I read my friend's blogs and Facebooks about how busy they are with everything, writing, maintaining their websites, involving themselves in contests, blog tours, interviews and anniversaries and I'm having trouble getting my story out of me. I'm too easily distracted by other things and definitely don't use my time wisely. Pair that with the fact it seems like I'm constantly on the go, and I sometimes wonder if I even have the dedication to what I'm doing.
I absolutely love to write. I want nothing more than to have a decent career, or heck, even a hobby, as a writer, but I just can't seem to pull it together to get involved like these other ladies do. Maybe I need to attend a few marketing classes, or just get ideas from other blogs. Something has to give, though.
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My DD had a good time at the fair. I was on my feet almost constantly for Saturday and Sunday, but got to see the horse show and the kids got to ride on a few rides. DD showed her chicken on Sunday and Bubbles won Best In Class in the pet category. She's a little dove gray Old English Bantam and very sweet. So it was a good weekend. But DD was eying the horses. That's what she really wants to do. I'd love to give her the opportunity I had to ride, but right now it's not a possibility. Now she wants to get a job at a stable and work for lessons. I'm hoping.
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I'll be dogsitting for the next week or so starting Wednesday. That means no internet. I'll check up on it after work, but for most of my time away from work I'll be completely unconnected. But I'll bring my lap top and get tons of writing done! Tons and tons.
And maybe come up with some marketting ideas. I have to get pictures, text and music for a new book video for one of my previous books.
I was digging through a closet looking for a box of photographs but instead found about a dozen old notebooks filled with bits and pieces of stories, some going back as far as college.
God, they're bad. LOL
I was hoping that maybe there'd be something that I could use now, but I don't think there's anything I can do with a story about a girl who was born in a primitive village cut off from the world... in Hawaii. I'm embarrassed. But at least I never gave up. At least I evolved.
So, now I have another huge stack of notebooks to deal with. No, I don't throw them away. Who knows, maybe a hundred years down the road someone will find them and they'll be worth a lot of money, because I'll be a famous writer before I die.
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I've been working steadily on my short story. I'm past the halfway mark (and thinking this could be longer than 12K) but I think I'm going to go back to my old schedule of writing new stuff in the morning and editing in the afternoon. I have my NaNo project that needs A LOT of work (I added characters in halfway through, changed my timeline and dropped plot ideas along the way). It would be sweet to have another manuscript ready to go. It's been way too long since I've had lots of stories out there. I don't want to wait another two years between published books.
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Has anyone noticed that music videos are disappearing off of YouTube? It's rather annoying. So, I'll post my own video for Sweet Forever
Now, if only Samhain would publish the Sweet Forever sequel life would be good!
And so it begins. You would think an extra 2 hours of work wouldn't be a big deal, but I felt it yesterday. I eyed the clock when I used to leave and just wanted to escape. But I made it through a long day. Then I had to do laundry, so I didn't get to settle down until after 6pm. Today should be easier. I mean, I only have to pay some bills and pick up some groceries. Maybe I have to pick up a child from an activity, not sure. I'd make a lousy soccer mom. Anyway, I've started writing my Forever Home synopsis. I'm grateful there's no page limit on it. As long as it's over 2 pages. No problemo. I'm up to 5 pages. Then I'm going to submit it to Samhain. I think that's an appropriate place since it's a sequel to Sweet Forever. Right or wrong, I'm including this in my dialy word count. I've put aside my other wip for now (even though that one is almost done) in favor of getting FH ready to go. Another storm pulling in tomorrow night. Gee... I was missing snow and sleet. It's been nearly 2 weeks since I've seen either.
I have to say congrats to The Long And The Short Of It for their relaunching of their fabulous review site, including their erotic review site Whipped Cream Erotic Romance Reviews. And they put Where One Road Leads on the site. Thanks so much ladies! I think we're returning to normal here at the Hebert household. Even though we're in the grip of a heat wave, I'm at least getting my work done. My husband went back to work last night though he's only on light duty and if things don't look good with his arm on Friday they may put him in a cast. Not too much fun, but I have my house back in the evenings. I love my DH but during the 12 years we've been married he's always worked nights and I've been spoiled by our schedule. I have more chances to get my work done. As for me I had some minor surgery (really minor, only took 15 minutes from start to finish) last week that has left me with stitches and a headache on a daily basis. But at least I have everything ready to be printed to be sent off to Harlequin. I'm pretty excited! I hope they like it. What a tremendous step it would be to be published by Harlequin, one of the goals in my life. School is almost over, just two more weeks. I think I'm actually happy, I don't have to get them up early. I'm going to get a contest together for Where One Road Leads starting next Monday. And I'm pleased to say there's a limited number of copies that can be purchased through my website It's All About The Romance. So far just Sweet Forever and WORL are available. I hope to have copies of Finally Home soon. Well, it's nice to be back!
And I have to head back to Boston. It shouldn't be too bad, traffic wise and yesterday's snow storm has gone. I'm sure the roads will be fine. I'll just be happy not to have to do that drive again for a while. Tomorrow school will be back in session and life will be back to normal.
My father in law is back in the hospital. He spent nearly a month in the hospital after having surgery to remove some of his colon due to cancer. He was home less than a week and now he's back in. So any thoughts and prayers sent his way would be appreciated. Thanks!
Have you checked out my new website? It's not close to being done but I have a guestbook. Leave a message and let me know that you've been there.
I'm in the mood to write! I've got my sequel to Sweet Forever on my mind, but first I have to do my editing like a good doobee so I can get Dreamer's Sea out there for all to see.
Still, I have to post my Daily Inspiration. It's not necessarily the video but the song that is the theme song for my heroine to the SF sequel. Here's looking at you, Jaycie!
CONGRATULATIONS TO DENA!! The winner of a signed copy of Sweet Forever!
And thank you to everyone who stopped by and played the game. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad everyone enjoyed the excerpts. There'll be another contest in late May when my book Where One Road Leads comes out in print. In other news..... its snowing. Again. We're supposed to get 5-10 inches. Joy. I'm dreading the spring when all this snow melts. Last year we had some big time flooding. Looks like that'll be a possibility for this year as well. At least tomorrow looks good for our trip to Boston. My DH thinks it's an adventure. Yeah, right. And my oldest, Paige is off to the New Hampshire Special Olympics Winter Games. GO PAIGE! She's a snowshoer. Been working hard on edits for Dreamer's Sea. I'm so looking forward to submitting it somewhere. And I'm itching to continue Where I'll Stay, which is the sequel to Sweet Forever. I'm definitely ready to quit my day job in favor of writing all day. My arm has been feeling much much better though I've been using a heating pad a lot. Thanks to everyone for your concern. And big news!! I have a new website!!! I just signed up yesterday for a real honest to Gosh site of my own. It's under construction right now so its kind of bare, but go check it out at www.cerihebert.com Okay, off I go. Must make breakfast. I have a full day of work ahead of me.
“You want a partner? My twenty thousand, my equipment, my horses, and my indoor riding arena.”
She heard Alex suck in his breath. It was such an illogical proposition that she didn’t think he’d go for it in a million years. After all, what did they have together? An unhappy past, and a rocky, although passionate reunion? How did that constitute a solid foundation for what she suggested? She didn’t dare look at him. Most likely he looked shocked. Or disgusted. Or just really amused.
“We’re just talking a business partnership here, right?” he asked.
Something in his voice, a seductive, suggestive tone caused her to finally turn her eyes to him. He looked down at her, the slightest smile on his lips. So he wasn’t mad or offended. Instead of laughter, he gave her a look that sucked her in, caressed her heart.
“Of course just business. We barely know each other.” She tried to sound outraged, but fell short of her mark.
Alex chuckled. “Well, I think it’s a little late to be worrying about things like that, princess. We seem to have passed the spot where we can keep it on an impersonal level.”
Torie stood abruptly. She needed to get away from him. Needed to think with a clear head, and having him sit so close she could smell his subtle cologne unnerved her.
“Come on, Alex,” she pleaded. “Just tell me if this is something you’d be interested in. If you’re not, just say it and I’ll leave you alone.”
“I think your idea has a lot of merit. From a financial standpoint, it makes good sense. I’d save a great deal of money if we could move your arena. Wouldn’t have to buy more stock. I have four good horses out in South Dakota I plan to bring east, and with yours, we could have a good sta-ble and still have room for boarders. My partnership with the ranch has worked out just fine, but, of course, there’s one burning question. Who’d get the house?”
Torie looked up at the dark bulk of the Cape Cod glowing in the moonlight. Such a warm house. One that could provide a good, happy life.
“I’ll take the apartment over the barn,” she conceded. It would be worth it. Anything would be worth it to get out of the fix her mother had thrown her into.
“I’ll agree to this only if you explain to me why? My thinking is that with your father’s death, he’ll leave you enough to buy another place outright. I know you love Avalon, but why bother with a partnership?”
Torie came back and sat on the edge of the deck.
“Long story short, he’s not leaving me anything. I don’t want to go into details, Alex. But what I’m offering here is everything I have in the world.”
Well, didn't much done last night. The power kept going off and my husband was sent home from work because of it. It was an action packed night though, fire department being sent everywhere, accidents all over the place. And it wasn't even snowing! It was a nice clear night. Don't know what was going on.
So I only got some editing done. Oh well, there's always next week
I'm sad that there's only 2 days left of this contest. I'm having fun! Thanks so much to everyone who's concerned about my arm. I really appreciate it! I'm sure it'll be better soon. Today's excerpt is from Sweet Forever
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Excitement ran through Ben as he waited for Hayden to collect her things. It was a double-edged sword, though. The reason for Hayden coming to stay with him was less than pleasant. He wanted Lu to be her old, spunky self. He was afraid that these episodes with her heart were becoming too frequent. He wouldn’t enjoy the other downfall, having Sally under his roof, either. The woman was as obvious and persistent as a horsefly. And as annoying.
What a difference between her and Hayden.
He looked forward to seeing Hayden every day. Just the thought of having her at the breakfast table every morning, looking at him with those russet brown eyes and the shy smile that made him want more.
How the hell was he going to be able to concentrate on the guests who’d start arriving on Friday with Hayden distracting him?
"I’m ready."
Hayden stood by the door, bag in hand and two blank canvases tucked under each arm. Her dark brown hair caught glints of sunlight that flooded in past the sheer curtains. The rays enveloped her body in some kind of ethereal glow. And for the first time in his life, Ben was star-struck by a woman. He realized that he was already half in love with her, and if she gave him the chance he’d fall the rest of the way.
Without much more than the need to be near her in his head, Ben closed the distance between them, took the canvases and bag from her, set them gently to the ground and took her face between his hands.
Before he lowered his mouth to hers, he let his fingertips slide over the smooth skin of her cheeks, pushing aside a lock of hair that curled over his thumb. He touched her lips tentatively, to find out if she’d pull away. But she didn’t. She didn’t lean into his kiss either, but she let his mouth touch hers in a feather light caress. Her sigh couldn’t be disguised though and he let the tiny gesture embolden him. He let one hand drift into her soft hair, sinking his fingers into the tangle of curls. His mouth pushed more insistently on hers, inviting her to be a participant in this kiss. The heat of the contact spread from his lips downward until his whole body felt like it was on fire. He was certain she could hear his heart pounding.
His hands dropped away from her head and glided down over her shoulders and her back, one finding a resting place on her hips and the other remaining on the small of her back. He pulled her closer so her body snuggled in against his. She was a perfect fit.
Against his shirt, he could feel the pressure of her arms snaking around his waist, and he smiled against her mouth. Her embrace was a good sign, a very good sign. He wanted to taste her, to know every inch of her. His desire for her reached an alarming peak. Made more alarming by the urgency that she seemed to be returning the kiss. No longer shy or testing, Hayden pressed herself closer to him, her hands climbing up his back to his shoulders and into his hair, pushing his Stetson askew until it finally tipped off his head and fell to the floor.
Everything inside him, from the hard beat of his heart against his chest and the rush of blood through his veins, centered around her. Her kiss sent the pit of his stomach into a wild swirl, akin to a roller coaster, and the unexpected sensation drove him on. The velvety softness of her tongue stroked against his and he greeted it hungrily, tasting the sweetness of her mouth.
Without any warning, Hayden ducked away from him, the palms of her hands going up against his chest and pushing him back.
"No, what are we doing?" she asked faintly, putting a finger against her lips. She looked past him out the window. "We can’t do this. It’s not right."
Ben wanted to take her back into his arms, if for nothing else than just to comfort her, make her see that it was all right. But that move wouldn’t be productive. Not yet.
"Why isn’t it right? What in the world has got you scared about what’s going on between us? You can’t blame the moonlight this time, Hayden."
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QUESTION: What is Ben not looking forward to about this upcoming stay at his ranch? Actually, I'll accept one of two answers to this one.
************************************************ I've been busy busy busy with edits for Dreamer's Sea but when I can I've been writing a sequel to Sweet Forever and I'm loving it. It'll be my next major project after DS is finished. I'm trying to write it as a stand-alone book so one doesn't have to read Sweet Forever first (but it'll help). It feels good to get back to having horses in my stories. There was a time when all my stories had horses. I diverted from that path with Where One Road Leads and my current manuscript, Dreamer's Sea. Okay, it's getting late and I have to think about getting ready for work. Everyone enjoy the day! I'm looking forward to all the responses!
Well, I have my desk top back but my arm still hurts. Thanks for all the notes of concern. I appreciate it. I know I have to rest, but its so hard to do that when I have a 104k manuscript to edit.
Anyway, onto the important stuff. Got lots of responses over the past two days for the questions. It's fabulous! Thanks all! I hope you're enjoying the excerpts!
Today's excerpt is from my third book Where One Road Leads which is currently available in e-book format from Samhain Publishing. It'll be available in print in late May (and we'll have another contest then :D).
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He pulled his cruiser into the short dirt drive at the Fayes’ white farmhouse and got out. For a moment he took it in, the overgrown lawn and hedges that hadn’t been trimmed in ages, probably since before Mrs. Faye had begun to lose her battle with cancer. The place looked nearly lifeless.
A Jeep Wrangler was parked next to the garage. The vehicle was scarred and dented. A haze of dust and a spattering of dry mud diminished its silver-blue paint. Its abused exterior made him wonder where life had taken Krista after that fateful night. She’d done a stint in the Women’s State Prison, but after that, he had no clue. He’d never cared. But now he wanted to know. The wanting pressed at his head like a nagging ache. Once satisfied, he planned on going back to not caring.
More important than finding out where she’d been for the past fifteen years, though, he wanted to know when she was leaving.
A big dog trotted out from behind the house, his thick black and tan tail whipping back and forth and his tongue lopping out of the corner of his mouth. Matt could’ve sworn the dog was grinning. The animal gave a throaty, deep woof that wasn’t one bit threatening.
"Gus, get back here. I’m sorry, I know he should be on a tie-out but—"
The woman stopped short, her mouth open as the rest of her sentence remained unsaid.
It was as if the whole world had fallen silent. Matt glared at Krista as she struggled to regain her composure, shutting her mouth tightly so it formed a thin line.
He looked her up and down, assessing her physical condition. She looked healthy anyway. Most of her figure was lost in the baggy green T-shirt that fell down to her hips. The lower portion of her body was clothed in faded blue jeans. She wore her baseball hat backwards, giving him a clear view of her face. No make-up, just a fair complexion with a smattering of light freckles across her nose. Her eyes were bluer than he’d remembered, but then he hadn’t been the one gazing into them fifteen years ago.
The only thing that marred her pretty face was the scar that ran up from the left corner of her lip to her cheekbone before arcing down toward her ear and the other one that began directly between her dark golden blonde brows and disappeared into her hairline. These weren’t thin lines. No, the accident had taken its toll on her as well.
But it had left her alive. He wished he could say the same about Eddie or Liz or the out-of-towner from Rhode Island who was an unfortunate passenger in the second car.
"Matt," she acknowledged through a tense jaw.
"Krista." He was going to say she looked well, but he didn’t want to start making polite small talk with her. Best to get right to the heart of the matter. "How long are you here for?"
Krista laughed shortly and shook her head. "Well, if I was expecting a warm welcome in this town, I guess I would’ve been disappointed. Glad I’m more of a realist." There was a smile on her face but it was as frigid as her tone of voice.
"Small towns remember things for a long time. Some things we never forget," he replied as coldly.
The trace of a cynical smile on her lips disappeared. "Neither do I," she replied evenly. "Sorry to disappoint you, Matt, but I’ll be here for a while. I’ll try to stay out of your way while I’m around."
With a grip on her dog’s collar, Krista turned and walked toward the back of the house without so much as a goodbye.
For a long moment, Matt stayed put, staring in the direction they’d gone, not sure if he was more angry at the confrontation or puzzled. He settled for both.
The last time he and Krista had words, she’d been in tears, begging for him to believe her, that it wasn’t just her fault. She’d been a scared, hurt girl, the damage to her body fresh, and he hadn’t cared a bit for her because she had been the one behind the wheel. She had taken away three lives, one of which was his own flesh and blood.
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QUESTION: How long has Krista been gone?
Email your answers to cerihebert@comcast.net for your chance to win a free signed copy of Sweet Forever which is NOW AVAILABLE from Samhain Publishing!
Thanks! Tomorrow will be another excerpt from Sweet Forever and another chance to win!
THE GOOD: Yesterday was a great day for the contest. Lots of entries! Thanks to everyone who played! I hope you'll visit back all week. Leave a comment if you'd like. I love doing stuff like this!
THE BAD: A) I visited the doctor yesterday and I have tendonitis in my right arm. Greeeaaattt. What every author (who happens to work full time as a data entry clerk) wants to hear. So I'm on meds to see if that'll stop it. AND then I got home and my desk top decided not to let me onto the internet. My DH checked it out briefly, ran a virus scan and has no idea what happened. I hope there's a way to fix it, even if it means scrubbing it out and starting from scratch with it. So I'm on my laptop now.
Todays excerpt is going to be from Finally Home which is currently available from Whiskey Creek Press in both print and e-book format.
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When she was younger, Torie had never felt comfortable in the master suite. Whether it was because her father shared it, or she feared knocking one of the priceless statues down, she didn’t know. Even today she tucked her arms in tight to her sides and held her breath.
Her mother, dressed in an ivory silk robe, sat at her large mahogany Edwardian desk, gold pen in hand. The graceful and elegant Lillian Barron had returned. Even the dark circles under her eyes, like shadows against her pale skin, looked regal. Someone had done her hair. A diamond-and-ruby hair comb winked in the soft light. Her mother wore tragedy well.
The woman looked up as Torie approached, a frown marring an otherwise perfect face.
"I’ve been wondering where you’ve been." Her eyes still had a flash to them, the same emotion Torie had seen the night before. Cold and accusing. Not one ounce of forgiveness for the previous night’s supposed transgression.
"I’m sorry. I needed to go out and clear my head," Torie whispered, knowing a powerful storm brewed behind her mother’s calm façade.
"Oh, and were you out ‘clearing your head’ with that man you were with last night? What’s his name? Alex Carmichael?"
Blood rushed to Torie’s face. She beat away the anger that built in her chest. How in the world did she know about that? She remained silent, afraid she might say something she’d regret.
"So, apparently I’m right, or you’d deny it." Lillian’s voice rose several degrees. "Oh, Victoria, how could you?"
"How could I what, Mother? Talk to a man?" Torie shrugged her shoulders, trying to appear indifferent, when inside she shook with indignation. She knew, just by the way her mother scrutinized her, she knew a whole lot more than she was letting on.
"Don’t try that with me, young lady," her mother snapped. "I got a phone call this morning from Helen Worthington. She and her husband were at the club last night. Driving home, they saw two people at the side of the road going at it like animals. Was this how I raised you to behave? I cannot tell you how humiliating your behavior is. And after what he did to Gabriella Marino. He should be in jail."
"Mother, you don’t know what you’re saying," said Torie. Even she knew quite well, when her mother got on this kind of rant, nothing would soothe her. And there was no way in hell she’d believe the truth about Alex.
"Don’t I?" Her voice raised another octave. "He’s no better than a rapist, Victoria. A good-for-nothing who took advantage of a young girl so he could get ahead and get her family’s money. He should thank his lucky stars Frank Marino didn’t press charges. I just want to weep to think he’s trying to wheedle his way into this family."
Lillian’s tirade threatened to take on the proportions of a major storm. Torie tried to put it down to the fact she was understandably overwrought over her loss, and that Torie was the most convenient outlet. Arguing the point that her mother was just plain wrong would be futile. So Torie stayed silent, and like a twelve-year-old, took the scolding.
"Things are going to change around here, Victoria. You’ll not have anymore to do with that man." She pounded her fist on the desk. "Absolutely nothing."
"Mother, you’re wrong about Alex. Gabriella and her father are full of hot air. The only thing he’s guilty of is trusting the wrong people. I’m a grown woman and quite capable of choosing my own friends."
"Things will change here," Lillian repeated, her voice dead calm. "I will not have someone like that sniffing around my daughter or my money. You will not have any contact with him from this moment on. You will go change your clothes and go downstairs, and you will treat Kendall with the respect he deserves to make up for your disgraceful behavior last night."
Torie mustered up every ounce of courage she could find. "No. You won’t order me around like I’m a child. I can’t help what other people say about Alex, but I know him better than that. So far, he’s shown more character than Kendall."
Lillian stood and blazed across the carpet to her, her blue eyes flaring with anger. "How long have you been seeing him, Victoria? A week? Less? Certainly a pitifully short amount of time to be throwing yourself at him like a common whore."
Torie’s hand flew out, landing straight and hard against her mother’s cheek. Both gasped in unison. Lillian touched her cheek, which fast turned pink, her eyes wide with disbelief.
BIG WEEK!! SWEET FORVER IS AVAILABLE IN PRINT AT SAMHAIN PUBLISHING AND ALL SORTS OF PLACES LIKE AMAZON.COM, BORDERS AND BARNES AND NOBLE TOMORROW, FEBRUARY 26TH!!! So, in honor of it's big premiere, I'm holding a contest for a FREE SIGNED COPY of Sweet Forever. Each day this week I'll post an excerpt from one of my books and then I'll ask a question. Email the answer to cerihebert@comcast.net and all correct answers will be entered into the drawing Friday evening. So, in honor of Sweet Forever, my first excerpt will come from this book.
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EXCERPT: Hayden lowered her head and pushed on, steeling her nerves against the threat of the storm. She kept her eyes on the toes of her shoes, finding it better not to look at the sky. The heat that saturated the air around her competed with the anger and frustration that burned like dry kindling inside her head.
“Nothing like this would happen in Clarksport,” she muttered under her breath, thinking of her tranquil hometown on the Maine coast. Reluctantly she picked up the pace and headed toward the Winslow’s place. Maybe the lazy horse had stopped for a snack along the way and would let her catch up.
Low clouds perched along the edge of the horizon. The air shifted, like the whole world had gathered itself up, took one deep breath, and waited to exhale. The sky bore down on the earth with pressure that Hayden could feel all over her skin. Though she’d been in South Dakota for about a month, she knew what those clouds would bring. As if confirming her fears, a light danced across the bottom of the thunderheads.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the sky fluctuated from varying shades of gray to a greenish color that reminded her of the skin tone of someone who didn’t take to a boat ride out on the bay. And here she was, walking as fast as she could toward the oncoming storm. But that was the direction the old horse had taken, and that was the direction of Forever Ranch, her nearest shelter.
The beat of what could either be a horse or a fast cow pulled her attention away from the angry sky. Hayden jerked her head up, expecting to see Bugs heading back toward her, maybe scared by the oncoming storm.
Instead, it was a man on a brown and white horse, taking the bend in the path ahead like hell was fast on their heels.
Hayden pitched herself off the narrow trail to avoid a certain collision. Her feet betrayed her, and she stumbled into a thick clump of grass. Her balance disappeared and the only thing to save her from landing on her rear was a prickly bush. Before she hit it, Ben Winslow pulled the big horse up within two feet of her. Deadly looking hooves kicked up dozens of tiny stones, several slapping her denim-clad legs.
Since arriving in South Dakota, Hayden had seen Ben on more than a few occasions, either in town or when he paid visits to her grandmother at Sweet Prairie. No woman in the world could ignore his powder blue eyes that danced as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His smile came in a close second, honest and wide, setting off dimples that were a strange mix of boy-next-door and drop dead sexy. The combination of the two features could send a thrill straight to the coldest heart. Her heart wasn’t cold, so he was far too dangerous to her well-being. Hayden had never seen anyone look so much like a man right out of an old western. Ben Winslow could fulfill any girl’s fantasy of a gorgeous cowboy. The Marlboro Man had nothing on him.
Now, however, his face looked as dark and dangerous as the storm that gathered force behind him. A clap of thunder rolled for several seconds and Hayden wondered if he’d come to her rescue or to scare the living daylights out of her. He said nothing for several seconds and looked as though he might just pull her over his knee to punish like a petulant child. He glared down at her, from beneath the brim of the same ivory hat he always wore and she noticed that his usual smile was gone without a trace. Hayden untangled herself from the bush, which was only an excuse not to look into the angry pair of eyes.
“You damned idiot. I don’t know as I’ve ever met a bigger fool than you, Hayden Merrick.” Without even a “by your leave”, he grabbed her by her upper arm and hauled her upwards as if she weighed no more than a toddler, setting her down with a thump on the saddle in front of him. The motion only served to agitate the already sore joints she’d injured earlier, courtesy of Bugs.
“Hey! What—put me down!” Hayden shoved her elbow into Ben’s ribcage, but found that it was too well muscled and her jab, no matter how well aimed on her part, didn’t budge him. As much as she tried to remain calm, the contact with Ben wreaked havoc on her senses that rivaled anything the adrenaline from the storm created.
“You just sit still. We’ve got to get back to the barn before that storm hits us,” he said against her ear. “Unless you’d rather walk?”
“No,” she muttered and took hold of the saddle horn and tried to ignore the ill-timed attraction. It didn’t do her heart or nerves any good when he tightened his grip around her waist. He pulled her up against his broad chest, swung his horse around, and clicked his tongue against his teeth, setting the horse back into motion.
Hayden couldn’t find the courage to do anything but clutch at the horn and pray to any god who had the time to listen, that she didn’t fall off. She threw in an added plea that the storm wouldn’t meet them before they reached the safety of Forever Ranch. *****************************************
QUESTION: What's the name of Hayden's hometown?
Remember, email answers to cerihebert@comcast.net. All correct answers will be entered into the drawing. Thanks~
This is my cat, Miracle. I don't know why I posted this, but I thought my blog needed a picture.
My "official" word count is 94806 on Dreamer's Sea, but I have several handwritten pages that need to be typed up so right now I'm over 95k. But it is coming to an end though I've just started to write a pivotal scene which'll be the finale. Of course it'll be a long scene. And there'll be a epilogue. So, I guess I have to up my goal. Shall we say 100K?? Yikes. I'm still figuring out what to do for a contest for a signed copy of Sweet Forever. I haven't decided if I should start it next Monday or have a special Valentines Day week contest. I'll come up with something. I gave a copy of Sweet Forever to my mom for her birthday last Wednesday. She called after she started it on Thursday and told me that I wrote like a professional. LOL. Yesterday I stopped over there. She hugged me and told me that she finished the book and the ending made her weepy. She liked it! She really liked it! And I know my mom, she wouldn't say it if she didn't mean it. Yeah!
Well, the weekend, once again, was much too short. One day just doesn't cut it. And we spent most of the day on the road. My father in law is in the hospital up in Vermont so we drove up to visit him. It snowed all the way. It's a good 2 hour drive both ways. Then it was another hour or so going to pick up my daughter. I was ready to crash....not the car...my body on the couch.
The lovely UPS man delivered my books to my work address (luckily I work just down the street so it's the same driver). I also made a breakthrough and showed three of my coworkers my books. Up til now no one at work knew that I'm a published author. They were very excited and I may get at least one more sale out of it. That's a good thing!
So, I'm going to be putting together a contest for a signed copy of Sweet Forever . I'm just not sure if I have to wait for it to be released first or if I can give away one of these copies now.
Well, it's been a tough month. While I'm over 25K on my NaNo project, I am really thinking that I should be doing other things, like working on Dreamer's Sea so I can get it out there. It's certainly closer to being done and right now I have to concentrate on getting another manuscript out there. There are other reasons why I'm thinking of removing myself from this years NaNo race. I've been told that I'll be expected to do overtime and that'll cut into my writing time, I've got so much going on (like I said, it's been a tough month. Lots of stress and family issues) and it makes it hard to focus on this goal. The good news is that I really like the wip, The Staying Kind. I will continue to work on it. After Dreamer's Sea and my Sweet Forever sequel. I'm trying to be positive about this and not looking at it as if I'm failing it. Just re-redirecting my creative energy.
Focus, I need to focus. I'm still behind. But I've been bouncing back and forth between The Staying Kind (my NaNo piece) and the galleys. The galley and the corrections need to be back to my editor by the 16th but I've had a volunteer who is better with punctuation then I am offer to look it over so I can keep going on the NaNo. The weekend is coming and that means less writing. We're heading up to my father in laws on Sunday so that really means no writing. Can I make it up today? I hope. We'll see.
I really do like this story. I'm going to be such a drama queen again. Problems galore for my hero, a tragic past for my heroine. A troubled teen and an aunt who is a bit eccentric. And horses. I'm going to get some horses in my story again. I've missed them.
I hope that I'll have another agent-worthy story when this is all done. I crave getting out into the big bad world of print publishing. It would be so awesome and fulfilling.
Of course having Sweet Forever, and sometime next year Where One Road Leads, in print will help.
I've been doing NaBlo, which is like NaNo but with a blog. I'm supposed to post every day. I forgot yesterday. I've got too much going on, and I actually went to bed last night just after 9pm, unheard of for me.
Anyway, I'm trying to do both my galley read for Sweet Forever (available now in e-book format at Samhain Publishing and coming in February 2008 in print-so if you want a good, romantic read with an old fashioned, handsome swoon-worthy hero look it up) and I was able to get some NaNo writing done. It's quite the balancing act. Anyway, I'm still behind on the NaNo, but I've got just over 8000 words now. With a deadline of Nov 16th for my galley I don't think I'll have a problem with catching up. I'm liking the story, there's going to be lots of conflict-lots for my poor hero to deal with between his teenage daughter and the mysterious woman working on his aunt's horse farm. Who knows, maybe I'll throw in his ex wife who deserted him and her daughter years before. Maybe not.
Anyhue, it's time to get ready for work. Got to run out and get some milk, which probably means scraping frost off the car. How did late fall get here so quickly? Oh well, I love this time of year.
Location: Southwestern, New Hampshire, United States
I'm 44 year old mom of 3. I work as a customer service rep for a publishing company, and I write. I have five published novels and working on adding to that.
THAT KIND OF MAGIC--AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 17,2010
What's a witch to do when she refuses to use magic to find love? Beautiful Wiccan Charlotte Noone has a shop for magical supplies and a goddess who's pushing her to find the man of her dreams. When Patrick Riordan, a straight-laced non-believer enters her life, Charlotte falls madly in lust with him. Despite their very different lives, neither can stop the erotic journey they’ve embarked on, but will it be enough to break through their barriers so they can accept that love itself is magical?.
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