#FindingHunter Excerpt 4

September 16, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 6 Comments

Lest you think Finding Hunter is all sweetness and light, and mere romantic fluff, let me assure you that it’s not. Not that I don’t love romantic fluff, myself, and read plenty of it. But in this case, it’s not what I’ve written. At least, not completely. Bad things are heading for Hunter & Willow, no matter how hard Willow tries to convince Hunter otherwise. To demonstrate what I mean, here is the Prologue, featuring the man who’s the source of the little snippets I’ve been sharing with you, from the beginning of each Chapter. Aahhh…the Traveling Man. He’s on his way. 😯
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FINDING HUNTER PROLOGUE

Dawn, August 1, 2013

EVERYTHING WAS PAIN. Everything he felt, everything he remembered. Pain, and pain, and pain. His dreams echoed with sounds of agony, screams ricocheting through his head. Pain—and blood. Rivers of blood. Scarlet, coppery-scented puddles spreading in front of him.

He woke on his knees, vomiting in the grass. Afterward, he crawled back onto the park bench, mouth sour, and head throbbing. Shivering, he tried to push the dreams away, but they weren’t ready to let him go.

He had done something bad. That was the problem. Worse than bad—something unthinkable. This crime was the root of all his dreams, and if only he could remember, he’d know what he needed to do next. But every time he tried to get it straight in his head, the screams would start again, followed by that God-awful, unrelenting pain.

As the day woke up around him, he huddled on the bench, with the smell of rotgut whiskey on his breath, and sledgehammers pounding inside his skull. He scrubbed at his eyes, as if that would wipe away the images of all that blood, and make the last echoes of those tortured screams disappear. It didn’t work.

There had to be a way to make it all end. When it came to him, he was surprised at the simplicity of the solution. Something—someone—needed to die. Fight fire with fire, blood with blood, pain with pain. Oh, yes. That was the answer.

Shuffling to his unsteady feet, he stumbled through the morning mist. He had no idea where he was—not even which state he was in, let alone the name of this little town—but he heard the unmistakable whoosh of cars speeding down a highway. In five minutes, he stood by the edge of the southbound lane, holding out his thumb. Instinct told him the direction to travel, and desperation kept him upright, as he waited for the ride that would take him where he needed to go.

His plan was simple. If death would bring an end to this pain, then someone was going to die.
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Finding Hunter is now available for download on Amazon. Print version coming soon.

#FindingHunter Excerpt 3

September 15, 2015September 16, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 2 Comments

Promised the second part of today’s excerpt, and here it is. A bit later in Chapter 3, still at Willow’s house, but after lunch, this time from Willow’s POV. She’s on just as many pins and needles as Hunter is. 🙂 Enjoy!

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How could I ever have thought I cared a fig for Evan Ashe, or anyone else? No one has ever made me feel the way Hunter Painter does. Every single day of my life has been lost in sleep-walking, waiting, waiting, waiting.

She shoved that thought away. “Would you like to see the herb garden first?”

“There’s more?”

“Of course,” she said, with a self-conscious laugh. “I never can seem to do things by halves. I’ve made several garden areas, and then there’s a path through the trees, down to a little stream. What would you like to see?”

“Everything. Show me everything.”

She studied his face to be sure he really meant it. He looked serious. “Okay, let’s start over there.” Pointing to the side yard, she headed to her favorite bed.

Following traditional design, Willow had laid out her main herb garden as a large rectangle, with narrow brick paths that separated it into sections for each herb. Miniature purple coneflowers, her favorite butterfly plant, made a colorful, sweet-scented border around the entire garden. They strolled through the paths, sipping their iced tea, while Willow explained a bit about the uses of each plant. Hunter followed along, nodding, and making the occasional comment, as though he was truly interested.

I have no idea what I’m even saying. I can’t believe this could possibly interest him. Here we are, Hunter Painter and I, after all these years. Walking around my garden, and I don’t even know what I’m saying. God, if he stands any closer to me, I’m going to do something stupid, like touch him. Continue reading →

#FindingHunter Excerpt #2

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015 / Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

Thought I’d share a bit more of the romantic part of #FindingHunter with a scene from Chapter 3. First, the Chapter 3 snippet from the top of the page, then a moment from Hunter’s POV, as he has lunch with Willow Greene, something he’s terrified to be doing. (Hunter has issues. 😀 ) Later, I’ll share another scene from Chapter 3, from Willow’s POV, which that will include their first kiss. Hope you’ll enjoy this bit, and THAT one. 😉

CH 3 Snippet/Poem

Which way, he asks, face all sharp angles and bright teeth
Under a straw hat, and above his bib overalls.
South, I mumble, climbing into the car.
South toward death—but I don’t say
That part.
~ Traveling Man ~

Excerpt

His thoughts were tangled around each other in his head, and his mouth betrayed him, as usual. “Never have grown up, have you?” He saw the hurt in her eyes immediately.

“Why would you think that, Hunter?”

“Oh, God, I’m sorry, Willow. That didn’t come out like I meant it.”

“It sounded clear to me. You think I’m still a silly teenage girl, full of frivolous ideas.”

“No.” He gave a determined shake of his head. “Don’t think that at all. What I think is that the rest of us grew up … grew weary … grew complacent. We bent to the way of the world, beaten down, or just too tired or unhappy to care anymore. Some of us grew old by thirty. None of that happened to you. You grew up without letting the world kill who you are. Life may have touched you—or even hurt you—but it hasn’t changed you.”

Now she was staring at him, and he felt his face burn. “That’s what I meant,” he mumbled, studying the green and white checked tablecloth. “Just didn’t get it all out.”

“Oh. Well, then … thank you. I think? I mean, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

He raised his eyes to hers. “A very good thing. Nice to see.”

They finished up lunch, Hunter still feeling like a clumsy bumpkin, but doing his best not to spoil the mood again. Chatting more easily, they covered mutual friends, the challenges of taking care of an older home, and anything else Willow thought of. Hunter just went along for the ride, letting her pick topics that made her happy. He didn’t really care what the subject was, as long as he could sit there watching her hands fly and her eyes shine.

She’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. It’s like talking to a being who’s made of pure joy. Gunn may not be able to see how she sparkles, but I do. She’s magic, all right. None of us are good enough for her, especially not a bumble-mouthed country nobody like me.

Finding Hunter available for download on Amazon. Print book coming soon.

#RomancingSeptember Days 14 and 15

September 15, 2015 / Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

Two more wonderful romance writers for you to learn about. Day 14 brought us two interviews with Nicky Wells, and today, Day 15, features two interviews with author Felicia Myers. Hope some of you have been enjoying these fun posts, learning more about how authors write, and what books they have available for your reading pleasure. Remember to share, thanks!

Rosie Amber: #RomancingSeptember Day 14 with Nicky Wells
Stephanie Hurt: #RomancingSeptember Day 14 with Nicky Wells

Rosie Amber: #RomancingSeptember Day 15 with Felicia Myers
Stephanie Hurt: #RomancingSeptember Day 15 with Felicia Myers

Finding Hunter Excerpt #1

September 14, 2015September 14, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 6 Comments

Finding Hunter is Book 2 in my Riverbend series. It follows Swamp Ghosts, and can be read as a standalone, but since most of the characters were introduced in Swamp Ghosts, it makes more sense to read that one first.

At the beginning of Chapters 1 through 20, there is a “snippet” at the top of the page. I’ve included the one from Chapter 2 here, even though the excerpt is actually from the middle of Chapter 1. This is Willow Greene thinking back to meeting Hunter Painter when they were in the 11th grade at the small town high school. Enjoy!

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CH 2 Snippet First:

Before, I never thought about taking a life. Not once.
Now, the thought fills my mind day and night, and
I wonder how I’ll hide that terrible need,
As an old car swings to the shoulder,
And stops.
~ Traveling Man ~

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CH 1 Excerpt:

He had been a quiet, thoughtful boy, cut from completely different cloth than his brothers. Forrest, a senior that year, and the oldest brother, Jackson, were like peas in a pod. Outgoing, popular, and always up to something. But not Hunter. He marched to that different drummer we’ve all heard tell of, always present, but never quite in the moment.

Willow was very popular with both girls and boys, but the more the other boys came calling, the more Willow had thought about Hunter. He never seemed to be dating anyone, and he always greeted her with a smile and a quiet word or two, but then he would turn away, ambling off to find a quiet spot by himself.

The only class they shared that first year was English, and even though Willow had chosen the seat directly behind Hunter, he never turned to talk to her before the final bell. In fact, he usually waited until the last minute to enter the room and take his seat, leaving Willow to stare at the soft, brown hair curling against his neck, fascinated by the slight bump of each vertebra marching along under his pale skin.

It was his neck that did it. I never would have loved him so much if I hadn’t fixated on that one bit of skin, right in front of my eyes, five days a week. Who falls in love with a neck? And who still remembers it sixteen years later?

All that junior year, Willow had longed for Hunter to call her, to ask her out, or at least to sit by her at lunch. But he never did, and she never told anyone—not even her best friend, Maggie—that out of all of the boys they knew, only Hunter Painter touched her heart.

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Finding Hunter for Kindle is Available on Amazon now.

Miyuki, Harvard Girl by Eldon Brown

September 14, 2015September 15, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 3 Comments

Excerpt from Miyuki, Harvard Girl by Eldon Brown, soon to be available on Amazon.com:

     He knew that I had observed this procedure before, so I surmised that he had another reason to get me alone. There were some things that I wanted to ask him too. On the way to the orchid house, I just blurted out, “Mr. Seto, were you spying on me?”
     “Not spy,” he said, “watch.”
      “But why?” I asked.
     “It is Japanese way. Everyone is watched. You are seeing my daughter. I must know all about you.”
      “The present was a nice touch.”
     Seto smiled. “Yes, but you did not accept.” He paused and became more serious. “Mattu-san, by now I am sure that you know I am yakuza. It is no secret. Your FBI knows, the baseball players know. It is why I always have bodyguards. I don’t think Miyuki knows, and I would prefer that she believes I am just a simple farmer.” Just then the orchid truck departed from the orchid greenhouse.
     “Is it true that you clear fifty thousand dollars for each of these shipments?”
     He smiled again and offered a slight bow. “Your information not entirely correct. I must pay a commission on every order. Each politician has a budget for meetings and official functions. I pay them twenty-five percent commission.”
      “Isn’t that a bribe?”
      “No, not bribe, commission. We call it tea money.”
     I thought, One man’s bribe is another man’s incentive.
      He looked up at me and smiled. “I suppose you believe that some tea is not exchanged in your country when those big defense contracts are signed.” His eyes seemed to twinkle.

#RomancingSeptember Day 13

September 13, 2015September 13, 2015 / Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

Today is lucky Day 13 of #RomancingSeptember, and the featured author is Margaret Cullingford. Check out her interview with Rosie Amber, and then the one with Stephanie Hurt, and enjoy! It’s lovely to learn about all these writers, and I hope you’ve been enjoying this event. Pass it on!

Rosie Amber: #RomancingSeptember Day 13 with Margaret Cullingford
Stephanie Hurt: #RomancingSeptember Day 13 with Margaret Cullingford

Aaaahhhhh…that’s better!

September 12, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 8 Comments

Thankfully, last week’s problems seem to be sorting themselves out satisfactorily, which is nice, because it frees me up to deal with THIS week’s problems, as they arise. And they are sure to arise. 😉

Swamp Ghosts, it all its forms, seems to be looking correct once again. Finding Hunter has been corrected on Kindle, so that the formatting is prettier, and I have just ordered a new proof of the print version from CreateSpace. So Hunter Painter’s distressing tale seems resolved, at the present time.

I can breathe again. And possibly even sneak in some reading this weekend. (I’m close to the halfway point in Lee Child’s latest Reacher book, Make Me. OH, how I love watching Jack Reacher tug on threads one at a time, as he slowly unravels the latest mystery he’s uncovered.) And I can even catch up on my Bookin’ It reviews, perhaps.

However, I can’t dawdle for long. Rabbit has a story to tell, and when that boy gets to talking, there’s no stopping him. So, I plan to start Harbinger in the next day or two. I’m already putting together my inspiration board, filled with gorgeous images of the North Carolina mountains. *sigh* Makes me want to load up my car and go!

But…here’s the biggest news of all. Starting on Monday, here at The Write Stuff…we’re going to have an EVENT! Nothing earth-shattering or difficult, but it should be fun. Stay tuned for details shortly.

And that’s it for me today. What wonderful things are you guys up to this weekend?

#RomancingSeptember Day 12

September 12, 2015 / Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

#RomancingSeptember is approaching mid-month, and going strong, with lots of wonderful authors giving us insight into what and how they write. Today’s featured author is Monica La Porta. Check out both of her interviews! And please share with all the usual suspects. 🙂

Rosie Amber: #RomancingSeptember Day 12 with Monica La Porta
Stephanie Hurt: #RomancingSeptember Day 12 with Monica La Porta