While my virtual assistant and I lounged during the early November evenings to let weary feet rest in our New Orleans hotel room . . . without a working TV! . . . after long days pounding the uneven pavement in search of story inspiration, I had time to enjoy doing something I spend too little time doing. I READ! I’d forgotten the luxury of spending an hour or two (or three!) banked on fluffy pillows with a good book in hand . . . on this occasion a book from my Bass family historical series that I’m getting ready to reissue. You know what I rediscovered? Not only the pleasure I reap from words on a page, but how much I LOVED this historical romance series! So much so, I’ve been racing through the pages of Book 4 with one objective in mind . . . adding a new Book 6 to the series! From the prologue of Book 1, TEMPTATION’S TRAIL, written under the pseudonym Dana Ransom for Zebra Books back in the ‘90s, I was right back in the dusty heat of West Texas with a family I knew as well as my own. And now I’m on Book 4 of 5 turning pages as fast as I can to devour scenes like this one from TEXAS RENEGADE. . .
Kenitay – An honorable mix of Tex-Apache with no place in either world is shackled by prejudice and a crime he didn’t commit. Haunted by the dark past he escaped, can he accept the offer of inclusion within his step-father’s family fold if it means surrendering a cause and a secret that could turn them against him . . . risking a future with the only woman who understands him.
Leisha – A headstrong female out to prove herself in the male-dominated Bass family of heroes finds her weakness exposed when rescued by a never-forgotten shadow from her past. Can she trust the childhood friend who saves her from disgrace without sacrificing her pride as well as her heart to the intriguing and dangerous wanted man he’s become?
The big frame house was quiet around him with only the tug of the dry Texas breeze at his window curtains to echo the restlessness of a soul all stirred up with conflicting loyalties. There were no solutions to the ache of unrealized longing in his heart, knowing he couldn’t stay and yet, that once he left, he couldn’t return. His path was one of retribution, not self-fulfillment. There was nothing except the gratification of revenge. It had been easy to promise that he’d surrender himself when all was done because there wasn’t a whisper of belief in heart or mind that he’d survive what he planned. He was already a ghost out to avenge a spiritless people. He’d accepted that when he’d claimed the right of vengeance as a son. He’d lived so long without hope, the future held no sense of expectation or reward.
Until Leisha.
(and a bit more . . .)
That was the hell of it. He could imagine himself wed to her, filling her with his children, surrounded by the close-knit Bass clan for a safe and satisfying forever . . . could imagine it but couldn’t have it. Not if he walked the path honor demanded. Consequence was going to catch him. When was the only variable. He was walking in a doomed man’s shoes and no matter how uncomfortable the fit was, he was committed to the journey as son of Kodene, a once-proud Apache warrior and now, restless spirit. He wasn’t going to Austin to clear his name and the way to a dreamed of future with Leisha Bass, and he wasn’t coming back.
He was going to kill the two men who dishonored his father’s soul.
Whew! I’m hurrying through our posts so I can get back to the rest of the story . . .
Have a great Turkey Day for those who will be stuffing in the stuffing this week! I’m enjoy a restful holiday off by having our meal delivered . . . and will still have leftovers!
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.
The words a really bringing across all of his conflicts without being too much or too little. enjoyed the snippet.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Iris! He's a broody guy.
DeleteCompelling excerpt - his intensity is palpable, as is his dilemma.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Adriana! He's one of my favorite characters. I miss him. It was fun revisiting the book.
DeleteThis resonates with me. "There were no solutions to the ache of unrealized longing in his heart, knowing he couldn’t stay and yet, that once he left, he couldn’t return." My decision wasn't about retribution but about knowing the path I was on would destroy me if I stayed on it, yet knowing if I left I would never again experience the same intensity of emotion. Learning to live in the ordinary world has never been easy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that great validation!
DeleteHe is in a difficult situation. He wants both love and revenge, and that puts him in a dangerous place!
ReplyDeleteA place where trusting the wrong thing - even his own instincts - could end very badly.
DeleteWill he have to choose between love and revenge, or find a way to have both? He is a broody guy, but with cause it seems. His longing for a true family life tugs at my heart. No wonder you're flying through this one! Happy Turkey Day!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this series. It's my favorite. Ready to gobble my way through the trimmings of the holiday!
Delete