SSS: First peek at Orion Rising

Hey Sixers! Thanks so much for visiting, and thanks especially for your comments. 

I've taken a leap with my latest release - backward, actually, about ten years when I wrote this literary novel. I decided to self-pub it this year under my other pen name, C.A. Masterson. So here's the opener of Orion Rising, a family saga spanning the Sixties through the Nineties, with mythology of the constellations, love and loss, rock and roll, drugs and heartache, written from the multiple POVs of three siblings:

In every face, I looked for his. I knew in my heart it wouldn’t be him. Logic said that after twenty-five years, he’d no longer be a boy. But logic couldn’t stop my heart from breaking, again and again. Yet I never stopped looking.

I couldn’t.

I'll be making it a freebie on Amazon at some point, so I hope you'll grab a copy when I do.

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SSS: Jeb's bath

Hey Sixers! Welcome back. Hope you had a great week!

Here's another look at my Western historical, A Midwest Summer Night's Dream. Jeb uses the same bath water Winona used earlier, and it has a strong effect:

I bear a charmed life – no one said it better than Shakespeare, and Jeb could live no other way. Open skies and plenty of space suited his needs, with a borrowed book now and then to help chase away loneliness, but what tomes did Miss Young have stashed in her trunk?

The flash of an image through his mind stole his breath. Miss Young—Winona—dipping her hand into this water, letting it run along the skin of her arm, mass of chestnut waves pinned atop her head, long legs leaning against the tub sides, her curving bottom in the self-same spot his now sat. The vision hardened him with uncommon force, and he slid under the water, let the scented water cover him. Better to drown in a porcelain tub than in his own foolishness.

Ah, I love a well-read guy, don't you? :)

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SSS: First peek at A Midwest Summer Night's Dream

Hey, Sixers! I'm switching it up this week to a first look at my Western historical with a Shakespearean twist, A Midwest Summer Night's Dream. Here's the opening six:

Strange how fast civilization fell away. Faster with each stop, it seemed to Winona Young. No sooner had the Overland Stagecoach departed the last town—its name meant nothing to her—than plains stretched out, framed by the rectangular coach window like a moving painting. So beautiful, even in its emptiness. Like a clean slate.

Exactly what she needed.

 Thanks so much for visiting, and especially for your comments! You guys are great. :)

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SSS: Zev's busted

Yay, it's Six Sentence Sunday again. Thanks so much for visiting, and for your comments, which I always appreciate.

Here's another six from Dancing with the Devil, my dark paranormal, in which Lily realizes Zev is actually a demon:

The longer she held the pendant, the more her hand shook. From her glazed, wild-eyed look, she either joined the ranks of the zombies or some deep truth had just hit home.

Her lip quivered. “You’re… a….”

He sighed, then slammed back his martini. Oh yeah, definitely the latter.

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SSS: Danny's effect on Jillian

Thanks so much for visiting! And thanks especially for your comments. I appreciate every one.

Here's another six from Tonight You Belong to Me, my 1NS story released on Friday from Decadent! Yay!

In two shakes of a lamb’s tail, he stood a hair’s breadth away, a rush of warmth sending his heat slamming into her, the air filled with his musky cologne and his need. Their bodies knew how to communicate too well, moving in tandem like some primal dance that always ended up with their clothes tangled up on the floor and their naked limbs tangled on the carpet. Or the table. Or the car. No easy feat in their cheap compact car, either. Somehow it only made their lovemaking sweeter, that was the hell of it.

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SSS: Jillian's about to put Sin City in her rearview mirror

Thanks so much for visiting each week! And special thanks to those who comment.

I'm switching it up this week. Here's the opener to my  1NS story releasing Feb. 24, Tonight You Belong to Me, and a peek at who I imagined as Jillian: 

Nervous as a virgin in a prison rodeo, Jillian Jones tugged down her form-fitting silk sheath as she stepped into the Castillo Resort lounge. 

She had enough problems without her dress riding up. She’d already had her heart chewed up and spit out by that two-timing Casanova, Danny O’Malley. Why she’d agreed to do one last favor for Karenna before hightailing it out of Sin City, she couldn’t say. Yet something in her heart told her she wouldn’t regret tonight. Maybe it would change her life.

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SSS: Last peek at A Hard Day's Knight

I missed my SSS fix last week. But I added almost 7k to my WIP, so whew and yay! It's now 57k, and the first draft is finished.

Another big yay for A Hard Day's Knight, which released on Friday from Decadent as part of their 1NS series! Woot! Here's the last snippet from my Arthurian-themed fantasy:

Not even Kurt’s babble dampened the evening. With Gwyn at his side, Lance felt strangely at home. His head warred with his heart, warning him not to get too comfortable, not to let the warmth of the evening lull him into complacency. Especially with the threat still lingering in the air, still buzzing along his nerve endings. He’d already stayed as long as possible in Las Vegas. Soon the buzz would sink into his veins like poison, and every part of him would scream for relief – only obtained when he took to the road.

I'll make the SSS rounds a bit later. Today I'm visiting with my sisters, who are venturing out to central PA to help me celebrate my birthday. I can't wait to see them. :)

Don't forget to check out all the amazing snippets at Six Sentence Sunday. Have a great week!

SSS: Facing down fears

Thanks so much for visiting! And thanks especially for your comments. They absolutely make my day.

Here's a bit more from my fantasy, A Hard Day's Knight, to release from Decadent next month as part of its 1NS series. Lance receives the same invitation from two women, for two very different reasons:

The curve of a fishnet-stockinged knee ended at the black skirt’s edge, hitched thigh high, and the black-haired wench leered at him. “Dance with me.”

How the same words sounded like heaven uttered by one woman, and hell when spoken by another, confounded him. With the strong scent of apples suffusing the air, he knew exactly why she intruded. She came from the isle of apples: Avalon.

“Tempting as your offer is, I’m promised to another,” he said, and let his cold smile taunt her.

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SSS: Old enemies meet again

Thanks so much for visiting to read my Six Sentence Sunday snippet. :) And thanks especially for your comments.

Here's another peek at A Hard Day's Knight, due out soon as part of Decadent's 1NS series.  Lance meets his ancient enemy, a certain witch by the name of Morgan le Fay, and isn't about to back down but chooses to dance with Gwyn instead:

The wench’s harsh laughter raked his skin, and seeped into his veins like poison. “Enjoy tonight. Time’s so fleeting, isn’t it?”

Except when it stretched to infinity. “I have no intention of wasting it.” He led Gwyn down the length of the table and toward the swirling couples.

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SSS: Time warp

Thanks so much for visiting for SSS. I love all your comments, and can't wait to read your six.

Time for another peek at my fantasy with elements of Arthurian legend, a witch or two thrown in for good measure, and a brief hint of time travel - A Hard Day's Knight. In this scene, Lance gets his first look at Gwyn. Hm, or has he seen her before?

He distantly registered Darien leaning against his arm, whispering something, and Kurt adding a comment and a guffaw. 
But the light glinting against her golden locks gave her an angelic appearance. He imagined his fingers working the laces along the front of her bodice, unfastening them, letting the full green skirt pool around her ankles to reveal that creamy silken skin he’d so missed. Craved.

Hitching up her gown, she glided toward them like a swan across a lake. When she fixed her green eyes on him, he scrambled to his feet, dumbfounded as a peasant before a princess.

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SSS: First peek at A Hard Day's Knight

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! They always end too soon, don't they? But I'm glad to jump back into Six Sentence Sunday. I missed you guys.

Here's a first look at my short fantasy, A Hard Day's Knight, tentatively set for release in February as part of Decadent's 1NS series! To set up this scene, the hero Lance is about to be introduced to the heroine, Gwyn, but is reluctant to meet her for reasons he must keep secret, even though his friend tells her what a great girl Gwyn is:

“I’m sure she is, for someone else.” It pained Lance to say it.

Kurt blew a sharp breath. “Fine, be an ass but you will be nice during dinner, at least.”

“I’ll be a perfect gentleman.” And once this night ended, he would leave, and start over again in a new city, as he had for centuries.

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SSS: Alice has an intruder

Welcome back for another peek at my Christmas fantasy, Ground Rules, just released by The Wild Rose Press. 

Alice wakes up and finds a tall, hunky blond guy in her kitchen, rummaging through her liquor cabinet. She hurls a succession of objects at him, to no avail:

At his wave, a wall of light caught each item and held it. The bizarre sight of her belongings drifting in sparkles like dust motes in sunlight made her head spin. Clenching her fists at her sides, she released a primal scream of terror.

From behind the curtain of light, he shot her a scowl. “What are you screaming for? Your liquor cabinet’s practically empty, and I haven’t had a drink in decades.”

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Have a great week!

SSS: Meet Luke, a not-so-angelic angel

Thanks so much for visiting for Six Sentence Sunday! And thanks especially for your comments.

Here's another snippet from Ground Rules, my Christmas fantasy. Luke, a Watcher Angel, isn't enthusiastic about the holiday. He has his reasons. So he tends to avoid the scheduled seasonal get-togethers. 

Oh please. Luke would give anything not to have to attend yet another boring event. Stand around and sing, chat up the bosses, flirt with the seraphim—to no avail. He’d give anything to have a little one-on-one time with a girl. A real, in-the-flesh, warm-blooded girl.

Thoughts like that could get him demoted.

Check out all the amazing SSS authors here. Have a great week!

SSS: First peek at Ground Rules, my Christmas fantasy

Thanks so much for visiting, and especially for your comments. I love 'em all.

Here's the opening of Ground Rules, my Christmas fantasy soon to be released from The Wild Rose Press! 

The first snow of December fell like a promise, full of sparkle and glimmer. Like hope.
From her desk by the tall, second-story window, Alice Garner watched, enraptured. This year, though, she'd stopped believing in promises.
Still, snow had been second on her Christmas list.  Today being Christmas Eve, she could almost believe someone had been listening.

Don't forget to check out the amazing offerings of other SSS authors. For those who celebrate it, have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm sitting out the next two weeks to catch up on NaNoWriMo and share the holidays with my family. Have a good one!

SSS: Jody gets her groove back

Thanks so much to all who visit! And thanks especially for your comments - I so appreciate them!

Here's another scene from my latest fantasy, Romancing the Hero.  I love a guy who dances, don't you? :)

“You never know your limits…”

Rolling her eyes, she finished the sentence: “…until you test them.” Great, hurling her own words back to taunt her.

The slow song segued into a disco beat and Jake whooped, his shoulders and arms gyrating like train wheels. His mood proved infectious, and all those dancing nearby followed suit.

She let loose, matching his every move and then some.

Be sure to check out the fantastic snippets offered by all the Six Sentence Sunday players! Have a great week!

Six from my new release, Romancing the Hero

Thanks so much for checking out my Six Sentence Sunday post! And thanks especially for your comments, which always cheer me.

To celebrate its release, here's a snippet from Romancing the Hero, my fantasy out now with The Wild Rose Press *throws confetti and opens some bubbly*

“Jody Feather?” The deep voice rushed at her like a hot breeze, reverberated through her, and stopped her where she stood.

“Ye—” Her gaze climbed the long legs clad in well-fitting jeans, pumped torso outlined through his tight tee, to the gorgeous model face. Someone might have stolen a cardboard cutout of the perfect hero and breathed life into it, and that’s who stood on her doorstep.

“Yowsa,” she said on an exhale.

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Damien bites the hand that gives him sanctuary

Thanks so much to all who visit! And thanks especially for your comments.

Here's another six from Death Is A Bitch, circulating on sub round #1. The daemon Damien was such a hoot to write, I'm considering giving him a spinoff story. In this scene, he's in Paris, tormenting a priest who's granted him sanctuary from the posse of angels hunting him:

Damien revealed his true self to the priest, who grew more horrified as the daemon’s skin charred, the stench of rotted flesh filling the small room. Damien’s nostrils flared above a malicious smile, eyes blazing like a fiery kaleidoscope.

The priest hastily made the sign of the cross, grabbed a wooden one from the wall and held it in front of him like a shield. “Back to Hell where you belong, unclean spirit.”

“You first.” Damien let his split tongue loll past his chin in his best Kiss impression.

Next week will be the last peek at Death, at least for awhile.

Be sure to check out the fantastic Six Sentence Sunday participants! And I have a new poll at top right - what's your greatest fear? 

Have a wonderful week!

SSS: Death swoons for Azrael

Woot for Six Sentence Sunday! Thanks for checking out my snippets, and especially for your comments.

Here's another peek at Death Is A Bitch. Death can't get enough of Azrael:

Standing at his full height, Azrael’s wings unfolded with a glorious whoosh. His feathers glimmered white as newfallen snow in the moonlight.

Magnificent. Death found herself breathless with admiration, and wishing those wings would wrap around her. Last time, she’d found feathers for eons afterward, stuck in her gown, in her hair. She hadn’t minded one bit.

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Death's counterpart in the underworld

Yay, it's Six Sentence Sunday again! I love reading the fantastic snippets, and hope you enjoy mine as well. Thanks so much for visiting, and especially for your comments!

Here's another peek at Death Is A Bitch, my dark paranormal with humorous elements, now out on submission (which can also be a bitch, lol). Though Death has no allegiance with either Heaven or Hades, sometimes her counterpart from the Underworld can prove a little unpredictable. And hot, huh? Here Death muses about how Damien projected an angelic appearance:

Fortunately, Death knew better. Sure, the daemon looked like a GQ model now, but piss him off and see what he morphed into. A fanged gargoyle. A two-story python, coiled to strike. A walking mass of rotted, stinking flesh. Whereas she didn’t go in for special effects, Damien loved them.

Thanks again for popping by! Check out the amazing snippets by other SSS authors. Have a great week!

Death's paramour - the angel Azrael

Another Six Sentence Sunday! Yay! Thanks to everyone who visits, and especially for your comments. 

Here's another peek at Death Is A Bitch, now making the submission rounds. According to The Dictionary of Angels, Azrael is the patron angel associated with the process of death and dying. Affairs in the workplace can be complicated, but Death can't resist Azrael:

Their intense feelings caused the universe to react by churning up its own excitement.

Azrael held her closer, his hands exploring everywhere, and clouds rushed together to roil in a heated embrace. She wrapped herself around him, opened herself to him and the winds swept hot air crashing into cold.  Desire sizzled through her, and lightning crackled through the charged atmosphere. They moved with the rhythm of his wings, beating faster and faster as they streaked as one through the black night. Glimmering stars swirled past, and the planets hummed in delight.

Be sure to check out all the fantastic offerings by participating SSS authors! Have a great week!