Migraine Awareness….

Tags

#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.

If Weather Could Kill….

Tags

#amwriting, #snippetSunday, Burn, Nate & Belle, snippet

This summer has been especially brutal for me as one of my biggest migraine triggers is barometric pressure changes.  I have managed to add to BURN, but although I’m not as far along as I’d like this book shouldn’t take a year and a half to land on your ereader of choice (probably.)

So… What do you say to a hot snippet from BURN?

She crept into Nate’s room, stopping to take in the smörgåsbord of muscle lying among the twisted bedclothes. Intellectually, she knew fighting fires was hard work, understood that he worked hard for the rippled abs and bulging biceps, used them to do good work, but as a woman she couldn’t help but sigh. This is how men were meant to be built. Strong, protective, unyielding. She couldn’t wait to trace the furrows with her tongue, to line up his rock solid body with her much softer one. She’d taken two steps toward him when he startled her, his voice low and roughened with sleep. “You’d better be ready.”

“I’m here,” she answered, suddenly unsure of herself, all the reasons she’d stayed away swirling in her mind.

“You have about five seconds to leave,” Nate said, an almost menacing edge to his voice.

She swallowed, grateful for the darkness surrounding them. Hopeful she sounded confident, she promised, “I’m not leaving.”

“Then come here and let me touch you. I’ve been dying to touch you,” he growled, and she was powerless to deny him. She closed the space between them, vaguely aware she was holding her breath. If he had been dying to touch her, so too had she been desperate to touch him. He rose from the bed, his gloriously naked chest rising and falling with short pants, his fully aroused cock tenting his boxers. Her mouth watered. She wanted to lick him all over, to take him down her throat, to feel him explode within her, swallow his salty essence, but all she could do was stare.

“Come here,” he commanded and she obeyed. As soon as she was within touching distance he had her plastered to him, his mouth on hers. He devoured her, exploring her with his tongue, owning her mouth, stealing her breath. She wrapped her arms around his strong neck and jumped, throwing her legs around his waist. He was so strong he held her easily, allowing her to climb him like a tree.

He continued to ravage her mouth as he turned and pressed her to the bed. “I have dreamed of you here,” he whispered. “Tell me you’re really here.”

(c) Hayden Braeburn

 

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Tags

Broncos, Caleb and Haleigh, Football, Live For Me, NFC, Peyton Manning, Seahawks, snippet, Superbowl

As someone who has lived in both Knoxville and Seattle, I am a tiny bit torn with who I’ll be rooting for tonight.  (For those of you who don’t know, Peyton Manning was the QB at UT).  Honestly, I think I’ll be pulling for a great game, and may the best team win (and, yeah, maybe I’ll be yelling a little harder for the Hawks since not only did we live there for a while, Girlchild was born there.)  Of course, I should also root for the Hawks since I am a Redskins fan at heart, and my mother always taught me to root for my division if I couldn’t root for my team, so… GO NFC!

And… since I’m still working on Live For Me, I’ll give you a football-based snippet.

He didn’t often feel the need to shout, but watching football involved yelling, and he hated that it made her so uncomfortable. He winced at the memory. This past Sunday he’d been watching the Redskins play the Cowboys and as the running back made his way up the field all Caleb could do was scream, “Hold onto the ball! Hold onto the ball!” Haleigh had stiffened, but Georgia had been in his lap, bouncing up and down as he told the players what to do. At least Georgie didn’t much care when he yelled.

He’d apologized to Haleigh afterward, berating himself for making her upset, and she’d just given him a wide-eyed shrug before telling him, “It was only a game, Caleb. I’m okay.” She wasn’t okay, she was traumatized, and every day he wanted to get his hands on the bastard who had made her scared of a man barking at the television. She knew he’d never hurt her, but that didn’t stop her from reacting like he would, and that made him angry. Angry at the man who’d mistreated her, angry at himself for not keeping a lid on his rabid fanaticism, angry at her for reacting when she wasn’t in the least bit of danger. It wasn’t fair, but it was there just the same.

Every Book is Different!

Tags

#amwriting, Caleb and Haleigh, Live For Me, snippet, The Everetts of Tyler

Ain’t that the truth?  I mean, it took about six months to write Fight For Me, and I honestly thought Live For Me would be similar, the characters speaking and everything coming together relatively easily.  Um… NO!

I hate, hate, hate that this book isn’t ready, but I don’t want to put something out there that isn’t done, so I am moving the release date of Live For Me (again!).  As soon as it’s to a point where I feel comfortable telling you when it will release, I will shout it from the rooftops, but until then, know I am working on it!

I’m sure you’ve also noticed that I haven’t been around very much online, which is part of the problem as well.  School started, I’m working 50 hours a week, and we just got two puppies, so life is a little full.  I am definitely writing, but I will likely continue to be relatively quiet on facebook, twitter, pinterest et al.

And… since I have made you wait six weeks for a blog post and I don’t have a book for you yet…

 

She shook her head and cut him off, “You can’t protect me, Caleb.”

“I can. I will.”

“From bad guys, maybe, or you can pay someone to protect me. You can’t protect me from me.”

He regarded her through narrowed eyes, his face scrunched in disbelief. “What?”

“I need therapy.” She sighed. “Lots and lots of therapy before I can even pretend to be a whole person. I’m afraid I can’t be who you need me to be.” She looked down, fiddled with her silverware. “I want to be.”

“You already are.” He leaned across the table. “I spent weeks with you and Georgia—the best weeks of my adult life. I thought I’d made myself clear at the hospital, that I knew I was going to screw up, and we’ll take as much time as you need, and I’ll be gentle and patient. I don’t care about your past; I want your present, your future.”

She made a gesture at herself. “I’m not this woman.”

“Look at me,” he commanded, and she met his eyes with her blue ones. “This woman, this perfectly made up woman who my friend assumed was a model is beautiful, but she’s not the woman I want. I’ll take her if she’s part of the package with the real Haleigh, the Haleigh who dances in the kitchen when she thinks no one is watching, who makes pancakes in the shape of elephants for her daughter, who loves her patients, who puts everyone ahead of herself, who escaped from a past to find her way to me. That’s the woman I want.” 

Holy Overbooked Summer, Batman!

Tags

#amwriting, #wip, Burn, Nate & Belle, snippet

Ya know how those short people who eat money in your house take all your time?  Well, why is summer worse than the school year?  LOL.  I love Girlchild, but I think we’re going to need a driver just to take her to all her scheduled events, and when you add Boychild to the mix, well, we’d better open up an account for lunches and gas money.  *sigh*

So, instead of listening (well, okay, reading) me lament about my wonderfully popular kiddos, how about a snippet from BURN?

 “Uncle Nate, Uncle Nate!” the children screamed in unison as they jumped into his open arms. She guessed them to be about seven or eight, cute as hell, and they obviously adored their uncle.

“You guys are so big!” he exclaimed when he caught them, feigning falling over. “I won’t be able to pick you both up before too long.”

“Nu-uh,” the girl protested. “You’re strong!”

“The strongest man ever!” The little boy chimed in. “You’re stronger than Superman!”

“Nah,” Nate disagreed. “I’m not that strong.”

“You save people,” the little girl said. “Momma says you’re a superhero.”

She liked the sound of that, even if it made her stomach turn to think about him running into burning buildings.   

Villains Running Amok!

Tags

#amwriting, #wip, Burn, Nate & Belle, snippet, villains

I’ve been working on BURN for the last few days, and I have to say the villain has been running amok.  It’s not a bad thing, but I keep having to go back and rethink/rework the story line every so often.  When it’s finally finished, I hope it will be a book worth reading, and I have to say the Aylesford series is shaping up to be more on the Erotic Romance side of things, although definitely with suspense and action (surprise!).  So, since I’m off-schedule blogging, and I need to go get ready to go to the day job (which I really do love, ignore me when I whine), I will leave you with a snippet.

 Nate stood beside Gabe, the damage to the building appalling. They’d fought the fire hard and technically won, but Juliette Jamieson had a lot of clean up and rebuilding to do before she could teach here again. He turned to his friend. “What the hell kind of connection is there between a lingerie shop and a school of dance?”

Gabe thought about that for a moment before answering, “Sex and dancing are sins?”

Sins? “Are you kidding me?”

The large man frowned. “No. The church Liza belonged to before she met me wouldn’t even allow ballerinas to join.”

He must’ve spent Sunday school learning about the Golden Rule or miracles or something. “So, Belle’s store sells sex,” he thought back to those Sunday school lessons, “or lust, and Juliette teaches dance?” He paused. “That’s not one of the deadly sins. That much I remember.”

“But dancing is sexy.”

He thought most dancing was boring, but who was he to judge? “If this arsonist is targeting sexy things, we have a problem.” Aside from the absurdity of the idea, sexiness wasn’t universal. “What class was Juliette teaching when the alarm went off, anyway?”

A strange expression lit Gabe’s face before he answered. “See, there’s where my theory came from,” he started, his face unreadable. “She had a guest teacher scheduled to teach—get this—cardio pole-dance.”

“Cardio what now?”

Argh!

Tags

#amwriting, Haleigh and Caleb, Live For Me, plot twists, snippet

^ Sad, but 100% true.

I’ve been wrestling with both books this week, maybe because I’m buried to my neck in RL work, so yesterday I sat down to examine the plot twists in both Live For Me and Burn.  (Hence the very silly, but true meme up there).  Good news?  I am happier and in a better place with both books.  Bad news?  Cross your fingers that Live For Me will come out on the new, updated release date…  If it’s ready, then it will.  If it’s not?  Well, it won’t.  I’d rather give you a book I feel is good than one that is on time (and I’m sure you’d appreciate that as well.)

So… Since it’s been so long since my last post…  a snippet from Live For Me.

“Why, Caleb?” she asked. “Why have we become your pet project?”

He had to sit down. “You can’t believe that. Not after all this time.”

“There’s nothing else it could be.” She paced away from him, her long legs eating up the small living room as she did. “You’re not Georgia’s father, and you can’t be interested in me,” she continued.

He bolted from the couch at her belittling of herself, crossed the room to stand before her. “What makes you think I can’t be interested in you?”

She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. “I am, well, I’m plain.”

“Plain?” He raked his gaze over her features, from her shiny blonde hair to her sapphire eyes to her full, pink lips. “He was blind, Angel.” He continued his perusal of her, from her graceful neck, to her plump, high breasts, to her slightly rounded stomach, and long, long legs. “I have always been interested, Angel.” He tilted her chin to look straight into her eyes. “If I thought you’d let me, I’d kiss you right now.”

This Working for a Living Thing is Overrated

Tags

Burn, Dance With Me Free, free ebook, Night Owl Reviews, snippet, Spring Fling Scavenger Hunt

So, last week I worked like the proverbial dog, and didn’t get much writing, editing, facebooking, blogging, or actual living done.  Today I’m writing, but as I am behind on Live For Me, I’m afraid the release date will have to be pushed back.  As soon as I have a light at the end of the tunnel (ha, look at me and the cliches today), I will give you the updated release date.  *sigh*

Good news?  Well, I can give you a snippet, at least.

 Belle smoothed the borrowed t-shirt dress she wore, laughing a little as she did. She and Claire certainly resembled one another with dark hair, tawny eyes and pale skin, but Belle was three inches taller and more than a cup size bigger. She grimaced into the full length mirror. The green was flattering, but the dress was too tight across her breasts, a little baggy in the middle, and very, very short. She sighed. It would have to do for now. She shuddered at the idea of buying bras and panties from a department store, but she didn’t have a choice unless she planned to go commando for at least week. As she slid her feet into a pair of flip-flops that almost fit, she opened her tiny borrowed purse and laughed again. Claire had tucked a couple hundred dollars, a pack of gum, and a note that read, “You’re strong, you rock, and you’ll get through this,” inside. God, she loved her baby sister.

At the sharp knock on the door, she opened it to find not one, but two drool-worthy men on the other side. “Morning, boys.”

Nate and Gabe stood together, grim looks on their handsome faces. This couldn’t be good. She opened the door wider to allow them in. “Spill.”

Instead of answering her, Nate growled, “You’re not going out dressed like that.”

She knew it didn’t fit well, and the lack of undergarments was more apparent than she’d wanted, but she couldn’t go out in pajamas or a bathrobe, so here she was. “What do you suggest I wear? I don’t exactly have much to choose from.” She tilted her head, watching his reaction as Gabe chuckled in the background.

“Honey, I will buy you whatever you need, but you can’t go out like that.”

She was afraid she’d melt under the heat in his eyes and wished she were wearing underwear for fear of the wet spot she was sure she’d make if she sat down. She brushed her hair off her face, pulling the dress taut over her aroused nipples and heard Nate’s shaky breath. Excitement slid through her body. How she’d love to give in, just once. Oh, who was she kidding? Once wouldn’t even be close to enough. Pushing the thoughts aside, she quirked a brow. “Okay, I’ll let you take me shopping.” He opened his mouth to argue but she rolled right over him, “But first, you have to tell me why you’re both here.”

Oh!  And one more thing before I sign off for a while– DANCE WITH ME is FREE on Amazon, Smashwords, ARe, and Kobo!  Feel free to share, gift, or delete your copy and redownload the free version to help Dance climb the charts!  (Hey, it’s a thought, right?)

And…. Don’t forget about the Spring Fling Scavenger Hunt!  TONS of prizes up for grabs, and great reads!

Spring Fling Scavenger Hunt!

Tags

Live For Me, Night Owl Reviews, snippet, Spring Fling Scavenger Hunt

Today’s post will be short and sweet (I seem to be doing that a lot lately), but it’s super fun.  I (and a bunch of other fab authors) are part of the Spring Fling Scavenger Hunt over at Night Owl Reviews, and there are ah-MAZE-ing prizes!  So… yeah, click that link up there and enter!

Okay, so that was probably the shortest post ever, wasn’t it?  How about if I give you an excerpt from Live For Me?  Will that make up for it?

“The Everetts don’t care about things like that. Hell, if I were ten years younger, I’d go after him.”

“You wouldn’t need to be younger,” Haleigh started with a shake of her head. Robin was thirty-five to Caleb’s thirty, and not old by any stretch of the imagination.

“No, it would have to be you. That man has never had a steady girlfriend—and I can’t tell you the last time I recall him having a date—yet it’s been over a month of spending every non-working moment with you and your daughter. That means something, Hales.”

She smiled at the nickname. “It means I ought to spare him my drama.”

“If he didn’t want your drama, he wouldn’t be there.” She placed her hands on Haleigh’s arms, forced her to look her in the eye. “I know you think you hide it well, but anyone who knows you, who cares about you, who has spent more than ten minutes in your company, knows your life before was bad. No one knows the story, but we all know there is one.”

She’d begun to wonder what the town knew, but she wasn’t telling, and they weren’t asking. “It’s not important.”

“If it keeps you from doing what you want, from living your life, then it is important.” She bit her lip. “What’s that saying? You can’t move forward while looking over your shoulder? The past is the past, and you can’t change it. The future hasn’t happened, but you can control what choices you make.” She paused at Haleigh’s slight nod. “You deserve to be happy.”

Awesome Reviews at The Jeep Diva!

Tags

#amwriting, #wip, DANCE WITH ME, Fight For Me, Five Star Reviews, Live For Me, reviews, Saturday Snippet, snippet, The Everetts of Tyler, The Jeep Diva

Both Everetts of Tyler books were reviewed by The Crazy Granny over on The Jeep Diva this week, and Dance came away with 4.5 Stars while Fight received 5 Stars!

Read both reviews here:

The Jeep Diva

Great reviews aside, I haven’t been writing like I’d like on Live For Me– although I am making progress, there is a slight chance the release date may have to be pushed back a bit.  We’ll see how Haleigh and Caleb (and Georgia) work out their lives (and if they work them out well together with no gaping plot holes, crappy dialogue, or stupid grammar…)  That said, today’s snippet!

She was cleaning up her office when a chill crawled up her spine, making her turn to look out the door and down the hall. Instincts on high alert, she took a deep breath to keep from panicking and searched the corridor for something or someone out of place. Finding nothing, she returned to her office, but the unease didn’t dissipate. Afraid something had happened to Georgia, she fished her phone from her bag.

“Mommy!” Georgie greeted from Caleb’s phone.

“Hi, baby. Are you having fun?”

“We seed a billion animals!”

“A billion?”

“Uh-huh. And we had hot dogs and ice cream!”

At least she could say Caleb was true to his word. “I’m happy you’re having such a good time, baby girl. Can I talk to Dr. E?”

She heard Georgia tell Caleb it was his turn, and braced herself for the sound of his deep voice in her ear. “We’re fine, Mommy,” Caleb said through a laugh when he took the phone from Georgia.

“I wasn’t worried,” she denied, causing his laughter to intensify.

“Yes you were, and that’s okay.”

She sighed. “Having fun, Doc?”

“More than I thought possible. I promise she’s fine, and I won’t let anything happen to her. You don’t have to worry, Angel.”

It was silly that his endearment made her feel better. Ignoring the niggling sensation something was still wrong, she said, “I’m glad you’re enjoying the zoo. I’ll see you both after work.”