One Red Shoe is now available at Amazon for Kindle.
What a journey this book has had. From an idea sparked during a writing exercise several years ago to publication by The Wild Rose Press. Over the years, parts of the story changed but never the basic premise: a wannabe writer rescues a wounded spy. Another part never changed either: they meet in the women's restroom.
Meet Daria and Sam.
Daria Mason’s life is too
predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows
everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little
excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.
From the moment agent Sam
Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s
Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins
find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an
Iowa tourist.
Sam and Daria flee cross
country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and
a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks
she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on
the line, can she convince him they belong together?
Here's the first peek at One Red Shoe.
Sam found a door with a push plate and faded square where
a sign used to be. This had to be it. He carefully pushed open the door. No
noise to attract Grashenko & Company if they came back. Good grief, the
restroom was an explosion of pink. Pepto-Bismol pink with black trim. Sam
didn’t have time to find the men’s room now. He would stop the bleeding and get
out of this potential trap.
Skylights, dirty like the rest of the windows in the
building, let in enough light to see. Good. He didn’t want to risk turning on a
light that would shine under the door. Around a corner, hidden from the door,
he found a long counter with a row of sinks and a mirror above. All the better
to examine the damage done by that trigger-happy fool.
Sam unzipped his jeans and worked down his briefs to
expose his hip. What a mess. Not for the first time, he cursed Grashenko for
showing up in that hotel room in Smolensk. Sam’s hasty departure, with Yuri and
Korioff on his tail, meant leaving behind his gear. His clothes, sunglasses,
and emergency medical supplies would bring top dollar on the Russian black
market. He would have to make do with what he had. Carefully, he turned a
faucet to wet his handkerchief. He blew out a breath in relief the plumbing
still worked and was used on a regular basis. No air hissed or sputtered, which
would’ve brought Grashenko and Korioff back in a hurry.
With much twisting to see, Sam wiped away the worst of
the blood. Amazed that there were paper towels in a dispenser, he folded
several and stuffed them inside his briefs. He tried to zip his jeans but the
bulge in back pressed on his raw flesh. Hell, he’d zip up when he was done.
When he bent to check his calf, he nearly keeled over
from dizziness. He grabbed the counter. His shoe had absorbed the blood. None
on the floor, thank God. No trail. Sam patted his shirt pocket and took out his
agency cell phone. He needed to find out where the hell Teller was. That idiot
better have a damn good reason for doing a no-show. Didn’t he realize the
consequences? Didn’t he realize how little time they had to—
The air moved—his only warning that the door to the
restroom had opened. A whirlwind in beige blasted past him. In that split
second Sam instinctively cataloged the intruder. Female, five-ten, weight
uncertain due to voluminous coat, late twenties, long dark single braid, penny
loafers. And a large button clipped to her purse. Shit. More dangerous than a Russian Mafia hit man. A wide-eyed
innocent. The kind he’d sworn to protect. And here he was bleeding like a stuck
pig, so dizzy he was going to fall flat on his face.
I hope you'll enjoy my first romantic suspense. Like my science fiction romances, there's plenty of action, adventure, humor, and best of all romance.
I'm giving away a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card to a lucky commenter. Be sure to leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you. You'll have lots of chances to win if you follow the One Red Shoe Release Tour. At each stop, you'll find either the Rafflecopter or a link back here. Enter as many times as you wish.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 26: Patricia Kiyono's Creative Hodgepodge
September 27: Nancy Jardine's He Said, She Said
September 29: Alicia Dean's blog
September 30: Nancy Fraser's Notes from a Romantic's Heart
September 30: Veronica Lynch's Wild Women X2 blog
October 6: Jessica Subject's Mark of the Stars
October 15: Emma Lai's blog
October 9: MJ Schiller's blog
October 14: Kathy Wheeler's blog
October 22: Lisa Chalmer's blog
Hope to see you soon and often.
Holy One Click, Batman! Can't wait to read it all over again!
ReplyDeleteLOL Be sure to read the acknowledgements. :)
DeleteWow. Seriously, I'm hooked - what a setup! Congratulations on the much-anticipated release! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Kristen.
DeleteThis one looks like a hoot 'n holler romantic suspense like no other! Excited to read it.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Loralee. LOL at hoot 'n holler. You nailed it.
DeleteWow, is right, Diane. I, too, am seriously hooked. Welcome to the team at TWRP. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margo. I feel very privileged to be part of the TWRP's team.
DeleteEnjoyed reading the intro tremendously--and remembering the fledgling beginnings. Best wishes on another new venture, Diane.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deanna. Take a look at the acknowledgements--"look inside" on Amazon. :)
DeleteWay to hook the reader! Congratulations on the release of One Red Shoe and on not giving up on the story. Love it that they kept your title, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lucy. I'm glad too about the title.
DeleteI am SO excited for this release, and thrilled to have you in the TWRP family. Thank you for trusting us with your fantastic story. The cover is phenomenal! Best of luck...see you at my blog soon :-)
ReplyDeleteHigh praise from my editor! Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Diane! Happy release day! Love the title, love the cover and absolutely LOVE the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Alyssa.
DeleteSounds like an intense read, both in the adventure and romance. Congrats on your new release, Diane! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jess. It has lots of both.
DeleteHappy release day, Diane! What a great cover. One Red Shoe sounds like a great and exciting journey. Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Teresa.
DeleteOkay they say third try is the charm!
ReplyDeleteIts rather obvious that Sam is having a really bad day. I would think he would welcome help - especially from a beautiful woman!
Sorry you had a hard time leaving a comment. I appreciate your efforts & comment.
DeleteCongratulations, Diane! Looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mara.
DeleteLooks like it might be very interesting. Can't wait to find out
ReplyDeleteLoved the peek thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat job - congrats!
ReplyDelete