TUESDAY TALES - PIC PROMPT!

Thanks for stopping by. My story snippet is from a WIP titled, Under the Midnight Moon. This will be the third sweet romance in the moonlight series. Release date has not been set yet.

Enveloped by the peaceful darkness around her, Mindy watched the midnight moonlight dance on the surface of the lake. She realized how vulnerable she  was, alone in the sparsely wooded area abutting the lake, when she heard a twig crack. Fear produced moisture on her palms as a large figure approached.

“Drew! What are you doing here?” A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

He stepped out of the shadow of a tall pine tree. The moonlight caught the gleam of gold in his blond hair. His eyes were shadowed but Mindy felt the heat of his stare.

“Came to see you. What else?”

“You’re not supposed to be here.” she stepped back.

“Why not? We can meet and…talk, can’t we?” He moved closer to her, his hand closing around hers.

“Only talk… can we?  If Angels, Inc. finds out…I’ll lose my grant.”

“Who’s going to tell?” He inched closer, slipping his arm around her waist.

“But it’s against the rules. If we get caught…”

Her words died in the air as his lips closed on hers starting a tide of emotion. She rested her palms against his chest, intending to push him away. Instead, she slid them up until they circled his neck. He pulled her to him, deepening the kiss. The air stood still.

Drew parted from her. One hand brushed through her dark hair while the other rested on her waist.

“Too many people are counting on me.” Mindy stepped back. “This is too risky.”
 “Meet me here every night, under the midnight moon,” he whispered.

“But…”

“I want to be alone with you…even if only for a few minutes. Here, every day...after the show.”

She raised her lips to his, drifting into the bliss of another kiss.

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FIRST CHAPTER FRIDAY, THE RENOVATED HEART

Thanks for stopping by. This week my newest release, The Renovated Heart is in the spotlight. Come read the first chapter free and check out my latest feature, News, at the bottom of the post. Lots of new things are happening so stop by to check up on upcoming new releases and such.

A little bit about the book

Can a broken heart be renovated like an old house? Kit’s life came to a halt when her husband slapped her with a divorce. Finding herself without a job or a place to live, she’s forced to take Tunney Nichols up on his offer of cheap rent for his parent’s house.The catch: she must allow him to renovate while she’s living there. Out of fear, Kit tells a lie she soon regrets as she is drawn to the sexy man plastering and painting his way into her heart.

Can Sarah forget the abuse from her late husband? Can she fix her heart and the hearts of her children?  With her two children in tow, Sarah relocates to be near her sister, she meets Jim, a neighbor and English professor. A mutual interest in writing, paves the way for a friendship that blossoms into romance. But is Jim the right man for Sarah or does another man from her past still light her fire?

CLICK HERE FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER
(this link has been corrected)

For more about my books, click here for my website

News
Update on The Dating List - I am writing the book now and expect to release it in mid September.
Another new release due in September! My first military romance and my first experience writing with a partner - Love, Lost & Found will be released in September. My partner, Ben Tanner, and I will be sharing the cover as soon as it is available.
Thanks for stopping by! 
Buy links:
AMAZON
SECRET CRAVINGS PUBLISHING 

BARNES & NOBLE 

BOOKSTRAND

ALL ROMANCE eBOOKS

 

TUESDAY TALES - A PEEK AT THE DATING LIST

Writing to the prompt "blue", here's an excerpt from my newest endeavor, The Dating List, a work-in-progress. This scene takes place in a fancy men's clothing store in Manhattan where Leah, Grey & Carrie's friend, has taken Grey's brother, Colin, to buy some new clothes. Leah, in the fashion business, is outfitting our hero, not an unpleasant task:

 “A shirt. Stan he needs a dress shirt. Can't tell about the fit with a t-shirt on.”

“Right away…Miss, uh…Miss…”

“Golden, Leah Golden.”

“White?”

She nodded.

“I’d say he’s a…” Stan closed one eye as his gaze scanned Colin’s torso, “sixteen thirty-five?”

“Think so,” Colin said.

  Before Colin could turn around twice in front of the mirror, Stan was back and unwrapping a fresh dress shirt.

“T-shirt off!” Leah ordered, waving her hand at him.

Colin handed the sports jacket to Leah and ripped his t-shirt over his head exposing a well-muscled chest covered lightly with dark brown hair. She coughed to cover her delight at seeing his fine physique. Her fingers itched to touch him.

“Something wrong?” Colin questioned, his mouth drawn into a frown.

“Shirt, Stan!” Leah commanded before sucking on her lower lip and balling her hand into a fist.

Stan jolted out of his temporary reverie and thrust the shirt into Colin’s hands. Then he held up the jacket. As soon as Colin finished buttoning the shirt, he reached for his belt. Stan put his hand on the young man’s bicep and raised his eyebrows.

“Shouldn’t you at least turn around or are you and the lady…uh…on…intimate terms?”

Although he said it quietly, Leah felt her face grow hot. She turned around to give Colin privacy and hide her embarrassment.

“You can turn around now,” Colin said, buckling his belt.

Leah spun around slowly. He slipped the navy blue jacket on again. Leah approached him. This time she walked around back behind him. Her hands again smoothed out the small wrinkle made by the fabric being pulled taut across his shoulders, only more slowly this time, more sensuously. He stood completely still as she ran her hands back and forth across his shoulders.

“This one pulls a little, Stan. Take it off, sweetie.”

“With shoulders like that, they may all pull a little.”

Here's a sneak peek at the cover:

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TAKE MY PIX, PLEASE - STEVE JOACHIM

Welcome! This is the first of the "Take My Pix, Please" blogs carrying pictures for writers to take for free and use on blogs, for book covers, websites. No compensation, no attribution necessary. My son, Steve, took some incredible shots on his college study trip to the Colorado Plateau. I have received his permission to give these photos away. So he has the first blog. These 20 pix were all taken by Steve Joachim. I hope you enjoy them. Please let us know what you think.

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Baby rattler.
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We hope you find these pix useful as well as enjoyable. Please let us know if this idea is worthwhile and you can use the pix. Thank you for stopping by.



My website

SCP Summer Fun Scavenger Hunt!

THE WINNERS FOR THEIR CHOICE OF ANY ONE OF MY BOOKS ARE:

ANGELA COVE

FLOSSIE BENTON ROGERS

LISA GEORGE

CONGRATULATIONS. I WILL GET IN TOUCH TO ARRANGE FOR YOUR FREE BOOK.

Welcome to the Secret Cravings Publishing Summer Scavenger Hunt! Here's what you can win and how to win it:

Prizes include-

Grand Prize- Kindle Fire

First Place- $50 gift certificate to SCP's website

Second Place- $25 gift certificate to SCP's website

3 commenters will win their choice of one of my books. So leave a comment with your email addy!!!

Please visit as many SCP authors' blogs as you can for more chances to win individual prizes as well as the Kindle Fire being offered by Secret Cravings Publishing. On each blog, find the summer/beach "badge" or picture hidden on the blog and make a note of it and where you found it (which blog). Please enter a valid email address and a comment at each blog stop. Please DO NOT leave the location of the picture in the comment section. Save all your answers and email to secretcravingspublishing@yahoo.com.

*All answers for picture description must be in ONE email to the above mentioned email address.*

 Winners and main prizes will be announced on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 here and on Secret Cravings facebook fan page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Secret-Cravings-Publishing/

Winners of my books will be announced Monday night. 

Search for the picture on my blog, Jean Joachim, starting now:

 I went to the beach and was surprised to be surrounded by hunky young guys. They all wanted to know how to get girls. (Right! Like they'd have a problem?) My advice? Be different. Read a romance book. That'll bring girls flocking to your side. They asked me to suggest books, here's how I paired them up.

This young man was looking for a woman about his own age. I recommended, Now and Forever 1, a Love Story...
I offered to read it to him but he declined. Sigh.

  Bit about the book

Can Callie Richards turn her life of tragedy and heartache around on the campus of Kensington State University? Braving the school on her own, Callie meets the handsome dean, Mac Caldwell. As she and Mac draw closer and she makes new friends, a deadly campus drug ring sets their sights on her with heart-breaking results.  An emotional story, this is not a cookie-cutter romance. You’ll laugh and cry as Callie struggles to make a new life, find love and find her satisfying, happy ending.

 These guys were all retired military. When I told them about Now and Forever 2, the Book of Danny, they raced to get to their computers to order their copies. LOL!

A bit about the book

Can an Army expert sharp shooter, killer and womanizer create a normal life after the military? Danny retreats to a small town to teach English at the local college. He struggles to overcome his post-traumatic stress syndrome and make a new life. Will his progress be derailed when until his drunken, abusive father is released from prison and seeks him out? Determined to leave his horrific past behind, Danny attempts to forge a new path that includes love, success, friends and having his own family but dark forces coupled with emotional obstacles block his way. The Book of Danny is a poignant story of love, loss and ultimate triumph that will touch your heart.

This guy likes to read slightly longer books...& attract more than 1 chick! Menage? I recommended Now and Forever 3, Blind Love, my longest book yet. Sigh. I offered to read it to him, in bed, but he already has seven better offers...

 A bit about the book:

 Can a handsome, charming, womanizing professor win the heart of a temporarily blind ballerina? Love comes to the university as Peter Caldwell, dashing Art History professor and accomplished pianist meets Lara Stewart, ballerina.  Peter can’t seduce with her with his devastating good looks because Lara can’t see. Obsessed with the one woman he can’t have, Peter has to learn how to love.

Sam Caldwell joins Peter, Mac, Callie and his grandchildren. Witty and attractive, Sam isn’t looking for a woman but finds love isn’t only for the young but the young at heart as well.

Small town secrets feed a blackmailer and blackmail on campus is paid with sexual favors. Blind Love is a roller coaster ride of twists and turns. This full length novel is three parts love and passion mixed with one part intrigue, stirred up with a twist of mystery and heated up to three flames. 

 This young man was so embarrassed to admit he was lonely, he wouldn't let me take his full picture. So...I got just the important parts. Ahem *clears throat*. I recommended my new release, The Renovated Heart.

A bit about the book:

Can a broken heart be renovated like an old house? Kit’s life came to a halt when her husband slapped her with a divorce. Finding herself without a job or a place to live, she’s forced to take Tunney Nichols up on his offer of cheap rent for his parent’s house.The catch: she must allow him to renovate while she’s living there. Out of fear, Kit tells a lie she soon regrets as she is drawn to the sexy man plastering and painting his way into her heart.

Can Sarah forget the abuse from her late husband? Can she fix her heart and the hearts of her children?  With her two children in tow, Sarah relocates to be near her sister, she meets Jim, a neighbor and English professor. A mutual interest in writing, paves the way for a friendship that blossoms into romance. But is Jim the right man for Sarah or does her old college sweetheart still light her fire?

Good luck! Don't forget to leave a comment with your email
addy!  
Here is my beach "badge" for this scavenger hunt.  

TO GET TO THE OTHER BLOGS ON THE SCAVENGER HUNT, CLICK HERE!

All books are available at the Secret Cravings Publishing website. Click Here!

 Check out my website here