The Scribbles of Joce Adams

Living my dream one word at a time


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Indie Author Giveaway Hop

Hello and welcome to another stop on the Indie Author Giveaway hop.  Thanks so much to Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Krazy Book Lady for co-hosting.  To see the rest of the participants in this hop, please click the logo below and enter to win more great prizes.

GIVEAWAY – International

(These books are intended for adult audiences)

Here’s what I’m offering one lucky commenter:

A signed paperback copy of

The Glass Man

The Glass Man (Lila Gray #1)

an e-book copy of

Tidal Whispers

Tidal Whispers

AND a signed bookmark for The Glass Man (front & back shown)

  

What do you have to do to win?

It’s simple.  Just tell me in the comments below who your favorite villain of all time is, the one you love to hate.  :)   Please include a way to reach you, email, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc. (it will only be used for the purpose of sending your prize if you should win)

I’d also be grateful for a like on Facebook and a follow on Twitter, but it’s not mandatory.

On June 20th I’ll choose a commenter using random.org, announce it on my blog and contact the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond.  If I don’t hear from them, another winner will be chosen.

Cheers, and good luck!


1 Comment

Release day! #TidalWhispers

Release day is here!  Woo hoo!  Crack the bubbly and hold up a glass!

Cheers to my fellow authors, Claire Gillian, Julie Reece and Kelly Said a most successful launch of our collaboration through J. Taylor Publishing to create Tidal Whispers.  I look forward to reading many more heart touching pieces from you all in the future.

As promised, I’m here to announce the winner of my ebook giveaway of this little beauty, and I’m a girl of my word.

First, here is what the winner will soon find in their inbox:

Heart’s Desire by Julie Reece
After a terrible accident, Tessa returns to her family beach house to heal. She doesn’t expect to see her first summer crush from seven years before. Cameron, though, reappears and ignites a relationship that’s far more intense than ever before. The only problem? Summer is once again coming to an end, and this time, Tessa will have to decide whether to choose life with Cameron or to never see him again.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian
Under Poseidon’s rule, Circe is the most destructive siren in the Pacific ocean, her songs luring ships and their crew to their watery graves. Not Otis, the best halibut fisherman in the Alaskan waters. His ship, the Calypso, has avoided disaster each time Circe set her sights on him.

Given one last chance to deliver Otis to Davy Jones’ locker, Circe takes to land to waylay the handsome captain. Instead, it may be Otis himself who hooks the Siren.

Pearl of Pau’maa by Kelly Said
Should Miki choose to wed the local wealthy boy she doesn’t love, her stomach will stop grumbling. Her soul, however, will suffocate. With one last opportunity before she must concede, she sneaks off for a final dive to her hidden crate at the bottom of the seabed. What waits for her is more than a captured lobster. It’s a treasure she cannot claim without great sacrifice or true love. 

The Undergarden by Jocelyn Adams
Nixie, a water sprite, lives a solitary existence as she struggles to understand the strange world beyond her waters.  When she meets one of the pink ones, a curious boy named Wyatt, their friendship blooms into a love that can exist only upon the sands that divide his solid ground from her underwater paradise. Some love, though, once born, cannot be undone, even in the face of death.

So, without further ado, the winner of my first ever giveaway of Tidal Whispers is … drum roll please ….

Tayte H, from Reading in Paradise

Congrats!  I’ll be in touch to arrange your prize.  I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I did.

This collection is now available for immediate download to your kindle here, and your Kobo or Nook here.

Thanks for stopping by to celebrate with me.  Have a great week!


2 Comments

{Review} Tidal Whispers #TuesdayTurns

Today on Tuesday Turns:  Tidal Whispers, the newest PNR anthology coming to you from J. Taylor Publishing.  I had the pleasure of reading drafts of these short story collection a while ago, and have just finished re-reading the entire ARC.  Well, except for my story, of course, but we’re not here to talk about that one today.  :)

Good gracious, I’m in amazing company in this one!  Before I get into the good stuff, let’s take a look at the back of the book:

Heart’s Desire by Julie Reece
After a terrible accident, Tessa returns to her family beach house to heal. She doesn’t expect to see her first summer crush from seven years before. Cameron, though, reappears and ignites a relationship that’s far more intense than ever before. The only problem? Summer is once again coming to an end, and this time, Tessa will have to decide whether to choose life with Cameron or to never see him again.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian
Under Poseidon’s rule, Circe is the most destructive siren in the Pacific ocean, her songs luring ships and their crew to their watery graves. Not Otis, the best halibut fisherman in the Alaskan waters. His ship, the Calypso, has avoided disaster each time Circe set her sights on him.

Given one last chance to deliver Otis to Davy Jones’ locker, Circe takes to land to waylay the handsome captain. Instead, it may be Otis himself who hooks the Siren.

Pearl of Pau’maa by Kelly Said
Should Miki choose to wed the local wealthy boy she doesn’t love, her stomach will stop grumbling. Her soul, however, will suffocate. With one last opportunity before she must concede, she sneaks off for a final dive to her hidden crate at the bottom of the seabed. What waits for her is more than a captured lobster. It’s a treasure she cannot claim without great sacrifice or true love.

The Undergarden by Jocelyn Adams
Nixie, a water sprite, lives a solitary existence as she struggles to understand the strange world beyond her waters. When she meets one of the pink ones, a curious boy named Wyatt, their friendship blooms into a love that can exist only upon the sands that divide his solid ground from her underwater paradise. Some love, though, once born, cannot be undone, even in the face of death.

Have I peaked your interest, yet? 

Cover

I love the colors in this cover, portraying the surreal feeling of the sun filtering through the water.  Most of the stories involve sweet romances to some degree, so the woman and the innocent look on her face is just perfect.

Review

Heart’s Desire, by Julie Reece

Like everything else of this author’s that I’ve had the pleasure to read, the writing is vivid and poetic, painting the underwater world like a dream for me to walk through as I read the story.  Passages like this always have me re-reading just so I can savor the flow of words through my thoughts:

In her bliss, she twirled, forcing yards of fabric to shoot away from her body. She spun from the mirror, halting against a form both firm and yielding. One strong hand enveloped hers, while the other slipped around her middle, pulling her close. On cue, soft music from an unseen orchestra filled the hall. Strings first, low and haunting, followed by wind instruments. Eerie and intoxicating, the sounds worked like a potion to further muddle her already altered state.

The emotion in this one is quite raw and touching in places, and the connection between Tess and Cam is magnetic.  I was shouting inside my head as I followed Tess through the obstacles preventing her from being with Cam, saying, Come on, just throw caution to the wind and get with that man!  The ending gave me pause for a moment, that Cam should have known to offer the other option than the one he presented, but it was a small thing and did little to detract from my overall enjoyment.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian

I love the ebb and flow of this one, and the emotion when Circe’s quandary surfaces:  to save herself and destroy Otis, or save him and suffer the consequences.  The imagery is beautiful and the interactions between the two are light with an air of humor.  Check out this taste:

Circe spied the tall, dark-haired man clutching his trench coat fronts together, his head ducked down. Frigid rain fell in cascading sheets, and few souls ventured out that morning. The scents of dead fish and seawater infused even the raindrops. Bruised skies gave no indication they planned to take pity on the inhabitants of Homer or allow any respite for the sun.

Bruised skies – I love that!  Claire Gillian never ceases to make me stop and think why didn’t I think of that awesome line!  The love that bloomed came on rather quickly, but given that this is a short story, it kind of has to be that way to fit in all the plot elements within the word allowance.  Goodness knows, I struggled with the same issue in my story.

Pearl of Pau’maa by Kelly Said

This is the sweetest of the stories and very well written.  Although the pace is a bit slower than my usual hundred-mile-an-hour personal preference, I appreciated the depth of character-building that took place and the subtle world-building through the characters’ thoughts.  Here’s a nice tease:

Miki’s lean body slowly undulated, bubbles streaming down from her nose. Her empty hands pointed up, stretching for the refracted beams of sunlight just beyond her reach. Her graceful swaying switched to frantic kicking and arms flailing as she fought to break free of the water and pull in a desperate breath of air.

I can totally see this scene in my head.  So well done.  The story of the pearl was interesting, letting me suspend my disbelief at the insta-love between Miki and Harmon.  It ended a little too neat and tidy for me, but again, that’s no reflection on the author or the story itself, just my personal preference, that I like to see characters suffer lots before the happily ever after comes.  I know, I’m a big meanie!  :)   Still, I really enjoyed the read and look forward to more of Kelly Said’s tales.

I give this little lovely 4 1/2 cupcakes!

These authors are all ones to watch, folks.  Big things will come of them, fantastic stories still to make it from their wild imaginations onto paper for our enjoyment.  Two already have novels out or upcoming, and it’s only a matter of time for the other.

Connect with these authors here:

www.juliereece.com

www.clairegillian.com

www.kellysaid.com

If you love tales of the sea and paranormal romance, this is a must read for a cool summer evening in a lounge chair with your eReader.


4 Comments

{Excerpt} The Undergarden #tidalwhispers

Holy cow!  Tidal Whispers will be released in little over a month!  Saweet!

Today I get to share a sneak peak of my story in the anthology, The Undergarden.  This is a quirky little piece that kind of fell out of nowhere when an ocean themed anthology presented itself last year.  It isn’t my typical dark and steamy bit, more of a bitter sweet story about love and the hardships that it can face.  Here’s the blurb:

Tidal Whispers

Publication date:  June 4, 2012

J. Taylor Publishing

Heart’s Desire by Julie Reece

After a terrible accident, Tessa returns to her family beach house to heal. She doesn’t expect to see her first summer crush from seven years before. Cameron, though, reappears and ignites a relationship that’s far more intense than ever before. The only problem? Summer is once again coming to an end, and this time, Tessa will have to decide whether to choose life with Cameron or to never see him again.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian

Under Poseidon’s rule, Circe is the most destructive siren in the Pacific ocean, her songs luring ships and their crew to their watery graves. Not Otis, the best halibut fisherman in the Alaskan waters. His ship, the Calypso, has avoided disaster each time Circe set her sights on him.

Given one last chance to deliver Otis to Davy Jones’ locker, Circe takes to land to waylay the handsome captain. Instead, it may be Otis himself who hooks the Siren.

Pearl of Pau’maa by Kelly Said

Should Miki choose to wed the local wealthy boy she doesn’t love, her stomach will stop grumbling. Her soul, however, will suffocate. With one last opportunity before she must concede, she sneaks off for a final dive to her hidden crate at the bottom of the seabed. What waits for her is more than a captured lobster. It’s a treasure she cannot claim without great sacrifice or true love.

The Undergarden by Jocelyn Adams

Nixie, a water sprite, lives a solitary existence as she struggles to understand the strange world beyond her waters.  When she meets one of the pink ones, a curious boy named Wyatt, their friendship blooms into a love that can exist only upon the sands that divide his solid ground from her underwater paradise. Some love, though, once born, cannot be undone, even in the face of death.

~~~~

Excerpt from The Undergarden

Nixie burst through the surface of the water with a great splash and drew in a gulp of salted sea air. As she swam to her favorite spot in the secluded bay, she took in the tangerine sky. The glowing orb dropped toward the edge of the world and set the clouds aflame. Soon, hundreds of square yellow eyes would blink to life beyond the trees.

With a grunt, she heaved her spindly body onto a flat stone, worn smooth on top by the tide’s constant indecision of in and out. Pale birds gave shrill cries overhead as they circled, searching for their next meal or some shiny treasure to pluck for their collections. She flexed her webbed fingers and toes against the warm breeze. The long, silvery strands covering her head itched where they lay along her back, so she bunched them in her hand and twisted to wring out the water.

A tiny sound drew her gaze to the sandy place where liquid met solid. A row of palm trees silhouetted against the sun sent long strips of shadow along the ground. Within the dark and light patches, a pink creature wrapped in blue cloth sat in the sand, hugging its knees to its chest.

She’d never seen a pink one up close. Curiosity urged her back into the surf, her stare locked onto the light threads covering the creature’s head. What was such a young one doing there by itself? Had its guardians abandoned it?

Submersed so only her forehead and eyes peeked above the surface, Nixie propelled herself closer until the sand brushed her chest. Only a few feet from the being, she surveyed the liquid dripping out of its eyes.

She opened her mind and searched for the intricate mental patterns that often accompanied the pink ones. Few others, who lived on the hard place, though of anything more than food and procreation, but she found a complex mind in the one before her. Sadness, mostly, and loneliness. The male referred to himself as Wyatt.

Unable to stop herself, she injected her thoughts into his. Why do your eyes leak?”

A fair-skinned face snapped up, blue eyes scanning the rolling waves. “Wh—who said that?” Wyatt stuck a scrawny finger into his ear and wiggled it.

Nixie popped her head and shoulders out of the surf. Why do you do that? Has something crawled in there?”

His eyes opened wide as they landed on her. Wiping crystal drops from his face, he jumped to his feet, stabbing a finger in her direction. “I’m not afraid of you!”

She cocked her head, and a frilly leaf of sea grass fell from her shoulder into the water. Why would you be afraid of me?”

Wyatt’s gaze fell to the ground before rising to peer through his silky fringe. “My sister calls me a ‘fraidy-cat’, but I’m not.”

Nixie grinned. You’re funny, Wyatt. Why does your heart beat so fast?”

~~~~

So, what did you think?  Would you like to read the rest, along with the other amazing stories in this collection?  Yeah?  I knew you would!  Stay tuned for more information and fun stuff in the next few weeks leading up to its release.  There might even be some publisher giveaways!


87 Comments

Random Acts of Kindness Bloghop Giveaway

Hello and welcome to another stop on the Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway hop.  Thanks so much to Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Lora from Read for Your Future for co-hosting.  To see the rest of the participants in this hop, please click the logo below and enter to win more great prizes.

GIVEAWAY – International

(These books are intended for adult audiences)

Here’s what I’m offering one lucky commenter:

A signed paperback copy of

The Glass Man

The Glass Man (Lila Gray #1)

e-book copies of

Into the Unknown

Into The Unknown

AND

Touch of Frost

Touch of Frost

AND a signed bookmark for The Glass Man (front & back shown)

  

What do you have to do to win?

It’s simple.  Just tell me where your favorite place is to read a book in the comments below.  Please include a way to reach you, email, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc. (it will only be used for the purpose of sending your prize if you should win)

I’d also be grateful for a like on Facebook and a follow on Twitter, but it’s not mandatory.

On February 22ndm I’ll choose a commenter using random.org, announce it on my blog and contact the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond.  If I don’t hear from them, another winner will be chosen.

Cheers, and good luck!


5 Comments

{Cover Reveal} Tidal Whispers

I am so excited to share this story with you this summer.  Yes, I know it’s still a ways away, but I can at least give you a sneak peak.  For now, I get to share the cover and the blurb of what you’ll find within.

And I have to say, I LOVE THIS COVER!  The colors, the underwater paradise feeling of it, the innocent curiosity in her eyes, fits the stories so well.

Without further ado, here is the little lovely:

Heart’s Desire by Julie Reece

After a terrible accident, Tessa returns to her family beach house to heal. She doesn’t expect to see her first summer crush from seven years before. Cameron, though, reappears and ignites a relationship that’s far more intense than ever before. The only problem? Summer is once again coming to an end, and this time, Tessa will have to decide whether to choose life with Cameron or to never see him again.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian

Under Poseiden’s rule, Circe is the most destructive siren in the Pacific ocean, her songs luring ships and their crew to their watery graves. Not Otis, the best halibut fisherman in the Alaskan waters. His ship, the Calypso, has avoided disaster each time Circe set her sights on him.

Given one last chance to deliver Otis to Davy Jones’ locker, Circe takes to land to waylay the handsome captain. Instead, it may be Otis himself who hooks the Siren.

Pearl of Pau’maa by Kelly Said

Should Miki choose to wed the local wealthy boy she doesn’t love, her stomach will stop grumbling. Her soul, however, will suffocate. With one last opportunity before she must concede, she sneaks off for a final dive to her hidden crate at the bottom of the seabed. What waits for her is more than a captured lobster. It’s a treasure she cannot claim without great sacrifice or true love.

The Undergarden by Jocelyn Adams

Nixie, a water sprite, lives a solitary existence as she struggles to understand the strange world beyond her waters.  When she meets one of the pink ones, a curious boy named Wyatt, their friendship blooms into a love that can exist only upon the sands that divide his solid ground from her underwater paradise. Some love, though, once born, cannot be undone, even in the face of death.

I’ve read all but one of these stories so far, and I can tell you, they are GOOD!  I’m humbled to be in the company of such talented authors.

Want to check it out?  Click below and add it to your TBR list on Goodreads.

Tidal Whispers


82 Comments

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Blog hop

Hello and welcome to another stop on the Dreaming of Books Giveaway hop.  I hope you enjoyed the holidays as much as I did, and picked up some great reads to start of 2012 with a bang.

Thanks so much to Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf for co-hosting.  To see the rest of the participants in this hop, please click the red logo below and enter to win more great prizes.

GIVEAWAY – International

(These books are intended for adult audiences)

Here’s what I’m offering one lucky commenter:

An eBook copy of

The Glass Man

The Glass Man (Lila Gray #1)

Into the Unknown

Into The Unknown

An Advanced Reader’s copy of my new novella, Touch of Frost

Coming February 1, 2012 (SQUEE!!)

Touch of Frost

AND a signed bookmark for The Glass Man (front & back shown)

  

What do you have to do to win?

Leave me a comment at the bottom of this post telling me what your 2012 New Years resolution is, if you have one.  If not, just say hi!  Please include a way to reach you, email, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc. (it will only be used for the purpose of sending your prize if you should win)

I’d also be grateful for a like on Facebook and a follow on Twitter, but it’s not mandatory.

On January 19th, I’ll choose a commenter using random.org, announce it on my blog and contact the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond.  If I don’t hear from them, another winner will be chosen.

Cheers, and good luck!


34 Comments

3 must-read series’ to ask Santa for #giveaway

Welcome, and thanks for stopping by on your tour around the Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop.  I know I’m always looking for some recommendations for great urban fantasy and paranormal romance reads, so I thought I’d share some recent finds I thoroughly enjoyed.  You can take them off to the nearest mall and whisper them into Santa’s ear.  I’ve already made my list.  Have you?

Maybe I can put something a little extra in your stocking this year.  Click the logo above to continue along the tour and enter to win more great prizes.

GIVEAWAY – International

I’m going to give away the following to one lucky commenter:

An eBook copy of

The Glass Man

Into the Unknown

AND an Advanced Reader’s copy of my new novella, Touch of Frost

What do you have to do to win?

Just leave me a comment at the bottom of this post recommending your favorite UF or PNR book or series before 7pm on December 27th.  I’ll choose a poster at random and post the winner on December 28th.  Don’t forget to leave me a way to reach you (email, twitter account, facebook account, etc.)

Here are my top 3 must-read series for the PNR & UF lovers

3.  Demonica Series by Larissa Ione – Steam rating – 4/5

The covers of this series aren’t very imaginative (though quite identifiable), but the content within is unique and held me rapt book after book.

This series centers around a hospital for demons, Underground General, starring mainly the three seminus demon brothers, Eidolon the doctor, Shade the finder of things and heavy-hitter of the bunch, and Wraith, the vampire, all three incubus’s and faced with nearly impossible relationships.

I love the relationship between these three leading men, each starring in their own book in the series, along with their half brother & sister, Lore & Sin later on.  The fights they get into would scare you skinny, but Ione does a great job of showing their deep-rooted affection for one another when things go awry and they lean on the others for support.

The sex scenes are descriptive enough to be satisfying, but not so raunchy as to offend those of us with more delicate tastes in that department.  As each of these tasty men meet the loves of their lives, we see their struggle with what they are and the relationship they want–always with a price attached.  If I’ve come near the end of the book and I’m still squirming in my seat, I call it a keeper.  The endings are short and sweet, and often set up a little something for the next book in the series.  Definitely on my have-ta-read list.

2.  Mercedes Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs – Steam rating 1/5

Mercy Thompson is a VW mechanic, not your typical profession for a heroine.  I loved it.  She’s also a walker, a coyote shifter different from other types of shifters and werewolves because she can transform instantly and holds a little magic from her native heritage.

This series has lots of action and excitement, as well as some romance and suspense.  She lives in a trailer and the alpha of the local werewolf pack is her back yard neighbor, whom she pisses off by putting a junky looking VW bug between their houses.  You see, Adam is a bit of a neat freak and a control freak, but because she’s not part of the pack, nor is she defying him outright, he can’t do much about it.  It sets off their relationship on a very interesting and tension-filled path.

Add in a sexy ex-boyfriend who somehow manages to become her room mate, a yummy vampire who may or may not have a romantic interest in her, and the heat continues throughout the books.  I was a little disappointed that all of the sex takes place off camera, but it didn’t detract enough to affect my enjoyment of the series.

1.  Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews – Steam rating 4/5

I’m not big on the covers for this series, but what I found within gave me immense enjoyment.  I’ve always loved a post-apocalyptic sort of setting, and this one delivered quite a unique one.  Magic has destroyed a lot of the world.  When it flares, it knocks out all electronic devices and leaves everything dark except for the fae lanterns that come on for safety.

Kate is … well, I’m not really sure we learned exactly what she is, only that her father is powerful and she has to remove any traces of her blood she may leave.  If dear daddy finds her through the magic in her blood, she’d be in trouble.

The icing on this intriguing cake is Curran, the lion shifter beast lord.  He’s scary as hell and yummy enough to star in a fantasy or two, especially when he challenges Kate to a bet (which she loses) and the penalty is for her to serve him supper … naked.  Ha!  The tension between these two picks up heat in book two as Kate is dragged more and more into shifter business and other disasters that affect the beast lord enough he jumps in to help.  I can’t wait for the next one of this series to come out.

I’ve given you my favorites, now don’t forget to leave yours in the comments below for your chance to win.  Good luck!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Be well.

Love lots.

Smile often.


9 Comments

It’s scary in my room

I came across a story I wrote for my young daughter this morning and decided to share it with you.  I plan to make only one copy of this once I finish the illustrations so Wee B will have a one of a kind book of her very own.

Enjoy!

It’s Scary in my Room

Fresh from her bubble bath and snuggled by the fire in her pink pajamas, Brianna played happily with her favorite dolly, Melanie.

“It’s time for bed Sweet Pea”, her daddy called from up stairs.

Brianna jumped up with Melanie squeezed in her arms.  It couldn’t be bed time already, she thought.  Her room was scary at night, and she didn’t want to go.  Then she had an idea.  Maybe if she hid, just maybe, Daddy would let her stay up a little while longer.

On tippy toes, Brianna and Melanie pitter-pattered into the spare bedroom, climbed the side of the giant bed and crawled under the puffy covers, leaving only their little pink noses poking out.

“Where is my little Sweet Pea,” Daddy sang as Brianna listened to him creep down the creaky stairs.  “Is she in the toy box?”

Brianna watched through the bedroom door as he pulled out a fluffy brown bear, and a noisy red train.

“No, she’s not hiding in the toys,” Daddy said.  “Is she behind the sofa?”

He crouched down to look behind the fat green sofa.  “Nope, she’s not there either.  I wonder where my little girl could be.”

Clutching Melanie tighter, Brianna couldn’t hold in her giggles.

Daddy leaped into the bedroom and peeled back the covers.  “I found you!”  He tossed Brianna and Melanie over his shoulder like a little sack of potatoes, and trotted up the stairs with her, laughing all the way.

After a frosty glass of milk, and an extra long brushing of her tiny white teeth, Daddy took Brianna’s hand and led her into her purple bedroom.

“But it’s scary in my room.”  Brianna hugged Melanie even tighter.

“Oh dear,” Daddy said with a gasp.  “I didn’t know Scary came to visit your room.  Why don’t you show me where he hides and we’ll chase him away?”

Brianna scratched her head and scrunched up her face.  After a little think, she nodded yes.  “In the closet,” she said with a shudder, pointing a small finger towards the white doors in the corner.

Daddy pulled the doors open with a creak and a squeak.  He looked high, around pink and white dresses, rain coats and Halloween costumes, under the Easter basket and over the summer hats and behind the colorful box of zoo animals.

Brianna looked low, crawling around sneakers, slippers and pink sandals with flowers on the buckle, under yellow rubber boots with blue polka dots and over the ladybug backpack and behind the green laundry hamper with dragon flies on it.

“Did you find Scary?”  Daddy asked.

“No.”  Brianna said with a sigh and a smile.  “We must have scared him away.”

“Where else?”  Daddy asked.

Brianna scratched her head and scrunched up her face.  “The bed,” she whispered.

Daddy looked high on the top bunk, around the dollies with red hair and curly hair and blond hair in pig tails, under the purple quilt and over puffy pillows and behind the fuzzy pink pony.

Brianna looked low, around the stray socks and books and her fluffy grey kitty, under her favorite pink blanket and over the green bear that Grandma gave her and behind the poster of her favorite princesses.

“Did you find Scary?”  Daddy asked.

“No.”  Brianna said, smiling even wider.  “We must have scared him away.”

“Anywhere else?”  Daddy said.

Brianna scratched her head and scrunched up her face.  “The desk.”  She pointed to the little wooden table beside the bunk bed.

Daddy looked high on the shelf, around the crafts of pipe cleaners and glue and toilet paper rolls, under paper drawings of houses and suns and over a box of crayons and behind the pencil sharpener.

Brianna looked low, around the chair with its green squishy cushion and wobbly legs, under the pencil box with a rainbow on top and over books about ABCs and around a lamp in the shape of a lamb.

“Did you find Scary?”  Daddy asked.

“No.”  Brianna said with a smile as wide as her face.  “We must have scared him away.”  She leaped into her Daddy’s arms and squeezed him.

Daddy nestled Brianna into her bed with Melanie close beside her.  He read her a book about trains, kissed her round cherry cheeks and tucked her cozy blankets around her.

“Thanks for chasing Scary out of my room Daddy,” Brianna whispered as she closed her eyes and pressed Melanie against her face.

Once in a while Scary came back to visit, but when he did, Brianna and her Daddy knew just what to do.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

        


4 Comments

Happy release day! #IntoTheUnknown

Happy release day to my fellow authors, J. A. Belfield and Aimee Laine.  Our collective short stories release today with J. Taylor Publishing in the Into the Unknown anthology.

Woo hoo!  I can’t believe it’s December 1st already.  All year it seemed like October took a million years to arrive for the release of my debut novel, and now Liam Kane (Hero from The Glass Man) is starring in his own little short from his perspective.

After being inside Lila’s head for so long, it took some serious brain twisting to get into Liam’s head and voice.  After a few drafts, I finally managed it.  I think.  I’ll let you be the judge.

Here’s the blurb:

Three men never expected love to wreak so much havoc in their lives.

In Marked, Darkness & Light’s Sean Holloway is on a mission—to find the perfect gift for the woman of his dreams. When all conventional choices turn out to be the wrong ones, each failed attempt convinces Sean his self-imposed task is impossible. But in the world of the Holloway Pack, anything is possible if it can be kept a secret.

In Misguided, Little White Lies’s Wyatt Moreland is hot on the trail of a wanted man when a rumor about his fiancée halts his progress. His desire to keep her safe wars with her need to be involved in his work and could derail their entire wedding unless he finds out the truth before she does.

In Tempted, The Glass Man’s Liam Kane made a promise to the fae he loves never to use his power to harm others. When a horrific event angers him, the energy boiling inside seduces him into walking a dark path. He has but one choice: resist his own nature or give up the one he loves.

Will the three men make the right choices? Or will their actions destroy their futures with the women they love?

For anyone who loves paranormal romance and urban fantasy, this is a great taste of three different worlds, three different writing styles and three wonderful love stories.  It also includes the first chapters from J. A. Belfield’s Darkness & Light, Aimee Laine’s Little White Lies, and The Glass Man.

 

To kick off the release, J. Taylor Publishing is hosting a terrific giveaway.  Click here to check it out.

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