FREE Additional Scene from LORD OF THUNDER, an Award-Winning, Sensuous Sci-Fi Trilogy by Linda Mooney

This month, I'm offering up a free additional scene from LORD OF THUNDER, an Award-Winning, Sensuous Sci-Fi Romance Trilogy!

Rion takes his son Kerr to the hospital to see Annie, and to meet the newest member of their family.

Free! Additional Scene From 4-POINT STAR, a Sensuous Sci-Fi Romance by Linda Mooney

This month, I'm offering up a free additional scene from 4-POINT STAR, a Sensuous Sci-Fi Romance!

With their initial two-year mission coming to a close, everyone agrees to sign on again for another stint once their mandatory vacation/down time is over, thus keeping their Gaspiel intact.

All except for Sienna, their Visl. She’s been very quiet these past few days. And when she finally reveals to them the reason why she cannot take on another mission with them, they don’t know whether to be devastated…or elated.

 

Additional Scene from SLASH, a Paranormal Romance by Linda Mooney

This month, I'm offering up a free additional scene from SLASH, a Contemporary Paranormal Romance!

The time has come when Michael tells Sonia they can no longer be law enforcement partners. Dogs don’t have long lifespans, which means they’re going to have to come up with some sort of solution.

Fortunately, the answer is a lot closer than she expects.

Additional Scene from THE GIFTED, a Contemporary Sci-Fi Romance by Linda Mooney

This month, I'm offering up a FREE additional scene from THE GIFTED, a Contemporary Sci-Fi Romance!

Robin takes great care to note what Sah'Reena eats and drinks. Because of her alien metabolism, some foods humans take for granted can be toxic for her. In spite of the inherent dangers, she's always willing to try new things. 

It's when they're invited to a business dinner party that they discover that some toxicities aren't always deadly. In fact, some can be quite...sexy.

Here Be News

Other News:

Veronica Scott's Dancer of the Nile, a tale of romance, adventure and fantasy in ancient Egypt, is currently FREE at all major eBook retailers and reached #8 in Amazon Kindle Free books over the weekend!

Buy Links:

Amazon   Barnes & Noble   All Romance eBooks  iBooks   Kobo   Google Play

And it's last day to get Test Drive FREE, these other contemporary romances and the McCauley Brothers on sale.

Always My Girl by Samantha Chase: http://amzn.to/2fRVPUS

Test Drive by Marie Harte: http://amzn.to/2fRSuoI

I'll Stand by You by Sharon Sala: http://amzn.to/2fRXz0u

The McCauleys

How Much Time Do You Have?

Following up on Linda's post from the other day, I also believe reading is one way to create some winter magic of your very own. But what if your schedule is jam packed? Or packed with jam?

Winter magic -- snow, cold weather, ice crystals, and lots of celebrating! Let's keep this short but sweet, friends. During the winter holiday season, you may not have as many blocks of time to read. You're busy. Aren't we all? But a little light reading -- losing yourself and your stress in a quick story -- might make all the difference between a good day and a bad one.

May I suggest the following FREE FREE FREE micro story anthology? All the stories are designed to be read quickly, between work, errands, and so on. Tiny Treats -- A Holiday Collection

My story is about a heroine with nobody to kiss at New Year's due to some magicus interruptus! Here's how it starts...

***

At precisely 12:00 am on New Year's Day, when he came at her for a celebratory kiss, Ana's date turned into a pumpkin.

"Crap!" Ana snatched up the large gourd before any of her fellow revelers smashed it. The residual effects of the spell should prevent bystanders from noticing the transmogrification, but the spell to change Jimmy back into the human he’d been ten seconds ago wouldn’t work on pumpkin pulp.

She was going to kill that damn cat. This time, she was really going to do it.

Leading with the pumpkin, she pushed free of the throng. Confetti and balloons drifted from the ceiling as the crowd broke into a drunken rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Her stilettos pinched her toes with every stomp.

Not that the date had been going fabulously—it was hard for a sorceress to relax with a normal, even one as cute as Jimmy—but she’d been dateless for too long. The last man who’d truly interested her... Well, the less said about him the better.

Except she’d be saying a lot of things to him here in about twenty minutes. Threatening things.

***

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone, and have a grand new year with much chocolate and stuff.

Jody Wallace

Smart. Snarky. Seductive. And that's just the books.

http://www.jodywallace.com * http://www.meankitty.com

Wedding Week ~ A Sight to Dream Of

I went to a lovely wedding last week. My editor got married and I was able to attend without ever even leaving my desk. A factor I’m sure we both appreciated, given the deadline I’m currently working under. But, before you decide I'm crazy, let me to explain how it happened.

The wedding took place in Las Vegas where, apparently, some chapels now broadcast live feeds of the events held there. As you might imagine, my technophilic heart was in ecstasy when I found out about that! All you need is to know the date, time and location of the ceremony and you can tune in. I imagine you could tune in at random, if you wanted to, and view the weddings of complete strangers as well.  Although, why you’d want to do something like that I…uh…hmm.

Ahem . Yeah. Sorry about all those plot bunnies I just unleashed. 

Anyway, I just thought that story, combining real life romance with technology, merging virtual and literal realities, as it did, was perfect to share on this first day of wedding week, since all week long we'll be sharing wedding related posts and wedding excerpts from our books.

This scene, which comes from A Sight to Dream Of (Oberon series, book 2), is part of the first wedding I ever wrote. 

....

The garden looked lovely, Lucy was pleased to notice, as she followed Kate and Mandy through the trellised arches she’d had set up along the processional path.  Not as lovely as it would have looked in  May, of course, but all in all, not too shabby, if she did say so herself. 

The freshly cut grass, the roses and the geraniums which were still in bloom, and the ancient bay laurel trees at the foot of the garden all provided for an intoxicating blend of fragrances.  The sun was warm, the air was still and the faint golden glow to the leaves of the Japanese maples that stood at either side of the gazebo’s entrance were in perfect harmony with the pale yellow of Scout’s dress.

She was relieved to see only smiles on the faces of the guests--even her parents.  Still, she wasn’t at all sorry that she’d had that little talk with the officiating minister.  There would be no asking if anyone knew of a reason why this couple should not be wed. 

She figured there had been enough of that, already.  

But as they entered the gazebo, and she caught sight of Nick’s face, she had to wonder if she’d had any real cause for worry.  Surely no one could observe the look that passed between her cousin and Scout and still doubt they were in love.  She was only sorry they’d had to waste so much time apart. 

Twenty years!  Longer even than she and Dan had known one another.  What would it be like, she couldn’t help but wonder, if they had been separated for all that time?  The thought was like taking a hammer blow to her lungs, and her gaze flew to her husband’s face.  She wouldn’t have traded all the fancy weddings in the world for one instant of their marriage.  She couldn’t wait to get him alone again, so she could tell him just that.

She started to smile, but the look on his face as he stared back at her was so intensely intimate that she felt her breath stutter to a halt again.  She was recalled only by a sharp pinch on her arm. 

“Stop it!”  Marsha edged closer to whisper in her ear, “Get a room, if you two are gonna carry on like that!”

Lucy was so relieved to see the tiny spark of humor in her friend’s eyes that she almost didn’t mind the warm tide of blood flooding into her cheeks.  “You better start being nicer to me,” she whispered right back.  “Or there’ll be no dessert for you!”

....

Dan had watched as Lucy crossed the lawn in her shimmery, rose colored dress.  Regal as a queen, eyes shifting here and there to check on every detail, making sure that everything was as it should be.  And so damn lovely it made his chest hurt.  He couldn’t take his eyes off her.  But as the ceremony went forward, and her expression gradually shifted from satisfied to wistful to bleak, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was regretting not having had a wedding like this herself. 

For the first time in sixteen years, he found himself second-guessing some of the decisions he had made back then.  Decisions which had determined the course of both their lives. 

He had been desperate.  And he had been selfish.  And if the same set of circumstances were to arise again tomorrow, he knew he’d probably make the same decisions all over again.

She looked over at him then, the faintest trace of a smile on her lips; but still more of a smile than he could manage as he wondered if she would still be able to smile at him if she knew the whole truth.  When she knew the whole truth, he thought bleakly.  Because it was suddenly clear to him that he’d been fooling himself all these years.  Nothing stayed hidden forever.  Sooner or later the truth would come out.  And then where would they be?

He was almost relieved when she started and colored and her eyes slid away from his face, as she and Marsha exchanged brief whispers.  He tore his own eyes away from her then, putting aside his own worries, for the time being, and concentrating instead, on the wedding that was taking place.


....

No more waiting.  It was the only thought in Nick’s head, clearer and more compelling than any of the words being spoken.  As he gazed into Scout’s eyes, ready to speak the words that would bind her to him legally, he found himself growing more and more impatient with the pace of the proceedings.  It was only a formality, after all.  In his heart, he’d been bound to her for twenty years.  Now, standing there with her hands in his, he didn’t want to wait another second.

Just a few more seconds, Scout repeated to herself, trying to get a grip on the nervousness that had seized her.  A lifetime of rejection and loss had not prepared her for having her dreams come true, and she was horribly certain that something would occur--any second, now--to intervene.  She stared into Nick’s eyes, her mind gone blank with panic, waiting for disaster to strike.  But then he began to speak, reciting the words they’d rehearsed only yesterday, in a voice that was sure and steady and she suddenly found that she could breathe again.

And then it was her turn.

She knew the garden--her garden.  No, their garden, now--was filled with all the people they cared about, but she was aware of only Nick.  Nick’s eyes.  Nick’s smile.  Nick’s hands holding hers so tightly.  She returned his smile, stumbling a little over her words as she did.

It was as if the past and the present were finally merging, to create a base for her future.  A future full of love and happiness and Nick.  Deep within her belly she felt their baby move again, and her breath caught as she blinked in surprise.  She watched Nick’s smile widen into a knowing grin, and found herself grinning back at him. 

As he took her into his arms at last, she knew that she was embracing more than just her new husband, or the new family they were creating together.  She was embracing the future. 

For the first time in as long as Scout could remember, she actually had a future to embrace.


....

I’m currently offering a free download of the series prequel, Such Fleeting Pleasures, to anyone who joins my Facebook Group, The Crone’s Nest.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheCronesNest