This Week's Special Guest - Desiree Holt

Known the world over as the oldest living author of erotic romance, and referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, Desiree Holt is three times a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award (and a winner in 2014), a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio as well as twice a CAPA Award winner for best BDSM book of the year, and winner of the Holt Medallion for Excellence in Romance Literature. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.


“Desiree Holt is the most amazing erotica author of our time and each story is more fulfilling then the last.” (Romance Junkies)

“Desiree Holt is like the Nora Roberts of erotic romance.” USA Today Happy Ever After Blog

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People say that writing is a solitary occupation and to a great extent it is. I mean, no one can do the writing for you, nor would you want them to. But it also takes a lot of research, especially for me. I am known as Miss Picky because I go to great lengths to get things right.

When I was writing Finding Julia, there were some specific scenes in the story that I needed details on. For example, there’s a cabin in the woods in Massachusetts. I had to know if there was still open land outside Boston, where it was, how much open space, all that good stuff. I managed to find a real estate agent who was willing to take time out of her busy day to answer my questions, although I think she was secretly hoping I was actually looking for property to buy.

There is also a scene at a restaurant called Harry’s House. Now this is of course a fictional place but it’s based on a real restaurant, Little Harry’s, a French colonial structure in Detroit with a lot of ambiance. I lived in that city fir twenty-five years and Little Harry’s was a place where Detroit’s gentrified elite as well as their Mafia elite frequently dined. Media were strictly prohibited so it was a place where people could be assured of privacy, especially with the restaurant divided into small rooms.

Unfortunately it no longer exists. Singer Anita Baker bought it and planned to turn it into a recording studio. She ran into so much resistance she built an IHop instead. Kind of like when my late husband and I went to Texarkana to see some of the historic landmarks of his ancestors and at one spot found a Taco Bell.

Oh, well.

FINDING JULIA by Desiree Holt

Can a moment of passion outlast years of secrets and misery?

Sometimes life is not fair. For Julia Patterson meeting Luke Buchanan opened the door to a new life and brought her to life as a woman. In his arms she learns for the first time how real passion and emotion can enrich your life. He claims her body with the pleasure of erotic sex and his heart with unrestricted love. But Fate was laughing at Julia, just as she is about to step over the threshold into a wonderful new life. When her almost-ex-husband Charles is diagnosed with a fatal heart condition her divorce is put on hold along with the rest of her life. Turning her back on Luke and the intense passion and emotion they shared is the most difficult thing she’s ever done. But Julia has a secret, one that Charles has discovered and uses like a club. Thirteen years later when Luke walks back into her life the passion and emotion are just as explosive as ever. Will they finally have their chance at happiness or will her secret destroy it forever?



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Excerpt #1:

“Our executive vice president is tied up in a meeting right now,” Howard whispered as the executive staff filed in. “He’s the one who says yea or nay. He’ll join us as soon as he can.”


Great. Would he expect her to do it all over again for him?


She sighed and began her presentation again.


It was well into the afternoon and she was pulling out copies of the proposed budget to distribute when the door to the boardroom opened quietly, and Julia’s stomach dropped to the floor. She felt as if an electric surge slammed into her, plucking at every one of her nerve endings.


The man who silently took a seat at the end of the table wasn’t necessarily handsome, but he was one hundred percent male. Liquid brown eyes were framed by the thickest lashes she had ever seen on a man. She noticed the strong jaw and the lines of character etched on an incredibly masculine face. Straight brown hair, a hint of silver reflecting in the lights, was worn just a little long, giving him a slightly rakehell look.


The classic dark business suit barely concealed the power he radiated. More than that, he exuded an aura of self, of authority, of comfort in his own skin few men were able to attain. She could think of only three words to describe him. Dark. Edgy. Dangerous. In her entire thirty years, no man had ever affected her the way this man did. Certainly not Charles. She clamped down on her reaction, forbidding herself to let her thoughts wander into forbidden territory. As she’d learned, her judgment where men were concerned left a great deal to be desired.


“Let me interrupt a moment.” Manning jumped to his feet. “Julia, meet Lucas Buchanan, our executive vice president. He’s been in another meeting until now.”


“I’m pleased you could join us, Mr. Buchanan.” Julia pasted on her professional smile and hoped her voice sounded firmer to the others than it did to her.


Lucas Buchanan nodded at her. “Luke, please. Sorry to be late. Please don’t let me interrupt.”


She struggled to pick up the threads of what she’d been saying, her brain suddenly addled, and her hands unsteady. It took every ounce of personal discipline to keep focused on her presentation.


Excerpt #2

“Let’s hope,” he muttered. “All right. Be sure to let me know how things are. I’ll be worried about you. Here. Give me your cell phone.”


She pulled it out of her purse and handed it to him. He punched some numbers and gave it back to her.


“There. My private number’s in there. I’m speed dial number one. I’ll have my phone on all the time. Call me whenever.”


“Oh, Luke.” Her voice broke and she dug deep to get control of herself. “Why couldn’t we have met fifteen years ago?”


“I don’t think we would have been ready for each other then.” He kissed her one last time, then enfolded her in his arms. “Just remember. No matter what happens in your life, you will always be mine.”


“Yes, I will.” She was fighting tears and clinging to him as if she’d never let him go before taking a step back. “Goodbye, Luke.” And then she couldn’t help herself. “I love you.” She yanked up the handle of her suitcase and nearly ran into the terminal, dragging the luggage behind her.


Julia went through check-in and security as if in a fog. She bought herself another cup of tea and sat in the waiting area, sipping at the hot liquid, hoping it would ease the sudden chill invading her. The man sitting next to her was kind enough to nudge her when the call for boarding came. She entered the plane and took her seat like a robot, buckled in and leaned her head back.


Images flashed through her mind: she and Luke dancing, bodies moving slowly to the music, their first night together, the wonder of exploring each other’s bodies, the night in the cabin, warmed by the flames of the fire, their kiss at the airport, more poignant than sensual.


What a mess. The damn divorce papers still unsigned and now she had no idea when or how they would be. Luke had said he would wait but for how long? And how would the twins handle this? Their relationship with their father left a lot to be desired yet surely this would affect them emotionally. Her life was slowly being flushed down the toilet and she was left with a very inadequate plunger. Tears begin to trickle from the corners of her eyes, and her stomach knotted.


“Excuse me.” The flight attendant was leaning towards her, over the empty seat next to her. “Forgive me for asking but is something wrong?”


“No.” Julia sniffled, then tried on a smile. “Just fighting a cold is all.”


“Can I get you anything?” The attendant was obviously concerned.


“Some hot tea would be nice, if you could. And thank you.” Maybe she could drown herself in an ocean of the stuff.


“Tea it is. Coming right up.”


She realized as she sipped the hot liquid, she would now always associate it with Luke. She hoped she would still be able to drink it without crying. The tea seemed to settle her still-jumbled stomach enough so she could relax a little, but it did nothing to rid her of the feeling of despair creeping over her.


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WIN - Leave Desiree a comment this week and your name goes into the hat for your choice of FOUR ebooks from Desiree Holt's impressive backlist and an AuthorIsland Goodie Box filled with lots of fun goodies and a book or two!  Just be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're a winner!  Winner will be announced on Monday, August 18th.  Good Luck!

Just to give you an idea of what could be in your goodie box,
               this is a picture from one of our readers of a goodie bag we sent her!

This Week's Special Guest Author Tim Smith

Tim Smith is an award-winning bestselling author whose books range from romantic mystery/thrillers to contemporary erotic romance. He is also a freelance photographer. When he isn’t pursuing those two careers, he can be found in the Florida Keys, indulging in his passion for parasailing between research and seeking out the perfect Mojito.

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If it’s the holiday season, it must mean it’s time for me to release another holiday romance. “Who Gets the Friends?” is now available through eXtasy books. This is a lighthearted romp with laughs and liberal doses of sex. What more could you hope to find under your Christmas tree?

WHO GETS THE FRIENDS? by Tim Smith

Two lonely souls get a chance to make their Christmas wish come true.

 When Tom Harris won back his freedom after a bitter divorce, he looked forward to getting a fresh start in life. What he didn’t realize was that his former wife had taken their mutual friends as part of the settlement.

He feared that he’d be alone forever until he met Jessica Mays, who was recovering from the loss of her one true love.

Can these two broken souls find some common ground to make a relationship work? Will Tom discover that there really is life after divorce?

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The story is loosely based on actual events from the life of yours truly. When I went through a divorce a number of years ago I made a shocking discovery – most of the mutual friends we had suddenly evaporated. Many of them stopped speaking to me and much like the protagonist in my story I had to start all over. Did I get my happy ending? Read the book to find out.

This Week's Special Guest - Tory Richards

Tory Richards describes herself as a grandma who likes to read and write smut. She's also a mother, daughter, aunt, sister, friend and author. After losing her soul mate of seventeen years, and retiring from Disney, she moved in with her daughter and her family. Sharing her woman-cave with four felines whose main goal in life is to get as much hair onto everything that they can. So far they're doing a stellar job!

Tory has been writing since the dawn of ages, which for her began in 1955. She discovered at the ripe old age of ten that she liked writing stories, beginning with pen and paper until receiving her first manual typewriter at thirteen. Shortly after boys and life got in the way and her typewriter and many unfinished stories got pushed to the back of her closet.

The years went by, blah, blah, blah, until the day arrived when Tory bought her first computer. She took up writing again, updated many of her yellow-paged stories, and submitted to a publisher after her family encouraged her. She just wanted to shut them up, really! And the rest, as they say, is history. Tory's first book Cupid's Arrow, under her real name Debbie Wallace, was on the publisher's best sellers list for two consecutive months! The end.

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Hi folks!

I’m so happy to be here! July 15th marks the release of my 20th ebook, Bishop’s Angel.  When my first book became published in 2005 I never dreamed that I would reach this milestone. I don’t believe it’s a goal any writer sets, as who knows what life will bring, or what kind of distractions get in the way. During the years that followed 2005 I’ve had a best seller, attended the 2009 Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention,  bought and sold several homes, traveled to Europe, experienced the joy of becoming a grandmother twice,  lost my mom and hubby, retired from Disney, and moved in with my daughter and her family.

Even though Bishop’s Angel is book #20 for me, I have two other books coming out this year. My next one is Burning Hunger, book #3 in a trilogy I hadn’t really planned. It began with A Perfect Fit, and continued into a second book, Surrender to Desire. Too many readers had written me after reading A Perfect Fit, asking for stories on the other two brothers in book one.  If you haven’t read any of the stand alone, erotic romances, the Evans brothers, Beau, Blake and Chaz,  are triplets. The heroines in the first two books are ladies with curves.

My first paranormal, The Mating Ritual should also be out later in the year. But I’m here to talk about Bishop’s Angel today.  In celebration, from 7/14-7/16 ONLY, get a free copy! Details on how are below.

1 – sign up for my newsletter, you can find the form at the top of the page on my blog - http://www.toryrichards.com/

2 – like my new facebook fan page,

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tory-Richards/111597422277528?ref=hl

3 – leave your email addy, and a comment telling me you’ve done both, on the Bishop’s Angel release day post on my blog - http://www.toryrichards.com/

Blog – http://www.toryrichards.com/


BISHOP'S ANGEL by Tory Richards

After ten years of sacrificing everything for his country as a Navy SEAL, Bishop is looking for salvation, and a little something more permanent in his life.

Angel, a pretty kindergarten teacher, thinks she's just what he needs. Their chemistry is instant, and explosive, only Bishop has trouble letting go of his commitment to his country.

It's up to Angel to prove there's room for her in his future.

BUY THE eBOOK   ***   READ THE EXCERPT   ***   WATCH THE VIDEO

Excerpt –

“The police are on the way, ma’am. Where is the intruder now?” the operator asked.

Angel listened for a moment. “He’s still in the kitchen.”

“Is the intruder male?”

“No, no!” Angel said, and then quickly lowered her voice when she realized she’d spoken too loud. “I don’t know if it’s a woman or a man.” She’d been too afraid to look when she had the chance. Movement coming from the kitchen told her the intruder was still there, but for how long? She was crouched at the end of the couch, too afraid to turn around, frightened that at any moment she would be discovered. “Please hurry!”

“They’re on their way. Stay calm and—”

 “I think he’s in the room with me!” Angel’s eyes rounded with fear when she sensed someone moving up behind her.

“Ma’am stay on—”

Angel knew the intruder was behind her now. She stood up, whipped around and slammed her phone into the side of his head with a piercing scream. All she could make out was a tall, dark outline.

“What the fuck—” a male voice boomed.

Angel let out another scream and slammed her hands against a massive chest, shoving him away from her as hard as she could. Her only thought was making it back upstairs to the safety of her room until the police arrived, but the second her palms landed on the man’s rock-hard chest she knew she was in trouble. He stumbled back but she had a feeling it was due more to her catching him by surprise than the force of her push.

She scooted around him but suddenly his hands were on her, and for a moment they struggled against each other. Angel was hyped up on adrenaline and a strong sense of survival, and she used her nails and teeth on the naked arms and powerful hands trying to subdue her. It gained her enough freedom to make it to the stairs but halfway up she found her ankle being grabbed, she fell, and then she was pinned beneath a heavy weight.

“No!” she cried out, struggling wildly against him. But she was no match for his superior strength and the honed muscles she felt beneath her hands. In no time his hands had wrapped around her wrists, and she was pinned against the stairs.

“Who the hell are you?” he demanded, his face too close to hers.

“Who the hell are you?” Angel demanded right back, twisting beneath him. It was then she felt cool air in places that she shouldn’t, reminding her that all she had on was a thin night-shirt and a pair of bikini panties. Judging by the super hard pecks she felt pressed against her breasts, her shirt had come undone, too. An insane thought crossed her mind, why he wasn’t wearing a shirt.  She wiggled wildly, unintentionally scraping her nipples across his flesh.

“Stop before you get hurt!” he growled. In an effort to subdue her he pressed his body against hers.

“Then get off me!” Angel hissed, arching her body in an effort to throw him off her. His muscled thighs and powerful legs flexed against hers, easily holding hers still.

“Not until you tell me who you are,” he grated in a rough voice.

His warm breath slapped her in the face. “I live here,” Angel said without hesitation, glaring up into his shadowed face. She was aware there was no way he could see her because it was too dark.

“The hell you do.”

How did he know that? “The police are on their way so I suggest you let me up and get out of here.” Her energy was beginning to wane. He was too strong and big, and the longer they remained like that, the more she began to feel uncomfortable with their intimate proximity.

“Good. Then we can get to the bottom of this.”

That wasn’t the kind of response an intruder would make if he were caught in someone else’s house. Maybe he was delusional or something. Angel decided to switch tactics. “These stairs are hurting me,” she said weakly.

Things grew still between them and she sensed his silent contemplation, as if he were wondering if he should believe her. She whimpered a little for good measure.

“Okay, I’m going to let you up, but don’t try anything stupid,” he warned.

The second he released her and lifted off her body, Angel got to her feet and dashed the rest of the way up the stairs.

“Son of a bitch!” he cursed behind her.

Angel slammed and locked her bedroom door in his face. She didn’t know what she hoped to accomplish, except to get away from him until the police arrived. What was taking them so long? She ran to one of the windows and opened it. Maybe she could push out a screen and—

Without warning her bedroom door was kicked in. She screamed and made a beeline for her connecting bathroom.

“Oh, no, you don’t.”

A muscular arm wrapped around Angel’s waist and she was lifted off her feet. “Let me go!” She wiggled and kicked, very much aware that her butt was against a very intimate part of his body. Burning heat replaced the fear flowing through her blood because his cock wasn’t as flaccid as it should have been.

“Look,” he slammed her down onto the bed and for the second time she found herself pinned beneath his superior strength. “Before this goes any further I think we need to talk.”

“You can talk to the police,” she panted, twisting beneath him.

“I intend to,” he said without hesitation. There was a confidence in his tone that surprised her.

Without warning he reached up and turned on the reading light at the head of the bed. How did he know that was there? Meeting eyes the color of blue topaz, everything in Angel froze, including her breath. Oh God, I know those eyes! She didn’t know the man personally, but she knew of him from the pictures on the fireplace mantle downstairs. He was Diana’s older brother, and Navy SEAL Bishop Strong. Suddenly everything made perfect sense.

After six years, he’d finally come home! 

Buy links      SMASHWORDS  ***  AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE 

Thank you for having me today!

Tory

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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Sons of Earth and Wind, Book III: A TOUCH OF FIRE by Barbara Clark

Here’s a description of the story: Security agent, Michael Forest, has given up his dreams of a wife and family. When he's assigned to protect Summer Morgana Starr, he's stunned by his attraction to her, an attraction he fights.

Summer, born with the ability to restore fiery lines of power deep in the earth's crust, risks her life each time she heals those lines. For her own safety, she should bond with a man of paranormal powers, but her heart has chosen Michael, a man without any psychic talents.

When a ruthless enemy from Michael's past puts Summer in jeopardy, Michael sacrifices himself to save her life and her sweet touch of fire.

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Winner 2001 Golden Quill Award, Paranormal Romance.

SimeGen 2002 Spring Reviewers' Choice Award Winner--Best Science Fiction Author

~~~

Often a character will inspire the story behind a new book. Michael Forest, a security agent for Hawk Adams’ Challenge Security Company, had been a secondary character in the first two books of the Sons of Earth and Wind series. Like Hawk and Quinn, he’d been a warrior in shadow wars with them. At one point, he’d been captured by a drug lord and tortured almost to death until Hawk and Quinn rescued him.

Brave and honorable, Michael deserved the love of a strong, compassionate woman. He found her when he was assigned to protect Summer Morgana Starr.

However, the last thing Michael should do would be to fall in love with a client. Not only that, but after he failed to save his younger sister and parents during a raid on an African village they were visiting, he never wanted to fall in love for fear of also failing that person. He fought his growing attraction to Summer.

~~~

I call this my, “Earthquake Book,” for two reasons: The heroine, Summer, has the ability to moderate earthquakes. Second, we were experiencing a swarm of earthquakes during the time I was writing it. Twice, I was seated at the computer when I heard the low rumble announcing an earthquake followed by the first rolling jolt. As the usual pattern of three distinct waves shook the house, the structure creaked and hallway doors opened and closed. The big file drawer in my computer desk rolled open—close—open—close. The movement of the earth rocked my chair back and forth with me in it.

~~~

The words for the opening passage came to me as I was driving home, and had a quick image of a woman, long hair blowing in the night wind, seated on a jumble of boulders at the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean:

The night-bound land was crying.

Gritting her teeth against the pain in that deep-throated wail, Summer Morgana Starr sat on the ancient boulders high above the Pacific Ocean and tried to block the sound.

With her birth-gift, she  saw and heard the fiery streams of magnetism known as ley lines that pulsed far below the surface. Tonight, those lines were tangled where they should run free in ribbons of energy. 

Chaos throbbed deep in the earth’s crust. 

Waves roared against the rocky shore but didn’t drown the sound. Wind shuddered through broken cliffs but couldn’t mask the groans of basalt and granite under molten pressure. 

Early moonlight danced in silver power through the spray, but still the land cried. 

Five miles overhead, the lights of a jet airplane silently crossed the glittering field of distant stars. In the darkness below her feet, the ground lurched once more in protest. 

Summer, born with extraordinary gifts, sent a soothing touch deep into the wounded earth to ease the strain. It was all she could do for now. 

Her gifts and duty were to untangle and smooth the ley lines—to keep them flowing at full power, unobstructed. 

Tonight, the ribbons of fire deep beneath her were too strong, too damaged for her to restore without help. She had to wait for added strength from the power of the moon and earth working together. 

She pushed her unbound hair from her face and struggled with the knowledge that a unique man’s true love and passion would give her the necessary strength without waiting for the balance of sun and moon energy. 

Ancient family tradition taught that only a man born with a psychic connection to earth or the moon could blend his power with hers to protect her and give her abilities the greater potency. 

In spite of that knowledge, her heart had chosen another, a man without a known psychic link. Even now, he stood nearby, guarding her from physical harm.

~~~

Several times, while attraction simmers and grows between them, Michael protects Summer from increasing danger.

As the book progresses, I used places where I’d been in many scenes. The story sweeps from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the low Anza Borrego desert, and high into the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

In each setting, the sensual and emotional attraction flares higher between the lovers until they reach that point where each one willingly puts his or her life on the line for the other.

~~~

What Reviewers said:

A TOUCH OF FIRE is book three in the exceptional Sons of Earth and Wind  series. A strong storyline, well thought out characters and a scenic backdrop combine to  create a page turner. Barbara Clark has given her fans another sensational story. 

-- Tami Sutton

www.escapetoromance.com/reviews/clark-touch.html 

A Touch Of Fire is the third book in Sons of Earth and Wind series and probably my favorite so far. Through the series you have glimpses of Michael’s true heart. He would bring baby roses to Quinn’s daughter, Brianna. Michael would also let Alex, Hawk and Charity’s little boy chew on his expensive watch. No wonder Summer fell for him. She sees him as a warrior but also as a man that she loves and wants to heal the old hurts. Michael is the ultimate hero. If Barbara Clark keeps writing so well, Kleenex will never go out of business. I have to admit, this story made me cry, but in a good way.

Review by Megan http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=2534

~~~

You can find A Touch of Fire at: www.amberquill.com/TouchFire.html  It’s also at amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com 

Please remember to leave a comment so you can be entered in the giveaway.

Thanks,
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 - Author 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

You know how—when you’re a child—special days seem to creep up too slowly? Then once you’re an adult, time slips by faster than a three-year-old playing, “You can’t catch me.”

Today I’m in a, “Where did the time go?” mode. Yep, I’m 80 years old today, on Halloween 2012.

I have to confess, until August of this year I had really begun to feel the growing years. I was already in my late 70s. I’d had a heart attack followed by a quadruple heart bypass in 2005. My knees have very little cartilage left in them with a few bone-on-bone places. And just to make life interesting, I’d suffered a mild stroke in late 2010, which affected my typing and my balance enough so I needed a cane when I was away from the house.

 

It had taken months to retrain my fingers and brain so they worked together well enough to start writing again. I finally sent the manuscript for a long novella to my publisher and it came out in early 2011. 

While I’ve gone to cardiac rehab for years; walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes, lift weights, etc., my balance was still wonky and I had noticed my concentration was not as sharp as it once had been. 

I remembered when I had driven my grandchildren to karate lessons years earlier. I’d waited there and watched them until my daughter came to get them after work. I began to wonder if I dared enroll in karate, but figured it would never happen. 

The last few years, I’d heard good things about American Martial Arts Academy from a friend. She mentioned they took on older students and would moderate lessons to a person’s needs. 

 I walked into the AMAA on August 6, 2012 for my first lesson private, half-hour lesson. My goals were to improve my balance, sharpen my concentration, and earn a yellow belt by my next birthday.  

I have to admit, I was frustrated when I couldn’t immediately do the strikes and blocks correctly. And kicks? No way, considering I’d walked into the academy needing my cane. My teacher patiently helped me build those skills. Instead of kicks, I did stomps. Even then, he had me hold onto a chair to keep my balance. 

Gradually, my muscles and brain began to learn those new moves, and, oh, the sense of accomplishment when they begin to click. By the second session, I found it easier to work barefooted. By the third lesson, I felt confident enough to park my cane in a corner. 

I told friends I was a Granny with a cane and a karate fist.  

Now I’ve had to modify that description. Since the middle of September I haven’t used my cane at all. My concentration is improving, and I received my yellow belt three weeks before my 80^th birthday. 

These days I’m working on the combined movements for the next step—an orange belt. That’s where the nose snapper I mentioned comes in. The strike is really called an ura-uchi (back-hand strike) but it’s a good way to remember it. 

Here’s part of the sequence of moves facing an opponent: Right hand does a straight-fisted strike above the head at an upward 45 degree angle elbow comes in right hand does a back-hand strike over the knee. Note: That’s where your knuckles connect with the opponent’s nose. 

Yes, I’m enjoying the karate lessons. I even signed up for a program they offer called, “The path to black belt.” I told a friend I’d probably be 85 by the time I reach level 1 of black belt. She said, “You’ll be 85 anyway.”  

Tomorrow I’ll tell about A Touch of Fire, Book III in the series.

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

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!