| Saturday, September 29, 2007 |
| Word Count |
Am I the only one who constantly checks word count? Someone told me not to check it so much. Don't worry, just write. But I can't help it. Every few paragraphs I have to stop and check to see where I am, how much progress I'm making.
I'm one of those people who weigh in every day too if I'm on a diet.
We spent a really nice evening with my mom, sister and her DH. We played cards with the kids and just enjoyed ourselves as much as we can under the circumstances. My B-I-L is leaving today to go home. He's a good guy. The kids like him a lot and vice versa. And he likes my apple pie, so he can't be all that bad. My sister will be staying on for another 3 weeks or so.
I guess I should make some breakfast to stop my tummy from rumbling. I'm surprised my DH isn't awake yet. Usually he's downstairs by now.
Oops, here he comes... |
posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:18 AM  |
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| Friday, September 28, 2007 |
| Oops |
I didn't write yesterday afternoon. I was running around too much and everytime I found myself at the computer I was distracted and then I'd have to leave the computer. I couldn't stay focused. I'm writing a new scene and I need that concentration.
Oh, and I didn't write anything this morning. I had to watch The Office. Again. Hey, it was the season premiere and I have to watch any JAMcentric episodes at least twice. Well, it wasn't JAMcentric really, but that's okay. It's still worth watching more than once.
Today on my agenda.... work and try not to fall asleep at my desk (yes, I did that yesterday... I dozed anyway), go to the lawyer with my mom and sister. My mom wants another set of ears to hear what the lawyer has to say about things. Then its off to dinner at my mom's house. Writing? Probably not. *sigh*
Tomorrow? There's always breaktime.Labels: more sleep, sleep, The Office, work |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:56 AM |
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| Thursday, September 27, 2007 |
| Short Story |
I have a short story posted over at The Long And The Short Of It this week, starting today.
This is going to be a short post. My head hurts and I'm ready to doze off. It's times like this I ask myself why I get up so early. Oh, yeah, to have a few moments of peace and quiet before the crowd wakes up. That's right.Labels: LASR, short stories, sleep |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 1:49 AM |
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| Tuesday, September 25, 2007 |
| I'm Beat |
Despite everything that's been going on I've still been getting up at 4:30 most mornings with the exception of the weekend and it's really hitting me. I'm tired.
The service was just how he would've liked it, small, intimate and with a sad smile here and there. Most of his friends are scattered around the country and the world so mostly it was family and some of my mom's friends. Afterwards we went back to my mom's and had a typical family summer family gathering. Again, something he would've liked. We oohed and aahed over the new baby in the family, Justin played ball with his uncles, I caught up with a cousin who I haven't seen in about 8 years. It was very bittersweet. And now the "new normal" begins.
In other news, since starting to edit Dreamers' Sea I've added nearly 4000 new words. I still need to add a lot more to make this marketable to a print publisher so if I haven't found a way to add them by the time I finish I'm going to really have to sit down and think where I can add more scenes. The ending will be extended by quite a bit. I think that'll be where I get a bunch more words.
How do people feel about epilogues? I'm thinking that DS could have an epilogue. I think they're more acceptable than prologues, but I could be wrong.
Anyhue, it's time to go do dishes and make breakfast. I'm bleary eyed and don't know how I'm going to make it through the day. Ugh.Labels: editing, family, transitions, words |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:06 AM |
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| Thursday, September 20, 2007 |
| Very Sad News |
I won't be around much over the next few days. My father passed away yesterday.
We're all shocked and numb right now. While this wasn't totally unexpected, we thought he was out of the woods for at least a while. At least he was home from the nursing home and was in his favorite chair. Maybe that's what he was waiting for. He was also surrounded by his wife, two of his kids and four grandchildren.
But this is still very surreal. I can't believe he's gone. |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 3:30 AM |
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| Wednesday, September 19, 2007 |
| Growing Words and Finding Things |
Yesterday my son wanted to go ride his bike up at the school playground (that's the closest decent place to ride around here). I really didn't want to go. The Bad Evil Mom that I am wanted to stay home and edit but the day was too beautiful and I had a notebook and knew I could sit at a picnic table and work on a scene that I'd been writing for Dreamers Sea. I pulled the car forward to load up the bike and looked down. In the dirt in the drive was a pendant that I'd lost, oh, a good 2-3 years ago, one that I'd gotten for my b'day years and years ago. I couldn't believe that it was there! It's a little worse for wear, looking as if it's been sandblasted a bit and polish didn't shine it up too much, but I'm so psyched! I doubt I would've found it if my son hadn't wanted to go ride his bike. My evil neighbors probably would've found it. So that was good. And I got several pages written to boot (even though the bike's tires were too soft to be much use)
I've probably added nearly 2000 words to Dreamers Sea since starting to edit. I need to add another 25K to be happy, so I'm desperately looking for new scenes to add. I'm trying to boost the romance in the book which was tepid at best (on purpose-this was not to be a spicy book by any means and I dont' mean to make it spicy, but I do want the characters to share a few more kisses and tender moments). I'd love to end up with a 75K (or longer) book to present to an agent.
There has been NaNoWriMo talk going on lately. I haven't decided whether I'm going to take the plunge. I think it depends on where I am on the editing process for DS although I'd hope I'd be finished by Nov. 1st so I could plunge into a new project. The question is, is it more important to plunge into something new or work on something already in progress? I do have the sequel to Sweet Forever that's waiting for my attention and while I do have another story idea in mind I'm not convinced yet that it'll stand up to 50k. I guess the best thing right now is to just concentrate on Dreamers Sea and not worry about the rest til later.
On another note, The Long And The Short Of It will post a short story by moi next Thursday, September 27th. If you haven't checked out their short story section I highly recommend it, they've got some good ones over there.
Now I'm off to make breakfast. Yippee.Labels: editing, LASR, Nanowrimo, short stories |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:00 AM |
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| Saturday, September 15, 2007 |
| Can't Resist A Challenge |
I mentioned to my DH the other day that I wanted a book trailer and asked for his help. He's the computer whiz in the family. For the past two days he's been playing around with this project. I knew he'd take to it. I have to come up with the pictures and text but he'll do the rest. He found a song that I'd LOVE to have but there's no way. It's by a very well known band and it would just be a bad thing. But the song is perfect. *sigh*. I'll find something without paying an arm and a leg.
This frees me up for editing anyway and keeps DH happy. I hope to be able to unveil my trailer soon.Labels: editing, trailers |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 5:58 AM |
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| Friday, September 14, 2007 |
| How does she do it??? |
Okay, fellow author Marianne Arkins wakes up at like 4am every morning and seems to me is a bundle of energy. How in the world does she manage? As of this morning I pushed my wake up time from 5am to 430am to get in a little extra work. My brain feels like it has about a decade worth of muck piled on it, my eyes are bleary and I found myself staring blankly at the coffee maker as if I couldn't remember how to use it. Worse, I know I'm going to pay for this extra 30 minutes somewhere along the line today. I hope it won't be at work, or worse when I'm driving to get pizza for dinner tonight.
How does someone get up so early and still be able to function.
Okay, it doesn't help that I stayed up til nearly 11:30 last night.
In other news.... I'm having neighbor issues again. I miss our old conscientious (I'm too tired to know if I spelled that right) neighbors who thought of the othe tenants. Right now we have a family who don't seem to care about anyone else. Parking is horrible here and everyone has to be very careful about how they park so we can fit all the vehicles in. These people don't seem to pay any attention to how and where they park their Jeep. Last week I felt as if I was held hostage by them because they had left their van in the drive about 4 inches away from my car. Luckily I didnt' need it too much with my DH home. Yesterday I had to go out with my car. They were parked okay but when I came back they'd repositioned so they were pretty much half in my space. I couldnt' get in. It was too late to go and get them up to repark (yeh, I know I should've but they're not the nicest people) so I had to leave the car in the street. I left a note on their windshield so it'll be interesting to see what they do about it. I'm tempted to be just as obnoxious when they leave and park over into their space.
Why can't we just think about others? It's such a little thing.
Okay, I feel a little better.
Now I must get to the editing portion of my morning... you know, the whole reason I got out of bed 30 minutes early.Labels: coffee, early mornings, editing, Marianne Arkins, neighbors |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 1:59 AM |
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| Wednesday, September 12, 2007 |
| Way Off Track |
I get so gung ho about editing my wip when I'm at work. I'm involved in a highly mundane project right now and my mind tends to wander off on it's own and I inevitably think about writing.
This is a good thing.
What's not a good thing is when I get home I become so focused on my desire to do a book trailer that I ignore the editing I've wanted to do during the day. Why is this? It's so time consuming and at the moment I don't think it's condusive to what I want to do, where I want to be by the end of the year.
So, what is more important? Spending lots of time for marketing one book or working on the next? Or is there a happy medium somewhere?
I'm hoping that today I can focus on the story. I'll have some quiet time so I can get through several pages. I hope. |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:58 AM |
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| Tuesday, September 11, 2007 |
| In Memory |
Today's blog is in honor of those who lost their lives 6 years ago today. I didn't personally know anyone who lost their life, though I knew of friends of my parents who lost a daughter and son in law. My brother works for American and when I heard that American Airlines planes were involved of course Ihad that feeling of dread.
It was a day that changed everyone, no matter who they were or where they were. I remember sitting in my office listening to the radio in disbelief. I remember the need to be home with my family instead of doing something so meaningless to me at that moment.
I remember how quiet the skies were after that day when no planes were allowed to fly. And I think more than that I remember looking up and seeing that first plane go overhead after the ban was lifted and feeling a bit apprehensive. Is that crazy?
My prayers go out to all those who lost someone in those attacks. And God Bless those who fell and those who were there to help that day. Labels: 911, heroes, honor, memorial |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:45 AM |
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| Monday, September 10, 2007 |
| Brand New Week |
Well, last week was really fun. I had lots of really good feedback and I hope I picked up some new sales. And if I didn't, well, I'm getting my name out there and that is excellent. Thanks again to The Long And The Short Of It for giving me such an awesome opportunity. And please go back over there. There's a new featured author and more contests!
Last week my DH was out of work. All week. He hurt his back mowing the lawn. It was a long week. But by the grace of God and a good chiropractor he'll be back at work tonight and my schedule will return to normal. Yeah! I've got editing galore. A bunch of friends have been busy getting contracts for their work and I don't have anything remotely close to being done. Well, Dreamers Sea has a beginning, a middle and an end, but it's a bare bones story that needs lots of care and feeding.
And NOW I have a new project I (meaning my husband) want to tackle. A book trailer. Over at Marianne's blog has three trailers up for other authors and a link to a page that tells you how to do it. I'm thinking pffft sounds like a piece o' cake (for my DH).
Thanks to a really good friend, Finally Home is making it's rounds down in the New York area. She bought a (2nd) copy and brought it to her local library who'll look it over and either put it on their shelves or sell it. I'm hoping for it to go on shelves, personally. Her other copy is being handed around to her friends. THANK YOU KIM!!!
I realized that I haven't posted a Dad Update in a while. My dad has taken up residence in a nursing home instead of going straight home from the hospital. He wasn't strong enough for that but now he's getting daily physical therapy and even though today was his goal day for coming home, it looks like the end of the week. Wow, it'll be nearly 2 months since he went into the hospital. But he's doing much better, despite a few bouts with pneumonia (I don't think I spelled that right). I'm just hoping he's better for his business trip in a month. He'll have my mom and my sister along to help.
Well, time to get the younguns ready for school and me ready for work. This marks the first full week of school so now the homework begins for them. God give me strength. |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:39 AM |
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| Saturday, September 8, 2007 |
| AND THE WINNER IS........... |
DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....
Little Lamb Lost come on down!!! Congratulations on being the winner of my first ever contest and an autographed copy of my book Finally Home. If you could email me your mailing information to cerihebert@comcast.net I'll get your book in the mail.
A HUGE THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE ELSE WHO PLAYED! I really appreciate the turn out the contest got and all the wonderful comments. This was so much fun I'll probably do it again so stay tuned for details. In fact, I have a yahoo group that I'll have contest information on if anyone is interested in joining.
I'm really going to miss doing this. It was so much fun.
And a really really big thank you to The Long And The Short Of It for giving me the spotlight this week. It's been awesome!!
Everyone have a good weekend! |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:45 AM |
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| Friday, September 7, 2007 |
| 5TH AND FINAL DAY OF THE CONTEST |
Well, this has been lots of fun and I wish I could keep it going but unfortunately-or not-this is the final day. So, here we go with the rules and such:
Remember, the rules are really easy: Read the excerpt below and answer the question posted after it. See, that's as easy as it can be. Send the answers to my email cerihebert@comcast.net and all correct answers will be put into a drawing to win an autographed copy of Finally Home. I'll be posting an excerpt a day until Friday and the drawing will be on Saturday morning.
I mistakenly said that the final excerpt would be from Sweet Forever, but I had that wrong. I meant to say it'll be from Where One Road Leads, now available in ebook at Samhain Publishing.
Good luck!
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Krista watched as Matt tried to approach once more. She was amused to see him waylaid nearly every few feet. Of course she could’ve made it easy and gone to him, but she was really enjoying this and appreciated his efforts. Every time he caught her eye, he’d give her an exasperated grin. She’d shake her head and return the smile. His approach gave her such a warm, giddy feeling inside. She was more than a little nervous, thinking about the kiss they’d shared. Heat crept into her cheeks and she hoped he wouldn’t see her blush.
“Wow,” was all he said when he reached her. He took her hands and pulled her close and kissed her gently on the cheek.
“Yeah, who would’ve thought there was a girl hiding under those jeans and baseball shirts all those years,” she joked lightly and squeezed his hands.
Matt smiled. “I always knew,” he said softly. “Despite everything else.”
His words sent her heart scrambling for solid ground. Instead it felt like it was in an exciting freefall. She mustered up the ability to keep it to herself though. “And may I return the ‘wow’. You look very sharp in that tux.”
“A little overdressed, but how many chances would I get to dress up in this penguin suit. This is for a good cause.” His gaze swept around the room before returning to her. “Looks like a great success.”
“I’m happy. Lots of faces I haven’t seen for ages. Lots of unfamiliar faces too. I’m still trying to sort them out. We’ve had a lot of people asking for applications for various classes. I can’t wait for tomorrow when the real fun begins.”
Tomorrow would be one big open house for everyone. It would prove to be more important to the future of the center than this night. Tomorrow would be for the kids, an open house for everyone in Quail Ridge and the surrounding towns to see what they had to offer.
“Well, that’s more my speed anyway,” Matt admitted and pulled at his collar.
Krista laughed. He acted all uncomfortable in the tux but he looked incredible. She had to check her emotions.
“So, we have plenty of munchies at the buffet tables. Open bar, if you’re interested.”
“I’m more interested in dancing,” Matt said. “If you’d do me the honor.”
Of course the band was playing something slow and romantic. She couldn’t say no, she didn’t want to say no. So she nodded and let him take her into his arms. It brought back the kiss all over again, just feeling his hand at her waist, his other holding her hand tight. There was only a hair’s breadth between their bodies and the heat grew quickly. She couldn’t speak, but took a deep intake of breath. He smelled so good. She couldn’t identify the musky, subtle cologne but was drawn to it and moved closer to it a fraction, hoping he wouldn’t notice. By the way he increased the pressure of his hold she knew that he did, could probably feel her heart beat crazily against him.
She wanted to make witty conversation with him but found she couldn’t think of anything to say through the battle of nerves with good sense. Nerves were winning out.
“You did a wonderful job here tonight, Krista,” Matt said, his mouth so close to her ear. She liked the way his breath tickled against her face. It had been much too long.
“I had a lot of help,” she admitted. “I was never much good at planning parties. My idea of a gathering was a few friends over for pizza.”
“Then you’ve fooled me. This old mill never looked so good.”
“Please, may I cut in?”
The sound of Ricky’s voice was like a whip crack in the tranquil silence that had come between Krista and Matt. She tore her gaze away from its examination of Matt’s face at the sound of Ricky’s voice. She tightened her grasp on Matt.
“No, thank you,” she replied coldly, her voice low. She didn’t want any commotion this night. “Ricky, this isn’t the time.”
Ricky laughed and crossed his arms over his well-dressed chest. He looked better in a tux, more at home, than he ever did in jeans. Yes, he certainly had found his place in the world. It surprised her that he’d remained in Quail Ridge.
“Do you think I’m here to make trouble? Krista, come on, I have better manners than that.”
She doubted it. He looked like he’d already had a couple drinks in him. If he was so bold sober, then what would he be like drunk? No, she remembered what he’d been like drunk. She wore the reminders. Every day without her best friend was a reminder and not in the least, being robbed of her first child.
“You’re welcome to be here, Ricky, but please find someone else to entertain yourself with,” she said wearily.
Ricky chuckled. “You’re just so much more fun,” he replied.
Matt moved himself between Krista and Ricky.
“You need to leave now,” Matt said quietly.
Krista was grateful. She didn’t want to attract any attention. She glanced around the room. So far no one was looking their way, but Ricky’s voice had an edge to it and she was afraid that he would have no problem drawing attention. In fact that’s probably exactly what he wanted.
“Didn’t you hear her, Matt? She said I was welcome to stay. As long as I’m a good boy. But according to our dear Krista, I’m not capable of being good. And apparently you’re backing her up. What’s with you, bro? She killed your brother as surely as she killed Liz. That okay with you now? Because I’m sure as hell not okay with it.”
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TRIVIA QUESTION: What's Krista's idea of a gathering?
Oh, what the heck, I'm going to give everyone another shot at the prize and throw in another short mini-excerpt, this time from Finally Home available from Whiskey Creek Press.
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Torie let the words spill out. Alex remained silent as she told him of the childhood that, from the outside, had seemed so picture perfect. But really she was a little rich girl, who so many envied, without knowing the loneliness in her heart.
When the words stopped, Alex put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, his lips against her temple. She wished they could just stay put on the boulder, staring out at the wild beauty of the pond forever. But the hard, uneven surface made her rear sore, and she heard Mist stomping her hooves in the background.
She pulled away from Alex’s warmth.
"I need to go." She sighed.
Alex nodded, his face full of concern. "You want me to walk you home?"
Torie looked at the golden sun, sinking nearer to the tops of the trees. With luck she’d make it home just in time for dusk to take over.
"No, thank you. You’d be walking in the dark if you did."
"Wouldn’t be the first time," Alex replied with a smile, a smile Torie felt herself drowning in. He didn’t push the offer any further, though.
"Thank you again. Looks like I owe you another dinner."
His smile grew wider. "Well, I’m glad we’re on good terms again."
"You probably think I’m a basket case," she said with a crooked grin.
"No, Torie, I don’t think that at all." His voice was just a whisper as he leaned in closer to her.
Torie’s heartbeat pounded harder and louder when Alex touched his lips to hers, as gentle as the brush of a feather. The pressure grew, and his arms went around her as she pressed herself as close to his body as she could get. His mouth moved on hers, sensually touching the tip of his tongue to her full lips, until she responded with her own.
In his arms, she felt safe and wanted, accepted, for once, for who she was. He made her forget, at least for a moment, what faced her at home and what the future held for her now.
Reluctantly, she pulled back. Alex stood and held his hand out to her to help her up. She had a precarious balance up on the rock, leaning against his chest.
He backed up, stepping down the side of the rock with care, his hand tight on hers as she followed him. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Torie caught her toe on a crack in the rock.
For the third time in as many days, Torie found herself falling, and for the second time, Alex was there to catch her.
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TRIVIA QUESTION: Where were Torie and Alex sitting?
Good luck to everyone and please come back tomorrow to find out who the winner is. And please remember to email you're answers to cerihebert@comcast.net. Don't put them in the comment section. Feel free to comment about other things however. |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:11 AM |
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| Thursday, September 6, 2007 |
| CONTEST DAY 4 |
Wow, we're almost done. Wish I had another week to do this, but I'll settle for my one. Here is the fourth excerpt and trivia question.
Remember, the rules are really easy: Read the excerpt below and answer the question posted after it. See, that's as easy as it can be. Send the answers to my email cerihebert@comcast.net and all correct answers will be put into a drawing to win an autographed copy of Finally Home. I'll be posting an excerpt a day until Friday and the drawing will be on Saturday morning.
Today's excerpt is from Sweet Forever, now available in ebook at Samhain Publishing.
Good luck!
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“Gran is looking much better,” Hayden remarked, grasping for a safe topic of conversation.
Ben nodded. “She’s doing very well. I think she likes the attention she’s been getting. Amelia just loves to take care of people. She and Lu have been friends for years.”
“Well, if I haven’t said it before, I really do appreciate all your hospitality,” Hayden said earnestly. “I hate to have put you out.”
Ben turned his gaze back to her.
How can such ice blue eyes look so hot?
Hayden shoved the thought from her mind, though her desire for Ben pushed at the hastily thrown up emotional barricade.
“How many times do I have to say it? You’re not putting me out at all. It’s a pleasure to have Lu here. I’d never be able to relax if she were back at Sweet Prairie, no matter who was with her there. I prefer to have the two of you here.”
“And not Sally?” Hayden teased.
“Ah, Sally,” Ben said with an exaggerated sigh. “Let’s not talk about her. The day is too beautiful. I’d rather talk about you.”
Hayden sobered quickly. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Truthfully, when are you going to let me show you the sunset? We’ve missed several perfect ones this past week.”
“Ben, please,” she protested a little too breathlessly. “We’ve already decided not to do this.”
Ben shook his head, a little smile playing on his lips. “Nope. You may have decided that. I don’t recall ever agreeing to it.”
Hayden wasn’t sure how to respond to his statement. She didn’t want to have to plead with him not to get too close. It was too hard not to give into the feelings that pushed and tugged relentlessly at her heart and body. It would be far too easy to close the distance between them, precious inches that were the only walls that could keep her safe.
It wasn’t going to be enough though. As soon as she let her eyes lock with his, she knew it was going to be a losing battle. Somewhere along the line, his will was going to overtake hers and she’d find herself falling hard and fast for him. And what good would that do?
“What do you want from me?” she whispered, laying down her pencil on the open tote. She wouldn’t be getting any more drawing done. Her concentration was shot. She pushed the sketchpad carelessly from her lap.
“Do I have to spell it out?” he replied, his own voice little more than whisper too. He leaned toward her and like some kind of magnet, she was pulled in, closing the distance between them with sweet leisure.
Yet he didn’t touch her. He paused just centimeters from her lips. It was as if he waited for her to close the remaining gap between them, having met her more than halfway. Hayden’s gaze dropped down to his lips, parted expectantly, and then raised her eyes back up to his. They were hooded and smoky.
She had to kiss him. Despite all her best-laid plans to keep their relationship at arm’s length, she knew right then and there that there was absolutely no squelching the need to touch him.
Yet she didn’t move in, not just yet. She paused for a moment and breathed him in. He smelled like leather and hay, just a hint of his cologne and hard work. There was a scent of coffee on his breath and something sweet. She inhaled his essence and breeched the remaining space, touching her lips to his.
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TRIVIA QUESTION: What doesn't Ben want to talk about?
Good luck to everyone and please come back tomorrow for an excerpt from Sweet Forever. And please remember to email you're answers to cerihebert@comcast.net. Don't put them in the comment section. Feel free to comment about other things however. |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:06 AM |
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| Wednesday, September 5, 2007 |
| CONTEST DAY 3 |
Well, we're half way there! Here's the third excerpt and question.
Remember, the rules are really easy: Read the excerpt below and answer the question posted after it. See, that's as easy as it can be. Send the answers to my email cerihebert@comcast.net and all correct answers will be put into a drawing to win an autographed copy of Finally Home. I'll be posting an excerpt a day until Friday and the drawing will be on Saturday morning.
Today's excerpt is from Finally Home, now available in ebook at Whiskey Creek Press
Good luck and enjoy!
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"You all right?"
Torie turned her eyes away from the red lights, now mere pinpricks up the street, and fixed them on Alex.
He flexed and rubbed his fist.
"Fine," she lied. She really felt like the biggest idiot in town. Her thoughts ran in a muddled circle in her brain, try-ing to pinpoint the reason Kendall had turned psycho. She put the tips of her fingers to her lips. They were tender. Beyond that and the lingering sting from the back of her head, she fig-ured she’d live. Physically anyway.
"That’s a hell of a Prince Charming you got there, prin-cess." He said it in a serious tone, but Torie picked up on a trace of something in his eyes. Could have been teasing, but she was too befuddled to know for sure.
She glared at him anyway and hugged herself against the chill of the air. "Yeah, thanks," she replied, biting back at the anger pounding in her head. "Thank you very much for stepping in. Now I need to go."
Torie walked away from him, heading for the road. She heard a loud, irritated sigh from behind her.
"Victoria, stop. Let’s go inside and I’ll buy you a drink and then take you home."
"A drink is the last thing I need, thank you," Torie threw over her shoulder and kept walking.
At the moment she didn’t want to be in Alex Carmichael’s company much more than Kendall’s. She wanted to be left alone to stop the dizzying thoughts banging around in her head. A three-mile walk on a dark, chilly May evening would take her mind off everything else.
She stopped and looked at the stretch of road in front of her. Misery clenched her. She didn’t have her cell phone, not that it made any difference. She had no one to call. Harwich was too small to have a cab company and there wouldn’t be anyone at home to pick her up.
Torie half expected Kendall return to the club, to de-mand she come home with him. He didn’t like looking foolish, and he’d just been dealt a humiliating blow, both figuratively and literally. She prayed he wouldn’t return. He could just drive back to New York City, for all she cared.
With a sigh, Torie started down the road, cursing Kendall in every way possible. Her mother would’ve been mortified if she’d heard the words Torie muttered under her breath.
She heard a car coming up behind her and moved onto the dirt shoulder. The heels of her shoes sank into the soft turf, throwing her off balance. Quickly she regained it and stepped more carefully.
The car behind her slowed down as it pulled up next to her. She glanced over and saw Alex in his Cherokee, window rolled down.
"Come on, princess, you can’t walk all the way home, not in those shoes," he protested.
Torie looked straight ahead and increased her speed, at the risk of her ankles. "I like to walk. Go away, Alex. There must be some other woman you can rescue," Torie shot back, her fists balling at her side.
"Princess, I don’t know of any other woman in the whole world who needs my rescuing as much as you," he replied with a chuckle.
Torie gasped in outrage. He certainly knew which but-tons to push. How ridiculous to waste so much as a minute of thought on him. She quickened her pace, muttering under her breath just what she thought of him.
"You know you’re going to hurt yourself in those shoes," he drawled.
The narrow, two-inch heels made walking, especially on the dirt shoulder, more and more difficult. They dug deep into the rocky soil and already she could feel her calf muscles tighten with the awkward steps. A twisted ankle would be the perfect ending to a perfect evening.
The further she walked, the stronger her pride became. She couldn’t give into Alex’s offer of a ride now.
"Well, if you’d just drive on, then I could walk on the pavement and I wouldn’t have anything to worry about," she retorted through clenched teeth. Alex had the Cherokee so close to her there was no way she could get back onto the tar.
"I just can’t do that, princess."
"Sure you can. You just turn the wheel slightly and press down on the gas pedal. It’s a pretty basic maneuver, Alex."
Alex had the nerve to laugh at her, a sound that did nothing to lift her spirits.
"I’m going to follow you all the way home, Victoria. Contrary to popular belief around here, I’m a gentleman. I’m not going to let a lady walk that far in the dark. All sorts of dangers out there."
"The only danger I’m facing is the danger of hitting one of the men who ruined my night. So I think you have a lot more to worry about than I do."
"How in the world have I ruined your night?" He said it with a laugh, but Torie thought she heard a tinge of outrage in his voice. "More like rescued, princess. Unless, of course, you were enjoying your boyfriend’s attention after all."
Torie hated to admit he was right. She’d been taking her frustrations out on this man. But he had to throw in his com-ments in back at the country club, knowing how it would dig at her.
"Well, I could’ve done without your remarks after the fact," she grumbled. "Pointing out the obvious in your joking manner didn’t help much. And once again, he’s not my boyfriend."
"Woman, are you always this difficult?"
Torie growled low in her throat and picked up her pace.
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TRIVIA QUESTION: How far does Torie have to walk to get home?
Good luck to everyone and please come back tomorrow for an excerpt from Sweet Forever. And please remember to email you're answers to cerihebert@comcast.net. Don't put them in the comment section. Feel free to comment about other things however. |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:07 AM |
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| Tuesday, September 4, 2007 |
| CONTEST DAY2 |
Well, yesterday was a pretty good start and I'm all set for day two of my trivia question.
Remember, the rules are really easy:
Read the excerpt below and answer the question posted after it. See, that's as easy as it can be. Send the answers to my email cerihebert@comcast.net and all correct answers will be put into a drawing to win an autographed copy of Finally Home. I'll be posting an excerpt a day until Friday and the drawing will be on Saturday morning.
Today's excerpt is from Where One Road Leads, now available in ebook at Samhain Publishing.
“Got some other news for you.” Ed’s voice cut through his thoughts. His tone dropped and had taken on a serious note.
Matt eyed his father cautiously. Yeah, something was up. Usually Ed Burgess was a grinning, happy-go-lucky guy. Tonight he was quiet, as if caught up in some troubling thought.
“Go on,” Matt urged slowly, his hand tightening around the cold aluminum can.
“Krista Faye is back in town.”
There was a cold pit in his gut that only accompanied something particularly nasty. The last time he felt it was sixteen months ago when Rachel handed him back his engagement ring and told him that she couldn’t marry him because he was too much of a downer.
“Crap.” He wanted to choose a different, more colorful word, but his father wouldn’t approve, even if the situation called for it. He set the soda down on the table with enough force to slosh the dark liquid out of the opening and onto the tablecloth. “What is she back for?” He stared at the growing brown stain on the white material.
Ed shook his head. “Don’t know. Not my business. Maybe she’s packing things up at her ma’s place.”
Matt nodded and pushed an agitated hand through his short hair. “Hope that’s all. Although it’s kind of odd that she couldn’t even make it to her mother’s funeral. Seems she would’ve let Emily sort through all the final details.”
“You got to move on, Matt,” Ed said evenly.
Matt turned a glare at his father. Move on? Apparently his parents were more forgiving, maybe they were better people than he was. Yeah, they were. Always. But move on? No, he wasn’t moving on.
“Things are fine,” he grumbled, deciding on the outcome in his mind. “When she leaves things will go back to being fine.” If he kept believing that, he thought, nothing else could happen.
Ed downed the last of his soda and crumpled the can. “We’ll see. You do what you need to. Just wanted to give you a heads-up, just in case you bumped into her at the store or something.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t embarrass myself or say something rude.”
The older man got to his feet and patted his son heavily on the shoulder. “I know you won’t. I’ve got to get going or else your mom is going to be sending out a search party. See you Tuesday for dinner, okay?”
“Yeah,” Matt responded distractedly. “Tell Mom I’ll take a look at the dryer while I’m there.”
He didn’t even hear his father walk out and close the door. Instead he was stewing. He hated it when he thought about that night nearly fifteen years ago.
It was the first serious accident he had to deal with on the force. A defining moment, one that could make or break a cop.
It nearly broke him. No, it did break him, in a way more profound than anything else in his life before or after.
He’d been the first cop on the scene that chilly April night. It had been a two-car accident on Route 168 leading into Quail Ridge. Not the best of roads even in broad daylight, it was full of sharp curves and rises and dips. One side was a sharp incline, made up of granite ledges, dirt and shrubbery. On the other side, beyond what he thought was a pretty rickety guardrail, there was a ten-foot fall into a river, which in the spring had a pretty good flow to it.
One car’s front-end had been smashed up, windshield shattered and smeared with something dark. The vehicle had come to a stop against the incline, in the wrong lane.
The other car had gone through the guardrail on the river’s side.
He hadn’t recognized the Chevette at first. Or what was left of it. But when he did, he had to fight the nausea that gripped his gut like a rabid dog and the panic that turned his hands ice cold as he went down that steep embankment toward the battered remains. Even then he hadn’t known that his little brother had been involved. He could’ve suspected. Eddie and Krista had been attached at the hip.
But he could hope and pray.
A lot of good that had done him.
And it wouldn’t do him a bit of good to dwell on the fact that Krista Faye was back in town, for whatever reason. It didn’t have to affect him or his life at all.
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TRIVIA QUESTION:
What was the route number where the accident happened took place?
Good luck to everyone and please come back tomorrow for an excerpt from Finally Home. And please remember to email you're answers to cerihebert@comcast.net. Don't put them in the comment section. Feel free to comment about other things however. |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 2:09 AM |
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| Monday, September 3, 2007 |
| IT'S MY WEEK! CONTEST TIME! |
I'm so proud to be the featured author over at The Long And The Short Of It! Please check it out. They have tons of great reviews (including the reviews for my three books)
And today is the kick off for my first contest.
Here's what you need to do. Read the excerpt below and answer the question posted after it. See, that's as easy as it can be. Send the answers to my email cerihebert@comcast.net and all correct answers will be put into a drawing to win an autographed copy of Finally Home. I'll be posting an excerpt a day until Friday and the drawing will be on Saturday morning.
Enjoy!
This excerpt is from Sweet Forever which is available as an ebook from Samhain Publishing
Things changed, though, when Hayden had turned up on Lu’s front porch with the news of Rosalyn’s death. Lu didn’t send Hayden away, but had embraced her granddaughter and invited her into her life. Ben, for one, was glad she did. It gave Lu comfort in her grief, to have the granddaughter she’d never known with her. And now it seemed Lu was considering changing her will to leave Sweet Prairie to Hayden instead of Sally.
It was bound to make life a little more interesting.
With firm resolution, Ben shelved all thoughts of Lu Gardner and her property and turned his mind to the here and now. He had a lot to do before his next group of guests arrived in a few days. There were supplies to pick up, activities to organize. He stared at the computer monitor in front of him, but his attention was drawn away from work by the low rumble of thunder that carried across the prairie.
With an annoyed shake of his head, he powered the unit down. Last thing he needed was to fry his Dell. Besides, with the storm that was bearing down on them, the boys could no doubt use a hand.
“Ben!”
Tuck’s alarmed bellow sent Ben charging for the door. Tuck wasn’t one to holler unless it was something urgent.
Against the gray sky outside the barn, Tuck and one of the other ranch hands held onto the reins of a bay gelding who was fully saddled and panting as if he’d been ridden hard. An easel and canvas bag hung from the saddle.
“Damn,” Ben muttered as he approached Lu’s old gelding, Bugs. The horse was the single most foul-tempered animal, but Lu seemed to be fond of him, so the beast stayed put, as retired as his owner. No one had ridden the animal in over five years. At the ripe old age of twenty-two and with a bum leg, he was fit to live, but not fit to ride.
Ben glared at the canvas. Certainly didn’t need to be a brain surgeon to figure out who had Bugs out. Here he’d just been defending Hayden to Sally, and now this.
“Where is she?” he demanded, looking away from the horse to the stable yard.
“She ain’t here, Ben. The horse came in alone.”
Ben swore again. “Bring him in and get him comfortable in a stall and see if you can get Doc over here. I’ll take Ricochet out and see if I can find her.”
“Yes, sir,” Tuck replied, pulling Bugs towards the barn.
Ben dashed into his horse’s stall. Somewhere there was a woman who needed rescuing and the flash of lightning that sizzled through the air brought home the urgency of getting her to safety.
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TRIVIA QUESTION #1
How old is the horse that came into the stableyard by himself?
Good luck to everyone and please come back tomorrow for an excerpt from Where One Road Leads.
And please remember to email you're answers to cerihebert@comcast.net. Don't put them in the comment section. Feel free to comment about other things as well.
THANKS AND HAPPY LABOR DAY TO ALL! |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 3:53 AM |
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| Sunday, September 2, 2007 |
| I'M THE FEATURED AUTHOR |
Starting Monday Sept 3rd I'll be the featured author at The Long And The Short Of It, a brand new review site that offers so much more!
They've already reviewed all three of my books and have had such success since they started this site. I'm very excited about being a part of it.
In honor of being featured author I'll be holding a contest beginning Monday Sept 3rd. Each day I'll be posting an excerpt from one of my three books and I'll be asking a trivia question from that excerpt. Each winning answer will be eligible for a drawing at the end of the week to win an autographed copy of Finally Home.
Answers to the trivia questions can be sent to cerihebert@comcast.net
Good luck all!Labels: author, Contests, Finally Home, readers |
| posted by Ceri Hebert @ 5:46 AM |
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