While I wait

The first round of edits for Behind Closed Doors are back in the hands of my editor. Chris and Elizabeth's story is almost completed, and as with every story I write, it is always bitter sweet saying goodbye to characters once their story has been told. The positive side is that we will see them again in future books. Chris has three brothers, and I will be writing a novel featuring each of them and their lady loves. So even though Chris and Elizabeth will not be the focus, it's not a complete goodbye.

While I wait for the second round of edits to hit my desk, I thought I'd jump back into Finding Anna. It's been great reading over my draft again, but it is somewhat strange to be back inside Stephan and Brianna's heads again. They are so different than Chris and Elizabeth's.

So far, I've only gone over two chapters, but the excitement is building. I want to get back to telling their story and seeing what I will uncover next. As an author, one of the great parts about writing is seeing the story unfold before you. I'm not the type of person who writes everything out in an outline before I sit down to write, so sometimes I am just as surprised as the reader about what comes out in the story. It keeps me  on my toes and opens many possible twists and turns for the characters.

One of the chapters I worked on this week introduces a new character to the mix. It will be interesting to see what they add to the story as it goes along.

Six Sentence Sunday November 27, 2011

His eyes were on her hands. "Are you...sure?"

"Mmm," she murmured as her hands skimmed the cleavage she'd just revealed.

Jason began to sit up, but she took a step back, and he stopped. Her hands continued slowly on their journey. "I bet it's only a matter of time before your brother finds out."

Hidden Threat

Flash Fiction Friday 11-25-11

Flash Fiction Friday. What can you do with only 100 words?

He stood after checking to make sure their friend was still alive. “Someone want to tell me what happened?”

Silence. No one volunteering information. They’d been stuck in this mansion for weeks now waiting for details on their next assignment. Everyone was getting restless, but this was unacceptable. Aidan was naked, reeked of alcohol, and had red lipstick kisses covering his torso.

He should have known his men this would happen. “Is she gone?”

“Yes, sir.” He didn’t look up to see who’d answered him.

“Make sure someone stays with him. When he wakes up, send him to my office.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving here in the US today. For most it is a day of eat with turkey and watching football. Just the other day my husband was saying how he couldn't wait to stuff himself at Thanksgiving dinner. My mom puts on quite the spread that is anything but low in calories.

As I get ready to make the pumpkin and chocolate pies I always contribute to our yearly thanksgiving dinner, I can't help but think how different this year is going to be. It will be the first year without my father at our Thanksgiving table. Last year was the first year he wasn't able to carve the turkey because he was too sick. This year there will be an absence and I wonder how my mother will handle not having her husband by her side.

Because of this, I'm feeling very reflective this morning and what I am thankfully for in my life. I am thankfully for my husband and my family who have been so supportive of me in my writing. I am thankful to have a place to live where my cats can cuddle up with me on the couch while I watch T.V. I am thankful I have a place to worship without fear. And I am thankful for all the wonderful people I've met over the last year who've listened to my ups and downs, and who've let me vent when I needed to.

Today is a day to focus on the positive and what we have. To everyone out there, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. What is it that you are thankful for on this day and every day?

Six Sentence Sunday November 20, 2011

"Get dressed and come to the living room, please."

And then he was gone. I was more confused than ever. He wanted me to get dressed and come to the living room?

Then I got it. He was getting rid of me!

Slave (Finding Anna Book 1)

To read other six sentences from participating authors, go to www.sixsunday.com.

Flash Fiction Friday 11-18-11

Flash Fiction Friday. What can you do with only 100 words?

He couldn’t believe his luck. After a year of trying to get his foot in the door at the best art school in Europe, his best friend managed to do what he had not; get him an interview with the dean of students.

The ground barely registered beneath his feet as he ran full speed towards his flat. His interview was in an hour, and he needed to be ready. Luckily, he’d been preparing for this moment since his freshman year of high school.

There, just inside his door, sat what he hoped would insure his future as an artist.  

Crash!

Have you ever heard the phrase 'a moment can change everything'. I had that point hammered home to me on Tuesday morning. It was about 10am. I'd been editing my little heart out on my Janurary release, Behind Closed Doors.

As always, when I finished the three chapter section that I'd been working on, I hit save and then immediately pulled up my e-mail to send the changes to my editor. The screen was up, her address loaded, the subject line filled. Then...nothing. The computer froze. I tried several things including restarting the computer, but all I got was a pop up message telling there was an error in loading. At that point, I knew my only option was to call my computer guy and see if he could fix the problem.

From past experience, I copied down the exact message I'd received when the computer crashed and handed it over. The looking on his face wasn't good, but I knew if anyone could fix the machine it was him. He's worked miricles in the past.

The following day, I received a mixture of good and bad news from him. He was able to get the computer running again, but it was only temporary. I should have enough time to get the files copied off the hardrive, but that's about it. My computer was about to meet it's final death in a very short amount of time.

Let me explain that said computer is roughly ten years old. We'd been contemplating buying a new one for a couple of years now, but this development forced our hand.

Luckily, we were able to find a new computer fairly easily last night. We found they don't even carry computers anymore like the one we had. lol.

The new addition to our home is now settled into its new home and ready for the load of work ahead of it.

Has anything like this ever happened to you? Were you able to recover your files or did you lose everything?

Six Sentence Sunday 11/13/11

It was too late to deny it anymore; he wanted Cali Stanton more than he'd wanted any other woman in his life. The problem was he couldn't have her; nothing had changed. She was still his boss. He'd even heard her tell her father tonight that she had plans to go back to Africa after her dad was back on his feet. A relationship between the two of them was out of the question.

He'd just have to stay away from her.

Hidden Threat

Flash Fiction Friday 11-11-11

Flash Fiction Friday. What can you do with only 100 words?

“Don’t. Move.”

“I wasn’t…”

“No. You don’t talk either,” he said, his grip increasing around the man’s throat. “I don’t know who you are or what you think you’re doing, but she,” he said, looking down at the woman sleeping peacefully unaware on the bed. “Is mine.”

The man didn’t answer.

“Good. Now. We are going to walk to that door over there, and you are going to walk away. I’m never going to see you again. Understand.”

He dragged the man through the doorway before releasing him, watching him disappear into the night before returning to his sleeping wife.

 

Six Sentence Sunday

It was then I got it. "You want me to buy her." It wasn't a question, and he didn't deny it. The thought of "buying" a woman turned my stomach, but if what Daren said was true, I couldn't just leave her there.

I needed more information and ignored my food as it grew cold on my plate. "What makes you think he'd be willing to part with his property?"

Slave (Finding Anna Book 1)

To view other author's Six Sentence Sunday selections go to http://www.sixsunday.com/.

Flash Fiction Friday 11/4/11

Flash Fiction Friday. What can you do with only 100 words?

She was turned away from him. And although he could see her beautiful long hair cascading down her back, he couldn’t see her face. He needed to see her face.

Slowly, cautiously, he advanced. He didn’t want to frighten her. He didn’t want her to leave.

Only a few feet remained between them when something must have startled her and she turned, her eyes wide with fright as she looked at him. Without thinking, he reached out, only to have her form dissolve beneath his fingertips. “No!”

His eyes opened as he gasped for breath. A dream. Only a dream.

Radio Interview Tomorrow

If you haven't heard already, I'm being interviewed tomorrow on The Hollis Chapman Show. We'll be talking about what else...my writing and books! :)


I hope that you can listen it as it should be a lot of fun. The live interview will take place at 10am MST/1pm EST.

Behind Closed Doors

If you've been following me on Twitter and Facebook, then you know I've been working on my new romantic suspense novel Behind Closed Doors. If you haven't been following me, then why not? ;)

Today I get the exciting task however, of showing you all the Behind Closed Doors cover and the book summary. My publishing house is going to be releasing this information later this week, but I get to let you in on it a little early.

So...without farther ado...Behind Closed Doors.

 

Elizabeth Marshall spent the last nine years doing all the things she was supposed to do. She went to a good college. Married a man with a promising future. Elizabeth even had a nice house in a respectable part of town. There was even the promise of 2.4 kids in her future. From the outside everything looked picture perfect.

One night, six months ago, the world she lived in came crashing down. Her husband dead and her friends gone, Elizabeth moves to the small town of Springfield to start a new life for herself where no one knows who she is or anything to do with her past.

Christopher Daniels enjoys the simplicity of his bachelor life. After his divorce three years ago, he swore off women. He has no desire to change that philosophy.

When Elizabeth Marshall moves into the apartment below him in the small Victorian house, she makes him begin to reconsider the motto he’s lived by for the last three years: women are trouble. She is everything is ex wife was not and it doesn’t help that she is his wet dream come to life. 

He is determined to resist her charms, however when someone starts sending threatening messages to Elizabeth, he finds himself in the role of protector. Can he protect Elizabeth and still be able to resist the pull she has on his body and his heart?

Behind Closed Doors is scheduled for release January 19th, 2012 through The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House.