#WeWriWa - ROMANCE REKINDLED

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

I'm sharing snippets from my Christmas story, ROMANCE REKINDLED. Abby's mother and new boyfriend were arrested the night before. It's Christmas Eve morning, and they're appearing before a judge, dressed as Santa. 

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

The last line from last week was: "Case dismissed.” He (Judge) banged the gavel then stood.

“But, sir—”

Santa narrowed his eyes, “Deputy Dawson, do you understand the words case dismissed?” he banged the gavel again.

“But—”

“Speak again, boy—” Santa shook the gavel at him, “—and you’ll be the one spending Christmas in jail—dismissed—get out of here—all of you.”

George and Florence stood and hugged each other, Santa left the room, and Deputy Dawg walked down the aisle with his tail between his legs, and the handcuffs on his belt jingling like the bells on Santa’s sleigh.

Outside the courthouse, the bright sun made the snow-covered trees glisten like fairy-land. Florence hugged George again, then Sam and Bethany. She looked at Abby and sighed, “This was the most fun I’ve had in years—don’t ruin it with a lecture.”

Abby thought of several things to say—none of them good, “It’s okay, Mother,” she gave her a quick hug. “Let’s go home.”

Blurb:

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available as an e-book at:

Amazon  ~  Amazon UK  ~  iBooks  ~  Kobo  ~  Smashwords  ~ Nook

ROMANCE REKINDLED is now available in print at: http://a.co/d/dOlyBlT

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - ROMANCE REKINDLED: Judge Santa

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Sorry I missed last week. Made a quick trip to my sister's in Indy and came home to a flooded basement. Our sump pump quit--for no apparent reason. My words of wisdom for this week: never, never, leave papers on the floor and don't put things you care about in cardboard boxes on the floor. The basement was finished and we lost all the carpet. Could have been worse--like sewer or storm water. Thank goodness, our adult children live nearby and came to the rescue. So overwhelming for us, but they organized a dumpster and hired movers along with boxing up stuff and hauling it out to our garage. Now to go through it all. I really didn't plan on purging again. Yikes!

So much for my tale of woe. I'm sharing snippets from my Christmas story, ROMANCE REKINDLED. Abby's mother and new boyfriend (can you call a 70+ year-old man a boyfriend?) were arrested the night before. It's Christmas Eve morning, and they're appearing before a judge, dressed as Santa.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

“Well, now, is everyone here?” Judge Santa asked, “What about lawyers, since this is such an important case?” His eyes twinkled beneath the white fur of his hat.

George stood, “Yes, sir, we’re both here, and we don’t need lawyers.”

“Yeah,” Mother stood, “We don’t need no stinkin’ lawyers.”

While George chuckled and Mother chortled over the movie quote, Abby wanted to crawl under the bench—the judge rolled his eyes.

“Deputy, get those ridiculous handcuffs off those two upstanding citizens—they are hardly likely to escape,” as soon as the cuffs were removed, Judge Santa said, “Now, what is this all about?”

Deputy Dawson drew himself up, “Florence Ten Eyck and George Watson are accused of trespassing and theft—here’s the evidence,” he held up the large, black garbage bag then spilled the contents onto the table in front of the judge.

“Tell me, Deputy, are those five loaves of bread? Where are the two fishes?” Again, the judge’s eyes twinkled, and he looked like he was trying not to laugh at his own joke.

Blurb:

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available at:

Amazon  ~  Amazon UK  ~  iBooks  ~  Kobo  ~  Smashwords  ~ Nook

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

I'll be at another book event all day Sunday, but I'll be sure to visit when I return or during the week.

#WeWriWa - ROMANCE REKINDLED: Grandma's in Jail

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Considering the heat wave hitting most of the U.S., I thought you might like to read something cool--temperature-wise. If you find it "cool" figuratively, I'll be happy. This snippet is from my Christmas story, ROMANCE REKINDLED, which is on sale this weekend for 99 cents.

To orient you to this snippet: Abby, the main character, got a middle-of-the-night phone call from the police. Bethany is her teenage daughter. 

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines.

 

Abby wrestled with the wind as she tried to open the back door—Bethany helped and together they got it open then closed and latched tight. The same wind cut through her winter coat as she slogged through a snowdrift. Dang, I should have worn socks. And boots. Snow and wind froze her feet before she could get into her van parked behind the store. Though it was convenient to live above her shop, on nights like this, she would love to have an attached garage. Snow blowing in from the south had drifted against her vehicle. By the time she got inside, her wet pant legs clung to her calves. She gritted her teeth against the icy-cold that filled her clogs.

Bethany jumped into the passenger’s side, stomping her boots to knock off the snow. “Now, you can tell me why Gram is in jail.”

Blurb:

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available for 99 cents this weekend at:

Amazon  ~  Amazon UK  ~  iBooks  ~  Kobo  ~  Smashwords  ~ Nook

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - ROMANCE REKINDLED: Dumpster Diving

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

Thanks to everyone who found my post last week after I forgot to sign up.

I'm sharing the last snippet from my new release, ROMANCE REKINDLED, a romance with a little mystery.  Next weekend, I'll begin sharing snippets from my WIP, a romantic suspense.

Setup for this week's snippet: Abby and her daughter, Bethany, arrive at the jail to get her mother, and they meet Mother's boyfriend. Now his son shows up. Finally, we get answers as to why the two were arrested for theft and trespassing.

To keep within the guidelines, this snippet has been edited from the original. Please excuse the rogue commas.

The old man walked slowly forward--from his grimace, arthritis must be taking its toll on his bones, “Sam, my boy, you didn’t need to come.”

“Sure I did, Dad, now why were you arrested?”

“We-ell, Flo here fell into a dumpster behind the bakery—she was trying to get one more loaf of bread.”

“Bread?” Abby exclaimed, “you were dumpster diving for bread? Is that why you're selling the house because you need food?”

"Oh, Mom," Bethany clung to her grandmother’s hand, “Getting food for yourself isn’t the reason for taking the bread out of a dumpster, is it, Gram?”

“No, Bethany dear, the bread isn’t for me,” Flo sighed, “It’s for the birds—that stingy Duncan won’t give me the stale bread, so I had to take it out of his trash bin, that's why that awful deputy arrested us for trespassing.”

“I don’t understand how you ended up in the dumpster, too, Dad.”

His mouth twisted, and red crept up his neck, “I was trying to help her out and . . . well, Flo doesn’t know her own strength.”

She grinned up at Sam, “I’ve been taking classes at the Senior Center, using the machines in the equipment room, and now I can lift fifty pounds.” She raised her arm and made a muscle--Abby just groaned.

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available at:

Amazon  ~  Amazon UK  ~  iBooks  ~  Kobo  ~  Smashwords  ~  Nook  

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - ROMANCE REKINDLED: That Man

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

I'm sharing excerpts from my new release, ROMANCE REKINDLED, a romance with a little mystery. Abby and her daughter visit her mother in jail.

To keep within the guidelines, this snippet has been edited from the original. Please excuse the rogue commas.

Mother bounded off the cot with the agility of a much younger woman—all those classes at the Senior Center must be paying off. “Abigail Louise, what are you doing here?”

Abby fisted her hands on her hips. “What are you doing in jail? And who is that man?”

That man rose more slowly than Mother had. He looked to be about her age, or slightly older, and a little taller with a head of thick, gray hair and a weathered face that had seen a lot of sun. When he reached Mother’s side, he placed his arm around her waist. Around her waist! How dare he?

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available at:

Amazon  ~  Amazon UK  ~  iBooks  ~  Kobo  ~  Smashwords  ~  Nook  

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - ROMANCE REKINDLED Mother's in Jail and She Has Company

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

I'm sharing excerpts from my new release, ROMANCE REKINDLED, a romance with a little mystery. With her teen daughter insisting on accompanying her, Abby goes to the jail to spring her mother.

To keep within the guidelines, this snippet has been edited from the original. Please excuse the rogue commas.

Clutching each other, Abby and Bethany staggered into the police station. The wind off Lake Michigan made the door hard to open and even harder to close behind them, before they stomped their feet on the mat to rid the snow and ice.

“Abby, Bethie,” Rose, the dispatcher, insisted on thinking her daughter was still the toddler she used to babysit, “Sorry to call you out on such a nasty night.”

Though she liked Rose, Abby didn’t have time for polite chit-chat as she scanned the room, expecting to find her mother sitting at one of the deputy’s desks, “Where’s my mother?”

A blush flooded Rose’s face, “Deputy Dawson locked her up.”

“In jail? My mother’s in jail?”

“Mom, don’t go ballistic on Auntie Rose, it’s not her fault.”

“No, it’s that dang Deputy Dawg—wait until I get my hands on that idiot—where is he?”

“Now, now, dear, listen to Bethie,” Rose led them down a beige hall to the jail, two cells complete with steel bars, a narrow cot and a stainless-steel commode in each. Mother sat on the edge of the cot—and she wasn’t alone.

“Who are you?” Abby demanded of the old man sitting next to Mother, holding her mother’s hand!

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available at:

Amazon  http://a.co/jlmHYD2

Amazon UK  http://amzn.eu/12TqpEM

iBooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/romance-rekindled/id1321141515?mt=11

Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/764369 

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - ROMANCE REKINDLED: Arrested?

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

Sorry for being AWOL the past 2 weekends. With so many family/friends events, I knew I wouldn't be able to visit. I hope you enjoyed the holidays. Now it's back to work.

I'm sharing excerpts from my new release, ROMANCE REKINDLED, a romance with a little mystery. I'm picking up where we left off, with Abby getting a call at 2 am from the police dispatcher, saying her mother had been arrested.

To keep within the guidelines, this snippet has been edited from the original. Please excuse the rogue commas.

Oh, dear God, what had Mother done? “Arrested—for what?”

“Trespassing on private property and theft.”

Ever since Mother dropped the bomb yesterday about selling the house, Abby had worried about her. But trespassing . . . and theft?

“I’ll be right down.”

“Uh, Abby, Florence doesn’t want you to come—in fact, she didn’t want me to call you.”

“Not come?”

“I knew you’d want to know, this isn’t an official call—she says she’s saving her one phone call for someone important.”

Someone important? That sure puts me in my place.

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available at:

Amazon  http://a.co/jlmHYD2

Amazon UK  http://amzn.eu/12TqpEM

iBooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/romance-rekindled/id1321141515?mt=11

Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/764369 

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - Mother's in Jail? ROMANCE REKINDLED

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

I'm sharing excerpts from my new release, ROMANCE REKINDLED, a romance with a little mystery. To keep within the guidelines, this snippet has been edited from the original. Please excuse the rogue commas.

The ringing of her phone that night had Abby scrambling across the covers to the nightstand where she’d plugged in her cell phone. Two-oh-one blazed from the bedside clock in three-inch high red numerals as she yanked her phone off the charger.

“Hello,” Her voice sounded groggy, so she cleared her throat, “Hello?”

“Abby, this is Rose at the police station.”

“What happened?” As she clutched the cell phone, she had no idea how she could speak with her heart yammering in her ears.

“I’m calling about your mother—she’s all right,” the dispatcher said quickly, as if to reassure her.

How can anyone be reassured when the police call you at two a.m.?

“My mother?”

“Yes. She’s been arrested.”

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available at:

Amazon  http://a.co/jlmHYD2

Amazon UK  http://amzn.eu/12TqpEM

iBooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/romance-rekindled/id1321141515?mt=11

Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/764369 

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - ROMANCE REKINDLED Burn the Box

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. 

I'm sharing excerpts from ROMANCE REKINDLED (formerly titled From Jailbirds to Wedding Bells), a romance with a little mystery. In this snippet, Abby and her mother are having tea in the kitchen. Please excuse the rogue commas.

“I had a boyfriend before your father, someone I wanted to marry. We, uh, we were so sure we would marry that we, uh, anticipated our wedding vows.”

Oh, my goodness, my prim and proper mother went all the way with a guy she didn’t marry. “Why are you telling me this?”

“The cards and letters in that box are from him.”

“I sort of figured that out since you went ballistic,” Abby took a deep breath, “I assume the journals are from that time, too.”

“I want you to promise me something, Abigail,” Mother reached across the table and clasped Abby’s hand, “I want you to burn everything in that box . . . without reading.”

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available at:

Amazon  http://a.co/jlmHYD2

Amazon UK  http://amzn.eu/12TqpEM

iBooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/romance-rekindled/id1321141515?mt=11

Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/764369 

Kobo and B&N (coming soon)

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

New Release: ROMANCE REKINDLED #ChristmasStory

It's release day! Yay! I am so excited to present ROMANCE REKINDLED (A Far Haven Tale), a Christmas story that began as two short stories and ended up as a 41,000 word novel. The story takes place in the same world as the Alex O'Hara PI mystery series. Sometimes, secondary (or tertiary) characters need their own stories. That's what happened to gift shop owner, Abby Ten Eyck.

Here are the deets:

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did. 

Romance Rekindled is available at:

Amazon  http://a.co/jlmHYD2

Amazon UK  http://amzn.eu/12TqpEM
  

Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/764369

Coming soon to: Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Barnes & Noble


I hope you enjoy my holiday story. Coming in 2018, more Far Haven Tales.

#WeWriWa ROMANCE REKINDLED What's in the box?

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here. Sorry for missing last week. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. 

I've been sharing excerpts from ROMANCE REKINDLED (formerly titled From Jailbirds to Wedding Bells), a romance with a little mystery. This snippet is still in the first chapter. Please excuse the rogue commas.

When Abby finished draping the garland, she grabbed the empty tote to add it to those already stacked in the dining room. The boys had left that heavy box in the way. Using her foot, she tried to push it aside, but the weight made it move only a couple of inches on the thick tan carpet. Maybe if she took out some things it would be easier.

“What are you doing?” Mother screeched.

“I can’t move the box,” Abby ripped the rest of the packing tape, “I need to take out a few things so it isn’t so heavy.”

“Stop right there, don’t—”

Abby pried open the lid. The box was filled to the brim with cards, letters, and journals.

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

 ROMANCE REKINDLED will be released on Monday, December 4th at the usual online booksellers.

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.