“What do you think about vampires?”
Not exactly what you’d expected to be asked in a swanky New York dining room by your new editor. But the second he asked, I had one quick answer.
“I LOVE them!” Soooo much I had a three-book verbal phone pitch for him in less than an hour, and on his desk in writing when he returned to work from that conference on Monday. He bought all three in what would stretch out to a nine-book series with three different publishers and a hoard of rabid readers. Take a bite out of Book Two: MIDNIGHT TEMPTATION.
Marchand wasn’t exactly sure what happened. One moment she was all clinging vulnerability and the next, her purpose shifted aggressively. Grasping fingers began a hard kneading pressure along the muscles of his back and shoulders while her supple body pressed against him. He almost pulled away—not because he didn’t like it, but because it was such an unexpected change.Her breathing stroked along the side of his neck in light, panting whispers. He held his own suspended then it gusted out in an explosive sigh when he felt the first soft brush of her lips there, just below his ear, followed by the lingering rasp of her tongue. Her fingers had come up to rub along his jaw in a demanding passion, then clamped with a paralyzing sharpness into the cording on the other side of his neck. In a brief spike of surprise, he realized he couldn’t move. Then he didn’t want to.(. . . and a tasty bite more . . .)He forgot about struggle. He wasn’t thinking about making love to her, or even of how to respond to what she was doing. He was lost, hypnotized by the seducing caress of her breath upon his throat. Beneath the urgent press of her mouth, his pulse was lulled into a seductive sluggishness. He was aware of his eyes closing, of the world darkening. Mon Dieu, was he going to swoon?Suddenly, Nicole shoved away from him, forcing him to scramble for balance. He shook his head, trying to free his mind from its odd lethargy.“No,” she cried out in anguish. “I won’t. I can’t.”
Ever since Bela Lugosi scared me witless as a child and Barnabas Collins had me swooning as a teen, vampires were my go-to fantasy. A chance to write about them . . . as romantic heroes?! YES! Paranormal romance had just become the “new thing” in the early ‘90s and I jumped onboard with the “Touched by Midnight” vampire series. The first three books through Zebra were followed by reissues of that trio and seven more original titles with ImaJinn/BelleBooks. Not only did I get to continue the series, but I also got to continue with the same characters in new books (which was another taboo broken!) carrying them into a new century (hey, they’re immortal, after all!). I LOVED the ‘90s! And I loved being courted by one of the first indie publishers as a lead author!
Who says a buried and dead series can’t come back to life?!
Hey . . . is that sunshine streaming in through my office window? It’s been glooming for so long, I’m blinking like a bear coming out of hibernation. And it’s getting up into the 60s later today! May be time to get out the cat leashes . . . so the wind doesn’t blow them away! But first, off to visit your posts!
Happy Creeping Up on Spring!!
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.
What a steamy snippet! I'm curious as to what stopped her.
ReplyDeleteShe's reluctant to embrace what she is and unsure how to control her . . . urges.
DeleteReally enjoyed the snippet, hard to even describe all the emotions it invoked as you built to the moment she...doesn't bite him. Really well done. And I find your memories of the romance publishing industry fascinating, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying the flashback which gives me content while my current project is being annoyingly coy. It's fun bringing back all those memories.
DeleteI loved this book! Vampire romances are the best.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kate! I'm always thrilled when someone remembers it (and fondly!).
DeleteI so enjoy when you turn back the time machine! How cool. Fantastic snippet. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Teresa! Hoping to build up my momentum during the journey forward to get back into my WIP!
DeleteGreat excerpt. I also enjoyed the story of the publisher.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elaine!
DeleteWhew!! *Fans self* That was one steamy snippet! I too want to know why she didn't bite him--you just knew she wanted to--that's quite some self-restraint! You've had such a wonderful career, Nancy! Thanks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteShe's a vampire "virgin" at this point running from her true nature and he's supposed to be her first.
DeleteSo interesting that she's the seducer instead of the man. Love this. Her stopping brings up all kinds of questions. I'm hooked.
ReplyDeleteIt's not exactly an seduction . . . it's an enchantment. She's a vampire and he's supposed to be her first.
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