New Release! Whew…
It has been a long time in coming, and I am very pleased to share that Dreams of a Fierce Heart, Dreamwalkers #4, has finally been completed. Life gets busy when you’re a wife, a mom, have a regular dayjob, and you’re trying to write on top of that. Luckily, unluckily, my boys are nearly out of high school and beginning to create their own lives. It’s both happy and sad because they don’t need their mom so much anymore, which means we did our jobs as parents, but it also means they don’t need their mom so much anymore. The silver lining? I have gradually had more and more time to myself. Here is the result! Fearless. Some have called me impulsive, and maybe I was, much to my own detriment…at seventeen. A social pariah in my own nation after being found in a fatally compromising position, I tucked tail and ran to Earth for study, work, and to heal my wounded heart. It took seven years for the opportunity at redemption, to earn my way back home, but it means infiltrating dangerous enemy territory. If the Brausa catch me, I might wish for a quick death. My goals? I have two of them. Save my childhood friend, our Sunan leader’s last surviving daughter, and, get away from Nick Dylant. His deathbed promise to my older brother has him bulldozing into my life, making demands regarding my safety. He’s found a way to force a marriage using some obscure, arcane law of old in order to protect me, but if he thinks he can force his will on me, he can think again. There is no way he’s going to control who I am or what I do in this world. I don’t need his or anyone’s permission to steal away in the middle of the night with a disguise, a rough map, and an even rougher plan of action, because one thing is for certain: I refuse to join with anyone who sees me as a duty, not when I’ve loved Nick since I was a child. Not when I dream about his kisses and crave his touch. Book Four of The Dreamwalkers Going live 9/9/19 ~ Available on pre-order now! Get it from: Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ Apple ~ For updates on special offers and new releases, join my Newsletter: Newsletter! Email Hang on, there! Thanks a...
Read MoreWhere brooding alpha males meet their match…
Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting The best workouts I have ever had in my entire life were the ones I endured for kick boxing and Muay Thai classes in my early twenties. Absolutely fantastic. They were the most fun, the most demanding, and gave me the best physical results I have ever had in my life from exercise as an adult. The unexpected benefit? A sense of badass confidence when walking down the street. This was the feeling I wanted my character Cecilia “Ceci” Bradford to have in Dreams of a Wild Heart. There was no mercy. There was no pity. There was no empathy or sympathy from my instructors. From the moment I began taking these classes, I was perpetually sore. Push-ups (and not the girl kind because they weren’t allowed) were a challenge, where I could maybe do one or two full and complete ones to begin with. Burning muscles accompanied my every step forward, my every reach. Who knew you needed shoulder muscles to keep your hands up in a fighting stance? I never sweat so hard or slept so well on a daily basis, and before long, I began noticing changes. I could do more push-ups. Good ones. Strong ones. Then, my legs didn’t burn so much, they started feeling like I was walking on springs. And when I did a roundhouse kick to the heavy bag, it made a great, satisfying, cracking sound that echoed in the gym. Another great result? I could jump rope like a pro, looking all Rocky Balboa-like. The extra few pounds I’d carried for most of my life, not a lot but enough to give a friendly jiggle, just melted away almost visibly, day-by-day until one day I looked in the mirror and saw that I had a faint six pack where my stomach used to be. Okay, and this is wrong of me, I know, but there was a part of me as I walked down the street that silently dared anyone to try and f*ck with me, not that I really wanted anyone to attack me. More than anything, this is just evidence that I walked with more confidence, and from what I’ve been told, most attackers look for someone who has more of a meek, uncertain mannerism. A funny side note: My husband and my first date was to a muay thai fight. In Dreams of a Wild Heart, Ceci worked her *ss off to finish school early, work as a trauma ward physician and immerse herself with anything that would keep her from remembering the tragedy of her past, and one of those activities was mixed martial arts. Her best friend since birth, she and Carlos were inseparable, even moving on to more than just friends as they got into high school, but he was killed when she was just seventeen, leaving her with a yawning emptiness. She filled it with work, study, hobbies, doing everything to keep herself from having to think until Tabron, a dark, brooding soldier, brings a spark back to her life, though he’s got secrets that are from out of this world. Literally. A few of my favorite scenes in Dreams of a Wild Heart are action scenes and include Ceci using her mixed martial arts skills, kickboxing and jujitsu. I wanted her be a strong, confident, I’ll-do-it-myself kind of heroine, and she surprises the Braussian warriors on the planet Te`re by defending herself with modern moves when they’re a dying culture stuck in what we would call the Middle Ages. She doesn’t wait to be rescued. She doesn’t...
Read MoreSwimming with the Seals: Playful Critters Seeking Playmates
It was a sun-drenched summer day, hot and steamy, with the air clinging to my clothes and skin. Sensual, if you let it be. Unusual for La Jolla. Makes you want to wear less, which isn’t a bad thing, depending on who you’re with. The water temperature was hitting 74. It doesn’t sound warm, I know, but you have to understand that the usual temperature is 68-ish or less. It makes a big difference. The smell of Banana Boat and hot, salty skin tinged the air. This was the perfect setting for our weekend getaway. I moved through the water feeling it enclose my body, step-by-step, the water beckoning, promising great play and relaxation. It was a clear blue with great visibility. Sea plants tickled my legs. Bright orange Garibaldi darted away in a school of five or six. I began gently, softly propelling myself with the lovely ebb and flow of the ocean’s tides, taking long strokes through the water, just to get out a bit. Floating on the surface, feeling the warmth and comfort of the buoyant salt water rocking me on its small waves and surges was always pleasurable. I started as an observer, watching the wildlife, the rhythms of the fish, how they swim, how they move. What do they do? Where do they go? Why does it do that? Plant life swayed gracefully, playing peekaboo with its residents. Big fat fish, long skinny fish. What is that electric blue creature that is so tiny on the bottom of the ocean? Deep breath. Hold it. Surface dive to the bottom for a closer look. Oh! Tiny blue fish. It took a few tries, holding my breath isn’t my best trick, but I soon saw the progression of growth. Seeing the different sized fish swimming around, I saw the tiny blue ones soon became bigger orange ones with electric blue dots running the length of their bodies. Water swooshed by me in a flurry of movement. Large dark shapes were a blur, but instantly, I knew they were seals. From a distance away, I see them play and wrestle, much like eight week old puppies might do, diving over each other, swirling down with sudden strength and speed only to come back up and search for position in a playful game for dominance. A third seal appears, doesn’t participate, but looks on with affection. Children are children no matter the species. She swam closer to me and paused. You coming? she seemed to ask. Let’s go. I became a participant. Swam at a distance, because I gave much respect to its independent spirit, but tried to keep up. I wanted to see what it was like to move like a seal, enjoy the deep blue like a seal. She was patient with me, appreciated that I wanted to see what it was like to be part of the ocean. Seemed to enjoy my company and didn’t just dart away, teasing me. I had to kick hard to keep up, but I tried some of her cool moves, twisting and spinning casually through the water as if by will. It was exhilarating, and much too short. Being human, and not used to such activity, I had to accept my limitations and wave goodbye. Until next time, my friend....
Read MoreLet’s Get Personal! Totally Random Facts
TOTALLY RANDOM FACTS I was tagged with the task of reporting on 14 random things about myself, and thought, “Ah-ha! This could be a fun blog post.” I will share 14 random things about myself, and I extend the challenge for you to share at least one or two about yourself, if not five? We may even have randomness-es in common! Hmmmm. I love, love, love when I have a full tank of gas. It makes me want to jump on the hood of my car and shout “Freedom!” When I see big, open fields of grass, I just want to do a tumbling pass – reminds me of my youth as a gymnast. It drives me nuts to see kids driving and texting at the same time. They’re weaving all over the road trying to drive without hands or eyes. Grrrr. Can I call their moms? I’ve always loved trying new things, which is how I got into snowboarding, kickboxing, SCUBA diving and swing dancing. When I was in the 6th grade, I had a huge crush on Ricky Shroeder. I actually wrote a letter and mailed it to his fan club. It is the one and only time I ever mailed a fan letter. Never heard back. I holler at the squirrels in my plum tree during the summer time – yes, I actually do – and lob the ruined plums they have so carelessly discarded right back at them. It doesn’t help. They keep ruining the plums so we don’t get any, but it makes me feel better. Besides, none of my “lobs” ever make contact. It makes me wonder what kind of an old lady I’m going to make, though. When I shower and dry off, my OCD-ness kicks in. I have to follow a particular order of operations or I totally throw myself off and forget to wash my hair or something like that. I have coined the phrase “Efficiency of motion”, which is simply more evidence of my OCD-ness. It’s my personal challenge to use only productive motion, no wasted motion, when needing to accomplish something quickly. Before I move, I think through what needs to be accomplished, consider each and every motion, prioritize for maximum efficiency, and go. Scary, right? Oftentimes, I have the strongest desire to go room by room and really straighten and clean, but then I get over it and just do my usual cleaning. Maybe one day… There are some movies I could watch over and over again (Independence Day, Day After Tomorrow, Jurassic Park) – I’m not proud. I had less fear as a child and tried many things that cost my parents aggravation, worry and medical bills – back flip off the end of my bed (just barely pulled it around), handstands on the fireplace (stitches in my forehead), a Chinese split leap over construction materials, glass tiles, and didn’t pull it off so well (sixteen stitches up the side of my leg), an accident on the balance beam (stress fracture to a vertebrae), and many other things that just hurt, period. Whew. And I managed to live through childhood. I crave chili cheese fries from Top’s Junior, but I know that if I go buy some, my stomach will burn for the rest of the day. I used to pretend I was doing my work in class (high school) but I was usually writing a story in my notebook. I love watching really bad reality TV clips on The Soup. What about you? What are some of your quirks? Leave a comment! ***As a side...
Read MoreLet’s Get Personal! “Cray-Cray” Moments in Time
“Cray-Cray” Moments in Time Have you ever had one of those holy sh*t, no effin’ way, I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening kind of moments that’s forever etched in your memory as something that you will never forget? That’s what we’re talking about here, and I’m about to share a crazy moment in time. I’d love to hear one of yours. We got an up close and personal porn show!!!! I’m going to tell you this story, and I know some people might not believe this, but I swear that this whole thing is 100% true. Okay, picture this: Honeymoon a few years back with my hubby. Out on a secluded beach rumored to be nude friendly and shielded by an acacia forest with low-lying scrub and branches that suddenly give way to sand and ocean. Did we go naked? No. Wish I could say I did. Sadly, I was still too shy and innocent at that point (smirk). After playing in the water for a bit, we went back up to our blanket to rest, somewhat shielded by the greenery. Here’s where it gets OMG. We were resting and maybe getting a little playful (exaggerated wink), when I notice my hubby’s eyes looking over my shoulder (I’m lying on my side facing him). He seems watchful. His eyes sort of go round. I ask him, “What?” Barely moving his lips, he says, “She’s starting to give him a blow job.” At that point, I realize he’s talking about a couple who’d found their own stretch of secluded beach not too far from us. “No way. Really?” I start to turn my head. “Don’t look!” he whispers quietly. “Well, what are they doing?” He gave me a blow-by-blow description, pun intended, of how the woman was watching my hubby watch her give her partner oral sex. It was like she wanted to be watched while she did it! Hearing the details from my hubby’s deep voice as he whispered in my ear worked its own brand of magic, and we soon ran off to our hotel room. Share! Share! Share! Entertain us with a crazy...
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