Sunday, December 30, 2012

#samplesunday Love on the Vine

This morning Catch Me A Catch is #5 in the free kindle list in the .com kindle store, and is still free, so please if you'd like a free read, do pick it up! .com http://amzn.to/PegguS .co.uk http://amzn.to/UbGFbI

And for #samplesunday here's some skinnydipping from the beginning of Love On the Vine...
 
Chapter One
 
A naked woman swam in his lake.
She  floated on  her  back, offering her  lissome body to the sky, silver shards of light reflecting from her pale skin. Long blonde hair drifted like an exotic water plant around her head.
Etienne Durand stilled at the lakeside, leaned against one of the huge redwoods circling the hidden paradise, and watched. He should be angry to find a strange woman taking advantage. The lake hidden in the forest was his property, after all. Prominent notices posted everywhere proclaimed the lands as private. But somehow the sight of the woman luxuriating in the clear water soothed his rotten mood rather than exacerbated it. He breathed in the scent of damp woodland and let his mind wander free.
In this hidden idyll, she looked like a nymph, a truly beautiful creature at one with the magical surroundings.
Dry  leaves crackled underfoot as  Etienne pushed  away  from  the  tree.  A  creature  who’d invaded his land. Without permission.
Whatever her motives, she must have climbed the fence into the forest from the vineyard.
His  shoulders  tensed  as  he  stepped  forward. “Get out of the water,” he called.
In an instant, the nymph jackknifed. Her arms flailed as she swallowed a deep mouthful of lake water. She came to the surface spluttering. I…”
“Get out. Etienne pointed to the lake shore. “You’re trespassing.”
“I’m not,” the female shouted back. And there’s no way I’m getting out, not while you’re watching.”
Etienne pulled in a deep breath. “You are trespassing. And I’m serious. Either get out of the water or I’ll come in and drag you out.”
The blonde blushed beet-red. “I can’t. I’m not…I’m not wearing anything.”
Holding back his amusement, Etienne crossed both arms across his chest. “I know.”
She trod water, watching.
“Well, which is it?” He undid the top button of his shirt.
Her eyes widened.
“Are you coming out on your own, or…” Etienne smothered a grin at her horrified expression. He slowly undid another.
“All right.” She swam closer. “My clothes are over there.” A wet hand, index finger extended, pointed to the lake shore.
Glancing to his left, he spotted a small bundle of discarded clothing.
“You need to turn around.”
Etienne crossed his arms and glared. “I don’t need to do any such thing.” No one dictated to him. As new owner of the St. Clair Durand Vineyard on the outskirts of the Californian town of Almendra, he was the master of all he surveyed.
She smoothed back her hair with a wet hand. “Please.”
The word hung in the air between them.
Some women would play the situation for all it was worth—walking out of the lake naked, with swaying hips and a knowing look in their eyes. He’d met plenty of those. Or pretend modesty in an attempt to manipulate. Bitter experience had educated Etienne in the wiles of women.
“I can’t get out until you turn around.” The flush crept down her neck. She rolled in her bottom lip and worried it with her teeth.
Etienne shoved a hand through his hair. The flush couldn’t be faked. Maybe the innocent act was real. If so…
He paused for a long moment, then, with a curt nod, turned his back.
A rustling noise behind him indicated she had picked up her clothes. Etienne hadn’t noticed a towel in the little bundle, which meant she’d have to climb into her clothes with her skin still wet from the cool water.  Passion  stirred  at  the  thought  of  her  wet body, and he silently cursed the inappropriate response.
“I’m dressed,” she said in a voice no louder than a whisper.
He swung back to catch his first close-up look of the stranger standing an arm’s length away. She was tall for a woman, the top of her head just about level with his nose. Long wet strands of dark blonde hair hung to just below her breasts, and her eyes were clear vibrant green, like new grass after rain. Like the shoulders he’d glimpsed, her face was pale, with a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Whatever makeup she might have been wearing had long washed away, and yet she still looked…   Etienne   blinked.   She   was   the   most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And he’d seen plenty.
His gaze swept her head to toe. High small breasts,  slender  hips,  and  legs  which  went  on forever. Soft lakeshore sand stuck to her toes, and cherry red polish painted her toenails.
Mon Dieu, what was he doing, gazing at her toenails? Etienne cleared his throat. His gaze flicked to her face. “So, who the hell are you?”
Love on the Vine buy links US http://amzn.to/RogWOD UK http://amzn.to/10zKU60

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas. everyone.

I wish everyone a happy, healthy and relaxing Christmas...
and a Happy New Year.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Fantastic new book of short stories by Suzanne Ross Jones!!

I'm delighted to tell you all about a brand new release on Amazon this week - my friend and fellow minx, Suzanne Ross Jones (who also writes under Suzanna Ross) has a collection of her short stories, previously published in People's Friend, out, called The Baby of the Family and Other Stories.

I've been priviliged over the past few years to read much of Suz's work - she's a very talented (and very modest) author and her stories are real, often with a dash of her trademark humour, and really tug at the heartstrings. Her novel Trust in Me written as Suzanna Ross has also just been released, and she also has a fantastic story in the new minx anthology, Blaze just out.

Here's a little about The Baby of the Family and Other Stories:

 
The Baby of the Family and Other Stories is a collection of twelve short stories previously published in the UK by the very popular British magazine, The People's Friend.
The Baby of the Family: Teenage Emma is determined to be taken seriously as an adult - despite her family's attempts to baby her.
The Accidental Smile: When a woman whose natural resting expression is a smile meets a man with the grumpiest face in history, nobody expects romance to be the result.
Football Crazy: Young Polly's love of football is at odds with her ability to kick a ball. Mum, Faith, is determined to find out why.
The Cantankerous Mr Christie: Nurse Sandra meets a variety of patients on her rounds, but Mr Christie has to be the grumpiest.
Loving Mark: When Heather marries a man with a teenage daughter, an awkward moment or two was expected, but she hadn't thought the difficulties would be caused by his mother.
A Taste of Home: When they have to relocate, Alexander is worried Flora isn't happy in their new home.
Domesticating Edward: 50-year-old Edward has resisted domesticity all his life - until he meets Mary.
Snowbound: Unable to get home for Christmas, Sylvie has to make other plans.
Arachnophobia: Penny moves into her dream home and is horrified to find she's not alone - an invasion of eight-legged guests are determined to keep her company.
Cake Worth Coming Home For: Her mother's chocolate cake is definitely that, but Sarah finds it's not the only attraction when she moves home to the village where she grew up.
A Blossoming Friendship: Widowed Rachel misses her husband and the neighbours who have moved away. Can she overcome her worries and make new friends?
Building Dreams: Annie's married to a builder, so surely she won't have to wait long for a new house on the plot of land her father gave them as a wedding present?
 
 
Here are some links: The Baby of the Family and Other Stories on Amazon UK/US
Trust in Me ( a novel) on Amazon UK/US
Blaze Amazon UK/US
 
Congratulations again, Suzanne!
 

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Love-Triangles - I love 'em!

So far, I've written mostly Romance novels which are pretty traditional. Boy - girl - struggle - love.
But what I love to watch on tv and in film are love-triangles. I have a triangle with a twist in my Christmas Read, Angel All Year, which has my angel Angela torn between two men, one alive and one with her as an angel.

Here are some of my favorite love-triangles....

Haven - Will Audrey go for Nathan or Duke?
Grey's Anatomy - well there are loads of complications in Grey's, but the Mark/Lexie/Jackson combo was great - until recently, obviously! and when they added in a serious girlfriend for Mark, that made it even more watchable!
The Vampire Diaries - I'm getting slowly sucked into VD, and am starting from Season One over Christmas to find out what I've missed-jumping in mid-stream. The Elena/Damon/Stefan triangle is just delicious!
Revenge - The question Will Emily choose Daniel or Jack kept me glued to the screen.
The Good Wife - Alicia's torment choosing whether to stay with her cheating husband, Peter, or to embrace a new, enduring romance with Will...
True Blood - Sookie - Bill - Eric...Heck, she should just go Alcide!
Twilight - Bella-Jake-Edward? Did she make the right choice?

I could go on and on. Because everything I watch seems to have compelling triangles in it.

I guess the love-triangle addresses a fundamental issue. Does the heroine want the steady, good-for-her man who's in the wings, or will she choose the wilder love interest, that she just can't resist? What makes it even more interesting is when she starts with one, moves on to the other, and then the first love moves on, and she wants him back! Or the scenario when she catches the wild one, he becomes devoted, and in true human-nature fashion, the other lover (who doesn't need/want her any more) becomes the human equivalent of catnip!

I love love-triangles. I think I'd like to write some. But the only way to write love-triangles is to give enough space to show all the relationships, and conflicts, so instead of a stand-alone book, I reckon a series would be the way to go, to show all the different permutations and love affairs that make up a complex life with love lost, love found, love rediscovered.

Surprises are the icing on the cake, the cherry on the top, the element that makes ordinary extraordinary.

Now, tell me what love-triangles you've loved that I've missed?