Man, I am BAD at this Blogging Thing

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#amwriting, Aylesford, Aylesford Series, excerpt, The Everetts of Tyler

So, yeah, it’s been… WAY too long since I wrote a post, but I have been working on another book, so there’s that, right?

If you’re following on Twitter and/or Facebook, you might’ve caught the cover for DECEIVE, the next book on tap. This book is the first in the Aylesford series but is following characters you know well from the Everett series, Chris Delmonico and Tiffany Morgan. It’s nice to finally give Tiff her full backstory and point of view, and we all love Detective Delmonico (well, I do, at least). So… without further ado, this is the official post with the cover (provided by the wonderful Francessca Wingfield of Francessca’s PR & Design), and an excerpt as well. The plan is to have this book out for you this fall!

“I can’t believe you talked me into this, Delmonico,” Tiffany Morgan whispered as the two made their way into the lavish ballroom of the Aylesford Suites. “An actual ball? I’m no Cinderella.”

His chuckle was warm. “I’m far from Prince Charming, Tiff,” came his reply. “But who the hell else could I talk into going with me? Gemma?”

“Your sister would’ve come in a heartbeat.”

He shook his head. “She would’ve annoyed me the whole time. Instead, I get to hang out with you when I have to wear this monkey suit.”

She laughed at that. Chris Delmonico in a tuxedo was a sight to behold, his Italian good looks and muscled body wrapped in the sexiest suit ever made for a man. She held in the feminine sound that wanted to come out, saying instead, “You clean up all right, Delmonico.”

His dark eyes danced with laughter. “And you know you’re gorgeous, even if you can’t wear heels yet.” He stuck out his arm. “Let’s make a scene.”

 

Tiffany was sipping champagne when Haleigh Everett made her way to her side. “Decide you’re well enough to skip your last appointment?”

“Didn’t you tell me I was ready for duty?” she asked the physical therapist.

The other blonde nodded. “I did, but you still need to keep up with your exercises. Your bones have healed, but the ligaments and muscles are in need of maintenance.”

She sighed. “I know you’re right, but continuing with therapy for eighteen months seems like overkill. I didn’t wear heels tonight—hell, I probably won’t ever wear them again—but I need to be able to run after suspects to do my job.”

“I know, and I’m sorry to confront you here when you’re all dolled up. I just don’t want you to reinjure yourself if I can help you avoid it.”

She smiled, fully aware the admonishment was coming from a place of concern. “I will make sure to keep my appointments from now on,” she gestured toward the other woman’s slightly protruding belly, “or at least until you add another Everett to the clan.”

Haleigh’s smile was bright. “Things are so different this time around. Caleb is amazing, and there’s family everywhere.”

“All that love is a little overwhelming, I know,” she agreed, thinking of not only the Everetts but the Delmonicos and Jamiesons. All were relatively large families with still happily married parents, and all were almost smothering with how much they loved their children and by extension the people in their orbit. She had been nearly adopted by the Everetts years ago after trying to save Cassidy, and again after being involved with Caleb and Camryn’s cases. It was so different from the way she’d been raised, it still made her uncomfortable on occasion. “But that is exactly what little baby Everett needs.”

Haleigh laid her hand across her belly. “I know. I can’t believe I’m here, married to Caleb Everett, living this life. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll wake up and find this has all been a dream.”

 

Onward and Upward!

Tags

#amwriting, ACHE FOR ME, Aylesford, Aylesford Series, Live For Me

Now that Ache For Me is out and selling (it could use some reviews if anyone feels so inclined– so could Live For Me, just throwing it out there), it’s time for the next book. I have a few I’d like to write this coming year, and if I can actually keep my shit together (and my health in check), I’m hoping you’ll get a book from Aylesford and a book from Ashford Hills this year (of course, you know me– I have been known to think big and then take forfreakingever to write a book, so let’s hope I can make this work).

So, back I go to writing this next book set in Aylesford (any guesses who the central characters are?) and hopefully I’ll have a snippet to give you soon!

Migraine Awareness….

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#amwriting, #wip, ACHE FOR ME, Aylesford, Burn, Camryn & Carter, migraine, Nate & Belle, snippet, The Everetts of Tyler

So, June is Migraine Awareness month and of course those of us with this affliction are well aware of them, but I have been especially knocked out this year. In fact, I am WAY behind on both books I’ve been working on–ACHE FOR ME and BURN– but as soon as they are actually books and not, well, the collection of chapters I have so far I will share them with you.

Actually, since I haven’t posted anything in, like, four months, maybe you’d like an excerpt or two? Yes?

ACHE FOR ME (The Everetts of Tyler, Book 4)

Carter feigned sleep as long as he could, wondering what was going through Camryn’s head as he did. She’d been sobbing the night before, obviously shaken, and he hadn’t known what to do for her besides gather her in his arms. The decision had been the right one, but it’d been torture for him holding her and knowing that was all he could ever do. When her fingers slid across his biceps, feeling the muscle for a moment before trailing to his shoulder, he had to make himself known or pin her to the bed and take what he wanted.

“Morning.”

Her hand immediately left his body. “Do you work out?”

She was wondering why he didn’t look like the nerdy pushover she remembered. He’d always stayed fit, but with brothers like his he’d been the runt. Smart, but not particularly athletic. In a family full of professional athletes, he was the one who played chess. He propped his head on one hand. “I’ve been learning martial arts with your brother.”

She laughed. “The doctor and the lawyer.”

“Caleb is the teacher. Mason and I are learning.”

“The doctor, the lawyer, and the banker?” She paused. “You’re lifting, too.”

“Gotta stay healthy,” he replied before steering the conversation away from his physique. He might be learning some moves, and he did have a weekly session with a trainer, but he wasn’t vain. “What do you say I make coffee?” he asked before rolling away. It was morning and he’d held Camryn in his arms all night. He needed to make a quick and inconspicuous exit before she noticed more than his muscles were hard.

BURN (Aylesford Book 1)

Giving up on sleep herself, Belle headed for the bathroom, dropping onto the low stool tucked under the built in vanity. She had the look of a woman well-loved, but she needed to get into the shower and get started on work. She had new inventory coming in for fall and nowhere to put it, so despite the lack of a building, she had a business to run. A chill snaked down her spine. Did the arsonist mean to kill her when he burned the store down? Everyone knew she lived above her shop. She rubbed her arms. This wasn’t mere destruction of property, this was attempted murder. Pure hate. Who hated her enough to kill her? And for lingerie and sex toys?

She shook her head. There was a strip club in Tyler, and at least two full-blown sex shops in Sheridan. She swallowed. Hers was the raciest store by far in Aylesford, but it was tasteful and her ads weren’t any more risqué than the national chains. Shit, the largest chain in the world had fashion shows with nearly naked women wearing wings on national television. Seduction was small potatoes compared to that. She shrugged. Maybe not such small potatoes in a conservative southern town.

She’d met some push-back when she’d first opened, but had paid it little mind. Women needed to feel sexy, and their men—or women, she wasn’t judgmental—ate it up. So, who, then? Who would try to kill her to prove a point, to drive her away or at least shut down her business? She rubbed her temples. She didn’t have the answers, but she had a lot of questions. It’d been three days since she lost her shop, and there was always Gabe’s theory the arson had something to do with Nate. He’d said he hadn’t dated in months because of her. She ignored the curl of warmth that settled in her belly at the thought. She hadn’t dated either because it was pointless. No other man had elicited the chemistry she had with Nate. She’d just ignored it for too long.

She tugged at her hair to get her mind back on track. If Gabe was right, maybe someone wanted her out of the way because she wanted Nate to herself. He was an incredible specimen of male perfection, but to kill to get him? She watched her expression sour as she thought about what happened to Mason Everett not long ago, and prayed Nate was safe.

Questionable Calls, Misremembering, and Edits

Tags

#amediting, #amwriting, Aylesford, Brian Williams, Burn, Seahawks, Superbowl

Being a Seahawks fan has been a teeny bit difficult the past week, for the obvious reasons.  Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson and everyone else have defended the call to pass when it seems the entire world was screaming, “You should’ve run!” but one thing that rings true for me as a lifelong football fan and former tight end/wide receiver (totally not kidding– I also played hooker in rugby during college), is that if the play had worked as planned, it would’ve been a touchdown and no one would be saying anything.  Because Butler made a great play (a rookie corner with no interceptions until that spectacular one), the game was over.  It was probably the best Super Bowl in recent memory, a constant give and take by two incredibly well matched teams, and for that I am grateful.  Honestly, last year’s blowout by the Hawks was a bit boring and that’s coming from a fan.

This week also has one of the most respected newscasters on television turning out to be a little bit of a fiction writer.  Now, we all know the news is not just the facts, and there is always a slant depending on the particular channel or publication, but inserting oneself into a situation is certainly not the way to honor the veterans who were actually there.  Can Brian Williams recover from this?  Time will tell.

For me, well, I have been struggling with Burn for the last, well, forever.  I love Nate and Belle, but I’m not loving the way their story is turning out, and the villain is crazypants, but too prominent in the current version of the book.  So… you will be getting the first of the Aylesford Series this year, and hopefully the last of the Everett Series as well, but, well, not for a while.  Thank you for bearing with me– this whole working 40+ hours a week and raising children thing really gets in the way of writing– and I truly hope when I actually have a book ready, you’ll love it.  Until then, how about a snippet?

“So, now Gabe doesn’t think the arsonist is after you?” Belle asked, hating herself for the deflated feeling that came with the thought he might send her back to Claire’s.

“No one is sure anymore. He seems to think it’s sex, or at least things related to sex or sins being targeted, but that’s so broad, so crazy, I have no idea where to start.”

She gave him a saucy smile. “You’re about the sexiest thing in Aylesford, so you’re definitely in danger if that’s the case.”

He returned her wicked grin. “Likewise.”

She had to step away so she wouldn’t jump on him in the middle of a conversation that might mean both their lives were in danger. Her stomach pitched when she told him, “I’ll pack my things.”

The smile slid from his face, replaced with a fierce look. “You said you wouldn’t run.”

“Oh. I.” Her heart was beating double-time. He wasn’t going to send her away, and now he thought she didn’t want to be here.

“You’re mine, Isabelle Baxter.” His green eyes were intense as he laid his claim, but he didn’t move toward her.

“Yours?”

His brows furrowed. “Didn’t I make myself clear this morning?”

He hadn’t said much, but the intent was there, especially after she’d begged him to leave bruises. Still, she needed to hear the words. “You didn’t say—”

“Actions speak louder than words, sweets,” he told her before closing the space between them. “I can’t leave you vulnerable, and I refuse to let you go.”

She swallowed. She’d never seen him like this, determined and possessive, and she liked it. “I don’t want to go,” she started.

“Then don’t.”

“But if the arsonist is after me, I will not put you in danger.” She spun away from him. “If something happened to you because of me—”

He turned her to face him, cut her words off with a kiss. “You told me once that I put my life on the line for strangers all the time. Why shouldn’t I risk myself for you?”

She studied him, taking in the hard look in his eyes, the ticking muscle in his jaw. He was a firefighter, a hero, and she had hidden behind that, hidden from him for years because of that fact. Now that she had promised to accept his nature, his need to make a difference, to save people, she had to back up her words with actions. “What if you lose your home because of me?”

“A house can be rebuilt, Belle.” He pulled her to him again. “You can’t be replaced.”

“Neither can you,” she said quietly as she laid her head against his hard chest.

Happy New Year!

Tags

#amwriting, #wip, Aylesford, Burn, Happy New Year, Jimmy Thomas cover, snippet, The Everetts of Tyler

So, the world didn’t end (shocker!), and we’re headed into 2013.  What do I have planned for this coming year?  Let’s see…

April 30th– Live For Me, The Everetts of Tyler Book 3

June– Burn (Aylesford Series)

August– Neighborhood Watch (Aylesford Series)

October– Book 4 of The Everetts of Tyler, originally titled Burn For Me, but that may change.

So, are you now asking, “Hey, what’s this Aylesford Series?”  Well, it’s a series based in Aylesford (no way!).  The first one, Burn, is centered on firefighter/EMT Nathan Reynolds and lingerie shop owner Isabelle Baxter.  I haven’t worked the blurb to a point where I’m happy with it yet, but I will soon.  For those of you who have read Fight For Me, Neighborhood Watch was teased at the end.  This one focuses on Detective Chris Delmonico and Nate’s sister Allison Reynolds Quinn.

“Okay, so what’s with the title change for Camryn’s book?”  My thought was having a book titled Burn and another one titled Burn For Me, even if they are separate but interrelated series wasn’t a great idea.

And with that, I need to get back to writing Live For Me and Burn and agonizing about the title of the next Everett book!  Best wishes to everyone for a safe and prosperous 2013.

Oh, you wanted a snippet?  Okay then…  Why not one from Burn?

Isn’t the cover awesome?  Another Jimmy Thomas pic and Jodi Jo design!

 He tossed his hands in the air. “I haven’t even been on a date in months because of you.”

Her heart nearly stopped beating. “Right. Women are always throwing themselves at you.” She adopted a high pitched voice, “Nate is sooo hot! Nate is sooo brave!”

She could tell he almost laughed, but thought better of it. Instead he raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh, do they say that?”

She pushed at his solid chest. “You know they do.”

“And it bothers you?”

“Hell yes it does.” Dammit.