Desperate Choices

Sharing an excerpt of my novella Desperate Choices, on sale now through Amazon for only 99¢!  The perfect way to introduce yourself to the Protectors…

Chapter One

Two thoughts struck Rachel Andrews as she faced certain death.  Her mother’s warning to never pick up hitchhikers and…well I’ll be damned, demons really do exist.

With amazing speed, razor sharp talons slashed through her seatbelt and the hellish creature dragged her between the seats toward the back seat. Rachel struggled to grip on to something, anything.

He was too strong.

In desperation, she continued to scratch and kick at her assailant without avail. Finally, barely able to lift her leaden arms, she concentrated on catching her breath and not allowing fear to cloud her mind. Maybe she could still survive.

Red-rimmed eyes scorched her at the same time claws cut into her left shoulder, pinning her to the back seat.

“Pl-please take my car and my purse…but don’t kill me.” Her words were a hoarse rasp working past constriction on her throat by his other hand.

His lips peeled back to reveal elongated, fangs. With a stifled gulp, she recoiled further into the leather.

“Oh but those last drops of blood when life ebbs out of your body are the sweetest. You don’t expect me to deny myself of that would you?” Saliva dripped from his incisors. His horrifying gaze focused on her throat next and with a primal growl, he shoved her face to the side.

When the demon’s teeth broke her skin, a primal scream tore deep from within her chest.  Survival instincts kicked in and again she began to kick and punch at the demon. Her feeble attempts to shove him off of her didn’t seem to register, his hold remained tight. It fed with greed, each pull of drink bringing her closer to death.

Suddenly it evaporated. A thick blue mist took its place.

A huge figure loomed over her.

Whether real or a hallucination brought by her brain as an escape mechanism when she neared death, Rachel wasn’t sure.  Striking silver eyes pinned her, matching long hair framed the angelic warrior’s face.

“Can you hear me?” His deep voice resonated and his fingers pressed against her throat. Was he feeling for a pulse?  “It’s going to be all right. I’m here to take you to safety.”

Rachel couldn’t reply, but her mind was awhirl. For the first time in four years, she’d taken vacation from the library only to make it a few miles away from home, to the outskirts of Atlanta. She should have stopped by to see her mother, the only person she feared leaving, and seen her one last time. Her Mom would be the only one that would miss her.

Her vision began to fade, now if only the burning would. The searing pain at the spot where the demon fed brought a shudder. God make it stop.

The male before her had to be Death, he’d come for her. She was dying—the sooner the better. Then the agony would stop.

The large angel of death began to blur. It was her time and she prepared herself. She opened her mouth to ask him questions, but instead a fog fell.

 

The tunnel was long and dark. Mist swirled around like the inside of a tornado, and in the far distance was a shining beacon of light. Rachel struggled to float toward it, but the opening got further away when she moved forward. Battling with all her might, she was finally able to reach the entrance and began to emerge.

Prying heavy eyelids open, the surroundings began to come into focus.  She lay in the middle of an enormous four-poster bed in an unfamiliar bedroom. Rachel scanned the area from under her lashes.  A light from outside the cracked doorway provided just enough light for her to see. At movement, she looked to find she was not alone.  Barely able to contain the instinctual gasp, she saw him. The massive death angel was in the room with her.

A towel wrapped low around his hips, he swore and dug through a drawer.  “Where the hell are my damn shorts?”

He had to be well over six foot tall, closer to seven feet. His broad muscular back bunched and his biceps bulged with each motion. He closed the drawer slowly and opened another.  Letting out a breath, he pulled out a pair of grey shorts. When his towel slipped he didn’t bother to tighten it, instead he yanked it off. Her eyes widened at the sight of his bare bottom.  This was one hell of a good-looking guy.

In his nude splendor, he padded toward what she assumed was a bathroom, only to freeze mid-step.  A muscle on the side of his face twitched and he turned toward her.  This time the sharp inhale did come. To her horror, Rachel’s fascinated gaze plummeted to the spot between his legs.

“Wow.” Crap did I just say that out loud?

He slammed the towel into his private area, covering what had to be the largest male part she’d ever seen. A frown formed and he pinned her with an annoyed look. “How long have you been awake?”

Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Desperate-Choices-Crescent-Protectors-ebook/dp/B007UIGG4O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1337126570&sr=8-3

Diane Haynes Favorite Five

Meet Diane M. Haynes, a writer and cool lady.  Here are her Favorite Five!

Favorite Beverage:  White Creme de Cacao Sombrero with whipped cream. (Dessert in a glass!)

Favorite Room in my house: Living Room which houses my computer and my two Basset Hounds. It’s where the family gathers & where we spend most of our time together.

Favorite Place in Town: My Metaphysical shop, Some Enchanted Evening, where many of my customers have turned into friends.

Favorite Outfit: Whatever’s comfortable and doesn’t pinch, bind or fall down as I walk; usually a pair of jeans, black polo shirt and a pair of sketchers.

Favorite Book: My debut novel, Rift Healer, a YA Fantasy/First Romance set in Massachusetts, features an enchanted forest under attack by an evil entity and the group of teens and their elderly herbal teacher who attempt to defend it. Monsters, mayhem and teenage angst follow the group as they confront the entity, a prediction that “one will fall” and a betrayal by one of their own.

 

 

 

Check Diane’s favorite at Amazon: Rift healer 

Diane’s Webpage

Diane on Facebook

It Occurs to Me

With so many negative things happening around us and the focus of not only the media, but ourselves on the stories of tragedies and sorrow, it occurs to me that life can be very sad.

Sometimes when it’s quiet, in those rare moments of solitude, I focus on what my current state of being is. I find many times that it’s so much easier to fall in to sadness or depression wallowing for hours on end on the unfairness of the world.  The reason its easy is because like gravity, negatively pulls us down into a comfortable abyss of darkness that is hard to leave.

Happiness and contentment on the other hand are not as easy.  How many times have you been told by a motivational speaker or life coach to make a list daily of what you are thankful for?  That we have to make a list, take the time to find the good things is strange to me.  Yet it’s worthwhile to try the exercise when feeling drawn to the deep end of the pity pool.  

Now I was going to list all the poopy stuff going on in my life, but I won’t give it the power of another second of thought.  Instead I’m going to list five great things that I can smile about and thank God for.

1.  Good Heath (Always a good thing)

2.  A Wonderful husband (love him!!!)

3. Amazing friends (aka safety Net)

4. I live in America!

5.  My writing, the creative outlet for my imagination!

Life is Good!!!

List five things you are thankful for today…

I love Yellow!

What a fun post today!!  Pretty Yellow things!! That make me think of warmer weather, carefree weekends and bright sunshine!

I recently bought some really cute yellow wedges for the summer, now I have to find a cute yellow blouse or a fresh sundress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How delightful!  A happy Color Yellow is…  What is your favorite color for summer time?

Wendy Russo’s Favorite Five

It’s Favorite Five Wednesday!  *Cheers Sound*  Today I introduce Wendy Russo, I hope you enjoy her favorite five things!

Favorite Beverage

         Lemonade from Canes’. It used to be a summer thing, but as the franchise took off, they started making it year round. Usually, I just order it with my chicken fingers, but every once in a while I WANT the lemonade. They sell the stuff by the gallon; at $8/gallon, it’s a (rare) splurge, and worth every penny. 

Favorite Room in Your House

         My living room and kitchen are one open space, separated by a pool table. It’s lived in, comfortable.

Favorite Place in Louisiana

         The quad at Louisiana State University. I love flowers. I love trees. I love architecture. It’s got it all. :-)  

Favorite Outfit

         One of my college instructors told me that he didn’t believe I had legs. He thought I had jeans with some sort of apparatus in them that gave the appearance of legs. That was twelve years ago, but demin is still well represented in my wardrobe.

         I can usually be found in tanks, halters, or t-shirts over boot-cut jeans or denim capris. (This is Mila Kunis wearing my style outfit)

Favorite Book (Your Book or WIP of course) 

         January Black. It’s my seventh completed novel, but it’s the first I wanted to publish when it was finished. The chapters just flowed, like they really were writing themselves, and when I was done, it just felt done.

I then subjected it to eight complete rounds of editing and cut 10,000 words. Now it’s done…at least until my editor gets back to me. 

 

About Wendy Russo

Wendy Russo got her start writing in the sixth grade. That story involved a talisman with crystals that had to be found and assembled before bad things happened, and dialog that read like a homeroom’s morning roll call. Since then, she’s majored in journalism (for one semester), published poetry, taken a course on short novels, and watched most everything ever filmed by Quentin Tarantino. It’s possible to see his influence in her work if you look.

After spending her formidable years in Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin, Wendy moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she now works for LSU as an IT analyst. She’s a wife, a mom, a Tiger, a Who Dat, and she falls asleep on her couch at 8:30 on weeknights.

Wendy S. Russo
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Readers Rock!

A bunch of girlfriends came along with me for a fun girl’s only  cruise.

On the day at sea, we hung around on the Lido deck and sunned, when I glanced around there were twelve of us hanging out, nine of us were reading.  Here is the tally of the type of material my friends perused through, or didn’t

Magazine – 1

Paperback – 1

iPads – 1

Nook – 2

Kindle – 4

People Watching – 2

Snoozing – 1

We are crazy reading party animals or what!!  What would you be doing?

Sailing, Sailing!

Whilst you read this post I will be onboard a cruise ship with 10 amazing women celebrating a milestone.

 

This month I will have lived 1/2 a century, yes that’s me!  I’m a bicenteriuamanana or whatever you call it.  In layman’s terms I turn 50 this month.

I have conquered that 1/2 Century…sound the trumpets!!!

Oh and Feliz Cinco De Mayo Amigos~I’ll drink to that!

 

Tami Brothers’ Favorite Five

Ooh what’s better than two Favorite Fives in one week!!!  Today I would like you to meet Tami Brothers’.  This totally cool chick is a friend from Georgia Romance Writers.  Very nice, personable and easy to love!  Enjoy her Favorite Five!!!

Thank you for stopping by Tami!!

Favorite Beverage

Tami at Coke Museum in Atlanta

Oh man!  Right now I love my Diet Cokes.  I’ve tried several times to cut back, but after giving up my Cinnamon Dolce Lattes last December, it’s harder to cut out the Cokes than I thought it would be.  Probably because I’m trying to drink just water.  Maybe I should come up with an alternate drink that tastes just as good.  Got any ideas?

Favorite Room in Your House

Hands down, my deck.  After having downsized recently, this is one of the few places where I can get a bit of “me” time. Although our yard is still a HUGE mess after having our five acres of trees thinned by a logging crew, I still have a pretty view of a small lake next door.  One of these days I’ll be able to drag my sorry behind out of bed early enough to sit on said deck, drink a cup of coffee and watch the sun rise.  Well, maybe not.  I think the deck faces north.  I might have to turn my chair a bit.

Favorite Place in Your Home Town

The library.  When I was growing up, Trixie Beldon and Nancy Drew were my heroes.  I could only dream of being that confident and smart.  I just knew I was going to be a detective when I grew up.  Later in life when The Kid was younger, I’d take him to this very same library for story time or to play with the kiddie toys they have scattered around.  He LOVED it.  I’m a true believer that these little trips are the reason my teenager loves to read.Favorite Outfit

I love a comfy t-shirt and a loose pair shorts.  I’ve been a casual kind of girl from the time I was in diapers and even though I have to dress for work in the office, when I get home I’m outa the hose faster than it takes Princess Bella to realize I’m in the house. Because I collect T-shirts everywhere I go, I don’t have one particular favorite. But if I absolutely had to choose, it would be my Disney Grumpy shirt.  Hubby thought it was rather fitting when I got it.

Favorite Book

The book I’ve read more times than any other is Lucky’s Lady by Tami Hoag.  Even though I’d read other romance books prior to this one, Lucky’s Lady was the book that grabbed me by the throat and hit me over the head with the writing bug.  Although Tami Hoag has since gone deeper into the suspense genre, this story will always represent for me the perfect blend of romance, mystery, and the sexiest Cajun I could ever imagine.

Oh man. Now I’ve talked myself into reading it again. Wonder if I can get it on my Kindle yet?  Hmmmm…  Will have to check that out.

I want to thank Hildie for sharing a day on her blog. I’ve loved reading about all the other authors she’s interviewed and am thrilled that she let me be a part of this great group.

~Tami Brothers ~

Drool Worthy Free short story

Will all-work-and-no-play keep Marianne from finding a great guy? Or will the pastry chef be in exactly the right place when opportunity walks through the front door?

Smashwords and Barnes & Noble

In her Wildest Dreams Novella coming June 1st. 

http://www.tamibrothers.com/

Blurb: How does an average, forty-something woman rationalize a short fling with one of Atlanta’s Most Eligible Bachelors? By telling herself no one would ever know and since he’s moving, she would never see him again. What could go wrong?

 

Cindy Young-Turner’s Favorite Five

Favorite Beverage
Tea! I have a serious tea addiction. I’ve tried to cut back on my tea purchases lately, though. I have drawers full of tea. Loose tea, bagged tea, you name it. Fortunately we don’t have too many tea shops around because I go crazy in them. Jasmine tea is one of my favorites, but I also love Lapsang Souchong, which is a smoky tea. It reminds me of being outside around a campfire.
Favorite Room in Your House
This is a tough one. I’d have to say our deck in the springtime. I love being able to sit outside in the sun, read a book, and just relax. It doesn’t happen very often!Favorite Place in Your Hometown
I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts, about an hour north of Boston and close to the New Hampshire border. My favorite place was the woods behind our house. It was so quiet and peaceful. Not long after I graduated college and moved back home for a bit, a developer decided to put a housing development back there. This was my first foray into community action. My brother and I organized neighborhood meetings and got a local environmental group involved to try to preserve the habitat, but sadly we didn’t win. Growth is all well and good but at some point you have to say, at what cost? 

Favorite Outfit
I’m most comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt. When it’s cold out, I add a comfy flannel shirt. Favorite winter shoes are my Doc Martens, and favorite summer shoes are my purple birkenstocks.

Favorite Book (Your Book or WIP of course)
Thief of Hope is my first baby. I think it will always hold a special place in my heart, regardless of the other books I’m working on. A lot of work went into shaping it and finally seeing it through to publication. When I was doing final edits on the book it was actually hard to go back to where my heroine came from because she grows and changes so much throughout the course of the story. Your characters really do become a part of you!

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It’s Finally Here! Inhale by Kendall Grey!!

Inhale is a story penned by a wonderful lady who has turned her life’s love into a romantic tale.  I’m so excited to be privileged enough to be part of her journey to publication!

INHALE Flash Mob

INHALE, an urban fantasy romance by Kendall Grey, is now available in paperback and e-book for Kindle (MOBI) and Nook (EPUB). INHALE is the first book in the JUST BREATHE trilogy. Kendall is donating all profits from the sale of the trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face. Watch the video to find out why. 

Kendall encourages interested readers to consider purchasing an e-book instead of a paperback. E-books save trees, cost considerably less, and bring in much more money for the whales.

Thank you for supporting INHALE, and most importantly, the whales that need our help.

INHALE blurb:

Strangers in reality, inseparable in dreams…After years of suffocating under her boss’s scrutiny, whale biologist Zoe Morgan finally lands a job as director of a tagging project in Hervey Bay, Australia. Success Down Under all but guarantees her the promotion of a lifetime, and Zoe won’t let anything—or anyone—stand in her way. Not the whale voices she suddenly hears in her head, not the ex who won’t take no for an answer, and especially not the gorgeous figment of her imagination who keeps saving her from the fiery hell of her dreams.

Gavin Cassidy hasn’t been called to help a human Wyldling in over a year, which is fine by him. Still blaming himself for the death of his partner, he keeps the guilt at bay by indulging in every excess his rock star persona affords. That is, until he’s summoned to protect Zoe from hungry Fyre Elementals and learns his new charge is the key to restoring order in the dying Dreaming. He never expects to fall for the feisty Dr. Morgan…nor does he realize he may have to sacrifice the woman he loves to save an entire country.

*This book contains graphic language, sex, and some violence. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.
**The author will donate all profits from the sale of the JUST BREATHE trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face

Kendall Grey