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Thirteen Favorite Lines

Published August 28th, 2008 in Healer's Garden, Quotes, Thursday Thirteen, Tilling Passions and furry fluffy and wild. 0 Comments

I love to write. Really I do. Okay, so not every day, but hey, it’s a job and everyone hates their job a couple times a month.

But then there are the days when everything comes together, the stars align, the characters promise to behave, settings pop off the page and your prose just shines! I love those days. It’s during those times I come up with some gems that make their way to the pages of my books.

So this list is 13 of my favorite lines from my books.

Healer’s Garden

1. But damn, he’d been treading water a hell of a long time while he waited for destiny to change the course of his life.

2. ”Are you finished speculating? Because I can tell you the facts if you’re interested or I can just wait here while you try to attempt to put together a puzzle with missing pieces.” He lifted a shoulder. “Either way I’m good.”

Blind Love

3. “A man intent on conquering a woman and adding her to his proverbial notched belt holds no credibility with someone as innocent as Julie.”

4. Damon laughed and held his hands up. “I’ll go willingly. Please, just promise you’ll hurt me.”

5. The hurt tumbled over anger, rolling into an emotional snowball that plunged headlong without regret into Meghan’s feelings.

Love’s Bounty

6. He’d abandoned all pretense and now was as focused on getting laid as he was on collecting information from the bimbo. He figured she swung whichever way the wind was blowing. And the way he was feeling, he hoped she’d think a monsoon had swept in her direction when he found her.

7. Biting back a smile, Ayden watched her glistening tears turn into fury. That he could handle. An angry woman was one hundred times easier to placate than a despondent one.

8. Her long, muscular legs that he’d admired in the great room, started somewhere around her neck.

Arranging Love

9. Peter wasn’t sure if the guilt weighed on his facial features like it did on his heart.

10. Heat flushed her cheeks. “Peter, making love in the kitchen is one thing. But playing tortured slave girl to your master fetish, well … I’m just not sure that’s something well-adjusted adults do.”

Blue Moon Rising

11. Jayda Kynslan sauntered into the Whip and Bull Tavern wanting only two things: a cold beer and a hot cock.

12. Men, she’d come to believe, were nothing but scumbags of trouble on the garbage heap of misery.

Shadows of Fire

13. Firemen fought fires as a team. They hung by their balls as a team. Go team!

How it All Came Together

Published August 27th, 2008 in Blurbs, Books, Bragging, Contracts and Liquid Silver Books. 0 Comments

I’d like to say it was easy writing my latest story. I’d like to say the words just flowed onto the page. I’d like to say there was no frustration, or throwing of pens, or late nights…

But that ain’t the case! LOL!

I worked and pushed and forced myself to put sentences together to fill the pages. My characters seemed to take great pleasure keeping their stories hidden from me. I didn’t know who they were or why they needed me to tell their story. Like a personal trainer, I pressed them and kept at them until finally they relented and told me about all their pain and hopes.

Three quarters of the way through, the villain let loose on a rampage that revealed all. Like he had to wait that long? Because that meant I needed to go back and explain it all to the other characters in the beginning chapters. LOTS of rewriting.

But let me tell you … it was worth it!

From all this work, came my latest book, Shadows of Fire. I submitted it to Liquid Silver Books for their fireman series that will be coming out in 2009.

Fortunately, they also liked my novella and offered me a contract! Yay Me! I’m still dancing!

Here’s the blurb:

Sometimes the answer you seek is right in front of you …

ALEXANDRA FLANAGAN didn’t ask to be forced from her human existence as a chemistry student at the South Kenton University in the northern mountains of California into the ungodly world of vampires. But thirty years ago, after nearly dying from a vicious vampire attack, that’s exactly what happened. Saved by the blood of an ancient vampire, she unhappily walks among immortals–facing a hollow existence she never chose.

REESE COLTON has been a vampire for centuries. A man of honor, he is part of an elite military operation known as RISEN that seeks out and eliminates rogue vampires who choose to break the unwritten codes of the immortals and not live complacently among the human population. Under cover as a firefighter at the South Kenton fire department, he and his team have been called in to investigate the unusual number of fires that have ended the lives of several humans–and vampires.

When chemistry ignites passion, Reese and Alex find themselves embroiled in an affair that catches them both unaware. With the number of fires escalating and Alex’s behavior increasingly suspect, Reese isn’t sure whether to follow his heart or the clues. Will Reese find the answers to Alex’s secrets in the Shadows of Fire?

Now, we just have to wait until next year for these bad-boy firefighting vampires to be released into the world!

Welcome Liquid Silver Books!

Published August 25th, 2008 in Bragging, Guest Blogging and Liquid Silver Books. 26 Comments

I make no secrets over the fact that I absolutely loooove my publisher, Liquid Silver Books. It was a year ago this week they offered me my first contract and I am so happy we found each other! We’ve been through a lot since then. It’s been an amazing ride and I look forward to growing with them.

Today, Tina Burns has agreed to visit, share a little bit about Liquid Silver Books and stay and answer some of your questions. Hopefully, it will take some of the mystery away when it comes to submitting a manuscript to a publisher.

Here’s where I get to dig in and find out all those things everyone has been dying to know!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became involved in Liquid Silver Books.
I started out in the eRomance industry as a reviewer and through them, got a job as a proofreader for LSB. I made so many editorial comments on the proofreader test that they asked me to take the editor test. I proofed one book, then took the test for editor and the rest is history. I’ve moved up in the ranks handling the newsletter, PR, and Author Liaison. Oct of 06 Raven and Mike asked me to move to Acquisitions since Rachel Fox moved over to concentrate on the Terran Realm line and just before RT was promoted to Publisher. What does that mean? I’m still finding out, but my goal is to help the staff and authors achieve their goals and beyond. I’ll be concentrating on increasing sales, increasing submissions, attending conferences, and evangelizing the good LSB word. (I love everyone at LSB. But I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for Tina … she’s the bestest! She offered me my first ever contract. And a gal just doesn’t forget her first *wink*)

What specifically makes Liquid Silver Books a great company to work for?
I think first and foremost the owners Raven and Mike. A company is only as good as its leaders and they’re both deep in business sense while at the same time bring a sense of camaraderie and ownership to the authors. Secondly, our authors and their books. I’m not gonna lie, we’re picky about what we accept, because we want our readers to have the best erotic romance stories on the market, and I think we’ve achieved that and will continue to “wow” our readers in the future. (Doing a little preening of my feathers right here. I love being an LSB author! I’m in the company of some amazing talent!)

Okay, I know Mike does the foot massages and runs to Starbucks to keep everyone happy while Raven slaves at the business. But could you tell us a little more about the LSB structure?
Raven and Mike are the owners. Raven does the website, publishing and keeps Mike in line, most of the time. Mike is our Guru of everything, he runs the forum, Silver Net, lovingly known as SiN, oversees the bookstore (sales), and generally tries to keep us entertained with his puns. Those skim the surface of all that they do. My title is Publisher. What does that mean? I’m still finding out, but my goal is to help the staff and authors achieve their goals and beyond. I’ll be concentrating on increasing sales, increasing submissions, attending conferences, and evangelizing the good LSB word. Terri Schaefer is the Editorial Director, her staff of editors rock out all our books. Rachel Fox is the Terran Realm Senior Editor and also helps out with a bit of everything. April Martinez is our Art Director. (She and her staff are absolutely amazing!) Tracey West is starting in August as our Acquisitions Director, she’ll be overseeing submissions. We’re very lucky to have Maria Shaink as our Publishing Admin. She’s taken over the newsletter, a lot of the forum duties, and new author introductions. She’s become invaluable to all of us.

Is there one type of sub-genre within erotica that LSB is looking for?
No. We’re looking for all types, all heat levels. We might put out a call for a series or an anthology, but we’re always looking for submissions.

I know LSB has two lines of erotica. Would you explain the difference between “liquid” and “molten” heat levels?
We’re actually introducing a third heat level, Sterling. This will open up our library to stories with greater emotional buildup, still with lots of sensual tension, but allow for fewer sex scenes. We’re still an erotic romance publisher, so our Sterling line will still leave the lights on for sex, for example, but the sex could wait till the end of the story as the culmination of that emotional buildup. Our Liquid line will encompass most of what it does today; great character development, building to committed relationships (HEA), and smokin’ hot sex. The Molten line opens up the sex to include GLBT, multiple partners, BDSM/Fetish, and Happy For Now endings.

I just got my royalty check. You think I should order these cute black stilettos with the rhinestones or the purple cowboy boots?
I’d go for the black stilettos but nix the rhinestones! (You know she’s right, the rhinestones clash with the boa I’m wearing.)

How do authors submit work to LSB? Do you prefer a particular format? Email or snail mail queries? That kind of thing.
Authors who aren’t already part of LSB, need to send their submissions to the sub2008 @ liquidsilverbooks.com (without the spaces) address. The email should include:

- their personal contact information
- a short bio and publishing history (if any)
- a snapshot synopsis of their book
- and attach the first three chapters in Microsoft Word .rtf format.

We don’t take queries without this information. If you email me with your synopsis and say “Let me know if you’d like to see it.”, I’ll just reply back that if you want me to see it, follow the guidelines.

You were the one who offered me my first contracts with LSB, would you explain a little bit about the process of querying to contract offer?
Sure! Suzie Author emails the first three chapters (following the guidelines above). We read them, and if we like them, we email and ask for the full manuscript. Once she’s replied back with her full, we finish reading the story. If we still like it, we make an offer. Once she says yes and does her happy dance, I ship off the contract to her to sign on the dotted line! (Mine’s more like a happy dance through the neighborhood … most of the time I try to wear clothes. But sometimes in my excitement…)

After the contract … what can an author expect?
From contract to publication runs about 4 months. The authors fill out a cover art request form, join SiN, get introduced to their editor and go through a month (typically) of edits. The book then rolls to a proof reader for that final scrubbing. If there are any changes it goes back to the author. Once we get a clean final manuscript, Mike does his magic and Raven publishes the book.

I’ve never met an unhappy LSB author. What do you attribute this to?
Me. No, just kidding. I think we’re fair, we’re established and knowledgeable about the business, committed to giving the best to our readers and authors and just plain fun on top of it all. Can’t argue with that, huh? (No arguments from me. I have enjoyed going through the process with every contract. And really, it’s F-U-N over at LSB!)

Anything else you’d like to share?
Thanks for having me! We’ve got some exciting things in the works for the rest of this year and beyond so keep your eyes peeled!

Very informative Tina! Like all my guests, I’ve tied her up … err, I mean she’s agreed to stay, yeah, that’s what I meant … she’s agreed to stay and answer some of your questions.

Go on … ask. You know you wanna!

Flying High on Research!

Published August 24th, 2008 in Bragging, Fun, Husband and Research. 1 Comment

Okay, the fact is, I love doing research for my stories. I’ve talked to retired FBI agents, a detective, an architect, and firefighters. I’ve visited police stations, newspaper offices, and fire stations. It’s amazing the places I get to see when I explain I’d like to use the information in a book. I love it.

Then there’s the research that takes me places. And this one took me high, high, high! If you haven’t figured out from the picture clues …

I went in a hotair balloon!

Photobucket

It was my maiden voyage. And I loved it! But what’s not to like? Of course I was very nervous. Not about flying (I’ve been skydiving) … but about my MS. My legs are so weak. Though I can walk, standing for any amount of time is difficult. So they put me in a balloon with seats. Yay!

Of course getting into that big old basket began the adventure. You’re supposed to do it really fast. So as the balloon fills and the basket lifts, I grab the side of the basket and push with my arms, lifting my leg as high as possible. The pilot, Wild Bill, reaches over the side, muckles onto it, pulling it over the edge while my DH lifts me up from behind, pushes on my butt and basically throws me in. All the while its lifting off the ground from its side to a standing position. Then two young ladies jump in (quite gracefully I might add) and off we go.

We had the good fortune of being the first one up so we got to see the other balloons fill and lift. Beautiful. I make jokes about living in northern Maine, but it is breathtaking here.

For an hour we floated over the landscape. No noise save for our voices and the whoosh of the blow. (What they call the push of fire to lift the balloon.) Peaceful. The pilot was a gentleman my age and of course I flirted shamelessly. He was teaching one of the young ladies how to fly so listening to him was so much fun. And it won’t surprise you when I tell you I discovered Wild Bill’s dossier because I am fascinated by people’s life stories.

The flight was wonderful. Breathtaking! Everything you would expect it to be.

Landing … um … yeah well, that was interesting. Bill told me he wanted me to go down with the basket. I’m all good. I knew I couldn’t jump out (which is what the other two passengers did!) So I settle onto the seat, curl into the corner of the basket, holding onto to one of the rope handles. We bump along the ground and the ground crew grabs the basket, the girls jump out and help the crew guide it along until it settles down. Then it tips over sideways with me still in it. One of the crew says “What do we do with her?” Bill replies “Leave her.” I just start laughing. He was right. Tucked there in the corner of the basket. I’m out of the way! LOL!

When the balloon is mostly deflated, a couple of the crew show up to help me out of the basket. But my legs had gotten really weak. So getting up was difficult. Bill, being the sweetie that he is … walked over, grabbed me by the waist, lifts me with little effort and sets me on my feet. I just giggled. He was so understanding about my disability. They were all wonderful!

Never let people tell you that you can’t do something because you’re disabled. My multiple sclerosis rarely ever slows me down! And if you ever have a chance to fly in a hotair balloon … take it. It was outrageously expensive, but we’ll eat macaroni and cheese this week … and I’ll always have the memories.

That evening they lit the balloons up …

*sigh* I love research.

Thirteen Used Car Buyer Tips

Published August 20th, 2008 in Children, Family and Thursday Thirteen. 16 Comments

So Little Boy Blue will be 18 in a couple of months and so of course he’s do the boy thing and looking for cars. It’s been quite an education for him as he’s dragged me around checking out cars on the side of the road. Needless to say … we saw some really interesting ones.

He has found a car. Yay! He’ll pick it up on Saturday. He negotiated a good deal, but it’s draining his savings. It’ll be another week before he’ll have another paycheck to register it. (And I’m not even going to talk about insurance! LOL!)

So this week I asked him if he learned anything through this whole process. Following are words of wisdom from a 17 year old about buying your first car.

1. You might have a problem if the car is parked at a house that appears to only be inhabited by parrots.

2. It probably isn’t a good buy if the seller has to empty out boxes, small appliances and various other crap so you can test drive it.

3. You might have a problem if you stand looking at the car for ten minutes and the seller only peeks at you from behind the kitchen curtain, but never comes out.

4. You probably should walk away if you ask the seller where the title is and they say “the what?”

5. It might not be worth buying If you have to tow it to get it to the mechanic to check it out.

6. You probably shouldn’t bother if when you mention the year of the car to your friends they say their grandparents aren’t even that old.

7. Remember — leather repaired with duct tape doesn’t mean luxury.

8. If the seller won’t talk to your mother you might have a problem.

9. You might not want to pursue it if the For Sale sign has no phone number listed.

10. You might really want to walk away if you do pursue it, by googling the yellow pages with the address where the car is parked – and they say there’s no phone number available.

11. It’s not a keeper if you walk around the rear of the vehicle and one side of the back bumper is propped up on blocks and they say “It’s no problem, the spare tire’s in the trunk”.

12. There could be a problem with it if the inspection sticker is three years old.

13. It’s probably not a good idea to buy a car if the seller tells you the odometer no longer works, but it only broke last week.

Welcome Destiny Blaine!

Published August 18th, 2008 in Books, Guest Blogging and Interview. 40 Comments

w00t! w00t! There’s a party going on right here! (Can you hear the music?) I’d like to welcome author, Destiny Blaine!

Destiny Blaine is an author who loves to bring her southern roots into her stories. With the exception of casino-related story lines, most of her books have a southern setting. All of Destiny’s books have her true southern voice and you can see it as you turn the pages.

The proud mother of two teenagers, Destiny and her husband are on the move a lot with sports activities keeping them on their toes. For enjoyment, the family likes to look for sandy beaches with huge waves for surfing and just relaxing!

Destiny Blaine writes erotica romance, suspense, and mainstream fiction. She’s agreed to answer a few questions (Silly Destiny … has she never visited my torture cham … er, um… guest blog before?)

Please tell us about your newest release.
Unspoken Truths (no cover curently available) is a contemporary erotic romance about a sexy-hot alpha male that has a very interesting “day-job” (as a football bookie well connected to organized crime) and a woman he’ll be forced to leave behind because of conflicting career interests. Tanner, the hero in Unspoken Truths, is one of my favorite heroes to date. He’s known the woman of his dreams his whole life but in order to protect her, he’s continually pushed her away-until he simply can’t stand the thought of leaving her behind. Coming August 29^th to Whispers Publishing, let me know if you’d like to see an excerpt by dropping me an email to destinyblaine@yahoo.com!

Your characters sound dreamy. How do you come up with them?
Often, the heroes in my stories remind me of someone I know. Sometimes, the physical descriptions match someone I’ve just observed for the sole purpose of writing them into my books and short stories. Of course, since I seldom see’ vampires, my imagination typically runs wild regardless of the inspiration! (Smiles)

Is there a particular genre you enjoy writing and why?
Right now, I’m wildly partial to western erotic and paranormal. However, I do write a lot of gambling-related love stories. I guess I’m sort of ‘known’ for them since a lot of my readers come from a gambling-related/poker background. Many of the folks who read my sports and gambling-related books first read my work under my real name before they discovered I write under the pen name of Destiny Blaine. It’s been really interesting to write in this arena because it’s like a new genre rising and I’m glad to be a part of it!

Your books seem to cover a little bit of everything. Is there some common thread to all your stories?
My stories typically have an alpha-male, though not always. Some have southern settings and many have gambling-related elements, or a sports theme. As for one thread? I don’t think so. I have to keep things interesting and different!

Okay, what’s your favorite type of paranormal hero, werewolf, vampire, fairy or some other dark mystery man I didn’t name?
Vampire (Oh, should I mention I’m writing my first vamp story? No! Bad hostess. Down, girl. Down!)

Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantzer? Do you have comfort drinks or snack foods? Any favorite music you play while writing?
My writing process is boring. I write all the time-how dull is that? I have a novel I’m working on right now that has been plotted and outlined too death but I fly by the seat of my pants with some stories. This one just had a very unique plot so I had to make sure everything fell in the proper place with the right timeline so an outline helps when there’s a lot of research involved.

Comfort drinks? COFFEE! (She’s not kidding her folks. She ’s scoffed down two double latte moches with foam and an iced coffee. And did she offer me some? Umm … that would be a negative.)

Good Writing Music? It changes day by day and week by week. Today it was: James Blunt, Elvis, Three Doors Down, Hinder, and Nickelback. Then, total silence-which often happens when I am dying to type “the end”. It’s mere minutes away!

You have books with several different publishers. Is there one you like to work with more than the others?
I have a couple that stand out above the rest because of the open communication.

Since I promote myself more than I’ll ever depend on someone else to promote for me, I count on the open communication so I can figure out what works and what doesn’t. If I can’t ask for and receive feedback, then I’m working solo and wasting my time. Ultimately, writing is a business. No matter how much I like someone in this business, the bottom line (yes, the money) is always going to matter to me-it must because I write full-time. Supportive publishers who are willing to offer constructive criticism and yet still point out an author’s strengths are a rarity in this business, or at least, that’s been my experience. However, I do have a couple or publishers who go the extra mile to help their authors succeed-which is nice.

That said, those who know me, know I look at e-publishing and small press a little differently than most. It only took a Las Vegas minute to understand that small press is political, to an extent, just like anything else. I’ve been in this business long enough to be indifferent to a lot of the surrounding elements which is why I can stay so focused.

I know there will be rejection along the way-I accept it. Sometimes I might question it (not openly, of course) if I bother to compare other books or whatnot, but I still accept it and move on. I know there will be bad reviews-I always consider the source and decide if it’s well meaning or well targeted for another purpose.

I look for the best place to thrive as a writer-where I feel welcome and comfortable. That said, a writer can only be as good as their publisher and vice-versa. I try to watch where I submit now for that reason. I want to be an asset to my publisher but in small press, I really expect the same in return. It’s a team effort-a joint venture-and again, I’m fortunate enough to be with some publishers who have similar visions and an outstanding work ethic.

If you could be one of your characters who would you choose and why?
It’s a tie between Constance in Winning Virgin Lust (coming soon) and Darlene from A Matter Among Men (out now). Why? Ahem…you’ll have to read the books!

You have a Yahoo loop that runs on Mondays. Could you tell us about that?
While writing the first stories of the Winning Virgin Series, I noticed a need for a chat group where authors and readers could come together and share their paranormal book excerpts, post contests, and just keep in touch. Just Another Paranormal Monday was born and it’s been rocking and rolling ever since it’s grand opening several months ago. (She’s not kidding her folks … it’s an awesome group! It’s how I first stalked, err … got to know Destiny. Come on over and check it out … http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ParanormalMonday)

A hot soak in the tub or a smokin’ BBQ with friends?
Hmmm…it depends. Who will be in the tub and who did you invite to the BBQ? (Men in kilts … have you not been listening to the bagpipe music? *g*)

Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
Yes! Right now, I’m running a sweepstakes. It officially kicked off with the release of Love, Lust, and Scandal in Professional Football but since football season doesn’t officially kick off until later this month, the big rush for prizes will begin in late August. Members of my loop will be able to score touchdowns and win prizes throughout football season. It’s a great contest so check it out at : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/destinyblaine_romance/

Wow, she talks faster than me and that’s saying something! Destiny and her books can be found at her WEBSITE or at MYSPACE and on her BLOG.Destiny’s agreed to stick around a day or two … haven’t you hon? (She’s nodding… or maybe her nose itches. It’s hard to tell with her hands tied to my keyboard.) In any case, don’t be shy. Ask her a question. Leave a comment to tell her you stopped by. Or just plain tell her how much you loooove her books. (No sweetie … bathroom breaks every hour on the hour … really, no complaining … next time maybe you’ll share that cup of coffee.)

Really folks, she’d love to hear from you.

At Long Last …

Published August 16th, 2008 in Free Reads, Test Drive and Writing. 1 Comment

And it’s finally here … the last of Test Drive, the free read I’ve been offering this summer. My apologies to have taken so long to get this twelfth installment to you.

Please enjoy…

******** TEST DRIVE ********

“Please don’t leave me here in the woods.” She looked from Brent to his brother, Paul. “We haven’t been gone that long. They’re probably not even missing me at the dealership. But it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m not going to identify you, because no one will know I was with you. The police won’t ask any questions once they find out I went for a little joy ride. It’s not the first time.” Margo heard her own voice, but it sounded distant to her ears. When had she made this decision? Where did she think she would go?

“What?” Both men blurted in unison.

“Margo, really, we’re not going to hurt you,” Brent said. “As soon as we get to the camp, we’re going to dump this car. Then, off to the mountains to buy the lodge, thanks to the down payment in the trunk. Poof! No longer U.S. citizens–”

“Shut up! You fucking asshole!” Paul’s voice echoed in the stillness of the forest. “I should leave you both here to rot in the woods.” Paul stalked around them, his fingers raking through his hair. “First her screwing everything up. Now you shooting off your fucking mouth. This whole thing sucks.”

“Margo.” Brent’s eyes searched her face. “This isn’t who we are, embezzlers and thieves.”

Paul pulled him to his feet, rage contorting his face. “We. Are. Not. Criminals. Need I remind you that that was Dad’s money and our inheritance? We got back what that cheating bastard of a business partner stole from us.”

“Well, it’s not how the courts are going to see it are they, bro?” Brent stepped back when Paul let go of his windbreaker. “That part’s done. It no longer matters.” He straightened the windbreaker. “It’s the kidnapping charges I’m concerned about.”

These men no longer frightened Margo. They were simply trying to find their way in the world just like her. “It’s only kidnapping if you have a victim. And I don’t see one of those here in these woods.” She spoke quietly, but with new found conviction. She had no intention of telling anyone about these men. “Getting the car back through the border is a non-issue, just put the dealer plates back on. We have Canadian customers all the time, but it doesn’t matter, I’m not going back, there’s nothing there for me.” Margo tried to stand, but her twisted ankle wouldn’t hold her weight and she nearly went down. Paul grabbed her and held her steady with an arm around her waist.

“What do you mean you’re not going back?” Concern rode on Paul’s words.

“It’s a long story … and not half as exciting as what you’ve been through.”

Brent pushed his brother aside and scooped her into his arms, heading back up the hill back to the car. “We’ve still got a drive ahead of us. Listening to someone else’s problems for once would be nice.

He set her in the passenger side of the car, Paul taking his place behind the wheel. What strange turns life took. Leaving Dylan this morning, she wouldn’t have guessed that a kidnapping could open her eyes to the disatrous turn her life had taken. But as Paul pulled the car back on to the road, she told them everything.

She told them about growing up in northern Maine, her life with her brothers, the death of her mother and her broken dreams. She talked without interruption, save for her own tears. It was a catharsis. She hadn’t even shared all of her disappointments with Dylan. How had this happened? How had two strangers opened her eyes?

“We’re almost there,” Paul stated flatly.

Brent leaned around the seat. “Margo, you know you can’t come with us. It’s time for us to fulfill our dreams. Your time will come. It’s just not now. Not with us.”

Margo looked from Paul to Brent. “I can’t come with you, but I don’t have to go home. You came to my dealership for a reason today. You’ve chosen today to start your lives over.” She laughed at the absurdity of her words. “You have guts. You had a goal you’ve been working toward and you reached it. That’s not easy to do. I thought I had to accept my life. But I don’t”

Paul turned off the highway and down a small dirt road. Pulling the car into the brush, he turned to Margo. “It’s the end of the line for us Margo. We’ll put the dealer plates back on.”

They all got out of the car. The autumn sun was warm on her face. The autumn breeze danced with the pumpkin colored leaves and filled her nose with the rich, earthy scent of fall. Despite everything she’d been through, a calm settled over her. She watched the brothers empty the trunk. Sadness made her limbs and heart heavy.

Brent pulled her into his arms. “You’re one classy lady Margo, if you’re ever in the mountains, look us up.” His fist tapped her chin. Of course he didn’t mention which mountains.

Paul handed over the keys. “Drive safely, and don’t pick up any hitch hikers, you never know what kind of ride they’ll take you on.” He laughed.

They helped her limp around the car and settle into the driver’s seat. Margo watched the men until the woods swallowed their retreating backs. Somewhere they would meet Dave. By the clock on the dashboard she realized only ninety minutes had past since she’d left the dealership with the old man John. What a different person she’d become in that short span of time.

She started the car, driving back onto the main road. Her life had opened up to her on this little test drive.

What she did now was totally up to her.

THE END

And the Answer Is …

Published August 15th, 2008 in Fun. 0 Comments

Okay, I just have to say with all the flurry of activity between the swimming and the gymnastics, I have done nothing but cry. Everytime they play the national anthem and another American stands on the podium I just ball my eyes out. I’m such a sap.

So, the three sports that aren’t olympic sports.

Lacrosse - Neither men’s nor women’s lacrosse is an official Olympic sport. It was a demonstration sport in 1928, 1932, and 1948, but teams continue to petition to make an Olympic event.

Tug of War - Though it was part of the ancient olympics they brought it back from 1900 to 1920. Two teams of eight tried to pull their opponent six feet. If after 5 minutes no one did that, it was the team that had pulled the farthest that won.

Men’s Synchronized Swimming - Yes they did this on Saturday Night Live, but the picture is actually from world competition. Though it is not an official Olympic sport, men do compete at an International level in this sport.

I also found out they had at one time Croquet (1900), and one handed weight lifting (1896, 1904, 1906)

Other interesting sports at the Olympics (but ones we don’t get to see include badminton, team archery, kayaking, mountain biking, handball (an insane sport that combines basketball and soccer), sailing, and rhythmic gymnastics.

And I leave you with this …

An Olympic Thirteen

Published August 13th, 2008 in Fun and Thursday Thirteen. 4 Comments

I love the olympics. I watch them with a box of tissues beside me because inevitably I ball my eyes out when someone … anyone does something like break a world record or competes with a broken foot or gets the first ever gold medal for their country. Or when they show an athlete’s parents cheering them on (like Michael Phelps’ mother.) Or when the athletes from Russia and Georgia hugged and shared the podium proving sports isn’t about politics. Okay … I’m crying again.

But to keep things light-hearted (because I’m all about the humor) and educational (because retired teachers never stop teaching) … I’m listing thirteen sports. Only ten are actual Olympic competitions. Can you pick out the three that aren’t currently on the official 2008 Olympic program?

I’ll give the answer tomorrow Friday evening (EDT).

So here’s the list. Which 3 don’t belong? (Okay, and no fair googling before you answer.)

1. Women’s Badmitton

2. Men’s LaCrosse

3. BMX Cycling

4. Men’s Table Tennis

5. Trampoline

6. Tug of War

7. Women’s Handball

8. Men’s Field Hockey

9. Team Archery

10. Women’s Air Rifle Shooting

11. Sychronized Diving

12. Taekwondo

13. Men’s Synchronized Swimming

First of the Last

Published August 13th, 2008 in Children, Life Observations and Personal. 0 Comments

So school started today. If you have children you know that means … back to the routine of lunch money and homework; soccer practice and PTA meetings; school dances and fund raisers. There’s a nice rhthym (okay, and sometimes … insane scheduling) that ebbs and flows through the house when the kids are in school.

But this year is just a little different …

Little Boy Blue is a senior. *sigh*

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those moms who followed the school bus to the elementary school in tears. On the contrary, when Little Boy Blue stepped foot on that yellow bus with his two older sisters I grabbed my purse and headed to the nearest Starbucks for an hour or two of sipping lattes and enjoying the knowledge that I had a few blessed hours to myself. (Okay, not quite like that … we don’t have Starbucks and I worked fulltime, but you get the idea. )

So my reaction to the youngest child heading out for the first day of school surprised me. The last first day of school … ever. We did the whole picture taking thing, because that’s a tradition in our house. But no more children will stand next to the tree, backpack in hand (because I want visual evidence for their chiropractors) and fidget while I work to get the camera focused and the picture framed just so.

Yep, there’s going to be a lot more lasts this year.
- last time filling out registration paperwork
- last open house
- last parent/teacher conferences
- last Christmas/Spring band concerts
- last of each sporting season
- last senior year events
- last … well you get the idea

I’m happy for Little Boy Blue. He knows already what he’d like to study in college and even where he’d like to go. It’s the way it should be. Children gaining their independence and making their own way in the world. And I’m happy he’s moving in that direction … really.

It’s just that the last two senior years didn’t quite affect me this way. There was someone coming up behind. But this is making me a little sad.

To think I’m closing the book on a HUGE chapter of my life. It’s just a little odd. And I’m not sure my heart’s ready for it.

WELCOME!

You've found the blog site of Romance Author KARA DUNN and my alter ego, Erotic Suspense Author NINA PIERCE.

Writing is an interesting journey, one rife with obstacles. Getting my first book published in electronic format in 2007 was only one of the goals I've set for myself. I continue to write and submit and hone my skills. I use this little corner of the internet to share with you all the joys and tribulations of being a published romance author.

So pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage, and share some time with me. Kara/Nina.