www.MarianL.com

Today I host my editor, friend and fellow author Julie Lynn Hayes. She co-wrote this unique story Be My Alien.

There comes a time when a writer sets a fresh piece of paper in the typewriter and is faced with the age-old question – what shall I write? All right, maybe I’m dating myself a bit here, and no, I haven’t used an actual typewriter in many years. Nor would I want to. My fingers are spoiled by the light touch of the keyboard, and I never wish to go back again.

But I digress.

First question is often what genre do I wish to dabble in today? I admit that science fiction has not been my first choice when deciding which genre to write in. Granted, I do enjoy science fiction and, at one time, read a lot of it. But it was a different field back then, with writers like Asimov, Clarke, Henlein, Bradbury… I knew I didn’t have the science background to even begin to attempt the things they did. Science fiction today is just not the same as it was then. In fact, I didn’t read it for a long time.

A long time ago, I did begin a sci fi story, which is now long lost in my notes somewhere. It had to do with a time when people entertained themselves by plugging into their TV’s, attaching themselves through electronics in such a way that they could participate in the story. HOPAVI, I called it, short for home participation video. Guess it wasn’t that story’s time.

I began writing a sci fi story with my friend, author Sui Lynn, and we’ve posted snippets of it on our blogs, and we really love it, but real life has derailed that story, at least for now.

In the meantime, my friend and author, M.A. Church and I decided to write something together. What do you want to write, she asked. As it so happened, I had the privilege of editing two of her novels, Nighttime Wishes and Nighttime Dreams, and also The Harvest, which she has subbed and is waiting to hear about. All three novels deal with the romance between an alien and a human, and I am here to tell you these stories are hot, hot, hot! So much so that when she said what do you want to write, I knew the answer. I wanted to write about an alien too. An alien/human romance of our own.

As is usual in collaborations, each author creates a main character, although both should be capable of writing for each of them. Thus Michelle created Reed Hatcher, and I got to make up the alien, whose name is Taz. The result of this first collaboration is Be My Alien, which we subbed to Dreamspinner and which they accepted, and which published May 8^th.

Taz is from the planet of Trygos, from somewhere far far away. He comes to Earth on a date with another alien, Vorlod, and is excited about it. It seems that to the other inhabitants of the universe, Earth is not much of a destination, so it’s like going on a cheap date. But Taz is happy, and they’re up in the Empire State Building together when Taz figures out Vorlod’s real reason for being there… when Vorlod dumps him for another alien.

Reed Hatcher is a successful businessman without a love life. He expends all his energies into his shop, A Touch of Class, which specializes in upscale men’s clothing, as well as what is in the naughty backroom. It’s two days until Valentine’s Day, and Reed is about to close up shop and go home to his lonely apartment when a late night call from a good client changes everything, and he agrees to make a last minute delivery to the Empire State Building.

There, Taz falls into Reed’s arms—literally. What happens?  ‘Fraid you’ll have to read the book to find out!

Michelle and I are hard at work on book two of what will probably be a three book series. I have to tell you, it’s been great fun writing with her, and I fully intend to inveigle her into more books after these. With or without aliens? Who knows! Whatever they will be, they will be fun.

What does it take to write about aliens? You are only limited by your imagination. I got to create our alien, since Michelle had two other series and I never did, so I came up with Taz, who has some distinctively feline features. I know, big shock, right?

But more than just what he looks like, I needed a background, and knowledge of his home world, so that means worldbuilding, which I happen to enjoy. And even if all of the details are not revealed in the books, at least they are there to draw on, a firm foundation for making him believable.

If you want to create an alien of our own, let’s assume for the sake of argument, that he is some sort of humanoid. This makes it easier for the audience to see and relate to him. If there are differences, such as the “dreadlocks/tentacles”  of Michelle’s alien in the Nighttime series, then let us see them, and tell us what sets them apart. Or, in Taz’s case, it’s his stripes… and his tail.

Like any other character, your alien needs a background, family, friends, etc. A job or something he does to spend his time while waiting for his human/true love to appear.

See? Basically, underneath the differences are the similarities. The alien is still a man, and he still has dreams, wishes, desires and hopes, among them to love and be loved.

The rest is window dressing and a lot of fun.

So go on, build yourself an alien of your own, and see what I mean!

* * * *

Blurb:

Reed Hatcher’s life is work, work, work. He owns a successful men’s boutique in New York City, but a love life is out of the question—for many reasons. It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and business is brisk. On an unexpected visit to the Empire State Building, a sexy man literally falls into Reed’s lap. His name is Taz and he’s just been dumped by his date. One look and Reed is hooked. He offers to buy Taz some coffee and they leave together.

Reed is attracted to Taz and takes him home to his apartment. But Reed discovers there’s more to Taz than he realized—especially when Taz’s stripes begin to show. And he has a tail? Turns out Taz is not quite like Reed. In fact, he comes from another planet, far far away, and he’s only on Earth for a vacation.

Reed never believed in aliens before, but he’s facing one now, and dear God, what is he going to do? Just when he decides he loves Taz and together they can handle anything, the alien that dumped Taz decides he wants him back and steals him away.

Can Reed live with the memory of what he almost had, and the love he found and lost? How can he ever face the moonlit skies again?

Excerpt:  “Are you okay? Hello?”

Reed dragged his mind away from those sexy green eyes. “Ah, huh? What?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall on top of you like that. You see, it was like this. I was pushed, and you just happened to be there and….” The stranger grinned at Reed. “And down we went.”

Reed shifted under the body lying so contentedly on top of him. Hell’s bells, the guy fit against him perfectly. From the feel of things, they were both close to the same height. Which also meant certain things were… aligned. “Oh yeah, I’m okay. Banged my head a little, but I’m fine.”

The stranger bit his bottom lip, his teeth worrying the tender skin. Reed debated slamming his head against the floor a few more times in the hopes of rattling his brain back to normal as the stranger rolled off him.

“I really am sorry.”

“No harm done.” Reed sat up and looked at the guy once again. Well, not much harm, anyway. His libido just had to pick now to perk up, didn’t it? But damn, this guy was sexy. Reed struggled to his feet and held his hand out to the man still on the floor, looking up at him. The guy took his hand and let Reed pull him up. “Name’s Reed. Are you okay?”

“Hi, Reed!” The guy hopped to his feet in a single, lithe movement, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “My name is Taz. Nice to meet you, and yes, I am.”

For a moment there was a flash in the guy’s eyes that belied his statement. “Good, that’s good. Glad to hear it. Well, I guess I’d better be going—”

A forlorn expression crossed Taz’s face and his pretty eyes clouded. “Oh.”

Reed hesitated. There was something about the guy that pulled at him. When was the last time he’d felt that pull? Way too long ago. Taz was cute, sure. But there was this look of hurt. Dammit, Taz just looked so lost. Insane as it was, he wanted to make it all better.

And now, a little information on the authors of Be My Alien.

Author bio:

M.A. Church

M.A. Church lives in the southern United States and spent many years in the elementary education sector. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they have two children. Her hobbies are gardening, walking, attending flea markets, watching professional football, racing, and spending time with her family on the lake.

But her most beloved hobby is reading. From an early age, she can remember hunting for books at the library. Later nonhuman and science fiction genres captured her attention and drew her into the worlds the authors had created. But always at the back of her mind was the thought that one day, when the kids were older and she had more time, she would write a book.

By sheer chance she stumbled across a gay male
romance story on the web and was hooked. A new world opened up and she fell in love. Thus the journey started. When not writing or researching, she enjoys reading the latest erotic and mainstream romance novels.

My links:

Blog http://machurch00.blogspot.com

Twitter @nomoretears00

Facebook: M.A. Church http://www.facebook.com/pages/MA-Chur…

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5141393.M_A_Church

Publishers:

Dreamspinner: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_650

Romance First Publishing: www.rfppublishing.com

Changeling Press: http://www.changelingpress.com/author.php?uid=177

Storm Moon: http://www.stormmoonpress.com/authors/MA-Church.aspx

Author Bio:

Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she’d never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another’s arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after. She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. She enjoys crafts, such as crocheting and cross stitch, knitting and needlepoint and loves to cook. While working a temporary day job, she continues to write her books and stories and reviews, which she posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn’t mind. Marching to the beat of one’s own drummer is a good thing, after all.  Her other published works can be found at Dreamspinner Press, MuseitUp Publishing and No Boundaries Press, and coming soon with both Extasy Books and Torquere Press. She has also begun to self-publish and is an editor at MuseitUp.

My links:

Blog  http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com

Twitter @Shelley_runyon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.l.hayes.7?ref=tn_tnmn

My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3442231.Julie_Lynn_Hayes

Publishers:

Museit Up Publishing:  http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php

Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_222

eXtasy Books:  http://www.extasybooks.com/index.php?route=product/author&author_id=979

Torquere Press http://torquerepress.com/  (coming soon)

The purpose of a writing prompt is to get the words flowing. Once you’re given it you write until the story is done. No editing, no going back and forth with the plot. Just jot down what comes to mind.

Here’s what we were given by the Scribbler’s Writing Group on 4/3/13- Daily Prompt
Desperate to win back your ex, you seek out a mysterious, reclusive witch to concoct a love potion. Said witch sends you on a strange and dangerous scavenger hunt for the ingredients…
Today’s genre is Fantasy

I wrote mine in four installments. Let me know what you think.

Ten years. Ten long years. Now I’m alone. Do I want him back? Or is it the fear of being alone that wants him back? Really, he was no prize. Jack left his clothes everywhere. If he used a dish, it stayed where he ate. I guess he never heard of water, or rinsing it off. Over the years I asked him if he was raised by apes because of his total lack of cleanliness. Damn, I miss him. The house is clean, but I’m so lonely. Every morning I go through this routine. I want him, no I don’t.  And I still can’t make up my mind. As Clara pointed out, I’m getting skinnier every day. I guess that’s from my lack of desire to eat. Joanie tried to take me out clubbing last night, but why bother. I really thought Jack was my soul mate. The one I’d spend my life with, until he walked out the door with an eighteen year old sex goddess on his arm.

Well, he thought I could use to lose some weight, won’t he be surprised the next time we run into each other. Now I’m losing and don’t care. My brain says “let go.” My heart says “get him back”. It is all about pride or love? I’ve read through history books and saw how pride was the undoing of many a man.

Walking to my door, I opened it to retrieve the morning paper. After a week of self-pity and enough tears to fill the river, I think it’s time to recheck into the world.  Screw Jack, is my brave thought this morning. Let’s hope it last throughout the day. The paper held the usual stuff, murder, robbery, gratuitous use of animals and lots of good deeds by all those good deed doers.  Flipping through the pages an ad caught my eye. A new shop opened on Fifth Street.  Thoughtful Things is having a sale on all its potions. Hmmm! I often wondered if all that stuff worked. I guess now I’ll find out.

A bell chimed overhead as I entered the store. Not a loud annoying bell, more like a tinker bell. “Hi,” I call out.

“I’ll be right with you.” Came a voice from out back.

Walking around, I read each bottle, smiling at the titles. Love Begone. Faithful Friend. Love Me Forever. Simple names in pretty bottles. What the hell was I doing in this whack-a-doddle place anyway?

“How can I help you today,” asked this absolutely beautiful, petite redhead.

“I…I.”  Turning to leave the store she stopped me in my tracks. “Do you really want a cheating man back in your life?”

Oh God, how did she know?

“I’m not sure.”  I answer truthfully.

“There is no simple potion for you, Brigitte. If you really want to know if you belong to this man you must gather these items on the list I’m about to give you. You can consider it an adventure, but remember it is a dangerous adventure.”

“Why would I even do this scavenger hunt?”

“You are a show me person. So you need proof you don’t belong together. Though I think your head already knows that. This scavenger hunt will show your heart your true love. But love requires sacrifice. Are you willing to forego convention to seek your true love?”

Wow, this woman is nuts.  Handing me the list without waiting for my answer, I eyed the tasks required of me, each spelled out one after the other. No sane person would do all this, I thought.

“This will take me a month to do?”

“You don’t think love is worth thirty days of your time?”

“It’s not that. What will happen if I get caught?”

Her smile sent chills down my spine.

Next installment:

I sat in the car reading and rereading this list. Definitely a crazy person this potion woman turned out to be.  Look at all this…this…mania.

I have to catch a frog, not buy one.

I need to purchase a 1920′s love letter and boa wrap in pink.

I have to get a pint of pig’s blood.

I have to get a hair from Jack. BUT not only him.  I need to somehow get a string of hair from miss sex goddess. That should be easy. I’ll just yank her by the hair the next time I have the misfortune to run into her.

I have to have a branch from a teakwood tree grown in Japan. Yeah, right. I can hardly afford to pay my rent. I’m definitely not going to visit another country right now.

I need to find a long married couple (specifies minimum of fifty years) and interview them. The witch was very clear on what questions I need to ask them.

I have to light a vanilla lavender candle each night before bed and meditate, clear my mind. Cute, she even reminds me to blow out the candle before going to sleep.

Each morning, I’m to walk the path around the town green twenty five times.  It equates to three miles. So nice of her to supply that piece of information. I’m the original couch potato. Lovely. On this walk I’m too commune with nature and other walkers.

Well, I should be grateful, so far no eye of newt or bat wings are on the list. Shit, I spoke too soon. I need to open cupid’s heart. And how the hell do I do that?

Staring at the page, words appeared before my eyes.

Brigitte, after you gather all the items of this world, you will need to come here to find your magic to obtain the rest. I will be your guide.

“This is crazy,” I speak aloud. Again words appear on the paper.

You have asked the universe to help you in your quest. If you do not believe, walk away now—if you don’t you are in it to the end…

Third installment:

I placed the list next to me and put the car into gear. An adamant “no” clearly on my lips and in my brain. As I drove around the green, I spy the dirty, no-good cheating, piece of crud across the street laughing and having coffee with his little toy Barbie. There really should be laws against women who look like that.

“How dare they?” I yelled into the air. I’m so tempted to drive directly across the green and run them over.

All of a sudden the air in the car tightened as the list sweeps up off the seat and stood on edge on my steering wheel. I know this is impossible, but it did just that. Do I believe in magic? I do now. The witch must be telling me something. Spying the list I read it through three times. What would be the easiest one to accomplish first?

Mmmm! I think catching the frog seems the easiest. It’s warm today and a walk down by the pond behind my house sounded cathartic. “Yes, that’s what I’ll do.”

I rush home, put on my shorts and hiking boots, pack a lunch and head out to the pond. A last minute thought has me running back into the house for my sweater. You never knew. It had to be in the high seventies today. An awesome spring day for an adventure. The pond was more like a lake. It was so big.

On the other side of the lake, a man sat lazily with his hat tilted forward on his head while he watched his fishing pole in the water. I couldn’t see his face, but the rest of him looked pretty good. Tight black tee shirt stretched across his muscular chest. His biceps bulging out from under his sleeves. He had paired it with a pair of jeans and boots. Now, if he would only stand up so I could see how they draped across his ass. It would make my day.

Hello, earth to Brigitte, how stupid can you be? Another man, remember men are pigs. You’re having nothing to do with them from here on out. Too bad, this one looked delicious. I drop my knapsack on the ground, fished around inside and pull out a mat. After I lay everything out nicely, I walk to the water’s edge and start my quest for the perfect frog.  On a lily pad about knee high I spot one. How come they’re not closer to the shore?

“Damn, I’m going to have to get wet. Didn’t plan on that one, maybe, I should come back another day with a net.”

The man across the way looked up as I spoke. Clamping a hand over my mouth I realize I’m going to have to watch that, speaking aloud.  Don’t want to be locked up for being crazy. Right who would ever think I’m crazy. ME! That’s who. I’m hunting frogs for God sake. Walking back to the sitting pad I sit down and take off my boots and socks then walk back the water. I dip a toe in, letting a howl before I could control it. Jeez, the water had to be forty degrees. Now I understand I didn’t really think this thing all the way through. Once again I walk back to my stuff and grab my hat. I’m going to have to use it to catch the frog.

Back at the water’s edge I decide I’ll plunge forth and get the damn frog so I can go home, grab something hot and see what’s next on my list. Shivering, I walk slowly over to the lily pad, sneaking up on the frog. He watches me as I approach. It must be stupid it’s just waiting me out. As I got within a foot of it I scoop my hat at him. He jumps at me. Startled, I jump back and fall into the water. Fighting for air, I struggled. Something is holding me down. Oh no, I’m going to die in the frog pond. All of a sudden I’m pulled from the water. Gasping for air, I look into the most amazing green eyes I’ve ever seen.

Fourth installment:

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, just totally embarrassed.”

“Were you trying to catch a frog?” A lopsided grin stopped my heart. He was even prettier when he smiled. No, that’s not right, he’s handsome. He was definitely the most handsome man I’d ever seen.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

Yeah, right. Well, you see handsome, I’m nuts. I have a list in my hands, if I follow it to the letter in thirty days, I’ll have the man of my dreams. I almost burst out laughing. It sounded absurd even to my ears.

“No.”

“Okay. I’m Chase Ward.” I take his extended hand. Wow, electric shocks shoot up my arms. Did he feel them too?

“I’m Brigitte Gayle.”

“Brigitte Gayle, would you like some help catching a frog?”

“I think I have to do this myself though I’m not sure.”

“It sounds ominous.”

“It’s not, just nuts.” What the hell. I might as well scare him away now than a month from now. “I went to the new shop in town. She suggested I do everything on the list in thirty days to know my true mind and heart. Run for the hills, Chase, you’re talking to a nut here.”

He stared at me like I had three heads. An awkward silence follows. Ah, too bad, he really defines the term hunk. Chase broke out in a full belly laugh. I didn’t know whether to be insulted or laugh with him. I chose to laugh.

“I guess I really do sound nuts.”

“Then I am too.”

“What?”

“Here’s my list. Let me see yours.”

The items are his list was similar to mine. “Why did you go to her?”

“My girlfriend dumped me. Told me I was boring.  While in town this morning, I walked by the store and it called my name. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, but when I went in the witch knew my name too.”

A beautiful smile spread across his face almost blinding me. “Why don’t we work together for the next thirty days and complete our list. What do you say?”

Hot damn! Thirty days with this guy. Did I just die and go to heaven? Good bye Jack, hello Chase. It took a few minutes for me to compose myself. I didn’t want to sound too excited.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

“Okay, well head into town and by a butterfly net. It will make it easier to catch your frog.”

“What did you have to catch?”

“You.”

“No, seriously.”

“Seriously, it says right here. Save the woman.”

“Holy cow. Is the witch psychic?”

“I think so.”

“How come you believe?” I eye him suspiciously.

“My mother’s a witch.”

“Aren’t they all?”

He bent over laughing. I thought he’d burst a lung. “No, she’s a witch like the woman in the store.”

“Ah, so you believe they’re real.”

“They are.”

Now that was a lot to swallow. Did I believe him? Or was he playing me?

“Really, I’ll introduce you after I know you’re for real.”

“For real?”

“Yes, my previous girlfriend said she believed, but she was always making fun of me and my mother.”

Yikes, this manly man was a momma’s boy. As if reading my mind he spoke quietly into my ear.

“I’m not tied to her apron. I just respect who and what she is. And no one, I repeat, no one will disrespect her. I don’t care if a person believes or not.”

Okay, I respect a man who protects his family. Time will tell if he was or wasn’t a momma’s boy. I felt my lips spreading from ear to ear. I couldn’t help myself, really. “So that makes you a warlock?”

“I guess it does. But I don’t practice.”

“Practice?”

“Yes, it’s a religion really, a way of life. My mother’s full into it, just like the storekeeper.

Over the next twenty-nine days, Chase and I had a wonderful time filled with romantic dinners, lots of laughter and great conversations. He even introduced me to his mother, a lovely woman who I spoke with at great lengths. I never knew love. Yes love, could feel so good. With Jack I was always tensed, and waiting on his every whim.

It wasn’t planned but on the thirtieth day we both walked into the shop at the same time. Chase took me into his arms and kissed me. I mean really kissed me. All month they were little pecks on the cheek or lips. This morning he engaged lips, teeth and tongue. I became jelly in his arms. Excitement raced up and down my body. Electric shocks stung my heart. Could this be real? Not once in my life did I ever feel this way, and with just a kiss. My mind and body wanted to explore more.

“Harrumph.”

It took all my energy to break away from Chase. Heat rushed up my neck when I faded back to reality. We were standing in the middle of a store necking.

“From that kiss, I’m assuming you both completed your lists.”

“Yes.” We said in unison.

“Good. What have you learned?”

I looked at Chase. He looked at me both of us smiling like fools. “We found each other and love.”

“Excellent. I’m here if you ever need me again.”

We left the store holding hands and decided a walk around the green was in order. I panicked when we ran into Sex on a stick and Jack. I thought Chase would drool over her and drop to her feet. Instead he pulled me closer, kissed my cheek and shook Jack’s hand. After a few awkward moments we said our good byes and headed to my house.

If you’re in Connecticut please join me tonight at the Wolcott Public Library. I’m presenting ‘Paths to Publication’ from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

Directions:

http://wolcottlibrary.org/about/directions/

I look forward to meeting you.

Marian

Author bio:

One of ten children, Marian took to writing to explore new and adventurous places. While her friends traveled on planes for vacation, Marian traveled in books. With an overactive imagination she started creating her own characters and stories. If I Fail, A Jake Carrington Mystery is the first book in the series. Her second book in the series, Burn in Hell is now available. This month she released a novella called As the World Ends.

An avid reader, she discovered mysteries by reading the Daily News as a youngster. Intrigued by the real life crimes, and how the police worked and eventually solved them, ignited her imagination beyond the ordinary.

Marian has many books planned for Jake Carrington and his crew. The third book in the series Mated for Life will be out sometime in 2014.

THROUGH GYPSY EYES

Excerpt:

The pony snorted and then nickered. She strained to hear anything beyond her own

movement as she kept herself afloat. Was there a slight rustle in the brush? Stilling her

movement, she paid closer attention. After detecting no further sound she closed her eyes,

allowing herself to relax and float in the blissful rocking motion of the current. It must be

a small woodland creature out to parch its thirst on such a stuffy night. There was nothing

to fear from such creatures, she was sure. A soft splash gave her pause and she rolled

over. Treading water she turned to face the opposite bank. Ripples rose, slapping her

chest as if something waded in the shallows. She listened again. A rhythmic sloshing

made its way toward her. Alarm quickened her pulse as she concentrated on the sound.

“Jester?”

An answering nicker came from the bank behind her. She worried her damp lower lip

between her teeth. If Jester is yet on the bank, then what is in the water with me? The

unknown visitor slowed, treading water a few yards from her. By the noise it made she

surmised it was large. Intuition told her it was not a mink or beaver come to fish. The fine

hairs on the back of her neck began to prickle. Crossing one arm over her breasts and

paddling with the other to keep afloat she inquired, “Is someone there?”

“I thought my eyes deceived me when I spied a fair maiden floating in this pool.”

The unexpected baritone froze her movement. Delilah gasped, almost going under the

surface of the water when she forgot in surprise to paddle for an instant. She scrambled

for something appropriate to say under the circumstances. “I beg your pardon, sir? ‘Tis

most unseemly to disrupt a lady’s swim.”

He chuckled, a low, husky sound making her picture a large, muscular physique. “Ah,

you are right; however, I have yet to determine whether you are a lady or merely a

figment of my overtaxed imagination.”

Heart thudding against her ribcage, she swam backward toward the opposite bank,

struggling to appear calm and collected. The stranger could accost her here and no one

would know to come to her rescue. How senseless I have been. Surely Jester will be no

match for a man intent on harming me. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage.

“I assure you sir, I am not a figment of anyone’s imaginings, least of all yours.”

“Hmm …” the preponderance followed her. “Perhaps then you are a woodland nymph

out to temp any man who passes by to try your nectar?”

Her feet touched bottom, sinking into the sand. Before she could turn and make for the

bank his hands were on her waist. To her horror he cradled it in a firm, yet gentle grip.

“Release me sir, for you do offend a lady, not a nymph.” She fought a growing sense of

panic as he drew her to him.

His minty breath tickled her damp cheek. “You have flesh as any maiden. Do you taste

as sweet as one, too?”

Anger and shock at his boldness brought her hand down with force to slap the surface

of the water. He sputtered in response to the spray splattering his face. Perhaps I might

have the upper hand. “Release me this instant or I shall scream and alert my maid who

sleeps on the bank,” she bluffed.

Despite the warning, he chuckled. “There is no maid, wood nymph, for I walked the

whole perimeter when I spied you here.”

Is his intent to take advantage of a lone woman and defile me? What am I to do?

Summoning her little remaining courage, she tried to reason with him. “I say again,

release me good sir, for my presence will be missed at the manor even as we speak.” She

grimaced at the tremor in her voice betraying her fear. He shifted, his mouth brushing her

ear, and she gasped at the intimate contact.

“Ah, even so I would take a moment to test your lips to see if they are as soft and

sweet as your voice,” he whispered.

Interview:

Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Killarney Sheffield, the author of ‘Through Gypsy Eyes’ releasing from Crimson Romance on April 15^th 2013. ‘Through Gypsy Eyes’ is my 8^th published novel.

Many people have asked me just how I came up with the idea of a blind heroine and a guide animal in the form of a seeing eye pony named Jester. Like many authors I sometimes struggle with ‘showing’ vs ‘telling’ and developing the sensory dimensions in a novel. I started writing a short piece from a blind woman’s pov. Obviously my character could not ‘see’ the world around her but had to interpret it through touch, taste, smell and the sounds around her. It is a wonderful exercise that really helped me connect with Delilah. The story just took off from there and refused to stay quiet until I seriously wrote her story and for me as a Canadian farm gal a book is never complete without some kind of animal sidekick. Most people would have gone with the guide dog approach but, I hate to offend anyone here, I am just not a dog person. My whole life has been spent around show horses of various breeds and disciplines. As I was thinking on an animal sidekick I remembered an old show I saw once on ‘Animal Planet’ about a lady in the USA who trained miniature horses to be guides for the blind. She used a harness similar to a dogs, put cute little sneakers on the pony’s feet for traction and house trained them. These remarkable little creatures could do everything a guide dog could and posed less allergy problem. From this simple show the idea behind Jester was born and he quickly became a most endearing character who threatened to steal the story in more than a few scenes! You can view a quick teaser of the tale here: http://youtu.be/S6qfLlbIkxA

True to my love of critters big and small I am currently polishing another historical romance novel with suspense, adventure and paranormal aspects to it titled ‘Love’s Magic’. It is the story of a female magician and her unusual sidekick, a black Holland rabbit named Dexter.

buy links: http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php

http://www.crimsonromance.com/?s=killarney+sheffield&submit=Go