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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Favorite Vacation Spots

Readers, please help me welcome author Joselyn Vaughn to the blog.  Joselyn is telling us about her favorite vacation spot.  I think I'd like to visit myself.

Every summer, we visit my in-laws on a little lake in northern Minnesota. It’s about the most relaxing vacation we can have with three little kids. They have grandma and grandpa to spoil them and a lake to burn up their energy. Grandma is a wonderful cook, so we have delicious food which is a happy escape from my less-than-stellar from-a-box creations. This year we even had a tea party with little bunny cups and finger sandwiches. The girls loved it.
 
My husband and I got to go golfing twice. I haven’t been on a golf course that much since I was seven months pregnant with the twins. We did a bit of shopping – mostly garage sales, but I scored a ton of girls’ clothes and a free monster truck (my son was delighted.).
 
The only problem was that my in-laws got me addicted to a show called Murdoch Mysteries. It’s a CSI-type show set in 1890’s Toronto. There’s a love interest. The main character is cute. What’s not to like? They get the show on Netflix DVDs. The problem: we only have Netflix streaming and Murdoch Mysteries isn’t available. How am I going to find out what happens to Murdoch and Crabtree and all my new friends?
 
 
Oh, Joselyn what a predicament.  Maybe they'll put it on DVD, and you can buy it.  Now, let's look at an excerpt from Joselyn's latest Climbing Heartbreak Hill.
 
Excerpt:
Tara tapped her foot while Ryan settled in the tank and
others lined up behind her for their chance to dunk him. A dollar
for three throws at the target. Tara reached for her purse, then
changed her mind. She bent and picked up Ryan’s coat. After a
quick search of the pockets, she found his wallet. Unfortunately, it
was devoid of cash. She flipped it closed, then opened it again to
peek behind the credit cards. Ah‑ha! An emergency twenty. She
kept cash hidden to use only for an emergency, too. She slid the bill
out of the pocket and crushed it in her fist. If she didn’t let off some
of this anger and disappointment, it would be an emergency.
She tossed the crumpled bill at the attendant and stepped up
to the line.
 
“How many throws?”
 
“All of them,” Tara said, holding her hand out for the
marred softball. She rubbed her fingers over the crusty leather and
stared at Ryan. A golden opportunity lost. She wound up and
chucked the ball. It went high and wide of the target. Someone
behind her made a remark about throwing like a girl. Ryan gave
her a thumbs‑up. If he thought that was a good throw, he had another
thing coming. He should think twice about encouraging her. She
needed a couple throws to get warmed up. She grabbed the next
ball and wrapped her fingers around the seams.
 
“You should take the job,” she muttered as she let this one
fly. It dinged the corner of the target, but not hard enough to
trigger the release. The ball ricocheted off the tank, and Ryan
almost dunked himself when he flinched.
 
He might have said “what was that?” but Tara screwed up
her mouth and reached for another ball. She had been through
enough this week with the stress of tax season, Chuck’s demands,
and Ryan’s stupid, stupid obstinacy. “Lead me on, did you?” She
whipped the ball at the target. She missed again, this time nailing
the acrylic glass surround with a vicious thunk.
 
“Somebody’s got some anger issues,” the man behind her
said under his breath.
 
Tara snatched another ball and whirled around on her heels.
She shoved the ball under his nose. “Unless you want this ball
blocking your next sneeze, you’ll keep your comments to yourself.”
 
The man stepped back a full yard and put his hands up to
protect his ability to shoot germs from his nose.
 
“Thank you.” Tara pursed her lips and turned back to the
tank. She tightened her focus on the red bulls‑eye. This time Ryan
was hers. She whipped the ball with a caveman‑like growl.
 
 
Oh, he's in trouble now!  You can pick up your copy at any of the following locations.
Buy Links:
 
 
 
 
Thanks for everything, Joselyn.  come back soon to see us.
 
 

4 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great vacation for you! Too bad it's so far away. How nice that your in-laws are so good with the kids! Do they ever come to visit you?

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  2. Patty, they come at least twice a year. It's wonderful.

    Elaine, thanks so much for having me!

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  3. very cool scene.
    I like the build-up of whether he'll get dunked or not.
    I'm betting that girl's purloined $20 that she dunks him.

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  4. Great Excerpt Joselyn! I've got this book on my TBR Pile. :)

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