Special Moments That Inspire Love--Read My Sexy Saturday Excerpt

Welcome to another edition of My Sexy Saturday. This week's theme is "My Sexy Love" and is about those special moments that inspire romance. Well, for every couple in the universe there's going to be the one unique special moment that sparked their love for each other, isn't there? Think of all the zillions of possibilities! That's what makes the romance genre so much fun to read and write. ;)

Love wasn't even part of their game plans, so how did single mom Cassie and out-of-work Mike know they were destined for each other? What special moment inspired them to reach out and take a chance on love? Find out in this short excerpt from The Fixer-Uppers.

The Fixer-Uppers
www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers

"An exceptional writer with a flair for humor." --Romance Reviews Today


Can a single mom find happiness on a blind date--or at least dinner with a male who can cut up his own food? Cassie and Mike believe they're "in like" not "in love." But when down-on-his-luck Mike is evicted, Cassie takes him into her home. Mike starts fixing everything from window screens to her two boys' broken hearts. Will Cassie let him fix hers?



Excerpt set up: Mike tries to stop Cassie from going on a date with another man. He finds her ironing her dress for the evening and does his best to convince her to stay home--with him.

Cassie felt warm all over. The room seemed to be swaying beneath her feet. She coughed to clear her suddenly dry throat.  “Yeah, it’s a nice robe.” The room began to spin as she breathed in deeply the masculine scent of him. “I don’t wear it around much since it has the tendency to slide off me at the most inconvenient times.” 

 

Mike’s lips lightly brushed against her earlobe. “Show me,” he whispered.

Cassie’s knees turned to liquid. She knew she had to get a grip on herself, turn the conversation around somehow. . . But she couldn’t. A moment later the acrid smell of burning cloth brought her back to reality.  “Mike?”

 

He nuzzled her earlobe again. “Hmm, yes?”

She opened one eye slowly. “I think we’ve ruined my dress.”

“I’ll get you a new one.” He took the iron from her and yanked the plug from the wall.

“What’ll I wear tonight then?” she moaned.

 He put the iron down and slowly turned her to face him.  “Remember? I like what you’ve got on now.” Pulling her closer, he gently kissed her lips. 

Find out more about Cassie and Mike's special moments in The Fixer-Uppers, available from Devine Destinies Books, Amazon, All Romance eBooks and wherever fine ebooks are sold!

 Have a great My Sexy Saturday blog hop!

http://mysexysaturday.blogspot.com

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Down Home Love...An Excerpt from Country Boy, City Girl

Country Boy, City Girl

Veronica "Ronnie" Hawthorn has found peace at last in the Missouri Ozarks town of Green Springs, excited at the prospect of running her own arts-and-crafts store in an old farm house. But when city girl Ronnie "falls" into her handsome neighbor's arms, she is surprised to discover that country boy Dave Darden is one of the most eligible bachelors in America.

From Mojocastle Press:
http://www.mojocastle.com/country-boy-city-girl.html

"Readers will not be disappointed...You will be rewarded with a down home love story that will long be remembered."--Bridges Magazine

An excerpt from Country Boy, City Girl...
 

It feels good to be up to my elbows in mud again.

Ronnie sighed. Self-imposed pressure faded away as the rhythmic thump, thump, thump of the clay hitting the table surface over and over again lulled her into a blissful state of relaxation. The overwhelming strain she had endured these last ten months was forgotten as she vigorously kneaded the firm white clay in her small, yet capable, hands.


"Small hands, big heart," her mother had told her time and time again. Mama's heart had been big, too, but not strong enough to survive her last heart attack. How Ronnie wished Mama could have live long enough to see Natalie born.


Now was not a time for regrets. The stiffness in Ronnie's shoulders, the small pain at the base of her neck which usually signaled a tension headache coming on, simply vanished as she and the clay became one. A woman alone starting a new business venture, Ronnie felt every bit as malleable as her chosen medium.


Her full, rosy lips came together in a hum as she worked the clay ball over and over until the last of the air pockets were worked out. She rolled it over one last time, then unceremoniously plopped it onto the center of the wheel. She adjusted her work apron and sat down on the low stool, tucking a few stray blue-black hairs behind her ears before wetting her fingers in the jar of slip. A moan of pleasure sprang forth from deep within her as she sank her thumbs into the clay's cool center, gently nudging and pulling it to form the sides of the bowl.


Today was the first day of her new business and she wanted to always remember it as a happy one. The pitch of her humming soon matched the whine of the electric potter's wheel, tuning out troubling doubts and painful memories. The dusty, earthen aroma of the clay transported her thoughts back in time. She could almost pretend she was still in art school, long before she met Jim, fell in love, got married, had Natalie and buried her desire to become an artisan under a "soccer mom" facade. The Green Springs Arts and Crafts Gallery opened a new chapter in life for both her and Nat. Ronnie made a silent vow--this story would have a happy ending.


The haunted-house creaking of the back screen door instantly alerted her to another's presence. A little girl's giggle gave her would-be assailant away.


She grinned. Silly, Nat! She's sneaking up on Mommy to play "Guess who?" It was nothing short of miraculous. In the few short days since they had moved from the city to Green Springs, Natalie had left the sadness of her father's recent death behind and rediscovered her childhood. Ronnie couldn't wait to spring a surprise of her own on her playful six year old daughter.


Ronnie bent further over her work, pretending not to hear Natalie's approaching footsteps as they were heralded by the squeak of the old farmhouse's pine floorboards. Squeak, squeak, squeak. . . She stifled a laugh and kept her eyes focused on the clay, her reflexes readied for her own response. She sprang into action the instant a tickle of warm breath brushed against the back of her neck.


"Got ya!" Ronnie cried, spinning around on her stool, grabbing her attacker by the collar and planting the biggest, wettest, sloppiest kiss she could manage.


 Z-Z-Zap!


A jolt of electricity raced from her lips and traveled along the nerve highways of her body, awakening places inside she had believed were dead and buried along with Jim. Her eyes instantly flew open.
Surprise! These lips didn't belong to her daughter!


Stunned, Ronnie pushed with all her might against the stranger's wide shoulders but found herself held fast in his powerful embrace. She began to pound against him with her fists but her actions only caused him to crush her womanly curves closer to his muscular chest. His tongue entered her slightly parted portal and enticed an immediate response from within her, frightening in its intensity. Her mind was spinning so fast that she toppled off the stool and landed like a bag of clay into the newcomer's formidable arms.


It seemed an eternity before the stranger lifted his lips from hers, releasing her from his daring grasp. Ronnie melted onto the floor, her power even to protest this despicable interloper's brazen behavior vanquished.


"If this is how you greet all your male customers. . . then I'll lay odds this place turns a profit its first month..."

Country Boy, City Girl is now available from Mojocastle Press:
http://www.mojocastle.com/country-boy-city-girl.html

Country Boy, City Girl has come home at last!

Just released, my contemporary romance full-length novel, COUNTRY BOY, CITY GIRL

Veronica "Ronnie" Hawthorn has found peace at last in the Missouri Ozarks town of Green Springs, excited at the prospect of running her own arts-and-crafts store in an old farm house. But when city girl Ronnie "falls" into her handsome neighbor's arms, she is surprised to discover that country boy Dave Darden is one of the most eligible bachelors in America.

From Mojocastle Press:
http://www.mojocastle.com/country-boy-city-girl.html

The Fixer Uppers--73% off on the Deal of the Day

For today only (July 6) you can purchase my romantic-comedy novel The Fixer Uppers from Devine Destinies Books for only $1.59. That's 73% off the list price!

It's a full length contemporary romance novel, so you're getting a lot for your money. Here's the link and the details:

 http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers/

The Fixer Uppers
by Cynthianna
http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers/

ISBN #:978-1-77111-326-7

Word Count:75094

Page Count: 275

 Can a single mom find happiness on a blind date—or at least dinner with a male who can cut up his own food? Cassie and Mike believe they’re in like, not in love. But when down-on-his-luck Mike is evicted, Cassie takes him in. Mike starts fixing everything from window screens to her sons’ broken hearts. Will Cassie let Mike fix hers?

Read the first chapter excerpt at Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/327212?chapter=1

Purchase your copy soon, because the Deal of the Day doesn't last long! 

The Fixer-Uppers now available!

  

At long last, my contemporary romance novel, The Fixer-Uppers has come again! The real irony is that I wrote the first draft of this story many years ago (and have since updated it and it's been through several edits, so it's better than ever), but today I find myself in a similar situation as the main characters! 

The crux of the story is two hard-working Americans (definitely the 99%) trying to get by and finding love in the process. The hero even suffers an eviction from his apartment. Talk about life imitating art! I now can fully sympathize with Mike having his worldly goods tossed out on the street. Luckily for him, the heroine Cassie takes him in and gives him a room in her home, and a happy ending is assured.

If you have a Kindle or other e-reader and enjoy good ol' fashion romantic comedies, then you'll enjoy this book. You can even feel safe giving it to a loved one as a birthday/Christmas gift, too. Just think--you'll be helping a struggling author out by buying her book, so you can feel it was worth the couple of bucks you spent. 

The Fixer-Uppers

by Cynthianna
http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers

Can a single mom find happiness on a blind date--or at least dinner with a male who can cut up his own food? Cassie and Mike believe they're "in like" not "in love." But when down-on-his-luck Mike is evicted, Cassie takes him into her home. Mike starts fixing everything from window screens to little boys' broken hearts. Will Cassie let him fix hers?

An excerpt: Mike teaches Cassie how to act out her frustration at her ex by throwing darts at a picture on a dartboard.

He smells of paint and newsprint—and male. Cassie closed her eyes. She could feel the overpowering warmth and strength of Mike’s muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt as she stood entranced next to him. What if she turned around this instant and pulled him into her arms instead?

Her sluggish mind was wandering she realized. She blinked and shook her head to clear the cobwebs.

“Oh—kay. I’m ready.”

“Then let ‘er rip.”

The dart hit the imprint of Mike’s pinkie.

He grinned. “Not bad. Now give Jack a stab right in the heart. Aim for the middle.”

Cassie screwed both eyes shut and sent the dart flying with a passionate fling. A loud thump broke the silence.

“Oh, no—can I open my eyes now? Did I break something?” she asked timidly.

Mike let out a long whistle. “Look what you did.”

She cautiously opened one eye. The dart had hit dead center.

“Yippee!” Cassie jumped up and down. She gave Mike an impulsive bear hug, almost knocking the breath out of him. “Let’s do it again!”

Mike’s gaze fixed on her mouth. “Yes, let’s do—”

 

The Fixer-Uppers is now available in all e-book formats at Devine Destinies Books:

 
http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers

Another example of 50 Shades of Great(ness). Support Mid-list authors!
 Buy and read their works!

The Mitt Romney Memorial “Bring out the Poor Vote Movement

Hello again. Yes, it’s me, the “mad-as-hell” woman who in my first video made a $2 bet with Mitt Romney that he’ll never make it to the White House. 

February in the US is Black History Month. Living in the St. Louis area, I’ve visited the Old Courthouse and stood in the courtroom where Dred Scott sued for his freedom. In its 1857 decision regarding Scott’s case, the Supreme Court held that blacks could not be citizens of the United States.

Essentially the court said that Dred Scott and his family were property and not human beings. They were things to be used by the rich without monetary compensation and without thought to their dignity and self-worth. 

Hmm… A parallel to the plight of today’s working poor might be in order here. Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In July 1868 the Fourteenth Amendment was passed giving the right to vote to all male citizens regardless of race. It seemed too good to be true the newly freed slaves. Of course, most good things come to an end all too soon.

By 1896, the Supreme Court held that the states could impose segregation so long as they provided similar facilities—the formation of the “separate but equal” doctrine.  It wasn’t until 1954 that the Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation in itself was harmful to black students and, therefore, unconstitutional. The Civil Rights Movement had begun.


Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. “had a dream” and stuck to it in spite of difficulties. So by the time I started first grade my reading materials featured stories featuring children of all races, as opposed to my older siblings’ boring  all-white “Dick and Jane” stories.


From the struggle of Black Americans we learn that when rights are systematically taken away from most economically and socially disadvantaged, step by step these rights have to be restored—hopefully once and for all.


In honor of the Fourteenth Amendment and the protections it gives to all Americans, I propose that we pledge ourselves to a new endeavor to help restore our rights as citizens… I call this, “The Mitt Romney Memorial Bring out the Poor Vote Movement”.  


If the poor don’t matter to fat cat politicians, because the poor are not seen as a large voting bloc, then maybe it’s time we change that perception. Maybe it’s time we help the poor be heard via the ballot box. Perhaps it’s time that these millions of struggling Americans are seen as human beings worthy of dignity and compassion instead of easily forgettable slaves to be used, abused and then downsized when CEOs decide to give themselves million dollar bonuses instead of investing company profits for the well-being of the workers.


Here are just a few ways we can help “Bring out the Poor Vote”:

1.      Let’s register to vote those who have been displaced by failed mortgages, lost homes and jobs and other financial hardships. If you know of someone who is living on their parents’ sofa or a family sharing a home with another family, perhaps they’re not registered to vote in the district they’re living in currently. We need to make sure these displaced voters are eligible to vote come November. So please help these struggling Americans get the necessary paperwork together in time to receive their voter’s cards. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors.

2.      Volunteer to babysit for a single mom. It’s a great way to help working parents who aren’t able to easily get to the voting booth with little ones underfoot. I’m sure they’ll appreciate having free hands to mark their ballots and a few minutes of respite from demanding little ones. You might even make some new friends!

3.      Help organize transportation for those without any means of getting to the polls. Distances between polling stations in suburban and rural areas can be quite large, so offer your neighbors a lift there and back again. It’s yet another way to make some new friends.

Yes, it’s time we as the 99% made our voices heard. We’re mad-as-hell and we’re not going to take it anymore. Let me know what ideas you have for helping to Bring out the Poor Vote, and I’ll keep you informed as to when Mr. Romney pays his $2 bet.