Friday, November 25, 2011

Another NaNo Finished!

It's official, another NaNoWriMo novel complete! I typed "The End" at 9:30 PM November 25, 2011. Not sure that the ending is exactly what I want yet, but at least it's complete. I've got the satisfaction of knowing I have finished another novel.

The only downside to finishing a novel is that now I need to figure out what to do with myself. I'm excited & pumped that I finished this story, but if I'm not careful, I get slightly depressed at the same time. Those lives are closed to me now. Unless I use the same characters in a sequel (which I often do), I won't see them again. We've passed through one another's lives and have come to our final destination.

I'm very pleased at the way "Full Measure" came out. It's very close to what I envisioned. That rarely happens. Usually, my novels take off in a direction far from what I intended. I did get myself into a bit of a bind for a little while. The heroine, Daphne, got interested in a guy other than the intended hero, Ralan. Fortunately, the characters helped me out with that and she ended up with the right man. HOORAY!

I posted one excerpt from "Full Measure" recently, so here's another one. This is the first time that Daphne and Ralan make love. They meet over Thanksgiving vacation at his cousin's house. They decide to workout in Ian's home gym and find their attraction to one another stronger than they'd counted on.


"We can swim, do yoga, Pilates," he said with a slight sneer. "Spar...."

"Name your martial art," she challenged.

Ralan raised an eyebrow. "Chun Kuk Do?"

Daphne smiled. "That's cheating."

"Chicken?" He held out his fists.

"Not even. Don't wanna hurt you, Chun Kuk Do-boy." She tapped his fists with hers.

Ralan grinned as he took his stance. Before he'd settled into it, Daphne did a high kick, stopping just shy of his raised fists. He batted her leg aside, grabbing the ankle to throw her off balance. With a hop, Daphne spun, nearly kicking him in the shoulder with her other foot. Landing lightly, she danced away from him, fists and arms guarding her torso.

Eyes narrowed, watching her carefully, Ralan advanced. Too late, he realized she'd led him forward to throw him off balance. He ducked just in time to avoid another kick. This time, he successfully grappled her leg, knocking her to the mat. Holding out his right hand, he leaned over to help her up. The anticipated and expected jerk on his arm didn't catch him off guard. Instead, he pulled her up, tossing her across his shoulders, dropping her on the other side.

Daphne flopped on the mat, falling short of hitting her head on the floor. Glaring, she swept at his legs, catching him by surprise. Ralan toppled, falling into a shoulder roll. He came up, fists leveled, elbows tucked in. He swung with his left, following with his elbow. She blocked him with her forearms, hooking her foot behind his left knee.

Ralan almost fell again. Instead, he grabbed her shirt, pulling her to him. He barely kept his balance. Daphne, sensing an advantage, did the same maneuver, adding her weight to it. She knocked him flat on his back, keeping his head from hitting the mat. She landed on him, feeling his lean, hard body under hers.

Momentarily distracted by the touch of his body on hers, she lay there as if stunned. Taking control once more, Ralan rolled over, pinning her to the mat with his superior strength. Daphne could feel his desire. Her pulse raced as his face hovered an inch or so above hers. Pretending to acquiesce, she lay still, waiting. Ralan's mind had suddenly clicked into sex mode. He was completely unprepared for her next move.

Daphne bucked, tangling her legs with his. Levering herself up, she flipped him on his back and sat on his thighs. Stunned, Ralan lay beneath her, totally subdued. His want and need for her was even more severe. Eyes dilated, he stared at her. She pinned his hands with hers, holding them out to the side. Her body covered his thighs, her lower legs splayed over his shins. He could have gotten away if he'd had the ability to think.
They stared at one another, panting. Beads of sweat dusted her upper lip. Ralan couldn't stand it anymore. Wrenching his hands free, he curled his fingers in her hair, pulling her face down. Kissing her deeply, one hand struggled roughly under her loose sweater, fumbling for her breast.

Rolling over, he pinned her to the mat, lying between her legs. Daphne wrapped her lower legs around him, holding him close. Heat flooded her insides making her wet. Ralan's desire was obvious, his need great. Struggling with her pants, he yanked them down.

Daphne pulled at his zipper, tugging at the fly of his jeans. Gasping and laughing, they undressed one another. His kisses grew more passionate as he stripped her. Daphne struggled with his underwear, so he helped her. When they were both naked, she took control once more, pushing him onto his back.

They came together like wild things. Daphne straddled him and he sank into her so suddenly, she cried out. At first, he thought he'd hurt her, but her movements told him it was a cry of pleasure. This was sex at its most carnal. They each took what they wanted, giving back in full measure. Grinding and moaning, they brought one another to their mutual peak.

The first orgasm started as a warm tingling low in her belly. Daphne could feel it build gradually until the wave broke, making her shiver. Another onslaught made her moan loudly, the next made her scream.
Ralan clung to her hips, thrusting upward, deep inside her. He roared when he came, growling her name as she screamed his. Shaking and laughing, they held one another as Daphne collapsed onto his chest. Ralan caressed her breasts, kissing her. He rolled her onto her side, facing her, their legs still tangled. His kiss was deep and satisfying. Daphne touched his lips with her fingers, gently caressing. He pulled her hips close to his, nibbling her neck.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Excerpt from "Full Measure" 2011 NaNoWriMo novel

Daphne Winstead is a young accountant desperately in need of a job. When Dr. Aslani calls telling her he needs her to go over the company books because he thinks someone is embezzling, she has no idea what she's in for. However, when a mysterious dark haired man enters her life, things start to get rather too exciting. 


Ralan Hendrix works for an unnamed agency. Recruited in college, he's young, smart, capable and prepared for anything--except Daphne. Flung together by circumstances, they give in to their passions, not realizing that Daphne has become the prime witness in Ralan's latest case.


This excerpt takes place after they first make love. Ralan knows it was a serious mistake, but can't feel sorry for what happened between them. However, his boss might not be as forgiving as his partner (who raked him over the coals after ripping him a new one.) 


Ralan's dreams were, predictably, highly erotic and full of people trying to kill him—some while he was having sex with them. Beautiful, brown eyes followed him wherever he went, watching his every move. More than once, he was attacked, fending off his assailants, who had a fighting style strangely similar to Daphne's. The final one tried to rip his throat out like a vampire. Waking in a cold sweat, he sat up in bed, gasping.

His room was dark and chilly. When he got up to go to the bathroom, the light didn't come on. A glance out the window told him why. A power line lay in the snow, sizzling and sparking. He saw by the illuminated dial on his watch that it was not quite 3:00 AM. 

Stumbling through his room, he searched for his cellphone in the dark. The meager moonlight from the snow obscured sky didn't make much of an impression in the sprawling apartment. His fingers closed over the phone when a sound met his ears that wasn't part of the usual nighttime sounds. It was the sound of someone trying to get through the seven locks on his door.

Grabbing his phone, he scuttled silently to his left, looking for the weapon he kept in the drawer of a small table. Sliding the drawer open, he closed his fingers around the cold steel of the gun. Backing into the hallway by feel, he kept his eyes on the door as he squatted behind the corner of the wall.

One handed, he dialed 911. The dispatcher answered quickly, her voice penetrating in the gloom.

"What's the nature of your emergency?"

"Someone's breaking into my apartment," he replied in a gruff whispered. "Tillerman building apartment 212."

"That's a security building, sir."

"Security's been compromised. Better send the coroner."

"Who is this? Are you a police officer?"

"Just get the fucking cars rolling," he whispered harshly.

"Officers are on their way. With the snow, it may take ten minutes."

"I may not have ten minutes," Ralan replied as the last lock clicked.

Leaving the phone, he moved into a more comfortable position. Watching the door, his eyes fought to find shapes in the velvety blackness. There! The clouds moved suddenly, whisked away by the wind. Moonlight shot through the tall, arched windows of his living room, glittering eerily on weapons. At least three men were in his home!

Backing to the bedroom, he eased the door shut, glad it didn't squeak as it sometimes did. Locking it, he leaned against it, wishing he had his cellphone. He knew he had a bulletproof vest in the closet. Crawling to it, he slid through to a blacker hole in the dusky bedroom. By feel, he found his vest and put it on awkwardly.

The men in the outer rooms were moving slowly and cautiously. He wondered if they even knew he was there. Had he been doing the operation, he'd have gone directly for the bedroom to neutralize the occupant. Maybe they weren't after him. Maybe they were looking for something.

Soft footfalls in the hallway outside his bedroom met his ears. The door swung open, squeaking slightly as it usually did when it opened too wide. The movement halted abruptly. The intruder wasn't far enough in his room for him to attack. Did he want to anyway? He'd seen three, what if more followed? In the dark with a backup weapon and a vest, he felt vulnerable. They moved quietly, steadily, meaning they could see. He was nearly blind. Taking his chances that they wouldn't look in the closet, he stayed as still as he could. Somewhere on the back wall he had a row of throwing knives. He kept them for target practice. He also had a bundle of shuriken. If he could reach that, it would give him an advantage—silent, where the pistol was not.

Ducking under the clothing, he reached for the knives. The wooden floor creaked beneath him. Biting his lip, he froze. But he'd been heard. No longer worried about sound, he made a fast grab for the pouch of shuriken. The door to the closet slid open. A black blade flew out of the doorway, hitting the man in the throat. With a gurgling cry, he collapsed.

Ralan disarmed him, putting the strap to the other man's Uzi over his head. He grabbed the sidearm, but didn't have time to search for more. The door burst open and someone else fired into the room. He knew enough not to go all Hollywood, firing in short bursts in an arc. Imagining the beating his bedroom was taking, Ralan fired back, hitting the other man in his left leg.

With a groan, the man staggered back, clutching his leg. As he was just inside the doorway, Ralan slammed the door in his face, knocking him down. Grabbing the other man's goggles, he jammed them on his head and the room immediately came alive! One man lay bleeding at his feet. The other wobbled, stunned and blinded. Ralan hit him again with the door, watching him drop. He disarmed him as well, dragging him into the room.

He heard movement in the hallway and a scratchy voice spoke near his ear. The goggles had an earpiece for communication. Gutierrez, Hanson, come in! Dammit!"

More movement in the hallway. Ralan positioned himself by the door, standing beside it with his back to the wall. It eased open and the man cautiously peeped in. Seeing his downed companions, he became alert, but it was too late. Ralan's Uzi cracked into his jaw, knocking him back a step. With a guttural growl, he slammed his elbow back at Ralan. He would have connected if the dark haired agent hadn't see it coming. Instead, the intruder hit the doorjamb with his funny bone.

Howling, he turned, swinging at Ralan. Remembering his fight with Daphne, he blocked his his arms and hooked the man's leg with his foot. The assailant crashed to the floor where Ralan kicked him in the head until he quit moving. Bending to disarm him, he didn't notice that one of the others had regained consciousness. A hand grabbed his left ankle. Ralan slammed his left fist into the man's face and a white hot flash of agony rushed up his arm making him scream. Grabbing his Uzi, he hit the man with that, but the blow was feeble.

The man grabbed at his ankle once more, yanking hard. Ralan went down, hitting his head on the door. Stunned, but conscious, he tried to get enough leverage to hit the man again, this time with his right. He was tangled in the Uzi strap, lying painfully on his throbbing left hand. The stock of the Uzi bit into the tender flesh of his injured knuckles.

The man on the floor struggled to his feet. Ralan, still tangled up with the others, couldn't move to protect himself. Jackbooted foot rose to slam into his face. Instead, the man grabbed at his chest and fell with a heavy thud. Doing his best to stand up, Ralan tried to get his bearings. He was dizzy, disoriented. Bright flashes of light lit the room.

"Don't move!" Someone bellowed from the front door.

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

More About the Authors!

I've been collecting authors & their links to share as a holiday guide for people to buy. Below, by category, is each author & their website address. I will update this list every few days. To read more about them, please see Welcome Authors http://writersanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/04/welcome-authors.html



Fantasy – Sci-Fi
Douglas Brown - The Light of Epertase: Legends Reborn www.epertase.blogspot.com
Robert C. Roman – sci-fi, romance, steampunk, humor, horror www.robertcroman.com
Dellani Oakes – Lone Wolf www.secondwindpublishing.com

Non-Fiction
Rico Austin – My Bad Tequila http://www.site.mybadtequila.com/
Dianna Graveman – Missouri history www.diannagraveman.com.
Pat McCartney – Heading West with the Pioneers www.authorpatmccarthy.com
Fran Lewis - Because We Care and Sharp as a Tack or Scrambled Eggs, Which Describes Your Brain? http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Fran%20Lewis


Mystery
TL Jones – Jaded series www.tljonesauthor.com
Bill Kirton – a variety of mystery books & other things www.bill-kirton.co.uk
Mickey Hoffman – School of Lies & Deadly Traffic www.mickeyhoffman.com
Sarah Butland – Arm Farm www.SarahButland.com
Cindy McDonald – The Unbridled series DEADLY.COM-The Unbridled Series on Facebook
Pat Bertram – Light Bringer, Daughter Am I, Spark of Heavenly Fire http://ptbertram.wordpress.com
Karen Vaughan – Dead on Arrival, Dead Comic Standing, Over Her Dead Body www.amazon.com
Mitch Haynes – HOLLYWOOD AGENT PROVOCATEUR Amazon.com & others

Romance/ Erotic
Juliet Waldron – Mozart's Wife & other historical tales www.julietwaldron.com
Suzette Vaughn – Badeaux Knights & Mortals, Gods and a Muse www.secondwindpublishing.com
Eden Baylee – erotica A Fall into Winter www.edenbaylee.com
Dellani Oakes – Indian Summer www.secondwindpublishing.com

Spiritual Fiction
Sheila Deeth – spiritual fiction www.sheiladeeth.com

Children/ Young Adults
Scotti Cohn - Big Cat, Little Kitty and others www.scotticohn.com
Concetta Payne – BoBo the Racecar series www.concettampayne.com
Amanda Thrasher – Mischief in the Mushroom Patch www.amandathrasher.com
Dorothy Stacy – Eerie Canal Cousins www.dorothystacy.com
Jo Ramsey - Reality Shift and The Dark Lines http://www.joramsey.com


Jennie Helderman
May I add two little perfect under $10 gifts---Christmas Trivia and Hanukkah Trivia. Hardcover, 100 pages each. Buy at christmastriviabookl.com and hanukkahtrivia.com $9.95. 
Variety of Genres
William Maltese WILLIAM MALTESE'S WINE TASTER'S DIARY(among many others) www.williammaltese.com

Monday, November 07, 2011

It's NaNo Time!

It's November. What does that mean? It's NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. For the month of November, writers all over the world channel their enthusiasm and talent (and a little insanity) and challenge themselves to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

This is my fifth NaNo. Each year I've been a winner - in other words, I finished my novel in 30 days or less. I love doing NaNoWriMo. It's great to challenge myself to write. If I win, I have the satisfaction of a completed novel. If I don't finish, at least I set the goal for myself and can finish it another time. No one stands over me with a whip forcing me to write. The only timetable is self-imposed. The only thing I have to do is find the time to write.

Each year, I've tried to find a new novel that inspired me. Each year, I've been surprised at what I've written.

My first year, I wrote a prequel to my science fiction series. "Wall of Time" traces the life of one of the main characters in the "Lone Wolf" series. A seemingly minor character in the first book, by book three "The Maker", she's a main mover and shaker.





My second year of NaNo, I started with the premise: If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you like it to be? "Deserted" went a very different direction from what I'd anticipated, but I'm still proud of it.


Third year, "The Ninja Tattoo" was born. This story was inspired by something which actually happened to me. It was such an odd circumstance, I felt compelled to write about it. This story also went in a very different direction from what I anticipated.



Last year, I wrote "Undiscovered". This novel was inspired by a segment of a dream my friend Mickey Hoffman told me about. A young woman was showing a condo room and witnessed a crime, thus putting her in danger. From that, my story grew, taking me in yet another direction.







This year's story, also inspired by real life, is called "Full Measure". Someone is embezzling from The Breakwater Clinic and it's up to unprepossessing Daphne Winstead to discover who, how and why. Reluctantly accepting the help of Ralan Hendrix, she follows the leads. Will she be able to find the answers before they silence her? Currently 21, 180 words into the story, I'm pretty pleased with it. But once again, I find it going in a very strange direction.

If there's one thing that writing has taught me, it's that every story has its own way that it wants to be told. No matter how an author wishes to impose their will, eventually, the story will take over, the characters develop free will and then it is, as they say, "All She Wrote"

To find out more about National Novel Writing Month, check out www.nanowrimo.org

Old Time Religion ~ A Love in the City Romance by Dellani Oakes – Part 51

Mrs. Bannister bustled in a couple minutes after Obi and Clive arrived. "Thank goodness you're here," she said to Clive. "...