presents. Cake.

Instead I’d sat in a dark theater and watched a horror movie while secretly envying all the couples who sat around me.

When I saw people in love, a strange, isolating ache gripped my whole body.
Two years, I told my reflection in the mirror.

Grey used to tell me I was beautiful. He loved to trace the contours of my face with his fingers–my high cheekbones, my full mouth, my eyelids and forehead. Even my nose, which I thought was too big but he pronounced elegant. Ha.

He was the elegant one with his sensitive mouth and long, thin fingers. A poet’s face. Hollow cheeks, dreamy eyes.

Elena had been the beauty in my opinion. Blond, like me, only hers was so fair it was nearly white. The milky translucence of her skin made me think of women in castles in the medieval days, women who stayed behind the castle walls and never saw the sun because of the feuds and fights their men waged for them.

Grey and Elena–my bond mates, my lovers, my friends.
There had also been Jonathan, Nora, Callie, Vaughn and Peter. Grandfather Tobias. My pack.
Two years ago, that is.
When everything stopped.

Thank you for featuring here, today, Amy. Best wishes with your tour!

Slainthe!

Still the Best Woman For the Job

Familiarise Friday on Features welcomes Sharon C. Cooper who has brought her novel  - Still the Best Woman For The Job - to share with us. Read on to find out about Sharon, and get a great idea from the excerpt about why ...'Toni's the best Woman For the Job'.

Bestselling author, Sharon C. Cooper, lives in Atlanta with her husband and enjoys reading, writing, and rainy days. She writes sweet and contemporary romance, as well as romantic suspense. Sharon is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), member of Georgia Romance Writers (GRW), and a member of the Page a Day Writers Group. To read more about Sharon and her novels, visit www.sharoncooper.net

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Joint heir to the largest construction company in the state of Ohio, master plumber, Toni (TJ) Jenkins has been groomed to behave in a way that is befitting of the respected Jenkins’ family name. But after she breaks up with the only man she’s ever loved, to protect a secret she holds close to her heart, poor decisions lead her down a path of destruction that risks ruining the reputation of the company her family has worked hard to build.
Cincinnati police officer, Craig Logan, knows Toni is the woman for him. They’ve been apart for months, but when they run into each other at a party, the passion between them sizzles stronger than ever. She says she can’t handle dating a cop, but he senses that something else keeps her from rushing back into his arms. Craig wants her to be his wife, and he’ll do whatever it takes to prove no matter what she’s hiding, she’s still the best woman for the job.

Contemporary Romance

Still the Best Woman for the Job on Amazon

Publication Date: September 25, 2013

And now Sharon is sharing a great little excerpt with us: 
A wave of giddiness gripped Toni the moment she pulled up to Craig’s house. She wasn’t sure what had come over her. She grinned like she’d just learned the secret to keeping a manicure fresh for a month. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen Craig every day for the past week and a half. Maybe the joy flowing through her veins had something to do with the fact that they were meeting for their first afternoon rendezvous at his place.
She climbed out of her work van and practically floated to the door, and then rang the doorbell.
“Who is it?” Craig asked through the closed door.
“It’s the plumber. I’ve come to fix the sink.”
She heard him laugh before he pulled open the door. “You’re crazy. Get in here.” He tugged her inside and into his arms. Toni couldn’t think of any other place she’d rather be than right there molded against his lean body.  “Well hello,” he mumbled, his lips brushed against hers as he spoke. “I have to admit, you’re the finest plumber I’ve ever laid eyes on. But,” he broke off the kiss suddenly and released her, “you have to hurry and take care of that sink problem before my woman gets here. She’s the jealous type and doesn’t like fine-ass plumbers hanging out in my house.”
“Ha, ha, ha, very funny. I see you’ve got jokes.” Toni took off her work boots and followed him into the kitchen.
“So do you use that ‘I’m here to fix the sink’, line often?” He glanced over his shoulder as he removed a long pan from the oven. “Maybe to pick up unsuspecting men like me?”
“Actually my dear, you’re the only man I’ve used that line on.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him and grinned.
He flashed a goofy I’m-the-luckiest-man-in-the-world smile that lit up his hazel eyes and jump-started the giddiness that swirled around inside her body. When he turned back to his delicious smelling dish and sprinkled additional cheese across the top, Toni couldn’t help but recall the first plumbing job she did for him, he was cooking then too. A small smile tilted her lips as she admired how easily he moved around the kitchen. Unlike the first time they met, today he didn’t have his police uniform on and didn’t look as intimidating. She loved a man in uniform, but Craig’s tall figure in blue jeans hanging low on his hips and a white tank top showing off thick muscular arms and washboard abs were just as sizzling.
“Ahem.”
Toni’s gaze shot up to find Craig checking her out and wearing a crooked grin. She swallowed hard and rubbed her sweaty palms down the thighs of her jeans. Hopefully he couldn’t read minds. If he could, he would know that she was now imagining him naked.
“Uhh … so what’s for lunch?”
Craig sauntered across the room. He pulled her close and nuzzled the side of her neck, his hands easily sliding underneath her T-shirt. “My version of baked Ziti, but now I’m thinking that maybe I should have you for lunch, and we save the Ziti for dessert,” he mumbled against her burning skin. “We have about fifteen minutes before I have to take it out of the oven. Just enough time for a quickie.”
He backed her up to the granite countertop and her entire body went liquid with anticipation when he lifted her shirt over her head and cupped her breasts, sending a spark of desire straight to her midsection. His mouth covered hers in a deep penetrating kiss as he skimmed his skillful fingers over her lace bra, tweaking her nipples, immediately making them rise to attention. All thoughts of food flew out of Toni’s mind and was replaced with a yearning desire to have their bodies joined as one when he paid her other breast the same attention as the first.
Craig lifted his head. “I have to get you out of these clothes,” he said, his gruff voice turning her on almost as much as the quick work he did in stripping her out of her jeans, leaving her with only her bra and bikini panties on. He stood back, his hungry gaze raked over her body and lingered on her breast. “Damn, girl, you’re sexy with or without clothes, but right now I need you up higher. Sometimes I forget how short you are without your heels on.”
“Craig!” she yelped when, without warning, he lifted her and placed her on the cool granite countertop. “My grandmother would have a fit if she saw me sitting on a kitchen counter. Especially if she knew what we were about to do.”
“Well, it’s a good thing she’s not here.”

Sharon - Thank you for visiting my features blog and my very best wishes to you for a great launch tour for 'Still the Best Woman For the Job'. 

Slainthe!

 

Malachim

Today we have a fantastic guest post from Naima Simone, who has dropped past on her launch tour for her latest 'Secrets And Sins' novel - Malachim.

Naima's also brought an excerpt, and a chance to win lots of fantastic prizes. Read on for those details. But first, over to Naima...  

Naima Simone is a multi-published author in contemporary and erotic romance. She’s a member of RWA’s Southern Magic chapter, mother of the Dynamic Duo, lover of everything Vin Diesel and wife to the fabulous husband who tolerates this affair.

Paula, You Turn My Head! 

Love lift us up where we belong. Where the eagles fly… 

An Officer and a Gentleman.

Sigh. 

Who doesn’t know the famous scene where Mayo strides into that mill and literally sweeps Paula off her feet and—again literally—carries her off into the sunset as she props his white officer cap on her head. God I love that movie!

And while Richard Gere’s brooding, troubled Zach Mayo is undoubtedly the hero of the movie, there is another that upstages him simply from a romance writer’s point of view. Paula Pokrifki, portrayed by Debra Winger. She had me going wooow-uh after the last bar of Love Lift Us Up faded away. Now don’t get it twisted! I still loves me some man-flesh and am a connoisseur—did I spell that right?—of the male form in all its sculpted, glistening, smooth, luscious…ahem…glory. But while recently watching An Officer and a Gentleman for once I wasn’t sighing over Zach Mayo aka Richard Gere…okay maybe a little sighing went forth. But it was Paula who had me captivated. And dying to get to my laptop! 

Obviously the woman was beautiful. With dark flowing locks that even looked good under that ugly brown cap and a body that inspired me to put down my Prestige Strawberry ice cream and do a stomach crunch, I understand why Mayo couldn’t erase her from his thoughts even when he tried. Out of all the “debutantes” cruising the naval candidates for a husband and ticket out of Smallville, Paula was the prettiest. 

And yet there was so much more to her. 

What endeared me to her was something I didn’t fully grasp until I was older, had fallen in and out of love a couple of times, and was familiar with heartache. See, Paula loved Zach Mayo. She dug beneath his cold, distant exterior and saw the wounded, scared man beneath whose mother had committed suicide leaving him with an alcoholic, degenerate father. Her love helped shape Mayo into the man of integrity and selflessness he ultimately became. And still, rather than trap or trick him, she was willing to let him walk out of her life and never see him again. If a woman has ever been in looove she knows how hard it is to give up the man she believes to be her soul mate. I mean let’s face it. If Vin Diesel tried to walk away from me I would try everything from burying his drawers in my front yard to piercing his nostrils and sliding a rope through that ring! 

Not that she was perfect—she wasn’t. Part of the reason she initially went after Mayo was to get out of the stifling, small-minded town that would have her work in a paper factory for the rest of her life. She was desperate. But her actions in spite of her desires made her the consummate heroine. What a woman! Damn!

I’d like to believe Danielle Warren, the heroine in Secrets and Sins: Malachim, my new release from Entangled Publishing’s Ignite line, makes Paula proud. In the beginning of the book she’s in full survival mode. Her complete focus is on working, obtaining money for a nest egg, and maintaining her new identity that keeps her hidden from her ex-husband. She doesn’t expect the impact Malachim Jerrod, her new boss, has on her. He makes her dream and desire a life she knows is impossible for her. Common sense orders her to keep her distance from the sexy Boston attorney, but she’s drawn to him. And she falls for him. When her past comes calling, she has to decide between her own happily-ever-after or his life. The choice isn’t easy, but walking—or running—away may just save his life. To find out what happens you’ll have to read Malachim!

So, who’s your favorite heroine, either in a movie or book? Share her with me! And don’t forget, September 23^rd through October 4^th,  you have a chance to enter a giveaway for a $20 Amazon Gift Card, a World Traveler Boston cuff bracelet, and the 4 September Ignite releases! You can enter through the Rafflecopter below!

Thank you so much, Nancy, for having me here today!
You're very welcome, Naima.  

What Malachim is about:

When Danielle Warren shows up on Boston attorney Malachim Jerrod’s doorstep looking for a job, his first thought is trouble. Well, actually his first thought is how does a woman with the face of a saint have the voice of a sex phone operator? But sexy trouble or not, he’s desperate for a paralegal to help keep his struggling law office afloat. Can the boss keep his distance from the silk of his employee’s skin, the siren lure of her body…or ignore the haunting vulnerability in her eyes.

Danielle can’t remember her own name, because it belongs to someone else. The new identity has afforded a fresh start and a new job. She’s taking control, making her own decisions, and refuses to allow anything to distract her—even her unwanted desire for her boss. Because distraction is dangerous and letting her guard down is not an option. Especially with a shadowy figure stalking her every move.
Danger is on the hunt, threatening the boss she’s falling in love with. Should she fight for the future of her dreams or flee to save Malachim’s life? Danielle must make a decision. Because her lies are unraveling. And some secrets can kill…

Secrets and Sins: Malachim Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books

You could win this: 

 Or... maybe you'd like to win this... as well? 

For your chance to WIN enter the Rafflecopter by clicking HERE.

Read on for a wonderful excerpt from Malachim to whet your appetite:  

Silence reigned in the cab. Malachim wedged his body into the corner of the backseat, sprawling his legs as far as the cramped space would allow. In the close quarters, he studied her exotic profile. The high brow; thin, aristocratic nose just a shade too long by conventional beauty standards; the wide mouth with its full bottom lip; and the small, stubborn chin. His gaze dropped to the elegant, tightly clenched hands on her lap. Even in the shadows, he noted the paler skin stretched over her knuckles. Did she fear him? God, the thought caused the alcohol in his gut to roil and pitch.

“Danielle.” He’d deliberately softened his voice, yet she flinched as if he’d roared her name.
“Yes,” she said, keeping her head averted, continuing to stare out the side window.
“Look at me.” He paused. “Please.”
Her shoulders stiffened, and her fingers were clenched so hard, he feared they wouldn’t easily straighten. After several seconds, when her head turned in his direction, his lungs relaxed.
God, he longed to touch her.
Yes, he would be a eunuch and a flaming liar if he denied he wanted her beneath him, straining against his body as he thrust deep into soft, hot flesh he knew would squeeze his cock in the sweetest, tightest embrace. He craved it. Woke up in cold sweats from dreaming about it. But this… This need swelling within his chest now was gentler but no less hungry. No less desperate.
He yearned to rub his thumb over the hard line her mouth had become, coaxing the sensual fullness to appear once again. More than the next critical beat of his heart, he desired to brush his lips over her brow, ease the panic and pain in her eyes, and replace them with pleasure. With wonder. With joy.
What would Danielle look like carefree, laughing…unburdened?
Jesus, he wanted to know.
He straightened from his slouch, at the same time shifting closer to her. Carefully, unhurriedly, determined not to spook her. Not to threaten her.
In the darkness, her eyes widened, and her breath quickened. At any other time, he would’ve backed off. But not tonight. As much as he needed to have her sun-kissed skin under his fingers, she needed to understand—believe—he would take a blade to his own hand before harming her.
Gently, he cupped the nape of her neck. Pressed a thumb into the side of her throat and circled. She went rigid beneath his hand and loosed a tiny whimper.
“Shh,” he crooned. “No, look at me,” he tenderly ordered when her lashes fluttered. He had to see her eyes, had to be able to detect if his caress became too much for her to bear. Even more, he had to see the moment the fear bled from her beautiful dark gaze and trust entered.
“Thank you,” he murmured, staring into the brown depths. Yes, panic still lingered, but so did another emotion…an emotion that set his heart racing for his throat. “I would never hurt you,” he said. “Not that way. I may be an asshole sometimes and kick the hell out of your feelings, but I’ll never hurt you in the way that makes you shake under my hand.” He slid his hand into her hair, loosening the bun and cradling her head. And had to bite back his groan at the sensuous glide of her heavy hair over his hand and wrist. “You’re safe with me. I promise,” he said hoarsely.

My very best wishes to you, Naima, for a successful launch tour.  Thanks for visiting 'Features'.

Slainthe!