*News! Three of my short stories were chosen for the Ohio Valley Romance Writers Association Christmas anthology, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. It’s now available as an ebook on Smashwords and will soon be available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble as ebooks and print books. Two of my stories have appeared online, but one has never been published prior to this.
This collection of romantic holiday stories from the Ohio Valley Romance Writers of America runs from sweet to poignant, darkness-tinged to comedic, but in all, people find the hope of love, and joy in the holidays. Stories feature married couples and those newly-met, some whose lessons lie in the past, and even vampires… all of whom find happiness and peace when they come Home for the Holidays.
Extended description
This collection of romantic holiday stories from the Ohio Valley Romance Writers of America runs from sweet to poignant, darkness-tinged to comedic, but in all, people find the hope of love, and joy in the holidays. Stories feature married couples and those newly-met, some whose lessons lie in the past, and even vampires… all of whom find happiness and peace when they come Home for the Holidays.
“Coventry Arcade” by Becke Martin. Ben Whitaker is determined to get his beloved Lily the best gift very little money can buy in this homage to O. Henry’s classic story “The Gift of the Magi.”
In “The Holly and the Ivey” by Sandy Pennington, Jon thought bells would be ringing a merry tune when he did a surprise Christmas visit but it turned out to be a Ho! Ho! Oh, no! instead.
Aileen is frustrated when she has difficulties communicating with her mentally challenged brother. But Dr. Lew Bard shows her it’s really just a matter of“Speaking the Language,” by Ann Gregory.
There’s magic in threes in “Triple Trouble for Christmas Eve”by Becke Martin. With her dying breath, the triplets’ mother predicted they’d all find true love by midnight on Christmas Eve. Too bad Mom didn’t specify which Christmas Eve.
In “Merry and Bright” by Ann Gregory, Alex and D’Vee discover that a cup of spicy tea and a pair of fine brown eyes can both be inspiring. The Christmas season is the perfect time to kindle friendships and create possibilities.
Aiden Flynn is no Superman, but he does have a secret identity. And he just might be able to save Christmas for one young boy and his hardworking mom in “Silver and Gold” by Becke Martin.
Vampire Katarina thought she was drawn to the mortal who refused her gift of immortality 45 years ago, but on her “Last Christmas Visit” by Stacy McKitrick, she discovers the truth.
Christmas can be murder when a trip back in time pits Taylor Gressman against a murderous street gang, but through a new friendship, she learns the greatest gift is in the giving in “Time’s Holiday” by Jennette Marie Powell.
In “No More Resolutions” by Dakota James, Stella despises holidays. Now she has to find a husband for bosszilla, deal with a stripper pole in her house and work with Simon, the guy she loves to hate. Or does she?
NEWS!!
Literary Agent Janet Reid had a fun contest on her blog.
The assignment was to write a 100-word story using a list of words she provided.
There were a LOT of entries – mine was one of her top three!
THE GODDESS OF MICHIGAN finaled in the Ozark Romance Writers 2011 Weta Nichols Writing Contest! (It didn’t win, but it DID get an Honorable Mention.)
I took part in a Romance University workshop by Toni McGee Causey, and one assignment was to write a scene (not in the story) where a character does something that makes them ashamed. I decided to write a sort of prequel – a scene that’s referred to in the story but that happened two years before the story begins. My good friend and critique partner Jennifer Tanner suggested I post it as a bonus feature – I hope you like this sneak preview!
Deep down, Willa believed it was wrong to hide such a critical part of herself from her husband. All the magazine articles said so. Right. She’d discovered there were a few exceptions those so-called experts neglected to mention—if she’d known that an hour ago, she could have saved herself a lot of humiliation. Praying for amnesia, her brain responded by playing back a frame-by-frame rerun of the stupidest thing she’d ever done.
“Are you planning to spend all night in there?”
Willa didn’t have to open the bathroom door to know Sloan was already reaching for the remote. Damn that Craig Ferguson—Willa personally blamed late night television for the feeble state of their sex life. The body reflected in the mirror wasn’t half bad, but it was old news to her husband. She had a sure-fire way to make him sit up and take notice, if she could stop futzing around and just do it. Christ, it had come to this—who needed a life coach when she had taglines for running shoes to inspire her?
Gathering her courage, Willa strolled back into the bedroom, stark naked.
“What took you so long?” Sloan gave her chest an appreciative glance, then turned up the TV.
Well, crap. The girls he’d once written odes to—she remembered one line praising “nipples like marishino cherries” (she hadn’t corrected his spelling of the m-word, as much as she wanted to)—had just been trumped by a posh-voiced shark puppet.
“Sloan? Can you turn off the television?” Willa struck a provocative pose. “I want to show you something.”
That caught his attention. “Did you get something pierced? Hang on, let me just see the end of this.”
Grinding her teeth, Willa switched off the bedroom light and opened the window blinds. Moonlight flooded the room, providing all the illumination she needed.
Sloan patted her pillow. “Aren’t you coming to bed?”
“Hang on a minute.” Damn it, she had to focus if she was going to pull this off. Closing her eyes, Willa put herself through the routine she’d taught herself, picturing her energy as a ball of lightning spinning in front of her. She channeled her power into the ball until it sent out sparks—actual sparks that shot across the room in a glittering fireworks display. Sloan’s frightened gasp was drowned out by the roaring in her head as the change flowed through her like an electrical charge.
Her facial features reformed into the snout of a wolf, blurring her vision, and long incisors pressed down on either side of her tongue. She hit the carpet on all fours, arching her back when her skin sprouted its familiar, furry pelt. The pain was so close to pleasure it was impossible to distinguish between the two. Willa shuddered with orgasmic release. When the last wave died down she realized she was alone, Sloan’s screams echoing in the small bedroom. Lifting her snout, she sniffed the air, her wolf’s infallible instincts leading her to a trail of urine. Alarmed, Willa quickly shifted back to human form.
“Sloan?” Her voice was hoarse and shaky, her body drained by the too-quick change.
“Don’t hurt me!” Sloan huddled against the front door, wide-eyed and barely recognizable in the extremities of fear. Sobbing now, he babbled incoherently, begging her to spare his life.
Willa dressed quickly, throwing her necessities into an overnight bag. She had to use the back door when she left.
Meet Willa, who is like a curly-haired, green-eyed Amy Adams:
Dante – the best friend
(who would like to be a lot more)
looks something like this:
Sloan, Willa’s ex-husband (people say he looks like Bradley Cooper) – she has unresolved issues with him
Lupa, the she-wolf, nursing Romulus and Remus
*The twins were fathered by Mars, the God of War
*Their mother was Princess Rhea Silvia of Alba Longa
Romantic Fiction by Becke Martin:
Ruby Stiletto Blues – contemporary romance with magical elements
Night Visions (now called PAST IMPERFECT) – romantic suspense
In Work:
The Goddess of Michigan Avenue – paranormal romance
Over Easy – Contemporary Romance
Finding Daisy – Romantic Suspense
Mother Nature’s Child – Paranormal
Deflowered – Romantic Suspense
Much Ado About Murder – Romantic Suspense
Tainted Love – Contemporary Romance
Wing Man (writing as Anya Davis) – Erotic Paranormal
