Fourteen Line Friday - Fourteen Favorites Your challenge this week is to post fourteen of your favorite lines. Fourteen-Line Friday Rules: 1. In the comments section post fourteen lines from a current work in progress, a new release, a soon-to-be-released, or a novel that you published ages ago. All I ask is that you try to keep it as close to fourteen sentences as possible. 2. Post those buy links! If a reader loves your lines we want them to be able to find your book! 3. This is for clean/sweet/inspirational reads only. I like having a family friendly blog. :) As for my own fourteen lines, I'll be sharing a snippet from The Ruse. “Ladies and gentleman, I’ve called you here today on a matter of greatest importance.” First rule of getting what you want, appeal to their vanity. **** They leaned forward. “A young lady has come into our midst. Some of you have met her.” Letta raised her hand. “Others of you have heard about her.” Others nodded. Manny grunted. “This young lady will be key to raising funds for Stockport. How, you ask? This is how. A ruse.” The Ruse is FREE until May 3rd! Feel free to download your own copy and of course share the news with others. Now get to posting! I can't wait to read your snippets. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GTZPFHI
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Mary Catherine Whelihan made it out of Walkerville alive once before. Can she pull it off this time? Bullies, sexual harassment, finding a corpse in the local creek… Cate’s childhood in 1980s Walkerville was murder! So what could possibly tempt her to return? A cryptic email from Eugene Marcasian, MD, her grade school crush might do the trick. Can Cate and Gene find the cause of the mysterious illness afflicting nearly all of the girls in their graduating class, including Cate herself? Or will corporate bullies continue to take down anyone who gets in their way? More importantly, can Cate stay alive long enough to get one more slice of tomato pie? Excerpt: “Doesn’t signing in at the Technology Annex check-in desk blow the whole cloak-and-dagger bit?” Gene furrowed his brow for a moment. “I’m not looking for cloak-and-dagger. I just want to buy enough time to get some answers and put a stop to whatever is making people sick. But Mary Catherine—I don’t know what kind of wasp nest we might be kicking at here.” “Nice image.” My stomach knotted. Gene gently but firmly grasped me by my upper arms. “I’m not kidding. If what our coffee shop friend said is true...” I picked up where he trailed off, “Then Walkerville wasps carry some pretty wicked stingers.” Gene nodded. “I’m willing to give it all to find the truth. I’m not sure I want you to.” He was right. This wasn’t picking up rocks in Quaker Creek and looking for water pennies. This was digging up what two potentially deadly forces—Big Pharma and The Mob—wanted kept buried. I forced myself to look directly into his eyes. “Search softly,” I said, “and poke with a big stick.” Erin McCole Cupp is a wife, mom, and lay Dominican who lives with her family of vertebrates in the middle of Nowhere, Pennsylvania. Her writing has appeared in Canticle Magazine, Parents, The Catholic Standard and Times, and The Philadelphia City Paper, and she is a regular contributor to CatholicMom.com. Her other professional experiences include acting, costuming, youth ministry, international scholar advising, and waiting tables. Her influences include Neal Stephenson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Jane Austen. Her weaknesses include iceberg lettuce, frozen drinks, and anything labeled “Visitor Center.” Erin is the author of Jane_E, Friendless Orphan: A Memoir (Broken Wheel Media, 2006), Don’t You Forget About Me (Full Quiver Publishing, 2013), and Working Mother (Full Quiver Publishing, 2013), all available on Amazon. You can find more about Erin at erinmccolecupp.com Faith, love and a cup of coffee, can change everything. Life holds no surprises for Devon Murphy. Her life consists of keeping tabs on her aging Irish father, working part time at a coffee shop, and building her online graphics design business. Devon’s only tricky situation is a shallow relationship with the pampered and affluent Michael Turner, who sees her as just another woman to conquer. Following his father’s death, Brandon’s only goal is to expand the family business and live life on his own terms. That is, until he walks into the coffee shop one snowy evening and meets the enchanting, red-haired barista behind the counter. But can Devon and Brandon’s attraction for each other be strong enough to help erase their deepest disappointments and renew their faith in God? Excerpt: Once they got to the park, Devon unhooked his leash. The dog ran in the snow and stopping abruptly, he turned, tongue out and ears perked. Brandon reached down and patted snow into a ball and threw it far beyond Bubby, who took off after it. After a few more throws, they left the dog to himself and walked along the brick path to a bench. Brandon brushed the snow off with his gloved hand and they sat down. Bubby played some more, then lay with his head up and ears alert. “I’m curious,” Brandon said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “I may be out of line to ask you, but what kind of relationship do you have with this Michael guy?” He looked sideways to see her worrying her bottom lip and hoped he was going to get a truthful statement. “It’s pretty shallow, really. We’ve never discussed being an exclusive couple. He travels a lot with his company and I figure he probably goes out with other women, and not just for business if you know what I mean. Once he practically admitted to it.” “What kind of job does he have?” Devon, who’d been watching the dog, turned to look at him. “He’s the Executive Vice President for Turner Construction. His father owns the company.” Brandon drew himself back. “Turner Construction! That’s the largest construction company in the Midwest.” “So, you’ve heard of it?” “Yes, my dad had some experience with them.” “So was it a good experience?” Brandon shrugged. “I really couldn’t say.” Then, hoping to refocus her attention, he asked, “How’d you ever meet him anyway?” “He hit my car in a parking lot. Not very romantic.” Brandon looked over at her neutral expression. Whatever kind of relationship she had with Michael Turner didn’t seem to be making her happy. At that moment, all he wanted to do was to make her forget all about the jerk. As if sensing him watching her, Devon turned her head enough to make eye contact with him. The faint, milky glow from the streetlight showed enough of her features for him to see a soft blush warm her cheeks. Under her dark lashes, he watched her sea green eyes glint invitingly as her soft lips turned up at the corners. In that moment, his resolve to keep the date on a friendly level came crashing down. I grew up in Ohio where I currently live with my husband and our two rescue Labradors. Some of my favorite things include reading, shopping, pepperoni pizza, Hershey bars and hanging out with my two grown sons. I also love dogs, so going to the dog park is cheap entertainment for my husband and I! Growing up an only child, I had many imaginary friends. I believe this - and a love of books - fueled my desire to write. It was many years later that my dream of becoming a published author came true. My Romantic Suspense, “The Trouble With Charlie” is also published by Clean Reads. Visit my website for buy links and excerpts. Social Media Links:
Website: www.catherinebennett.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBennett Twitter: www.twitter@author_cbennett Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/authorcbennett/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5990135.Catherine_Bennett 4/14/2015 0 Comments Pigsty Princess by Nancy S. BrandtIn a country where Elemental Sensitivities determine a person's place in society, Mariana, fourth child of King Jonathan and Queen Alexandria, was born an Insensitive. She is given the made up title of Progenna, because she can't be in line for the throne and therefore, can't be a Princess. All her life, she is reminded that she isn't quite good enough. When her father decides she is to marry Pir Leo Valentine, an eighty-four year old man with a scar across his face that took his eye and only one hand, she runs away from the palace. Orlando of Talla is a pig farmer and former soldier who served the King until he watched his Sovereign burn an entire harbor town rather than lose a battle. Now he tries to live a quiet life while leading a band of rebels who steal from the nobility to bring prisoners home from that war. Orlando is also the bastard son of a nobleman, and therefore, he has a Sensitivity, one of Blood that allows him to feel the Sensitivities of others. He finds the injured Progenna in the forest and immediately realizes that the stories about Mariana aren't true. Rather than being an Insensitive, Mariana may be the most powerful Sensitive in Valborough. Excerpt: Mariana sniffled. “He said I was a commoner, and that I’m not Father’s daughter by blood.” Ramone sighed and shook his head. “Gossip only. Not even worthy of the servants, and for it to come out of the mouth of a Rieravo and a Presumptive…I am surprised he would suggest that out loud to you.” She adjusted herself so she was off her brother’s lap and faced him. “Ramone, what if what Darius said is right? What if Father isn’t…my father? No nobleman will ever want to marry me if that’s true.” “First of all, it’s not true, and second, even if it were, Father has claimed you as his daughter. He will take care of you.” It didn’t make her feel any better. “You mean he’ll force someone into marrying me.” She got off the loveseat and went over to sit at her mother’s writing desk. Picking up one of the quills, she glanced at her brother in the mirror. “It might not be like that,” he said after a moment of silence. “There must be some man who doesn’t care about bonding. Someone who will be content with having only his own magic.” She spun around to stare at him. “Name one person you have ever heard of, male or female, who was willing to throw away the potential power of their Sensitivities to bond to someone with nothing. What do your history and peerage books say about that?” He said nothing, but he didn’t meet her eyes. Mariana nodded. “Just as I thought. I was stupid to think being a Proge…the daughter of the King would be enough. No one with any Sensitivities wants to wed someone they can’t bond with. I wish Mother and Father would have prepared me for this.” “What could they have done, Mariana?” He walked over to her and, taking her hands, brought her to her feet. “You are special, one of a kind. You are my beautiful baby sister.” “But I’m not like the rest of you. Father and Mother are strong Sensitives. By definition, Father is the strongest in thekingdom. You, Liliana, and Ursula have sensitivities in three areas.. Me? You know what the Abilities Master said when I finished my testing.” “It doesn’t matter.” “Do you remember? Father came out of his meeting with Kylan and said, ‘It is as we thought.’ Mother cried.” He took her in his arms. “She loves you. She was crying because she knew your life would be harder because of this.” “Was that it?” she asked. “Did Mother cry because I don’t have any Sensitivities or because Father found out about my true parentage? I have to know if I am a Princess in truth or just the result of some mistake Mother made.” Nancy S. Brandt is a stay-at-home mother of two children, a daughter, 25, who is an appointment's clerk at an orthopedic clinic and an editor and book reviewer; and a son, 12, who studies karate, and wants to be either an historian or an artist. Nancy's husband, Steven, is also an author and an adjunct professor of computer science at Louisiana State University. In about sixth grade, an English teacher gave an assignment to write a descriptive essay. Nancy's was all about a wonderful cave filled with diamonds, emeralds and other precious gems. From that experience, she walked into every English class hoping to get to write something, and she learned three things: 1. The difference between stalactite and stalagmite, 2. That fantasy was probably the genre she should concentrate on, and 3. Never end a story with "It was all a dream." Nancy is a kidney transplant recipient (her husband was her living donor), a thyroid cancer survivor, and an Army veteran. She is currently working on the sequel to Pigsty Princess, called Questionable Queen. Social Media Links: Website: www.nancysbrandt.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancySBrandtfantasyauthor Twitter: @NancySBrandt Instagram: nancysbrandt Pinterest: nancy_s_brandt Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NancySBrandt 4/12/2015 0 Comments My 99 cent book of the week!Pick up your copy of book one in the Renaissance Hearts Series for only 99 cents! Buy Link: Amazon Barnes and Noble |
Felicia RogersWriting clean romance with laughter and love. Archives
April 2017
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