scavenger hunt – Nomad Authors Blog

Blurb

Will one of the treasures they find be each other’s heart?

It’s been five years since Tara walked out of Shepherd’s life without a word. Since then he’s spiralled through drugs, alcohol and empty relationships, with Tara on his mind the whole time. Now he wants to win her back, and what better way to do it than by creating a fake scavenger hunt? He knows she won’t be able to resist.

Tara’s lost enough loved ones and she didn’t want to see Shepherd added to that count. So, when she saw him high at graduation, she did the only thing she could – she walked away. When she’s teamed up with him for a million dollar scavenger hunt, the feelings reignite. For a second chance at love to work, she needs to be brave enough to open up to him, to tell him everything she withheld the first time around.

Shepherd didn’t realise how much winning would mean to Tara. He now needs to come up with $3 million for her foundation before the hunt is over. If he can’t he will need to tell her it’s all fake, and he doesn’t know if he can risk that.

Will secrets destroy them a second time around?

Excerpt
Tara
Shepherd and I sat on the couch side by side and watched The Martian while we ate dinner. The warmth from where our arms touched seeped through me. I should have moved away, but I didn’t want to. The spices from the tacos radiated off him. What would they taste like when mixed with the sweetness of him? My eyes were drawn to his lips, the curve of them. I could practically feel their softness.

Shepherd turned his face to mine. My eyes lingered for a moment as I imagined his soft breath brushing my face as he bent his head toward me. My breathing shallowed to the point that it was nearly non-existent, as if I were a starfish. I turned my face away and resumed watching the movie, making sure my hands kept to themselves and my thoughts remained on the man saving his own life on the screen. Matt Damon may have been the most attractive astronaut I’d ever seen, but he was nothing compared to Shepherd.

The movie ended and I sat there while the credits rolled. Our closeness suddenly made me feel like we were in a flux capacitor. Time—five years of it—had been starved, and now it was swallowing me whole. Everything about Shepherd felt like home. Everything. And if I allowed it to, this feeling wouldn’t just swallow me, it would become me.

I jerked away from him, my heart racing, my skin cold, while I broke into a sweat. I couldn’t allow this to happen. Shepherd was no longer my solace. He never truly was because he never knew my grief. My grief over my brother. The feelings of loss at my parent’s death.

No, Shepherd was not my solace. Not then. Not now.

Cynthia Terelst and Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

NA: How did you come up with the idea for your book?
CT: Ideas come in the most mysterious ways. My daughter had just moved to a new town for work. She told me about how there was a top pub and a bottom pub and at bottom pub people remembered your name. I made a random post about it and one of my friends said it sounded like a puzzle. So I thought, why not write a book revolving around a scavenger hunt.

NA: What sort of research did you do to write this book?
CT: You can’t have a scavenger hunt without places where to find the treasure. So after I decided where I would set the book I needed to figure out where the treasure was going to be hidden. Then I needed to come up with clues to direct the players to that place. It sounds easy. But trust me it’s not. You need to provide enough detail for them to get to the answer but still be vague enough so that can not guess straight away.

NA: A fun fact about writing your book.
CT: Many of the places mentioned in the book I have visited personally, and the ghostly encounter was real!

NA: Do you have a day job? What was your job before you started writing full time?
CT: I don’t write full time, yet. My aim is to be a full-time author at the end of 2023. That is when the project at my day job is scheduled to complete. I intend to write two books a year and build up a loyal fan base in between.

NA: What do your friends and family think about your being a writer?
CT: I have very supportive friends and family who like to say they know a published author. They might get sick of me talking about my launch, the book that I’m working on, but the never say so. And I appreciate that.

NA: The biggest surprise you had after becoming a writer
CT: The support in the writing community. People are open in sharing what works for them and what hasn’t. Many are there to extend a helping hand to you and share their infinite wisdom.

NA: Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
CT: I know where my books starts, what I want to happen in the middle and what the ending is. My planning does not go much beyond that. For this book I wrote out index cards for each scene but I only looked at the first few and then my writing just went on its own merry little way.

NA: Do you have quirky writing habits?
CT: Not really. Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I don’t. I hand write my first draft and then type. I guess that is something not all writers do. It helps me think clearer.

NA: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
CT: I don’t have much spare time. I usually just veg out in front of the TV at the end of the night for an hour or so.

NA: Why did you choose the shirt you have on?
CT: Because it was clean and it fits. I’ve put on a bit of weight and not all of my clothes fit at present.

NA: First thought when the alarm goes off in the in the morning?
CT: How much longer I can stay in bed for because I MUST get up.

NA: What errand/chore do you despise the most?
CT: Cleaning is not my thing. When I got a pay rise the first thing I did was get a cleaner.

NA: What are you working on now?
CT: My next novel is a royal romance, with a smattering of polo, rambunctious kids and I’ll throw in a spider and snake, because Australia. Lol.

Teasers

“You’ve got ketchup—” His thumb reached the side of my mouth and wiped across my lips, leaving them heated. It was such a Shepherd thing to do, so natural, I thought nothing of it at first. But we weren’t Shepherd and Tara anymore. We were no longer a consist that couldn’t be separated, that would be useless apart. We were separated, and for good reason. Just because my lips yearned for his in that moment, it didn’t mean I needed to act on it.

***

I looked up at Shepherd. I wanted him to kiss me. My lust was a coiled snake, lifting its head, stretching out towards him. I knew what his lips felt like. I knew what he tasted like. I’d remembered it for five years and now I yearned for it more than ever. Musk from his cologne was sexy as hell. My skin tingled as I breathed it in deeper, drawing it deep into my lungs.
I took a step toward him. As he reached out and curled his hand around the back of my neck, heat surged through my body.

***

So, as much as I wanted to stay away from Shepherd, I couldn’t. The chance of winning three million outweighed my wants. How much I once loved him did not matter. I couldn’t afford to think about it. And I needed to rein in any residual feelings…for eighteen more days.

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Author Bio

Cynthia Terelst is a project officer by day and a writer by night. She is a contemporary romance writer who likes to share a little bit of history, some Australian scenery and a whole lotta love. Cynthia does not shy away from difficult topics, as she feels that they should not be ignored.
She lives in Queensland, Australia, where the sun shines at least 283 days a year.