Look With Your Heart is next in L.B. Dunbar's Heart series.
When small town enemies are forced to face each other in shared quarters, they just might find there is more than meets the eye between them.Ethan Scott lost his job. As top chef to an elite resort, he heated the kitchen with more than just the stove ... and got caught. A blow to his ego in more ways than one, he’s forced to move back to his hometown when a position for a personal chef opens. His new boss is a recluse in the woods and he’s heard the stories. Determined to make the best of things, nothing prepares him for the sight of his new employer or her feisty attitude.Ella Vincent gave up her career without a choice. As a former model, the gruesome scars on her once lovely face won’t sell beauty products. Finding refuge in a secluded home in the woods near Elk Lake City seemed like a good idea until her brother hires someone to look after her. Her new employee is more than handsome in the face; he’s a thorn in her side.Sometimes it takes a bruised heart to see more than the beauty our eyes can behold.
Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. It's sad we need to have a day like this in 2023, but unfortunately the sale and exploitation of human beings is still alive and well. Too many people, specifically women and children, are bought and sold every day in countries, including the United States.
It wasn't until writing Slave (Finding Anna, Book, 1) that I realized how oblivious many were to this sad reality. I got reviews saying this type of thing didn't happen in America.
But it does happen in the United States. It's not only a third world problem. It doesn't only happen in other countries.
The inspiration for my Finding Anna series was a woman who was rescued after being held as a sex slave for almost 20 years. This happened in the US. She wasn't trafficked in the traditional sense. She was kidnapped and held captive.
As I listened to this woman's story as it unfolded on the news, I thought about the trauma and trust issues she would obviously, and rightfully, have. How would this affect her relationships going forward? Especially those with the opposite sex.
Just like Brianna in my Finding Anna series, the people rescued from these horrific situations need support. While researching my story, I came across an organization called The Polaris Project. They are working to try and stop human trafficking at its source.
"Human trafficking is the business of stealing freedom for profit. In some cases, traffickers trick, defraud or physically force victims into selling sex. In others, victims are lied to, assaulted, threatened or manipulated into working under inhumane, illegal or otherwise unacceptable conditions. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 24.9 million people around the world." ~The Polaris Project
Those individuals being trafficked are trapped. When I wrote Brianna's story, I wanted to given a realistic insight to what it would feel like for someone who'd had their humanity stripped from them. These people are no longer human beings with rights, needs, and desires. They are a commodity to be used for convenience and profit.
Brianna's story wasn't typical. She was only held captive ten months before she was rescued by Stephan. Many are trapped for years or decades.
I pray for a day when we no longer need to talk about this. One where using and abusing human beings is a thing we only learn about in history books.
Next I'm diving into the second book in L.B. Dunbar's Heart series, Read With Your Heart.
When a small town teacher meets her new neighbor, she’s failing at remaining professional.Tricia Carter loves teaching, but as a high school teacher, her newest student puzzles her. When she calls home to discuss her concerns, she learns the child lives with a much older brother. She also discovers he’s her next door neighbor and dangerous. Complete with tattoos, piercings and lots of leather, he’s everything Tricia isn’t interested in. She knows all about the menacing-man types and she won’t be walking into the darkness again. She’s smarter than that.Leon Ramirez never learns. Case in point is the woman next door. When his sister has issues in school, he can’t seem to stay out of trouble himself. Addicted to dangerous situations in his formative years, this former gang member just wants to live a simple life, work on cars, and drink his beer in peace. His vivacious, witty and tempting neighbor screams off limits, and he won’t dismiss the signs. He’s not that dumb.When you don’t heed the signs, the heart reads between the lines.
It's a new year, and of course that means sitting down and making a list of things I want to accomplish in 2023.
Every year I evaluate what went right and, yes, what went wrong. What worked for me, made me more productive, and what just sounded good but didn't produce the results.
This year I have a goal of publishing 3 novella and 1 full length novel. While that might not seem like a lot for some authors, it's a mountain for me with my commitments outside of my writing life. In order to have any chance of achieving my goal, I need to be focused.
One of the big ways I'm hoping to stay on top of my goal of writing four stories this year is by getting an early start. I found last year if I woke up early (between 5am-6am) I was able to get a lot accomplished before my attention was needed elsewhere. This means going to bed early in order to make sure I get enough sleep. Each feeds into the other and productivity is the name of the game. I'm much more productive at 6am than I am at 11pm.
And even though we're only a few days into the new year, the change has been significant. Not only have I put a good amount of words down on the page, I've also began working on some other projects around the house. It's a win-win all around.
I've sat down at my desk every morning for about two hours and knocked out as many words as possible. For the last two days, I've been able to write 1,500 words in that time, which mean, if I can stick to my schedule (which I know isn't always going to be the case), I could knock out this novella in about a month. Crazy!
So what am I working on in the start of this new year?
At the end of 2022, I published the fourth book in my Serpent's Kiss series, Claiming His Kiss. The hero of the story, Daniel, has three adult children. After getting to know them in Daniel and Ali's story, I had the idea to write a short trilogy focused on his kids. So the first order of business for 2023 is to write the first story...Cassie and Jesse's.
If you'd like to read Cassie and Jesse's story as I write it, become a Patron. I post unedited chapters as I finish them as well as inspiration photos, behind the scenes insights, and deleted scenes.
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