8/26/2014 1 Comment At First Sight by Mya O'Malley Modern love can be a headache. Just ask Annie Morgan, who, recently divorced, finds herself in the middle of the proverbial online dating jungle. Making a deal with her best friend, Annie agrees to go out on exactly five online dates out of seventy-six potential suitors. Shane Nicholls was jaded, he had his heart broken and never got over the hurt. Now, convinced that all women are trouble, he avoids drama at any cost. Funny thing is, drama seems to find Shane around every corner. Can Annie, a romantic at heart, find love online or will she find love at first sight the old-fashioned way, by awkward, chance meetings with Shane Nicholls? Through a number of obstacles and heartache, Annie and Shane find that love at first sight really does exist if you truly believe. Excerpt: Johnny’s was packed. Standing on line to place her order, Annie took in her surroundings. Just as the owner, Johnny, was coming over to take her order, something caught Annie’s eye. The guy near the window, he seemed familiar somehow. Where had she seen him before? He was eating dinner with a pretty brunette. He lifted his head to look at Annie as their eyes locked. On no! It was the guy from the mall, the one she bumped into. She quickly spun around, knocking right into the waitress who was carrying a tray of soft drinks. Soda soaked her shirt and dripped onto the floor. The waitress was clearly annoyed and appeared like she would have loved to tell Annie off. Instead she rolled her eyes and ran to get a towel. If Annie thought she was embarrassed before, it was nothing compared to how she felt now. Every eye in the place was on her, including the guy from the mall. Helpless to do anything else, she grabbed some napkins and bent down to sop up some of the mess. “It seems you have a knack for causing a scene everywhere you go.” It was his voice. The voice that filled her head with inappropriate thoughts, with longing. What was she thinking? Did she dare look up? His gaze was a magnet, forcing her to meet his eyes. His eyes were a warmer brown than she had remembered, drawing her in. “I...uh...” “I’m joking. Here, let me help you with that.” He grabbed the napkins from her hand. The heat between them jolted her back. She moved quickly, surprised he could evoke such a reaction from her. Nobody had ever made her feel so exposed before. What was going on here? Annie felt foolish. “I’m Shane. Shane Nicholls.” He extended his hand to her. They must have appeared to be quite the sight, bending over to clean up the mess while shaking hands. “Annie.” Annie remembered her new rules of safety in the dating world. One of them was she would not reveal her last name or any other personal information until she was sure the guy wasn’t a stalker or anything. “Annie. It suits you, I like it.” Annie had almost forgot about the woman waiting for Shane at the table near the window. She glanced over and took in a tight-lipped woman. It hit Annie that this woman was not the same stunning woman from the mall. Hmm, she had met his type before. This guy had “player” written all over him. She quickly brushed herself off and excused herself. “Hey, Annie. Wait.” He reached for her hand. Annie forgot all about placing her order and made a beeline for the door. She didn’t look back. Well, Annie figured, it looked like it would be Chinese food tonight. Mya O’Malley was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she currently lives with her husband, daughter and three step-daughters. The family also consists of two boxers; Destiny and Dolce and a ragdoll cat named Colby. Mya earned an undergraduate degree in special education and a graduate degree in reading and literacy. She works as a special education teacher and enjoys making a difference in the lives of her students. Mya’s passion is writing; she has been creating stories and poetry since she was a child. Mya spends her free time reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She is a romantic at heart and loves to create stories with unforgettable characters. Mya likes to travel; she has visited several Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Costa Rica. Mya is currently working on her fifth novel. Want to connect more with Mya? Then visit her at: Website: www.myaomalley.com *Facebook: facebook.com/myaomalley *Twitter: Mya O’Malley@MyaOmalley Blog- myaomalley.blogspot.com Pinterest- Mya O’Malley email- [email protected]
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8/19/2014 0 Comments Emerald Street by Felicia RogersWhat if one laugh changed your world? Raylyn Morrison, a critical care nurse for wounded soldiers, has a problem. She cares too much. Dreams haunt her. The death of her patients leaves her distraught and seeking peace. But temporary peace is not enough. She doesn’t want to leave, but she needs to. Then he comes along. Staff Sergeant Jack Williams understands loss -- physical, emotional, and spiritual. Not only did the war take his leg, but it took his family and his desire to live. But the voice of an angel keeps him going. A voice he dreams about even after he wakes from a coma. Yet when they meet she is nothing like he expected and he wonders if he’s made mistake. Fate destines them to be together forever, he’s sure of it, but something goes wrong and Raylyn disappears. She leaves a hole that only service can fill. Chiapas, Mexico, is the perfect setting to forget her loss and work on her future. But when Jack reappears in her life, she worries her heart will break again. But after two years, she should be over him. Right? Do her new fears have a foundation or should she give in and allow herself to love him once more? While residing in a country with a rich history and a tumultuous future, Jack must convince Raylyn he never stopped loving her…before it is too late. Excerpt: “Can I join you?” She jumped, surprised to hear Jack’s voice. Swallowing, she held out her hand. “Please.” He took a seat. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” “I don’t have any food.” Way to go, just blurt out something stupid. He smiled and played with a folded napkin. “Neither do I. I’ve been eating in some of the restaurants here on the strip. Believe it or not, they have practically anything you might want.” “I noticed that.” “Did you order already?” he asked. “I did.” “So did I. I asked them to bring it here. That is, if you don’t mind.” She shook her head. They sat quietly, and she winked and whispered, “Are you going to show me some more of your fancy dance moves?” He laughed under his breath. “I’m not sure. Would you like me to?” She smiled. “Only if you’re going to move your hips again.” He laughed heartily and stood to his feet. She reached for his arm to pull him back down, but he’d already confiscated a rose and placed it in his mouth. The guests clapped as he danced around the room. Did anyone notice the slight hop to his step? The plastic prosthesis peeked out from under the hem of his pants. She looked away and forced herself to watch his happy face. Hands clasped atop the table, she tapped her feet to the music. A smile widened across her face as Jack drew close and moved his arms like a wave in her direction. She shook her head. No way was he getting her to dance. He bent at the waist, his nose almost touching hers. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” Chin lowered to her chest, she tried to avoid his intense stare. The crowd cheered as he enacted fancy footwork before her table in an attempt to get her attention. Heat flushed her cheeks at the thought of his hands guiding her. He snatched her hand and drew her to her feet. Warmth encased her entire body as he held one of her hands high above their heads and laid the other on her waist. He guided the movement of her hips, and her heart raced. Tingles raced along her spine, and she fought her rising attraction. Jack held her close and nodded his head for her to take the rose from his teeth. Awkwardly, she complied, and he twirled her out. Her heart hammered so loud in her chest, she couldn’t hear. He moved his hands to her waist. Others in the crowd stood and followed suit. Soon there was a line rounding the restaurant’s interior. The song ended, and they fell into their seats, laughing. “You have a beautiful smile, mi tesoro.” Heat flooded her cheeks. No one had ever called her their treasure. She smoothed a wayward hair behind her ear and prayed for a distraction. Still, her flesh tingled from his touch, and she ached to regain his nearness. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Emerald Street is a contemporary inspirational suspense romance and the sequel to Diamond Mine and Pearl Valley. Want to know what readers are saying about Emerald Street? “Gripping!! Felicia Rogers does a masterful job of telling a gripping story that is emotionally packed. It gives a realistic perspective on just how prevalent injustice towards Christians exists in parts of the world… You will not put this book down unmoved.” –Yolanda Gamble, reader “Felicia has once again marvelously brought 2 extremely likable characters to life. The story of Raylyn and Jack seems so real that I couldn't help but laugh, cry, and gasp throughout the book. I loved seeing old favorites again from Diamond Mine (if you haven't read that book it is a must!) and meeting new ones.” –Danielle Williams, reader -------------------------------------------------------ROMANCE AUTHOR-- Felicia Rogers
Felicia Rogers is an author of multiple novels and novellas. When she's not writing, Felicia volunteers with the Girl Scouts of America, teaches at a local homeschooling group, hikes, and spends time with her family. To find out more information about Felicia Rogers visit the sites below. She loves hearing from her readers. Website: http://www.feliciarogersauthor.weebly.com --- Congrats! You're already here! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeliciaRogersAuthor Email: [email protected] Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/feliciarogers 8/12/2014 1 Comment Fresh Beginnings by Iris BlobelThe small town of Hobart in Tasmania has witnessed many beginnings in recent years. At yet one more beginning, the wedding of a friend, Jared Fraser decides it’s time for some fresh beginnings to come his way… And he sets out for a holiday to the US to travel along the Route 66 in a motorhome. Ivy Bennett thought leaving her boyfriend would be the hard part. It doesn’t take long to figure out how wrong she was. As she struggles with making a new start in her life, the last person she expects to lead her to happiness is a laid-back Australian on holiday. Then the arrival of family friend Mia Levesque and her boyfriend, Josh, turns Jared’s holidays upside-down when he’s forced to play arbitrator between the two teenagers. Excerpt: "G'day!" He stared at her and for some reason something tugged at his heart. Not that he wanted that. He had no room for women, let alone American ones. They all were on earth to make life complicated. Mark was constantly running around for Sophie or Hope, even though Mark's wife was one in a million and little Hope was simply adorable, especially when she was asleep. "Ya know it's dangerous to hitch a ride," he finally said when she was still quiet. She stared at him for a moment, but then replied with the typical American twang in her voice. "I know you said something, but I have no idea what." He chuckled. "It is dangerous to hitchhike," he repeated with exaggerated pronunciation. The woman stepped a bit closer to the window. "Are you from Austria?" He laughed aloud. "Australia, I meant," she added, seemingly embarrassed by the mistake. "I am indeed." He watched her looking ahead towards the horizon. "So you wanna hitch a ride?" Jared had a feeling she didn't want to, but her current situation didn't give her many choices. There they were in the middle of nowhere, with the next place a fair few miles away. "Name's Jared," he said and then he opened the door and walked around the motorhome. Leaning against the vehicle, he looked at her. She was pretty. Thin, but pretty. When her brown eyes met his, he experienced another one of those heart tugs and wasn't impressed at all. He tried to look right past her. It wasn't happening though. They were like magnets. "Jared," he repeated and held out his hand. Her look went right past him into the distance, and he assumed she was fighting with herself, part of her wanting to get off the road, the other part being worried. "Anybody else travelling with you?" she asked quietly. He shook his head. "Nope." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and, after a brief moment, reached for his hand. "Nice meeting you." Acknowledging that she wasn't much into sharing details like her name, he opened the door for her. "Where are ya headin'?" he asked. A smile started in her eyes and played with the corner of her lips. He felt himself smiling back. There was an appreciation in her smile. "Could you drop me off at the next stop?" she asked hesitantly. "Most certainly, but where are ya headin?" She shrugged. "Kingman?" "Is that on this road?" Nodding, she said. "Yes, it is. It should be less than a hundred miles along this highway." "Then hop in." She turned to get into the motorhome, and he took in her small stature and the narrow shoulders which seemed even smaller in her tight, red T-shirt. Jared noticed her cargoes were just hanging onto her hips. A nice steak wouldn't go astray on these hips. Suddenly she stopped and moved to look at him. "Thank you," she whispered. "No worries mate." Jared held her gaze and wasn't sure what to say or do. She simply stood in front of him like frozen. "My name is Ivy," she said after a long moment. "Hedera. An evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plant in the family Araliaceae." With a frown, she stared at him. "I really didn't understand that one." He laughed. "Sorry, mate. I got carried away. I'm a landscaper. Ivy is a climbing plant." Scratching the back of his head, he added, slightly self-conscious, "And, of course, a beautiful name." There was a small laugh as she stepped into the motorhome. He went around and slid behind the wheel before driving back onto the road. There was a long silence, and Jared wasn't really sure what to do or say. Usually, he was good with silence. Actually, he loved it. But at that moment, the silence made him uncomfortable. "So, what brings ya out into the middle of the sticks?" When there was no reply, he turned and looked at her. There was a big frown on her face, and he sighed. "I thought you all speak English as well?" "We do," she said with a slight giggle. "But I'm not so sure about you Australians." With a grin he replied, "Now, don't be cheeky, Ivy." "Don't bite the hand that feeds you, my mom always said." She laughed. "No way would I make fun of you." "So, you're expectin' a meal as well?" There was a moment of silence again, and he glanced over. The smile was gone and panic was written all over her face. "I… I didn't—" Quickly he reached out for her hand. "I'm pulling your leg." And when she didn't reply again, he muttered, "This thing with you Americans not understanding English is turning into a problem. I was kiddin'." "Pulling your leg?" She shook her head. "Never heard of it." A bark of laughter filled the small space. "Anyway. Talkin' about food. There's a small place ahead. Want some lunch?" Author:
Iris Blobel was born and raised in Germany and only immigrated to Australia in the late 1990s. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent quite some time living in Scotland, London as well as Canada where she actually had met her future husband. Her love for putting her stories onto paper has only recently emerged, but now her laptop is a constant companion. Iris resides west of Melbourne with her husband and her beautiful two daughters as well as her dog. Next to her job at a private school she also presents a German Program at the local Community Radio. Where to Find Iris: My Blog: www.iris-b.blogspot.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/irisblobel Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4067254.Iris_Blobel Twitter: @_iris_b Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/iblobel/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/107759085454255573026/posts J.D. Sterling, country music’s sexy superstar, has come home again. He has achieved his wildest dreams and did what he set out to do when he shook the dirt of the small Texas town from his boot heels a dozen years before. Now, he’s returned for the final piece of the puzzle to completing his life….the girl who holds his heart. Mandy. Amanda Lawson has grown up. From sheer heartbreak to struggling to survive to becoming a shrewd businesswoman, she has taught herself to never look back. She survived once before the wild, green-eyed cowboy with only a guitar to his name and a pocketful of dreams. He took her heart and so much more when he left her behind with his hollow vows. Mandy was his muse…J.D. was her dream. Despite tragedy, can they find their way home to each other again? Excerpt….. J.D. Sterling’s heartbeats were thumping loud as a bass drum at the sight of the red sedan as it pulled into the circular driveway, stopping just behind the other realtor’s Hummer. He had purposely seated himself in a corner of the wide porch, away from the glare of the noonday sun, where climbing vines and shade would enable him to be concealed from the woman’s line of sight. He didn’t want her to know he was there, at least not right away. J.D. needed to see her first, to get his feet under him. At least, that’s the excuse he'd given himself. For someone who always planted his feet solidly in the middle of any situation, this was one time the spotlight was not what he sought. His pulses were racing as he saw the driver’s door swing open, and two slender ankles encased in gray high heels became visible as they touched the ground. The woman stood up, one hand pushed her sunglasses further up on the bridge of her nose, and then she closed the car door behind her. She slung the straps of her leather bag over her shoulder and moved around the hood of the car, her heels making soft crunching sounds on the pea gravel along the drive. In the early afternoon stillness of the ranch, those sounds seemed to be amplified. The eyes in the shadows drank in the features of the woman as she moved toward the house. Nowhere in sight was the country girl he had last seen. The vision that approached was confident in her stride, her head up and shoulders resolute. The girl he used to know was just short of being painfully shy and always hesitant to stand out of any crowd. Sunglasses concealed her eyes from view so he couldn’t see if they were still the amazingly vivid blue he remembered and had even immortalized in song once. They had filled his dreams on many a night and gotten him through some really hard times. It was those eyes he would see when he closed his own as he sang across the bright lights into the dark recesses of some huge arena, packed with screaming fans and loud music. He would sing to the girl in his dreams… the one he had left behind but never left out of his heart. “Hello, Mandy,” he spoke softly from the shadows. Amanda’s head swung in its direction. Her eyes sought to focus on the tall figure that stepped from darkness into light. She went to take a quick breath but found she couldn’t. In fact, for some reason, the light was receding, and the darkness was swallowing them all up. Born and raised in the Lone Star state of Texas, Debra grew up among horses, cowboys, wide open spaces, and real Texas Rangers. Pride in her state and ancestry knows no bounds and it is these heroes and heroines she loves to write about the most. She also draws upon a variety of life experiences including working with abused children, caring for baby animals at a major zoo, and owning a wedding planning business (ah, romance!). Debra’s real pride and joys, however, are her son, an aspiring film actor, and a daughter with aspirations to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (more story ideas!) When she isn’t busy writing about tall Texans and feisty heroines, she can be found cheering on her Texas Tech Red Raiders, or heading off on another cruise adventure. She read her first romance...Janet Dailey's Fiesta San Antonio, over thirty years ago and became hooked on the genre. Writing contemporary western romances, is both her passion and dream come true, and she hopes her books will bring smiles...and sighs... to all who believe in happily-ever-after’s. The Seymour Agency represents Debra and she is soon to have two contemporary romances published by Spencer Hill/Tulip Romance and Astraea Press. Debra invites you to visit her website at www.debraholtbooks.com. She loves to hear from other aspiring authors or readers via email at [email protected]. |
Felicia RogersWriting clean romance with laughter and love. Archives
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