Sweet Saturday

Welcome back! This week I have another short scene from my upcoming release, The Samurai's Garden:

She stopped suddenly at an unfamiliar sound outside her hut. Who or what would be making that noise? The road was not well-traveled, and it was not the sound of an animal foraging for food. She peeked through the doorway, and her jaw dropped as she realized what she had heard.

Hiro stood at the edge of the clearing, swinging an ancient axe in a deadly arc at the trunk of a thick tree. A loud crack preceded the thunderous boom as it crumpled to the earth. The axe continued its work as limbs and branches were separated from the trunk.

Hanako’s mouth went dry at the sight of her handsome guest. He was stripped to the waist, his tanned and muscled arms glistening as they swung rhythmically. She couldn’t resist leaning out of the doorway to get a closer look. Mesmerized, she stared at the rippling muscles on his back. Kenji had never stirred such feelings in her. Of course, Kenji had never subjected himself to hard physical labor. He was an artist and an intellectual.

Thinking of her husband brought memories of him cowering in a corner, pleading for his life. A big, muscular soldier stood over him, his sword raised…

Memories of that dreadful time brought a dull ache to her heart. She lifted a hand to her breast as if to massage the ache away. Remembering her guest, she turned from the doorway. She couldn’t think about such things now.

She lit the fire and put on water for tea. The little earthen jar held enough rice for one healthy serving, so she washed the precious grains and set them aside to soak. A quick trip to her garden produced a radish and some herbs. After a moment’s hesitation, she picked a few blossoms from her flowerbed. Such a fine gentleman was probably used to having lovely things at his table. She didn’t have much, but her flowers would have to do.

She found a thin wooden board and cleaned it as well as she could. Remembering an old bottle of cheap sake her father had left behind, she dug it out and pulled out the stopper. The rancid odor nearly made her swoon. The fancy gentleman would definitely not drink this concoction. But the decorated bottle gave her an idea. After dumping out the contents, she arranged the blossoms in it and set the arrangement on her makeshift tray.

The rice was boiling in the pot, and she had just finished seasoning the chopped radish when Hiro entered the hut. His face and torso gleamed from his morning exertion. Hanako forced herself to look away.

"Thank you for cutting up the firewood. I didn't realize the woodpile was so low." She continued to look away as she prepared his tray. If she gave in, she would subject herself to longings she had forgotten. It would not do to wish for the attentions of the wealthy traveler.

****

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to leave a comment, and find other great excerpts by going to Sweet Saturday Samples.

Please Welcome Author Teresa Blue!

Today I am pleased to welcome Teresa Blue! Teresa is another fellow member of the Mid Michigan chapter of RWA. Teresa says she has always enjoyed the magical journey of meeting memorable characters between the pages of books. Most of her life’s been spent devouring one book after another.  And then one day she picked up a pen and began to write. Five novels later she received ‘the call’ in an email from Jennifer Lawler, editor of Crimson Romance. Teresa's new novel, Man of Her Dreams, was just released today, and she's here to tell us a little bit about it.

"Man of her Dreams is a fun journey that reflects on the challenge of finding the one person meant for you. It’s not an easy task, but paired up with a new best friend, Leslie is determined to overcome the obstacles that litter her road to happiness."

When she’s not writing, Teresa loves searching high and low for those ties to yesterday. Whether it’s a tin cup or plate to cheery yellow smiley mugs, she enjoys the hunt and almost always never comes home empty handed.

Blurb:

Leslie Stone stumbles upon her fiancé cheating with the maid of honor just days before her wedding. Determined to put distance between them, she heads to the family’s cabin in Sleeping Falls, Michigan. Unfortunately, her car barely hit the city limits before breaking down. And with no money for repairs, the scrolling marquee above the biker bar advertising a mechanical bull riding contest seems like a perfect solution.

Jay Westfield learned at an early age to avoid women who chase the limelight. After all, his mother had been the star attraction in Harvey’s Traveling show. The minute Leslie clears the door in cut-offs and skimpy tank top, things heat up. She’s on a mission and he wants no part of it. The last thing he expects is the attraction he feels seeing her on the back of Old Iron.

Add in a squeezy rag doll named Mr. Jingles, the colorful antics of newfound friend, and the renowned tarot-card reader Madame Luella. Leslie’s about to discover in order to find the man of her dreams she must be willing to believe in magic.

Here's an excerpt from Man of Her Dreams:

Jay dipped his head and stopped an inch from her face. The background noise fell away as he noticed a tiny spray of freckles dotting her nose; her cheeks glittered from face powder. The scent of hops tickled his nose. Her chest rose as her breath quickened. The urge to taste her grew and he hardened, fighting an overwhelming desire to lick every drop of beer from her skin.  He longed to pull the wet stands of hair aside and kiss her neck, taste the sweetness oozing from her body. 

     Leslie tucked a stringy lock of hair behind her ears. “You may be leaving, but I’m not,” she said, jutting her chin out. “I’m having fun,” she said, her eyes narrowed in challenge.

     “How much fun can you take?” Jay’s voice trembled. “Let’s go. I’ve got a feeling you’ll thank me in the morning.”

     “Is that a promise?”

     He glowered at her. Her suggestive question left him with one of his own. What the hell did he care? It was a question he couldn’t answer. “Consider me your white knight.”

     “Oh, perfect. And I’m off to Fairy land, right?”

     The bar room boomed with laughter and for the second time that night Jay felt twelve years old. Only this time he couldn’t run away. He knew what people whispered about him but he didn’t care. He’d purposely added to the rumors by not getting involved with any of the local women. There had been plenty willing and available when he first arrived. A few even asked out-right if he’d like to go home with them. But Jay always turned them down, refusing to play in his own backyard. Not wanting to bed any of them.

     Until now.

     “You’d be surprised what a little fairy dust will do,” he said, and easily hoisted her over his shoulders. The crowd ate it up, yelling instructions behind him.

     They’d almost cleared the door when Sally came running over carrying a cowboy hat filled with ten and twenty dollar bills.  “Les! Wait up! Your money. How you gonna leave town without it?” she said, and held out the floppy hat.

     Leslie struggled against his chest and Jay reluctantly let her slide down his body. She dipped her fingers into the hat and pulled out a wad of money. “You mean all this is mine?”     

     “Sure is. Look around, Les. That ride was the best they’ve seen in awhile. Shit, even the ladies have something to think about. The way you work those thigh muscles, maybe get a little more verbal. You’re an inspiration to us all.”

     Sally squeezed her in a boa-constrictor hug, smashing her against a huge bosom. She planted a wet kiss alongside Leslie’s cheek, then pulled out the napkin she’d tucked in her cleavage earlier and proceeded to wipe away the lip gloss her smooch had left behind. “All I know is, if that ain’t enough to buy a new alternator, then come back tomorrow night. You can double it.  I guaran-damn-tee- it,” Sally said, as proud as if she’d won.  

Man of Her Dreams is available at Crimson Romance, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Visit Teresa at her website.

Sweet Saturday

Welcome! I'm so glad to be back to Sweet Saturdays. I've been working on some new projects so that I'd have more to share, but this week I'm busy with edits for The Samurai's Garden, which has been accepted at Astraea Press and is slated for release in November. So I'd like to introduce you to a few of the characters I'm working with. In this scene, Hiro, a former samurai now working on a farm in northern Japan, meets a former comrade:

Ginjiro’s winding path took him past the woods where Hiro stood, and he teetered as he noted Hiro’s presence. His eyes scrunched as he tried to focus. "Friend, could you help an old soldier?" he slurred.

"You are not so old, Ginjiro, and I see your habits have not changed. Why do you continue to drink yourself into a stupor? You can hardly walk. Sit down and stop weaving about before you hurt yourself."

The inebriated man started in surprise. "You know me?" He tottered forward and squinted again. "Tanaka-san, is that you? What are you doing so far from the mainland? I thought you would have a successful career as a merchant or a politician in Tokyo."

"We will not talk about me. You need to sleep off your drink."

"No, I need to fill myself with the ale. It will dull the pain."

"Why are you in pain? You don’t appear injured."

"I’m talking about the pain of my sword when I perform seppuku.

Hiro’s eyes widened, and he stepped toward his former comrade. "No!"

"Yes, my friend. You are smart. You have the mind and the money to become anything you choose. But I am a warrior. Perhaps not a very good one, but I am a soldier. It is all I know. I cannot do anything else. I have looked all around trying to find a noble to take me on as a guard, but I am too small, too weak, too — stupid. I even worked for some disreputable men, but I was not able to stay. I am a failure as a samurai. I must die."

"Ginjiro, do not speak of yourself this way. You can find honest work. I can help you. Please — you must not kill yourself."

Hiro had fought in countless battles, but nothing had brought him the horror he had once experienced watching a childhood friend disembowel himself in the name of honor. Hiro himself had taken the code of the Bushido, but he failed to understand the need for the awful ritual required of the samurai soldiers for crimes real or imagined. It was the primary reason he had left the mainland in search of another calling. He could not face his former comrades who had become politicians and merchants, vocations as cutthroat as the life of a samurai. He needed to find a more peaceful life. Ginjiro’s words had recalled the violence he had tried so hard to escape. He could not bear to watch another comrade take his own life.

****

Thanks for stopping by! Check out more excerpts by going to Sweet Saturday Samples and clicking on the links to other author blogs. But first, PLEASE leave a comment! I'm excited about this manuscript and am eager to find out what others think.

Please Welcome Author Diane Burton

I'm thrilled to feature fellow Michigander Diane Burton today. I first met Diane when I attended a meeting of the Mid-Michigan Chapter of Romance Writers of America. Diane was chapter president at the time. Her first romance, Switched, was first published by imajin books in paperback form, but is now available as an ebook. The story of Jessie and Marcus, both victims of an evil scientist's "experiment" was a joy to read so I got the sequel as soon as it was available.

Switched Too is the story of Jessie's twin, Veronese, and Marcus's twin, Scott. This story is equally entertaining. I enjoyed the television show Star Trek, though I don't consider myself a Trekkie. I don't read or watch much sci-fi. But Diane's stories are first and foremost about relationships – the love story between the protagonists, the loyalty between the captain and his crew, and the pain of betrayal. Reading Diane's series, I didn't feel entangled in a bunch of technical jargon. I found the plot to be totally believable, and fun to read.

Here's the blurb:

Be careful what you wish for...you might get it.

Scott Cherella's lifelong dream to go into space quickly becomes a nightmare. Veronese Qilana must protect him, a Terran masquerading as a starship captain. When sabotage erupts, they must work together to get the crew safely home. In doing so, they discover opposites really do attract.

Diane is sharing an exerpt with us too. Enjoy:

Scott had no choice but to use the computer now. Before tackling it for the first time, he'd hoped for the privacy of his quarters—and Veronese Qilana's help. His reluctant co-conspirator ditched him as soon as they came aboard. He mentally kicked himself for his selfishness. They were in the middle of a crisis. She had her duties. He had his.

Damn. He didn't want to tackle the computer. Suck it up, Ace. You can do this. You wanted adventure. You wanted to explore space. You got it. Now, man up.

He sat in the captain's chair. Automatically, an instrument panel on the right swung up and in front of him. A hit in the solar plexus might have been easier to take. Symbols and shapes he'd never seen before covered the segmented screen. It might as well be filled with ancient Sanskrit. Panic shot through him. He couldn't read.

Switched and Switched Too are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

You can find Diane at her blog

            On Facebook

            On Twitter: @dmburton72

Please Welcome Author J. Andersen

J. Andersen is another author new to Astraea Press. She's a young mom of three who lives in western New York. Her young adult novel, titled At What Cost, is a recent release, and deals with the issue of teen pregnancy. It's garnered some great reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Here's what the story is about:

During her junior year, sixteen-year-old Maggie Reynolds expected to shop for prom dresses not maternity clothes. Now, instead of studying for the SATs, she’s reading, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Maggie’s ‘Mother Dearest’ lives in fear that Maggie will somehow taint the family name, so Maggie can’t turn to her for help. Meanwhile, her father is oblivious to anything but his 9-9 job. And her boyfriend, Justin? She’s pretty sure he’ll stay by her side.

While Maggie wrestles with her options, Justin offers a solution: abortion. It would solve all her problems quickly, easily, and effectively. And her parents would never know, which means they won’t throw her out and cut her off like they’d always threatened if she got herself knocked up. But an easy decision becomes difficult when Maggie’s aunt discovers her secret and sets out on a mission to stop the abortion, putting a kink in Maggie’s plan. Now Maggie must decide which choice she can live with: abortion or teenage motherhood. Either way, it’ll be a tough road to travel.

Here's an excerpt from At What Cost:

Lauren stared at Maggie with wide eyes. “Pregnant? You’re flipping pregnant?” Apparently, the word “flipping” was supposed to convey the substantial amount of shock Lauren had for the bomb Maggie had dropped. It worked. Maggie wished she had such a word to use herself. But she needed something stronger.

“No. I’m late.” Maggie tried to convince herself it was just a fluke. That she was late due to the stress her mother continually heaped on her or the new year of school starting, but the possibility she might be pregnant scared her to death. Still, she tried to keep her head.

Lauren wriggled like a worm on a hook. Being calm was not her forte. “Holy pig snot! That first day of school!” her voice trailed off.

“What?”

“When you were looking at your calendar and got all weird and sick looking.”

“Yeah, so?”

“That’s when you figured it out, isn’t it?”

The thought sucked Maggie back into that disgusting, dirty bathroom where she counted and recounted the days on her calendar realizing she had skipped her period that month.

“Yeah, but I could just be late,” she said hopefully. “The stress of school starting and all. I’m just late.” More than anything, she wanted this to be true, but the view of the calendar in her mind grated on her stability until it was a flaky pile, blown away with one wisp of breath.

“You trying to convince me or you?”

Maggie shot Lauren a narrow-eyed glare.

“Well, did you and Mr. Justin Davis use… you know,” Lauren asked, tucking her arms across her chest.

She hated when Lauren called him that.

“What?”

She leaned in and whispered it like a dirty word. “Protection?”

Thinking back, Maggie couldn’t remember. Playing that night over in her head a thousand times made the details a little fuzzy. “Yeah. I think so.”

“You think so, meaning you may not have?”

Maggie leaned back against the bed. She shook her head. “No, I’m sure we did. I made sure.”

“Mags! If you were drunk, how would you know? You were drunk, right? Please tell me you were drunk.”

“Not every time. I’d know, right? I’m sure we did. We had to.” They had used something, hadn’t they? Suddenly the purple butterflies clinging to Lauren’s walls flew at her as the room spun. Maggie choked down the bile rising in her throat and breathed deeply to steady the quivering of her lips.

“Well, if you did, it didn’t work, and if you didn’t, you’re an idiot.” Lauren slapped a hand over her own mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

         You can find J Andersen in the following places:

www.Jandersenbooks.com
www.Therabidwriter.blogspot.com 
www.readbetweenthelinesbookclub.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/jandersenbooks
www.twitter.com/jvdlandersen

Please Welcome Author Sherry Gloag

Since I started writing regularly, I haven't read as much as I did before. But part of being a good writer is knowing what others are putting forth, so for 2012, one of my goals was to read and review fifty books. Astraea Press recently initiated a book club, making available one book per month ABSOLUTELY FREE! All you need to do is request the book within the first two weeks of the month and it's emailed to you. You're encouraged to post your thoughts on the book somewhere (Goodreads, Amazon, your blog, etc) and then join the author for a facebook chat at the end of the month.

This month's Book Club selection is His Chosen Bride by British author Sherry Gloag. This is the second in a series about four brothers, all members of a royal family. Prince Liam's story was told in From Now Until Forever, which I read earlier this year. Book One is a wonderful, fast-paced adventure, so I was eager to read about Liam's elder brother, Henri. I wasn't disappointed. 

Henri is the crown prince, and he takes his duties seriously – so seriously that his father, the king, orders him to take a vacation. When he does, he visits his brother in Scotland where he is put in close contact with a woman who has haunted his dreams since the day he saw her at his brother's wedding. He doesn't like the way he reacts whenever he's near, and he blames her for his forced break from his duties. 

Monica is busy with her equine therapy school and doesn't have time for Henri's seemlingly hot-and-cold attitude toward her. But because he's her best friend and partner's brother-in-law, she tolerates him, as well as her own blazing reaction to the handsome prince. Another source of conflict is her special gift, which causes her much grief as many don't accept or understand it, but which Henri eventually comes to appreciate. 

This is a quick read, and though some reviewers describe it as a paranormal romance, I didn't really see it that way. It's all about the love story, and the instantaneous attraction that becomes true love. I would have liked to see a little more development of that love – other than the physical attraction, what did they see in each other? This is book two of a four book series, so I'm sure Monica and Henri will be back. If you haven't already joined the Astraea Press Book Club, click HERE and then follow the directions to receive your free copy. But hurry – the free copies will only be available for a few more days!

To further entice you, Sherry has provided a short excerpt:

She lost track of time until the flames caught her attention once more. They flickered from orange to gold, to silver, to white.

A flurry of snowflakes masked the flames and for a second Monica watched the most beautiful, pristine snow-scene she’d ever seen. Her lips curved in longing. How she’d love to get a toboggan and slide down that slope. She knew where it was, and had done just that many times in her childhood, first with her parents and then, in clandestine manner, with her brother. Sneaking an old tin tray from the back of her mother’s walk-in pantry, she’d then grabbed Billy’s hand and they’d rushed out the back gate, heading for the lakeside track that led up into the hills.

Darkness, dense and thick with grief dropped over the scene. Startled and disconcerted by the strength of emotion emanating from the vision Monica shifted to her knees, ready to stand, when a voice, a deep male voice, sharp with fear called out her name.

"Monica!"

She knew she’d never heard the voice before, and yet—it was as familiar to her as the image she saw in her mirror each morning.

"Help me, Monica.”

Desperate for more clues, she searched the darkness within the flames until it sputtered and faded. With a curse she jumped up and ran for the phone. With her outstretched hand hovering over it she halted and let her hand drop to her side once more. What could she say? What would the police or rescue team think of her if she called them and told them she’d seen a vision of a man in distress?

They’d laugh in her face and classify her as a lunatic. Well, maybe not. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d contacted them with positive information but something—an instinctive gut reaction told her what she’d seen this time hadn’t happened yet.

Contact Sherry at her WEBSITE
or on FACEBOOK

Please Welcome Author Tracy Krauss

Tracy Krauss has a new release at Astraea Press, but she's not new to writing! She's a playwright, with several stage plays in print, and three books published through Strategic Book Publishing. She lives in British Columbia, Canada with her husband, a pastor, and their children.

Tracy is here today to tell us about her new book, Wind Over Marshdale. Here's the blurb:

Marshdale. Just a small farming community where nothing special happens. A perfect place to start over…or get lost. There is definitely more to this prairie town than meets the eye. Once the meeting place of aboriginal tribes for miles around, some say the land itself was cursed because of the people’s sin. But its history goes farther back than even indigenous oral history can trace and there is still a direct descendant who has been handed the truth, like it or not. Exactly what ties does the land have to the medicine of the ancients? Is it cursed, or is it all superstition?            

Wind Over Marshdale is the story of the struggles within a small prairie town when hidden evil and ancient medicine resurface. Caught in the crossfire, new teacher Rachel Bosworth finds herself in love with two men at once. First, there is Thomas Lone Wolf, a Cree man whose blood lines run back to the days of ancient medicine but who has chosen to live as a Christian and faces prejudice from every side as he tries to expose the truth. Then there is Con McKinley, local farmer who has to face some demons of his own. Add to the mix a wayward minister seeking anonymity in the obscurity of the town; eccentric twin sisters – one heavily involved in the occult and the other a fundamentalist zealot; and a host of other ‘characters’ whose lives weave together unexpectedly for the final climax. This suspenseful story is one of human frailty - prejudice, cowardice, jealousy, and greed – magnified by powerful spiritual forces that have remained hidden for centuries, only to be broken in triumph by grace.

            Doesn't this sound fascinating? To read an excerpt from Wind over Marshdale, click HERE:

Wind Over Marshdale is available at Astraea Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble, to name a few outlets. Click on each company name to get to the buy page.

You can follow Tracy by visiting her WEBSITE:

Or her BLOG:

Or her FACEBOOK page:

Or Twitter: @TracyKrausswrtr