Hi everyone! I know I’m a bit early wishing everyone Merry Christmas, but I figured with how crazy this year has been, I decided now is the best time to wish you happy holidays! So I’m trying today to tackle wrapping presents while listening to Christmas music and sipping on hazelnut coffee. I’ve hit a pause in writing because I’ve had two surgeries recently (eye surgery, let’s just say it was no fun!), and I’m just going to try and recover from that. However, I still have the mental outlines for Strings of Magic (I’m three-fourths of the way of completing it!), and Earth Bound will be my next book to publish. So bear with me.
I want to share a few holiday treats with you. First Let Your Heart Drive will be free on Amazon starting Friday, December 10, 2021, to Sunday, December 12, 2021. If you enjoy contemporary romance and a strong female character, this will be the book for you! Here’s the blurb –
I live in the shelter of darkness.
This darkness holds a secret over me… one that I have come to protect, and in return, it controls and holds me back.
It’s time to start fighting against it and break free. To become the unrestricted woman, I yearn to be. For this to happen, it will take a sixteen hundred-mile road trip to let go of all that I fear and hopefully discover that the darkness doesn’t lurk everywhere. I stand on the edge overlooking a horizon of possibilities for the first time. Will I let my heart drive… to where it needs to be?
A unique romantic tale of one girl, one road, and a chance meeting with someone that will change everything in every way.
I’ve had readers ask if there will be a continuation for Let Your Heart Drive, wondering if Sinead will finish out her journey on Route 66, and I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit, actually. So, we shall see! But I’d like to ask you, the reader of this blog if you enjoy a series of contemporary romances, or prefer paranormal instead?
I enjoy several books, and some are standalone, and some are series, both of which are contemporary and paranormal. Thought I’d see what my readers enjoy the most. 😉
Okay, on to our next treat! I’m going to give you a sneak peek at the first chapter of Strings of Magic! Plus, the cover! Ready?
“Hey, Liv, are you almost ready?” Nina shouts.
I drag my hands over my face and rise from the edge of the bed. Slowly, I move my body toward the closet and shout back. “Ah… yeah. One sec.” I’m shocked to hear my voice sound so natural, almost cheery even. I snag the first shirt and pants I see, throw them on, and head for the front door. I can hear Nina’s footsteps racing down the steps behind me on my way out. “Nice, you look… uh…” she remarks.
“Glamorous?” I reply cynically over my shoulder.
“Not really… you look more like we’re going to rob a bank. I mean, I love the all-black style you have going on but don’t you think you could try to perk up your wardrobe, maybe?” She hits the key fob and unlocks the car. We settle in her Fiat, and I quietly watch as she rummages through her bag.
“Perk up my wardrobe? Why on Earth would I do that, Nina?” I question and slip out her shimmer-me-pink lip gloss. “Ah. You left this in the bathroom. Can we go now?”
“Oh my god, Liv. Do you know I looked everywhere for that? For a moment there, I thought I’d never find it,” she says, smearing the shiny gloss across her lips and smiles. A few seconds pass as she primps herself in the mirror, satisfied; she tosses her bag in the tiny backseat. “Come on, Liv, don’t look so bummed out. Tonight will be fun. Besides, how many times can you sit at home and watch P.S. I Love You?”
I let a small smile reveal itself and reply, “And how many times do you drive to Bernie’s and stare at that cute bartender?
She shrugs a shoulder and starts the car up. “Not enough because he still hasn’t asked me out.”
I let out a dramatic sigh. “Oh, Nina and her quest for love…” I glare over to her and add, “It’s not all that’s it’s cracked up to be. Take it from me. I should know.”
“Maybe, Liv. But tonight, I want you to let your hair down, have a few drinks, and listen to The Spellcasters because they will blow your mind,” she squeezes the steering wheel and wiggles in her seat like she’s about to combust with excitement.
“Yay…” I remark sarcastically.
Thirty minutes later, we’re parked outside of a brick building, and the place is packed. A weathered sign hangs above with the words Old Town. The bar is a popular venue for most, and I’ve been here a few times grudgingly. I never understood why my best friend, Nina, always frequented this hole in the wall. But as we enter, I’m reminded why she loves this place. Through the low lights and bustle of the crowd, Nina shines like the sun with her platinum blonde hair, tanned skin, and a smile that can light up any dark abyss. I keep my stride beside her like a lost moon in the dark. We’ve been this way, a balanced contrast, for years, and I always find it amusing watching how others react to us. Mostly the men stare, crane their necks to get every possible view of Nina, and once their eyes focus on me, it lingers just a fraction of a second, and then it vanishes. As if my scowling dirty look makes them flinch and redirect their gazes.
Nina nudges me. “Come on, let’s grab a drink,” she says, squeezing between a huddle of girls. Once we reach the bar, Nina orders her drink, and I lean in beside her shaking my head.
“Talk about changing things up. Is that the only drink you know? The Gimlet, Nina?” I tease.
“No… it’s not the only drink I know,” she retorts and thanks the bartender. “I just love the way it tastes. So…should I just order you a bottle of gin, Liv?” She quirks a slender brow up and smirks at me like she’s Miss Hoity-toity.
I chuckle. “Just because I can out drink you doesn’t mean you have to be a smartass about it,” I remark and playfully glare at her. “All right, I may regret asking this, but what is it about this band that has you so pumped?”
Nina grabs our drinks and nods toward the side. I follow, weaving through the horde of people. “You’ll see…” she yells over the rising noise with a smile. A band drones out, and eventually, Nina finds a spot where we can stand and not have someone bumping into us.
She hands me my drink and I steal a sip. “Please don’t tell me I’m here because you find one of the band members hot,” I complain, eyeing her before I steal another sip. I add, “I could be at home right now—”
“Watching some sappy love story and crying your heart out?” she sasses and shakes my shoulder. “Oh, Liv, stop living in the past and enjoy the moment!” She starts jumping up and down and screaming as a new band approaches the stage. The overhead lights change colors, and a rush of fog clouds the stage, and then out of the haze, the drummer for The Spellcasters starts pounding out a heavy rhythm. And the crowd goes wild as the bass player begins thumbing the strings on his guitar feverishly, amping up the beat. The stage clouds over again, and the lead singer emerges through the mist. All I can see are tight dark jeans and a brief flash of a grey graphic-designed T-shirt. Words belt out and flow with the beat, and it’s like I’m obsessed with the hypnotic sound. The girl in front of me moves to the left. I ease to the right and catch the sight of the singing God. He’s tall, lean, and blond. Everything about him screams perfection, from the trendy undercut hairstyle to his chiseled features. He shifts his body to the side as he strums the strings on his electric guitar, and I blink, trying to see if it’s just me or if his guitar really is glowing electric blue.
Everyone seems just as captivated as I am, and it’s not solely because of the room’s energy. The lyrics and music blend and join together like a magical trance. Nina bounces her arms against mine and grins. “See… I told you, Liv. You wouldn’t be sorry for coming out tonight. They’re good, right?”
I brush back my long dark hair and retort, “Yup, they’re good. Now can we go home?”
She laughs and dances to the next song that quickly drifts through the air. A girl bumps into me, bobbing to the beat gripping her shirt.
She glances over to me and fans herself. “Oh, wow… it’s like, he has this weird insight into how you’re feeling, you know? Luke’s voice is so… dreamy. It’s totally like he wrote the song just for me!” I drag my eyes over to the stage as she points, still clinging to her shirt like her heart is about to jump straight out of her chest. The next song drums out slowly, vibrating the floor, and I absorb the way the lead singer sways his body, gripping the mic. He drops one hand and pats it against his thigh to the tempo. His eyes glide over the girl beside me, and he sings with a raspy, deep tone…
It’s three a.m., and you’re still thinking about him,
In the car driving down the boulevard…
As the music picks up, I watch as the girl swipes away a tear and sends me a quick smile. “Who’s Luke?” I ask. A light chuckle slips past her lips, and she looks at me with shock.
“Ah… the singer. Duh,” she shouts over the pandemonium.
“Right…” I remark.
I nudge Nina and shout over to her, “Hey, I thought you said this band was kinda new?”
Nina’s in her own world with her hands in the air and moving to the rhythm. “Yeah… they’ve only been here a few times. Why?”
Suddenly the drink in my hand swirls around madly, and I cup my hand over it. My element spikes and signals there’s more here than meets the eye. No soul around me knows I’m a witch, not even my best friend, Nina. Born a water elemental and wired to cast spells wasn’t something I never wanted to share with the humans that fulfill my life. Nina excitedly smiles over at me, and I offer an upbeat smile. “Did you finish your drink?”
I raise my glass. “Almost!” I chug down the last drop and sweep a glance around everyone. I can feel the vibe the band gives off— enchanting and spellbinding. Every word, every lyric hits a chord with the audience, and I stare a hole through the lead singer. Somehow he’s reading the crowd and singing, off-the-cuff the songs from the emotions he’s getting. I watch like a spectator, partly in awe and partly in uncertainty. How can he so easily grasps the emotions and sing so hypnotizing? And then I decide fuck it. I’m not going to overanalyze it and just enjoy the moment, but then, as I lift my arms and move to the pitch of Luke’s voice, I hear…
Baby, I know you’re hurting… I can see it in your face…
You hide your smile and fall into some unknown place…
But baby, I’m here to tell you that’s no place for you…
You can be free from all your tears…
Let my words wash away those fears…
Now’s not the time to run away… don’t run home… and hide your face…
Now’s not the time to go home…
I open my eyes and glare at the lead singer. The drummer still hammers out the riveting chorus, and I haul ass toward the closest exit. Outside I punch in an Uber number on my cell phone and wait. In less than an hour, I ease into a Honda Accord, and I grumble to the driver, “Fuck… take me home, please.” I rest my head against the backseat and let out an aggravated sigh. I shake my finger angrily toward the driver. “Who does that? I mean, seriously, it’s obvious you have the voice, the talent. So why the fuck would you do that?!” The short, dark-eyed driver glances back at me and nods, pretending like he completely understands my rantings, and awkwardly shrugs.
“I mean, how can you sing like a beast and use that gift to…” I shake my head and look at the streets that pass us by. “You know what I mean? You get what I’m saying, right?” I ask the clueless driver with sincerity and thread my fingers through my hair. And then I shake my finger his way once again and warn like he’s the one to blame for all this. “I’m on to your act, Luke, and you just met the wrong witch….” The driver stares at me like I’m nuts, and I quickly correct myself. “Bitch… I meant bitch.” I softly chuckle and hope I sound sane and convincing. I shut my mouth and quietly watch the streets disappear behind us and let the irresistible voice of Luke mingle with my thoughts.
Okay, my last Christmas treat for you is Fire Bound will be free as well this month starting December 17 to December 19! So, be sure to mark your calendars, grab your copy and tell a friend! Books are always a great gift idea whether it’s a paperback, kindle, or even audio! I truly hope you and your loved ones have a magical holiday season! XOXO
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