Wowzers!

COVER REVEAL!!!!

I'm so thrilled to show off my beautiful new cover, for Beyond the Shadows, coming soon from The Wild Rose Press. Arial Burnz is the cover artist (she also did Affinity)and I'm blown away by how perfectly she has captured the essence of the story. I even had a friend point out to me the shadow hand on Kelly's (our heroine) shoulder! Details like the small cross Kelly wears made me want to cry. It is amazing. I can't say enough about this incredible cover artist. I'm definitely going to employ her services when I can afford some swanky new digs on the internet! If you need any graphics done, I highly recommend going to visit her here - Mystical Press.

My Best Friend, My Mum

It's Mother's Day here today and although I'm being treated like the Queen I am, had bacon and eggs made for breakfast, served with proper coffee - I'm feeling a little sad. Its Mother's Day and I'm missing my own mum - terribly. We live too far away! So I thought I'd dedicate my blog today to the most amazing, intelligent, beautiful, caring and funny person I know. I want to be just like her when I grow up.

My mum, Bernice Taylor

Told ya she is beautiful :)

I'm the only daughter in a family of four kids and as such, I suppose you would think that I was a little spoiled. Sure I got my own room while my three brothers had to squeeze into one, and I finally got a horse after years of wheedling in my annoyingly high voice, but apart from that, mum made sure that's as far as the spoiling got! 

She taught me wonderful life lessons, without me knowing what she was doing. One of my first memories is her taking me to her work one day. I think I must have been about five years old. At the time, she worked in a rest home. I vividly remember her giving me the important job of feeding an elderly lady her breakfast of porridge, but after giving me instructions on how to do it. With careful movements and watching for the lady's reactions, I tipped the jar up, and let it drop again when she had a mouthful. It was a powerful moment for me. All at once, it taught me many lessons. 

* It's important to care for and respect others, especially the elderly. They are us at some stage in our lives, and we all deserve to be loved and cared for. 

* Patience. I admit, I'm not the best at this, but that memory of helping this particular lady stays with me when I feel I'm losing my patience. Things take time. Bit by bit, whatever you're trying to do will get done, as long as you keep at it. And sometimes, it is all the richer for taking the time to enjoy it.

* Empathy. That one simple act taught me to put myself into another's shoes. Suddenly, I felt how she might be feeling. Even at five years old, I knew I wanted to make her comfortable and to reassure her that at that moment, there was nothing else I wanted to do more than to spend that time with her. She was important, and it was important to me that she knew that.

* The circle of life. Sadly, this lady died only a few days after my time spent with her. For a while there, I thought I'd somehow caused her death by feeding her breakfast. Had I feed her too fast? What had I done wrong? Finally, I asked my mum, who was quick to inform me that no, it wasn't my fault, and proceeded to explain to me that it was just her time and that is just how life works. After her explanation, I felt lucky to have known this lady, to have been a part of the end of her life, to have shared a part of my youth and energy. Maybe I'd helped ease her into the afterlife - whatever that may be. I feel honoured by that thought.

This is just one of many instances I remember my mother guiding me. Many times, I didn't understand at the time. To be honest, I don't know if even she knew she was! Its not until you're an adult yourself that you can see situations clearly for what they were. But she often tells others I was a perfect child (so those eyes in the back of the head were sometimes blinded then? Thank God!), but I've also had the luxury of watching her mother my brothers. This is a good thing because as we all know, boys are a totally different species than girls! My two youngest brothers are fairly close in age, and as such, had a love/hate relationship with each other. Okay - much closer to an all-out hate relationship back then. One day, mum must have been at her wits end after the boys had come to blows and called each other names, screaming at the top of their lungs. Enough was enough. You've all seen the 'get-along shirts' on Facebook? Yes? Well - my mum, incredibly intelligent woman that she is (and well before her time, I reckon) came up with a solution eerily similar. She tied their wrists together. For. the. whole. day. Over the day, they had to learn how to get on together. They even had to visit the bathroom together! Can you imagine? Those memories still make me giggle. Thinking outside of the square is one of the many talents my mum possessed as a young mother. I wish I was as innovative as she was then! 

Honestly - I could go on about this incredible woman, but I might just leave it there for now. Some family embarrassments secrets should be kept in the family, only to be brought out during milestone   birthdays. Believe me, I've got a few tucked away - and it is my Dad's 60th next year, so I'm keeping them close to my chest! :)  

Suffice to say, Mum has molded me into the person I am today and I'm thankful for her love, belief,  unwavering support and all-round cheer-leading for me and my brothers, no matter what we choose to pursue in life. I'm so blessed to have her in my life and for my own children to benefit from having her in theirs too. Now, we just need to move closer to enjoy each other even more. 

Love you, Mum, xxoo

Official Blurb for Beyond The Shadows

I'm so excited to have received the official blurb today for my THIRD book (weeeee!!! Can you believe it??)

Getting that email today makes it another step towards becoming reality and not just a dream. Someone - pinch me!

BEYOND THE SHADOWS

He’s immersed in shadows—can she help him fight his way to the light?

Constable Kelly Appleton’s life turns upside down when her partner—the man she secretly loves—is shot. The lines between work and pleasure blur as she helps him recuperate, but frighteningly, his hold on reality loosens too.

After his brush with death, Nathaniel O’Leary questions everything—his life, his relationships, even his recent capture of a serial killer. When ghosts and an ominous shadow come calling, Nate struggles to stay grounded. Suddenly, keeping his hands off his sexy partner is the least of his problems.

As Kelly and Nathaniel work together to right a possible miscarriage of justice, they realize the shadow is a portent of death directly related to the serial killer. Terror strikes when the shadow reveals Kelly is the next target.

With evil closing in, can their love banish the shadows forever?

I can't wait to share this story with you all - but in the meantime, here is a little taste of how I visualize Nate...enjoy...

Doing the Happy Dance!

WOOHOOO!!!!

Yep - that's EXACTLY how I feel right at this moment!

Last week, I got a wonderful email from THE best editor in the world (Fran, you rock) saying she would like to offer me a contract for BEYOND THE SHADOWS. 

This book has been the hardest one I've ever written. Its gone through more drafts than any other with lots of changes and a major re-write to the main plot, but it was totally worth it. Now, it is a book I'm super proud of and one I can't wait to share with you all.

Hot cops; sizzling chemistry; ghosts and the afterlife; a serial killer on the loose, all set in the magical land of New Zealand. These guys could be Nate and Kelly:

Oh! And the most exciting part for me? This will be available in PRINT as well as digital! That mad   dream I have of swimming about in a pile of my books re Scrooge McDuck may well be a possibility yet! :)  

Love is in the Air - Blog Hop!

Welcome to another pit-stop on the Love is in the Air Blog Hop. I’m so thrilled to be sharing such a special time on the calendar with you! J Don't forget to visit the other participating blogs (links at the bottom of this post) to increase your chances of winning lots of yummy goodies!

I will be giving one lucky commenter a PDF copy of my fantasy romance, Affinity – an international giveaway (winner announced February 15^th). Don’t forget to leave me some comment love and your email so I can send you your prize!

In the wrong hands, her gift could be a curse - in her mind, it already is.

You’re here, because like me, you love romance. There is simply no better way to indulge than to pick up a good book and lose yourself in those heady feelings only love can bring.

A good cover can take you through all those same emotions - tell a story - and I happen to think my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, are one of the best, so I thought I'd show some of them off. 

(I've also read each of these stories below and can attest to them being knock-out love stories!)

The first glance...

First Touch

First Kiss

First intimate moment



Marriage



Love in later life

Sigh…love and romance is the best don't you agree?

What is your favourite moment of the dance between two people as they embark on a relationship? Is it the build-up of the attraction; the first kiss; or the declaration?

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day with the person you love the most and good luck with all the goodies on offer during this Blog Hop.

Hoppy Hallowen

Welcome to my stop on the Howloween Blog Hop AND A Haunted Garden Halloween Hop. Yep – that’s right. TWO stops rolled into one. I’m a true multi-tasker! J Actually, it’s because I’m a terrible multi-tasker and rather forgetful at times that I forgot I’d signed up for two!)

Just let me know when you comment which hop you’re on, along with your contact email – because I’m giving away one prize to a lucky commenter for each stop! (Just quietly, there’s nothing to stop you from writing TWO comments to double your chances)

The prize is a choice between a PDF copy of either Guardian of the Jewel OR Affinity.

 

I thought about regaling you with a story or two of my own scary experiences with the spooky kind in honour of Halloween, but then thought you might think me kookier than ever J So, instead, I decided to send you on a quick ghost tour of my country instead.

I came across this gem of a list written by Kirsty Johnson from the Stuff.co.nz website who has kindly allowed me to reproduce her awesome list. Enjoy – and have a Spooktacular Halloween J

 

HAUNTED NEW ZEALAND

Top 10 Ghostly spots

1. Kingseat psychiatric hospital, Karaka.

Kingseat is a former psychiatric hospital where many patients claim they experienced maltreatment, and a number of patients died during their time there. Its reputation for hauntings spread so far and wide it is now run as a "haunted house" tourist venture by a company named Spookers.

2. Racecourse Hotel, Riccarton.

The ghost of former licensee Donald Fraser is said to walk the corridors of the hotel looking for his killer.

According to The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, in 1933 Fraser was killed in the middle of the night in his bedroom, where his wife was asleep, by two blasts from a double-barrelled shotgun.

The movements and circumstances of everyone in the house at the time, and of guests at a party held in the hotel earlier in the evening, were checked and rechecked but no one was ever found guilty of the murder.

3. Larnach Castle, Dunedin.

New Zealand's only castle is reportedly haunted by several spirits including the William Larnach himself and one of his vengeful wives.

Larnach shot himself in the head in 1898 after learning of an affair between his young third wife and one of his sons from his first marriage.

Both the first and second Mrs Larnach’s, who were half-sisters, died in the castle at age 38.

Larnach's daughter Katie is said to haunt the ballroom, built to celebrate her 21st birthday in 1886. She died just a few years later from typhoid.

 

4. Waitomo Caves Hotel, King Country.

This is New Zealand's most haunted hotel.

Bathtubs reportedly drip blood, orbs bounce around the driveway and a Maori princess is reputed to stalk the corridors, according to Theshadowlands.net.

The website says some people have experienced the dining room going cold, laughter, the feeling of 'something' walking through them and even the noise of a maid's trolley going along the long stretch of hall in the lower part of the hotel.

5. The Vulcan Hotel, St Bathans.

The Vulcan is haunted by the ghost of a murdered prostitute named 'The Rose'.

A review of the hotel from Suite 101 says the tale begins when, one evening in the early 1880s, The Rose invited the wrong customer back to her room.

Her body was found the next morning on the bed where she made her living. Her killer was never caught. She now haunts the room where she was killed, targeting male guests with her nasty nocturnal visits.

6. The Abel Tasman coast.

This legend dates back to the late 1820s when Maori chief Te Rauparaha and his allies sacked the Waimea pa in Appleby, and found the hiding place of the magnificent waka Te Awatea.

A Nelson Evening Mail article says a phantom Maori canoe, with a warrior crew chanting, can be seen in the area on still nights.

Sightings of the canoe are often accompanied by the sound of wailing women, representing the laments of the Ngati Apa people as their beloved waka was paddled away.

 

7. Waimate Hospital, Waimate.

Waimate Hospital is closed, but a tortured spirit dwells within.

It is the Grey Lady, and she is restless. The Christchurch Press wrote about the haunted hospital in 1996, saying locked doors were found open, the sound of breaking glass was reported but nothing found, and ambulance officers had told of disturbing encounters with a spirit.

Former nurses believe the Grey Lady is the spirit of a former woman patient, who died at the hospital, seeking company in an afterlife.

8. St. James Theatre, Wellington.

There are numerous ghosts reported to haunt this theatre.

According to Moonslipper.com, one of the more regular sightings is the ghost of Yuri, a Russian performer who supposedly fell to his death from above the stage.

Yuri has been encountered playing with the lights, in particular switching them all back on again once the theatre has been locked up for the night.

There is also the 'Wailing Woman', a frequent apparition who is said to wail and moan about, and a boy's choir who is said to haunt the theatre.

9. The Masonic Hotel, Napier.

The Masonic was built in the 1860s, and then rebuilt after a fire in the 1890s and again after the 1931 earthquake.

In the hotel rooms there have been several natural deaths as well as suicides - and a chef once died in the hotel's bath. Witnesses report music that comes on by itself, lights that turn on without being touched, and apparitions that appear in the night.

 

10. Spirits Bay, Far North.

Perhaps New Zealand's most famous spot for supernatural beings, Spirits Bay is believed to be a jump-off point for spirits leaving this world.

According to Maori legend, during the night hours, groups of spirits and individuals can be seen moving down the beach to a certain point and then disappearing. These spirits are very focused on reaching a particular part of the beach and will not be distracted from their goal.

 

 

Thanks so much for coming by this stop in the blog hop. I hope you had fun! Don't forget to comment for your chance to win an e-book - and make sure you stop by these blogs for another chance to win some more great prizes:

 

http://www.cheriedesues2.com

http://www.behindthegardengate.blogspot.com/

http://www.victoria-noxon.blogspot.com/

http://blog.heatherhiestand.com

http://rebeccajclark.blogspot.com

 

Nelson Romance Writers Competition - RESULTS

RESULTS OF THE NELSON SPRING ROMANCE SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2012.

 

Lynne M Kokshoorn in Greymouth for her story Come back to me.

Judge Sue MacKay’s comment: I loved this story – all that emotion – you really touched me. I kept wondering will Remi come home? Won’t he? That’s awesome writing.

 

Donna Capil in Stoke (Nelson) for her story Molly’s Crush.

Judge Sue MacKay’s comment: I loved this story. It is so real, so emotive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liz Elson in Wellington for her story The Way Home.

Judge Sue MacKay’s comment: I enjoyed this story. It depicts well the quandaries of people, whose families have left home, and are now left facing their own time to do something for themselves.

 

 

 

The prize-winning entries are available here to read under the Tab: Competition Winning Stories. Check them out!

Also in the Top 10 that was sent to the final judging by Sue MacKay were (in alphabetical order):

Andrew M. Underwood’s Flap Jack

Andrew M. Underwood’s Aquarius

Andrew M. Underwood’s At A Dentist’s Waiting Room

Emily Fredrickson’s New Beginnings

Jo McNabb’s Roses

Jon Harrey’s A Southern Harvest

Virginia Suckling’s The Rendezvous

Well done everyone and heartfelt congratulations to you all!

Also a warm thank you to our judge Sue Mackay for a great job!

 

Lynne and her awesome basket of goodies!

The 1^st prize basket included:

A full year’s membership in Romance Writers New Zealand (RWNZ), donated by the RWNZ Nelson Chapter

Three hardback Mills & Boon Medical Romance novels, written and kindly donated by Sue MacKay

A bottle of red wine, kindly donated by Te Mania Wines, Richmond

A box of natural skin care products, kindly donated by Carol Priest

Some chocolate skin care products, kindly donated by The Body Shop, Nelson

Some Avon skin care products, kindly donated by Nelson Romance Writer Karen Mead

A heart shaped pendant, kindly donated by Nelson Romance Writer Annika Ohlson-Smith

A bag printed with the cover of the Romance novel Affinity, written and kindly donated by

Nelson Romance Writer LaVerne Clark

Heart shaped ginger cookies, baked and kindly donated by The Swedish Bakery, Nelson

A sprinkle of Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses, donated by the RWNZ Nelson Chapter

 

Donna and her goodies!

The 2^nd prize basket included:

A bottle of white wine, kindly donated by Te Mania Wines, Richmond

A bag of natural skin care products, kindly donated by Carol Priest

Some chocolate skin care products, kindly donated by The Body Shop, Nelson

Some Avon skin care products, kindly donated by Nelson Romance Writer Karen Mead

A Thriller novel and a Romance novel, kindly donated by Nelson Romance Writer Judy Tregurtha

Heart shaped ginger cookies, baked and kindly donated by The Swedish Bakery, Nelson

A sprinkle of Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses, donated by the RWNZ Nelson Chapter



Liz and her goodies!

The 3^rd prize basket included:

A bag of natural skin care products, kindly donated by Carol Priest

Some chocolate skin care products, kindly donated by The Body Shop, Nelson

Some Avon skin care products, kindly donated by Nelson Romance Writer Karen Mead

A Romance novel, kindly donated by Nelson Romance Writer Judy Tregurtha

Heart shaped ginger cookies, baked and kindly donated by The Swedish Bakery, Nelson

A sprinkle of Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses, donated by the RWNZ Nelson Chapter

 

All three baskets were kindly wrapped and beautifully decorated by Creative Occasions/The Party Shop, Nelson.

 

A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO ALL OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS IN NELSON!

Also a big thank you to the papers and other media all over the country for advertising our competition.
 

Book Blast Tour - Across the Winds of Time

Please help me welcome Bess McBride to Novel Natterings. Bess is doing a Book Blast Tour and has kindly offered a $25 Amazon gift card to one random commenter during the tour - the more you comment and visit other stops - the more chances you have to win. Great timing with Christmas around the corner! The rest of the tour dates can be found here:

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/08/book-blast-across-winds-of-time-by-bess.html

 
Oooo!! Just reading the blurb of this book gives me chills! What do you think?

While on a genealogical research journey through the Midwest, Molly Hamilton impulsively buys a 100-year-old Victorian house in the middle of a cornfield, and falls in love with the house’s owner...the original owner, that is. Can he be a ghost? The handsome, intriguing attorney certainly feels solid—and somehow her soul knows she has always loved him.

Darius Ferguson has no idea how he has come to present-day Iowa. The last thing he knew, the year was 1880, and he had just buried his fiancée, who happens to look exactly like Molly. He cannot separate the two women in his heart—to him, they are one.

In spite of being drawn to him, Molly thinks Darius is unhinged. Darius wonders if he has joined his fiancée in purgatory. If time travel is possible, will love be enough to build a future together? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT 

“How did you get in here?” I choked out.  “Who are you?”

Darius stole a sideways glance over his shoulder to meet my eyes—or to see that indeed I did not have a gun aimed at him—before turning his face away. 

“It is I, Molly.  The same man you met two weeks ago.  The same man you loved over a hundred years ago.

“You’re nuts!” I spit out.  “You’re not here.  I’m just imagining things.”  My knees were aching, and I shifted awkwardly in the tub to dive under the water again, keeping my neck twisted to watch him.  I couldn’t stay in the bathtub all night.  I felt so vulnerable—even if this was a hallucination...or a fantasy.

“So, since you’re not really here, you wouldn’t mind keeping your face turned away, so I can get out of the tub, would you?”  My heart pounded, the rhythm matching the pounding in my head from smacking it on the edge of the tub.  “Please?”  I couldn’t keep the quiver from my voice.         

“Certainly.  It is not proper for me to be standing here at any rate.  I simply came upstairs to see if you were here, and there you were—in my tub—a vision of bubbles and curly brown ringlets.”

I pressed a hand to my damp ponytail.  A sudden warmth in the pit of my stomach contradicted the cold grip in my chest. 

“Go away,” I pleaded.  “I may want to daydream about you, but I don’t know that I want to actually see you.”

“As you wish, Molly.”  He threw another quick glance over his shoulder, and his mouth curved into an embarrassed smile before he moved away.

I watched him disappear and panicked. 

“Wait,” I shrieked.  “Wait!”

“Yes, dear?”  He backed up to the edge of the door again, still keeping his face averted. 

“Wait for me downstairs.  Don’t go yet.  I’ll be right there.”

Darius inclined his head slightly to the side where I saw his profile, and I could have sighed when a single golden-brown curl fell forward in his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Bess McBride made her first serious writing attempt when she was 14. She shut herself up in her bedroom one summer while obsessively working on a time travel/pirate novel set in the beloved Caribbean of her youth, but she wasn't able to hammer it out on a manual typewriter (oh yeah, she's that old) before it was time to go back to school. The draft of that novel has long since disappeared, but the story is still simmering within, and she will finish the adventure one day soon.

Bess was born in Aruba to American parents and lived in Venezuela until her family returned to the United States when she was 12. She couldn't fight the global travel bug within and joined the U.S. Air Force at 18 to "see the world." After 21 wonderful and fulfilling years traveling the world and gaining one beautiful daughter, she pursued her dream of finally getting a college education. With a license in mental health therapy, she worked with veterans and continues to work on behalf of veterans. She writes romantic suspense, contemporary, light paranormal/fantasy and time travel romances and currently has eight novels published. She can be contacted through her web site at:

www.bessmcbride.com

http://willtravelforromance.blogspot.com/

Coming Soon!

Free Cookbook coming October...

 

How does a book with over 150 delicious recipes from some of today's hottest romance writers sound? And did I mention it will be FREE! Woot!! What's not to love? Courtesy of AllRomance.com, this cookbook boasts stunningly easy recipes for all occasions, from entrees through to desserts, and for all levels of home cooks.

 

And just because I like to tease...here is a photo of my contribution.

Like it Hot Chicken Soup...Mmmmm.

 

 

Sorry - but you'll have to wait until October for the recipe!

 

BUT - because I'm not heartless, I thought I'd add a recipe for another of my all-time favourite recipes while you wait. Enjoy!

 

 

CHOCOLATE BUTTON BISCUITS makes approx 30 biscuits

 



150g butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 egg

Chocolate buttons

 

* Preheat oven to 180deg C

* Melt butter and sugar together in a large pot, set aside to cool

* Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and mix like mad

* Roll tablespoons-full of mixture into balls and place on a greased or lined oven tray

* Flatten slightly with a fork and press a chocolate button onto the centre of each biscuit.

* Bake for 12-15 minutes

 

Easy peasy - and oh so yummy!  

 

Have you got a fail-safe recipe that is a constant winner in your home? I'd love to hear it.





Love, Life and Hiroshima

I'm guest posting over at fellow Wild Rose Press author, Nancy Cohen's blog today. Find out more about why the terrible event at Hiroshima is such a pivotal part of the writing of Affinity.
https://nancyjcohen.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/love-life-and-hiroshima/#comment-4992

More Goodie Giveaways!

Still Up for Grabs..........

How to enter detailed below 

Draw taking place 8pm EST (Lunchtime NZ)

Spot prize

More spot prizes...

And one more of these!

My heroine, Jenna is half-Japanese. She jumped to life as soon as I thought of the tragedy that was the bombing of Hiroshima. Her family moved to New Zealand after they realized radiation was slowly poisoning their land - and their very lives. But little did they know how truly deep it would change them at a basic level - and Jenna's abilities were the result.

My question for you is - have any events in our world's history jump-started an idea of a story for you? If you're a reader - does a story with a twist on an actual event interest and excite you? I'd love to know.

 

SPOT PRIZES WILL BE ALLOCATED FROM COMMENTERS OVER THE COURSE OF THE RELEASE PARTY 



Let's Get This Party Started!!

Welcome everyone and thanks for joining me in celebrating Affinity's release day!!

Before I go any further - I just want to give a big shout-out and express my gratitude to my wonderful, intelligent and patient editor, Frances Sevilla from The Wild Rose Press. Fran - you were a dream to work with. Thanks so much for helping Affinity shine and for turning it into the story I always dreamed it could be - and for letting me know when my kiwi-slang was too confusing for the American market! I can't wait to work with you again.

Just as a reminder - this is what it's all about....

In the wrong hands, Jenna Thomas’s legacy could be a curse—in her mind it already is.

As a child, a routine x-ray awakened an abnormality in Jenna’s DNA giving her the ability to “call” creatures and take on their attributes. Labeled a freak since then, Jenna’s learned to keep everyone at a distance. But all that changes the day she saves a young boy from drowning, and the story goes viral.

Nick Hawke, an off-duty policeman, witnesses part of the drama. Captivated by Jenna’s exotic beauty, he decides to investigate, not sure what to believe. Jenna puts his cynicism to the test—even as the attraction between them grows.

As word of her extraordinary rescue spreads, a dangerous man who will stop at nothing to control Jenna’s abilities draws near. With her feelings for Nick putting him in danger too, can Jenna risk everything to protect them both?

“Back off everyone, give us room,” boomed Nick with authority. Everyone took a step back. An attractive woman holding a microphone stepped into the created space. Her phony smile flashed teeth like a shark. Circling, she came in for the kill, her cameraman capturing the moment.

“Are you the lady who jumped in to save the boy? What made you do something so heroic? Witnesses say you were under for over ten minutes. How is this possible?”

The questions fired at her like a volley of bullets. Jenna flinched as each one hit its mark. She couldn’t answer honestly without sounding like a freak. So she said nothing, burying her head into Nick’s chest. His arms tightened around her. The subtle turning of his body shielded her from all those eyes.

He pitched his voice to address the crowd. “It’s been a traumatic event for everyone involved, and as you can imagine, it’s not over for us yet. We’ve no comment to make at this stage, so please, give us some time to come to terms with what’s happened. Thank you.”

“Could you at least give me a little snippet, Sergeant Hawke?” pouted the reporter, pushing her chest out and fluttering her lashes.

Jenna’s spine went rigid. A sick feeling of dread settled in the pit of her belly.

Police. Nick is a policeman. Dear God, I’m in trouble.

 Her head pounded and her hands shook. His arm tightened when she tried to pull away, holding her firmly in place. Any other person she could have fobbed off. Now she understood his aura of authority, his all-seeing gaze and concern at the thought of a child left alone in her car. He would be relentless uncovering the truth.

Some of the swag I'll be giving away...

Make your presence heard. Feel free to ask any questions whether its about the book, or my writing life, or any other burning question you can think of. Every comment goes in the draw for spot prizes -regardless of where you live in the world! Enter as many times as you like.

I will be updating the blog during the day, so make sure you come back regularly to find out what else has been going on while you were gone :) HINT: It might just involve a page number game - but beware - it could get a little hot and steamy! ;)