Hump Day Hook: Blue 52

Welcome to Hump Day Hook.  All the participating authors are so glad you found us. When you finish here, you can find more excerpts at http://www.humpdayhook.blogspot.com. My excerpt todays comes from my mainstream romance Blue 52 which will be released by Whiskey Creek Press on December 1. In this excerpt, my hero first meets my heroine.

Hank rose to his feet. He didn’t know what he had expected, a person his grandfather’s age maybe, but the woman who appeared in the door behind his secretary looked almost as beautiful as his mother. In fact, as impossible as it seemed, she might be even more beautiful. She was about five six and had dark hair and eyes even bluer than his own. He guessed she might be about his age. Her figure would make a blind man stare, but the expression on her face attracted him as much as her physical appearance. Intelligence, curiosity, and life shone from her eyes. She glowed with an eagerness he didn’t understand.

As she approached his desk, she held out her hand. "Mr. Lovinggood, how are you? I’m Dr. Kathryn Sinclair. Thank you for seeing me."

She had a firm handshake and looked him right in the eye. "Not at all, Dr. Sinclair. Please, have a seat. May I get you a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, that would be lovely."

Hank filled a disposable cup with coffee. The cups biodegraded in three months’ time, so nobody hesitated to use them. The trashcans overflowed with cups by the end of the day. "Cream or sugar?"

"Black, thanks."

He handed the coffee to Dr. Sinclair and got a good look at her legs in the process. Nice. She wore a well-cut, red suit that looked expensive. He liked her short little skirt, but the neckline of the jacket didn’t plunge quite enough.

Hank flushed. He was no hormone-riddled teenager. The woman hadn’t come here for him to ogle her. "My secretary told me that you wanted to talk to me about a crime," he said as he seated himself behind his desk, unconsciously smoothing his tie and sitting up straight.

BLURB:

"First Lady Kills President Lovinggood"

December 29, 2018

 

Thirty years later Hank Lovinggood embarks on a quest to prove his mother's innocence and punish the killers who took his family from him.  Together Hank and lovely physicist Kathryn Sinclair confront an implacable, twisted, merciless enemy who'll do whatever it takes to hide the truth forever. 

  

Hump Day Hook

Welcome to Hump Day Hook where a group of writers get together and post excerpts from their work. My excerpt comes from a book I'm getting ready to submit. The title is Rest Thy Head. In this excerpt, my heroine goes to visit her fiancé unannounced. When you finish here, go to http://www.humpdayhook.blogspot.com to find other participants.

As she rounded the corner into the kitchen, she got the biggest surprise of her entire life.  Megan Thomas, whom Drew used to date, was with him in the kitchen, and the two of them were hugging each other so tightly it was a wonder either of them could breathe. 

Peyton gasped, and when Drew saw her he shoved Megan away and caused her to fall against the stove.  “Peyton, I can explain!”

Peyton felt hot blood flood her face.  “What’s to explain, Drew?  I’m not an idiot.  You don’t have to say a thing.”

She spun on her heel and ran from the kitchen with Drew right behind her.  “Peyton, wait.”  He grabbed her arm and spun her around.

 

“I believed in you!  I believed in you!”  She jerked her arm from Drew’s grip and ran for her car. 

Hump Day Hook: Return Engagement

 

 

Welcome to Hump Day Hook. I'm so glad you stopped by. My excerpt today picks up where I left off last week in the prologue of Return Engagement. My heroine, an up and coming actress, is upset that the tabloids are printing crazy stories about her and her boy friend who's five years younger than she is. He's also the son of a famous senator, Henry Lovinggood.

 

 

“It may matter to your career. Have you forgotten Senator Lovinggood’s plans for you? Your dad wants you to be the president one day, but a scandal like this could ruin your chances before you even get started.”

Richard impatiently shook his head. “Don’t you get it? You’re more important to me than any career in the world! Without you I don’t care what happens to me.” His eyes softened. “We fell in love with each other he first time we met in the studio. Why would you even consider letting five lousy years ruin things for us?"

 

 

Return Engagement is available at Whiskey Creek Press and at most online retail outlets. Any book store can order it. And don't forget, the sequel to Return Engagement, Blue 52, will be released this December.

 

 



Hump Day Hook: Not Everyone Gets a Second Chance

Welcome to Hump Day Hook, a way for writers both published and unpublished to share their work.  Since the sequel to Return Engagement, Blue 52, is being released in December by Whiskey Creek Press, I thought I'd share a part of the prologue from Return Engagement with you.  First an excerpt, then a blurb. When you're finished here, you can find lots more authors at http://humpdayhook.blogspot.co.uk/

Prologue

“Stop it!” Elizabeth cried. She scrambled off the bed and put as much distance as possible between them. “It’s over, Richard! No, don’t shake your head at me. I mean it.” Her face blazed with color. “We have to end this, or I’ll be exactly what the tabloids called me. I can’t, I won’t, live with that.”

Chest heaving, Richard struggled for self-control as he faced Elizabeth across the bed, distracted by her beautiful blue eyes and disheveled dark hair. What did the sleazy, tabloid press matter? They loved each other; why did she panic over a few nasty stories?

“Honey, you’re an actress,” he soothed, his voice velvety soft and persuasive. “The tabloids won’t leave you alone no matter what you do. Half the stuff they print is lies anyway. Why are you letting them scare you?”

She stared at him with eyes stretched wide. “You’re seventeen years old! In California you’re still a minor, and I’m an adult. They have a right to accuse me of cradle robbing! Don’t you know how many people agree with them?” Her

voice dropped. “And that includes my mother and your parents. They’re so mad at us it scares me.”

Richard ignored the fact that his father’s reaction had scared him too. “You talk like you’re fifty,” he scoffed, “but you’re only five years older than me. You know it doesn’t matter.” He lunged for her hand, but Elizabeth danced away from him.

 

Blurb:

Elizabeth Lane is one lucky woman. She has it all-money, fame, a satisfying career and a devoted fiancé. Her humble beginnings are all but obscured, but she isn't the kind of woman Senator Henry Lovinggood wants for his son, Richard. Senator Lovinggood plans to make Richard the President of the United States; he'll need a woman from a wealthy, powerful family by his side. Ten years ago the senator broke Richard and Elizabeth up, but this time it won't be so easy, for Elizabeth wants to know what might have been. This time she'll fight back, a struggle which ultimately leads to kidnapping and attempted murder and alienates her from the man of her dreams.

 

Return Engagement is available at most all online retail outlets, from Whiskey Creek Press, and can be ordered by any bookstore.