My Top Three Kindle Books

One never knows exactly why some books sell like hotcakes, while others don't.  I belong to Novel Rank, where I can see how well my books are selling on Amazon...and since my print books usually go out of stock a few months after release,  these are all KINDLE sales. 

Carrying the Rancher's Heir continues to do well... the first in a series of the Worth brother's stories.  My December cover for The Cowboy's Pride is gorgeous... can't wait to show to everyone!  (I got a sneak peek)

Here are my Top Three Kindle Books:

For some reason, (other than I really love this story) my 2008 Texan's Cattleman's Club continuity titled Texan's Wedding Night Wager has been extremely popular... this one has truly sold like hotcakes on KINDLE, 3 years after I wrote it. 

Smooth-Talking the Hometown Girl comes in second place with the discounted price of $.99.    It's a fun story about a small town woman happy with her life and her catering business, until Kyle Warren moves in next door temporarily and upsets her apple cart.  It's never been so hot in Christy's kitchen!

The Heart of a Cowboy is my first ever Desire and was a Romantic Times Book Reviews Top Pick.  Pretty exciting for my debut Desire!   It's still a story near and dear to my heart.  Don't you love wrong brother stories?

All these books are available on Nook too,

 but I don't have a good accounting of them, like I do on Amazon. The world of reading, writing and publishing sure is changing.  I'm resistant to change usually,

but I do love my Kindle! 

A Love Letter from Jim Carrey to Emma Stone?

Update:

Trending on Twitter! 

Is he crushing on Emma Stone or what?   Hmmm... not sure how I feel about this, though I love Jim Carrey and think he's beyond hilarious.  Wonder if Emma Stone will send him an online love letter back?

The All-American Girl

A Romance Novel Funny... will make you smile!

 Updated Version - 2011

He grasped me firmly, but gently, just above my elbow and guided me into a room, his room.


Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone.


He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice close to my ear.


"Just relax."


Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused hands start at my ankles, gently probing, and moving upward along my calves, slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat.


I knew I should be afraid, but somehow I didn't care. His touch was so experienced, so sure. When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding. I felt his knowing fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage.


And then, as he cupped my firm, full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply.


Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid them down my tingling spine to my panties.


Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting and expectant. This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge. A man not used to taking 'No' for an answer. A man who would tell me what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say . . . ..


"Okay ma'am, you can board your flight now." !


Special thanks to wonderful  author Tanya Hanson for passing on this funny.
You can find her at
http://www.tanyahanson.net/

The Things I Do for Love and 3 Book Giveaways!!

Stop by the Desire Eharlequin Blog to find out the Things I Do For Love! 
Giving aways lots of books too!

Come see me and we'll talk!

TIME MANAGEMENT AND THE HARRIED WRITER

GUEST BLOGGING TODAY IS:  AUTUMN DAWN

AMAZON KINDLE

I love to cook. It’s one of my passions, and I like it even better if I can make something tasty healthy, too. Substituting Greek yogurt for part of the mayonnaise in potato salad and hiding zucchini in chocolate cake makes my day. My kids don’t see it coming and I can eat in peace, knowing there won’t be fussing at the dinner table.


Recently, this passion has been on the back burner. My books sales started taking off and I’ve spent long hours at the computer doing edits of my backlist and revamping covers. Last month my kids left for Alaska for a month to visit with relatives and I spent the whole month furiously working. I got a lot done, but the quiet house was depressing. At one point my husband was gone for ten days as well, so it sucked even worse.


Now that everyone’s home, they’re eating as only teenagers can. We have horseback riding lessons and boxing three days a week. School is starting soon and there’ll be homework to deal with, plus I have one child in WA’s inline school. It’s time to get organized so I can have time to write, too.


Some things that help include: throwing laundry in first thing in the morning and folding it together at night. My kids are old enough to do dishes and load the dishwasher, sweep and vacuum, so Saturdays are for housecleaning. I need to get back in the habit of prepping dinner first thing in the morning or loading up the crockpot. Leftovers take care of night two, so that helps. That leaves snacks and breakfast, but the kids are helpful there, able to cook eggs and pancakes.


I need to start checking my email at night and looking at the Yahoo news in the afternoon when I’m done writing. Even blog posts can be done after the creative writing if I’m disciplined, and when I’m too sick to work on something new it’s always a good time to edit. When I’m in a funk it helps to work on cover art. There’s always something to do!


It’s well worth it, though. My book, The Charmer became a bestseller on Amazon and B&N this spring, a huge accomplishment for a self-pubbed author. Part divine intervention and part hard work, it wouldn’t have happened without a lot of hours at my desk.


The Charmer: Dark Lands Book 1


Jasmine didn’t realize her friend Wiley was special until they were drawn into another world. Here Wiley is betrothed to the ruler of the Haunt, a wererace both dangerous and proud.


Keilor is the master of soldiers, a man few would cross, yet he’d never met a menace like the little brunet his princess calls friend. Will Jasmine find the portal home, or will she find a werewolf of her own?


Autumn Dawn

Learn more about my books at: autumndawnbooks.com
Check out my blog at: authorautumndawn.blogspot.com

Top Five Ways to a Man's Heart!

I'm having Tea today at Autumn Dawn's.  Would you like to join us?  We'll make room. We're talking Food that Inspires a Man and other such fun stuff.

KEN IN KILTS!!! Romance Readers Will Love This!!

TESSA DARE's video for MAYA BANK's NEW TRILOGY

A CALIFORNIA GIRL'S GUIDE TO THE PERFECT BEACH READ!

The ultimate way to de-stress your life, at least for a little while, is to do something you love to do. Some find exercising until their bones ache, a great endorphin release. Others will seek to destroy their partner on a tennis court. Some find a soothing path in the art of meditation. But for me, the ultimate way to relax, unwind and de-stress is to read.



I don’t know too many (if any) writers who don’t love to read. Finding TIME to read …ah, therein lies the problem. When I’m home, there are always 10 other things I should be doing other than reading. Guilt follows and often distracts me enough to make me put down the book and attend to my edits, my looming deadline, the kitchen floor that hasn’t been swept in a week, an oh yeah, thinking about cooking dinner for my dear loving hubby.


So, my way of seeking a full day of reading and leaving my cares and worries behind, is to pack up the car, put on my shades, grab my Kindle and head to the beach! (Thank you Dad, for moving the fam to California!) On any given summer day, the sun shines, the air is warm, but not hot, the sand is fine between my toes and the water exhilarating at sixty-five degrees. There’s so much I love about California.


But like every other activity, there are do and don’ts. So take heed.

Here is my Guide to the Perfect Beach Read:


THE YELLOW --Don’t even think about setting your gear down on the sand if you see a yellow school bus parked nearby. Soon fifty screaming daycare kids will bombard your territory. And you’ll get sprinkled with sand times fifty, as they race by, oblivious to your presence and need for quiet.


BYOF – Bring your own food! Pack a lunch and try to stay clear of the beach café. You don’t need the distraction of having the smell of French fries right under your nose or be in the rush of noontime sunbathers, who weren’t as smart as you by bringing their own lunch.


BRING A FRIEND – who likes to read too. You didn’t come to the beach to gossip and talk, did you? Yet, a friend will dip their toes in the water with you and watch your stuff when you go to the bathroom.


LIFEGUARD – Stay away from the lifeguard station if the man in the red trunks looks like hero-material. (And let’s face it, most of them do.) You know you’re in trouble if you remove your reading glasses and push on your designer sunglasses, titling your head ever so slightly to steal glances his way. Trust me, you’ll say it’s in the name of research as you peruse every move he makes, every smile he takes and every muscle he flexes. You might as well, kiss Chapter One good-bye.


STADIUM SEATING – is not an option. But you should bring a comfortable chair – the Cadillac of chairs, with full recline, padded back, umbrella attached and two cup-holders. Plant that chair in a remote spot, close enough to the water to get the westerly breezes, but far enough away from the rising tides. You don’t want to pack up your gear when the water starts seeping onto your blanket, right?


PROTECT YOURSELF – with gobs and gobs of sunscreen. You’re still gonna need your skin after today. This is not your day to get the ultimate tan. There are tanning salons for that!



DIG – not into the sand. We did that as kids. Dig into your beach bag. Your favorite author has a new book and you come up with your ULTIMATE reading pleasure. The gentle roar of the waves becomes your backdrop as you open the book. The hours melt away as you immerse yourself in the story.


FEEL – the hum of satisfaction and a little sadness too, when you read The End. You’re relaxed. You have been entertained. . You have escaped into another world. You’ve forgotten your own problems for a stitch in time and you feel so good, you won’t even think about the traffic you’ll face later on.


THE BEACH - is nearly deserted now. The sun is setting in a pink glow on the horizon. You close your eyes and envision the story in your mind one last time. That thrilling hum is still there, buzzing through your system.


It was a good day. You’ve achieved the Perfect Beach Read.



AVAILABLE ON KINDLE, NOOK AND SMASHWORDS



AVAILABLE ON EHARLEQUIN, AMAZON,  KINDLE, NOOK
AND OTHER ONLINE STORES



NEW AUGUST BABY BOOK FROM MILLS AND BOON!

Who doesn't love babies, right?  And these stories, feature two adorable little bundles of joy!  This book is a two-fer pairing yours truly with the wonderful Robyn Grady! The Billionaire's Baby Arrangement was a Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine's 4 1/2 starred, TOP PICK!  

Available now from Mills and Boon!

I hope you get a chance to check it out!! 

If You Love Dogs ... This Will Make You Laugh

How's this for a Tuesday morning LAUGH? 

Makes you wonder what a dog is really thinking!

Only 2 Stars Out of 4

The reviewer (below) isn't thrilled with the most anticipated movie of the summer. I'm crushed and hope to disagree with him when I see it this weekend.  As you know, I write Westerns as well as Contemporary romance and I have been long-awaiting this movie, even before all the hype.

More than a year ago, I was on a plane, going to Texas and I sat next to a young man who was a "special effects" artist.  We got to talking and he told me about a project he was working on... a movie with a strange title, Cowboys and Aliens.  Of course, I told him my Old West connection and he pulled out a portolio and showed me his monsters, effects, even a weird looking cow, that he'd worked on for the movie.  It was really neat seeing those "aliens" from the beginning stages and we spent the next hours on the plane talking movies and special effects and of course, books!

Needless to say, I'm hoping this reviewer got it wrong.   Wild horses, couldn't stop me from seeing this movie this weekend.  :)

Here's the review: 

"Cowboys & Aliens" — Director Jon Favreau's genre mash-up is more a mush-up, an action yarn aiming to be both science fiction and Old West adventure but doing neither all that well. The filmmakers — and there are a lot, among them 11 producers or executive producers including Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, plus half a dozen credited writers — start with a title that lays out a simple but cool premise: invaders from the skies shooting it out with guys on horseback. For all the talent involved, they wound up keeping the story too simple, almost simple-minded, leaving a terrific cast led by Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde stuck in a sketchy, sometimes poky tale where you get cowboys occasionally fighting aliens and not much more. Craig's a stony-faced amnesiac with a weird hunk of metal locked on his wrist who wanders into a dusty town just before alien craft swoop in and start abducting the locals. He joins cattle baron Ford's posse to retrieve the missing and teach these creatures not to mess with hardy western pioneers. PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference. 118 minutes. Two stars out of four.

— David Germain, AP Movie Writer



We Have Winners of Big City vs Small Town!!

Thanks for all your comments this week! 

I really enjoyed learning your reading preferences!

Our random draw winners for a $10 Amazon Gift Card are:

Linda Cacaci

LibraryPat

Ingeborg

Please contact me at Charlenesands@hotmail.com privately with the email addy you'd like your prize to be awarded instantly!

And stop by the Desire Blog Sunday and Monday where I ask:  Where would you like to see a Cowboy?

BIG CITY VS SMALL TOWN CONTEST

Big City

A fun little contest.  

In Smooth-Talking the Hometown Girl, Kyle Warren lives in a big city but returns to his small hometown of Bentley, Arizona to settle his father's estate where he meets up with Christy, the pretty girl next door. His return reminds him of what small-town life was like.  I'd love to know if you prefer a big city story or a small town tale?  It could be both or neither. 



Small Town



Post a comment here and you'll be entered in a drawing to win one of 3  $10 Amazon Gift Cards awarded instantly to you via email. 

I'll post the winners HERE and on Facebook on July 25th! 


Ebook available on:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords





EXCERPT of SMOOTH-TALKING THE HOMETOWN GIRL

Chapter One




Kyle Warren pulled out a turquoise vinyl-covered chair in his father’s kitchen and sat down. “Here’s to you, Pop,” he whispered before lifting an amber beer bottle to his lips. He raised his eyes heavenward. “Don’t you worry. I’ll take care of the place. I’m home now.”


Shifting in the dinosaur of a chair with its chrome edges, he laughed quietly. He’d bet his father hadn’t even known these old kitchen sets had come into style again.


John Warren hadn’t cared much for luxury. He’d been a practical man and lived a simple life. Lord only knew what he’d done with the monthly checks Kyle had sent him through the years. Kyle had never asked, since he’d been too pleased his father had finally agreed to accept the money.


“Pop” Warren, as the whole town of Bentley called him, had been the rock of stability Kyle could always count on.


Now he was gone.


Soft music playing from the house next door had Kyle swiveling his head to look out the window. He strained his ears and picked up the lulling sound of a female voice singing along with the radio.


He stood up abruptly, the heavy chair hampering his swift action, and moved to the kitchen’s garden box window to catch a better look. From his vantage point he had a clear view of the woman standing not twelve feet away in her own kitchen.


Christy Evans.


He’d heard she had moved back here four years ago when her parents retired in Houston. Transfixed, he stood watching her bustle about her kitchen, harmonizing beautifully with the snappy tune.


She hadn’t changed much since high school. She wore her pale blonde hair long, past her shoulders. From what he could see from this distance, her skin still appeared tan and healthy and as always, in direct contrast with the softest blue eyes Kyle had ever remembered.


“Still a looker, Christy,” he muttered before taking another sip of beer.


She glanced up then and surprise registered on her face when she noticed him. He smiled and put up his hand to wave.


Her hand went up slowly and, with the slightest of movements, her fingers wiggled their greeting. She mouthed a polite “hello” then turned her back on him.


Kyle let out a chuckle. “Same old Christy,” he said, plunking down the bottle he held. She’d been the one girl in high school who hadn’t fallen for him. The one girl who’d seen right through his practiced ways and smooth talk and the one girl who’d made no bones about turning him down if he ever offered.


Therefore, he never had.
In his mind, he’d labeled her a prude, a stick in the mud, no fun. But he’d liked so many things about her even though he’d also labeled her off-limits.


Not that Kyle didn’t like a challenge, he did. But Christy Evans had won her way into Pop’s heart. He could still hear Pop now, warning, “She’s our neighbor and a fine girl. You do right by her or don’t bother with her a’tal, boy.”


Kyle smiled now thinking back on all the innocent flirtations and teasing he put her through, but never once had he offered more, respecting his father’s wishes. He realized much later on, she’d been the only girl in the entire student body at Bentley High who’d truly intrigued him.


Kyle shrugged off his nostalgic feelings and went about the task of going through his father’s things. He took a tour of the house leisurely, as pleasant memories of his childhood came rushing back. He and Pop had had a great father-son relationship. It had been just the two of them since his mother’s untimely death. Kyle had been five years old when an illness took his mother’s life.


He entered his father’s bedroom. The stale remnants of his father’s minty aftershave still lingered. He breathed in the scent that seemed to encompass the entire room and felt as if Pop would come walking through the door any time now.


His old man sure liked to keep the status quo. Everything looked the same as it had when Kyle lived here. As his gaze traveled around the room, he realized a part of him wanted to keep everything in its place—the hand-knitted afghan on the rocker, Pop’s worn-out brown slippers on the side of his bed, and his thick reading glasses perched next to the alarm clock on the nightstand.


Practicality won out. Eventually, Kyle reasoned, he would have to pack everything up. He’d have to cleanse this house of everything his father loved. But he decided, quite adamantly, not today.


He didn’t have to do it today.


Kyle shrugged off the thought and headed for the shower. Minutes later, he came towel-wrapped out of the bathroom and began drying off when a rattling at the front screen door made him turn in that direction. He heard a female voice call out. “Hello, Kyle? Are you in there? It’s me, Christy.”


* * * * *


Christy knocked on Kyle’s door a bit louder this time. She knew he was in here. She’d seen him just thirty minutes ago watching her from the kitchen window. And she’d had to walk around a sleek black convertible Lexus on the driveway to reach his front door. When the seconds clicked by and no one answered, she turned on the porch to leave.


“That you, Christy?”


She twirled around in time to see Kyle Warren opening the screen door dressed only in a pair of black jogging shorts. Droplets of water cascaded down his face onto his chest and shoulders. Casually, he took the terry-cloth towel from about his neck, mopped his face, then dabbed at the bigger drops coating his bare chest.


“It’s...me. Hello,” she said, awkwardly shifting the basket of muffins she held from one hand to the other. She kept her eyes trained on his. “I came to offer my condolences. I was visiting my parents in Houston when I heard the news. I’m terribly sorry I missed Pop’s memorial service.”


“Thank you,” he said with sincerity. “Come in.”


She handed him the basket. “I thought these might help. Low-fat, cherry-raisin muffins.”


Kyle dipped his head down to the basket, taking in the aroma. “They smell good. You baked them?”


“They’re fresh out of the oven.”


Christy caught a whiff of his clean, fresh shower scent as she moved past him to stand in the center of the parlor. He looked good. Better than she remembered. Of course, she’d never seen so much of him before. He stood before her with casual ease, naked, except for a scant pair of shorts. But then the Kyle Warren she’d known in the past wouldn’t let that bother him. No, he seemed to relish making girls squirm.


Not her, of course. She’d never succumbed to his charms.


But, somehow she had hoped when she met up with him again, he’d have a receding hairline, a paunch stomach, and a toothless grin. Instead, he stood before her, powerfully built and muscular with a melt-your-heart smile, chock-full of confidence.


“That’s very nice of you.”


“Uh, what? Oh right, the muffins. It’s the least I can do. Pop was a special man. I adored him. The whole town adored him.”


Kyle handed the basket back to her and pointed toward the kitchen. “Take a load off and have a seat. I’ll be right back.”


She stared after him, watching as he trekked through the parlor to lift a shirt off a bedroom knob and throw it on quickly. He met her in the kitchen, not bothering to button up.


He gave her a quizzical look as she stood there numbly, not moving. He pulled out the kitchen chair in a gallant gesture. “Thanks again for the muffins.”


She hunkered down, fighting tears. She didn’t want to do this in front of Kyle. Breaking down in front of Pop’s son wasn’t what she’d planned, but she hadn’t been inside the house since the dear man had passed on. Old, familiar, not-too-distant memories filtered in. Pop was the sweetest, most young-at-heart older man she’d ever known. He was her friend as well as her neighbor. But Kyle was probably struggling with his own grief at the moment. She’d come to lend support, not to add to Kyle’s discomfort. “Thank you.” Christy drew in a breath and gave him a small smile. “How are you doing?”


Kyle gave her a long, serious look. “I’ll be okay. It takes some getting used to.”


“I still can’t believe he’s gone.”


He took a seat facing her, then grabbed a muffin from the toweling in the basket to study it. “I can’t believe he’s gone either.”


“I heard...” she began, then cleared her throat. “I heard you were with him when it happened.”


He nodded, shuttering his eyes. “I’d brought him up to Boston for a visit. We had a great week together, just hanging out, catching up on news. It was relaxing and fun. I’d often send for Pop when I couldn’t get away. And he would always come. Then, out of the blue, wham. His heart goes. He’d never had any symptoms that I knew about.”


Christy nodded. “I didn’t know of any either. He was always so happy. He never let anything really rattle him.”


Kyle agreed. “My dad was a rock...a real man.”


Christy sighed aloud, fingering the serrated chrome edges of the old kitchen table, almost smooth from age now. “Did he...linger?”


Relief washed over Kyle’s face, and the frown lines separating his forehead disappeared. “That’s my only consolation. He died instantly. With a smile on his face. We’d just come home from dinner...trout, his favorite, when it happened.”


Christy reached for Kyle’s hand from across the table. She squeezed his wrist gently and quickly. “I’m so sorry.”


With a quick smile, he let the muffin drop back into the basket. “At least my old man was happy. He had a good seventy-two years.”


“Yeah,” she agreed, thinking back on all the time she’d known John Warren. He’d always had a kind word, always a smile. Only when he worried about Kyle did he have moments of anxiety. “He loved you very much.”


“I know. Thanks for saying it though. Hey,” he said, picking up another muffin, this time taking a big bite. “I heard you were in the catering business now.” He gestured with a tilt of his head toward her front yard. “That your truck outside?”


“It’s mine,” she said, watching him devour the entire muffin with one large swallow. “Evans’ Edible Delights.”


His dark eyes lit with amusement before traveling the length of her body. “That’s the name of your catering company?”


“Yes, why? Is something wrong?”


“Uh, no,” he said, apparently holding back a smile. “Good name. Are you successful?”


“I do all right.”


“Well, judging by the muffin I just inhaled, I’d say you’d be pretty handy in the kitchen.”


“I am. Thanks for the compliment.” She looked around the house. Nothing had changed. Of course, she didn’t expect anything to be really different, except that Pop was gone. “So what now? What’ll you do with the place and with Warren’s Hardware?”


“Don’t know. This all happened so fast, I haven’t decided what to do. I’m taking some time off. I plan to be here a while, to settle the estate.”


“I can’t imagine anyone else owning Warren’s Hardware. That store is a Bentley icon. How long had your dad been in business here?”


“Let’s see. He opened the place a couple of years before I was born. I’d say at least thirty-two years now.” There was pride in his response, and Christy, too, felt a measure of it.


“Wow, in this day, nothing lasts that long. Except maybe some marriages.”


“Yeah, even those are hard to find...like your parents’ marriage. How long have they been together?”


“Going on forty years soon.”


Kyle nodded and gave her a wide grin. “What about you?”


“Me? Oh no, I never married. I was engaged once,” she said not wanting to elaborate. Confiding to Kyle about her failed engagement was not on her To Do list and it never would be. They’d never had that kind of relationship. “It didn’t work out.”


He accepted her answer without commenting. She didn’t need to ask him about his marital status. Through Pop, Christy had known Kyle had never married. But she was sure there’d been plenty of women. In high school, all he’d had to do was smile at a girl and she’d fall under his spell. Kyle drew women like a magnet to metal.


In the quiet kitchen they heard a dog barking, a car horn sound off, and in the distance Main Street Elementary’s school bell rang its dismissal. Children’s muted voices filled the air. Christy had always relished those small-town noises, had always welcomed their familiar sound. She wondered if Kyle, after living the last eleven years in a big city, thought them now quaint and antiquated.


“You look good, Christy,” he said, “real good.” His rich voice deepened even more with the addition of those last two words.


Blood rushed to her face immediately. Kyle’s unexpected compliment caught her unaware. “Th-Thank you. So do you...I mean, under the circumstances, you look...okay.”


One dark brow lifted, and he laughed. He braced both forearms on the table and leaned in, his face coming close to hers. “I look ‘okay’? God, Christy, you never would budge an inch with me.”


“No, I, uh—” Christy stood up abruptly. “I’d better go. I just wanted to come over here to say how sorry I am about Pop. If there’s any way I can make the transition go smoother for you, I’d be happy to help.”


For Pop Warren, she’d do just about anything, including helping his overly confident, impossibly handsome son get through this rough time.


“Have dinner with me, Christy.”


“What?” She felt the color drain from her face. “Dinner? No, I-I couldn’t.” She backed up a step.


Kyle stood and eyed her for a moment. “We’re not in high school anymore. I promise I won’t bite. Well,” he said on a chuckle, “I would have to eat the food.”


She let out a nervous laugh and backed up again. For the four years while in high school, Christy wondered what she’d say, what she’d do, if Kyle ever asked her out. But he’d never shown more than passing interest in her.


Now, he looked at her as if she were the only woman in the universe. She passed it off as practiced charm, a way to get what he wanted.


“It’s not a date. Just dinner with an old neighbor.”


“No, Kyle, really, I can’t. I’ve got a catering job to do tonight. I’ve been cooking in the kitchen all day.”


“Tomorrow night, then.”


Her brows furrowed and she blinked several times. “Why?”


Why, after all this time? Why me, she wanted to ask.


He shrugged and took a step closer. “I could use the company.”


She noted a flicker of sadness in his eyes, heard it in his voice. How could she deny companionship to a man who’d just lost his father?




She put her head down, realizing she couldn’t refuse him, but not because he was charming or handsome, or surprisingly that he appeared lonely. No, she couldn’t refuse him because he was John Warren’s son.


“Come over at eight tomorrow night. I’ll cook you dinner.”


There. That seemed less like a date.


“It’s a date,” he said without hesitation.


Christy groaned inwardly.


He led her to the door, opening the screen to walk her outside. “And thanks.”


“Don’t thank me just yet. I’m going try out a new recipe on you.”


“Experiment with me all you want,” he said innocently enough, but she didn’t miss the teasing glint in his eyes.


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HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!

Wishing you all a great Independence Day!!! 

And to our wonderful Flag Santa, who put up 4 flags on our lawn today, THANK YOU!!   Our flag was stolen from our front porch a few months ago.  Now we have 4!!!



New Romantic Suspense .... you won't want to miss from Kathy Bennett!

Los Angeles Police Officer Jade Donovan is being hunted. There’s the lieutenant who’s out to get her, the psycho who’s stalking her and leaving dead roses at her door, but most frightening of all, she’s been assigned to partner with her son’s father, Mac Stryker. Mac doesn’t know he’s Donnie’s dad, and Jade will stop at nothing to prevent him from finding out and possibly taking away her son. She will protect and defend him at all costs.



Mac Stryker is a cop with something to prove. Five years ago, he’d been forced to resign the police department in disgrace when he was too drunk to take action during a shooting. Now, Mac is sober, back on the force and back working with Jade Donovan, the rookie who’d saved his life. Worse, he finds himself attracted to Jade and her precocious son, Donnie. But Mac is through with love. The violent death of his wife and daughter turned him into an alcoholic, and he won’t put his job or his heart at risk again. He will protect and defend them both at all costs.


But when the deadline looms on Jade’s dozen deadly roses stalker, will the two partners manage to put aside their differences in order to save their son?

Written by my friend, fellow RWA Chapter mate and LAPD Officer, Kathy Bennett.  You don't want to miss this thrilling story!!

Available at Amazon!! 

Check out her Author Bio and wonderful Book Trailer on Amazon too!

 

NEW RELEASE... Come Take A Peek!!

Wealthy and successful, Kyle Warren never backs down from a challenge—in business or in pleasure. Now that he’s returned to his hometown, he’s set his sights on blonde-haired, blue-eyed Christy Evans, the one girl he couldn’t win over in high school. This time, Kyle won’t take no for an answer from the pretty girl next door.

All Christy has to do is keep her distance from her seriously sexy, temporary neighbor. Yet, Kyle needs a friend now and Christy has always been a sucker for a man in need. She vows not to fall for Kyle’s good looks, broad shoulders and dark bedroom eyes. She’d seen the damage he’d left in his wake in high school. But how long can a girl resist his seductive smiles and smooth-talking ways?

Be sure to check out my newest release available now as an ebook on KINDLE and soon, where other ebooks are sold. 

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Special thanks to http://www.zpphotography.com/ for doing such an awesome cover!

New From My Friend Cheryl St. John

My dear friend Cheryl has a fabulous new book released this month.  Take a moment to read her excerpt!!

Marrying the Preacher’s Daughter

978-0373828722

Love Inspired Historical

Cheryl St.John

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Bounty hunting was just a job for Gabe Taggart—one he needed to fund his sister's education. But now Gabe is ready to settle down and set aside his past. His adventuring days are over…until his intervention in a train robbery leaves him injured and under Elisabeth Hart's care. Antagonizing his feisty caretaker is the most fun Gabe's ever had. Elisabeth provokes him, too, with her strong mind, kind heart and high principles. Gabe hopes to win her love, but will his dark history bar him from marriage to the preacher's daughter?



READ THE EXCERPT:

"Toss your guns down now!" a male voice shouted. "Hands in the air."



Elisabeth Hart couldn't see past the layers of netting on a woman's hat in front of her, but sounds of alarm rippled through the passengers who sat in the forward rows. The interior of the railcar was sweltering beneath the midday sun, and she blotted her eyes and forehead with her lace-trimmed handkerchief. What should have been a routine stop along the tracks to take on water had become life-threatening.


Thuds sounded as firearms hit the aisle. A man in a battered hat and wearing a faded bandanna over the lower half of his face came into view. Eyes darting from person to person, he snatched up the guns.


Another masked bandit appeared in the wake of the first. Sweat drenched the front of his dusty shirt. "Turn over all your cash and jewelry. Ladies' bags, too, and none of you gets shot."


Two more thieves held open gunnysacks and gathered the looted items.


Fear prickled at Elisabeth, but a maelstrom of rebellious anger made her tremble. How dreadful of these men to point guns and make demands. Every fiber of her being objected to their lack of concern for the safety of the passengers and the downright thievery.


She turned to the tall, quiet man who'd been sitting beside her on the aisle side of the bench seat since they'd left Morning Creek, noting the way his hat brim shaded piercing green eyes. He watched the gunman with intense concentration, but made no move to stop what was happening. "Aren't you going to do something?" she whispered.


The man cast her a glare that would have scorched a lesser woman. One eyebrow rose and he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.


"They're going to rob us," she insisted. "You still have your gun. I saw it inside your jacket when you leaned to lower the window earlier."


He focused on the man wielding the revolver, but spoke to her. "Can you count, lady? Just give 'em what they want so nobody gets hurt."


"But—"


Pausing beside them, the masked robber pointed his gun directly at her seat partner's chest. The man gave Elisabeth a pointed glare and calmly raised his hands in the air before looking up.


"Right in here," the robber said.


The seated man handed him a coin purse and tossed several silver dollars and his pocket watch into the bag.


The barrel of the gun swung to Elisabeth. "Lady?"


Elisabeth's temper and sensibilities flared, but fear kept her silent. Her heart beat so frantically, she thought her chest might burst. She wanted to refuse, but didn't want anyone to get hurt. Begrudgingly, she forfeited her black velvet chatelaine pocket with the silver handle and removed the gold bracelet she'd received for her last birthday, dropping both into the burlap sack.


The robber pointed at her neck. "You got a chain under there."


She clapped her hand protectively over the plain gold ring that rested on a chain beneath her damp and wrinkled cotton shirtwaist. "This was my mother's!"


"Just give it to him," the green-eyed stranger cajoled in his maddeningly calm manner.


"Now just wait," Elisabeth argued with a glare. "You don't understand. This was my mother's wedding ring."


The stranger gave her a quelling look that singed her eyelashes. Passengers called out their displeasure and shouted for her to give up her jewelry same as they had.


The ring was all she had of her mother. Since she'd drowned, Elisabeth had worn it every day…and tried to fill the woman's shoes. The wedding band symbolized Elisabeth's childhood and her sacrifices. Parting with it would break her heart…but she didn't want to be the cause of anyone getting shot. What would her father have to say in this situation?


She closed her eyes. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Her true treasures were in heaven. The ring wasn't as important as the lives at stake.


The robber leaned down close as if he meant to take the ring from her neck. She raised her hand to her throat to prevent him from touching her. She could do this on her own. He grabbed Elisabeth's collar and yanked so hard that she jerked forward and the top button popped off.


In that same second, a grim click sounded. The bandit paused dead still.


Elisabeth stared into his shining dark eyes, and the moment stretched into infinity. She could hear her blood pulsing through her veins, her breath panting from between her dry lips. Was this the day she was going to die and meet her Maker?


"Take your hands off the lady, or you're dead." From beside her, the stranger's low-timbered voice was calm, but laced with lethal intent. The hair on Elisabeth's neck stood up.


No one else was privy to the robber's predicament. The green-eyed man's gun was still concealed between the two men, the business end jammed up against the robber's belly. Elisabeth dared a glance and saw the stranger's other hand clamped over the man's wrist, keeping that revolver pointed toward the floor and protectively away from her.


What could only have been seconds, but seemed like an hour, passed with their ragged breaths loud and the tick of a pocket watch encroaching on her consciousness.


"We ain't got all day, Hank!" one of the other thieves shouted.


The robber leaning over her attempted to move, and pandemonium broke loose. A shot rang out and Elisabeth's rescuer grunted in pain. The robber tugged at Elisabeth's collar, and the man beside her fired his gun.


The stench of gunpowder stung her nose. Men shouted. Women screamed. Elisabeth watched the events unfold in a haze of fear and disbelief.


The man who'd threatened Elisabeth crumpled, slumping sideways over the back of a seat. A horrifying crimson blotch spread across his shirtfront. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep from crying out.


The stranger leaped from his seat with his arm outstretched. "Get down!" he bellowed. A rapid succession of shots nearly deafened her. She cupped her hands over her ears, belatedly realizing he'd been ordering her to get down. Praying for safety for the other passengers, she folded herself onto the floor and knelt with her heart pounding. The shock of seeing that man shot and bleeding stole her breath.


Minutes passed with her thoughts in chaos. Would she see her family again? If the stranger protecting her had been shot, maybe other people were being killed or injured, and all because she'd delayed. She'd been going to give him the ring.


An eerie silence followed in the wake of the previous pandemonium, and it took a few minutes to comprehend what that could mean.


The sound of hesitant footsteps and voices told her the battle was over. She opened eyes she hadn't realized were squeezed shut, unfolded her body and peered over the seat in front of her.


One of the male passengers had picked up the gunny-sacks and now doled possessions back to their owners. In numb silence, she accepted her monogrammed velvet pocket and gold bracelet from his outstretched hand while her mind struggled to comprehend what was going on around her. A conductor and several other railroad men stepped over prone bodies on the floor. The sight made her stomach lurch. Elisabeth could only stare in numb disbelief.


One of the uniformed men made his way to the stranger who was seated on a bench with his back against the side of the railcar, his hand pressed to his ribs. "Find something for bandages!"


Spurred out of her frozen state of shock, Elisabeth straightened and stepped into the aisle. She raised her hem and, holding it in her teeth, tore a wide strip from her petticoat. "Here."


Others provided handkerchiefs and scarves, and the conductor handed over the wad of material for the fellow to press against the wound. "Sit tight," he said. "We'll get you to the doctor in Jackson Springs quick as we can."


Several men dragged the robbers' bodies to the back of the car, the dead men's boot heels painting shiny streaks of blood on the wooden floor. Her stomach roiled and she thought she might be sick.


"Are you all right?"


She swung her gaze to those green eyes, now dark with pain. "Y-yes, I'm fine."


Had he killed all of those men? He made a halfhearted attempt to sit a little straighter, but grimaced and stayed where he was.


He'd probably saved her life. Without a doubt he'd saved her from losing her precious ring. She perched on the edge of the seat beside his leg, and reached to replace his hand with hers, pressing the cloth against his cream-colored shirt, where it was soaked with blood that flowed from his side. "I'm Elisabeth Hart."


"Gabe Taggart," he replied.


"That was a very brave thing you did."


His expression slid into a scowl. "Didn't have much choice after the stupid thing you did."