Tag: Romance

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Monday Mayhem – Dreamers Edition

As I type this I’m watching an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary called “The Price of Gold”. It’s all about the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan brouhaha. I’ve always been a figure skating fan. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be Dorothy Hamill.

I had a pink skating dress my sister sewed for me. There were matching pink pom-poms on my skates. I had the ‘Hamill Wedge’ haircut, and I used Short ‘n Sassy shampoo, just like Dorothy. I spent all my spare time at the Four Seasons ice rink.

Then they decided the convert the ice arena to a fitness center.

Goodbye dream.

The best thing about dreams is that you can conjure a new one.

In high school I wanted to be a rich, ruthless business woman who chewed men up and spit them out like Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowen from Dynasty.

I graduated from college and moved to Chicago, but by then I’d left Alexis behind and re-calibrated. I wanted to be Melanie Griffith from Working Girl. After all, she got Harrison Ford in the end.

Everything we do in life starts as a dream. A wisp of ambition takes form. An idea germinates and grows. I’ve chased quite a few dreams in my life, but none have been as challenging as the dream of pursuing a writing career.

I’ve been going through a period of reflection and assessment. It has been the least productive few months I’ve had in five years. Things change, life gets in the way, and distractions sometimes get the better of me. I’m working on being okay with that. I’m also hauling my butt back to the gym and trying to take note of the positive things in my life.

How about you? What dreams are you chasing? Are you attempting to do anything differently this year?

 

 

 

 

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Contest!

Want to win a Nook Simple Touch? Check out my giveaway!

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And don’t forget to check out my latest release, The Art Lover. Available now for only $0.99!

195 Maggie Wells copy

Starving artist Kelsey Tecato takes being The Templeton Museum’s artist in residence a little too literally. By day, she puts on a show of painting for the crowds that shuffle through the galleries, but at night, her muse runs wild.

Mitch Jameson is a guy’s guy. A cop moonlighting as a security guard, he has little use for the artsy-fartsy stuff, but the mysterious Ms. Tecato’s sexy portraits call to him.

So does an interior alarm.

When Officer Jameson goes to investigate, he finds a paint-splattered goddess working on a self-portrait–in the nude.

A couple tubes of paint and a roll in the drop cloths later, free-spirited Kelsey helps Officer Jameson discover his passion for art.

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Monday Mayhem – Maggie Mayhem

My friend, Maggie Wells, is up to her tricks again, but this time it’s a new trick. Last week Maggie released her first self-published title – a smoking hot short story called The Art Lover! It’s only $0.99 on Amazon, so if you’re looking for something to warm a cold winter’s night download it today!

TheArtLover_MaggieWells

Here’s a taste:

“About time you showed up.”

A woman. The intruder was a woman and she’d been expecting him. Irked by the presumptuous amusement in her tone, he stepped into the open doorway and almost swallowed his tongue.

Alarm bells clamored in his head the moment recognition clicked. Kelsy Tecato. Artist in Residence and painter of hard-on-inducing nudes here live and in person, standing in the Templeton Museum after hours as if she owned the place.

Naked as the day she was born.

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Monday Mayhem – Auld Lang Syne edition

Hard to believe that another year has passed, but here we are, two days from 2014. It seems trite to say it flew by, but in my case, a good chunk of it did. I spent a good portion of 2013 in airports and hotels. The new and increasing duties of the day job really cut into my energy and creativity this year, but I’ve come to terms with that. I may not write as much as quickly as I did a couple of years ago, but I like to think my writing has grown and improved.

2013 has been a year of change, growth and evolution in personal and professional lives, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for hanging in there with me. I would never have had the chutzpah to chase this dream without your encouragement, and I wouldn’t have the strength to endure those ups and downs without your continued support.

You are made of awesome.

So here are my final five for 2013. Cheers and have a safe and happy new year!

What I’ve been working on: Mainly, I’ve been just trying to get through the holidays. But just for fun, I started plotting, planning, and brainstorming a new set of books that revolve around a family that owns a small Chicago tavern. Maggie will probably end up stealing it, but what can you do? Saucy wench is stealing all my thunder lately.

What’s running around in the back of my mind: I really need to finish Containment. It’s still there, but December has been kind of an emotional month. Hard to motivate myself to write something so heavy at the moment.

What I’ve accomplished: Um…I finished revisions on a story I plan to submit in 2014. Oh, and Miss Maggie Wells may have a trick or two up her sleeve for this week.

What new goal I’m chasing: I plan to get back in the writing groove in January. Back to the 1k a day goal. That seemed to work for me. 🙂

What I saw: Everything that makes life sweet

sweetness

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Monday Mayhem – Hello, old friend.

Containment! I’m deviating from my usual post to tell you that I am writing Containment!

While I’m not even half way done with the first draft, it seems to be flowing this time. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I’d cross mine, but then I couldn’t type.

It’s the last week of NaNoWriMo and I’m a day or so behind. That means I’ll be sprinting for the finish. But I’m just so damn happy that this book seems to be happening. *knocks wood* Want a taste?

****

“I love you. You know I love you….”

Shel stared at his mouth transfixed. She’d kissed that mouth thousands of times. Even when he was stuffed up and snotty, when he had god-awful coffee breath, or worse, onions for lunch, she’d still kissed him. He was hers. At least, she thought he was. Until this afternoon, she thought his lopsided smile worked only for her. That was why she’d listened and believed when he said he loved her.

She’d obviously been a fool.

“I swear, it meant nothing.”

He wagged his head, trying to back up his platitudes with exaggerated denial, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from his mouth. It wouldn’t stop moving, no matter how much she wished it would.

“I never meant for this to happen.”

She watched as each word formed, fascinated by the exaggerated push and pull of lips, teeth, and tongue. Each denial wrapped around a moment and stretched it into a lifetime. Her lifetime. The lifetime she vowed to spend with him.

“I’d take it all back if I could.”

His vehemence slowed the instant replay of their life together to a snail’s crawl, warping and distorting the soundtrack of good times and bad until they were indistinguishable from one another. The sluggishness of her reactions pissed her off. The life they led had little space for slow-mo sequences. She was a mother. A wife. A friend. An artist. A woman in control. At least, she thought she was until about five minutes ago.

Shel blinked at last. She should have slapped him by now. If she had any balls at all, she’d have hauled off and punched him square in that lying, cheating mouth. She could push him out the door and tell him to never come back.

Or better yet, she’d bolt.

A sizzle of illicit thrill chased down her spine. She could. She should take off and leave him here to deal with the mess he’d made of their lives. He would deal with the endless rounds of appointments and disappointments. He could wait and wonder and question every choice he’d made over the last ten years of his life.

****

Yes, this book is going there. Containment will deal with the sticky wicket of infidelity. That’s why it’s been such a bear to tackle. So, yeah. There it is.

Remember, this is wholly unedited first draft. Things can change radically between now and final revisions. It’s also a good bet there will be markedly fewer commas later.

Keep praying to the writing gods for me! 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!

 

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Monday Mayhem – Snapshot

This week I am celebrating the release of my short story, Snapshot, in the premier issue of Fictionvale e-zine. Here are the first five lines:

I never told anyone I was the girl in the picture. There wasn’t any point. The kiss didn’t mean anything at all. He was just a fella cast adrift in the big city at a time when everyone wanted to hold their loved ones close. I was just the girl who was close at hand.

Snapshot was inspired by Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic “V-J Day in Times Square” photograph.

timessquare

Want to read more? Buy a copy of Fictionvale episode 1: Enter Fictionvale here or at Amazon!

Happy Monday everyone!

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Monday Mayhem – Throwback Edition

What I’ve been working on: I finished the first draft on Going Deep! Yay! Finally.

What’s running around in the back of my mind: It was a crazy busy week with work and travel and family and catching up with old friends. The front of my mind is too tired to deal with the back of my mind.

What I’ve accomplished: I’m on track (ish) for NaNo. I typed my two favorite words on the last page of Going Deep.

What new goal I’m chasing: I’m diving back into Containment in hopes of finding new inspiration. Wish me luck!

What I saw: Friends too fabulous to be called ‘old’ no matter how many years have passed.

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Special bonus! Here are the LAST five lines from the first draft of Going Deep:

Brooke drew back, ready to give him hell, but the sweet smile he wore grabbed her by the heart and squeezed. The indignation she should have felt was drowned in a hot rush of love. Brilliant or not, he was undoubtedly the dumbest man she knew when it came to women. A fact that made him all the more appealing in a twisted sort of way. Damn, she was in too deep.

Last, but certainly not least:

honor-guards-stand-on-duty-at-the-tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier-in-sept-2012-in-arlington-county-va

It’s Veteran’s Day here in the states. I’d like to say a special thank you to all the men and women who have served. We greatly appreciate you and the sacrifices you have made for our country. God bless.

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Monday Mayhem – Here we go NaNo!

What I’ve been working on: I’m still working on the marine biologist story. The darn thing just keeps going and I want to see where it ends up without my interference.

What’s running around in the back of my mind: Holy crap November is busy! There’s work and writing and laundry and travel and birthdays. Not to mention Thanksgiving and the DSRA book signing. Sheesh! I think we need to spread this month out a bit. We’re four days in and I’m exhausted.

What I’ve accomplished: I’m doing NaNoWriMo again this year. Because I am crazy. And because it’s my fifth year and I don’t want to break the streak. So far I’m on track. I consider that an accomplishment. Check with me on day 20.

What new goal I’m chasing: 50,000 words in 30 days!

What I saw: The inside of many, many conference rooms. And a sweet pea in a pod.

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New release!

Hot Nights in St. Blaise book #11 – Nabbing Mr. November is now available!

Nabbing Mr. November_Maggie Wells

Here’s the scoop on Luke and Elena:

There’s nothing like a butt full of birdshot to help a girl nab an elusive man.

The doctor becomes the patient when Luke Langston lands in St. Blaise’s overrun emergency room with a keister full of birdshot. Worse than the obvious Dick Cheney jokes, he has to endure the abject humiliation of having the one woman he wanted but never quite got round to calling pluck bits of shrapnel from his ass.

The minute Intern Elena Mendes pulls the last shard of shot from Luke Langston’s magnificent tuchas, she strips off her gloves and plants a big, wet kiss square on his assailant’s lips.

It was about time someone took Dr. Iceman down a notch. Or twenty.

Luke’s cockiness makes Elena crazy, but she can’t resist the sparks that fly each time she they butt heads. Every time he’s near, she’s compelled to turn it up a notch, curious to see how much heat it will take to melt the ice-man’s heart.

She doesn’t know Luke has been on a slow simmer since the day he first saw her. A tease, a taunt, a whispered confession and a heated kiss are all it takes to make their attraction boil over into something too hot to handle.

Be sure to check out all of the Hot Nights in St. Blaise books!

St. Blaise