Tag: dog

Posted on

#FunFriday – #FreeRead & Take Your Dog to Work Day!

Lots happening today! It’s Take Your Dog to Work Day so it seemed appropriate to give you a free read that shows you how Jonathan found his little pup Dudley (who totally stole my heart!). Also, ONE SUMMER NIGHT is free again for a limited time! Don’t miss out on it. Without further ado, here’s your free reads and have an awesome weekend!

Excerpt

At one corner of the park square, a local animal shelter had set up a stand and after he finished his sweet treats, he strolled over. A trio of cages held an assortment of kittens for adoption, but as cute as they were, he had always been a dog kind of guy.

“They’ve got all their shots and are ready to go home with a special someone,” one of the shelter ladies said cheerfully.

He smiled, but demurred. “I’m not really into kittens.” Basically because they grew up to be cats, not that there was anything wrong with that.

“It’s your lucky day, then. We’ve got quite a number of puppies and dogs available at the shelter today. It’s just a few blocks away,” she replied, still bubbling with happy.

It made him wonder if it was an animal thing, the joyfulness and optimism. He’d read more than one article about all the benefits of having a pet. As one kitten peered at him from the cage and meowed playfully, he had to confess that something inside of him lightened a little which for some reason had him saying, “I know where it is, thanks.”

He pivoted on his heel and instead of heading back through town, he found himself walking in the direction of the shelter where a few minutes later, another perky volunteer was guiding him past a row of cages filled with puppies. Cute, fluffy, hyper, little puppies yipping and yapping as he strolled by.

Despite his sudden and unexpected desire to not feel so alone, not that he was ready to acknowledge that emotion outright, something about the puppies failed to call to him.

“Aren’t they so-o-o-o cute?” the too energetic young woman said with a barely contained squeal in her voice that he was certain would shatter glass at full volume. The perpetual happiness of everyone connected with the shelter only seemed to reinforce that maybe the pets were responsible for the constant state of joyfulness. Which kept him advancing along the aisle to the pens with the older dogs that had been given up for adoption. The sad looks on some of them had his mind playing a woeful Sarah McLachlan soundtrack in his head until he got to one cage where a small cream and white terrier ambled to the cage door. The dog leaned one paw on the wire and climbed up into a jaunty kind of position. With what looked like a wry grin, the dog gave one short demanding bark.

“This is Muffin. His owners only had him for a few months when they had to give him up on account of allergies so he’s kind of still a puppy.”

With a yip, Muffin confirmed her statement, only he didn’t seem much like a Muffin to him. He had too much attitude to be called Muffin. And what kind of name is that for a boy dog anyway? Jonathan thought as the volunteer, sensing interest, opened the cage and set Muffin on the floor.

The pup took one look at him, obediently sat at a spot right beside his feet, and peered up at him in an adoring way that filled him with warmth and all kinds of gooey feelings which he refused to admit. He bent and rubbed the dog’s head. The fur was soft and curly beneath his hand. As the dog continued to gaze at him, brown eyes gleaming with admiration and possibly love, he was a goner.
Take Your Dog to Work Day

Free Book!

I want to thank all of you for your support of the At the Shore series! You’ve really helped make it so wonderful. As a way to say thanks, the first book in the series, ONE SUMMER NIGHT, will be free for a limited time. That’s a fabulous offer for a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Romance and a book that was also featured in the NY Times! If you’ve already read it, recommend it to a friend. Word-of-mouth and reviews are some of the best ways you can support your favorite authors.

You can get ONE SUMMER NIGHT at the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL

Please also take a moment to explore WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER at these retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
B&N Paperback: http://bit.ly/2sHmY3l
Google: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2HlVlly
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: http://bit.ly/koboWHS
Audible: https://amzn.to/2M2ZWfY

Posted on

#TeaserTuesday – A kiss is still a kiss . . . or is it?

Counting down to the June 5 release of WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER and today I’m sharing with you one of my favorite scenes in the book. I loved this scene because it was packed with emotion on various levels, but also had humor and hopefulness. I hope you’ll agree!

In this scene, Connie has just been helping her best friend Maggie with wedding plans. Maggie is marrying Owen Pierce, Jonathan’s older brother, and because of that, Connie and Jon are being constantly thrown together. Like any best friend, Connie is happy for Maggie, but also worried about how their friendship will change with Maggie getting married. She’s also feeling a little sorry for herself because she let love go during her summer fling with Jonathan.

Teaser

“Were you crying?” he asked and kneeled close to her. He could handle her stubbornness and the temper that she luckily kept leashed for the most part. He could even handle the iciness that warned him to stay away. But the thought of her crying just shredded his heart.

“No,” she answered way too quickly and rubbed Dudley’s head as he kept up his enthusiastic loving.

“What’s that on your cheeks then?” he pushed, needing her to admit it, not so that he could rejoice, but because he wanted to help.

“Dog spit. Your dog’s spit because I’m assuming this little guy belongs to you,” she said and urged the terrier down into her lap again.

The dog squirmed and presented her with his belly, jonesing for a rub.

As she obliged, Jonathan’s gut tightened. He hated that he was suddenly wishing he could get that kind of attention as well. But wishes like that were best kept secret because Connie had made it clear she wanted no part of him. And yet, something inside made him try to change things between them.

“He’s mine. When I saw him at the shelter a few weeks ago, I couldn’t walk away. Now that I plan on moving to Sea Kiss – ”

“You’re moving to Sea Kiss? To the mansion?” she asked with surprise.

He shook his head. “I only stay here because I know my father never comes down. As much as I love the family home, I need to find my own place. I’ve started searching for a house nearby.”

There was no doubting the look on her face and her obvious worry. With Maggie and Owen getting married and him right in the neighborhood, they’d be constantly thrown together. “Don’t worry, Connie. I won’t make it hard for you to see Maggie. I know how close the two of you are.”

A guilty splotch of color erupted on cheeks already ruddy from her tears. “It’s not like that. We’re two mature adults. We can handle being around each other.”

“Yes, we can. Like now. We’re talking. No anger. No worries.”

She huffed out a breath and looked away. “Right, no worries,” she said, but despite her words, something major was going on with her.

“If you want to talk about it – ”

“I don’t.”

He didn’t give up. With a smile, he said, “Or if you just need a shoulder to cry on . . . .”

She tilted her chin up in a defiant gesture that was achingly familiar. “I wasn’t crying. Like I said before, it was just Dudley’s puppy kisses.”

“Really?” He couldn’t resist the challenge. He leaned forward and cradled her chin with his hand.

Her gold-green eyes widened in surprise as he came ever closer. When he kissed the corner of her right eye, her eyelashes fluttered against his lips as she closed her eyes.

“Sweetest,” he began and shifted to her other eye. “Dog spit,” he said and didn’t wait for her protest. “Ever.” He kissed her lips, a gentle coaxing kiss that had her tilting into him and grasping his shoulders for support. As they moved closer, Dudley, who had been sitting in her lap, squirmed and barked a complaint as he got sandwiched between their bodies.

Order Your Copy Today!

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: bit.ly/koboWHS

ONE SUMMER NIGHT is now free until June 11

To celebrate the release of WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER, ONE SUMMER NIGHT is free until June 11. Take advantage of this special offer to get a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Romance and jump start your beach reads!

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL

Free Read WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER

Posted on

Adventures with Spottie & #Giveaway

On this Fun Friday, take a moment to visit with me at the Romance Author Hotspot! I’ll be sharing some fun stuff with you and we’ll pick someone from all the comments to win copies of NOCTURNAL WHISPERS and A VAMPIRE’S CONSORT erotic paranormal romance novella e-books!

But first . . . The winner of the Tuesday’s What’s Hot and What’s Not Giveaway is: Fannie! Please drop me a line and let me know which e-novella you’d like to receive.

Adventures with Spottie

My dear friend Michele knows that when I get good news I do the “Happy Dance” and so when I got the RITA Nomination for THE LOST, she got me this adorable beagle! It seems apropos not only because of the Happy Dance, but because the hero’s dog in THE LOST is named Spottie. Why Spottie? Well, my hubby’s childhood dog was a beagle named Spotty. Of course, by the time I got to know Spotty, he looked more like a big ol’ bassett hound than a beagle. LOL! Anyway, my new Spottie is going to accompany me for the next two months until the night of the RITA ceremony! Look for some fun posts and things with Spottie in the coming months.

Actually, look for Spottie Does Bamboozle in the next few days!

Spottie Beagle

My husband dug out a photo of Spotty and I scanned it. It’s a little grainy due to age. You can see Spotty’s a beagle even though he’d put on some weight. He was a funny dog. Spotty ate pasta every night and would rub his ears in it if you did not put parmesan cheese on the pasta.

Spotty the Beagle

May you all have a blessed Memorial Day weekend and to all our miltary men, women and families, thank you for your service and your sacrifices.

Proudly powered by WordPress