A lot has been going on in my personal life lately, so my humble apologies for not posting regularly. Never fear, though…I’m still working steadily on multiple projects. I’m going to share a bit of what I’ve been doing (from three of my projects that are making steady progress) and wish you all a happy weekend!
Probably the most anticipated book readers are waiting for is Dead Bodies Everywhere (Nicki Sosebee #11). If you’ve been reading Nicki, then you likely sensed that the end is nigh…and the stakes are even higher. I’ve been struggling with writing this one, but I’m plugging away. THE BLURB:
Nicki Sosebee is getting closer to something. She just doesn’t know what.
Nicki’s sleepy hometown of Winchester, Colorado, usually has to deal with two or three deaths a year, not two or three a month. With the help of her friend, investigative blogger Janice Breaker, Nicki feels like they’re close to solving the mystery—and she thinks she’s right about her number one suspect.
Meanwhile, her love life might be looking up.
But as she gets closer to discovering the answer to all the dead bodies in her beloved town, she has to decide if she needs to stick to her guns or if it’s better to walk away…
TEASER from Dead Bodies Everywhere:
“You know Jesse needs a new roommate, right?”
Nicki struggled answering his question. Did Sean feel safe having her there, even though she and Jesse had a bit of a torrid history? Was he no longer interested in trying to woo Nicki back? Or did he just feel like he couldn’t get his drinking under control?
Or…were Jesse and his girlfriend so damned serious that Sean felt like he had nothing to worry about?
“Yeah. You asked him if he still had an empty room yesterday, remember?”
“Well, I mentioned to him about Brandy and Kevin expecting and you needing some space to call your own. He offered.”
“I’m sure he did.”
“He did, Nicki. They need another roommate to keep their costs down. He knows you’re not a party animal and you’re responsible. He even offered to help you move. Both of us could help.”
“So why didn’t he call me?”
Sean was quiet for a few seconds. “He said something about you not talking to him.”
“Not talking to him? What?”
“You weren’t texting him back or something. I don’t know. I don’t wanna know. I just know he thought you were only talking to him when you had to.”
Nicki was tired of being a bug under the microscope. “I thought you and Jesse weren’t talking, either.”
He was quiet for the longest time, making Nicki think maybe her phone had dropped the connection. Just when she was getting ready to ask if he was still there, he asked, “Do you want the room or not?”
Next is a teaser from a book I’m affectionately calling my “Nicki replacement” series. Those of you who follow my blog are already a little familiar with it. The series is Codie Snow and the story is called Fool Me Once. I’m currently publishing it on Wattpad but I will be saving the juicy stuff for the final published version. THE BLURB:
Something’s gotta give…but Codie Snow doesn’t know if it needs to be her non-committal workaholic ex-boyfriend attorney Slade Sheppard or her unsatisfying job as a nursing assistant. Because even though the chemistry with Slade is off-the-charts hot and the job is a necessary evil, she doesn’t know that she wants either.
Enter Pete Olsen, bad ass cop in charge of serving and protecting the town of Dalton, Colorado. Codie goes on a ride-along with Pete and sees the seedy underbelly of her town, witnessing the gamut–from an amusing domestic dispute to a frightening meth lab explosion–and she decides that law enforcement is not for her.
But Pete just might be.
When Codie learns that a supposed suicide Pete investigated on the ride-along is actually a murder, she poses as a religious fanatic in order to gain access to the controlling cult where the dead woman was discovered, hoping to find the truth. But has she instead set herself up to be murdered–and will she uncover the killer before she becomes the next victim?
TEASER from Fool Me Once (Codie Snow #1):
Codie allowed herself to enjoy the kiss with everything in her. She hadn’t realized till just that moment that she’d been tense. Maybe the evening’s events had stressed her out more than she realized.
Maybe she should give up the fool notion of being in law enforcement.
For now, though, that thought floated away as Pete’s tongue lightly brushed her bottom lip, teasing her senses. Part of her thought she should pull away, because this was blurring the professional barrier, but the selfish part of her—the part of her that had been increasingly turned on by this old flame throughout the night—wanted to instead hold him close.
It was then that she noticed the fingers of her left hand had wrapped around his shirt—the uniform he wore for work, a starchy-feeling, thick cotton thing that she desperately wanted to yank off him.
But she didn’t know his intentions. It was then that she loosened the grip of both hands but she still allowed herself to relish the taste of his lips and tongue on hers. And there was no way in hell she could control the pounding of her heart in her chest, any more than she could control the way her blood pressure was spiking in response to this guy.
She drew his tongue in her mouth for a deeper kiss, all while realizing she needed to call a halt to this action right now. She knew she would now have a hell of a time riding in his cruiser, thinking about him in not-so-nice-girl ways.
Yeah. Really naughty thoughts.
Oh, hell. They had to stop. Right. This. Second.
When the kiss ended, she slid her right hand from his neck to his chest and gently pushed against him. Their lips broke off from each other and she said, “Pete, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
There was that all-American grin, reminding her just how much she’d adored him as a young man. “You seemed to like kissing me just now.”
She let out a small breath, unable to stifle her own smile. “I liked it too much.”
“There’s no such thing. Come here.” His hands that had been around her waist pulled her close once more and he laid his lips on hers again. This time, though, he allowed his fingers to drift down as his hands slowly cupped her ass and pushed her more into him. Her eyes closed and she let herself enjoy the kiss again. When he stopped, he let her go slowly, teasing her once more, and he took a small step back.
It was weird. Even though there was now a gap between their bodies, she could still feel his warmth.
And those stupid sweatpants. She could feel them trying to fall off her slender hips again. She grabbed them with one hand and caught her breath, trying to solidify her thoughts. Before she could speak, though, Pete said, “Okay. Lunch, I guess, and then back to work.”
Codie blinked. “So that’s it?”
Another captivating grin. “What do you mean?”
She could feel her eyes grow wide. “You get me all hot and bothered and then that’s it. Back to work?”
It was almost imperceptible, but she could see how he cocked his head slightly. Hmm. She knew he was confident to the point of being cocky, but was he signaling that he couldn’t read her? How was that possible? This guy—a cop, trained to read people—was having a hard time sensing her emotions?
If she’d been wearing panties, they’d have been soaked, for heaven’s sake. How could he not know?
“That’s what you’re here for, right? And you said it wasn’t a good idea.”
She pursed her lips to stifle a smile and then said, “Jesus, Pete. It doesn’t matter what I said.” She swallowed. “It might not be a good idea, but…yeah. I want you.”
Immediately, Codie wondered if she’d stepped out of bounds. Pete might not have been able to read her, and it went both ways. She’d thought maybe he was feeling the same way she’d been—that they were old lovers and the embers still glowed down deep, and now that they were older and maybe wiser, why not see if the chemistry was still there? Aside from the awkwardness they’d experienced early on as kids—when she gave him her virginity and then as they began exploring their budding sexuality—their bodies had been compatible, even when their minds hadn’t.
Now, though, she wasn’t so sure. She could see in Pete’s eyes some kind of struggle. Yeah, she’d definitely misread the situation. Shit. Talk about awkward. And there was no graceful way to correct any of that. All she could do would be to apologize and then ask him to take her home.
While she was trying to formulate just how to say all that, Pete pulled her close again. Okay, so she hadn’t misread him. Not by a long shot…
Last is a book that kind of came out of the blue. I’d had an inkling of this story for a long time but it suddenly overtook a huge chunk of my writing brain. Up until a few weeks ago, I was calling it my May-December romance. I haven’t written a story by hand in a long time, but I’ve been carrying a journal around with me and writing when I have a few free moments. In no time, I all of a sudden had several thousand words and a story that’s developing nicely. Here’s your first peek at December Lust. THE BLURB:
Brandon Abbott, a young soldier who served with her deceased son, shows up at Kimberly Runyon’s door one afternoon. His intent had been to meet the mother of his best friend but also to try to bring comfort to the family before rebuilding his own life. Over the course of an evening, they discover that Brandon is without home, job, family, or friends, so the Runyons invite him to stay with them until he gets on his feet.
Kimberly stopped believing in love when her ex-husband left her for a younger woman, and she certainly never believed in May-December romances…yet she finds herself falling first in love and then lust for the man who is young enough to be her son. While she fights to keep her emotions at bay, she also discovers that Brandon is struggling with some seemingly severe PTSD-related demons, possibly due to his time in the military. Can she keep her feelings to herself while helping Brandon through his darkness?
But can Brandon be trusted? Is Kimberly too blinded by her December Lust to see what’s right under her nose?
TEASER from December Lust:
There was a sadness about Brandon that touched my heart. I could sense that he had so much more to say, but the words couldn’t find a way out. Maybe he needed time, but there was also a chance that those words would be forever buried inside him.
“Brandon, I haven’t been a Christian woman since the day I learned of my son’s death, but it wouldn’t be very Christian or civil of me to turn you away after dark.” I took a deep breath and saw him mustering up an argument, but I began speaking again before he could protest. “Ordinarily, I’d have a guest stay in the extra bedroom, but—if you’d be okay with it—I’d imagine Gabriel would like to have you stay in his room. It’s…been unoccupied for a very long time.”
There was a long pause until JR clamored, “Please?”
Brandon’s struggle was evident in his eyes but he said, “That’s very kind of you. I’d…appreciate it more than you know.”
His soul had spoken to me that night. It was the night I fell in love with Brandon Abbott.
If you want to add these books to your Goodreads TBR lists, here are the short links:
Dead Bodies Everywhere (Nicki Sosebee #11): http://bit.ly/1UkJbvk
Fool Me Once (Codie Snow #1): http://bit.ly/1sic5D6
December Lust (standalone contemporary standalone romance): http://bit.ly/1P6WMrf
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