It has been a while since I did a Sneak Peek Sunday. If you're not familiar with this weekly blog hop, it's simple. Authors post a six paragraph excerpt from a published story or a work in progress.
This is Memorial Day weekend, which around my house means auto racing weekend. My husband is a life-long motor sports fan, so he will be glued to the TV most of the weekend. Indycar is his favorite venue, but it's not the only race this weekend. Formula One is running the fabled Monaco Grand Prix this Sunday, with cars racing through the streets of Monte Carlo. So I thought I'd post a peek from Worth The Risk, the contemporary romance I co-wrote with my friend Anne Farrell.
If you're not familiar with Formula One, it is the premier world-class racing circuit, also known as Grand Prix Racing, as every event in the circuit is called a Grand Prix. Very upper class, jet-setting kind of circuit with races all over the world, from Europe to Australia to China to Abu Dhabi. Last year I wrote a short post about auto racing, if you're interested in some background.
The hero of Worth The Risk is a former Formula One driver who retired after a bad crash that left him with a bum knee.
In this scene, Mitch has taken Amanda to a sports bar for lunch:
He leaned close to her so he could be heard above the noise of the televised World Series game. “Well, what do you think? Quite a place, isn’t it?”
Amanda nodded. It was quite a place indeed. Six large-screen televisions were placed strategically so that every customer had a clear view of the action. Football helmets and jerseys lined the walls above them, and what looked like an actual racecar hung on the brick wall in the far corner.
“Is that real?” she asked Mitch.
“Yep, it’s real all right,” he replied. “It’s part of the body of a Formula 1 car.”
Amanda stared at it, thinking how incredibly small it looked. She wondered if this was the kind of car he’d been driving when he had his accident.
For the first time Amanda was glad Marcia had made her read all those articles about Mitch. Two days ago she wouldn’t have known the name of the premier international racing circuit. Though Mitch had spent most of his career in the States, his last season had been with Formula 1, until the day his car spun out of control on a wet track in Belgium. The accident had ended his racing career and almost taken his life. According to the article she’d read, he had been in a coma for nearly a week. Now the only visible reminder of his trauma was the small scar between his brows, and the slight limp she’d noticed when he first came into the library. A sudden feeling of compassion washed over her.
Blurb:
Children's librarian Amanda Lloyd values privacy above all else. Three years ago her wedding ended in disaster when her groom was arrested at the altar and the story of the 'Embezzler's Bride' appeared in the supermarket tabloids. The experience has left her determined to avoid being caught in the public eye again. Until she meets a sexy single dad with a scandalous past.
Ex-racer Mitch Delaney is a public figure whose life has been plastered across the tabloids more than once. But he believes that anything worth doing is worth a risk. After the death of his ex-wife, he moved to Southern California to take care of his son Josh. He doesn't need the complication of a woman in his life, especially since Josh's grandparents have filed suit for custody. But Josh is on the hunt for a new mother and he has his heart set on Miss Amanda, and Mitch can't fault his son's taste.
Against her better judgment, Amanda finds herself falling for both of the Delaney men. When she agrees to accompany Mitch to a high-profile movie premiere, they draw the attention of the tabloids. Overnight Amanda’s private affair becomes very public indeed, threatening her job and Mitch’s custody suit. She’s waited twenty-eight years for the right man. But will happiness come at too high a price?
Worth The Risk is available from Amazon Kindle,
Apple,
BN/Nook,
Kobo, and Smashwords.
Linda
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Showing posts with label Sneak Peek Sunday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sneak Peek Sunday. Show all posts
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
The Best Present #SPeekSunday
Sneak Peek Sunday is starting up again after a two-month hiatus and seemed like a good way to start the New Year here at Flights of Fancy. If you're not familiar with this weekly blog theme, it's simple. Authors post a six paragraph excerpt from a published story or a work in progress.
Today's excerpt is from my short story, The Best Present, part of Sweetwater Springs Christmas: A Montana Sky Short Story Anthology (Montana Sky Series) by Debra Holland and Friends.
Blurb:
Ten-year-old Allison Harcourt's life has been turned upside down since her father lost his job and her beloved grandmother died. She's not looking forward to Christmas, especially since she can't figure out how to finish the scarf she's making for her mother. An unexpected stop in Sweetwater Springs brings her and her parents to the boarding house of the widow Murphy.
Sometimes sweet things can be found in the most unexpected places.
In this excerpt, Allison's mother gets sick while traveling by train, causing Allison to worry.
Allison pulled her knitting out of her bag. Mama thought it was just practice, but in fact, she was knitting a blue scarf to give Mama for Christmas. Only problem was Grandma got real sick before showing Allison how to finish the scarf. So she just kept knitting. The scarf was plenty long now, but she still didn’t know how to finish it off. It wouldn’t be much of a gift if she handed it to Mama with the knitting needles still in it, but she didn’t know what to do. Was it better to wait and see if Aunt Anna could help her when they got to Spokane?
Suddenly Mama groaned and stood, holding her stomach.
Papa leaped to his feet to steady her. “Are you going to be sick again?”
Mama just nodded and headed toward the necessary room in the back of the car.
Allison jumped up, but Papa’s gently raised palm stopped her.
“Stay here and watch our things.”
She craned her neck, but couldn’t see much from her seat by the window, so she moved to the opposite bench by the aisle and knelt, staring anxiously after her parents over the seat back. Mama hadn’t felt well for days and the swaying motion of the train made her stomach worse. Grandma had stomach problems, too. Problems that kept getting worse and worse until she died. What if Mama had the same illness? Allison’s stomach clenched with fear. She couldn’t lose Mama, too.
Sweetwater Springs Christmas is available for only 99 cents through Jan. 6 at Amazon.com for 99 cents on a Kindle Countdown deal.
I hope everyone had a good holiday! Click for more excerpts at Sneak Peek Sunday.
Linda McLaughlin
Today's excerpt is from my short story, The Best Present, part of Sweetwater Springs Christmas: A Montana Sky Short Story Anthology (Montana Sky Series) by Debra Holland and Friends.
Blurb:
Ten-year-old Allison Harcourt's life has been turned upside down since her father lost his job and her beloved grandmother died. She's not looking forward to Christmas, especially since she can't figure out how to finish the scarf she's making for her mother. An unexpected stop in Sweetwater Springs brings her and her parents to the boarding house of the widow Murphy.
Sometimes sweet things can be found in the most unexpected places.
In this excerpt, Allison's mother gets sick while traveling by train, causing Allison to worry.
Allison pulled her knitting out of her bag. Mama thought it was just practice, but in fact, she was knitting a blue scarf to give Mama for Christmas. Only problem was Grandma got real sick before showing Allison how to finish the scarf. So she just kept knitting. The scarf was plenty long now, but she still didn’t know how to finish it off. It wouldn’t be much of a gift if she handed it to Mama with the knitting needles still in it, but she didn’t know what to do. Was it better to wait and see if Aunt Anna could help her when they got to Spokane?
Suddenly Mama groaned and stood, holding her stomach.
Papa leaped to his feet to steady her. “Are you going to be sick again?”
Mama just nodded and headed toward the necessary room in the back of the car.
Allison jumped up, but Papa’s gently raised palm stopped her.
“Stay here and watch our things.”
She craned her neck, but couldn’t see much from her seat by the window, so she moved to the opposite bench by the aisle and knelt, staring anxiously after her parents over the seat back. Mama hadn’t felt well for days and the swaying motion of the train made her stomach worse. Grandma had stomach problems, too. Problems that kept getting worse and worse until she died. What if Mama had the same illness? Allison’s stomach clenched with fear. She couldn’t lose Mama, too.
Sweetwater Springs Christmas is available for only 99 cents through Jan. 6 at Amazon.com for 99 cents on a Kindle Countdown deal.
I hope everyone had a good holiday! Click for more excerpts at Sneak Peek Sunday.
Linda McLaughlin
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Sneak Peek Sunday July 14
It's Sneak Peek Sunday again, this time with a six-paragraph snippet from my sweet Regency romance, Lady Elinor's Escape, showing Elinor's first meeting with Stephen Chaplin.
In this scene, Lady Elinor has run away from her abusive aunt and made it as far as the nearest coaching inn where she just missed the coach to London. Aware of her plight and suspecting she is in trouble, Stephen approaches to offer his assistance.
Elinor turned to face the gentleman who had suddenly appeared. She stared at him through a haze of black, taking advantage of her veil to get a closer look at this tall, dark-haired, seemingly well bred gentleman. He was above average height, with finely chiseled features, and while he could not, strictly speaking, be deemed handsome, there was something in the intense scrutiny of his light brown eyes that drew her to him. By the cut of his bottle green Superfine coat, which emphasized his broad shoulders but was not so tight as to hamper movement, and his casually tied neckcloth, she surmised he was no society dandy.
“How do you do?” she said politely, extending one black-gloved hand.
“Fine, thank you.”
As he took her hand and bowed over it, Elinor savored the warmth of his touch for a moment. It had been a long time since someone had touched her out of kindness. Suddenly realizing she was clutching his hand, she withdrew hers. He studied her, his gaze seeming to penetrate the veil, and she could only stand like the veriest lump under his scrutiny.
“I beg your pardon, madam, but what did you say your name was?”
“Eli—” Elinor broke off and feigned a cough, panic bubbling up inside. Her name. Dear heavens, she needed a new name. If she told him who she was, he would never agree to take her to Mimi. She stared down at the gentleman’s yellow nankeen trousers and shiny brown boots. “Brown,” she stammered. “Ellie Brown.”
Lady Elinor's Escape is on sale for 50% off at Smashwords for the month of July during their Summer/Winter Promotion. Use coupon code SSW50. Rogue's Hostage and Worth The Risk, by Lyn O'Farrell, are also 50% off this month.
Lady Elinor's Escape is also available from Amazon, All Romance eBooks, BN/Nook, iTunes, and Kobo.
And as always, click here to read this week's fabulous Sneak Peek Sunday snippets.
Happy reading!
Linda
In this scene, Lady Elinor has run away from her abusive aunt and made it as far as the nearest coaching inn where she just missed the coach to London. Aware of her plight and suspecting she is in trouble, Stephen approaches to offer his assistance.
Elinor turned to face the gentleman who had suddenly appeared. She stared at him through a haze of black, taking advantage of her veil to get a closer look at this tall, dark-haired, seemingly well bred gentleman. He was above average height, with finely chiseled features, and while he could not, strictly speaking, be deemed handsome, there was something in the intense scrutiny of his light brown eyes that drew her to him. By the cut of his bottle green Superfine coat, which emphasized his broad shoulders but was not so tight as to hamper movement, and his casually tied neckcloth, she surmised he was no society dandy.
“How do you do?” she said politely, extending one black-gloved hand.
“Fine, thank you.”
As he took her hand and bowed over it, Elinor savored the warmth of his touch for a moment. It had been a long time since someone had touched her out of kindness. Suddenly realizing she was clutching his hand, she withdrew hers. He studied her, his gaze seeming to penetrate the veil, and she could only stand like the veriest lump under his scrutiny.
“I beg your pardon, madam, but what did you say your name was?”
“Eli—” Elinor broke off and feigned a cough, panic bubbling up inside. Her name. Dear heavens, she needed a new name. If she told him who she was, he would never agree to take her to Mimi. She stared down at the gentleman’s yellow nankeen trousers and shiny brown boots. “Brown,” she stammered. “Ellie Brown.”
Lady Elinor's Escape is on sale for 50% off at Smashwords for the month of July during their Summer/Winter Promotion. Use coupon code SSW50. Rogue's Hostage and Worth The Risk, by Lyn O'Farrell, are also 50% off this month.
Lady Elinor's Escape is also available from Amazon, All Romance eBooks, BN/Nook, iTunes, and Kobo.
And as always, click here to read this week's fabulous Sneak Peek Sunday snippets.
Happy reading!
Linda
Sunday, June 2, 2013
#SPeekSunday
A month ago, I introduced Lady Elinor Ashworth, heroine of Lady Elinor's Escape, in a Sneak Peek Sunday post. Today's snippet introduces Stephen over breakfast at a country inn, after reuniting the proprietors with their runaway daughter Nancy.
Lady Elinor's Escape
Sweet Regency Romance
by Linda McLaughlin
Nancy fisted her hands on her hips. “Now that isn’t enough breakfast for the long trip to London. I’ll bring ye some of our fine Wiltshire bacon, too.”
Stephen laughed. Ever since he’d arrived, one Wainwright or another had been pressing food and drink on him. “Very well, Nancy. Toast and bacon.”
She turned and walked away, weaving between the crowded tables. She seemed like a different girl than the half-starved waif his housekeeper had taken in two months ago. He frowned, remembering her tale of being lured to London by a smooth-talking stranger only to be abandoned as soon as she had conceived. What kind of cad deserted a woman in a delicate condition? The only thing worse was a man who used his fists on a female, like that blackguard Northam.
Stephen closed his mind to that line of thought. Deborah had been gone for six years now, and if not forgotten, at least the pain of her death had faded. At her funeral Stephen had vowed never again to walk away from a woman in need, which was how he found himself at an inn in Wiltshire during the Season.
When Nancy returned with his breakfast, he applied himself to the large slab of bacon and toast dripping with butter, and then washed it all down with strong black coffee.
Rescuing damsels in distress was hungry work.
Lady Elinor's Escape is available at Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords.
Click here to read more Sneak Peeks.
Linda
Lady Elinor's Escape
Sweet Regency Romance
by Linda McLaughlin
Nancy fisted her hands on her hips. “Now that isn’t enough breakfast for the long trip to London. I’ll bring ye some of our fine Wiltshire bacon, too.”
Stephen laughed. Ever since he’d arrived, one Wainwright or another had been pressing food and drink on him. “Very well, Nancy. Toast and bacon.”
She turned and walked away, weaving between the crowded tables. She seemed like a different girl than the half-starved waif his housekeeper had taken in two months ago. He frowned, remembering her tale of being lured to London by a smooth-talking stranger only to be abandoned as soon as she had conceived. What kind of cad deserted a woman in a delicate condition? The only thing worse was a man who used his fists on a female, like that blackguard Northam.
Stephen closed his mind to that line of thought. Deborah had been gone for six years now, and if not forgotten, at least the pain of her death had faded. At her funeral Stephen had vowed never again to walk away from a woman in need, which was how he found himself at an inn in Wiltshire during the Season.
When Nancy returned with his breakfast, he applied himself to the large slab of bacon and toast dripping with butter, and then washed it all down with strong black coffee.
Rescuing damsels in distress was hungry work.
Lady Elinor's Escape is available at Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords.
Click here to read more Sneak Peeks.
Linda
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Meet Lady Elinor #SPeekSunday
Before I get into this Sunday's Sneak Peek, I want to announce that the cover of Lady Elinor's Escape, designed by the very talented Lacey Savage, made the finals in the April 2013 Indie eBook Cover Awards! This month's Guest Judge Scarlett Rugers, a professional book cover designer, from Melbourne Australia, had this to say about the cover:
Glad I'm not the only one who thinks the cover is absolutely stunning!
The book is a traditional Regency romance. Here's the blurb:
Lady Elinor Ashworth always longed for adventure, but when she runs away from her abusive aunt, she finds more than she bargained for. Elinor fears her aunt who is irrational and dangerous, threatening Elinor and anyone she associates with. When she encounters an inquisitive gentleman, she accepts his help, but fearing for his safety, hides her identity by pretending to be a seamstress. She resists his every attempt to draw her out, all the while fighting her attraction to him.
There are too many women in barrister Stephen Chaplin’s life, but he has never been able to turn his back on a damsel in distress. The younger son of a baronet is a ‘rescuer’ of troubled females, an unusual vocation fueled guilt over his failure to save the woman he loved from her brutal husband. He cannot help falling in love with his secretive seamstress, but to his dismay, the truth of her background reveals Stephen as the ineligible party.
(For those not familiar with the genre, Newgate was the name of a prison in London.) Now for our Sneak Peek at the first six paragraphs of Chapter One:
She might as well be in Newgate.
Lady Elinor Ashworth stared out the window of her bedchamber at acres of farmland sprouting new growth. Spring green brightened the vista, taunting her with the promise of freedom. After three long, lonely months trapped in this cottage, her spirit cried out for something more, something she could not name.
She glanced at the sketchbook in her lap. She had intended to draw the pastoral scene outside her window, but her hand had sketched a young lady forlornly staring through the panes of a window. A truer self-portrait had never been drawn.
Until the last few months, she had been allowed to wander alone through the Wiltshire countryside, but no longer. Not since Aunt Sarah came out of her melancholy and turned into a raving madwoman.
All her life Elinor had dreamed of adventure, so what she was planning to do should not daunt her in the slightest. She had read about people braving the ocean in small boats, exploring the jungles of Africa, searching for ancient artifacts in Egypt.
In contrast, stealing out of her aunt’s house in the dark, walking to the nearest coaching inn and traveling by herself to London hardly qualified as an adventure. The merest of escapades, in fact. Or so she assured herself to calm the butterflies suddenly dancing in her stomach. Still, what other choice did she have?
Lady Elinor's Escape is now available at Amazon, All Romance eBooks and Barnes and Noble. Coming soon to other retailers.
To celebrate the reissue of Lady Elinor's Escape, I'm giving away a $10.00 gift certificate of the winner's choice: Amazon, BN, Starbucks, etc. Winner will be notified on May 6. There are several ways to enter.
1) Leave a comment here. If you are commenting anonymously, please leave an email address so I can find you if you win!
2) Friend me at Goodreads or Shelfari. (I will friend you back)
3) Join my YahooGroups announcement list.
Click here to read more Sneak Peeks.
Linda
A historical regency romance with absolutely gorgeous golden colours – the placement of elements and colour scheme are well-balanced and harmonious.
Glad I'm not the only one who thinks the cover is absolutely stunning!
The book is a traditional Regency romance. Here's the blurb:
Lady Elinor Ashworth always longed for adventure, but when she runs away from her abusive aunt, she finds more than she bargained for. Elinor fears her aunt who is irrational and dangerous, threatening Elinor and anyone she associates with. When she encounters an inquisitive gentleman, she accepts his help, but fearing for his safety, hides her identity by pretending to be a seamstress. She resists his every attempt to draw her out, all the while fighting her attraction to him.
There are too many women in barrister Stephen Chaplin’s life, but he has never been able to turn his back on a damsel in distress. The younger son of a baronet is a ‘rescuer’ of troubled females, an unusual vocation fueled guilt over his failure to save the woman he loved from her brutal husband. He cannot help falling in love with his secretive seamstress, but to his dismay, the truth of her background reveals Stephen as the ineligible party.
(For those not familiar with the genre, Newgate was the name of a prison in London.) Now for our Sneak Peek at the first six paragraphs of Chapter One:
She might as well be in Newgate.
Lady Elinor Ashworth stared out the window of her bedchamber at acres of farmland sprouting new growth. Spring green brightened the vista, taunting her with the promise of freedom. After three long, lonely months trapped in this cottage, her spirit cried out for something more, something she could not name.
She glanced at the sketchbook in her lap. She had intended to draw the pastoral scene outside her window, but her hand had sketched a young lady forlornly staring through the panes of a window. A truer self-portrait had never been drawn.
Until the last few months, she had been allowed to wander alone through the Wiltshire countryside, but no longer. Not since Aunt Sarah came out of her melancholy and turned into a raving madwoman.
All her life Elinor had dreamed of adventure, so what she was planning to do should not daunt her in the slightest. She had read about people braving the ocean in small boats, exploring the jungles of Africa, searching for ancient artifacts in Egypt.
In contrast, stealing out of her aunt’s house in the dark, walking to the nearest coaching inn and traveling by herself to London hardly qualified as an adventure. The merest of escapades, in fact. Or so she assured herself to calm the butterflies suddenly dancing in her stomach. Still, what other choice did she have?
Lady Elinor's Escape is now available at Amazon, All Romance eBooks and Barnes and Noble. Coming soon to other retailers.
To celebrate the reissue of Lady Elinor's Escape, I'm giving away a $10.00 gift certificate of the winner's choice: Amazon, BN, Starbucks, etc. Winner will be notified on May 6. There are several ways to enter.
1) Leave a comment here. If you are commenting anonymously, please leave an email address so I can find you if you win!
2) Friend me at Goodreads or Shelfari. (I will friend you back)
3) Join my YahooGroups announcement list.
Click here to read more Sneak Peeks.
Linda
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