Saturday Sample

Happy Saturday! I'm glad you came. Why don't we try an excerpt from my new work in progress The Captain and the Cheerleader? If you see any problems do let me know. As I said, this is a work in progress. This little snippet from the beginning of the book is the reason I almost titled the book The Bet.

“Well, I think you’re full of it,” Robin sniffed. “If I couldn’t get him to notice me, I know you can’t.”

Around the faculty lounge a murmur of delighted, horrified voices broke out.

Susan finished her soft drink and tossed the can into a nearby recycling bin. “I could make Kurt ask me out if I wanted to.”

“Yeah? Prove it. Get him to ask you out. I’ll bet you fifty dollars you can’t do it,” Robin taunted. “All he’s interested in is football.”

Melissa Taylor, Susan’s best friend, cleared her throat. “How long would she have?”  

“Two weeks ought to be enough for an old pro like Susan.” Robin snickered as her gaze swept around the lounge. “Would the rest of you like to get a piece of the action?”

All at once a carnival atmosphere permeated the room. They chose Don Brooks who taught art to keep track of the bets, and everyone hurried to put money on his or her favorite.

From the corner of her eye, Susan watched as Robin smirked at everyone in the room. Why did Mr. Dennis hire such an undisciplined, annoying child? It would be a pleasure to give her her comeuppance.

Don recorded the last bet on a sheet of copier paper. “It’s about fifty-fifty. Sorry, Robin, but my money’s on Susan. When she enters a room, men sit up and take notice.”  

Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. When you finish here, you can find more samples at:

http://www.wewriwa.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Several of you have asked where to get the book, but it isn't available yet. I sent it to the publisher last week so I guess we wait and see.

If you've been following, you know that my hero and heroine have just had a bad breakup that devastated him. He's crushed by her rejection and suspicion. In the story, it's been raining for weeks, and finally the entire area is in the grip of a major flood. The National Guard has issued a mandatory evacuation for everyone living along the Wendell River, and Aria (heroine) lives along the river. She told everyone she was going to her house to get a few things, but that was hours ago, and no one has heard from her or her mother. The National Guard is too busy to look for them, and Aria's father can't get to the river because of the flood. Caleb (hero) has just been informed of the problem.

If Aria and her mother were trapped in the house, there was no place for them to go except up on the roof, and the way it was pouring outside it would be hard to cling to a slippery, steep roof. Even if they did manage to hang on, the water might still rise too high…  But what if they weren’t in the house? What if their car had been swept away by the flood water? No, this couldn’t happen! Forcing the dreadful picture from his mind, he sprang to his feet.  “I’m going out there anyway. If it’s humanly possible, I’ll get to her house. ”

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. When you finish here, you can find more snippets at:

http://www.wewriwa.com
http://www.https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

If you've been following these excerpts from the book I just finished, you know that my heroine just found some stolen drugs in her boyfriend's medicine cabinet. (She's a vet, and he works for her.) He denies knowledge of it but says he thinks he knows who did it. She doesn't believe him. I've done creative punctuation to get the length right. My heroine speaks first.

“Take your hands off me; I’m going home.”

The pain on his face was like a living thing. She could almost feel it racing through her own veins, devouring and ruining everything it touched. He held out his hand. "Don’t lose faith in me now. Believe me; believe in me. Don’t you know I’d never hurt you?”

Sorrow and anger nipped and raged at Aria.

Beyond the Book: Goals and Wishes

Well, we're almost one week into 2015, and it's only now that I have a minute to slow down and think about the coming year. As you may have guessed, we had a very busy holiday season. I know it's the custom for people to make New Year's resolutions, but I've figured out how useless that really is for me. No, I'm not making resolutions; let's call them goals or even wishes because I don't think that has the connotation of resolutions. So in 2015, here's what I hope to do.

1.Submit the completed manuscript of Flood to my publisher. It turned out well, but because of the holiday season I've been dragging my feet on it.

2.Finish my current, untitled manuscript and submit it as well.

3.Stay on my low carb diet in order to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

4.Begin a redecorating project or two at my house. Specifically, I want to do something about my kitchen cabinets and countertop. Then I want to overhaul the study.

5.I'm retiring from my teaching job this year, so I need to explore options for my retirement.

There are probably some more things I need to work on, but I think this is plenty. What about you? Do you have any goals or wishes for 2015?

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, memes that give you a chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. Just follow these links for more excerpts.

http://www.wewriwa.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

My excerpt today comes from a just finished WIP that I've been sharing excerpts from. My heroine just found a bottle of pain killer stolen from her clinic in her lover's bathroom. He just happens to work for her. It's unedited so if you see something give a holler. I used a bit of creative punctuation too so I could get the length I want.

His face was calm; it revealed nothing of what he might be feeling. “I’m disappointed in you, Aria. I thought you believed in me so I gave you my heart, and now you’re going to break it for me.” His façade slipped, and she saw naked pain on his face. “I didn’t break into the clinic, but I have an idea who did.”

         “Oh, right!  Blame it on someone else. Some mysterious, shadowy figure that no one ever sees 

or knows; I’ve seen movies with that plot! ”

Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. After you finish here you can find more authors at:

http://www.wewriwa.com

http://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

In this excerpt, my heroine has found a bottle of pain killer stolen from her clinic in the bathroom of the man she's fallen in love with. He's an ex-convict who works for her. This is her answer to the problem. This isn't edited so if you see anything give a yell.

A single sob burst from her throat. “Why didn’t you tell me you needed money? I would gladly have helped you. Or did you want it for yourself?” She hugged her middle and rocked back and forth. “You’re fired.”

Springing from the toilet, she darted back into the bedroom where she dressed in record time. As she strode past him, Caleb grabbed her arm.