June 10, 2015
Kiss Me
Cross-eyed
is live on
Amazon for $3.99
or
FREE on Kindle Unlimited
Here is the trailer.
Enjoy!!!
AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
KISS ME CROSS-EYED
This is the cover you will find when you click through to Amazon.
A woman establishing a place for herself. A man focused on raising his daughter. Their paths cross and sparks fly.
Excerpt: Finnley sees Erlyne's truck at her store and stops to find out if she is planning on moving back to Miller.
“Remember
that, do you?” He rubbed his right hand over his jaw and contemplated her
before he added, “I was something of an arrogant jerk in those days.”
“And
you are no longer an arrogant jerk?” She almost smiled at him, but couldn’t
quite muster up the nerve. This man had
always rattled her, and apparently nothing had changed.
“Don’t
know that I can say that, but I don’t share my unsolicited advice so freely
anymore with women whom I feel are leading my brother down the garden path,” he
said, his mouth quirking ever-so-slightly at the corners. “I figure at this point in life, he can fend
for himself.” Since she was the only woman he had ever accused of leading his
brother down the garden path, his admission wasn’t much of a concession.
“There
is that,” she agreed. “So what can I do
for you?” She repeated her original question.
Finn
met her stare. He had a lot of questions
for the lady standing in front of him. Where to begin? Do I keep it friendly, or give it to her
straight? Her eyes seem to snap at
him, their honeyed depths full of indecipherable emotions.
Deciding
to go for broke, he let loose of a barrage of words without stopping to
consider how they might sound to Erlyne.
“You
can tell me why you decided to move back to Miller, and how long you plan on
staying this time before you head back to Houston or some other more exciting
city. You can tell me what you are to my
brother, because for the life of me, I can’t figure it out. Or better yet, you can tell me what my
brother is to you. That’s the answer I
am most interested in.” He paused for a breath, then added. “And you can tell me how it is that you look
like you haven’t aged at all. Why are
you still so punch-in-the-gut beautiful in your jeans and boots?”
Now
that he had given voice to the questions that were percolating in his head, he stood
before her, the perfect specimen of a man, hands stuffed in his khakis, staring
into her eyes as if he were trying to see the answer to all his questions
written on the back of her skull. Against his will, one final challenge popped
out of his mouth. “You can tell me why,
after fifteen years, I still find myself wanting to kiss you cross-eyed.” His final words, spoken with the force of a
jackhammer, sounded like a promise and vibrated in the air between them,
keeping Edie tongue-tied for a full minute.
“Whew!”
The word whistled through her pursed
lips into the silence that had fallen and shattered the spell he had cast over
her. Blinking up at him, she was
surprised to find him so close. He had
closed the distance between them while distracting her with his outpouring of you cans. “And what if I don’t want to tell you any of
those things? What if I feel that it is
none of your business? Well, except for
the kissing me cross-eyed comment, and I might have to think about that a
little bit because it never occurred to me that you wanted to kiss me. Ever.
In any fashion.”
“Didn’t
it?” he asked as he continued to stare at her.
“Not
a clue,” she assured him in a whispery voice that irritated her because it made
it seem like she was waiting for him to do just that—kiss her cross-eyed.
“And
the rest?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with fire and determination.
“Thinking
it would be none of your business. Well,
mostly none of your business,” she retorted, sure that his comment about
kissing her had her cheeks the color of apples.
“Then I’d say we have a little problem,” he told
her gruffly, moving a half step closer, crowding her personal space. “I don’t plan on leaving until I have some
answers.”
“Oh,
for goodness sakes,” she bit out, raising her hand and letting them fall again. “Your brother is still trying to convince me
that we are meant to be together. And we
do make a good team, but I can guarantee you that he has never mentioned to me
once that he has a desire to kiss me cross-eyed. Not once.
Never. So maybe that’s why we are still just friends.” Her words started out strong and forceful,
but turned soft and raspy as she got distracted by his hot melted caramel stare. By the last word, her voice nearly failed her
because she was having trouble getting enough air.
“That
so?” He took a small step backwards, giving her back a little of her
space. “Then he is more of an idiot than
I thought.” Averting his eyes, he looked
out the window for a moment. “You don’t
have to look so panicked. Just because I
have thought about it, more than once if I am honest, doesn’t mean I am going
to do anything about it. You might not
be in love with Kenny, but he professes to be in love with you, and I will not
poach.”
“And
if I were to tell you that I am in love with you, it would make no difference?”
“Are
you in love with me?” Finn’s eyes bored
into hers.
“No,”
she spat out. “How could I be? I barely know you to speak to. I was just trying to make a point.”
“What
point?” he ground out, disturbed on many levels by this whole
conversation. He really, really liked
the way her cheeks had reddened at the thought of him kissing her, but he
really, really had no business thinking of kissing her in the first place.
She
threw up her hands and groaned. “I don’t
need this. What is it going to take for
you to leave?”
“Tell
me why Kenny is still trailing around after you,” he pressed.
“He
works for me,” she said, her voice finally returning to normal. “You know he’s a carpenter, right?” Finn
nodded. “Of course you do, he’s your
brother,” she said, wondering what happened to her normally sharp brain. “Well, I sketch out my designs, and he builds
them. And he makes good money for his time.”
“And
that’s the only reason he is coming to Miller?” He took her chin in his hand
when she would have ducked it to avoid his eyes. “No, look at me. It’s harder to lie when you look someone in
the eye.”
“You
think I am lying to you?” she gasped, incredulous that he seemed to hold her in
such low regard.
“No,”
he admitted. “Is Kenny coming to Miller
because he still cherishes the hope that you two will get married someday?”
“I
think he has moved past that dead-end dream,” she croaked, wishing more than
anything she could remain as cool and collected as he seemed to be. “But you’ll
have to ask him because he and I don’t talk about his feelings for me anymore.”
He
studied her face for a moment longer, then released her chin. Stuffing his hands in his pockets again, he
nodded as if what he saw pleased him.
“Oh,
I will talk to Kenny.”
“If
you don’t mind my asking,” she said, biting her lip nervously. “Why do you care?”
“Because
as I said, I don’t poach. If you and
Kenny have ever been anything but friends, or if he still fancies himself in
love with you, then I will stay as far away from you as I can manage in a town
the size of Miller.”
“And
if he doesn’t fancy himself in love with me anymore?”
“Then
I will be knocking on your door, moving heaven and earth to find out if you are
as beautiful when you’re cross-eyed as you are when you are annoyed.”
After
delivering his statement of intent, he turned on his heels and walked out the
door. Edie watched him get in his black
SUV and roar off. His words were still
ringing in her ears.
“Well,
well, well,” she muttered. “I can only
hope that Kenny tells the truth because the idea of Finn kissing me cross-eyed
or otherwise is very appealing.” When
she turned back to her work, she was smiling.
The
idea was appealing to Finnley Farrell as well, but he wasn’t smiling. I have
no business acting like I am free to date Erlyne. Brother or no brother, I can’t get involved
with her. So God, what am I going to do?
The attraction I feel for this woman has no future, not
with a divorce in my past. Nor am I
ready to take a risk on a woman who isn’t likely to want to live in Miller,
Texas for the rest of her life. Been there. Done that. Didn't bother to buy the tee-shirt.
No
trumpets blared, no angels sang, no booming voice answered his heart’s plea,
not that Finn expected any of those things.
He knew God was listening, and that was enough to keep him from worrying
the problem to death. At least for
tonight.
If you'd like to read more, get a sneak peek at Erlyne and Finnley's story on Wattpad. >May 11,2015
Kiss Me Cross-eyed will be available for Pre-Order on Tuesday. The Release Date is May 31, 2015. I am very excited. I know that you are going to love Erlyne and Finnley. To celebrate the Pre-Release I will post little vignettes each Monday to whet your appetite. But for now, here is a playlist of songs that touch the hearts of Finnley, Kenny, Erlyne, Allie, and Stacey. Hope you enjoy the music.
April 28, 2015
April release of Kiss Me Cross-eyed may not happen, the editing is almost finished, but I am taking a break to say good-bye to my mother. A victim of Alzheimer's, she passed away April 27, 2015. She would have been thrilled to know that I named the heroine in this book after her.
Don't forget to enter to win a copy of Kiss Me Cross-eyed. (Ebook)
Book 3: Kiss Me Cross-Eyed
After several trials and more than a few errors, I have settled on this as the cover of Book 3: Kiss Me Cross-eyed. I am hoping to have Erlyne and Finnley's story edited (I am not rushing the editing process this time) and ready to go live on KDP, April 25th.
My third book. How thrilling.
If you'd like to get a sneak peek, it is on Wattpad. Remember, the version on wattpad is a work in progress, and I don't alway go back and reupload the chapters when I finish editing them. After I release the book, I will have to take it off Wattpad.
I have new covers for Books 1 and 2 of the series. You can check them out on their individual pages. :)
Coming soon.
I love playing with different covers. I am looking for a design that I can translate across all thirteen books.
Image courtesy of photostock at freedigitalimages.net
A preview of Erlyne Eaton and Finnley Farrell's story:
She threw up her hands and groaned. “I don’t need this. What is it going to take for you to leave?”
“Tell me why my brother, Kenny, is still trailing around after you,” he pressed.
“He works for me,” she said, her voice finally returning to normal. “It's no secret that he's a professional carpenter. You knew that he and I worked together on Design Redo, right?” Finn nodded. “Well, when I left the show, to set up my own design shop, Kenny offered to come with me. I would have been a fool to turn him down. He is brilliant. So now, I sketch out my designs, and he builds them. Makes good money for his time.”
“And that’s the only reason he is coming to Miller? Because he's your carpenter?” He took her chin in his hand when she would have ducked it to avoid his eyes. “No, look at me. It’s harder to lie when you look someone in the eye.”
“You think I am lying to you?” she gasped, incredulous that he seemed to hold her in such low regard.
“No,” he admitted. “That doesn't mean that I don't want to judge the truth of what you say. Is Kenny coming to Miller because he still cherishes the hope that you two will get married someday?”
“I think he has moved past that dead-end dream,” she croaked, wishing more than anything she could remain as cool and collected as he seemed to be. “But you’ll have to ask him because he and I don’t talk about his feeling for me anymore.”
After several trials and more than a few errors, I have settled on this as the cover of Book 3: Kiss Me Cross-eyed. I am hoping to have Erlyne and Finnley's story edited (I am not rushing the editing process this time) and ready to go live on KDP, April 25th. My third book. How thrilling.
If you'd like to get a sneak peek, it is on Wattpad. Remember, the version on wattpad is a work in progress, and I don't alway go back and reupload the chapters when I finish editing them. After I release the book, I will have to take it off Wattpad.
I have new covers for Books 1 and 2 of the series. You can check them out on their individual pages. :)
Coming soon.
 |
| Mock up 1 |
I love playing with different covers. I am looking for a design that I can translate across all thirteen books.
Image courtesy of photostock at freedigitalimages.net
A preview of Erlyne Eaton and Finnley Farrell's story:
“Tell me why my brother, Kenny, is still trailing around after you,” he pressed.
“He works for me,” she said, her voice finally returning to normal. “It's no secret that he's a professional carpenter. You knew that he and I worked together on Design Redo, right?” Finn nodded. “Well, when I left the show, to set up my own design shop, Kenny offered to come with me. I would have been a fool to turn him down. He is brilliant. So now, I sketch out my designs, and he builds them. Makes good money for his time.”
“And that’s the only reason he is coming to Miller? Because he's your carpenter?” He took her chin in his hand when she would have ducked it to avoid his eyes. “No, look at me. It’s harder to lie when you look someone in the eye.”
“You think I am lying to you?” she gasped, incredulous that he seemed to hold her in such low regard.
“No,” he admitted. “That doesn't mean that I don't want to judge the truth of what you say. Is Kenny coming to Miller because he still cherishes the hope that you two will get married someday?”
“I think he has moved past that dead-end dream,” she croaked, wishing more than anything she could remain as cool and collected as he seemed to be. “But you’ll have to ask him because he and I don’t talk about his feeling for me anymore.”
Edie sighed. She could feel embarrassment burning it's way up her neck intensifying the feeling of being caught in a trap. Oh, she could have moved away from him if she'd wanted to, the problem was she wanted to move closer to him, rather than take the step back that it would take cause him to drop his hand. He studied her face for a minute longer, then released her chin. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans again, he nodded as if what he saw pleased him.
“Oh, I will talk to Kenny.”
“If you don’t mind my asking,” Edie said, biting her lip nervously. “Why do you care?”
“Because, as I said, I don’t poach. If you and Kenny have ever been anything but friends, or if he still fancies himself in love with you, then I will stay as far away from you as I can manage in a town the size of Miller.”
“If you don’t mind my asking,” Edie said, biting her lip nervously. “Why do you care?”
“Because, as I said, I don’t poach. If you and Kenny have ever been anything but friends, or if he still fancies himself in love with you, then I will stay as far away from you as I can manage in a town the size of Miller.”
“And if he doesn't fancy himself in love with me anymore?”
“Then I will be knocking on your door, moving heaven and earth to find out if you are as beautiful when I kiss you cross-eyed as you are when you are annoyed with me.”
After delivering his statement of intent, he turned on his heels and walked out the door. Edie watched him get in his black SUV and roar off. His words were still ringing in her ears.
“Well, well,” she muttered. “I can only hope that Kenny tells the truth because the idea of Finnley Farrell kissing me cross-eyed or otherwise is very appealing.” When she turned back to her work, she was smiling.
If you want to read more, you can read chapters for free on Wattpad for the next few months. I will have to pull the book when I am ready to publish. Just remember, it is still a work in progress.
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