I've got a busy weekend planned! There's today's chat at the Samhain Cafe at 1 p.m. EST. Where I'll be talking about my newest release, In the Dark. And also going over the details of my new contest!For the benefit of anyone who misses it, the contest is a fairly easy one. Simply join my Yahoo group (and if you're already a member-go, you!!!) and post a message about either a memorable holiday gift you received or a favorite holiday memory. The contest runs between now and January 5--when I'll be blogging over at the Manic Readers' MySpace blog.
What can you win? How about a stocking full of LUSH cosmetics and Ghirardelli chocolates (inspired by In the Dark )? Can we say YUM???
****
But the fun is just beginning because on Sunday, I'll be taking part in another all day blog tour, (complete with chat!) this one featuring serial flash by some of Liquid Silver Books hottest authors. That's set to run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST and the only time I won't be there is during 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. when I'll be visiting the Ellora's Cave Chat Group where author Kelly Jamieson will be talking about her new release, Rigger!
I downloaded the book this morning and let me tell you, it looks hot!! Can't wait for a chance to read it...maybe Tuesday! Because on Monday I'll be back at the Samhain Cafe for their annual Christmas party! Expect lots of excerpts, recipes, prizes, and fun!!
And more exclamation points than you can shake a stick at...although why you'd be shaking sticks in the first place, is a mystery!
****
Holding her breath, Suzanne went up on her toes, her arm stretched out as far as it would reach, to hang yet another sparkling ornament on the tree. Her hand hovered over the branch tip. She released the hook and smiled as the tiny, silver bell swayed safely in place. Relaxing again, she took a deep breath. The scent of pine was so strong it nearly knocked her off the ladder.
She loved Christmas—all the shiny, bright wonder of it. Familiar carols playing on the stereo. The cool taste of peppermint tingling on her lips. The sugar and spiciness of gingerbread cookies still warm from the oven mixing with the buttery fragrance of freshly made popcorn. And, this year, she was going to have the best Christmas ever. There could be no doubt about that.
Cocking her head to the side, she admired her handiwork, or as much of it as she could see from this angle. The tree was so big it was impossible to take it all in at a glance, so big that, even standing on the top of the stepladder, she still couldn’t reach the highest branches. That meant the placing of the final star would have to be done by someone else, by Conrad, she hoped, as her mind started spinning a happy little fantasy.
They would stand on the ladder together, his arm around her shoulders, and after he’d affixed the star to the top-most branch he’d turn to her with love in his eyes and a smile on his lips. “Merry Christmas,” he’d whisper as he bent to kiss her…and outside the house, in the dark, star-filled San Francisco night, it would begin to snow…
Well, maybe someday. Or, then again, maybe not. What were the odds, really?
From inside the room—where it was almost as dark as night—came a long, low, furious rumble to distract her from her thoughts. Words she didn’t know, yet whose meaning couldn’t be more clear, spilled in a seemingly endless stream from Armand’s lips.
“You know what’s funny?” she said as she turned to face him. “Even in French, cursing still sounds like cursing.”
Eyes narrowed, he glowered at her, glancing up from where he sat on the floor surrounded by the string of lights he’d been attempting to fix. Most of the exterior decorations were already in place when this string had inexplicably gone out and the workmen, unable to discover the problem, had returned it to Armand in its present condition: a dark, tangled seaweed-looking mass. That had been almost an hour ago.
“This is all your doing,” Armand growled, sounding so much like Conrad, she had to laugh.
“I know,” she said, unable to keep from ginning. It was for her—all for her—that Conrad, that Armand, that
all of them, were doing this. The tree, the tinsel, the cookies, the lights—all because she said she wanted it. And she wasn’t about to feel the least bit sorry about that, either.
Armand watched her for a moment longer, his expression softening until he was smiling too. “Well then, don’t you think the least you could do is come down here and help me straighten this mess out?”
“All right.” She jumped down from the ladder, grabbed the plate of cookies from the side table, then seated herself across from him, with the bulk of the lights—and the plate piled high with gingerbread—on the floor between them. “Now, what do you need me to do?”
www.PGForte.com
Happy Holidays!
The Spirit of the Place – SynergEbooks
IRON - Liquid Silver Books
In the Dark - Samhain Publishing
1 comment:
think dating sites had it pretty tough during the crunch
Post a Comment