Naughty teacher! #MFRWHooks

Only a Good Man Will DoThis is a blog hop. Be sure to check the link at the bottom to see posts from other authors!
Blurb:
Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

Daniel Goodman is a man on a mission. He aims to become headmaster of Westover Academy. For that he needs a particular, special woman to help him set high standards. Into his cut and dried life of moral and upright behavior, comes Eve Star, formerly one of Europe’s foremost exotic dancers. Her life is anything but cut and dried, black and white. Daniel is drawn to her like a kid to chocolate. Nothing good can come of this attraction. Or can it? He is after all, a good man.

Buy link:
Amazon KU: https://amzn.to/2q7ovi4

MFRW Book Hooks

Excerpt:
Daniel stood. “Shall we talk in the kitchen?” The woman sighed, but led the way.

“I feel so awful for that boy,” she started, lifting the coffee pot and raising her brows at Daniel.

“No, thanks.” Daniel leaned against the counter and stared at the woman. With only the light over the stove casting a glow, her hair shone like an auburn halo. Her head bowed to blow on the hot liquid in her cup. Full, round breasts rose and fell with each breath, tempting him to touch. Her narrow waist and curvy hips were pure sin and there wasn’t anything he wanted to do more than press her against him and explore every curve. He’d never get the chance, considering how tangled she was with Michael Haynes and The Bare Moose.

Feeling awful. Is that how you happened to put both him and yourself at risk by becoming involved with him?”

Her head snapped up, and eyes he’d fantasized glazed with lust a brief moment ago now flared with fire. “We’re not involved. He said it, we’re friends. My—” she stopped, looked away, took a breath, looked back, “—my son, Timmy, and I were in the park by the river one Sunday last June. I was painting. Michael stopped to talk. We saw him several times in the park after that. I didn’t see any harm.”

“Didn’t see any harm? The boy’s infatuated with you, couldn’t you tell? Besides, The Bare Moose is a long way from the river.” Fifteen miles from the park, light years from Westover Academy.

She lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “One Sunday I took a picnic and Michael joined us. He always seemed so alone. When he asked if I knew how to cook pot roast and I said of course, he looked … I don’t know, wistful. So I asked if his parents would mind if he came to my house for supper the following week, and he assured me they wouldn’t. I didn’t think it was all that wrong. Until the school year started, I didn’t know he attended Westover and he hasn’t visited here since then. He’s never been inside the tavern, and I certainly don’t give him alcohol.” Her eyes flashed again. “I promise you, we don’t engage in anything racier than passing the mashed potatoes or cutting hair.”

Daniel frowned. “Cutting hair?”

“Yes. I thought he looked a little shaggy one day, so I cut his hair. Look, he plays with Timmy and tells me jokes and stories. I teach him art. We’re company for each other. There’s nothing more to it.”

Daniel hadn’t gotten past Eve’s cutting Michael’s hair. He could feel her fingers raking through his own hair, skimming his scalp, skating the tips of his ears. His cock rose, hard and throbbing, not caring that he and Eve were strangers and that impressionable children were mere feet away.

“So, you were a dancer?” She blushed, and the certainty of what caused the blush made his dick ache even more. He’d bet the tassels on his mom’s old pasties that he knew exactly what kind of “dancer” Eve Star was.

Evening Star. He could picture what her costume looked like. Battery-powered star headdress to illuminate her path to the center pole, silver lamé cape sailing behind like the tail of a comet, shimmering bra, panties and high, high heels that showed off her sexy-as-hell legs. He’d bet she made every man in the room salivate and want to become an astronomer so they could examine her heavenly body up close. Just like Daniel wanted to do right then. The kitchen counter was just the right height to…

He shook his head to clear the image of taking her on her spotless kitchen counter.

“Dancing’s behind me. I run the tavern now.”

At least she can do that with her clothes on.

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Three Useless Talents #MFRWauthor

It’s difficult to think of having an odd or useless talent when some days I wonder if I have any talent at all, useless or otherwise. ;( But after thinking about it, I realize I can do a few useless things with great success, and I share them with you here as I share them with family and friends.

  1. I can sing the first verse of “Edelweiss” in German. Yes indeed. That’s a talent called upon often (NOT!). I learned the song in my high school German class and somehow never forgot it. It comes in handy at any sing-along of The Sound of Music, which I’m happy to say hardly ever happens.
  2. I can repeat conversations word for word. So if someone asks me if Susie said that she likes her birthday present of an argyle sweater andRepeating conversations matching socks, I can relay Susie’s whole impression, what was said to her and what she replied. This often puts the questioner to sleep with TMI, but hey! It’s a talent, right?
  3. I can parallel park. This used to be a valuable skill but not so much anymore. I used to admire my dad (and most guys I know) that he could place his arm on the back of the seat, turn around and one-handed, slide a car into a space that looked far too small. I can’t do Parallel parkingthat, but give me any normal space and stand back for the sight of your life as I park almost like a guy with the back-up gene. Of course, I pull into a space whenever possible. No need to wear a talent out with too much practice.

So that’s it. The sum total of my useless talents. They aren’t much but I share them whenever possible. You never know when someone might require “Edelweiss” to be sung in German—I want them to know I’m available!

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

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

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!

To Save or Not to Save #MFRWauthor

To collect means (according to dictionary.com) to gather a group of similar objects. To hoard means to collect items for future use and keep them carefully guarded. According to these definitions, I am something of a hoarder, although these days, colloquially, hoarding implies a kind of crazy mental attachment to things that can’t be controlled. I do know that I don’t “collect.”

My grandmother used to collect little bird figurines. Almost everywhere you looked in her house there was a bird of some sort staring back at you. My Bird collectionmom used to collect those little Hummel figures—not the real ones. But I was never drawn into that. I’m sentimental…and yet, not. My mother-in-law once convinced me to collect pewter cups. In Virginia, pewter is readily available and some of the fine cups used for display are really beautiful. I collected three and then lost interest. Maybe I don’t have the patience to build an actual collection. However, for hoarding…I find that a little too easy.

For years and years (like for thirty years), hubby and I dragged gifts we got for our wedding around with us whenever we moved. By things I mean beautiful, well-intentioned gifts that we never ever used or displayed. Like a Wedding giftsilver serving tray, silver monogrammed drinking glasses, and silver tipped salt and pepper shakers. Nope, never used them. Kept them in the same boxes we received them. But I kept packing and moving them with us because for some reason I just couldn’t let them go. Crazy? Yeah, I think so a bit. Finally, in a wild downsize, I sent all of that stuff to the Salvation Army but—I won’t lie—it was painful.

Even after the downsize, and here where storage is diminished, I have tubs of stuff I keep looking at and saying, “I might use that (salad spinner, Stored itemsridiculous dust collector I picked up in Chicago, book my mom gave me fifteen years ago, etc.), so I can’t toss it away.” That’s how it goes, folks. One day I will have to say goodbye to all of it, but until then, all of that stuff is in four tubs stacked in my closet. Sigh.

Do you collect or maybe (like me) hoard? Let’s commiserate!

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

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

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!

I/She, Me/You #MFRWauthor

Point of view is all a matter of perspective. Are these his feet or my feet?Feet

TummyIs this her tummy, or my tummy. Okay. No contest. I vote for MY tummy.

When I first started writing, I was told never to write for an editor in first person. Why? No one seemed to know for sure. The most I could figure out is that editors seemed to think that two main characters couldn’t be fleshed out emotionally if we only “saw” into one of their heads. I was too nervous to speak up then, but now? I say bulltwackle.

I believe that once a writer moves beyond describing how a character feels happy (sad, greedy, shrewd), she/he can then learn how one character discerns happiness (sadness, greediness, shrewdness) in another.

HappySadGreed

We do it all the time in real life. Rarely does a person walk up and say, “Guess what! I’m happy!!” But looking at someone’s smile, hearing laughter, seeing how they bounce on their toes, noticing the glow in their eyes—it all tells us. First person can portray that same thing.

In an informal writing class that used writing prompts, several of us struggled. After a few minutes, the teacher suggested we write the same scene in first person. It was so much easier! And more emotional, too. I was surprised. The exercise taught me that when a scene gives trouble, try writing it in first person and then switch it back to third. Just be sure to edit well! There’s nothing worse than lots of “she saids,” “he saids,” and then an “I said” thrown in.

I read a lot of books now written in first person so editors must not hate it so much anymore, huh? 😉 That’s a good thing because it means that we can choose which POV style suits us best. Choice is always a good thing.

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

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

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!

Three ways romances influence daily life #MFRWauthor

This post is supposed to be about how books can influence our daily lives. First thing I thought of is a DYI book (yes, building that fabulous mobile coffee station would make my daily life better!) or a religious text, but I’d Romance novelslike to speak for a moment on how romance novels make our lives better.

1. We all know how a romance book will end. Happily, right? So they help release endorphins—they make us feel happier. If they are humorous, all the better. What other activities release endorphins? Drinking wine, eating chocolate, having sex, laughing. I rest my case.
2. Speaking of having sex, I’ve actually been told by readers that they read my books with their significant others in bed. Who knows? I might be partially responsible for a population explosion. But at least those kids are born to parents loaded with endorphins!
3. Our lives are sometimes filled with stress. Romance books, regardless of the sub-genre, take us away from worries for a while as we read about a flower girl and an earl, a couple escaping a war-torn country, a kick-assKey to Happiness heroine and her FBI man, or a staid teacher and his stripper girlfriend. There’s no demand for heavy thinking or bracing for a tragic ending. Love is going to win in the end, the mystery will be solved, the villain will be vanquished. Contrary to being insipid escapism for unhappy housewives, romance novels give our minds a chance to recharge and our souls a necessary boost.

Love knows no ageRomance novels make us believe in love, know that happily ever after does exist, and that a true kiss from our soul mate can change even the most awful world into a place we want to be. Of course, we all know that romances are novels, fiction. But if a little enjoyment for a few hours a day makes us happier and better able to face scraped knees, broken down cars, coffee spilled on the last clean blouse in the closet, I’d say they greatly influence how we go about our daily lives.

To read the next post in this week’s blog hop, go here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do

Naval Maneuvers

Reading, Writing, or Living? #MFRWauthor

Right now, I’m living. Living with a computer that bit the dust over the weekend, darn it. I would have said something stronger but this is a family site. 😉

Yes, this old machine is close to ten years old. It’s served us well and we’ve gotten our money’s worth, but still, why oh why does technology have to give up the ghost? I mean, ever? Is it too much to ask that a computer never die?? I mean, really?

I loved this machine. Loved the speed, loved the screen resolution, loved the memory capacity. I loved it from its little motherboard to its raid stacks. Desktop computerFrom its DVD writable drive to its mic plug. I’ve lived with this machine for so many years I had to look up the date we bought it. Now its chugging away back in the office trying to recover files at the manufacturer’s settings so we can see how much stuff we’ll be able to recover. (Note to self: Have “Back up more!!” tattooed on forehead.)

In the meantime, while I’m learning to live without my computer, I’m reading! Just finished the very sexy Block Shot, which I loved, and then twoReading on Kindle by Becky Wade that were Christian books (yes, I like my reading eclectic 😉 ), True to You and Falling for You. Both made me laugh and Falling for You made me cry, too.

Speaking of crying, I’m going to go now and shed a few tears for my computer. I’ll be feeling low until the new one arrives next week. 😉 Hooray!

To read the next post in this week’s blog hop, go here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do
Naval Maneuvers

How many disasters can one wedding have? #MFRWauthor

I don’t mean to imply that my whole wedding was a disaster after disaster, but it was a little weird and strange things seemed to crop up. But what did I expect? We’d been engaged nine days—yes, nine days from when I said yes to a strange proposal to walking down the aisle.

That said, I was not one of those girls who had imagined her wedding from when she was tiny. Except I did want a Cinderella dress that reached from I was not tall enough to be Cinderellapew to pew. Since I’m five feet two inches, such a dress was not in the cards. But I did find a dress I liked okay and I got it for $75, so I was happy. I made my headpiece and bouquet from silk flowers and a yard or two of tulle, and told my bridesmaid to wear whatever she wanted. I was not Bridezilla. In fact, I didn’t care all that much about the wedding—I cared only for the groom. Is that weird? Yeah, maybe, but I watch all those brides on Say Yes to the Dress and wonder sometimes if they care more for the wedding than they do the marriage. I didn’t have Simple and demurethat bridal moment when I first tried on the dress—I didn’t really care what I wore so much. It was white, it was long and demure, and it was cheap. ‘Nuff said.

The proposal was unconventional, though not really a disaster.
Me: I’m ready to get married.
Him: What are you doing next Saturday?
Me: Why?
Him: We can get married.
Me: Okay.
Was there a bended knee? No, we were driving at the time. Was there a diamond? No. I said I didn’t need one and he said, “I’m so glad you feel that way.” Is it any wonder I rushed to say yes to this man? 😉

So maybe not caring about the dress wasn’t a disaster. Having my mother say that she and Dad couldn’t travel from Wisconsin to Virginia for a wedding nine days away was. I cried. Mom cried. Dad called and said they would be there. Whew!

There was no wedding rehearsal the night before the nuptials—the only people available were hubby, his parents and me. My parents and maid of honor arrived late that night.

It rained. And when I say rain, I mean downpours. Everyone was wet coming into the chapel and I was petrified about walking down a wet aisle. (I made it.)

I cried a lot moments before the service. I begged my dad not to make me get married. His words of advice? “We drove all the way here from Wisconsin and you’re going to get married.” Truthfully, I think he believed I was pregnant. After all, why else would I rush to name a wedding date? I was not, but I always wondered if that was why he took such a strong stance.

I had told the minister and hubby that I did not want to kiss him (hubby) in Simple ceremonyfront of everyone. But when all was said and done, I kissed everyone except hubby—my maid of honor, the minister, the best man. Hubby said I was about to head for the organist when he turned me and took my up the aisle.Wedding rings

There were only about 70 people attending, and the reception was at my new in-laws’ house. I neglected to mention in my hurried invites that there would be no dinner, only cake and some kind of punch. A few of my friends came from Richmond and Fredericksburg and they were hungry by the time the event ended. We were married out in the sticks, and there was nowhere to eat for fifty miles once they left. I felt bad about that, but by the time I found out, there was no solution except a few cheese sandwiches.

This is probably the biggest mishap: I didn’t remember anything about the wedding. Nothing. Hubby had a good laugh telling me all about it the next day.

All that said, for a hurried wedding, the marriage has been good for over forty years. We had dated for years, but dating and married are two very different things! Fortunately, I chose well—and I’d like to say he did too. (Well, hell, I will say he did to.) We still laugh, still love, still enjoy being with each other despite the rushed beginning. And that isn’t a disaster!

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

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

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!

It’s the Highlands for me, lass! #MFRWauthor

I’ve been fortunate to have been all over the U.S. and I love my beautiful country. So don’t take this the wrong way when I say that I long to go back to Scotland. The first time I went I had not read Outlander or seen Braveheart, so when I say I love Scotland, it’s for the country and people, not a fantasy from books or a movie. (Although, I wouldn’t say no to meeting Jamie!)

I’ve been in Scotland a few times—the last time on a 9-day trip with my college roommate over a good bit of the highlands and Skye. I always thought that if I could afford it, I’d rent a cottage in the moors around Inverness and spend a summer writing. That’s my fantasy vacation! It hasn’t come about but I fill my fantasies by reading books in Scottish settings.

I’ll admit that I kinda believe in reincarnation, and the first time I exited the Isle of Skyetrain in Waverley Station in Edinburgh I felt as though I’d come home. Maybe I’d lived there before. The city called to me. I wandered at will and had a great time and met some fantastic people. I also loved the area around Loch Ness (so beautiful!), and Stirling and Balquhidder are gorgeous. Skye had light like I’d never seen, and I could spend a week there just looking out over the sea.

You can see right now that I’m lusting for the place. Maybe someday I’ll get Piperback there again. I haven’t given up hope!

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

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

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!

In the beginning…there was Prologue #MFRWauthor

Is there anything better than starting a book and the romance/mystery/thrill/atmosphere is set up well? That can’t always Great opener!happen in the first chapter because you have to be concerned with character introduction and plot hints. But using a prologue, the author can spend all of his/her time engaging the reader with emotion in what follows. You know me—I’m all for engaging!

According to Quora, some great prologues can be found in these books (and in others, of course):

  • Harry Potter (Book 1)
  • Water for Elephants
  • The Piano Tuner
  • The Alchemist
  • Shutter Island

Kristen Lamb has some reasons for not using prologues.

  • If it’s nothing more than an information dump
  • If the sole purpose is to hook the reader (don’t do this! Too many people skip prologues.)
  • If the prologue is too long
  • If it has nothing to do with the story (Now, why would anyone do that??)

And more.

It would be interesting to compare the “good” prologues to the “bad” #amwritingexamples and see where the author might have gone wrong. As for me, I never skip prologues. I might not read the rest of the book if the prologue is terrible, but at least I’ll have a good reason for it.

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!

The End… Oh wait! There’s an Epilogue! #MFRWauthor

I’m one of those readers who enjoys an epilogue. I like it if a story ends satisfactorily, but I always like to find out what came “after.” Do the two The end or not?protagonists become engaged? Once they’re married are they happy? Do they have children? It seems that children or the announcement of a pregnancy are routinely in the epilogue of historical romances, and I like that little bit extra. It’s like biting into a chocolate—really good in itself—and finding a caramel filling that you didn’t expect. A step beyond satisfying and into the realm of happy.

Writer’s Digest gives six reasons why an epilogue is used effectively:

  • Tying up loose ends when the story itself ends abruptly.
  • To highlight the lessons told in the story and letting the reader know that justice has been done.
  • Detailing information not covered in the story, as in if a character is sick or circumstances are left unfinished.
  • Explaining a future for the characters.
  • Using a secondary character to explain circumstances and thus make the story more realistic.
  • Outlining futures for a large cast of characters.

I think all epilogues are used to answer the emotional questions a reader might have, though. And since I like romance, an emotional finish to a taleEpilogue is what I long to read. I have used them myself, and even enjoy reading them then. 😉

So, hooray for epilogues! Long may they live!

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!