Author: Dee S.

I’m so happy to welcome Andi Ramos as our guest blogger. Andi’s new (first!) book has just been released, Gumshoe Girl.

As far back as I remember I would make up scenes with fictitious characters. Sometimes I would jot them down, but I never took them seriously, I would collect them, but they would always end up in the circular file. Gasp!

I never did anything with my writing until I started Gumshoe Girl, my debut novel that was just released May 30th. I had this involved story running through my brain. It didn’t stop at a scene, it just kept going, so I went with it. I finally compiled all the scenes together into a short draft to see what I had. Holy mackerel! Before I knew it, I had over 30,000 words. Writing wasn’t something I could ignore anymore. I made a decision to finish the story. Well, I no longer waste the story ideas come to me. I cultivate them to see if they are substantial enough to work with.

About My Heroine:

Sheagan O’Hare is the main character in my debut novel, Gumshoe Girl. She is 27 years old and hasn’t quite figured out how to be successful in life. However, she realized with the recent death of her father and catching her boyfriend cheating on her that she had better figure things out quick. She recently took over Diamond Detective Agency, her family business. She never expected to be in this situation, so doesn’t know anything about being a detective or solving cases. She’s not going to let that deter her, especially after landing her first big client and a missing persons case. She tries her best to hang with the pros. Problem is, she’s got this annoying and unfortunately extremely attractive FBI agent that keeps reminding her of her amateur status. She’s not looking for a new love, but she runs into a guy from her past that is trying to change her mind. And, well I mentioned the hot agent…so I’m not sure her heart is going to listen to her head. She’s got to learn to trust her instincts in order to succeed, but will she be able to do that before someone gets hurt?

Excerpt:
She wasn’t there to kill him, even though the thought had crossed her mind; no, she was there to catch him in the act. She suspected he had been cheating on her for some time, so proof would end her suspicion or the relationship. Spying on her significant other through an air-vent of a swanky hotel room was hardly a promising start to her so-called glamorous career as a private detective. But it snapped her back into the reality that her new chosen profession would often be messy and difficult.

She peered through the grate and envied the spacious room below, but her viewing angle was no good for the task at hand. She could feel the heat in her cheeks rise along with her anger as she scanned the room and soaked in the extravagance–the hardwood tables, the Italian marble fireplace, the opulent sheen of the fabric on the overstuffed furniture that glimmered in the soft candlelight. The Rat Bastard was not known to overindulge on frivolous expenses, unless it was on her dime. Thoughts of killing him resurfaced.

What is wrong with me? Why did I wait so long?

She immediately regretted the fleeting question. She knew why. The answer brought back the pain and significance of her father’s sudden death. He had been the only family she had left, and he was gone. All that was left behind was his detective agency. She had thought about giving it up, but she couldn’t; it was her only connection to him, to her family.
She closed her eyes briefly, realizing that now she was facing more loss–even if he was a lying, cheating Rat Bastard.

No! It’s better this way, stay focused.

She choked in a breath and turned her attention back to the room. His secret love nest was finished with soothing tones on the walls and thick, plush carpeting.

What is that on the end table?

Her gaze was drawn to the bottle label as it bobbed upside down in the melting ice. She sharpened the focus of her binoculars, and her eyes widened in recognition.

Her cheeks flushed. Cristal, she scoffed. Who is this Bimbo, anyway?
As if she had room to criticize this girl’s intelligence, when Sheagan was the one sweating her makeup off in a four-by-four-foot air-duct.

Yeah, who’s the stupid one?

She heard passionate sounds coming from the right of the room and recognized his tone. Leaning sideways, Sheagan pressed her face to the grate, but her limited view revealed only a portion of the bed and unable to make out major details, like faces.

Crap, I can’t see anything.

Damn! She needed to get a better look.

As she shifted her weight, the metal walls started to reverberate and Sheagan stifled a gasp, willing the rumbling to cease. Her breathing became labored as the musty air stole the aroma of the sweet perfume wafting up from the suite below. She stilled her movements and did the only thing she could think of… nothing. Nothing but stare at the heap of blankets and wait.

Come on, bimbo, come up for air. I know he doesn’t last that long.

Her discomfort increased as the noise from their passion became more intense. Ugh, that’s it, I’ve had it!

She mashed her cheek and upper body against the grate.

I just need a peek to confirm.

She pressed harder, ogling the bed. Finally, she caught a tiny glimpse.

Just a little further.

She pushed and heard a chirring sound, then a scraping. She froze in place, but the grate gave way with a creaking groan and crashed to the ground. Time stood still as Sheagan realized there was nothing between her and the floor except air.

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Author Bio:
Andi Ramos is a debut author from central Massachusetts where she lives with her family, goat, and Boston Terriers. Her love for reading grew into a passion for writing. She dabbled with pen and paper for a long time and eventually stopped pushing her amusements aside and started developing those stories into novels. One of her favorite things to do is to hop into her motorhome with her family and write while traveling down the road as they journey to various destinations.
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For most of my growing up years, it was just my mom and me. Dad was a lifer in the Navy and had a rate that was ship-board, meaning the job had to be done on board a ship. So when he wasn’t on a cruise for months at a time, he was on what they called shake-down cruises, testing the ship for longer cruises. All told, he was probably gone for nine months of every year between one thing and another.

For all of that time, and even while he was home, my mom was my best friend, the person I told everything, my companion for early evening TV, game after game of Yahtzee, Gin Rummy, or Scrabble, and many, many hours of quiet reading. With the exception of two years in California, she worked my whole life. Back then, the Navy didn’t pay much so she pitched in with working wherever we were stationed. I never resented her working or the chores that meant I had to do. I saw it as being my family responsibility.

So, after hubby and I tied the knot and we had worked long enough to give back a little, I wanted to get Mom a special Christmas gift I knew she would never get herself. I called Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Spa in Dallas (since closed) and arranged for a day’s treat for my mother. I was giddy with excitement! She would have her hair cut, a facial, a full-body massage and time in the sauna. She would be petted and pampered. At the time it felt ridiculously expensive–$150!!

So Christmas morning I called my aunt’s house in Dallas. The day in Virginia had calmed down but their house was chaotic with cousins, second cousins, and my grandmother. Mom described her new nightgown in detail, told me all about a new Johnny Cash record, spoke at length about her new set of boots, and oh, yes, “Thank you, sweetie, for the spa trip.” That was it. How could I be so excited and she be so blasé?

So we chatted a bit longer and hung up. About eight hours later, she called back, raving about the spa gift. She said in all the excitement she hadn’t taken the time to read what the gift entailed. At last I was able to smile, knowing I had given her something she would never buy for herself but which she would enjoy. It wasn’t a gift that lasted years, but it was a special moment in time, and isn’t that what makes great memories?

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

With the start of summer coming at the end of the month, I thought it might be a good time to come up with a few tips.

Early on in our marriage, Jack (who writes as Francis Drake) and I took a break from real life and drove a tractor trailer all around the U.S. and into Canada. Trucking is pockets of high stress surrounded by seriously boring down time. During all of this, we observed families on car trips—and not always in the happiest of situations. Here are some of our tips (in no particular order) for traveling with your family, based on our experience sharing truck stops, theme parks, and rest areas over eight years of trucking.

1. Each mode of travel offers its own stress and advantages. Cars and vans let you spend more time

together. (Downside: Cars and vans force you to spend more time together.) Planes are a hassle these days even without the addition of children in the mix, but at least you can get places faster. Trains offer time together while still keeping travel time at a minimum, but it’s pretty expensive. At least there is the opportunity to move around while bypassing highway traffic jams and long hours of wait time in airports. So don’t just assume there is only one way to get from point A to point B. Check into various methods of transport and choose which best suits your needs.

Another tip from a professional driver should you choose a car vacation, is to allow enough time to drive just below the speed limit. Let others pass you by. Wave to them as they speed past and again when you see them stopped by the police on the side of the road later. You might be surprised at what good time you make (a few miles per hour makes very little difference in several hours’ driving) and how much more rested you are when you arrive at your day’s destination.

2. If possible, don’t travel with pets. While having Rover along seems idyllic for the kids, bringing your family dog or cat with you on vacation adds another level of stress. They have to be walked, watered, and fed during the day. Leaving them in the car while you’re walking, watering, and feeding yourself and your children can be problematic. And finding pet-friendly motels is not always easy.

3. Be flexible with your plans. One thing you can be sure of when traveling is that crap is going to happen. Sites you wanted to visit may be closed unexpectedly or weather might force your plans to change. Try to keep alternative sites or activities in mind for those occasions. Relatives who came to visit this past summer had all kinds of places in California they’d planned to see but the massive wildfires that erupted while they were in route meant they had to make other plans. There is so much to see and do in our great country that alternatives shouldn’t be too hard. That is, unless you’re someplace like Wyoming where viable alternatives might be a hundred miles off. In that case…

4. Have alternative activities with you. Sometimes, waiting an extra day to view an attraction you really, really want to see means an unplanned night in a motel room or tent. Board games the family can enjoy will make the time go faster and provide those all-important family moments. And they don’t have to be large, bulky games. A pair of dice for Yahtzee will do, or a deck of cards for War, Go Fish, or whatever, depending on the age of your children. (If it’s just adults, strip poker can also be a pleasant way to pass an evening, but you didn’t hear it from me.)

5. Give up electronic devices—or at least schedule and limit their use. This goes for the grownups as well as the kids. Without vacations, I know many parents who spend little time with their children except during meals (maybe). When on vacation, you’re not only forced to spend time together, it’s removed from the everyday world of chores, work, kids’ activities, etc. This should be a special time to explore and refresh your knowledge of each other, and that can’t be accomplished with one or more family member glued to video games, Facebook, or email. Set aside an hour or two each day for device time and everyone will end up appreciating the freedom. Eventually. (Hey, I’m not sayin’ it’s gonna be easy.)

6. Remember that comment that crap happens? Well, also remember that kids will pick up on the attitudes and moods of parents, especially in the hyper-close environment of a family vacation. If the car breaks down and dad is yelling and kicking things and mom is responding back in kind, don’t be surprised if the kids are tense and likely to react to anything you say or do in like fashion. Do your best to stay calm and you’ll inspire calmness in your children.

Surprisingly, this works at home, too! Go figure.

7. Bring snacks but not those full of sugar. You know better than I what happens when children get on a sugar high. They come down at some point, but is it before you’re ready to jump from the moving train or after?

8. Control expectations. Years ago, Jack and I went to Disney World. I was so excited I could hardly see straight. (Yes, I was in my 30s at the time. So what?) However, once we arrived, lines were long, the day was blisteringly hot, and a couple of the rides I’d looked forward to weren’t open. I was disappointed. And I wasn’t even a ten-year-old. But Jack encouraged me into It’s a Small World (air conditioned), fed me a hot dog, and distracted my loss of Pirates of the Caribbean with Space Mountain (the distraction worked—never again!). During a romantic dinner in one of the hotels, we recapped all we’d seen and I realized that if I had just ventured to Orlando looking for a nice day I would have been better off. As it was, we did have a great day. But even the Happiest Place on Earth can’t promise that no crap will happen. Managing expectations will ensure a better outcome than expecting everything to be perfect.

9. Related to the last point, vacation is meant to be fun. Relax and let the fun happen.

10. Instead of planning a week or two for vacation, plan mini-vacations by visiting places closer to home. Our parents were in the military and our dads didn’t always have leave when our schools were out for summer or spring breaks. In my case, we went to the mountains a couple of hours away from home, or to the coast for two-three days. We lived in a state where such trips were possible, but most all states have interesting places to visit fairly close by. Don’t think of the city as a place to go shopping. Take a weekend and see a play or visit the museums. Drive to a waterfall in a state or national park and hotel it or camp overnight. Explore what’s in your area by computer and then explore it together as a family.

11. Finally, overriding all of the tips above, if you remember one last thing your family vacations will be great. Time away isn’t just for the parents and not only for the kids. Time away is for the family. If each member of the family thinks more of the other members than of themselves, your time is bound to be special—even when crap happens. You will build memories to be treasured for lifetimes.

Dee S. Knight and Francis Drake are husband/wife erotic romance writers. They have been married for nearly fifty years and know all about the stress of traveling and how to alleviate the worst of it. Visit their website for sweet (Ann Krist), historical (Amber Carlton), and erotic romance (everyone else).