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Tag: Lone Wolf

Weekend Writing Warrior 8/2/15 #8Sunday

LW coverHappy August! This month I’ll be posting from my debut women’s fiction novel, The Lone Wolf, which is on sale at Amazon for just $.99 this week.

When Kasey’s marriage falls apart, she turns to Andrew, a soldier she just met, for help. But their friendship pulls up a past he’d rather avoid. Can Kasey save Andrew from himself while saving her marriage too?

In this scene, Andrew is describing the first time he saw Kasey. He was at a bookstore cafe and she was looking in the window from the sidewalk.

* * * * * * * * * *

“So I saw her in front of the window, looking at a robot display they’d built.” I paused, smiling at the image of her, then continued, “And I looked at her, just kind of taking her all in. She looked down real quick, like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. And then she looked back at me, just as quick, as if saying, ‘Screw it, I’ll do what I want.’ I realized at that moment she was real strong. She had this inner core of steel, but she was so easy to bruise before you got there.” My voice caught in my throat. “I didn’t mean to bruise her.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

Then pick up a $.99 Kindle copy of The Lone Wolf at Amazon, or the audiobook at Amazon, Audible, or iTunes.

Weekend Writing Warriors 3/1/15 #8sunday

lwcover300x446New month, new story. Because I just finished outlining its sequel (although I don’t have any free time to write it!), I’m pulling from my novel, The Lone Wolf, published by Evolved Publishing in December 2013.

After her husband’s infidelities are revealed, Kasey Sanford just wants to rediscover who she is. After an abusive childhood and years as a career soldier, Andrew Adams just wants someone to tell him that he’s doing the right thing with his life. When their paths cross, Kasey and Andrew embark on a tumultuous journey that demonstrates just what they’re willing to do to save the ones they love.

In this snippet, Andrew is enjoying some downtime during a tour in Iraq. While checking in on his unit he notices a bunch of guys gathered around a clothes-covered cot.

* * * * * * * * * * *

I walked over to the cot, looked down, and saw that what I’d mistaken for clothes was a sleeping soldier—Butch, a short skinny guy who was anything but. “Is that…Where the hell did you find yourself Saran wrap in the middle of a desert?”

“My girl sent it to me,” Reyes giggled. “Isn’t this awesome?”

They’d securely attached Butch to his cot with plastic wrap, and judging by its opaqueness, there had to be at least a dozen layers.

“Watch this,” Reyes said as he grabbed a bottle of water and poured it over Butch’s face.

Butch jerked his body up but the plastic held, and I had to admit, they’d done a great job. Butch’s sputters quickly changed to a profanity-laced tirade against his fellow soldiers, their mothers, and the US military in general.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

You can get a copy of The Lone Wolf at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, or the audiobook at Amazon, Audible, or iTunes.

Weekend Writing Warriors 12/21/14 #8sunday

lwcover300x446It’s nearly Christmas! I’ve been so busy with end-of-semester grad school stuff (papers, tests, thesis proposal, taking the GRE) that I didn’t have a chance to get any shopping done until yesterday. There were so many people everywhere, it was overwhelming for an introvert like me.

In that spirit, this week’s snippet is a similar Christmas experience from my women’s fiction novel, The Lone Wolf. In this scene, Kasey bumps into Andrew at the mall.

shortline

I strolled past a toy store and happened to notice Andrew inside, looking baffled in an aisle filled with pink, so smiling, I went in and tapped him on the arm.

He jumped, frowned, then smiled a little when he saw me and said, “Hey.”

“Hey.”

He stared at the dolls, clearly out of his element. He wasn’t cold but not overly polite either; he was dismissive, distracted, and I didn’t think it was just because of the overwhelming selection.

“Need some help?” I asked.

“There are so fucking many! How the hell are you supposed to know what to get?”

shortline

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

You can get a copy of The Lone Wolf at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, or the audiobook at Amazon, Audible, or iTunes.

And make sure to get a copy of my latest short story, “Not My Thing,” free at Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

 

Weekend Writing Warriors 9/28/14 #8sunday

lwcover300x446For September, I’m going to pull from my novel, The Lone Wolf, which was released last fall.

After her husband’s infidelities are revealed, Kasey Sanford just wants to rediscover who she is. After an abusive childhood and years as a career soldier, Andrew Adams just wants someone to tell him that he’s doing the right thing with his life. When their paths cross, Kasey and Andrew embark on a tumultuous journey that demonstrates just what they’re willing to do to save the ones they love.

In this scene from Kasey and Andrew’s first meeting, she’s just bumped into him at the local bookstore. Literally.

I tried to think of something witty to say, or quirky, something that would make him laugh, make him want to get to know me, while he regarded me with a mixture of polite boredom and expectation.

 

I gestured toward the section behind him and asked, “So, you like military history?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“I think it’s interesting, but I always get frustrated by the policy decisions because it seems we go in and do whatever we think is best for a country, without consideration for what they want, and so no wonder they hate us so much, if all we do is use violence to enforce our will.” I paused, realizing I might be ranting, and gave him an apologetic smile, then said, “My dad fought in Vietnam, so I grew up exposed to all this; I’m a pretty strong pacifist.”

 

“Career military,” he said, and all traces of the smirk, or smile, or whatever it had been, were gone.

 

“Oh,” I answered, sure my face was definitely on fire.

 

“If you’ll excuse me?”

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

You can get a copy of The Lone Wolf at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, or the audiobook at Amazon, Audible, or iTunes.

And make sure to get a copy of my latest short story, “Not My Thing,” free at Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Weekend Writing Warriors 9/21/14 #8sunday

lwcover300x446For September, I’m going to pull from my novel, The Lone Wolf, which was released last fall.

After her husband’s infidelities are revealed, Kasey Sanford just wants to rediscover who she is. After an abusive childhood and years as a career soldier, Andrew Adams just wants someone to tell him that he’s doing the right thing with his life. When their paths cross, Kasey and Andrew embark on a tumultuous journey that demonstrates just what they’re willing to do to save the ones they love.

Last week, Kasey and Andrew shared a look across a bookstore. This excerpt is from a week after that first meeting.

While browsing McKay’s history section, walking backwards reading the titles, I bumped into the blue-eyed man, who was engrossed in the military history section.

 

He scowled at me for a brief moment, but as recognition dawned in his eyes his expression softened.

 

“I’m so sorry,” I said as heat rushed to my face. “I wasn’t paying attention; I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

 

“No harm, no foul.” The corners of his lips drew back into a smile, or perhaps a smirk. “You come here a lot, right? I’ve noticed you around.”

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

You can get a copy of The Lone Wolf at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, or the audiobook at Amazon, Audible, or iTunes.

And make sure to get a copy of my latest short story, “Not My Thing,” free at Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Weekend Writing Warriors 9/14/14 #8sunday

lwcover300x446For September, I’m going to pull from my novel, The Lone Wolf, which was released last fall.

After her husband’s infidelities are revealed, Kasey Sanford just wants to rediscover who she is. After an abusive childhood and years as a career soldier, Andrew Adams just wants someone to tell him that he’s doing the right thing with his life. When their paths cross, Kasey and Andrew embark on a tumultuous journey that demonstrates just what they’re willing to do to save the ones they love.

Last week, Kasey and Andrew shared a look across a bookstore. This continues from where that left off.

For the next few days, my mind kept returning to the eyes of the man at the bookstore. Even after that quick glimpse, they still haunted me; that man haunted me. For some reason, I was simultaneously intrigued and put off. We’d never spoken to each other, never interacted, and all I had to go by was a glance, an overheard conversation. That was no reason to—to what? To think about someone? That’s all it was; no need to overreact. For God’s sake, I didn’t even know his name.

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

You can get a copy of The Lone Wolf at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, or the audiobook at Amazon, Audible, or iTunes.

And make sure to get a copy of my latest short story, “Not My Thing,” free at Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Weekend Writing Warriors 9/7/14 #WeWriWa

lwcover300x446For September, I’m going to pull from my novel, The Lone Wolf, which was released last fall.

After her husband’s infidelities are revealed, Kasey Sanford just wants to rediscover who she is. After an abusive childhood and years as a career soldier, Andrew Adams just wants someone to tell him that he’s doing the right thing with his life. When their paths cross, Kasey and Andrew embark on a tumultuous journey that demonstrates just what they’re willing to do to save the ones they love.

In this scene, Andrew and Kasey bump into each other for the first time when Kasey is studying a display in a bookstore window.

After a few minutes, I sensed someone staring at me and looked through the window into the café section of the store. A dozen or so people dotted the tables, some sitting alone and others grouped together. Near the back, three people clustered around a table. A balding man and a plump woman had their backs to me, and facing them, facing me, an attractive blondhaired man, maybe mid-thirties, watched me intently.

 

Most people would have the decency to look away when they’d been caught staring, but not this guy. Our eyes met. He took a drink from his coffee cup and laughed at something but didn’t break eye contact.

 

I dropped my own eyes back to the robot in front of me, my face on fire, then glanced back at the stranger; he was still watching me.

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

You can get a copy of The Lone Wolf at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, or the audiobook at Amazon, Audible, or iTunes.

And make sure to get a copy of my latest short story, “Not My Thing,” free at Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

My Writing Process – Blog Hop

Yesterday coverI’ve been tagged by a fellow writer to discuss my writing process.

Samyann is the author of Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation, a historical romance spanning from the Civil War, to the Great Chicago Fire, to modern times, and she tells all about her own process on her blog.

Q. What am I working on?

What am I not working on? I’m finishing up the first draft of my novel A Handful of Wishes, which should be released by Evolved Publishing December 2014. I’m also putting the final touches on a short story collection, The Futility of Loving a Soldier, that’ll be released this summer (maybe; I’ve been trying to finish it for a year). And there are always a dozen short stories floating around, half-written, that I’m trying to work on.

Q. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I don’t write a specific genre; I write what I find interesting. So while The Lone Wolf was literary/women’s fiction, A Handful of Wishes is magical realism. My short stories range from contemporary to horror and paranormal. I focus more on a common theme – love and betrayal, sacrifice and redemption – as opposed to any genre conventions.

Q. Why do I write what I do?

Again, I write what interests me. I’ve always read widely, from everyday fiction to genre stuff like mysteries, sci-fi, and horror, as well as a lot of nonfiction. I try to write stories that’ll elicit a strong emotional response from my readers and stick with them long after they’re done reading.

Q. How does your writing process work?

Poorly, at the moment. Right now my weekday schedule is up at 5:30, work 7-5, class from 5:30-8:30, then home at nine to write papers until about midnight or 1:00, then fall asleep and do it all over the next day. Unfortunately, I’ve been getting a lot of great story ideas but haven’t had a chance to write them, other than brief notes. When I do have time to write, I usually do so fast and furiously, because the stories have been marinating for awhile and are pretty ripe for telling.

Q. Who will we meet next week?Road to Hell cover

I’m going to tag author Christopher Starr, because he’s about two months overdue for a blog post.

He’s the author of the Heaven Falls series, starting with The Road to Hell: The Book of Lucifer, about Lucifer’s fall from grace.

 

Resolutions: 2013 review and 2014 goals

2013

Last year, I set some goals for myself.

  1. Publish my novel, The Lone Wolf.
    Yes! It was just released by Evolved Publishing in December. As of right now, it has a 4.6 star rating on Amazon, from 5 reviews. And a reader told me it made her cry. So, score.
  2. Average a short story acceptance each month, with the majority of them in paying markets.
    No. I had one acceptance this year, probably because I crapped out on submissions after about March.
  3. Put out a short story collection.
    Yes! I released Us, Together: A Short Story Collection in June. It’s 6 stories about the problems teenagers face, from relationships and unplanned pregnancy, to absent parents and poverty, loosely based on stories and students I encountered while teaching at-risk kids.
  4. Get another novel ready to query.
    Kind of. Evolved is scheduled to publish A Handful of Wishes in December 2014, which means I should probably get it all shined up soon.
  5. Read 100 books this year.
    No. I read 72, which isn’t bad considering I was also working and going to grad school and writing and wasting a ton of time on the internet.
  6. Kayak the entire length of the Hennepin Canal.
    No. The closest I came was looking at kayaks at Scheels.

2014

  1. Finish my third novel, tentatively titled On the Other Side, which will be a steampunk political thriller because, well, why not.
  2. Write and submit at least one new short story every month.
  3. Get a short story collection ready for publication (not including The Futility of Loving a Soldier, which will be out this summer from Evolved). Maybe the stories about India I wrote on my trip?
  4. Self-publish at least two long short stories. I have half a dozen in the works; it’s just a matter of finishing them.
  5. Read 100 books.
  6. Learn a new language – either Spanish, Tamil, Arabic, or Icelandic – to the point I can carry on a basic conversation in it.

Ideally, I’ll have something new coming out every 3-4 months, in addition to more published short stories which will later be compiled into a collection. I think this is doable, but it’ll require massively-focused time management skills that I seem to be lacking.

What are your goals for 2013?

Weekend Writing Warriors 12/15/13 #WeWriWa

lwcover300x446Let’s go for one last snippet from my newly-released novel, The Lone Wolf.

After her husband’s infidelities are revealed, Kasey Sanford just wants to rediscover who she is. After an abusive childhood and years as a career soldier, Andrew Adams just wants someone to tell him that he’s doing the right thing with his life. When their paths cross, Kasey and Andrew embark on a tumultuous journey that demonstrates just what they’re willing to do to save the ones they love.

In this scene, Kasey’s at the local farmers’ market with her daughter.

Aida studied the booths around us as we walked, trying to determine which would be most likely to give her samples. I waited next to her, making my own list of what to purchase, when I felt a hand on my elbow and jumped.

 

“Did I scare you?” Andrew asked, a grin on his face. He looked delicious in civilian clothes, a t-shirt that clung slightly to his muscular chest and a baggy pair of cargo shorts.

 

“No. Maybe,” I said as I tried to frown at him, but it didn’t work. “You don’t come across as the farmers’ market type.”

 

“I’m full of surprises.”

What kind of surprises? Read the book and find out!

And as always, post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

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