Once Upon a Masquerade (New York City in 1883)
“There has to be more to life than this.”
Have you ever had one of those days when you look at yourself in the mirror and wonder how the heck you got here. And I don’t mean as you’re driving in the car. God knows, that happens to me way too often.
In the novel Once Upon a Masquerade, Rebecca Bailey wonders this exact same thing. Her father is a drunkard and a gambler. She’s always cleaning up his messes, but what can she do? He’s the only family she has left. When she discovers he owes hundreds of dollars to dangerous men, she’s in a real fix. As a last desperate ploy, she sneaks into the Vanderbilt ball looking for a wealthy suitor who might help her. And that’s where her real trouble starts.
Christopher Black, heir to the Black family shipping empire, is captivated by Rebecca. She is so different from the pretentious ladies of the ton, so different from his ex-fiancée. He’s certain Rebecca is the one who can mend his broken heart until he spies an emerald comb nestled in her hair—a comb that links her to his friend’s murder.
Rebecca is drawn to Christopher from the first and prays he’ll never remember where they met before: at the house where she works. When the men her father owes threaten her life, Christopher protects her despite the mounting evidence. As they run from her attackers, Christopher becomes both her pursuer and her savior.
ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE was a finalist in the 2008 Linda Howard Award of Excellence Contest, the 2008 GOTCHA! Contest, and the 2008 Romance Through The Ages Contest.
Bewitching the Beast (Urban fantasy)
Have you ever heard a song on the radio, and an idea, a story, or even just a scene pops into your head? That’s what happened to me for this book. I was driving to a writers meeting and heard the song You Deserve Better Than Me. I remember thinking what an odd thing for a man to say, outside of a romance novel of course. That got me thinking, what kind of man would think or say this? And inside my head, a scene played out. A man who frequently goes to nightclubs, enters one looking for…sex?…blood? This man meets a woman who is innocent, pure. What they do together that night rocks him, and makes him fully see the monster he’s become.
And so was born my next story – an urban fantasy with a new type of paranormal creature.
Pirate’s Paradise (Historical)
I’ve recently picked up a story I envisioned several years ago. Yes, you’ve guessed it, a pirate story. Argh!
I’ve always loved pirates, and the hero in this story is a total Casanova. I’ve never written a character like him before, and I’m having a blast. He’s a lot of fun.
I’m also trying to write this one totally in the heroine’s POV. We’ll see how well it works. I usually like to know what the hero is thinking, but this hero is so vocal with what he’s thinking (if you know what I mean), it doesn’t seem to be a problem. That and I like that he’s more of a mystery to the reader. Is he just a sexy pirate? Or is there more to the man than what meets the eye?
[...] this Tuesday. She’s a semi-finalist in the American Title V contest with her historical, ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE. With the last round of voting well underway, she just may be the next American Title winner. A [...]