Saturday Sample

Welcome to Saturday Sample. Last week we saw that Rocky called Aimee and told her he'd bought them a house to live in. Aimee headed to West Virginia, but her car quit five miles from Fortuna, the estate that Rocky bought. 

Blurb:
Aimee Sherwood never dreamed that following her fiancé into the witness protection pro-gram would land her in a haunted house in a town that’s downright creepy. She’d have laughed if she had been told the guy who lives down the road might be her soul mate, not the man whose ring she’s wearing. Life in West Virginia is nothing like life in Los Angeles, but between bean ball battles with Marilyn Monroe, remodeling a crumbling farmhouse, and starting a new online business, life in the country is anything but boring.

Excerpt:
She tried to call Rocky for about the tenth time, but nobody answered, and the call went to voice mail. Okay, Rocky was no help to her so she’d help herself. Five miles. Big deal. I can walk five miles.

She stepped out of the car just in time to see a man on horseback coming down the road. The animal had a huge, flowing, white mane and tail that streamed on the wind. Its bright eyes and erect ears made it seem as if the horse were enjoying the early spring day and wanted to go exploring. Dapple gray. Yeah, it’s a dapple gray. As the horseman approached, he reined his mount in and stopped beside her car.

“Why, Aimee Sherwood. What are you doing here?” 

Buy link: http://amzn.to/23yoW2d

Saturday Sample: Fortuna

Last week we left Rocky and Aimee in a dressing room in a civic center waiting for a wrestling match to start. They're both nervous. We pick up today where we left off last week.

Excerpt:

“Everything’s wrong,” she snapped. Why did this idiot always bray like a mule at what he considered his witty repartee? “It smells like dirty feet in here, and I hate the gray paint. The entire auditorium looks dingy. Besides that, this is the nastiest dressing room I’ve ever seen. I don’t like ‘no disqualification’ matches either.”

Rocky reproved her with a look. “She’s just worried about Cade hitting me with the chair.”

Rich’s lips thinned. Not that they weren’t thin enough already. The man was a lipless wonder. “This is the Los Angeles Wrestling Association, Aimee. LAWA teaches the guys how to do the moves without hurting themselves. You have no reason to worry.” He sighed. “We’ve talked about this before.” 

Blurb:
Aimee Sherwood never dreamed that following her fiancé into the witness protection pro-gram would land her in a haunted house in a town that’s downright creepy. She’d have laughed if she had been told the guy who lives down the road might be her soul mate, not the man whose ring she’s wearing. Life in West Virginia is nothing like life in Los Angeles, but between bean ball battles with Marilyn Monroe, remodeling a crumbling farmhouse, and starting a new online business, life in the country is anything but boring.

Like the sound of Fortuna? Get it at http://amzn.to/23yoW2d

Beyond the Book Civil War Music

Art and music always reflect the times they are written in. Think of the many songs associated with wars, for example. Almost everyone has heard the Marseillaise, the song of the French Revolution. And at the beginning of the 20th century new schools of painting arose to match the new technological world.

It was no different during the Civil War. Both the North and South had favorite songs, and sometimes they both laid claim to the same music.

If you were a Consfederate, you probably loved the following:
Dixie
Lorena
Bonnie Blue Flag
Goober Peas
The Yellow Rose of Texas

If you lived in the Union you probably liked:
Marching Through Georgia
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Just Before the Battle
All the Pretty Little Horses
When Johnny Comes Marchings Home Again

There was no way to record music back then so people bought sheet music. It generally consisted of a booklet of booklet of two, four, or six pages. The covers were attractively illustrated, and the back usually had advertisements.

My Fortuna heroine Aimee Sherwood had no interest in the Civil War until a guy she really likes, maybe more than she should, moves into a Civil War era home and started talking about it.
Fortuna is available at http://www.amzn.to/23yoW2d .

Beyond the Book: Character Interview

Today let's meet Cade from Rest Thy Head.

Rhonda: Welcome to Centerville Today, a Viewer’s Choice TV program. My name is Rhonda Dalton, and my guest today is Cade McCoy. Cade, welcome to the show. Could you introduce yourself to the viewers?

Cade: (Smiles at Rhonda) I’d be glad to. As Rhonda said my name is Cade McCoy, and I live at Bad Creek Farm.

Rhonda: So you're a farmer, Cade?

Cade: (nodding) I raise five gaited saddle horses. All of them are show quality, purebred animals.

Rhonda: Was raising horses your main goal in life?

Cade: Yes, so far. I was only wrestling to save money to buy the farm.

Rhonda: Horses are expensive. What would you do if you won a million dollars?

Cade: I’d get my breeding program on the fast track and set up group homes and counseling for troubled kids.

Rhonda: Is there a special lady in your life?

Cade: (hesitates) Maybe, but we have a few things to work out between us.

Rhonda: What’s her name?

Cade: I call her Sunshine, although that’s just my nickname for her.

Rhonda: I hope everything works out for you and your Sunshine, Cade. Thanks for being a part of our program today.

Cade: Thanks for having me.

Beyond the Book: Fortuna

Aimee is the name of my heroine in Fortuna. Do you know what the name Aimee means? It means dearly loved. Do  you think the name fits? This scene is at a 19th century garden party.

Cade indicated a built-in bench, which circled the inside of the gazebo. “Would you like to sit down?”

Aimee sat and gathered her skirts around her, admiring the rustle of her long, crinoline petticoat. She patted the space beside her. “Sit beside me.”

Cade bowed. “You honor me, Miss Sherwood.”

“You may call me Miss Aimee, sir.”

“Miss Aimee, then.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

Aimee’s heart took off in a mad gallop. She felt heat rising from her chest and knew it colored her face an inconvenient shade of red. Oh! My! Goodness! All he’d done was kiss her hand, and she was melting. If only she hadn’t left her fan at Miss Gladys’ table.

Cade kept hold of her hand even though she’d expected him to let go of it. His calloused fingers felt so male, so strong, so warm that another wave of heat washed over her and almost took her breath away.

“You look beautiful tonight, Miss Aimee. There’s not a woman at the party who can touch you.”

Was it her imagination or had he moved a bit closer to her?

“Your eyes sparkle like blue diamonds, and I love those curls of yours. You’ve captured the sunshine.” He reached for her ponytail and bounced her curls in the palm of his hand.

Breathe. She mustn’t forget to breathe.

He had moved closer. She could smell the spicy odor of his shaving cream now. It was the same stuff Rocky used. She’d always liked it, but before this night she’d never realized how sexy it was.

In the background she heard a buzz of quiet laughter from the partygoers, but they seemed to be in another world far away from her and Cade. Her eyes fluttered shut as he squeezed her hand and leaned toward her.

“Hey, hon, so this is where you got to.”

Rocky! Aimee gasped and jerked her hand from Cade’s, praying that Rocky hadn’t seen them holding hands. Not that they were really holding hands, but . . . okay they were holding hands, but . . . “Er . . . isn’t the gazebo beautiful?”

Rocky nodded. “Yep, it sure is. Are you ready to get some refreshments?”

“Yes. Cade, thanks for showing me the gazebo.”

Cade stood and bowed. His eyes bored into hers with such intensity that Aimee barely restrained a gasp. “It was my pleasure, Miss Aimee.”

“Great characterization,” Rocky praised. “I’ll have to find out how they did it in the eighteenth century.”