#sixsunday Six Sentence Sunday- Golden Flecks

 (click above image to read MORE Six Sentence Sunday excerpts)

(Check out more by looking up hashtag #sixsunday on Twitter)

Welcome Sixers.

For those who might not know here's what 6 Sentence Sunday is all about-

Pick six (6) sentences from anything you like (it can be from a Work in Progress (WiP), something you recently sold, something you hope to sell or even something already under contract and available for purchase – and don’t worry, Six Sentence Sunday is for published AND unpublished writers). Then post them on your blog on Sunday. That’s all there is to it!

You can add yours link to their official list by signing up before midnight the Saturday beforehand.

Heading back into my currently unpublished contemporary romance, Love by Design.

Love by Design

Jasmine Galloway sees beauty in all things but it’s not a thing of beauty when she meets Derrek Martin, a shallow, arrogant playboy celebrity. When her sister Juniper, a blockbuster actress, recommends her interior design business, Décor Dreams, to Derrek, it’s sure to be a disaster. Jasmine is uncertain she can hold her tongue and get the job done, but she takes it, never one to let her opinions of others stand in the way of professional success and she’s not about to let some pretty boy win her over whose ego is as big as his blockbuster movies. It isn’t long before Derrek’s gentle, affectionate manner and country boy charm gets the better of her. She curses herself for allowing the tabloid fodder to contaminate her impression of a man who might well put his designs on her heart.

Derrek Martin counts himself lucky his acting career took off shortly after his arrival in California. Even more since his parents’ deaths left him the guardian of his little sister. The new house is nice, but it needs a woman’s touch before he brings Paige out from Indiana to live with him. He knows his reputation in the tabloids depicts him far from who he really is, but he has never met with a more chilly reception than the moment he meets Jasmine Galloway, Interior Designer to the Stars. He’s sure she has read everything bad ever published about him and disregards all the good. His private life is simply that, private. Derrek intends to keep it that way—until he meets Jasmine.

Her blatant dislike for him pushes a button no one else ever has and Derrek finds he’s desperate to prove that he isn’t what the tabloids make him out to be. More than that, he’s determined to make her his leading lady, but will an ex with a secret steal the spotlight away?

****

Picking up where we left off last week, Derrek catches a glimpse of gold....

She turned to him unhurriedly, her blue eyes meeting his unflinching. There were gold flecks there.

“What? Oh, I have nothing against you.”

“That’s a lie and you know it.” He wasn’t the type to pussyfoot around the matter.

If you missed previous Six Sunday posts from Love by Design and would like to check them out, look at the top of the page in my pink tabs for SSS Posts where you can easily find links to each previous post. 

#SCENTsational Saturdays- Favorite Number 9- Cool Water Woman by Davidoff

I'd have to say that this is probably one of the most sensual fragrances on my favorites list. I discovered it from one of those magazine inserts and my husband got it for me for Christmas several years ago. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm an Aquarius, the "water bearer" or because I'm drawn to the blue bottle that shimmers like a tropical ocean that I'd love to dip my toes in, but this one makes me feel warm and soft and sexy in a different way than the others.

It could also have to do with the fact that it was a new fragrance I added to my list and I only associate it with my husband. It makes it special. Some of my other favorites that I've had for the majority of my life bring to mind other times in my life before I met my husband, when I was in other relationships, but this one I associate solely with him and that makes it all the more special.

It reminds me of a warm house on a cold winter night and Christmas decorations and time snuggling on the couch. Marriage isn't always an easy dynamic for two people and there have been plenty of times I didn't see my husband as my "hero" but he truly is. He loves me with a sometimes unconditional love that I always hoped to have but never believed possible. He takes care of my needs and the kids needs before his own more often than he should and his favorite place to be is here with us. I couldn't ask for better.

A little poetical love song for my hubby today- One of "our" songs-

Hope you have a SCENTsational Saturday!

Friday Spotlight- Rise from Darkness by @ciaraknight #TMPress @FictionWitches

click image to check it out on Amazon

Alexander Lorre gives new meaning to the term “tormented teen.” He’s a newly fallen angel, which means he has the self-control of a three-year-old, the hormones of a teenager and the strength of an angel. When he rescues Gaby Moore from drowning, the chemistry between them is undeniable. With a local demon threatening Gaby’s life, he struggles to find a balance between remaining close enough to protect her but distant enough to control his desires.

As danger draws closer, Gaby uncovers shattering secrets that will lead to an ultimate choice. Will she fight alongside her father, an earthbound hunter killing fallen angels and demons, give into the demon blood coursing through her veins and join the demon world, or save the man she loves from both? The first two choices damn her, but the last one could destroy them all.

About the author-

Ciara Knight is happily married and enjoys family time. She has learned to embrace chaos, which is a requirement when raising three boys, and utilizes the insanity to create stories not of this world including, Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, and Young Adult Dystopian.

Her first love, besides her family, reading, and writing, is travel. She's backpacked through Europe, visited orphanages in China, and landed in a helicopter on a glacier in Alaska.

Please visit her website for information on contests, other novels, and miscellaneous news.

Website

Facebook Fan Page

#ThursdayswithTaryn with Fellow KY #author Michael Embry

Thursdays with Taryn

Michael Embry

Please help me welcome my fellow Kentucky author, Michael Embry to Thursdays with Taryn and find out more about his recently released short story collection, Laments.

 

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

I suppose the biggest influence was Ernest Hemingway. I liked his short sentences and carefully chosen words. Most of my favorite writers are from the first half of the 20^th century including John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and William Faulkner. As I’ve grown older, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for Mark Twain. Of contemporary authors, I like John Updike, Anne Tyler, Richard Ford, Sue Grafton, Elmore Leonard, Cormac McCarthy, and John Irving (and many others). 

If you read books more than once, which ones do you tend to read over and over again?

 I must admit that I don’t read books over and over. I may go back and read a passage, chapter, or excerpt, but I find that there are so many books to read and so little time, so I move on to another book. I do go in cycles about what I read. Sometimes I’ll read mysteries, then move on to romances, then to biographies, etc. I like variety.

Tuesday Trio-

1)   Movie- Citizen Kane

2)   Music- The Moody Blues

3)   Decadent Dessert- Red Velvet cake

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel?

 When writing “A Confidential Man,” I learned that chemical compounds can be broken down on clothes to determine a brand of whisky.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading? “All the Living” by C.E. Morgan.

Whom would you cast as your Main Characters/Hero/Heroine in any of your stories if your book became a movie? (doesn’t have to be actors)

Since my novels generally feature older characters, David Strathairn and Meryl Streep would be my choices to bring them to life on the silver screen.

Blurb-

Sometimes best intentions become laments over time. A coach uses harsh discipline on a sensitive player he wants to become a leader. A father wants his son to learn responsibility so he suggests he join the military. A mother hesitates to help her daughter because of moral issues. A friend tries to protect a widow from harm’s way. These stories and more delve into actions that don’t always turn out as planned.

Available at the following-

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Createspace

Michael Embry was born in Louisville, Ky. He spent more than 30 years as an award-winning journalist, working for Kentucky newspapers in Madisonville and Lexington; a national news service with stops in New York, Milwaukee, Lexington, and Louisville; and as editor of Kentucky Monthly magazine.

Embry graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a journalism degree. He also has 45 hours in graduate work in special education.

He has written three non-fiction sports books (as Mike Embry, five novels and a short-story collection. His latest book, released Aug. 10, 2012, is titled "Laments." His novels are the young adult "Shooting Star," murder/mystery "A Confidential Man," and contemporary mainstream "Foolish Is The Heart," "A Long Highway," and "The Touch."

Embry is listed in Who's Who in America and is involved with the Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort, Ky. He has served as a judge in the Kentucky Literary Awards contest. He is also a member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is listed in Who's Who in America.

He lives with his wife, Mary, and Yorkie, Baxter, in Frankfort.

You can learn more about Michael at his

WEBSITE
BLOG

Taryn Raye Nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award. #Writerly Wednesday

Maggie Mitchell nominated me for the Versatile Blogger award. Thanks so much, Maggie!

This came just in time to give me a little something to post for Writerly Wednesday!

To accept, I state seven random facts about myself and tag fifteen other bloggers. A great way to get to know more about me and for you to meet other bloggers I’m a big fan of.

1. Autumn is one of my favorite times of year because it ushers in Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas- I get to have a little fun, enjoy good food and be with family more than I do other times of the year.
2.  I LOVE pepperonicinis with my pizza and in salad.
3.  I have fairly small feet. I can fit in my 9 y/o daughter's Girls size 5 tennis shoes, which aren't far from my Women's 7 1/2s.
4. My favorite HOMEMADE ice cream flavor is Banana.
5. Raye is my real middle name. My mom gave me the name "Raye" after a character in the movie Back Street starring Susan Hayward and John Gavin. My mom had the spelling wrong as the character's name was "Rae" but she remembered loving the spelling in lowercase cursive "rae" on the front of the character's fashion salon- I'm glad she misspelled it. I like it the way it is.
6. I use a manual treadmill (because it was cheap and compact)--but that means that 30 minutes on there is a sweatfest because I don't have a computer or batteries or electricity controlling my "stroll"- It's all on me to walk the dogs and put in the effort.
7. I was a member of the "Just for Girls" book club as a kid and I still have several of the books I hope my daughter will be interested in reading- one of my favorites- Karen Kepplewhite is the World's Best Kisser by Eve Bunting. I think she'd get a kick out of that one!

And the fifteen bloggers I'm nominating:

1.  Ginger Simpson
2.  Jordanna East
3.  Hallee Bridgeman
4.  Dale Herring
5.  Alan Chin
6.  Cherie Marks
7.  Missy Frye
8.  Joselyn Vaughn
9.  RK Smith
10.  Kenra Daniels
11.  Marilyn Baron
12.  Elena Dillon
13.  Angeline M Bishop
14.  Melinda McGuire
15.  Misty Dietz

So what 7 things don't we know about you? Don't forget to check out everyone else's blogs!

#TuesdayswithTaryn welcomes @WendiZwaduk, #erotic #author of Sunshine of Your Love

Tuesdays with Taryn

Wendi Zwaduk

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I got into trouble in the sixth grade because I was reading the book rather than diagramming sentences. I got so absorbed in it, I didn’t want to do anything but read. When I set my mind to writing, I wanted to write something that gripped the reader in much the same way. I hope I have.

What book do you read over and over again?

Regularly Scheduled Life by KA Mitchell. It’s got a school shooting in it—which isn’t cool—but the way the characters deal with it is very human. I laughed, cried and wanted to slug the characters, but I’ll always go back to that book.

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie- Field of Dreams

2)      Music- anything by Gary Allan

3)      Decadent Dessert- Maybe it’s not decadent, but it’s yummy – rainbow sherbet. I love it.

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel?

Plane crashes. How to flip/crash a plane and still survive. DH is a pilot so we dissected crashing on a smaller runway. I’m pretty sure anyone who knew nothing about planes would’ve thought we’d lost our minds.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

The Associate by John Grisham. I used to read his work voraciously the moment it came out. Then the EDJ got in the way. I finally got the time to pick up where I left off. So...the Associate, it is.

Whom would you cast as your Hero & Heroine if your book became a movie?
My latest novella is a racing-themed story. The hero is a crew chief. I think he’d be played by...hm....the guy who plays the last Grimm on Grimm.... David Giuntoli. He’s sexy and looks like he could take charge or give it away. The heroine would be played by Charlize Theron. She’s got to be the kind of woman who demands attention while looking demure.

Blurb for Sunshine of Your Love
(click image to left to purchase on Total-E-Bound website)

It’s 1970. The world is in upheaval. Can two people really make a difference and find love at the same time?

Noel Flynt signed up for the Army to carry out his family duty. He never expected the travesties of Vietnam to take their toll on him. He’s coming back to the world he thought he knew, but with everything changing around him, he’s going to have to learn he can’t live in the past.

Cindy Stevens couldn’t wait for Noel to return. She sees the man within the uniform and has loved him for as long as she can remember. But times have changed. She’s not the timid schoolgirl any longer. Can she accept his changes, too?

The only constants are time and love.

Reader advisory: This book contains one war hero, the woman who loves him, lots of hot sex, with a little spanking mixed in for good measure.

You can learn more about Wendi Zwaduk on her 

Website

Blog
Twitter