Happy spring! Welcome to this week’s Tuedsay Tales. This week we have another word prompt. NAIL. I used a from of the word, FINGERNAIL. I’m continuing with Sea Breeze. Enjoy.
I followed Cal toward the front of the store, almost bumping into him when he stopped before another door. He unlocked it and turned on the light.
There were a dozen stairs disappearing into the darkness.
“The second light switch is right here,” he said, flicking it. “Feel free to come down here any time you want to. Supplies for the store and the boat are on the left. The stuff I took out of the storage on the third floor of the main house is over there. There are a few pieces of child-sized furniture that must’ve been yours. Seamus went through it all, tossed some stuff away, but what he kept are in those twelve storage bins. Unfortunately, he didn’t mark any of them, so you’ll have to open them up and look inside.”
I nodded.
“I won’t be long. Are you sure you’ll be okay? I can promise that while there may be a bug or two, there aren’t any mice.”
“Good to know.” If I saw a mouse, I would be hanging by my fingernails from the rafters when he came back to find me.
“Alexa, play my rainy-day playlist,” Cal said.
“Playing Cal’s rainy day play list,” the mechanical voice answered. The sounds of a guitar filled the room.
At my shocked face, Cal smiled. “It’s a collection of folk tunes I enjoy. If you would like to hear something different, just tell her. I won’t be long.”
With that he left, and I walked over to the pile of bins with “The Leader of the Band” playing softly in the background.
The bins were stacked two high and six across. The first one was too heavy for me to lift down, but the second one was lighter. I pulled it off the other and removed the lid. I sneezed. The bin was filled with clothes, and someone had added pepper to it to keep the bugs out. I reached inside and removed women’s clothes in a size much smaller than what I wore. These must’ve been the garments my mother left behind. Who had folded them so carefully? Halfway to the bottom, I found a child’s clothes. Mine? Most likely. Most likely, these could go to the local thrift store. At the bottom of the bin, I found a knitted baby bonnet, sweater, and booties. These I would keep. Setting them aside, I refilled the bin.
That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales
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Ex-special ops legend Dane Blaise never wanted a partner, but he owed the governor. Working alongside gorgeous Scotland Yard detective Shana George to find a missing heiress would either drive him crazy–or get someone killed….
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For U.S. Navy SEAL, Bowie “Ruckus” Cooper, going on a mission into the most dangerous place on earth wasn’t new, neither were the orders to tag and bag an international criminal, but when Bowie finds a captive American reporter, that wasn’t exactly run of the mill. Neither was getting separated from his team, teaming up with her or protecting her against all odds, while working to keep his hands from around her neck and off her delectable body.
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After Ten Years Apart, Ashley Mitchum And Brian O’Neill Are Fatefully Reunited In Crystal Rock. Will Unveiling Their Families’ Dark Family Secrets Heal Two Wounded Hearts?
Growing up together in Crystal Rock, Wisconsin, Ashley Mitchum & Brian O’Neill have been at odds for years. Conniving and sometimes cruel when she doesn’t get her way, Ashley is someone Brian doesn’t want to feel attracted to.
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Sparks (and sutures) change their lives while working on an archaeological dig in the village of Barrow in 1994. Was she the woman of his dreams – his Red Raven – or just another cheechako, a tenderfoot from the outside world looking for excitement or a news story in his remote Alaskan village?
The trials, frustrations, and richness of life in Barrow (Utqiaģvik), Alaska and the local ‘healer’ change snobby intern Alexandra Oppenheimer’s philosophy on life in 1994. Twenty-two years later, will the area be the same? And will Rocky have returned to it, too?
ICE agent Quinlan McKenna Farrell is well acquainted with the darker side of human nature. His failure to bring down a human trafficking ring in Texas haunts him. Then he meets Luz Delgado, taken off the streets and sold to Quin as a virgin. He soon learns she’s an American who is trying to save her brother. Luz soon realizes Quin can read people and communicate with animals—psychic abilities inherited from his grandmother. Quin tries to protect Luz, but she’s determined to help bring down the human trafficking operation. And when she goes missing, a panicked Quin realizes Luz is his grandmother’s love legacy for him.
Paranormal Detective Ellie Taggart, a rakshasa capable of assuming the shape of a tigress, has always worked alone, searching for those responsible for her mother’s murder. When an investigation results in the death of a close friend and vampire, she’s forced to partner with handsome and mysterious peredhil, Steve Cassidy. Like her, the half-human, half-elf uses his special talents to fight evil wherever it exists. Rogue vampires, shapeshifters, zombies, practitioners of black magic, poltergeists, ghosts—none of them can beat him. That is until someone or something no longer plays by the rules. There’s a new villain in New Orleans, one who threatens both the humans and non-humans who make the city home. Is the enemy Draug, the wizard who murdered Ellie’s mother centuries ago? Is it someone from Steve’s shrouded past intent on revenge? Or are they facing a new enemy with an agenda all his or her own? As the tigress and her partner search for answers, trying to prevent the bodies from piling up, they must manage conflicting emotions and desires that threaten to overwhelm them. Can two such different creatures of the light join forces to defeat the darkness, or will the powers of evil triumph?
Today’s he’s a member of Elite Force Security, but sixteen years ago he belonged to one of the wealthiest families in Connecticut. Following his father’s conviction for investment fraud, Connor Anderson left behind his privileged life and everyone associated with it, including Becca André. All that changes the morning she sits down next to him inside a busy D.C. café and asks him to lunch.
For the past four years, Becca has worked in Washington, D.C., where the greatest physical threat she faces each day is a paper cut. However, everything changes when Becca’s stepsister goes missing and someone tries to kidnap her. Now, the only person she can rely on is her long-ago summer fling, Connor. A man she never forgot and the one she’s falling in love with again.
Despite the women who’ve passed through his life, Becca is the only one Connor’s ever truly cared about. And he’ll do anything to keep her safe. But will it be enough?
An introvert, Special Agent Francesca moves to Las Vegas to escape her powerful, domineering mother. On arrival, multiple obstacles challenge her. She needs to approach a father she’s never met, a man who doesn’t even know she exists. Then she must play the role of a loving fiancée with a stranger. One who makes her question every unexpected emotion he provokes. Craving the chance for real undercover work, she grabs the opportunity to be involved in cleaning up gang corruption in a nasty neighborhood. When she poses as the new owner of a hotel, the deadly-dangerous situation ramps up and she’s forced to fight her way from one conflict to the next.
Sean Collins, Psychiatrist and LVPD Profiler has never known anyone like Francesca Donovan. From first sight, he believes her to be a screwball but her beauty and maddening personality attracts him. Despite her prickly disposition, which gets them into a load of trouble, her rotten driving skills and her constant battles, he’s hooked. Once he’s roped into a mock engagement with her, his desire to make it real takes precedence over everything else in his world.
Tiffany Chanler, gun carrying, armored guard, guardian of donor organs, a driver for Angel Wings, convinced she was right. Others need to change. She prides her persona on badassery. Everything she does has a purpose. She owns it.
Tiffany was born wealthy because you can’t pick your parents, but her hero self has no time for that materialistic lifestyle. She trained to eat fear for breakfast. Then stop at the gas station to pick up cat food.
I was incredibly pleased and proud to have one of my novels, The Tigress, selected for this anthology. I felt helpless in the face of this crisis and being able to contribute even in this small way makes me feel better.
Allproceeds from this anthology will go to Ukrainian refugee relief.
Read romance stories about heroes fighting for a cause and to protect others by 10 Award Winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, PLUS 2 Bonus Stories. Available for $2.99 USD for a Limited Time.
We’re romance authors and like everyone, we’re heartsick about the plight of Ukrainian refugees. So we decided to do what we do in and put together this anthology in support of the cause. We hope you, as romance readers, will do what you do, and read our book in support of the cause. Pick up a copy today! Thank you and…
One week to go before spring arrives. Are you ready? I certainly am! Later this week, I’ll be going out to enjoy St Patrick’s Day and some corned beef and cabbage. Yum! This week, we have a picture prompt and are limited to 300 words. I’m continuing with Sea Breeze. Here’s the picture I selected.
The rain was now a steady drizzle, obscuring my view. Where was Callum? What if he’d gone off and had left me here to fend for myself?
Headlights coming from the side of the house eased my fear that he’d run off with my underwear, but I still knew nothing about this man and had agreed to spend the night with him—well, at his house. I could just imagine what my mother would have to say about that, but considering she was partially to blame for the mess I was in … How would Carine feel about another woman in the house tonight?
The truck stopped beside me. I grabbed my purse and got out, locking the door as I shut it. I hurried around to the passenger door, slipping and sliding as Callum had warned, barely making it without falling. Opening the door, I grabbed the metal bar and hoisted myself into the seat, my wet dress making slithering along the seat difficult, my feet catching on the pile of newspapers on the floor. A gust of wind slammed the door shut just as the drizzle morphed into a deluge.
At the shocked look on my face, Callum chuckled. “I told you it was foreplay. Put on your seatbelt. We need to get home before it gets worse. The wind’s kicking up.”
“It’s going to get worse?” I gulped, my heart beating a staccato. Perhaps I hadn’t been wrong about the hurricane. My bad luck wasn’t improving.
“Yes.” His gaze found mine. Was there regret in it? “Things usually do before they get better. Not much that can be done about that now. We just need to hope everything will sort itself out.”
Great. The last thing I needed was for matters to get worse.
That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales
Well, we all want to see the end of winter, but before it goes, the ABB is offering some of its box sets that feature winter at only 99 cents USD! The first of these is Sweet and Sassy In the Snow. After that, it’ll be $2.99 USD
Spirit me away from icy loneliness, shelter me with warm hugs, and cover me with soft kisses!
Find forgotten (or new) passions in this box set of winter and snow-themed romances by award winning novelists. From Navy aviators to bad boy escorts, lawyers and park rangers to exotic dancers, join our troupe as they battle betrayals and kidnappers, strong emotions and challenging weather to survive and find comfort in each other’s arms.
Mona Risk – Through the Blizzard – With canceled flights, passengers trapped, baby crying, getting stranded by a blizzard could have been worse if Dr. Sylvia wasn’t stranded with sexy James Alexander and his baby niece Clem.
Natalie Ann – Winter Love – Kendall wants to run. Zeke wants to stay. Can they find a way to make their love last?
Rachelle Ayala – Bad Boys for Hire: Gage (NEW!) – Sherelle inadvertently hires friend-zoned Gage to entertain her and her friends at a winter getaway.
Susan Jean Ricci –Drifting into Love (NEW!) – An injured park ranger. The young widow with secrets. Can new love mend the past?
Aileen Fish – Soaring into his Heart (NEW!) – World Snowboarding Champion Chad wants the land Molly needs for her snowboarding school for kids. How can she compete against his titles and money?
Nancy Radke – Courage Dares – He is a Navy aviator, she a Search & Rescue worker. When they are kidnapped by four murderers, she has to keep them both alive on a journey through the snow-covered mountains.
Jen Talty – Nightshade – His betrayal and her deception could cost them everything they wanted…and put their lives in an inescapable deadly situation.
Alicia Street – Star, Love and Pirouettes – Who can Jenna trust? The star actor who lures her away from her world of pirouettes—or the mysterious stargazer whose every touch takes her to the moon and back?
I was incredibly pleased and proud to have one of my novels, The Tigress, selected for this anthology. I felt helpless in the face of this crisis and being able to contribute even in this small way makes me feel better.
All proceeds from this anthology will go to Ukrainian refugee relief.
Read romance stories about heroes fighting for a cause and to protect others by 10 Award Winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, PLUS 2 Bonus Stories. Available for $2.99 USD for a Limited Time.
We’re romance authors and like everyone, we’re heartsick about the plight of Ukrainian refugees. So we decided to do what we do in and put together this anthology in support of the cause. We hope you, as romance readers, will do what you do, and read our book in support of the cause. Pick up a copy today! Thank you and enjoy.
Spring is almost here! Twelve days to go … I know the weather won’t miraculously change, but the promise of better days ahead is all I need. Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. Our prompt this week is NASTY. Here’s another scene from Sea Breeze. I’m backing up in the story a bit to where Eva first meets our hero, Callum Doyle.
“I am,” the voice came from behind me followed by a rumble of thunder as the skies lit up once more. “What’s the problem, Norm? Who’s doing all the caterwauling?”
I yelped—and peed a little. Where the hell had he come from? How could anyone that size move so quietly?
Behind me, at the top of the steps, stood a mountain of a man, taller than Norm, far broader shouldered, with muscular arms straining the fabric of his shirt, his hands clutching a nasty-looking wrench. He wore coveralls like Norm’s, slightly cleaner, or at least better smelling, and had long, dark, wavy hair, flying around his head in the wind. Visions of an angry Aquaman, aka Jason Momoa, popped into my head. I couldn’t make out his eyes or his features in the waning light, but his stance screamed angry annoyance.
“She is,” Norm pointed at me. Hadn’t his mother taught him it was rude to point? “She’s looking for a bed, and thought she’d find one here. Seems she didn’t think to call first and see if we were open and doesn’t have a reservation. Most places in town are full up. What about the Seafarer?”
“Mom’s booked solid until after Labor Day,” he uttered, his voice anything but friendly.
Mom? This man lived with his mother? Hadn’t Charles Manson lived with his mother?
My brain chose that moment to desert me, and I just stood there, my gaze fixed on the wrench in his hand. Would I feel any pain when he struck me, or would I die instantly?
He came down the stairs and stopped less than a meter in front of me. I gulped, my five-foot, two-inch frame trying to make itself even smaller as his blue eyes pierced me.
A gust of wind grabbed my skirt, and I pulled a Marilyn Monroe trying to keep it from flying up over my head and flashing my ass for all the world to see.
I blinked. Where had the daylight gone? I was stuck in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, with two men who could easily be axe murderers, one of them armed should he choose to use the tool that way. I gulped.
“Is it always this dark before nine at night?” Duh! Could I think of something more ridiculous to ask given my circumstances? I could be just as dead in the dark as in the light.
That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales
Hard to believe we’re already into March. It seems as if the year just started, but I will be happy to see the end of winter this year. With COVID still on the rampage and other unsettling world and national events, it’s been hard to stay positive. I suppose like everyone else, this is the late winter slump, but it would be so nice to see normal again. Sadly, I’m not sure that will happen this year or even next.
This month’s IWSG blog question is – Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?
With the onset of the pandemic, as a romance writer, I struggled with this because as a writer of contermporary fiction, the word contemporary to me means now. With lockdowns, masking, social distancing rules in place, I wondered how people met other people. For a long time bars, gyms, even cgurches were closed. The first pandemic book I wrote, I set the story fifteen years ago. That was fine, but it just couldn’t work all the time.
How did I deal with it? Well, I added the pandemic and all of its protocols to my books. Once we were allowed to go out again, we did so with rules–vaccines, masks,unless we were eating or drinking, social distancing, hand washing–you know the drill. It’s become part of my lifestyle, so much so that there’s an automatic quality to it. I get in the car, and put on my seatbelt. Now, when I get out of the car to go inside a store or a restaurant, I put on my mask. I step inside, I sanitize my hands. I decided if this was my real world, then it should be fictitious one, too. Not all of my author friends agree, and that’s okay. We are allowed to disagree. How boring the world would be if we all thought and did the same thing.
So, that’s my answer to this months question. My choice was to write books incorporating the pandemic. When and if things get back to normal in real life, I’ll do the same in my fictitious one.
Welcom to this week’s Tuesday Tales. I blinked and it was winter, I blinked again and spring is only three weeks away. Happy March! This week’s Tuesday Tales, taken once more from Sea Breeze, is based on the word GRAY.
Opening the door, I yelped. What the hell? Maybe I’d been wrong, and Cal did live with his mother, because the woman standing before me in the hall, like a security guard at the mall, looked a hell of a lot like him. Either that, or the place was haunted. I didn’t like my odds either way.
The heavyset woman in a cotton, short sleeved dress, appeared to be around the same age as my mother. Her short hair was gray-streaked brown, her brown eyes twinkled, and a knowing smile twisted her mouth. A dimple similar to Cal’s cratered her right cheek. She stood there, staring at me, examining me as if I was the prize turkey in the butcher’s window, all the while holding my clean sundress on a hanger and my bra and thong hanging from the fingers of her other hand.
Lord, kill me now.
I faced her, my heart pounding as madly as that of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I stared at my red thong hanging from her index finger next to my white lace bra. Why was it that none of my underwear ever matched? While I’d never actually done the walk of shame, and certainly hadn’t done anything this time to deserve it, the burn of a blush started in my toes, spread up my body, and settled in my face.
“I thought you might be needing these. I’m Molly, Callum’s mother. I didn’t know he was entertaining a guest until I went in to do the laundry.” She squinted. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before, but you look a bit familiar.”
So Callum was some kind of player. What had my mother called them? Satyrs? I needed to set her straight right away.
“I’m … I’m Eva.” I licked my lips. “Eva Malone. I arrived yesterday thinking I could stay at The Sea Breeze. Sean O’Hara didn’t mention the renovations. Cal offered me a bed for the night—that one.” I pointed to the spare room I’d used.
“Well, I’ll be. Of course you are. Now that you’ve said it, I can see Ryan and Marie in you. You’ve got the Malone hair, too. In the sun it looks a blazing fire.”
Was that a polite way of saying I looked like hell? I blinked.
That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales
Living the Dream 