Dana Mason – Linda Cassidy Lewis

7-7-7 times 3

24 June 201427 June 2014 Linda Cassidy Lewis

Author Dana Mason tagged me for a 7-7-7 challenge on Facebook, but since I’d just posted another challenged concerning my WIP, I decided to post my response—tripled—here, instead. The challenge calls for you to go to page 7 of your WIP, count down 7 lines, and then share the next 7 lines. Since I have three Works-In-Progress, I’m giving you 7-7-7 of all three. Sorry, I’m not sharing titles, yet.

Book #1 – Paranormal

Julie stared out across the yard. For a moment, the only sound was the clink of ice against glass as she stirred her tea with a fingertip. “Maybe we’ll resume the life we had before Megan was born.”

“Maybe,” he said, his tone so noncommittal it stripped the word of meaning. More than age had made them nearly unrecognizable as the same couple in the wedding portrait hanging in the foyer. He thought about that a lot lately. Had they actually changed or just moved apart? And, whichever had happened, was it too late to reverse it?

~~~~~

Book #2 – Romantic Comedy

“Do you require something more, Ms. Shaw?”

The arrogance in his voice snaps me back to earth. “Not from you, Mr. Hi— Pearce.” As I head toward the stairs, I’m aware his door hasn’t closed, and I figure since he’s watching my ass anyway, I might as well give him a better look, so I stop at the top of the steps, turn my back to him, and pull down my sweats to show him the cheetah print thong I’m wearing. His door clicks closed, but not before I hear him gasp.

Game tied.

~~~~~

Book #3 – Women’s Fiction

“We’ve had break-ins, Nicole. You know that.”

“Funny how those break-ins always occur in the middle of the day when I’m at work.”

Curtis kicked the duffle, but then he sat still. After a moment, he looked up at me like a child still hoping to talk his way out of punishment. “Where am I supposed to go?”

I took a deep breath. I could do this. “Why not move in with your scummy girlfriend?” Surprise lit his glance before it hardened to a glare. He thought he’d kept that secret from me. “Let her support your habit.”

~~~~~

There you go. I hope something sparked your interest.

I’m supposed to tag seven other writers to take up the 7-7-7 challenge, but I recently tagged writers on another FB challenge, so I won’t choose anyone here. But if you’d like to share seven lines of your work-in-progress, please do so in the comments or, if on your blog, leave a link for us.

Linda

Books, Contest

Hot August Nights Book Giveaway

2 August 2013 Linda Cassidy Lewis

Do you need more books to get you through the rest of summer? Would you like to get them free? Would you like to win a $150 Amazon gift certificate? Then the Hot August Nights Reads Giveaway Event (August 2 – 4, 2013) is for you! More than 40 authors have donated books for this event. If you want to see how to enter to win any of these books and join in the fun and games, visit the Facebook Event Page. And while you’re there, don’t forget to look for the pinned post where you can “vote” for me as the one who invited you, so I might win a prize too.

You’ll notice in the image below that both my books are part of this event, so if you want to enter to win An Illusion of Trust specifically, go to Dana Mason‘s blog or to enter to win The Brevity of Roses specifically go to Dana Delamar‘s blog and leave a comment telling them which book you’d like to win. This is a Rafflecopter giveaway, which means you have multiple ways to increase your chances of winning, so read the entry instructions carefully. Good luck!

Author, Books, Fiction

Three Authors for You

16 October 201216 October 2012 Linda Cassidy Lewis

I get sick of talking about myself, so today I’m going to point you to three other writers who frequently comment here. Yes, this is a long post, but well worth it. I like to support my author friends and it’s been a while since I did that.

~~~~~

Did you know Dana Mason is a debut author? Her romantic suspense novel Dangerous Embrace is the first book in her Embrace Series. Here’s the description:

Sarah Jennings wants nothing more than a quiet life—alone.
Raised by an eccentric mother, their life on the road only taught her how to run away from hard times. But when she finds herself in an abusive relationship, this lesson serves her well.

Now, back in her hometown, she’s found a place she loves. She’s a first grade teacher, and with few friends and less family around, she has what she wants, a quiet life under the radar where she can be free of her past and live quietly. Finally comfortable in her own skin, she’s settled, and less fearful than she’s ever been in her life.

But it only takes one night and one act of violence for everything to change. Injured and afraid, Sarah wants to run again, but Mark Summors refuses to let her go.

Just when Sarah thinks she can have Mark and the life he promises, her past comes back to haunt her.

Mark Summors was born and raised in Santa Rosa. He married his high school sweetheart and never questioned his life, until he found his wife with another man. Now divorced, he wants something more. He’s passionate about his job, he wants to protect people, and he devotes his life to it.

This time he’s protecting more than just another client, he’s protecting his future; at least, Sarah Jennings will be his future, once he convinces her she loves him.

~~~~~

Darlene Foster is another writer who spends some of her precious time here. She writes the Amanda adventure series for children. Here’s the description for her latest, Amanda in England: The Missing Novel:

Amanda Ross is visiting England and taking in all the sights. She gets lost in the maze at Hampton Court, does some shopping at Harrods, meets the ravens in the Tower of London, explores Windsor Castle, and rides the London Eye. When she discovers a vintage book is missing from a collection, she is determined to find out who stole it. Amanda befriends a pair of tough teenagers from the streets of London, an elderly bookshop owner, and a big, friendly, clever, Maine Coon cat named Rupert. Follow Amanda through cobblestone streets, medieval castles, and underground tunnels in her quest to find the missing novel!

~~~~~

Would you believe the gentleman who signs his gracious comments as Jimmy writes about vampires? Check our James Garcia, Jr.’s horror novel Dance on Fire, which is finally available at Amazon. This is vampire lore with a twist as you’ll see from the description:

Each May, the Central California town of Kingsburg celebrates its Swedish heritage with the annual Swedish Festival: a weekend event where the town puts on its traditional dress, culminating with a dance around a Maypole on Friday, and a Swedish pancake breakfast and parade on Saturday. The town with a population of over 11,000 residents draws thousands more to the event. This year, two uninvited guests also converged upon the unsuspecting town.

Nathaniel is a vampire. He wandered into town, bothering no one; feeding upon stray cats and other vermin, wanting nothing more than to have a place to rest his head. Vincent is a second vampire, and the one responsible for making Nathaniel. He has been searching for his long lost “son” for well over two centuries. Vincent’s goal is to take Nathaniel home or kill him. Nathaniel has often wished for death, wondering why God ever allowed this punishment: to walk the earth undead and unable to be redeemed. Does God remember the little boy from Romania who watched his parents die, was raised by the murdering vampire, only to become one himself? What does God think of Nathaniel and could there yet be redemption for one outside of heaven?

Ten days before the start of the Swedish Festival the most tumultuous week in the history of Kingsburg has begun with two vampires leaving death and destruction in their wake. Kingsburg Police Detectives Mark Jackson and Michael Lopez, Barbara and the entire Lopez family find themselves drawn into something that threatens to destroy them all or leave them scarred forever.
In a marriage of the classic horror story and the Christian themes of good conquering evil and redemption, Dance on Fire is the account of characters being drawn into the fire and the supernatural forces around them watching as they burn.

~~~~~

So, there you go. I hope you’ll give these authors a shot while you’re waiting for publication of that fabulous novel An Illusion of Trust by that crazy lady named Linda who also hangs out at this blog.

Fiction, Scene, Writing

Where in the world is that scene I wrote?

18 May 201217 May 2012 Linda Cassidy Lewis

Thrice in the last few weeks, I’ve searched my notes in vain for a first-draft scene I’d written for my WIP. When I say first-draft scene, I mean dialogue with a few actions in place. And when I say thrice, I mean for three different scenes.

I have both a large notebook and a small one I carry in my purse, which I use to take notes when I’m away from the computer. Nothing in either. I create computer files, specifically for notes and partial scenes, for each novel and story I work on. Nothing. How can that be?

Every time I look in the mirror, my gray hair reminds me my brain is old, so these missing scenes freak me out. I’m determined to find the culprit because I really don’t want to think it’s my imagination. Did I “write” them while in the shower or driving? I often get inspiration or a breakthrough doing those things. Did I dream these scenes?

I don’t believe it’s my imagination because I can still see them clearly on my mental movie screen. Now, though, the sound is broken up. I haven’t had any computer problems (or SUE oops!) to explain their disappearance. So, apparently, I only thought I wrote them out.

Oh, wait! Maybe there’s a scene thief on the loose. Yeah, it must be that. I’m on the case.

And speaking of the world: The print version of The Brevity of Roses can now be ordered directly through the Amazon stores in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. So, yay!

In other news: What I love about my community of writers is our willingness to help each other succeed. Often we’re not sure how much we actually help, but sometimes we get a special thank you to let us know how much our efforts were appreciated.

Dana Mason’s debut novel Dangerous Embrace is the first in a contemporary suspenseful romance series and will debut this October. A couple of days ago she said some nice things about me—elegant superhero?—and she awarded me this Random Act of Kindness award. Isn’t that sweet of her? Don’t forget to put Dangerous Embrace on your watch list!

Blog Stuff

Seven Sentences

4 April 20123 April 2012 Linda Cassidy Lewis

I owe an apology to my friend Darlene Foster. A couple of weeks ago, she tagged me for the Lucky 7 Meme. Then, with the twin punctuation posts followed by my absenteeism, that fact slipped into the often murky swamp I call my memory. So … I’m sorry, Darlene, and thank you for choosing me.

The rules of this fun meme require that you turn to page 77 of your work in progress. I have two WIPs, one I’m not leaking a word of in public yet, and the other is a collection of short stories. Those stories are in no particular order at the moment, so I don’t know which page will end up in 77^th spot. Instead, I’ve chosen my 7 sentences from page 7 of one of those stories.

In this scene from “Better Left Alone”, a middle-aged and newly divorced woman, is on her way to have lunch with a man she hasn’t seen since high school.

Teresa left home early. Two blocks from the restaurant, she pulled over to check her hair and makeup one last time and to slow her breathing. What impression would she make if she arrived disheveled and hyperventilating? She restarted the car, but then sat for a moment wondering at her sudden insecurity. Yes, as a giggly girl, she’d had a crush on Mark, but life had tempered her in the years since high school. She’d raised three children, ran a small business, and—yes, she had—managed to keep a marriage solid for most of twenty-seven years. She was Woman, and could roar with the best of them.

Now then, the rules of the meme say I have to pass it on to 7 other writers, so here’s my list:

If these fabulous women choose to accept this meme, they must:

Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP.
Go to line 7.
Copy down the next 7 sentences and post them as written.
Tag 7 authors.
Let them know.

If anyone else wants to play along, grab the logo and rules and post your excerpt. And don’t forget to let me know, so I can drop by to read your 7 sentences.