A Final Kiss is FREEE!

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Camp Nanowrimo Sneak Peek!

Here is another unedited Camp Nanowrimo sneak peek of Dangerous Desires, the second book in the Mafia Hearts series! Get the first book here!

He sipped the soda the waitress placed on the table. “We needed to meet somewhere private because what I have to say to you is extremely sensitive. Nobody can know about the issue. Do I have your trust?”

                She slowly nodded her head. Of course he could trust her. What a stupid question.

                “You’ll be the assistant to the madam, right?”

                “Mm hm. That’s what you told me last night.” Her heart raced with anticipation of the secret he was about to lay on her.

                “I believe that someone is stealing money from me.” He plucked a tortilla chip from a wooden bowl and crunched on it.

                “That isn’t good, but what does that have to do with me?”

                “I think it is someone in my escort office and I’m sending you in there to be the assistant but also to find out who the hell is stealing from me.”

                She narrowed her eyes and said, “So like be a spy.”

                “Absolutely. As an assistant, you’ll have access to all the documents and will be able to see the activities going on it the office. Will you do it?”

                Did she want to be planted somewhere to rat other people off? It wasn’t good that they were stealing from Sebastian but damn. What if she got caught? She had to do it. The risk was worth it to her to get the answers she needed and the job she wanted.

                “Okay, I’ll do it.” She smiled as she waited for his response.

                He took a drink of soda and then grinned. “Great. I really appreciate this.”

                “Not so fast, Sebastian.”

                Setting the glass down onto the table while locking eye contact with her, he said, “What does that mean?”

                “It means that I do you a favor and want something in return.”

                “Isn’t a big fat paycheck enough?”

                She shook her head. “I’ve wanted this for a long time. Did you ever wonder what you were going to eat for dinner because your mother hadn’t found work yet in the twelfth town you lived in that year? Or if you’d have to wear dirty clothes to school again?”

                “Mia,” he said, sliding his hand over hers, “things weren’t that bad at Crestview.”

                She liked the physical contact between them. His touch sent shivers up her spine. Wanting to keep her composure and her mind focused on business instead of her damp panties, she pulled her hand away. “After my father’s murder. My mother took off in fear and we moved from city to city. I was hungry most nights because she never made enough. I knew then that I wanted to go back to Las Vegas and become involved in what my father had been trying for. A crime family. Your crime family.”

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5 star!
"This book had all of the components of a great book! The author didn't keep me waiting in suspense the whole entire book wondering who the villain was, instead we knew right away. It was just waiting to see when they were going to make their move. I loved the idea of people finding each other again later in life and this book had me smiling from page one." 

5 Star! 

"The story was fast paced, intriguing and intense. As I read, I couldn't help but wonder if Kate and Tony would have their happy ending. I wasn't sure, nor was I sure if Kate's issues would be resolved. In the end, the author answered my questions and provided a satisfying conclusion.

If you like a darker read that captures the power of a deep abiding love between two people, then this book is for you!"

I'm a loser, baby... A Camp Nanowrimo Update.

Here's my stats. Sigh. Write 4,085 words a day to finish? Think I can? I don't think so. Not with this crap going on here... more about that later.

Target Word Count

50,000

Total Words Written

13,243

Words Remaining

36,757

Current Day

22

Days Remaining

9

At This Rate You Will Finish On

June 23, 2014

Words Per Day To Finish On Time

4,085

Plucked right from my life... a Camp Nanowrimo Update

I promised a sneak peek at one of the scenes from my Camp Nanowrimo project. Well, here is something that I've been working on. This scene is a special one because the apartment complex resembles a complex I used to live in several years ago. One thing I should mention is that the actual scene with the couple fighting isn't based on anyone I knew, but we did have a couple there that fought in the middle of the night all the time. They'd wake me up even though I lived on the first floor with them on the second floor and 6 apartments between us.

Anyway, jump into Mia and Sebastian's life. Remember, this isn't edited. I hope you enjoy the scene!

As they approached the parking lot of her complex, he frowned and stared up at the three story building. Heat rushed over her face as she took the view of her home in. Faded yellow paint. Each trash can sat overflowing, the fallen trash scattered around its base. Unkempt plants. A dirty pool. At least it looked better at night.

“You live here?” He shifted his attention from the ratty complex to her.

Letting her frown match his, she said, “Yes, why?”

“Doesn’t the casino pay you enough?”

She gave a shy laugh. “It does now. I was on a limited budget when I first got here and didn’t have a job. This is all I could get on my arrival to Vegas.”

“Which one do you live in?” He stared up at the building again.

“Third floor. Wonderful, huh?”

A door opened on the second floor and a female, her arms full of clothing, stomped to the railing and threw the garments over. She turned but didn’t go back inside. Instead, she screamed to an unseen person, “Get out of here you lousy son-of-a-bitch!”

A man finally stepped outside and held out a hand. “Come in here, babe. You don’t want them to call the cops again, do you?” He kept his voice calm and soothing as he stepped even closer to her.

Mia held her breath as she watched the scenario playing out before her. Would the woman go? Probably. She’d heard this couple fight many times since arriving and watched him get hauled off to jail once just to find him back at the woman’s place the following afternoon. But why did this have to happen when Sebastian stood in their parking lot?

The woman took a step to the side, dodging the man’s touch. “Get the fuck out,” she screamed. Doors all around them started opening. Mia’s neighbors either popped their head out, grumbled something before slamming the door shut again or they stepped outside to watch the action. One man asked if she needed any help in which her boyfriend told the guy to fuck himself.

Not wanting to see any more of the fighting and feeling safer behind her locked door, Mia said, “Thanks for walking me home. Have a good night, Sebastian.”

“I’ll walk you up to your door. I have a proposal for you. I was going to bring it up tomorrow but now I’m not sure we should wait.” He kept his eyes on the couple who were just getting louder by the second.

“I won’t even pass by them. My place is over there. What’s your proposition?” Whatever it was, Sebastian needed to hurry up.

“I’m sure how much of the casino you know about, but we run an escort service right out of the casino.”

She held her hand up to stop whatever words were coming next. “If you think I’m going to prostitute, you’re crazier than those people upstairs.”

He shook his head and laughed. “First of all, there is a difference between an escort and a prostitute, Mia. And second, I don’t want you to be one. I want you to be the madam’s assistant. The pay is a lot better and we’ll go into more details if you want the job. Think about it and we’ll meet up tomorrow. Say, noonish? I’ll pick you up and we’ll grab some lunch.” He offered a smile and a small wave before turning toward the driveway.

Stunned by his offer, she headed up the stairs at the far end of the building, adding distance between her and the fighting couple. When she reached the second floor landing, she glanced back at him and found Sebastian at the corning of the parking lot, watching to make sure she got to her apartment safely. Her heart swelled in her chest. Sebastian still cared about her. Still watched over her as he’d done when they were kids. By the time she reached her front door on the third floor, she wished she could invite him in but never would at this place.

She went to Prom!

I just have to show you my beautiful daughter. Alexis went to the prom on Saturday with her date, Alex.

Swing...

We finally finished our move yesterday. We've been at the new house all week but had to return to Phoenix to finish moving stuff and cleaning the house. Turning the keys into the landlord closed that chapter of our lives. On the 3 1/2 hour trip back to our new house, Dan and I talked about what a stress relief that was. We no longer have two homes/ two rents to pay. Whew! Now it's time to get back into the swing of things!

Camp Nanowrimo update: I was able to write some over the week, but seriously, moving was the priority. Oh, I have tons of boxes to unpack but watch a change in my work count to climb.

My Camp Nanowrimo stats:

Dangerous Desires, Mafia Hearts book 2

Total Words Written

7,248

Words Remaining

42,752

Current Day

13

Days Remaining

18

At This Rate You Will Finish On

June 29, 2014

Words Per Day To Finish On Time

2,376

Moving!

I have some BIG news! We are moving this weekend. By Sunday we should be in our new house 4 hours away from where we live now. New town, new people to meet, new places to explore. I'm excited for this new adventure in our life.

Boxes and Books: Camp Nanowrimo Update #2

I did write a little yesterday but didn't make my word count. Yuck. I almost hit it... just not quite. Today I just don't have any writing time. This morning will be full of packing and cleaning. This afternoon will be errands I need to run before we leave... stupid stuff like taking the cable box into the store because we have to switch service and on and on.

You know, sometimes I complain about having this "gift" of being a writer. Right now I'm so thankful because writing is giving me some peaceful time out of the day. Don't get me wrong. I'm excited for this move. New town. New part of the state. New people. I'm all for an adventure. My home and life is just in chaos while I try to get everything ready by tomorrow. Writing right now
gives me a sense of normalcy in all of this craziness. Not today though. Too much stuff. Too little time! Off I go...

Camp Nanowrimo Update #1

I'm off to a great start. Yesterday I sat down to make my word count. The problem that I have is that we are moving so I have to spend the majority of my day packing and cleaning this house. I sat down yesterday with the idea that I had to zip out the word requirement of about 1600 words to finish the program in April.

And I did it! It only took about an hour or so and then I was off onto my required tasks for the rest of the day. Today is even busier because our move is on Sunday.

So... I need to write. Check back tomorrow for an update and I might even throw a scene up for you to read!

Camp Nanowrimo

Today is the first day of Camp Nanowrimo! And... I'm doing it. My goal is 50k in April. Think I can? Check back to see my progress.

My project for this year's Camp Nanowrimo is the second book in my Mafia Hearts series. I will update as often as I can and will post scenes on occasion.