Sunday, March 20, 2011

Six Sentance Sunday

I suppose I should really keep track of these. Sigh. Nonetheless, here is a sneak peek at my WIP : Silver Moon to be released by Cobblestone Press. It's already announced on their coming soon page, so I now have to finish it.

Silver Moon is a werewolve story. Todays scene takes place during the first meeting between Sabra, my alpha female and Z, the alpha mate. She's a dentist and he broke his tooth during a fight. She is required to chose a mate in three weeks but hasn't had any prospects, until now. It's longer than six sentances...

...(Sabra) stroked his fur. She felt each muscle contract as he began to relax. Normally, she’d sedate a wolf before she examined him, but, she trusted Z. He wasn’t going to hurt her. Not even out of reflex. He closed his eyes as she prodded his broken tooth with her index finger. Just as she suspected. It didn’t lengthen while he was in wolf form. That meant he’d suffered some nerve damage.  The whole tooth would have to be replaced. She fought the urge to rub her cheek against his soft fur and slowly backed away from the table.
After they help him off the table, she and Erica left the room so that he could shift back. Erica took the mold to the lab while she banged her head against the wall. What was the universe thinking? Why would they send Z in her direction so close to the festival? She heard him yelp and quickly went back into the exam room. Z was now in human form. She paused to gaze at his muscular olive hued back. His dark hair hung in waves over his shoulders. He was just pulling his jeans over his tight ass.
            “Is everything ok?”
            His posture stiffened at the sound of her voice. “Yeah.”
            She edged in and closed the door behind her. “Are you sure? There was a lot of noise coming from in here.”
            “Just having some trouble fastening my pants.”
            She frowned as she stepped closer. “Why?”
            She could sense his struggle to tell her the truth or not. With a loud exhale, he placed his hands on his hips and hung his head. She wanted to go to him and plant her face right between his shoulder blades. Then, it dawned on her. His pants were unfastened. She wanted to move closer, maybe get a peak at him, but she had to fight against that instinct. Her body reminded her just how long it’s been since she’s been with a man. Too damn long.
            “When you were stroking me,” he said softly. “It made me…”
            “Say no more. I’ll leave so you can fix your…um… pants.”
            “No. It’s fine. I think I got it.”
            She couldn’t explain why her heart was fluttering. She averted her eyes while he reached down to fix himself. When he was all buttoned up, he turned around and smiled at her. She had to fight with every muscle in her hand not to touch his smooth, hard pecs. He took his time sliding his arms into his flannel shirt. There was something she had to tell him, but couldn’t remember what that was.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Something new?

A new character came to visit me last night. She asked that I write something for her, but I don’t know how to use her, yet. Have you ever had that happen to you? Where you have the most amazing character but not a story for them? Then there’s the dilemma, do I build the story around the character or do I fit the character into a story?
The other thing is, I have another project to finish and is past its deadline, edits that have deadlines and other projects that I had hoped to finish when these are done. Plus, she wants to be in a contemporary. I want to say, “look lady, I write paranormal” but that won’t go over too well.
It’s good to switch things up every once in a while and write outside the genre. I’ve been thinking about trying my hand at either steampunk or sci-fi. There’s also an interracial f/f that’s been nagging at the back of my head. Do I stay in order, follow my plan or say, F- it and start something new?

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Excerpt from Chasing Dawn

Since it's ebook week, I decided to post an excerpt of my book Chasing Dawn which will be released by Phaze Books soon. (I'll let you know the exact date soon).

Chasing Dawn is about a mild mannered comic book store owner Chase who sculpts a life sized image of his favorite comic book heronine Dawn. When his dream girl literally comes alive, Chase must deside if it's possible to love a real life superhero and Dawn must decide if a superhero can live in the real world.

This excerpt is their first meeting. Enjoy!

Chase’s date met him at the above ground King Street just as the snow was beginning to fall. He was surprised but not shocked. She was very attractive, but he felt nothing. He was dreading going to the bar. He didn’t want to waste her, or his, time but had no choice. They were going down the escalator when his cell rang. It was the alarm company telling him that his silent alarm had been triggered. He had declined their offer to call the police and told them that he’d go check it out. Thank. You.
                Apologizing, he told his date about the alarm going off at his store. She offered to come with, but he had declined. He promised her that he would call her later and set up something for another time. She seemed disappointed but understood. They made a u-turn and went back up the escalator. After making sure she got on her train, he ran across the platform to his and headed back to the shop. As he sit in the first available empty seat, he wondered what could have tripped off the alarm. He had double checked the doors before he left.
                Maybe it’s Dawn.
                He laughed at his joke, but his heart fluttered at the possibility just the same. He had thought of what he’d do if he ever saw her in person. He’d just like to be able to hold her warm body in his arms, inhale her scent and feel her heartbeat against his would be enough.  The train screeched to a halt at his station. He quickly got off, took the elevator to the street level and sprinted the three blocks to the Dark Tempest.
                There didn’t seem to be any damage to the front door or to the plate glass windows on either side. He fished his keys out of his back pocket and quickly open the door. It squeaked open, revealing the dark retail space. The light panel next to the door flashed red, the color code for the back door. He punched in the security code, then shut and locked the front door. Grabbing a replica of Thor’s hammer from the display as he passed, he made his way to the back of the store.
                The color drained from his face as he saw the gaping hole in the wall. No, he thought, it couldn’t be. How had she escaped? How did she come to life to escape? She was a statue for crying out loud. He peeked through the hole. She was gone. In a panic, he backed away from the scene, knocking over a box of comics. Where’d she go? Then it clicked. The hole. The alarm. Backdoor. His stomach and heart flip flopped as he edged toward the door. Alive. She was alive!
                Shock and disbelief give way to worry as he paused at the door with his hand on the knob. She couldn’t have gotten far. She didn’t know the terrain of the city. She didn’t even know what city she was in, for that matter. Without further hesitation, he flung open the door and stopped short.
                 Standing just outside the door was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. The wind whipped her white hair around her shoulders. Her breasts heaved beneath her leather jumpsuit. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her erect nipples that embossed the leather material of her costume, but he did and noticed that her hands were balled into fists. He looked into her eyes. Gone was the serene expression that he had put there. It had been replaced by an expression of being seriously pissed off.  He dropped the toy hammer.
                “Dawn?”
                Suddenly, his body felt like it was on fire. He didn’t see flames but a flash of light as lightning exited the palm of her hands and entered his chest. Cursing, he fell to his knees, clutching his chest as she vaulted over him. On reflex, he reached out and grabbed her ankle. She used her free foot to kick him in his face, knocking off his glasses. He let her go. Gingerly, he rolled onto his stomach, and then lifted up onto his hands and knees. After searching for and finding his glasses, he put them on.
                That was cool, he thought as he stood on wobbly legs. He was sore, but he’d  have to stop her before she made it to the front door. Calling her name, he stumbled through the back door. He tried to keep his voice calm and steady. Hoping not to alarm her any further. Pain shots through all of his limbs as he made his way into the quiet storeroom. He closed the door behind him and turned around.
                 “Dawn. I don’t want to hurt…”
                His words were interrupted by her fist to his jaw. The sucker punch knocked him on to his back. Dawn hovered over him like an angel. He smiled at her. At least he thought that he was  smiling. He couldn’t tell. His jaw was numb. Judging by the expression on her face as she stared down at him, she wasn’t impressed. He reached up to adjust his glasses, but her foot on his chest stopped his movement. He held up his hands defensively.
                “Dawn, calm down.”
                “Calm down? You freeze me. Lock me in that little cell as you try to steal my powers and you want me to calm down?”
                “I can see how it might look like that but…”
                He yelped as the heel of her boot pressed into his chest. She bent close to study his face. Hers was a combination of delicate exotic features with high cheek bones and full lips that he longed to kiss. Her husky voice sent shivers down his spine. He caught a glimpse of her cleavage and inhaled a shaky breath. He was grateful that she couldn’t see the tent forming in his pants.
 “Who are you? Why am I being held captive?”
                “I’m not holding you captive. You’re free to leave whenever you want,”
She looked at him as if his statement was hard for her to believe, but he saw the thoughts turning in her mind. Removing her foot, she picked him up by the collar of his coat and sets him on his feet. Damn. He knew that she was strong. He had witnessed her beat up villains three times her size in the comics but, for some reason, he didn’t think that would translate into real life. Chase was a 6’3”, 193 pound soldier but this woman could snap him like a twig.
                Why did the thought of that turn him on?
                With a scowl on her face, she turned on her heels and walked through the storeroom toward the front door. He quickly leapt to his feet and rushed after her. She stood at the door, with her hands on her hips, looking out of the window at the snow.He stopped a few inches from her. She looked so vulnerable. Nothing like the heroine on the G-force pages. He wished that he could scoop her up in his arms but that might cause her to hit him with another bolt of lightning.
                “I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” he offered.
                She turned around. His breath again caught in his throat.
                 “Where are we? I saw a box that said this is Virginia.”
                “Yes. We’re close to the DC.”
                 “Where the President lives. He’ll be pleased to know about the mad man that lives in his back yard.”
                 “Mad man? Is that what you think of me?”
                He didn’t know why those words hurt coming from her, but they did. The hardened expression on her face was back as she walked past him and picked up a copy of the new G-Force episode from the display.  He wondered how much she knew. How much she remembered about her life on the pages? How much of that now translated to now. He’d have to explain there was no war between mutants as there was in the comics.  He’d have to show her that he wasn’t m not a bad guy.
                “What is all of this? Diaries of superheroes? Are you trying to find their weakness to harness their powers, too?”
                “What? No! These are comic books. I didn’t draw these. I just sell them.”
                Before he knew it, his hair was in her fists as she pulled him to his knees. He could see how his tone could have sparked her fury but damn.  
                “Sell them to whom? Other villains?”
                “No...”
                The pull on his hair told him that she didn’t believe him. She also didn’t laugh at his joke that he couldn’t draw like this and offered to show her. She, as his father would have said, was one tough cookie, and even thought he’s sure he’d have a bald spot when she finally lets go of his hair, his heart still fluttered just being this close to her. No, his feelings haven’t changed. They were stronger.
                 “Why should I trust you?”
                “If you let me go, I can explain.”
                He was surprised when she did. He rubbed the back of his head as she stood back with her arms folded across her chest. He glanced out of the window. The snow was falling heavier, faster. He was sure the Metro would shut down soon and if they had any chance of getting home, he’d have to leave now. His heart churned at the thought of bringing Dawn to his home. He looked at her. Her eyes still held a look of distrust but something else, that he couldn’t put his finger on, was mixed in.
                “I’ll explain everything you want to know, but first,” he gestured over her shoulder. “It’s coming down pretty hard out there. We better get some place safe.”
                She narrowed her gaze at him and cocked her head to the side as she studied him. He held up his hands in a defensive manner and took a step back.
                “Where would you suggest?”
                “My place.”
                She looked puzzled. “This isn’t you lair?”
                “Lair? No. This is my store. I live out in Vienna. It’s about a half hour train ride and we’d better go before they shut down because of the snow.”
                “Why should I trust you?”
                “I have one question for you,” he said as he dropped his hands.  “If you leave, where are you gonna go?”