MOVING FORWARD WITH THE CYBERAGE.!

Now Available!

Now that snow is in our area, though not at our house, it reminded me I have a new book out that features an overabundance of snow. My friend Bobbye Terry just emailed me that she bought the book. (Authors always know who their friends are: Friends buy the book; others ask for a free copy.)

Now I have joined the ranks of those who are putting their books on Smashwords. My contemporary romance, SNOWFIRES, is now available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/36055?ref=CarolineClemmons in a seven formats--one sure to accomodate any e-reader. I want to remind readers that if you don't have an e-reader. You can download the Kindle version for your home computer for FREE. Great price, right?

Here's a blurb for SNOWFIRES:
Trent Macleod fought his way up from nothing to buy into Marvel Incorporated. He knows Holly resents him, but doesn't understand why she hates him enough to get them lost in the worst snowstorm to hit West Texas in decades. He knows he should keep her strictly off limits, but how can he when they're marooned in a tiny house with one bed and almost no heat? Passion heats the freezing home as they give in to their attraction--but will the fire last?


Holly Tucker despises yet is attracted to the dynamic man who bought shares in the family business that her gambler father foolishly lost. Was Holly’s stepmother telling the truth and Trent caused the heart attack that killed Holly’s father? As their fascination pulls them together, Holly realizes her stepmother must have lied. But Holly cares way too much for Trent. When she learns he’s a gambler, she swears she will give her body to him, but not her soul. A lifetime of repairing her father’s gambling follies has cured her of loving a gambler. Or has it?

Snowy Day

The idea for the story occurred to me on a trip back from visiting relatives in West Texas. Our return was almost delayed by snow. My husband and I had often joked about the mercury vapor lights each ranch house had. Hero said the light salesman had struck it rich through that area because every group of buildigns had at least one. That was when we lived in the city. Now that we're in a rural area, we also have one of the lights. Live and learn, right? The light played a part in SNOWFIRES because it acted as a beacon through the blizzard.

Anyway, after our trip, I wondered what would happen if a couple were snowed in out in the lowly populated ranchlands. Wouldn't it be even more interesting if they were at odds over something? Sure it would. And what if--in spite of their business differences--they were highly attracted to one another. And what if it was a tiny house with poor heat, and what if there were animals to care for? Authors love to torture their characters.

Here's a short excerpt of the first night the hero and heroine are snowbound in a home owned by a couple named Martin:

He smiled as he recalled her shocked expression when he mentioned shared body heat. At least he got a little of his own back then. She turned toward him in her sleep, snuggling up to him with her palms against his chest, one leg thrown over his.



He fought the instinct to pull her even closer and make passionate love to her. They fit so well together. He wondered how she would be as a lover, then mentally kicked himself for that line of thought.


Now he knew why the young Martin family had children so close in age. On this sagging mattress, which forced their bodies into intimate contact, a man and woman who loved one another would be drawn naturally into frequent lovemaking. Even with this ice princess with whom he had nothing in common, his mind and body cried out for their coupling.

He had no idea why she so resented him. It was more than their differences in business theory, because she had hated him at their first meeting two months ago. He racked his brain for a possible reason, but nothing came to him.


Maybe she just resented his buying the shares lost through her father's gambling. Why hold him responsible for her father’s stupidity? From all accounts, Walter Tucker was charming and glib but an absolute loser in all the ways that counted.


Grayson skirted the issue, but made it clear he hadn’t approved of his late son-in-law's management of Marvel, his ostentatious lifestyle, or his choice of Holly’s stepmother. So, why had Grayson stayed in the background? Buying into what had previously been solely a family-owned business left Trent an outsider with insufficient information.

If only Walter Tucker had stopped ranting long enough that day to listen to him...but why even go there? He would figure it all out eventually, but so far hadn't discovered how all the pieces fit. Trying to unravel the puzzle, Trent drifted softly to sleep.


***

The pirate returned to Holly's dreams. They were in the cabin of his ship, snug together in his bunk. This time his caresses inflamed her beyond her wildest imagination. Her fingers traced the line of the scar on his chest, her lips trailed kisses along the jagged ridge.


His mouth scorched a path down her neck and across her shoulders. Strong hands pushed her bra aside. Warm lips found her breast and his tongue laved her rigid nipple. The calluses of his fingers scintillated her skin as they moved to the elastic of her panties. His hand slid gently inside to touch her—


Her eyes flew open. "Hey! Stop it right now." Holly pounded Trent on his shoulders. "Get off me."

It's a fun story, but not one that involves murder or mayhem as my books usually do. This is a straight romance. It is, however, the spiciest book I've written or am likely to write, so be forewarned.
I hope you're enjoying the cold winter weather (or warm, depending on where you are) by reading a good book.

Reminder: It's time for the January issue of my MOSTLY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER. Subscribe on the sidebar. Each issue contains a free short story, yummy recipe, news and a chance to win a free book. Not bad, right?