March 2019

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Sunday, March 31, 2019

WeWriWa: A Different Set of Standards . . . PRINCE OF POWER


Why is it that romance heroes and heroines (paranormal or otherwise) are bound by a different set of behavioral standards and expectations . . . both within the context of the pages and by the readers? I’ve found this to be particularly true with the heroine in PRINCE OF POWER. Mia Guedry is one tough, focused and determined female. Because of her gender, she’s been overlooked as successor of her shapeshifter clan, first in favor of her younger, totally unqualified brother then, upon his untimely death, by a male cousin who doesn’t want the job. In order to prove herself worthy, Mia is willing to tackle any obstacle a male would overcome, beginning with Colin Terriot, the negotiator from a rival clan. Unfortunately, they have a . . . history that keeps getting in the way.

She hadn’t made a sound but suddenly he tensed, aware of her, turning, fists raised and ready as if expecting a fight she’d happily provide, as she asked, “What’d that bag ever do to you?” 

His reply drawled low and gruff, “It got in my way.” 

Her gaze stroked down from an exertion-dappled brow lowered like storm clouds over a threatening horizon to those luscious lips parted slightly by labored breaths, dipping down into the cradle of his clavicle, flirting with the bold wolf’s head tattoo adorning delicious pecs before taking a thrill ride down the moguls of his abs to play in the tempting whorls of hair rising above the waistband of his shorts . . . Oh, yum! 

“What are you doing here, Mia?” he demanded, question curt and to the irritated point.

“I came to get in a work out if you feel like obliging me.” 

Disapproval may have narrowed his lips, but his stare glittered with possibilities as he suggested, “Maybe you should go to the girly spa down the street.” 

She couldn’t wait to knock that smug look off his face, drawling, “Afraid I’ll hurt you?” 

His mouth twitching at her sassy taunt, he replied, “In ways you wouldn’t imagine.” 

“You have no idea what I’m imagining.” 

Colin weighed the sultry innuendo as her lips pursed with the snap of challenge, and slowly he smiled, asking, “Ring or mats?”

Making the hard choices, going hand-to-hand, and even wooing enemies from another clan to pit them against one another, such behavior would be considered loyal and shrewd – from a righteous male. But from a female? Hardly admirable! Thankfully, Mia isn’t bothered by the opinions of others . . . except for one wary, once-burned prince who views her as a threatening equal and annoyingly teethes on her heart, endangering her plans. You know what they say about those best laid plans . . .

After a day off work to visit with Grandguy and a trip to my hometown stylist the next morning to get my spring cut and color, I’m all ready to hit the keyboard after I make my WeWriWa rounds. I’m starting the month of April with visits from PRINCE OF DREAMS, the final “House of Terriot” book and then, after a two week break to feature a couple of deals, I’ll start on new material from RISE BY MOONLIGHT . . . so I’d better get typing!!

Happy Spring at Last, Fellow Warriors!


Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

Sunday, March 24, 2019

WeWriWa: Where’s the Beef(cake)? PRINCE OF POWER


The middle prince of a powerful family. The protĂ©gĂ© of a fallen warrior. The face and body of a god. The shrewd mind of a careful negotiator. The broken heart of a son disowned. All describe my hero in PRINCE OF POWER, the second book in my “House of Terriot” dark shapeshifter series. But when Colin Terriot falls hopelessly, and dangerously, in love with the heir to an enemy clan who’s in New Orleans to help orchestrate a truce, all his skeptical common sense deserts him, putting him at odds with his family and with his own goals.

“I’m with you.”

What the hell did that mean?

Angry, agitated and so stupidly hopeful he could have slapped himself, Colin nursed his third mug of coffee out on his quiet patio.

Was it some new game, some way to toy with him and his brother, to tease them up into the self-destructive frenzy that had blown through his quiet rooms like a hurricane the night before?

What was happening to him since he’d hung out his shingle here in the Big Easy where nothing had been easy, that’s for damned sure! The sense of unity within his family had been ripped apart as he’d place himself on a path without knowing where it led, doubting everything he’d been so sure of before climbing on this bullet train to disaster with a female he knew he couldn’t trust.

He’d lost faith in his goals and respect for his king, had ruined the tentative relationships he’d begun to build with Rico and Kip, yet none of those monumental things seemed to matter as he mooned over Mia Guedry.

He never let anyone get close to him after those he’d loved were torn away, but he’d fallen for Cale’s grand ideals and looked forward to the often irritating company of his siblings, drinking the Koolaid in the whole Unite the Clans business . . . fine, okay, he could accept those things with a shrug and reluctant smile, but Mia wasn’t demanding small concessions. She’d set fire to his world!

Was it passion or arson?

What’s an overly cautious, normally rational guy to do when the female of his dreams just might be the stuff of his every nightmare, playing him against his family, and pitting mind against emotion? Colin thought he had a solid plan mapped out upon his new king’s vision, replacing the emptiness of a future built upon the pain of his past. What is it about Mia Guedry that has this rational-thinking, cynical Prince of Nail ‘n Bail considering the impossible – bonding heart and soul with a female outside of his clan and his reach?

Next week, I’ll be introducing (or reintroducing!) Mia Guedry – her prince’s equal in every way.

I’ve got my critique group filling my dining room with laptops this weekend but still plan to make the rounds to visit fellow Warriors! Here’s to Spring’s arrival and hopefully a lot of pages added to my WIP!


Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

Sunday, March 17, 2019

WeWriWa: The Quiet One – PRINCE OF HONOR


It’s always the quiet ones you never see coming. Those shadows in the corner, those whispers at the back of your neck. But don’t confuse calm with passivity because like deep rivers, Turow Terriot, my strong, silent hero in PRINCE OF HONOR, runs deep with potential undertows that can carry you away . . . as bad girl Sylvia Terriot quickly discovers. Though hardened by the demons she carries, she’s always had a tender spot for the bashful Turow who, unlike his rowdy, lusty brothers, saw more than lovely features and sinful curves . . . he saw a future path no one could discourage him from taking – even the lady in question. When his brother, their clan’s king, charges him with bringing the traitorous object of his longing from New Orleans to their Lake Tahoe compound to face a potential death sentence for traitorous activities, will he be forgiven for the crime of passion that bonds jailor and fugitive together for a lifetime? Perhaps not . . .


Turow never saw his brother’s hand coming, the smack to the side of his head ringing his bells. 

“What the hell were you thinking . . . what were you thinking with Bonding, that’s forever, Row, sharing your dreams, your genetics, your families, every damned thing? Would she have jumped just as quickly if Rico or Colin had asked her back into the arms of our family or did you put your little fantasy away long enough to even wonder?” 

He was now. 

“Dammit, Row, I thought you were the level headed one, and now there’s nothing I can do to change this.” 

“I don’t want you to, Cale.” 

His answer surprised them both, but once he’d put it out there, Turow realized the truth in his own heart, that he had no doubts or regrets over what he’d done and wasn’t ashamed to admit it. 

“I love her, Cale, am crazy about her, have been since the first time I saw her and haven’t been able to think about anyone else, don’t want to be with anyone else. She’s it for me, the one.”




PRINCE OF HONOR is the first in my four book “House of Terriot” series, a spin-off of the “By Moonlight” dark shapeshifter books I’ve been scrolling through over the past month or two. These four books, and the brothers they feature, move the action, along with Turow and Sylvia, between New Orleans and Lake Tahoe where, from their secluded family compound, the Terriots have fiercely protected their territory and defended their clan for generations. Prepare for all those rules to be broken . . .


I hope you enjoy meeting (or revisiting) these four couples this spring as I pick up steam writing the concluding book of the series, RISE BY MOONLIGHT. A journey about to come full circle.



Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

Sunday, March 10, 2019

WeWriWa: I need a Hero(ine)! UNLEASHED BY SHADOWS


If I had my way, all my heroines would be kickass Signorney Weavers who can both take and deal it out. But some books and some heroes (and some readers!) require a softer, gentler female to counterbalance their man. Such was the case with Kendra Terriot. She started out in PRINCE OF SHADOWS as a sheltered innocent forced to discover her inner strength to protect herself, her family and her hero, not exactly wimpy or whiney but definitely not in control of her environment. But as queen of her clan in Nevada, Kendra roars into New Orleans in UNLEASHED BY SHADOWS on the back of a motorcycle ready to throw down on behalf of her king who believes himself beyond saving. Here’s the encouraging push she gets from one of those tough girls, her cousin Brigit. 

“I don’t know what he needs from me, Bree, if anything at all.”

Her cousin laughed and reminded, “You charge in on a motorcycle, dragging his brothers behind you all because you sense he might need you. He was a beast before you, a wreck without you, and he thinks he can conquer the world as long as you’re at his side. All he needs is for you to be you and for you to be there.”

Kendra heard his quiet petition echo.

Stay.

“Do you want to be his queen, Kendra, surrounded by his brothers, his problems and his enemies every day for the rest of your life? Do you love him, and yourself, enough to share him with what he has to do to be who he is?” 

“Yes, that’s what I want.”

“Then quit your whining, find him, bang him brainless, and let the rest take care of itself.”

Strength doesn’t always mean physical prowess. It can be in toughness of character, determination in actions, risks on behalf of righteousness. Kendra steps up her game without losing the tenderness of heart her mate fell in love with, even as she challenges his choices and fights for her place at his side when he’d send her back to safety. You go, Katy! Way to shake things up and stand by your man! 


Here’s how Kendra sees her evolution over the next books of the “House of Terriot” series . . .



And yes, that is my favorite bad boy hero, Jeremy Renner in guy-liner!

I’m mourning the loss of an hour’s worth of a.m. daylight that makes getting up early to write that much harder! Sigh, such is the price of spring.

Happy Writing, fellow Warriors! . .


Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

Wednesday, March 06, 2019

IWSG: “G versus E”

Our Insecure Writers Support Group question for March is an awesome one! “Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? And why?” My answer: BOTH! And the “Why” is why I’m a writer. 


The whole Good v Evil dichotomy is what attracts me to any story, whether it be on television, the big screen, on my Kindle, or my computer. The pull between protagonist and antagonist is where the rubber meets the road, where both sides have to take a stand based upon what they believe/desire, and their decisions will format the rest of their lives (and the story). I like to put a touch of good/bad in all my characters to give them a richer dimension (stereotypical white hat wearing heroes and mustache twirling villains are boring!). That struggle within themselves, and which ultimately wins out, is what gives heft to any tale.

Frankly, villains give a writer much more creative leeway because they don’t have to play by the rules of conduct and social acceptance. My favorite “villain” quote came from actor Rutger Hauer who stated a truly terrifying killer is a charmer, attractive evil being much more frightening than the obvious. Ted Bundy or Andrew Cunanan ring a bell? I immediately want to know what makes them tick and what turned them into who they became.

I confess, some of my heroes/heroines are often flawed to a point almost beyond redemption (or at least they think they are!). I love dark, tormented characters. Their struggle away from that tempting, destructive edge makes a compelling internal/external arc and page-turning conflict and growth. Some of my antagonists have gone from villain in one book to the hero of their own story. And don’t get me started on anti-heroes – those John Wicks or Clint Eastwood characters you can’t help but root for. Wrongs can be done for a righteous reason just as good deeds can open dark doorways. The fluidity between those things is where the true hero’s journey begins, and the would-be good guy falls by the wayside. The stronger the villain, the higher the stakes. Redemption is a big theme with me. The more flawed the hero, the more he has to struggle against the darkness both within and without. And the twists and turns of POV and storyline to find that right balance is why I can’t wait to get to the keyboard!

How about you?


Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!


Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.The awesome co-hosts for the March 6th posting of the IWSG will be Fundy Blue, Beverly Stowe McClure, Erika Beebe, and Lisa Buie-Collard!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

Sunday, March 03, 2019

WeWriWa: Sins of the Father – UNLEASHED BY SHADOWS


I couldn’t leave my “By Moonlight” world behind without giving more page time to my favorite dark hero – Cale Terriot. If there’s a Guilt Club for Men, he’s the founding member. The runt of the litter of twelve princes born to a ruthless king, he had the most to prove – to his father, his family, his unrequited love, but mostly to himself. He’s a man with a plan – to provide a better world for the next generation than the one he grew up in. Drawn beyond his clan’s secluded Lake Tahoe compound by the threats facing their shapeshifter kind, he partners with the leaders in New Orleans. To stop a dangerous Shifter designer drug flooding the Quarter by those in the North who seek to control them, Cale enters a deadly underground Shifter fight club where he fears losing his soul to darkness more than his life or his love. Here’s a peek at drives him . . .

His debt, his burden, his to carry and complete alone. No whining about the costs to body, heart or soul. No crying over what couldn’t be changed or repaired. No shirking from sacrifices sure to cost more than he’d ever thought to wager. The blood on his hands would never come clean. There was no forgiveness for his sins—the sins of the father now those of the son. He was lost but he wouldn’t drag those he loved and respected down with him, not while he still had strength and breath and opportunity.

He couldn’t save his people hiding on their mountain top. He couldn’t purge his guilt without a willingness to surrender his life.

And he couldn’t protect his mate if he couldn’t provide her with his heir.

Next week, I’ll give equal time to Cale’s queen, Kendra. This shy innocent has matured since PRINCE OF SHADOWS, coming into her own to protect her love from his own demons. Enjoy this glimpse into UNLEASHED BY SHADOWS . . .


I, for one, am thrilled to welcome the quixotic month of March, that tease. One day winter, one day spring, always unexpected yet the harbinger of better things to come . . . at last.

Happy approaching Spring, fellow Warriors, and Happy Writing!



Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.