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Serenity Lost- Trust Me Book 1 Excerpt

Their brief heated meeting one fateful night had singed itself into their minds. Not knowing of the other’s identity, but unable to forget, had sealed their fate. The fire smoldered quietly in each of them as they tried to move on with their lives.

Eric Stiles was in the middle of chaos, searching for a killer.

Hunted by an obsessed psychopath Rebecca Gailen was trying to be strong.

The world stopped for a moment as they looked up and saw the other standing just feet away.

His heart lurched, her armor shattered and the world started again as Eric’s brother, Charlie, appeared to take her hand.

Family loyalty isn’t a choice. When Rebecca’s stalker rages out of control, Eric’s decision haunts him and he struggles to stay away. Can he remain loyal to his brother, even if it means abandoning Rebecca when she may need him the most?

***

"Hey, thanks for coming."

“Thanks for the address.”

“What’s going on?’

“I think she got a visit from our friend this evening,” he replied, still looking for Rebecca.

“Really, when?”

“Not sure, that’s what I’m here to find out. Where is she?”

“Other side of the bar,” Donna replied with a small wince.

His eyes found her. She was sitting on top of the bar, laughing and teasing a group of men surrounding her.

“She started doing shots, as soon as she hung up on you.”

“Okay,” he replied with a deep breath and wondered how he was going to handle this. She looked like she was having fun, although his stomach clenched at the thought of someone else's arms around her. “Maybe I should just leave her be. She’s been through enough the past few days.”

“Which is exactly why you need to go over there,” Donna insisted. “She's not thinking straight. She isn't listening to me and Charlie isn't available.”

The comment wasn’t meant to, but it stung. He was third on the list. Fourth, if you counted Mindy. Eric nodded in agreement and walked around the bar to the engaging crowd. Perched on the bar, her long legs were crossed and wrapped in a mid-length black skirt. She wasn't flaunting anything, she was just smiling and laughing. The small gathering of men were making comments and even began singing to her.

Eric stood at the back of the group, waiting for her to see him. He couldn’t help but become lost in the sight of her. Since their unexpected reunion, he hadn’t really been able to just look at her, take her in and see once again how stunning she was. From her fiery locks to her thin ankles. His entire body began to pulse at the memory of her softness beneath him. He took a deep breath as her eyes caught his and instead of the expected scowl, she smiled and tilted her head as she had in the coffee shop.

“Look out, boys, the cops are here to rescue me,” she said as she leaned forward.

He pushed his way between her suitors until his chest brushed against her legs. “May I have this dance?” he asked as he looked up into her eyes.

“Depends,” she answered as her hands rested on his shoulders.

Eric grasped her waist and lifted her off the bar, resting her on the floor in front of him. “On what?”

“Whether you're here for business or pleasure.”

“Dancing with you,” he said in a low breath, as his body reacted to her softness against him, his hands still wrapped around her small waist. “Definitely pleasure.”

She looked up at him and the room seemed to disappear. A serenity that he'd only felt once before encompassed him. The weight of the world seemed to lift when he stared into the electric pools of her eyes, and he wondered how that could be.

“I wish that were true,” she said.

He saw doubt and pain flash in her eyes. “Rebecca…” he started when the popping of a champagne bottle startled her. She jumped away from him as her entire body visibly trembled. She ran her fingers through her hair, and he watched her look for something familiar. Her eyes found Donna and she walked past him to her friend...

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The Reader in Me

Barbie is hanging precariously from the hardware of my mother's drapes, while Ken runs to her rescue. Neighborhood war is declared. Ammunition and walkie-talkies are dispersed after a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and kool-aide milkshakes. Charlie has a new assignment for his Angels. They will be teaming with Bo & Luke Duke to secure the micro-chip hidden in the barn via bikes. Even when the small town of Macungie, PA is quiet, it is necessary for a girl to keep a fake gun her purse. You never know when Archangel may arrive in his helicopter with a crisis.

My childhood was a mix of television, books, and pure imagination. There was and is always some adventure brewing in my head. A constant stream of images of what if's about the world, my favorite characters, and everything in between.

 As a child these images were acted out in play, and then later on the stage and on paper. To be honest, not much has changed. I started writing as an addition to imaginary playtime. It was a catalog of events, and when we would do what. When Barbie would finally kiss Ken, or how Chris Monroe would find out her partner Kelly was captured by the villain. My muse developed a taste for adventure, and I explored it through acting, theater, screenwriting, and then finally the almighty novel.

My books start as a song lyric, a single line of dialog, or an image.  There is also a magical time of day (or night) my Muse loves, specifically, the time when you are laying in that place halfway between an awake mind and slumber. It is a magical realm, and many a scene and a lot of dialog have spawned from that place of peace.

Romantic Suspense is a natural flow of energy for me. It fits my personality. I have attempted other genres, and I have always ended up with the 38 Special in my hand bag.  For me, love is no fun without some treachery, and a few life and death moments. One of the challenges I put forth on myself in writing any novel is first, I have to love it, and second, there must be a balance. Too many times I will read romantic suspense and it is more romance than suspense or visa-versa. I want a good chunk of both. I want them to drive each other.  I love reading romantic suspense, and frankly I was unable to find a book that fulfilled the above need, so I wrote my own. 

The inspiration for my first published novel started small. I became intrigued by the relationship of two brothers on a popular television show, and I started watching a little closer. Then the lyrics of a song developed the plot and angst, and I went with it--Two people, breathless and desperate to kiss each other but unable to act on their feelings. I focused on the single image, rolling all of the possibilities in my head. Why wouldn’t they be able to fulfill their desires? What was holding them back, and what would make them so desperate to act? Where did the need to be in the others embrace stem from? What were the consequences if they acted on their desires?

The answers to each of these questions are of course endless, but in the end Trust Me was born. The two people became Rebecca Gailen and Eric Stiles. The scene wound up in a very different place than I imagined. It, and its consequences, were shattering to both characters. The Trust Me Trilogy is my all time favorite series of books. As a reader, they have everything I want in a romantic suspense! There is action, suspense, romance, chemistry, passion, angst, ranting, crying, fighting, deception... you name it, it's in there. As a reader I think I succeeded in my efforts, creating tales you can immerse yourself in and experience the adventure from the comfort of your favorite chair. 

They tell every writer to write what they love. I am a writer because I love to read. I can only hope readers love what I write.