Dialogue Nugget Sunday - A place to rest my heart

 Strong, warm hands grabbed my arms to steady me, “You always so jumpy?” That smirk that had been on his face in the bar was still there. He released my arms, stepped back, and I watched his eyes darken with heat as he slowly looked me over head to toe. I realized at that point I was only wearing a pair of well-worn sweat pants and a thin tank top.

            “Some people, myself included, think it’s rude to stare.”

            “I don’t give a damn what some people think.” He moved a step closer to me, his eyes boring into mine, and I caught a whiff of some knee-melting cologne. I got the feeling he had something to say, his manner shifting from leering to threatening. But I held fast and stared right back at him. I turned the tables and gave Sean an appraising look, taking in how his worn jeans fit nicely over his long legs, and that his t-shirt fit snugly across his chest. I moved forward to stand toe to toe with him. His grin turned cocky, but his eyes still had some heat to them and his voice was soft and direct, “I’m sure you want to hit the road as soon as possible but if you’re hungry, breakfast is this way.” I got the message loud and clear.

“Where the hell am I?”

            “Is this twenty questions?”

            “Am I going to need to ask that many before you tell me where the hell I am and where my clothes are?”

Available July 30th

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Life in Death by Harlow Drake

Today I am hosting Harlow Drake, author of Life in Death.  At the end of the post there is a giveaway where Harlow is giving away 3 autographed paperbacks and a $15 Amazon Gift Card.  Check out this great novella and enter to win!

When a girl that social worker Kari Marchant places in foster care is brutally murdered, she’s compelled to learn why. Her quest for the truth pits her against friends and coworkers. As Kari works to solve the horrific plot, more people die. How far should she go to learn the truth—even if it threatens her life?

Trailer:






Author Harlow Drake was born in Kansas City, MO, but grew up in Denver, CO. She relocated to North Carolina five years ago with her husband, two dogs, and 16-year old twins. 

She shares a birthday with the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte. In keeping with his legacy, she is currently working on taking over the world. Harlow's positive attitude and fresh take on life are her tools and conquest is certain.  She spends her free time writing, dancing, traveling and defending mailboxes from her 16-year-old twins’ driving. 

Her debut novel, LIFE IN DEATH, is a murder mystery which pulls from real-life situations from her own family history. She felt compelled to share her story with the world while offering a thrilling, entertaining, and amusing escape for readers. 

In keeping with her commitment to improving the lives of children, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of her book will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club in her home state of North Carolina. 



She loves to connect with her readers and can be found on Twitter, her blog, or on Facebook


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Dialogue Nugget Sunday - One Hit Wonder

“John?” She approached him gingerly. “Is everything okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Bill.”
“Oh, it’s fine. He was just asking about some of the things we’ve been doing.”
“Does he think I’m meddling?
“Nothing he can do about it from hundreds of miles away.” John snorted.
“I don’t want to cause any trouble”—Audrey smiled sheepishly—“for you.”
John held her gaze and her heart skipped a beat. She felt the charged energy between them, and when he took a step in her direction it multiplied by a tenfold.
“Audrey—”
“Hey kids.” Tyler said coming out of freaking nowhere and grabbing a Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator. “What’s happening?”
John tweaked his lips at her, then turning to an expectant Tyler, said “I was telling Audrey about Bill’s management style.”
“Stand back and watch?” Tyler shook his head in disapproval. “He never leaves his office.”
“Why do you work with him?” Audrey asked disappointed by the interruption because she thought she saw something very peculiar in John’s eyes when he said her name, and she desperately wanted to know what it was.

Dialogue Nugget Sunday - The Wanting Heart

“It’s late, Blake.  I’m tired.”
“Not too tired to be kissing that city feller.”  Blake could’ve kicked himself.  He wanted to talk to her not fight.
“That’s none of your business.  You have no right to be spying on me.”
“I wasn’t spying.  I was watching Cathy.”
Kate stepped into the full light.  “Well, you should have taken her and been on your way!”
Seeing dark circles beneath Kate’s eyes, Blake studied her.  He saw sadness and fatigue.  “Jesus, Kate.  Did you drive home last night?  Have you even been home?”
“What do you care?”
Blake grabbed her arms.  “Are you trying to kill yourself?”
“No.  I’m living my life.”
“I’ll tell you what you’re doing.  You’re going home and going to bed.”
“Don’t use that range boss voice on me.  You have no right.”
Blake couldn’t listen to another word.  Holding her body, even in anger, was too much for him.  Her words were crushed against her mouth as his lips covered hers.  He lifted her off her feet, molding her body to his.  She’d been nineteen the last time he kissed her.  Her body had grown and filled out since then.  But, he wasn’t thinking of that.  He wasn’t thinking of anything, but how damn good it felt to just hold her, kiss her.  Begging for her surrender, he stroked his hands over her hips, up her back and fisted them in her hair.

 

…Romantic Suspense as Big as Montana!

 

 

Coming on July 9th from Crimson Romance.

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Gone missing

I read an informative article on Writer's Digest about "grammar hang-ups," and as a non-native English speaker I must say "hang-ups" are a constant in my writing, especially because I'm not the best at memorizing rules. I usually have to edit the heck out of my manuscript and my editor would still find little mishaps that she probably wouldn't in a native's manuscript.

I thought "gone missing" was a particularly interesting one, because it reminded me of the many idioms I had to familiarize myself with when I first arrived in the U.S.
Things like "until the cows come home" and "head over heels" don't make sense when we translate literally to Portuguese.

The article explains: Gone missing is a Briticism that has made its way to the U.S., where reporters use it mostly to describe missing persons. Although journalists and newscasters seem to love gone missing, it’s easy to find vocal readers and viewers who hate it.

Haters argue that a person must go to a location, and missing isn’t a place, and that an inanimate object can’t go missing because it can’t take action alone—but English has never been so literal. 

Amen to that!

Even if you hate gone missing, you can’t legitimately criticize it as grammatically incorrect. But on the flip side, if you’re a fan of the phrase, be aware that it annoys enough readers that you should think twice before using it in your writing.

Read the entire article here.

Dialogue Nugget Sunday - Love, Eternally

Gigi stood, frozen with shock. She knew that laugh, that turn of the head, that man. “Magnus!” she cried out, and started running. “Magnus!”
His eyebrows shot up, his emotions raw, exposed––recognition, disbelief, joy.
“Gigi!” he yelled.
And then he, too, was pushing his way free of the group and running.
The shock of his touch, a thunderclap of joy as his strong arms lifted her off her feet, holding her suspended, his face buried in the crook of her neck. He smelled of hard travel, of leather and wood smoke. She breathed deeply.
“Thank the gods. I searched everywhere,” he said with a husky voice.
“Magnus, Mag—” 
His mouth covered hers, his passion laying claim. She’d felt his embrace in a thousand dreams, but now he was here, real, and her body trembled for him.
“I feared I would never find you.” The words strangled in his throat as he kissed her eyes, her lips. “No news ever came. Ah, Gigi, I prayed endlessly to Victoria, but I feared . . . ”

 Love Eternally, Book One of the Roman Time Travel Series, Coming on July 2 from Crimson Romance

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