Happy New Year 2013

I will be giving away a $10 Barnes and Noble Giftcard

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Author Interview: Dead Running by Cami Checketts

Little Blurb about yourself:
Cami is a wife to a daredevil husband; a mother to four future WWF Champions, an exercise scientist trying to make her corner of the world healthier; and a wanna-be saint struggling to behave like a Christian while dealing with a two-year old.

1. Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
My mom. I was fighting postpartum depression after the birth of my second son and napping, a lot. My mom came over to visit, dragged me out of bed, and said, "Go write a book." (Can't you just hear her that Mother tone?) I started writing that afternoon and haven't had time for a nap since.

2. How long did it take you to write Dead Running?
Two months to write it, almost a year to revise and polish.

3. While writing how many times do you go back and rewrite a plot?
Too often! I write whatever comes to me through nightmares and while running or walking. Once I get the main part of the book down, I have to start revising and it is always a mess. One of these days I'm going to actually plot a book and save myself a lot of stress.

4. You run into a bookstore, where do you go first?
Children's section. Oh, wait, did you mean I actually went on an errand without one of my boys? Hmm. Romance, definitely.

5. How many books in a month do you tend to read?
Four adult books. A young adult with each of my older boys and hundreds of pictures books with my younger two (Unless I can weasel Dad or older brothers into reading, "Darth Maul's Revenge" for the twentieth time).

6. In all the books you've read. Who is your most favorite character and why?
That is tough. I love heroines who are tough and funny, but I can't think of one right now. How about Jane from Shannon Hale's Austenland. She cracked me up.

7. State 5 random facts about yourself.
1. I love dark chocolate - I talked myself into giving up milk because dark was healthier and now I not only adore dark but I don't have to share my treats with anyone!
2. I teach a strength training class at the local rec and am a complete dork: I fall off my step, tell them stupid jokes, and breathe heavily into the microphone. It's amazing anyone comes to the class.
3. I dance. Horribly. Yet every morning we turn on the music and my boys let me make a fool of myself.
4. I used to play the piano really well until I chopped off three of my fingers in a lawnmower. My poor mother cried over 15 years of piano lessons wasted.
5. I think training for a marathon is the coolest experience. Your mind conquers over your body and you lose toenails. Fun, eh?

8. Your favorite Genre?
Clean romantic suspense.

9. What are you currently reading?
Line of Fire by Rachel Ann Nunes

10. What is the best book you've read?
That is another tough question. Nonfiction: The Bible and The Book of Mormon. Hard for any other book to compare to those two. Fiction: Shadow Song by Dorothy Keddington.

11. Any new projects coming up?
I'm writing another short sequel to Dead Running, picking up on Cassidy's adventures after Dying to Run.
I'm also polishing a conspiracy thriller entitled, Blog This, about a mom who blogs against violent video games and is rewarded with a hitman knocking on her door. It scares the crap out of me.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog!
Warmest wishes,
Cami

Dead Running



Cassidy Christensen is running.

Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.

Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.

Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.



With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she'll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.

Dying to Run

Cassidy Christensen wants to run.



Captured by the traffickers who killed her mother, her only hope is Dr. Tattoo, a man she loves but nobody trusts. When she finally gets a chance to run, someone else she cares about is taken. Running might be her only chance at survival, but she won’t allow another family member to be killed in her place.



This must-read sequel to Dead Running will have you laughing, biting your nails, and hoping for more.

Purchase

Dead Running * Dying to Run

Author Cami Checketts



Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction.



Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog: http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com.



Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn't snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.

Links

Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Fitness Blog

Blog Tour Giveaway!



$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash from Author Cami Checketts

3 Sets of iFrogz Earbuds & Armbands





Ends 1/31/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.





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Jillian Dodd Promo Event

“THANK YOU Jillian for all that you do!”
Friends of Jillian Dodd are showing their appreciation!
In appreciation for the hard work and effort indie author Jillian Dodd does behind the scenes for authors, her writing friends are offering YOU the chance to win one of her books! You can choose from one of the Keatyn Chronicles: STALK ME or KISS ME. Or maybe you prefer one of the titles in the That Boy series: THAT BOY or THAT WEDDING. All books are New Adult contemporary romance. Good luck!

STALK ME - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13557124-stalk-me
Gossip girl meets Hollywood in this new series by That Boy author, Jillian Dodd.

Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed of. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She’s popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most coveted lunch table.

She’s just not sure she wants it anymore.

Because really, things aren’t all that perfect.
Her best friend is threatening to tell everyone her perfect relationship is a scam.
Her perfect boyfriend gets drunk at every party they go to.
It’s exhausting always trying to look and act perfect.
And deep down, she isn’t sure if she has any true friends.

To add to the drama, her movie star mom’s long-time fan has turned stalker.
An older man is flirting with her and telling her they should make a movie together.
And she’s crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating a guy like him would mean committing social suicide.

So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony.
But little does she know, there’s someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen.

KISS ME - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16073993-kiss-me
I've always written scripts for my perfect life.
But no way could I have ever scripted this.
My life is so far from perfect, it’s not even funny.
All because of a stalker.

I’m at a boarding school where I have to lie about who I am.
I can’t see my family.
I’m tutoring a Hottie God that tortures me with his smile.
The most popular girl already hates me.
But there’s this boy.
This hot, sweet, sexy boy.
So I’m going to stop trying to script my life and just live it.
Because who knows how long I have left.

THAT BOY - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11382346-that-boy
That Boy is a contemporary romance about falling in love with the boys next door.

You know, being friends with two cute boys does have its benefits.

There's Danny. Danny is a golden boy in every way. He has dreamy blue eyes and blonde hair that always looks perfect, even when it’s windblown or been stuck under a football helmet. He’s the boy every girl crushes on. The boy I get into trouble with, the boy I fight with, the hot quarterback no girl can resist, not even me. Being with Danny is like being on an adventure. He has a bright, contagious smile and abs to die for. He’s pretty much irresistible.

Equally crush worthy is Phillip. Adorable, sweet Phillip, who I have known since birth. Phillip has dark hair, a perfect smile, brown eyes, and the sexiest voice I have ever heard. He’s the boy I talk to every night before I go to sleep. The boy who rescues me, the boy who can read my mind, the boy who is always there for me, the boy who tries to keep me out of trouble, the boy who irritatingly keeps getting hotter, and whose strong arms always seem to find their way around me. And when he gives me that grin, I can never say no.

One boy will give me my very first kiss.
One boy will teach me to make out.
One boy will take me to prom.
And finally, one boy will ask me to marry him.
They will both be my best friends.
But only one of them will be the boy I fall in love with.
Only one of them is That Boy.

THAT WEDDING - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13361570-that-wedding
The gorgeous engagement ring on my finger mimics my happiness.
I feel so sparkly, glittery, and full of promise, because I absolutely know he's that boy.
The boy I want to marry. My prince. My happily ever after.

But then our pastor starts asking lots of questions.
His parents say I haven’t dealt with my past.
I have horrible wedding disaster dreams.
I can’t find the perfect dress.
I have to manipulate him to get my way.
An old boyfriend asks me to run away with him.
My best friend says I'm going to ruin everything.
And forever starts to sound like a really long time.

Which totally freaks me out and makes me question everything I know.

Should best friends get married?
Will my past affect our relationship?
Are my horrible dreams a warning?
Will I ever find a dress?
Could his sexiness be clouding my judgment?
Am I going to ruin everything?
Or is it just a case of cold feet?

And then I have to decide. Am I willing to give up on true love forever, or am I going to listen to my heart and marry him?

About the Author

Jillian is the author of the That Boy series and The Keatyn Chronicles. She grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She lives in Texas with her family.

Author social media links:
Facebook
Twitter
Pintrest

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Sunday Post Edition #2

This Week @ Books, Books The Magical Fruit

Author Interview – Char Chaffin : A Soulmate for Christmas Anthology
Book Bash:Author Interview: Snow by Kathryn Hewitt
Book Blast/Giveaway: Faith by Heather Bixler
Bookmark Blitz: Gossamer by Renita Pizzitola
Promotional Event:Holiday Book Sale with Indie Book Festival
Texas Statehood Giveaway : Familiar, Texas (A Fear Familiar Mystery #19) by Caroline Burnes
Meme Feed My Reader Friday #4
Cover Reveal: Beauty from Pain by Georgia Cates



Next Week @ Books, Books The Magical Fruit

Author Interview (I Am A Reader) Dead Running by Cami Checketts
Meme: In My Mailbox Monday
Happy New Year 2013 Giveaway Hop (I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Babs Book Bistro)
Page Turner Tour(Buy The Book) Weathering Rock by Mae Clair
Book Feature & Excerpt(Virtual Book Tour Cafe') Twilight of the Drifter by Shelly Frome
Author Interview(Pump Up Your Books Tours) No Time for Love by JB Miller
Book Blast (I Am A Reader) Dead Running by Cami Checketts
Book Blast (I Am A Reader) Daisy: Between a Rock & a Hard Place by Janis F. Kearney
Freebie Friday Giveaway - Fine Things by Danielle Steel
Author Guest Post: The Killer Poet's Guide to Immortality by A B Bard
New Mexico Statehood Giveaway  - New Mexico by Dana Fuller Ross
Meme : Feed My Reader Friday #5


Downloaded Books (All In My Cloud)

Cover Reveal:Beauty from Pain by Georgia Cates

Title: Beauty From Pain
Author: Georgia Cates
Expected release date: January 31, 2013
Genre and Age Group: Adult Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer: Georgia Cates
Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

Book Description:
They agreed on three months...but their love knew no boundaries.

Jack McLachlan is a winemaking magnate and easily one of Australia’s most eligible bachelors. His success and wealth makes him no stranger to the complications of romantic relationships and that’s why he goes to extreme measures to avoid the hassle. He prefers simplicity in the form of a beautiful female companion with no strings attached. He arranges relationships like business deals and they’re always the same. No long term relationships. No real names.

It’s his game and his rules. He’s content to play as usual, but when Laurelyn Prescott enters his life, his strategy must change because this player is like none he's ever encountered. His world is turned on its head after he begins a three month affair with the beautiful American musician. Nothing goes according to plan and as he breaks more and more of his own rules for her, she’s exceptionally close to becoming something he never thought possible. His ultimate game changer.

About the author

Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author and hasn’t looked back yet.

When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. When she’s being domestic, she’s listening to her iPod and visualizing scenes for her current work in progress. Every story coming from her always has a song to inspire it.
Georgia Cates | Facebook | Twitter

Texas Statehood Giveaway - Familiar Texas by Caroline Burnes

GoodReads Review

FAMILIAR TROUBLE

Hank Dalton couldn't resist a damsel in distress -- and beautiful city-slicker-turned-rancher Stephanie Chisholm certainly fit the bill. She'd come home to Pecos, Texas, to settle her aunt and uncle's ranch estate, but when she learned their deaths were no accident, she became the next target.

Unable to deny the protective instincts she aroused, Hank vowed to keep Stephanie safe day...and night. But could joining forces with a familiar black feline help him and Stephanie find the killer before the killer caught them?


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Promotional Event:Holiday Book Sale with Indie Book Festival

The Post-Christmas Holiday Book Sale, hosted by the Indie Book Festival, will kick off on December 28 and run through December 31. All books will be .99!! The Indie Book Festival will be posting the participating books to their Facebook page as well.

The Indie Book Festival website is the premier online website for seasonal ebook sales events! From Halloween to Valentine's Day – we'll celebrate it by bringing you bestselling books by today’s hottest Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal and Young Adult indie authors.

Indie Book Festival | Facebook | Twitter

You can also enter to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card now!
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Feed My Reader Friday #4

THERE ARE NO SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE.

Just put up a post sharing the new ebooks you've added to your reader, computer, phone, etc. Sponsored by I'm a Reader, Not A Reader
You can grab the graphic I have on this post, make your own graphic, skip the graphic, whatever works for you.
I will put up a post each week that will include a new linky. The linky will be set as a blog hop so you can grab the code at the bottom of the linky to include with your post IF you want. These posts will go live on Thursday night so you can stop by on Fridays and link up your post IF you want.
Again there are really no requirements. You don't need to link to me or credit me or anything like that. Just share all your great ebooks.

Rock Star’s Girl by J.F. Kristin

Emily Watts just wants a weekend break from the workaholic hours she’s taken on to keep her business – a popular fashion-snark web site – up and running. What she gets is overnight celebrity and a career-killing media scandal.

While taking time out to attend a concert in support of friend Jesse Cinder, a struggling musician, Emily meets Cory Sampson, the lead singer of a chart-topping rock band. When she agrees to a date with Cory, making entertainment headlines is the last thing she expects. Even so, it’s a minor surprise by comparison to her discovery that in the music world, media notoriety trumps all. Tabloid allegations erupt when Cory and fame-hungry Jesse use Emily for personal gain, and her tarnished image spells disaster – personally and professionally. To save the web site and writing career she’s made her life and dream, Emily must go from being a pawn in the Hollywood headline game to becoming the media mastermind.



Replica by Lexi Revellian

Still free? Click Here to find out!
Beth Chandler, bright, attractive but unassertive, is accidentally replicated in a flawed experiment at the government research institute where she works. A second Beth comes into being, complete with all her memories. To Sir Peter Ellis, MI5 chief, the replica is an embarrassment that must be hushed up and disposed of. Overhearing him, Beth Two goes on the run. With no official existence, homeless, penniless and pursued by Sir Peter’s agents, she has to find the inner strength and aggression to survive on icy London streets.

Meanwhile the original Beth, unaware of what has happened, becomes romantically involved with Nick Cavanagh, the spec op she believes is there to protect her. In fact, he’s hunting her double. Nick refuses to face his moral doubts about Beth Two – as far as he’s concerned, it’s not his problem. As events unfold, and the situation grows more complicated, he has to decide whose side he is on.



Revenge Gifts by Cindy Cruciger

Still free? Click Here to find out!
Tara Cole specializes in revenge. In fact, she’s an expert. Lace pillows filled with cat hair-for your least-favorite, most allergic relative; boxer shorts that set off metal detectors-for your cheating spouse; and her best seller at RevengeGifts.com: chocolates for your worst enemy, so you can watch gleefully as she packs on the pounds.

Tara’s best friend warns her that all this revenge is damaging her karma, but Tara doesn’t care about her next life-she wants to enjoy this one. Besides, her kitchen is full of cranky ghosts. Tara figures she’ll be the same one day, when she leaves the mortal plane… And that might happen sooner than thinks.



Mai Tai One On by Jill Marie Landis


Six months ago, if anyone would have told Em Johnson she’d end up divorced, broke, and running the dilapidated Tiki Goddess Bar on the magical North Shore of Kauai she would have told them to shove a swizzle stick up their okole.As if all that isn’t bad enough, when an obnoxious neighbor with a grudge is found dead in the Goddess luau pit, suspicion falls on Em and the rest of the Goddess staff. With the help of a quirky dance troupe of over-the-hill Hula Maidens, Em and the cast of characters must ban together to find the killer and solve the mystery before the next pupu party. JILL MARIE LANDIS has written over twenty-five novels, which have earned awards and slots on such national bestseller lists as the USA TODAY Top 50 and the New York Times Best Sellers Plus. She is a seven-time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award in both Single Title and Contemporary Romance as well as a Golden Heart and RITA Award winner. She’s written historical and contemporary romance as well as inspirational historical romance, and she is now penning The Tiki Goddess Mystery Series, which begins with MAI TAI ONE ON.

Desperate Housedogs by Sparkle Abbey

When Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to help Kevin Blackstone with his two misbehaving German Shepherd dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog owner, she even expects frantic neighbors. What she doesn’t expect is that two hours later the police will find Kevin dead, his dogs impounded; and that as the last person to see Kevin alive (well, except for the killer) she is suddenly a person of interest, at least according to Homicide Detective Judd Malone. Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets – Sparkle (Mary Lee’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day either an iced tea or a margarita.)

Worth The Weight by Mara Jacobs

A New Body…A New Life…An Old Flame? Lizzie Hampton is literally a shadow of her former self. Having lost half her body weight, she’s headed to her small hometown to test out her new body on an old flame. Just a harmless fling to get her self confidence back before she returns to the city and the new man in her life. But Lizzie’s plan has a few bumps in the road. Finn Robbins can’t believe Liz is back in town. Desperate to be the holder of her innocence eighteen years ago, he never got the chance. Now she’s back and he can finally check her off his to do list.
But her friends, his son, and the mysterious Annie may have something to say about that.

Cover Reveal: Jillian Dodd Event

Jillian Dodd is revealing the next three covers in her Mature Young Adult romance series, The Keatyn Chronicles. The covers were designed by Okay Creations.

Title: DATE ME (Keatyn Chronicles, #3)
Expected released date: April 2013
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16173484-date-me

Title: LOVE ME (Keatyn Chronicles, #4)
Expected release date: September 2013
Goodreads: Love Me

Title: HATE ME (Keatyn Chronicles, #5)
Expected release date: January 2014
Goodreads: Hate Me

About the author:

Jillian Dodd grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She has drank from a keg in a cornfield, attended the University of Nebraska, got to pass her candle, and did have a boy ask her to marry him in a bar. She met her own prince in college, and they have two amazing children, a Maltese named Sugar Bear, and two Labrador puppies named Camber Lacy and Cali Lucy.

She is the author of the That Boy Trilogy and The Keatyn Chronicles Series.

Jillian Dodd | Facebook | Twitter

Bookmark Blitz: Gossamer by Renita Pizzitola

Blurb:

Shouldn't all faerytales end with happily-ever-after?

Kyla Ashbury is nearing her eighteenth birthday when a mysterious boy appears at school. Her instant attraction to him inexplicably awakens something inside her and she discovers her true identity.

Now, armed with the knowledge of her past, she is forced to leave behind the life she has always known for a new one filled with temptation, faery charm and magic, and a future she wasn't prepared for.

Kyla is left with a difficult decision…but no matter which path she chooses, someone will get hurt.

A Lyrical Press Young Adult Paranormal Romance


Excerpt:

“It’s kind of ironic our rendezvous point is at the corner of Magnolia and Pansy.” I chuckled. Grant looked at me and arched an eyebrow. He was so cute when he did that. “You know Pansy.” I got nothing. “It’s a joke. You know we are making our great, big, daring escape from Pansy Lane.” He still looked confused. I shook my head. “Never mind.” He didn’t press for an explanation. I shot him a sidelong glance. “Are all grants as serious as you?”

The corner of his mouth tugged up. “I can’t say all, but most grants are guards. Serious comes with the job.”

“So, you’re a guard?” He nodded. “Hmm.”

“Hmm, what?” A smile still played at the corners of his mouth.

“I’m not surprised. You’re observant and cautious. Protective. But, I guess that comes with the job, too.”

“Protective?” His tone doubtful as he repeated my word choice. “I don’t know about that. My job is to sense danger and act upon it if necessary. Safety--I provide safety. I think protectiveness is fueled by emotions, typically, and that goes beyond my job description.”

I was taken aback by Grant’s comment. It seemed almost cold. “But, you told my parents you’d protect me?”

We finally arrived at our destination and I could see Conor already waiting. Grant stopped and looked at me.

“And I will,” he said and walked away.

I was locked into place. My brain incapable of processing his comment and walking at the same time. Was that his way of saying he cared about me? Which really didn’t mean much. I cared about my friends, too. Oh, but I really wanted him to mean something more. Don’t read too much into it. I forced my mind to clear and approached the guys.

Grant filled Conor in on Lexie’s plans to pick us up. He seemed to like the idea of not having to walk the entire way and I could have sworn he liked the idea of seeing Lexie one last time.
The three of us stood silently waiting for her. The humid night air left my skin clammy. A few minutes later a black car pulled up alongside the curb. The tinted passenger window glided down and Lexie peered out at us.

“Need a ride?” She asked with a wicked grin. I grinned back. I was going to miss her. I opened the door and decided to let the boys fight over who got the front seat. Grant stopped me and told me to sit in the front. Although I’m sure he was being a gentleman, I had a strong feeling they didn’t want to deal with the onslaught of questions she was sure to have.

They squished into the back and I climbed in. I pulled my seat up as far as possible, feeling sorry for Grant as he tried to contort into such a small space. I felt bad for Conor too, of course.
As soon as we were buckled, Lexie’s car coasted onto the quiet street.

“Okay, first where to?” She looked at me expectantly. I glanced back at the boys. Grant spoke up giving her directions. She nodded, not even caring that we were asking her to drive us practically out of town.

She laughed. “It’s pretty funny you’re making your big getaway from Pansy Lane.”

“Thank you!” I over exaggerated my words and rolled my eyes at Grant. “See. Joke. Funny.” He grinned and shook his head. I faced front again as my heart fluttered from the adorable way he looked at me.


Author Bio:

Renita Pizzitola writes Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. An avid reader herself, she has always enjoyed stories with witty humor, romance, and fascinating characters. Renita lives in Texas with her husband and two children. When not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and playing referee to her two typically adorable children.

Author Links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Lyrical Press
Book Trailer

Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iTunes

Page Turner Bonanza Tour: The Gaze by Javier A Robayo

Excerpt:

Tony didn’t look nervous at all. Meanwhile I was awash in uneasiness at the prospect of bringing him into my dorm.

The story, all I want is the story and to find out what motivates such passionate writing, that’s all. Just the story…

Liar…

I felt shaky while he walked. In contrast, his breathing was even as though he was so comfortable with the situation. I suddenly wondered if this particular situation was familiar to him.

We took the stairway to the second floor. Our footfalls echoed loudly, the sound joined only by the faint buzzing of the overhead fluorescent lights.

I unlocked the door with trembling hands that jangled the keys. Somehow, I found the light switch and chased the shadows away, revealing a second hand living room set on cheap flat carpeting. I peeled off my denim jacket and threw it across a chair in the kitchen nook. When I turned, I was surprised to see him leaning against the door, held back by uncertainty.

I held the paper placemat between us like an amulet to ward off his intensity. “Do you mind if I read it?”

He fixed his eyes on me and nodded before glancing away, his chin coming to rest on his chest.

I started reading. It was far more intense than I could have ever imagined. It was nothing but raw fury and passion, a determined declaration of love. It read of this girl that had become the center of his thoughts, the very core of his being. I could feel my heart breaking as I was overwhelmed with the strange notion that I wanted to be this Gwen of his. I wanted to know what it was to feel such passion, such love. Tears sprung in my eyes and I cried for him, for this fortunate girl…

For me...

He didn’t ask what was wrong right away. He simply stared just past my shoulder while I made a futile attempt to dispel a sob. I muttered that this was beautiful and he gave me a sad, crooked smile as a tear rolled off the corner of his eye before he turned his face away.

I don’t know what it was about that tear, but it made me go to him like a magnet to steel and place my hands on his face. His skin was burning. There was a little stubble that only made me too aware of his masculinity.
"Kiss me," I whispered into those confused brown eyes of his. "Just kiss me."

His hands found my wrists and his eyes stayed on mine. Need became a force as tangible as the strong winds that fuel a storm.

I knew he was thinking I was crazy. I knew he thought of all the reasons why he should stop this crazy bitch in heat and go away. Bloody hell, I was thinking I was crazy.

A tiny voice in my head was screaming all sorts of warnings but just when I felt rejection eating away at me, his eyes fell on my lips and after one breathless moment, he leaned down and kissed me.

Molten lead would have frozen my insides in comparison. I was trembling and when I felt his breath stutter, I opened my lips in invitation. He pulled away and a disappointed moan escaped my throat, allowing reason to slowly take root in my brain. I kept my eyes on his.

His hand held my face as delicately as a summer breeze. His thumb brushed away the tears I finally tried to blink away. His eyes seemed to glitter as they searched mine and time seemed to stop its endless march in perfect silence.

Was this wrong? I let out my pent up breath slowly in a sorrowful sigh as electricity crackled between us.

In one swift motion, his hands brought my face up at an angle and he kissed me so hard, I lost what little restraint I had left.

He loves someone else…

He loves her…

Stop this!

I felt weightless. His touch was firm yet gentle. The kiss grew needier and heat traveled down into my body, setting my abdomen aflutter. My hands found the flat planes of his chest and then ran down his sides to his hips. On their way back, they pushed his shirt up. His hot skin sent a pang of need that had my heart hammering in my ribcage.

My tickling fingers forced him to shift and pull away for a breath. I answered his smile with a lustful gaze as I brought his hands to the buttons of my uniform shirt.

His hands ventured over my abdomen and moved up to grace the underside of my breasts, making my head swim. I shrugged the shirt off and his t-shirt joined it on the floor within seconds.

We engaged in a stumbling waltz as we somehow made our way to my bedroom. Our clothes kept pooling on the floor, marking our passing like bread crumbs on an unknown trail. I was almost sick with need as the coarse hair of his chest made contact with my skin. When I felt him rigid on my thighs, I pulled hard on his neck, bringing him on top of me as he braced his fall with his arms on either side of me, never breaking from the kiss.

“Wait…” he panted. “I… um… I don’t have anything.”

It took a few seconds before I realized what he meant. Shame colored me a shade of red I thought would make me glow in the semi darkness. “It’s okay, I promise…” I said breathlessly.

He gave me a dubious look that I hoped to eradicate with more kissing. His lips found my throat, my face, my shoulder, and I curled driving my hips up to meet him. He was being gentle, too gentle, I thought in frustration, when all I wanted was for him to go right through me. I grabbed hold of his hips, and then thoroughly enjoyed the feel of the muscles on his back as I pulled him into me. The sudden fullness forced me to bite my lip to keep me from crying out. It had been so bloody long…

“Kelly…” he whispered almost breaking the spell, but I was too far gone to care.

A thin wisp of rational thought told me he was probably thinking about someone else. I wondered if he called out Kelly only to remind himself that he wasn’t with the girl behind his writing. It didn’t matter. My body overrode my mind as he moved within me. I held on tighter, needing the closeness, if only physical.

…I’ll be no more than a transient thought in her mind, a small measure of time, insignificant. No more than a barely familiar set of notes to a song seldom remembered…

The lines of his writing flashed through my head as my breath grew shallower.

…No more can I feel the soft warmth of her kiss and its absence becomes me in the form of a living death…

All I could do was accept this moment and quell my own thirst for that kind of love with what little he offered me. The kind of love he obviously reserved for the girl from his writing.

His muscles grew taut under my touch while I held my breath as the inevitable rush of heat converged into my center from all corners of my body. I parted the kiss and screamed my ecstasy, burying my face into his chest while he grew impossibly large in me before collapsing, his own conclusion reached. We held onto each other, our breath ragged, both of us feeling each other’s tremors. If this was the one and only time I was to feel this way, then I’d go into the grave smiling to the high heavens.

Blurb:

As a sophomore in college, Samantha Reddick meets Tony Amaya, a brokenhearted young man, whose written words she keeps as a memento of a weekend long affair. The words, written on the back of a paper placemat, become her only solid ground during a tumultuous decade that nearly destroys her, leaving her searching for answers at the bottom of the bottle. Haunted by guilt and the constant menace from a man she once loved, Samantha searches for Tony and inserts herself into his life through an online friend request to his wife, Gwen. Mutual curiosity opens the door to an unexpected friendship that becomes the catalyst of an inner battle between the better woman Samantha longs to be, and the Samantha who despises her own gaze.

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Author Bio:

Javier A. Robayo is the author of THE GAZE and THE NEXT CHAPTER. He immigrated to the United States in 1988 at the age of 12 from Quito, Ecuador. He began writing as a way of learning English throughout his high school years, and studied at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He lives in Connecticut, with his wife, and two daughters, where he is currently at work on his next novel.

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Book Trailer

Book Blast: Faith by Heather Bixler

Faith - 4 Week Mini Bible Study


In this four week mini Bible Study you will examine your faith and what it means to have faith in God. He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20 Our faith begins with what we know and believe about God. Our faith will carry us how far we are willing to let it take us. Faith is a choice and we need to begin by choosing to believe in Jesus and His power to move mountains, heal the sick, and save us from all our sins through His sacrifice on the cross. When we believe in God we then learn to walk in faith and trust God. But first we must believe, and it's up to us, we can either choose to believe in Him or not. But faith will mean nothing until we believe with all our heart that God is who He says He is.


Praise for Faith

Don't have time to read a long book on faith? This study will give you simple tools to understand faith and help you to develop a closer relationship with God. ~Lorilyn Roberts


This is a great book that allows you to start looking deeper into faith. I love the fact that there is a lot of scripture reference so one can look into the Bible and further study the word. ~Shraon


This study was a wonderful lift to my faith. I encourage others to take this short journey to an increased faith. ~Shirley Strait

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Author Heather Bixler


Heather is a Christian Stay at home homeschooling mom of three, married to a firefighter, and a writer. She is founder of www.CSAHM.com among other websites for Christian mothers, and women. Heather is passionate about sharing God's word in a practical and loving way.

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BookBlast Giveaway

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