Welcome to my blog. It’s a pleasure to have you here. Secret Cravings Publishing has many talented
authors in their group, working on a wide variety of genres. This weekend’s blog
hop focuses on contemporary romances. That’s where I come in. While most of
what I write are mysteries, I enjoy mixing in a bit of romance to keep the
characters real.
My second novel with Secret Cravings
Publishing was just released earlier this week. “Vanishing Act” is the sequel
to my earlier novel, “Devious” and you’ll recognize some of the same main
characters. Jamie Richmond, my heroine, is still enthralled with the attentions
of the mysterious Malone. The story
opens just after Christmas when Jamie’s best friend, Linda Davis, makes her
first appearance. With plans for a
romantic New Year’s Eve filled with dining and dancing, Jamie sets up Linda
with a blind date that turns out to be more than she ever imagined. Soon Linda
finds her captivated by her own budding romance, to the delight and confusion
of Jamie. But Linda has captured someone else’s attention too. A stalker
suddenly makes their presence known and Linda’s normal life is thrown into a
tailspin. When she disappears without a trace on a snowy Saturday, the police
are baffled. But Jamie is determined to figure out two important things, who
took Linda and where she is, before it’s too late.
At the heart of this story is romance. Here
is an excerpt from the story. In this scene, Jamie and Linda are on their way
home from exercise class when they decide to stop for coffee and a chance to
catch up.
We pulled into a coffee shop that she
likes to frequent. I got a slice of iced lemon loaf and a cup of tea. Linda got
a vanilla coffee and a raspberry muffin. I waited until we were seated at a
little table far from the doorway or anyone else.
“So are you going to tell me what’s
going on, Algae? You’ve been beaming a thousand watt smile since you picked me
up.”
I saw the color radiate on her
cheeks. She lowered her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. I waited. Finally
she drew a deep breath and raised her face.
“I think I’m in love,” she said
quietly.
I sat back in amazement. This was the
same woman, who, not three weeks ago, had sworn that they were just getting to
know each other, just going to take it slow. Suddenly she was talking love.
Before I could respond, she waved a hand at me.
“Just be quiet and listen, Jamie. I
know that’s difficult for you, but please just hear me out.”
I tore a corner off the pastry and
popped it into my mouth, then closed my eyes to savor the lemony sweetness, and
let it dissolve on my tongue. I imagined this was how a sunbeam would taste.
When it was gone, I opened my eyes and gazed at her. I extended my right hand
and just looked at her.
“Vince came over last night. I wanted
to cook for him, so I made shrimp with angel hair pasta. You know the way I do
it, with mushrooms, red peppers and fresh parmesan cheese.”
My stomach growled. It’s one of her
signature dishes. I started to comment but Linda waved me quiet.
“So we had some good, Italian wine, a
white one that really went well with the pasta. I had the stereo on, something
soft like Diana Krall and Van Morrison. After dinner, we moved to the sofa. The
fire was lit and we only had one light on low. I had been in a bit of rush to
get dinner ready when I came home from work, so I hadn’t bother to change.”
She paused to sip her coffee. I
couldn’t keep quiet. “What were you wearing?”
“You know that turquoise sweater with
the cowl neck?”
I nodded. It does magical things for
her eyes.
“That and a black, wool skirt, some
stockings, and those black leather boots that come up to mid calf.”
Linda loves boots.
She has several pairs and usually likes the ones with a two-inch heel. I knew
exactly the outfit she was describing. It could stop traffic any time of the
day or night. Like she couldn’t do that already! I waited for her to continue.
She took another taste of her coffee, and then started talking quietly again.
“So we’re on the
sofa, sitting there, just listening to the music. He had an arm draped over my
shoulders. And I mentioned that I had to get out of my boots. My feet were
starting to cramp. That’s when things got…different.”
I wasn’t sure I
wanted to hear this, but there was no stopping her now. “What do you mean,
different?” I asked.
“Vince told me to
move to the other end of the sofa. Then he slowly unzipped my boots and pulled
them off me. My legs were in his lap. He started to massage my feet, chasing
away the aches and pains. Then he moved up to my ankles. And the whole time, he
just kept talking, keeping his voice very low and soft.”
“What did he say?”
Linda shuddered with
the memory. “He told me all of the things he was going to do to me, all the
ways he wanted to please me.”
I pulled back the
sleeve of her jacket. Her arm was covered in goose bumps. “Do you really want
to tell me this, Linda?”
“I’ve got to tell
you, Jamie, because I still can’t believe it happened. It was like I was
hypnotized. He was in total control of me. I couldn’t even move.”
Somehow no words
found their way out of my mouth. I just stared at her so she kept talking.
“I swear he touched
on every fantasy, no matter how dark, I have ever considered. And the whole
time, he just kept talking softly, massaging my legs. I thought I was melting
from his charms on New Year’s Eve. That was nothing compared to last night.
Jamie, by the time he finally undressed me, I was so far over the edge, I
didn’t think I’d ever make it back.”
I would have never
believed my good and kindly doctor would be capable of fulfilling all her
fantasies. And even if I had, I could never have imagined how dark these
fantasies would turn out to be.
Sounds interesting? A little mystery wrapped in a little romance.
Or maybe it’s the other way around. If
you’d like to win a copy of the eBook, just answer the following question. Include your email address in your response
so I can notify the winner.
Today’s question: What is your
favorite romantic movie? Name the characters and if possible, some memorable
dialogue or action that occurs.
