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Jack Wylie is tall, dark, handsome and brave - he's everything you'd want in a kidnapper. Ex-cop Jack Wylie is a born protector, tormented by the day he misjudged a criminal and his life took a tragic turn. Now he's on a mission to kidnap a woman to help her overcome a fear of being tied up. He's been told by his psychologist brother to keep up the game until the woman gives him the sign. But there has been a big mistake. Jack has accidentally abducted the feisty and beautiful Molly Rhoades - a newly arrived local TV reporter who has secrets of her own. And she doesn't know the sign. After a dangerous and unlikely meeting, Jack and Molly find themselves consumed by sexual tension, but things get even more complicated when Molly finds out that Jack is engaged to the local Councilwoman Amanda Everett, a ruthless career climber determined to succeed no matter what the cost. But why did Jack kidnap Molly in the first place? Who is pulling the strings in this perverted puppet show? Jack vows to protect Molly until he finds out the truth, but the layers of deception and vengeance run deeper than he could have ever imagined. Excerpt: The plan: Scare the shit out of Laura so she’d never fear her sadistic ex-boyfriend again. Apparently, the ass-wipe had gotten his rocks off playing kidnapper during their relationship. He blamed that damn Fifty Shades of Grey series for the upsurge of domestic violence. Sure, the books had provided a few kinky fantasies for the ladies, but lowlifes like Laura’s ex took the fantasy a step too far. A whimper. Was she crying herself to sleep? He flexed his shoulder blades and relaxed. Wouldn’t be long now. He listened to her breathing slow … and slow … and blinked himself awake. Her sounds soothed him and he was so damn tired. He shouldn’t be attempting this job after an overnight security shift at the bank, but he wanted to get it over with. Worried he’d fall asleep if he waited any longer, he slid out. Once he cleared the frame, he pushed up on his fingers and toes, then sprang to the balls of his feet. His right knee creaked. He froze, hovering above her, the paleness of her skin luminescent in the shadows. She lay on top of her comforter, a pair of white bikini panties and a gray tank top her only cover. Nice body. Real nice body — strong and sleek. A cop? Military? Nah, with training like that she wouldn’t be afraid of an ex-boyfriend. But she sure as hell didn’t sculpt those mile-long sexy legs doing aerobics. Slim hips, flat stomach. He whistled softly through his teeth. Damn perfect breasts, fuller than he would’ve expected on someone so lean. Her long, straight hair fanned above her shoulders. He glanced at her face to verify she matched the woman in the head shot Rudy had given him. His chest tightened and he jerked his gaze away. Too late. Those puffy pillow-lips would haunt his dreams. Time to go to work. He clasped her by the waist, tossed her onto her stomach, and pushed her face into the pillow just hard enough to muffle any screams. Startled awake, she bucked her curvy, near-naked ass in his face. Sweet Jesus! He sat on her legs, keeping one hand firmly planted on the back of her neck while he used his teeth to tear off a piece of duct tape. With the strip hanging between his lips, he caught her arms behind her and wrapped the tape around her wrists several times. He didn’t want to cut off her circulation, but she twisted her wrists and the bonds tightened. He ripped another piece of tape, cupped this one in his palm, and rolled her over. She sucked in air, but he gagged her before the scream escaped. A hunk of hair stuck to her face under the gag, making her look like a rumpled kid. But the sparks of terrorized fury she shot at him were far from childlike. Jack faltered. That kind of fear, he’d seen it before. He’d felt it before. But he’d never provoked it.
Natalie S. Ellis worked behind the scenes in TV news for sixteen years and will always miss the rush of a breaking story. But the seduction of writing a fiery romance with twisty suspense is even harder to resist, especially when she has a new curveball for the plot. Natalie enjoys living in her hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and attributes her cheerful attitude to empty nesting, a supportive family, and way too many lattés.
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Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG The awesome co-hosts for the the September 2 posting of the IWSG will be Julie Flanders, Murees Dupé, Dolorah at Book Lover, Christine Rains, and Heather Gardner! How to Pic
One of the most insecure aspects of writing, for me, is self promotion. Everyone knows that in today's ever-changing marketplace, unless you are Stephen King or Nora Roberts you don't have a squad of publicists pushing your every achievement, thought or activity into the public eye. Authors HAVE to self promote.
One of the most insecure things about self promotion is getting yourself "out there," and that includes a photo. If readers like to know something "real" about an author, they certainly expect to "see" what they look like. I, myself, have seen cartoon sketches in place of a real "author" face in an author profile and wondered what they had to hide. There are so many varieties of author pics out there. Some of the bigger writing conferences even have magic photographers who, like the big name authors' photographers, can trim the chub off a chin, the wrinkles off a neck, glowing tan airbrush any flaws and even do an eye lift or nose shade. But those kind of pictures cost mucho moulah. Not all budding authors can afford to be Kardashian Kandid. So what's a starving artist to do? Personally, I like to see pictures of people in motion, or at least doing something. Some of the most cherished pics in my own collections are pics in which I am doing things in fun or exotic places with friends or family. In the pic above, I am on a Garden District tram in New Orleans with some writing buddies on a research vacation. It's one of my favorite memories. That's why I chose it. But, I have on sunglasses and a big hat, and in that way it might not be a good choice-though it's the one I currently use.
I have thought about this many times, and back when I first got into writing, I took one of those "glamour" pics because I had a coupon from a pic party. I thought it was romantic and would be a good pic for a romance writer. Looking back, I realize it was a pic of the times and by today's standards, pretty cheesy (not that I don't wish I still looked like that-minus the "big" hair!), but it is not the type of pic I would want to represent my professional writing now.
I see pics of all types on author profiles, from professional and artisitic head shots, to full on activity shots of horseback riding, dog frolicking, scuba diving buddy pics, kite flying or mountain hiking, to free teacher school pics to office directory pics (do the authors think we don't recognize that?), and even pics where authors just did a selfie. What's your favorite type of author pic? Any suggestions? How did you decide what to use on your own profile? |
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