Reunions are made for...

My friend Chris Janzen and I were talking about reunions and it reminded me of a story I started once upon a time about a couple of old friend with unexplored feelings remaining between them. I shared a kiss here on the blog between them that I'll share it again. It makes me smile:

David and Elizabeth from Everything Old Is New Again:

“I can’t do this,” she whispered. He stood behind her. She could feel his body pressing ever closer to hers. His hands, those same hands that had pulled her close, helped to warm her on the bus with the broken window, now caressed her upper arms. Only now they weren't the hands of a young schoolboy. They were hands of experience, hands that knew…

His fingers tracked across her back, enticing as they moved up to pull the hair away from her neck. She closed her eyes as he kissed her bare shoulder, cursing herself for having chosen this dress for the night’s event. It had been chosen for a purpose, this purpose. His lips, so warm, traced a sensual line up to her slender neck where his tongue drew tantalizing circles along her jaw line.

“Oh please, David.” Her voice was breathless, testifying to the war that raged within. His other hand slipped down, curving around her waist to quickly turn her to face him.

“Yes you can,” he said as their eyes locked. She blinked slowly, intoxicated by the moment. Had she truly thought that if she fanned the embers of those long-suppressed flames, they would not engulf her? She moistened her lips, her eyes trailed down to his; full, sensual lips slightly smiling, waiting, knowing. She smiled as she looked back at his eyes that danced with a mixture of mischief and desire. How many years she had waited for this moment; wondered, dreamed.

“You want to. It’s why you came,” he said as his head began to lower toward hers.

As if on cue, her cell phone rang. She looked toward it. The photo of her smiling children stared back from the phone’s face. She laughed, moving away from him.

I'm Afraid ... A new short story to be featured in an upcoming Clever Fiction Anthology

“I love you.”

That’s what I want to say as I look up at you, but I don’t.

I am struck by your beauty, your face softened by the yellow glow of the new spring moon. That same light enhances the fullness of your black hair, casts shadows over eyes already as dark as the night sky above us. Yes, I see beauty in a man! My heart thumps. Butterflies soar within me as they would among the flowers in the day; a gentle, fluttering-tingle in the silence. No, not completely silent – lying beneath you, cloaked by the night, I hear our hearts beating.

Wait! I turn my head, straining to hear more; whispering, among the trees, the hum of a peaceful breeze. I love you. How I long to say those words to you. I sigh instead and gaze, unseeing, into the darkness. My arms drop to my sides as concern gives way to fear. I’m afraid of offering you my heart and you refusing to take it.

Your hand, soft against my face, urges me to look back. I am lost again in your dark eyes glowing with the light of new desire. Your hair against your forehead, dampened by earlier exertion, bids my fingers to push it out of the way, to simply touch you. I reach up and you grab my hand, kiss my wrist, a soft press of love-swollen lips to the tender flesh there.

Now, I can’t remember why I raised my hand. Your mouth curls upward at the corners – you know what you have done...


Read the rest of this romantic short story over at Clever Fiction: Short Stories for the Real World  and look for the tiny twist...

This story, along with several others from the amazing authors over at Clever Fiction, will be included in a Romantic/Relationship themed anthology of short stories using the prompt New/Whisper/Spring. The name of the book is Whispered Beginnings. I'm Afraid is loosely tied to my upcoming novel To Dance With The Enemy. If you'd like to read the short that started that ball rolling, you'll find it on the Clever Fiction site as well: http://www.cleverfiction.com/7/post/2011/10/to-dance-with-the-enemy.html and the original cover for that book may be found here on my blog: http://writersshelflife.blogspot.com/2011/10/marked-to-dance-with-enemy.html. That cover is being replaced by one using the couple above as Elenya and Tahruk have evolved. Hard to believe she started with jet black hair and he was a blond! Thanks to cover model Jimmy Thomas and his vast array of lovely female companions over at Romance Novel Covers for providing the visual that became my characters.

I'd like to say THANK YOU to my friend, Psychological Thriller Writer, Andrew E. Kaufman for offering editorial services on I'm Afraid. I know it wasn't an easy task, but when I asked him to read it and he wanted to know if I wanted a simple "it's okay" or for him to be brutally honest and I accepted the later, he really helped me clean it up and pull the story together. Greatly appreciated, my friend. And, if you want an amazing story that is well written, even though it isn't a romance, I'd highly recommend Drew's latest release: The Lion, The Lamb, The Hunted, available on Amazon.

Happy reading! Keep a lookout for Whispered Beginnings. I'll be posting more about it here in the near future.

Helping to Fulfill the Dreams of Other Writers...

It's official! In my quest to take a step back from full Traditional Publishing in order to pursue my own writing dreams, I have found I still MUST fulfill that other dream of mine - to help other writers recognize their dreams. Through the Book Services section of TreasureLine Publishing and through my own Tell~Tale Cover Design site, I am still offering extremely reasonable services to help authors with Cover Design, Internal Format of Paperbacks, eBook Formatting for Kindle, Smashwords, Nook. I'll also do all that I can to help others in their quest to get their books into the hands of readers. Whether you need someone to actually do the work or you want to learn to do it yourself, I hope you'll consider giving me a shout. One thing I always say is Talk Is Free! There's no obligation for asking questions and you just might find the answers you've been looking for.

What one author had to say about the cover of her book:

A great endorsement for my formatting services:

Take a look at Tell~Tale Cover Designs and/or TreasureLine Publishing Book Services and let me know if you have any questions or comments. There are contact forms on both sites or you may email me directly at TreasureLinePublishing@gmail.com. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Check out these Pre-Made Covers and more on the Tell~Tale site:

  

YOUR books are MY business!

Saturday, January 21st will find me wearing my publisher hat as a guest over at the Mormon Mommy Writers  blog. In connection with TreasureLine Publishing, where I drive the ship, we'll be giving away 3 amazing Author's Treasure Packages to 3 lucky winners chosen at random.

The pacakges are: 1 ePub Book Publishing Package, 1 Paperback Book Internal Format, and 1 Custom Book Cover and we'd like to invite you to find out more about the prizes and how you can enter for a chance to win. Just join us any time Saturday at the Mormon Mommy Writers blog.

One question I was asked as part of the interview that went along with our giveaway was "what words of wisdom would you like to share with aspiring authors?" I'd like to share part of that answer with you here:

I almost always give new authors the same advice because I think it is outrageously important, especially in this day and age where so many books are available. That advice is KEEP WRITING. No matter what you’re doing, make sure you are working on your next piece. When readers finish one of your books, if they like it, they will immediately want more. If they can’t get that from you, guess what? They are going to jump to another author. Then, when you get your next book done, you get to go out and find readers all over again! Oh, you’ll have those who wait for your work, but mostly you’ll be reinventing yourself every time. One bestselling author recently mentioned that she has to put out at least four books this year to maintain her foothold. FOUR BOOKS! That’s one every three months just to keep herself on the bestseller list.

At the same time, though, you shouldn’t rush it. Seems impossible to do both, huh? No matter what, even if you have to work harder at your marketing, you don’t want to put out bad stuff. A book that is poorly written, edited, formatted … those can all turn away future readers or even those who might have picked up your great story because of word of mouth.

So, bottom line, my advice is to write constantly because that will help you hone your skills while pushing you toward completion of that next book and don’t skimp on polishing your beloved story. Remember none of those things: formatting, cover designing, etc, none of it has to cost you a fortune to get it done right. There are places out there like my TreasureLine Publishing BookServices that can help you without a huge cash outlay that you may or may not ever make back. It’s a tough business, this business of writing, so use sound judgment, not your heart, when making decisions.

Make sure to join me at the Mormon Mommy Writers blog to learn a little more and make sure you enter for a chance to win one of those great prizes!

I Forgot

I forgot.

I forgot that loving you is a bad idea for me. I forgot that when you touch me, it’s as if a fog rolls in, enshrouding us in a curtain that blocks the rest of the world from my thoughts, my memory. I forgot that when you take my hands in yours, slowly bringing them to your lips to press sweet kisses on my fingertips that all regret begins to quickly fade away. I see only you, my secret visitor, with your brown eyes dancing over me. You look at me and I know exactly what you want … because it’s the same thing I want.

There’s urgency within me that you never seem to show. I can’t wait. I want to feel you, see you, inhale your scent as I lay next to you, my head resting against your bare chest, both of us sated, the longing quenched. But you always take your time. Teasing. Torturing. The corners of your mouth turned upward. You’re in control. Making me wait. Making me crazy. How can you exhibit such restraint when I want to …

This is the beginning of my new super short, emotion-packed piece over at Clever Fiction~Short Stories for the Real World. If you'd like to read the rest, click HERE, jump on over, and enjoy!

Arms of an Angel ~ a short, sweet, emotion-packed read

My novella, Arms of an Angel, is taking center stage today over at the iWrite blog. If you have a moment, I would truly love some comment love over there (click here to take a look), however, more than anything, I'd love to share with you a little about the book.  The main character, Claire Orion, was born from a single vision that flashed through my head of this woman sitting in the passenger seat of a man's car. She was an amazing creature though she obviously lived the high life filed with all the worldly pleasures money could buy. This is where that vision took me: "Claire wasn’t exactly the type of girl a guy would normally choose to take home to meet Mamma.  Yet there she was, on her way to meet Garrett’s parents.  Her heart slammed against her chest hidden, in part, by the sweetheart neckline of her blue Carin Morrow.  It was the most modest dress she owned and, still, it showed an ample amount of flesh.  She’d tried to cover a bit more with a simple sweater, but wasn’t at all sure if she’d been successful.  Her wardrobe had been purchased to enhance and show off her assets, not hide them.  Dressing to meet parents was not a priority..."


I honestly thought it was going to be a bit of a comedy until I realized Claire was hurting to the point I could almost feel the pain inside her and I knew I had to write this book even if it was just to satisfy my own curiosity!

I have many works in progress that I hope to have finalized and release through this next year as I prepare to concentrate more fully on my own writing (yes, I know! It is about time!!!) but Claire remains forever close to my heart. She's not the most celestial being. A wealthy heiress, she lived hard and high, using anything and everything she could get her hands on to try to ease her pain. And yet, even with all that, she truly is beautiful. She just needed someone to help her realize that and fate provided with a reservation mix up at a fancy restaurant where she has gone to have her last meal before ending the pain forever. That's where our hero steps in and many lives begin to take different paths.

If I'm not careful I'll end up sharing the whole story with you. I get so excited talking about the lives these fictitious people lead! Instead, I'll leave you with the short synopsis as well as an excerpt from the book. One note: Claire will be back. Although not the main character, she has a pretty big part in another story about another high society young woman forced to travel cross country with a "country hick". Again, I don't want to say more about either of these stories and spoil Angel for those who haven't read it. I hope you'll give it a chance. It's currently priced through the end of November at just 99 cents for the eBook at both Amazon Kindle and Smashwords.  The paperback is only $7.95 on Amazon or my website.

The Synopsis:
Being wealthy and beautiful doesn’t promise an automatic ticket for happiness. Sometimes you need the angelic touch of someone who needs you as much as you need him… Sometimes it’s hard to tell where one set of wings ends and the other begins.  Claire is alluring, sensual – called an angel by some, though the woman she’s become is anything but celestial. Her heart is filled with pain so deeply embedded she doesn’t want to live any longer…until fate puts her into the hands of the most virtuous man she’s ever met; a man who needs someone like Claire to help him piece together the shattered bits of his own life.

"I still like happy endings, and Linda never fails her readers on that! It's good to know you can count on authors to deliver a good story with a good ending."

Enjoy an excerpt:

“You want to come up?  We can have that coffee we never ordered…”  They were stopped in front of the building waiting for a clearing to turn into the circle drive where the doorman waited.  Their eyes locked and a bucket of emotions passed between them.

He reached over and touched her cheek.  “I want to, but I won’t.  Besides, I have a brunch date at my parent’s farm in Morgan’s Falls.  It’s late and I’ll have to get up early to make it on time.”

“Oh.” Claire nodded, the corners of her lips turning down.  “A decent reason I suppose.” She chuckled. “I’ve never been turned down for parents.”

They smiled at one another as he pulled in and the doorman approached.  “Another time perhaps?”

Claire gave a noncommittal half shrug.  “Perhaps.”  She was silent for a moment, signaling the doorman to wait.  “Thank you for an enjoyable evening, Garrett.  I’m pleased our paths crossed.”  She started to reach for the door and he grasped her arm.  She looked at his hand then at him.

“I have this overwhelming feeling that I’ll never see you again once you get out.”  His brows were drawn down, his face concerned.

Claire was sure he could hear the loud thud of her heart.  She felt the need to throw him off.

“Let me have your phone.” She held out her hand and he produced it with out question.  She stared at it for a moment then keyed in her number.  “There.”  She handed it back.

“Thank you.” He smiled, rubbing the phone between his fingers as if it was her hand.  “We’ll have that coffee… and sooner than you think.

“Would we have had coffee, Dr. O’Bryan?” she asked, kissing his cheek and bolting from the car before he had time to recover.

When she waved and smiled mischievously from the lobby doorway he shook his head and laughed.  The thought of her would not easily be shaken, he was sure of that.

“You’re home early, Ms. Orion,” Garrett heard the doorman saying to her as he pushed the button that rolled down the window.  “And alone!  You ruffled somebody’s feathers again, girl?”

Claire started to respond but was cut off by Garrett’s voice calling her name.  She turned toward him and he was struck momentarily silent by her beauty.  Uncertain of his intent, she walked back to the car and looked through the open window.

“Change your mind?” she teased.  “No, I suppose Morgan’s Falls still has you bound.  What then?”

“Sunday brunch?  10:00ish?  And we’ll have that coffee then.  Scouts honor.”  He held up two fingers.

“Wouldn’t you know.  Friday night and I get stuck with a parent whipped boy scout.”  She laughed, letting him know she was still teasing.  “Make it 10:30 and I’ll accept with expectation.”

Garrett nodded.  “Claire,” he called as she began to back away. “You are a woman of your word, right?”  When she didn’t respond he added, “You seem as though you would be.”

Claire breathed in and held it for a moment as she looked into the distance.  The night had not gone as she’d planned.  Now she was being asked for her word.  Yes, she was a woman of her word…most of the time, and especially when pressed.  Why was he asking?  Did he inherently know?  If she said yes, under the circumstances, was she bound by her word?  Yes, she supposed she was.  At last she nodded.  “My yes is yes.  I’ll be waiting and watching.  10:30 sharp on Sunday morning.”

Garrett smiled.  “Thank you.”

“You may change your mind.  You don’t really know me.”  She pushed away from the car with a laugh.

He shook his head.  No, he didn’t know her at all.  He’d lived enough of life, however, to believe their paths must have crossed that evening for a definite reason.  He wondered if he’d ever find out why.

“You losin’ your touch, Miss?” Garrett heard the doorman teasing her again.

“Nah, Charlie.  I got lucky in a different way tonight.”  She elbowed the older gentleman.  “I found me an angel.  What was his name?  Clarence maybe?  Oh listen…  I think I hear a bell ringing.”

He heard the doorman chuckle as Claire disappeared behind the heavy wood and beveled glass doors of the grand building.

“Not an angel with these thoughts!” he whispered as he drove away.

Get enough? If not, there's another excerpt on my website: http://www.lindaboulanger.com/arms-of-an-angel.html that will, hopefully, help you decide if you want to grab this great little holiday read.

I also participate quite often in the Weekly Challenge provided by Clever Fiction~short stories for the real world. If you'd like to read some of my shorts, please feel free to jump to my blog on that site: http://www.cleverfiction.com/linda-boulanger.html. Clever Fiction is open to all writers who want to participate, so writer friends ... consider taking the challenge!

Where Arms of an Angel  is sold: Paperback: Amazon.com, TreasureLineBooks.com

   eBook: Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, Apple iBooks, Sony, Kobo, Diesel

Link to book on Amazon:

  Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Arms-of-an-Angel-ebook/dp/B004J4VW78

  Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Arms-Angel-Linda-Boulanger/dp/1617520373

No Shameful Mistake

I have another new short. Yes, another one. It is a WEEKLY challenge so, unless I am unable to get to it, you can expect a new short each week. This one goes along with my earlier story titled Secret Shame and you may also expect additional writings about the as yet unnamed young woman in that story. This week she has her baby but the post is very much NOT about having the baby and much more about relationships and inner thoughts. Here are a few paragraphs and a link to where you may find the rest of the story:

I named her Faith knowing that’s what I needed. Faith.

Giggling in my delirium as my doctor had coaxed me to push, I’d realized I was about to have Faith. Most people wouldn’t have found that funny, I know. The lady the hospital provided to coach me certainly hadn’t. She was perplexed by my laughter. I’m pretty sure she thought I was crazy.

Still, the words of that old George Michael song my Aunt Betsy used to sing had taken over my head. It was her favorite back when she lived with us. I wish I could have remembered more. More of the song that is. I remembered plenty about Aunt Betsy when she stayed after her divorce. I used to pretend I was her, living her carefree life, always surrounded by friends, yet never too busy to stop and have a pretend pot of tea or a Barbie style show. That was the only time in my life I didn’t feel alone.

“You’ll spoil her, Bee,” my mother would tell her. Betsy would roll her eyes and stick out her tongue or, worse, make an obscene gesture with her hand. That one especially used to make my mother huff away commenting on how ungrateful her younger sister was.

But I loved my Bee. I was proud of her success after she got on her feet and left my parents’ house. She was her own woman, not needing anyone or anything. That’s what she said. Mother used to say she would have been nowhere had they not taken her in. I rolled my eyes. Mother always took credit for the success of others … and distanced herself from their failures. Wasn’t that evident by the fact that my parents were on their third trip since the beginning of this whole shameful mess?

Like mother – like daughter. I shrugged. It’s not like they would have been much support anyway, though under the circumstances, you’d have thought they’d be more understanding. Not them.

Oh, dear God. More tears! I began to hum that song again. I could only remember a little. Oh you gotta have faith, faith, faith. You just gotta have faith…

To read the rest of No Shameful Mistake, please visit my writer's page at Clever Fiction (click HERE).