This Week's Special Guest Barbara Clark

This week's special guest at the Tiki Hut is author Barbara Clark. Barbara stops by this week to talk about her paranormal romance series and to celebrate her 80th birthday with us!

"All dreams lie beyond defeat." That quote has inspired Barbara Clark to keep writing and creating new stories set in a variety of locations from California to a glittering penthouse in New York City, a working cattle rance in Arizona, the Sahara Desert, and the heat and danger of a Brazilian Rain Forest.

Writing as April Reid, her erotic romances plunge into fantasy worlds where dragons speak and magic rules. Her readers have come to expect deep emotions, simple joys, and heart-stopping peril in her award-winning books.

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Today, I'd like to talk about the second book in my Sons of Earth and Wind paranormal romance series, A BREATH OF HEATHER.

 

A BREATH OF HEATHER by Barbara Clark

 

Sonds of Earth and Wind Book II

 

In her second paranormal romance, Barbara Clark tells us more about Heather Carter who was introduced in Book I, TEARS OF THE HAWK .

 

Heather Carter, a gentle psychic with a painful secret, struggles against danger and her attraction to the former covert agent, Quinn Archer.

Quinn, betrayed in the past by a woman with secrets, is stunned by his desire for Heather, a desire he fights. But as he takes on the self-appointed task to protect her, will he learn too late that loving Heather will free him from the chains of the past?

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The idea for A BREATH OF HEATHER began when my daughter was a substitute teacher at another school in the same district where I was teaching at the time.  

She was in the middle of a lesson when the school Principal rushed into her classroom, said, “Emergency lockdown, lock the door,” and left, closing the door behind her. My daughter locked the door and switched off the lights while two students closed the classroom windows, and the rest of the children dropped to the classroom floor.  

She answered the classroom telephone and learned a carload of gangbangers were driving around the outside perimeter of the school grounds, shouting threats and pointing weapons at children laying flat on the blacktop.  

Her classroom was situated with the back only a few feet from the street. As everyone in the room huddled, in the dark, on the floor, keeping silent so they wouldn’t become targets, they heard the gang members slowly passing the building; even heard them talking. Minutes later the sound of sirens announced the police cars in pursuit.  

I changed the setting to the school where I taught and used that threat as the opening of the story:

~~~

Something’s wrong.  

With a growing sense of urgency, Heather Carter searched for the source of trouble among the hundred and fifty first and second grade students playing in the warm California sunlight. Everywhere she looked she saw only normal activity—the joy and restless energy of children.  

And yet, to her inborn special perceptions, the earth vibrated with a sense of menace. The slight breeze hushed as if holding its breath. In the park beyond the chain link fencing, a flock of crows suddenly took flight, voicing their warning calls as they soared above the eucalyptus and pepper trees.  

Few cars used North Street in the morning, so the midnight-blue van with tinted windows cruising slowly toward the school caught Heather’s attention.  

Probably a parent bringing a child late, was her first thought. But some internal warning shouted danger.  

Instead of pulling into the parking lot, the van stopped in the red zone parallel to the playground. A window on the passenger side slid down and a young Hispanic man with a shaved head pointed a handgun toward the children on the swings. At the same time, the driver stepped outside the van and aimed across the metal roof.  

All sound died.  

“Emergency lock-in,” Heather shouted, motioning for children near the buildings to run for the nearest door.  

Someone yelled, “Vipers!”  

Children screamed and scattered. Some dashed into classrooms. Others ran to the bathrooms or down the open hallways between classroom wings. Heather watched in numbed horror as one boy tripped and two more fell over him. They jumped up and scrambled to safety. A few children raced to Heather sobbing in terror.  

She clutched them tightly for a brief moment, then said, “Quick, get down.”  

Boys and girls farther from the buildings threw themselves flat, face down on the grass or blacktop. Abandoned balls rolled across the Four Square and Handball courts.  

One lone girl stood, a bewildered expression on her face, her blonde hair a bright target.
 

~~~

After Heather pulls Brianna to the ground to protect her, someone else comes to guard the child’s other side: 

A few paragraphs down, we learn about Heather Carter’s paranormal ability to call and manipulate the wind:
 

~~~

Heather knew she had to do something now, and broke her own vow to hide her special gifts.  

Whispering a chant, she sent tendrils of energy fanning out across the nearby park and found a curl of breeze. In a low voice, she called, “From the soil, from the sand, from the windswept sky,” coaxing the energy away from a small updraft, and toward the heat and sand under the swings. It cheerfully picked up speed and swirled between the children on the ground as it gathered a column of brown dust and grit.  

With the leashed power in her control, Heather slid her right hand along the ground, stretched her fingers toward the gunmen, and released the wind. It raced around them, plucked at their hair, tugged their clothes, and blasted sand at their faces.

~~~

 “Where are the police?” Heather asked through trembling lips.  

“Probably on silent running.” Strong fingers clasped her left shoulder.  

She looked across Brianna’s blonde head into clear, winter-gray eyes set in a tanned, harsh face. A jagged scar slashed in a curve from the corner of his right eye up into coal-black hair. He had the aura of a man who’d looked into the depths of hell and survived, stronger than ever.  

Heather licked her dry lips. “Who are you?”  

“I’m Quinn Archer, Brianna’s dad.” He glanced at the precious little girl sheltered between them. “I can’t thank you enough for coming to her rescue.”

~~~

The attraction between Quinn and Heather will grow until a time of great danger when each will willingly put their life on the line for the other.  

This book has been selling in print and ebook since 2002 at: Amber Quill Press     

Come back tomorrow, Wednesday, to learn what a nose snapper is and my venture into Karate—with photos . 

Remember—leave a comment for a chance to win the giveaway. 

Good Luck,

Barbara

WIN - Leave a question or comment anytime this week to get your name in the hat for a box full of of items from assorted authors--things Barbara picked up for this purpose at the RWA National conference this summer. Each box includes a tote bag, water bottle, and books. Barbara will also include an autographed copy of one of her books!

 

This Week's Special Guest Barbara Clark

This week's special guest at the Tiki Hut is author Barbara Clark.  Barbara stops by this week to talk about her paranormal romance series and to celebrate her 80th birthday with us!

"All dreams lie beyond defeat." That quote has inspired Barbara Clark to keep writing and creating new stories set in a variety of locations from California to a glittering penthouse in New York City, a working cattle rance in Arizona, the Sahara Desert, and the heat and danger of a Brazilian Rain Forest.

Writing as April Reid, her erotic romances plunge into fantasy worlds where dragons speak and magic rules. Her readers have come to expect deep emotions, simple joys, and heart-stopping peril in her award-winning books.

WEBSITE   ***   NEWSLETTER   ***   FACEBOOK   ***   TWITTER

I’m pleased to spend this week at the Tiki Hut writing about my contemporary paranormal romance series, Sons of Earth and Wind. You could meet the main characters in these stories on any street and not know they have paranormal abilities. Just remember they’re all human and for each psychic gift there’s a vulnerability.

I’ll start with, TEARS OF THE HAWK; Sons of Earth and Wind, Book I

TEARS OF THE HAWK by Barbara Clark 

Sons of Earth and Wind Book I  

Security specialist, Hawk Adams, will brave any danger to protect a woman, but he'll never trust one. So when he rescues Charity Starr from kidnappers, he's stunned by the tenderness and passion she ignites in him.

Born with psychic gifts, Charity has locked them away in self-protection. Hawk not only opens her paranormal abilities, but also expands them. Because of his unconscious ability, his very presence endangers her life.

But as Hawk takes on the self-appointed task to protect Charity from her ruthless enemies, they grow closer, and Hawk learns he can't protect his wounded heart from her healing love.
 

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Hawk actually began as a secondary character in, A BREATH OF HEATHER. He opened the door of a friend’s house for Heather who was fleeing from some gang bangers. While Heather tried to gather her composure, Karen (the woman who lives there)…

~~~

turned to the tall, stern man who stood to one side of the window, gazing out. “Hawk, what do you see?”  

“Trouble.”  

“How did you know?”  

“Felt it. Saw her face.” His steely gaze shifted to Heather, and she sensed the leashed potency in him, the same power she’d felt in Quinn.

~~
 

With that short part of a scene, Hawk Adams’ personality began to grow in my mind. I knew he ran a security agency; that he, Quinn Archer, and Michael Forest had been warriors and comrades in shadow wars years earlier. And as the relationship grew between Quinn and Heather, Hawk became more important to the plot until he almost took over the story.  

I distinctly recall driving my blue ’91 Pontiac down our street, thinking about Hawk more than Quinn, who’s the hero of his and Heather’s story. Finally, I said, “Okay, Hawk, I’ll give you your own book after I finish this one.” 

Of course, Hawk needed a woman who could match his courage, and bring joy and love to his wounded soul. Enter Charity Starr, astrophysicist, an empath, gentle, brave; the one woman Hawk will learn to trust with his heart and soul. 

Later, I was standing in my classroom one morning before my students arrived, looking across the playground to the park adjoining our school. In my imagination, I saw a man walk across the grass through a low ground fog, and settle under a pine tree.  

That image led to the opening of, “Tears of the Hawk.”

~~~

He’d dreamed again last night. Dreamed of ripping terror, destruction, and death.  

Days and nights of violence years earlier still had the power to shatter Hawk Adams’ peace of mind. Here, half a world away on the coast of Southern California, the spectre of his past had brought him to a park in the first pale light of a new day.
 

~~~

I like to use familiar settings in my books.

My husband and I used to drive south to Laguna Beach to enjoy the scenery and time with each other. Remembering those days, I sent Hawk and Charity to Laguna beach to climb down the cliffs on a path, wade in the ocean by moonlight—and learn more about each other. 

When Charity, an astrophysicist gave a seminar, I set it at Cal Tech where my husband, a graduate from there, and I had attended lectures over the years. 

Hawk, there to protect her, muses…

~~~

Her hair, sable-brown and gleaming like spun silk, was swept into a smooth knot at the nape of her graceful neck. Hawk had a sudden urge to pick her up, carry her home to safety, then pull the pins out of her hair and see it fanned out on his pillow. Heat spread through his body as he fantasized. He’d remove each piece of her clothing, stroking and kissing the treasures hidden beneath the silk and linen.  

Bits of conversation between two men seated nearby caught his attention.  

“Is that broad the lecturer today?”  

“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind a private demonstration from her.”  

“Woman with her body should be dancing topless at Bernie’s. What a waste.”  

They snickered.  

Hawk moved deliberately to attract their attention, then speared them with the narrow-eyed look he used on troublemakers.  

They glanced at each other and hastily launched into a discussion of particle physics.

~~~

This book, published in 1999, was my first ebook and my second one in print. It’s still selling in both formats at www.amberquill.com/TearsHawk.html 

 
***

WIN - Leave a question or comment anytime this week to get your name in the hat for a box full of of items from assorted authors--things Barbara picked up for this purpose at the RWA National conference this summer. Each box includes a tote bag, water bottle, and books. Barbara will also include an autographed copy of one of her books! 

Come back tomorrow for inside information about the story behind the second book in this contemporary paranormal romance series, Sons of Earth and Wind.

 

 

This Week's Special Guest Marcia James

This week's special guest blogger at The AuthorIsland Tiki Hut is Marcia James and she stops by to talk about pets.
 

Marcia James writes hot, humorous romances and finaled in eleven Romance Writers of America contests before selling her first comic romantic suspense, AT HER COMMAND. In her eclectic career, she has shot submarine training videos, organized celebrity-filled nonprofit events and had her wedding covered by People Magazine. in addition to writing fiction, Marcia presents author promotion workshops. After years of dealing with such sexy topics as how to safely install traffic lights, she is enjoying "researching" and plotting her novels' steamy love scenes with her husband and hero of many years.  

 

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NO MORE HOMELESS PETS 

            October is a month associated with dramatic fall foliage, Columbus Day sales, and Halloween trick-or-treaters.  But the calendar’s tenth month also calls attention to two important issues: breast cancer awareness and the plight of homeless animals.

           
Smokey, my Chinese crested hairless dog logo, proudly displays his breast cancer ribbon.  Breast cancer has touched many families, including my own.  Close to 200,000 people – men, as well as women – will develop breast cancer this year.  In addition to supporting cancer research, we can all be vigilant for signs of cancer and get our annual mammograms.

 

           
Today’s blog isn’t about breast cancer, however.  I’m blogging about the millions of abandoned animals in the U.S.  October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month, and Smokey urges everyone who has space in their homes and hearts to consider rescuing a dog or cat from your local shelter.

 

Here's a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the dog breeds available at the nation’s shelters: 

Collie + Lhasa Apso mix = Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport

Pointer + Setter mix = Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet

Great Pyrenees + Dachshund mix = Pyradachs, a puzzling breed

Pekingese + Lhasa Apso mix = Peekasso, an abstract dog

Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever mix = Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists

Newfoundland + Basset Hound mix = Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors

Bloodhound + Labrador mix = Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly

Malamute + Pointer mix = Moot Point, owned by…oh well, it doesn’t matter anyway

Deerhound + Terriermix = Derriere, a dog that’s true to the end

Bull Terrier + ShihTzu mix = Uh, never mind…. 
 

 

           
Smokey, who was himself a shelter dog, points out that many of the animals who act in television and film came from shelters.  For example, Morris (aka Lucky), the spokescat for 9 Lives cat food — and his stunt doubles — were all shelter cats.

An Internet search reveals quite a few canine actors, who were rescued from shelters, including: 

1. Benji (aka Higgins), the Poodle, schnauzer, cocker spaniel mix star of the Benji movies

2. Old Yeller (aka Spike), the mixed breed whose breakthrough role was the lead in the movie Old Yeller

3. Sandy, the Airedale-Collie mix from Little Orphan Annie

4. Fang, the drooling Neapolitan Mastiff from the Harry Potter movies

5. Bruiser (aka Chico), the Chihuahua and Rufus (aka Chloe) the Bulldog, who star in Broadway’s Legally Blonde

6. Kelly, Chip, Topsy, Stella, Zelda, and Bo, the 6 mixed breeds who played Max in How the Grinch Stole Christmas

7. Lucky, the mixed breed from the Dr. Dolittle movies

8. Happy, the terrier mix on the TV show, 7^th Heaven

9. Papi, the tiny star of Beverly Hills Chihuahua

10. Most of the canine cast of the movie, Hotel For Dogs 

 

 

           
Readers who can’t adopt a shelter pet can still help the animals through donations or by volunteering at the shelters.  I was honored to be one of ten authors who wrote stories for the Berkley benefit anthology, Tails of Love, which donates 100% of the author proceeds to a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, OH.  This anthology is the pet project (pun intended) of New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster.  Tails of Love has raised over $10,000 for the shelter so far. 

 

           
All of my romances, including my Christmas novella, HeatingUp the Holidays, features Chinese crested dogs and other four-legged characters – not including shapeshifters!  I enjoy the humor and emotion a canine Cupid can add to a love story. 

           
Would you like to share your favorite pet stories – rescued shelter animals, remembered childhood pets, funny animal anecdotes, etc?  I’ll draw a winner from those who comment on this blog to receive a free download of my first book, At Her Command, a comic romantic suspense featuring Smokey in a key role as an undercover DEA drug-sniffing dog. 

As my Tails of Love co-authors would say, “Go pets!”

Marcia James

www.MarciaJames.net

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Tim Smith

This week on our Tiki Hut Blog, we welcome author Tim Smith as he celebrates the release of NEVER LOOK BACK, his second Nick Seven Thriller published with eXtasy Books.

Tim Smith is an award-winning author of numerous books, ranging from thrillers to contemporary erotic romance. He is also a freelance photographer and when he isn’t pursuing these two passions, he works in the human services field as a case manager for adults with disabilities.

WEBSITE

I’m pleased to be back at the Tiki Hut this week to celebrate the release of my new romantic spy thriller from eXtasy Books, Never Look Back. This is the second in the Nick Seven series I began last year with Memories Die Last but like all my series titles, it stands alone.  

“Nick Seven and Felicia Hagens left the CIA to carve out an idyllic anonymous life in The Florida Keys. The last thing they wanted was to be used by their former employer as pawns in America’s war on terror. Nick and Felicia navigate a complex maze of intrigue and double-crosses while dealing with a rogue agent from their past who has a score to settle. When Felicia becomes part of the scheme the stakes get higher and more personal. Can Nick keep her out of harm’s way or will he finally be outwitted? Will Felicia stay with him or return to Barbados?” 

People have asked me about these characters and why I chose the setting I did. When I conceived the series I needed a place for these former spies to hang out, somewhere colorful where anything could happen but nothing that had been overused. I had recently visited The Florida Keys and asked myself a question – “If I were a former CIA spook who wanted to hide in plain sight, where would I go? Key Largo.” For plot purposes its ideal – Miami is to the north, and Key West is a couple of hours south.  A lot of action can take place on that hundred-mile stretch of islands. 

Nick isn’t your typical spy guy action hero like you see on TV or in the movies. He isn’t married to his job like Gibbs on NCIS and he doesn’t ache to get back into the espionage game like Michael Weston on Burn Notice. Nor does he feel an unflagging loyalty to Queen and country like James Bond. Nick had enough and wants to stay the hell out of the game. Unfortunately his former employers have different ideas. 

Every good adventure has a sexy tough leading lady for the hero to bounce ideas and one-liners off of and Nick has Felicia, the Barbadian beauty he was once partnered with. He teasingly calls her “the toughest broad this side of the West Indies” but it’s no joke. She can kick ass with the best of them and the heat they generate between the sheets could melt the polar ice cap.   

If you’re in the mood for an adventure with a topical theme, colorful setting and two intriguing characters, then check out Never Look Back. If you get a sudden thirst for a Pina Colada or a desire to book your next vacation in The Keys, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

NEVER LOOK BACK by Tim Smith

A former CIA spook and his lover are pulled into a deadly masquerade by a rogue agent from their past. Who will win?

Nick Seven and Felicia Hagens left the CIA to carve out an idyllic anonymous life in The Florida Keys. The last thing they wanted was to be used by their former employer as pawns in America’s war on terror.

Nick and Felicia navigate a complex maze of intrigue and double-crosses while dealing with a rogue agent from their past who has a score to settle. When Felicia becomes part of the scheme the stakes get higher and more personal.

Can Nick keep her out of harm’s way or will he finally be outwitted? Will Felicia stay with him or return to Barbados?

BUY THE eBOOK   ***   BUY IN KINDLE   ***   READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Leave Tim a question this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for an ebook copy of his sexy romantic comedy, THE SWEET DISTRACTION.  Please leave your email address so he can contact you if you are this week's winner - Good Luck!

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Tim Smith

This week on our Tiki Hut Blog, we welcome author Tim Smith as he celebrates the release of LIDO KEY, his second Vic Fallon Mystery published with eXtasy Books.

Tim Smith is an award-winning author of numerous books, ranging from thrillers to contemporary erotic romance. He is also a freelance photographer and when he isn’t pursuing these two passions, he works in the human services field as a case manager for adults with disabilities.

WEBSITE

I’m pleased to announce the release of my new romantic mystery, Lido Key, from eXtasy Books. This is the second in the Vic Fallon series I started a year ago with The Bundle, but it isn’t a sequel or follow-up. This is a stand alone entry in the series, and it evokes the pulp fiction style of Chandler, Spillane and Westlake. All of the elements are here – tough romantic hero, sexy heroine who’s hard as brass on the outside but soft in the middle, vivid atmosphere, a supporting cast of shady characters and liberal doses of hot sex.

Vic Fallon had worked on some strange cases since he left the police force to become a Private Investigator, but when a former lover asks him to look into a bizarre blackmail demand, it’s one for his memoirs. Vic hadn’t spoken to Ariel Weston since his last trip to Siesta Key, Florida three years earlier. The end of their affair wasn’t amicable, and Vic swore that the next time he saw Ariel he’d drown her with the nearest Pina Colada. When Ariel gets caught up in a potentially embarrassing sex scandal, she appeals to him for help. Vic reluctantly agrees but finds himself in a real quandary when he realizes they still have feelings for each other.

The case pulls Vic out of his northern Ohio comfort zone to the Sunshine State, where he crosses paths with a corrupt local cop, a famous writer with a taste for booze and women, and a sleazy strip club owner who knows more than he’s letting on. Throw in one very cute Latina who develops a crush on him, and the puzzle gets more complex. Can Vic solve Ariel’s problem before the blackmailer ruins her life? Will Ariel succeed in convincing Vic to give their failed relationship another chance?

To prepare for this I watched a lot of film noir crime capers from the forties and fifties. Quirky characters, moody atmosphere and witty dialogue laden with double entendres are part of the charm and I wanted to recreate that in a modern setting. Be warned, though that this book contains explicit sex.

If you’re in the mood for a blast from the past with a contemporary twist, pour yourself a glass of Scotch, prop your feet on the desk, tip back your fedora and enjoy Lido Key. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

“Lido Key” is available at www.extasybooks.com. More information about Tim Smith’s other books can be found at his website, www.timsmithauthor.com.

LIDO KEY by Tim Smith

A Vic Fallon Mystery

She’s a young trophy widow involved in a bizarre sex scandal. He’s her former lover, a busted cop turned Private Investigator. Consider the possibilities.

Vic Fallon has worked on some strange cases since he left the Police force to become a Private Investigator, but when a former lover asks him to look into a bizarre blackmail demand, it’s one for his memoirs. Vic hasn’t seen Ariel Weston since his last trip to Siesta Key, Florida, three years earlier. The end of their affair wasn’t amicable, and Vic swore that the next time he saw Ariel he’d drown her with the nearest Piña Colada. When Ariel gets caught up in a potentially embarrassing sex scandal, she appeals to him for help. Vic reluctantly agrees but finds himself in a real quandary when he realizes they still have feelings for each other.

The case pulls Vic out of his northern Ohio comfort zone to the Sunshine State, where he crosses paths with a corrupt local cop, a famous writer with a taste for booze and women, and a sleazy strip club owner who knows more than he’s letting on. Throw in one very cute Latina who develops a crush on him and the puzzle becomes more complex.

Can Vic solve Ariel’s problem before the blackmailer ruins her life? Will Ariel convince Vic to give their failed relationship another chance?

BUY THE eBOOK ***  READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Leave Tim a question or comment this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a copy of his erotic romance ANYWHERE THE HEART GOES.  Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner.

Rose Anderson's Tiki Hut Winner

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit with Rose Anderson and talk about her new book HERMES ONLINE.  Congrats to booklover0226!  Your name was drawn as our winner!  Look for an email from Rose with a copy of her book attached - enjoy!

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Rose Anderson

Rose Anderson - Love waits in unexpected places

Have you ever fallen so deeply in love with the characters in a romance novel that thoughts of them linger long after the last page is turned? Have you ever been so completely immersed in a love scene that you'd swear you've just been kissed or more?

Meet Rose Anderson's strong, confident heroines and be seduced by compelling heroes you'll wish were there beside you. Come see how their lives intertwine and through their stories discover love profound. From her current novels HERMES ONLINE and DREAMSCAPE, to the passionate stories that follow, this new author will sweep you away on a sensual tide of memorable story-telling.

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I thought I’d talk about my first novel as March 16th marks my one year anniversary as a published author. (What a trip!) Hermes online from the get-go was designed to open doors. Many years ago in the days before e-publishing, there was a point where I thought I’d never manage to get published. Though I’d sent out dozens of manuscripts, most queries went dead. Actually, I’d received few rejection letters by comparison…mostly I just heard crickets chirping! And so I gave up until one week in 2010 where all roads led me to try again, and I’m glad I did. :)

A few weeks ago Hermes Online was given the CataNetwork Reviewer’s Choice Award for 2011. I was told the reviewers felt it one of the best they’d read and reviewed that year. I’ve been through a wide range of emotion with this book, and that was the topper! Without further ado, I’d like to introduce Hermes Online followed by one of my favorite excerpts. I hope you all enjoy:

Imagine if you will a story begun in the halls of Mount Olympus long before this modern tale was conceived. It was a time when the god Hermes flew on his winged sandals and carried messages from the gods to the mortals below. And between that time and this, couriers became postmen and handwritten letters became bytes. It is said the gods still speak to those who listen…

Setting the stage for Hermes Online ~

Have you ever known someone who thoroughly compliments you? You share likes and dislikes, views and outlooks, and a soul connection unlike anything you've ever experienced before. It takes your breath, quickens your pulse and consumes your every thought. When you make love for the first time, it's as if every cell in your body confirms this is your twin flame. Now imagine the timing is horribly off. In my first novel, Hermes Online, Vivienne joyfully discovers such a love amid the ancient ruins of Greece - a love so complete and soul satisfying but one that just isn't meant to be.

As surely as seasons change, life moves on. Grieving the love she found and lost beside the impossible blue waters of the Mediterranean, Vivienne eventually takes another chance at happiness but unfortunately her next relationship turns out to be one of betrayal. Her faithless boyfriend intentionally administers a low blow to deflect the attention off of him and on to her - if she weren't so dull in bed he wouldn't have had to look elsewhere. Not being one to deliberately hurt someone herself, his unaccountable words become a yoke of self-doubt that spills over into every aspect of Vivienne's life. Hungering for a good word, on a whim she enters a short story written during happier times, to an adult literature site and makes a connection with a compelling man known only as S. The two soon embark upon the world of anonymous Internet communication where their suggestive emails lead her to try erotic chat, where cybersex leads to Skype, and C2C sends both into the arms of a love they'd believed lost forever.

Excerpt: The Kiss

I closed the Word document and absently twirled my hair, lost in thought. There was so much of me in there, even the decorations in Jonathan's house said much about me. The fact that Lily looks identical to me was rather Freudian too, come to think. I laughed out loud at the thought. It's funny how our subconscious mind tells us what's what sometimes. The subconscious mind intuits what the conscious mind misses at first glance. Yes, the phone sex story was a whim, and who would have thought six years later, it would help me find my way back to myself? I wished in that moment my pen pal stood right here so I could say thank you. I'd thank him for lighting the match that eventually relit the candle of my self-confidence. I'd kiss him for real.

I pressed my fingers to my lips, imagining this curious and compelling green-eyed, chestnut-haired, large-handed, well-endowed man kissing me. And unbelievably, my panties got soaking wet. I flexed my fingers and crafted a scene from the sizzling phantom fire playing over my lips.

Having experienced amazing kisses in my life added just enough realism to the blend of movie kisses. I told the screen, "So, you want a kiss, eh? Then what will you think of this?"

S,
There is so much more to kissing for the first time than meets the eye. The would-be lovers laugh and smile and delight in each other's company. They talk, getting to know each other, trying to find the choicest morsels of their life and personality to share. They might hold hands for hours as they wander here and there. And when they sit side by side, perhaps on a bench at a museum, they'll look in feigned interest at the passersby, glance again and again at the exhibit, but not really seeing it. First, one will turn inward, the movement slight, barely noticeable. And then with no clear knowledge of doing so, the one will magically mirror the other. Their knees may touch, and one set of clasped hands might rest innocently upon a knee. And then a noise, a temporary distraction, might take their attention for a second, and both heads will turn to the sound, inadvertently closer now than before. When one turns back, their faces will be mere inches apart. Their eyes, green and gray, will hold each other's gazes, darting from one sparkling pupil to the other. They might unfocus to drink in the entire face for a second, perhaps lingering on the person's smile before meeting the gaze once more, a gaze noticeably warmer than a moment ago.

One face may turn a little, and in mirrored image, the other follows, only slightly tipped in the opposite direction. And the eyes ask the silent question as two thoughts become superimposed -- May I kiss you? Will you kiss me? The answer is subtle, missed by nearly everyone passing by, everyone save the smiling elder couple holding gnarled hands and assisted by their canes. Perhaps they, too, once shared a kiss sitting there, or plan to again later. But locked in their own world, they don't notice the elder pair walk by.

They are aware now only of each other, aware of little things, the flush on her cheeks, the gleam in his eye, the color of her moist lips, the imperceptible flare of his nostrils as he subconsciously reminds his body to breathe. They touch now. The kiss is at first soft, the lips asking permission for the firmness they crave. Another kiss grants this and another and another as faces turn to fit around chins and cheeks and noses. And then loose and pliable, those lips part now to make way for tentative tongues. These too begin their searching, gently at first then becoming bolder as they instinctively react to the warmth of each other's mouths and thrust as hands cup cheeks and arms wind around shoulders, drawing each other ever inward into the private space that shuts the waking world out and lets the dream begin.
V

Little did I realize when I began this kissing scene that I would abandon the amalgamated movie kisses. I stopped and read those words, my words, my kiss. That kiss had been real, as had the love behind it. My eyes filled with tears, but I sent it on. Feeling alone, I rose from my chair and walked away.

***

The next morning there were dozens of legitimate emails waiting for me amid the pile of crap I normally got each day. It wasn't like me to leave my email program running all night, so it was sort of a surprise to see so many at once. It was Saturday. I had nowhere to go and had only the usual weekend tasks to see to before Monday came rolling around again. Sometime in the mid-afternoon after my groceries were put away and a week's worth of lunches had been made, I sat down at my computer and took a moment to clear the spam and download another spam chaser with a tighter net for catching those intrusive things. I answered a few emails from friends and saved his for last.

V,
That was extraordinary. I could see your gray eyes, see them dart from one to the other of my own as our faces drew close. That was perfection, dearest V. I could almost feel you upon my lips. And now to kiss you in return, a second kiss…

Feeling breathless, we rose hand in hand from our bench and walked mere blocks away to my apartment. Once inside the door, our eyes locked again, our faces drawing closer, closer. Your lips are parted, your lovely breasts rise and fall, your body waits. My hand rises to brush your autumn-colored hair back from your face. Our kiss from before still lingers, but we need so much more from each other now. And we take it. Just how, I will leave to you.
S

Somehow this stranger, this S... Ssss. I rolled the single syllable over my tongue like the end of a snake's hiss. This sensual conjurer from the shadows was an alliteration. I saw the poetry of him, and every word began with S, a shadowed, sexy, sensual stranger, S.

I had no clear true picture of him, so once more my mind, armed as it was with a small basket of his self-descriptive words, extrapolated. He was a beautiful male of course, with his fern-green eyes, his swarthy skin, and his shining chestnut hair. The image my mind created surprised me, and in self-preservation, I shook my embellishment aside.

He had only said green eyes, dark skin, and chestnut hair. No, my mind replied, see him clearly...shining brown, fern green, swarthy…no, I amended. Not swarthy...more...more...sun-kissed, bronzed. I thought on this a while. Though I initially wished it otherwise, in the end I could find nothing wrong with the enhanced image my mind was compelled to assemble from the recesses of memory. My smile widened as I gave myself permission to live this dream. And with my dream view filling in the blanks of the mysterious S, my fingers found the keys.

S,
You stand with your back to the door, facing me. Your large hand brushes my hair back yet lingers upon my cheek once the deed is done. It slowly moves past my ear to the back of my head and gently and purposefully pulls my face closer. Your eyes lock to my lips and mine to yours, both pairs soft, moist, beckoning. They meet again, less tentative, more sure of the yearning behind them. Soft but a moment before, the fingers on the hand at the back of my head curl into my red-gold hair in a grip that clearly says this kiss will continue. And it does.

And when the lips have had their fill for now, they leave to burn a scorching swath down my neck and back along my jaw, accentuated by the stubble of your beard. We realize clothing is a hindrance. Panting, we pull apart, eyes speaking at once, "Please make love to me. If I don't have you, I'll burn alive." I nod breathlessly. The small acquiescent gesture fires your blood. You grab me hard and pull me roughly against you, your mouth slanting over mine, your tongue conquering any reserve I might have.
V

I pressed my fingertips to my lips. I hadn't been kissed, but my brain had, and the brain told me it was real enough by the tingling I actually felt there.

***

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