This is the first Author-4-Author group Blog Hop, and you will have fun! There are really great writers in the group, with a wide variety of styles and genres, so you will not be bored. Hop once or hop multiple times. Have fun. Read what our stories are about. Leave a comment. Tell us what you think of our work! The links to all the authors participating in this Blog Hop are at the bottom of the post, for your convenience.
At the end of the hop, I will choose a winner from all those who left comments. The prize? An e-copy of The Book of Hours. How sweet is that?!?
This month’s theme is: FIRST LINES
My first line, from my second novel The Book of Hours is:
The past, figuratively, had been stooping over Gabriela Martinez’s shoulder all morning long.
THE BOOK OF HOURS
I chose The Book of Hours as the novel for my first line because it completes the story begun in The Coin. It is also a novel about sacrifice, duty, Love, and, especially, deserving second chances. The novel completes the story of Gabriela and Richard, but only after some wild rides. There is something to be said about a gorgeous hunk coming to save you, while, at the same time, the heroine is also kicking a bit of butt while danger surrounds them.
BLURB
Another psychopath, another threat. What has Gabriela ever done to deserve this?
An unscrupulous arts dealer covets Gabriela’s work to the point of madness and Richard wants her back in his life.
A LOVE IN JEOPARDY
In 1993, artist Gabriela Martinez almost lost her life to a sociopath’s twisted vision. If not for Richard Harrison, the operative sent to protect her, she would have ended up dead. The dramatic showdown pushed them together, but there were too many obstacles temporarily pulling them apart.
A NEW THREAT
After catching a glimpse of Gabriela’s new work, The Book of Hours, Arnold Wickeham has been like a man possessed. Now, he will do anything—anything—in order to claim it, and nothing, especially not Gabriela, will stand in his way.
THE PAST IS CATCHING UP
Richard Harrison has never given up his true love, Gabriela. Now someone new is threatening her life, and he will risk everything to protect her. But the stakes are now higher, and there is much more to lose. And, if he doesn’t stay one step ahead of the danger, her life, but especially, their future, may very well go up in flames.
A LOVE TESTED
In The Coin, Gabriela and Richard were cruelly used by fate—and destiny isn’t done. In the shadow of this new threat, their choices may not just save their lives, but also their love.
Set in California and London, The Book of Hours is a story about sacrifice, love, and second chances.
EXCERPT BOOK OF HOURS
Gabriela’s body stilled at the soft sound of her name. For a moment, she stood listening, then shook her head like a wet dog shaking off water. You are such a fool, her mind supplied. Disgusted, she stabbed at the cerulean blue on her palette. Her mind had deceived her yet again. She slobbered the paint on the canvas, realized what she had done, and hissed. Since agreeing with Jean-Louis to call Maurice later that evening, she’d been a nervous wreck. Throughout the noon hour, her brain had staged all sorts of encounters with one infuriating, unforgettable man. Like a dutiful stage manager, her mind had supervised every possible scene, every possible emotion under its tutelage. She’d jumped from rage, to indifference, to haughtiness, but longing had finally won, hands down. No matter how hard she tried to avoid it, she could never escape the terrible need she felt for him, a need that went deeper than the instinct to breathe.
The lyrics from the song she’d impulsively put on swirled around her, teased her. The singer, in his soulful tenor voice, sang about the moment of encounter with his beloved, anticipation heating his blood, nerves tingling in expectation of the seduction. His words mimicked her own guilty longings, her desires. Oh, God. How would she ever get through this day? How would she find the courage to do what must be done?
“Gabriela.”
This time the voice penetrated, took form. It called out to her, familiar and unmistakably real, a living entity that caressed her skin and raised goose bumps on her warm flesh. This was no figment of her imagination, no mistake. She felt him, her nerve endings suddenly electrified, awareness shaking her. Panic sent her heart scurrying. Hope and love made her turn around slowly, ever so slowly.
She blinked, thinking her eyes were deceiving her, but Richard’s tall frame stood static before her, his chestnut hair combed by the soft breeze, his eyes intense, pinning her and caressing her all at once. The embers of irrational hope fanned to life like a conflagration. For an unguarded moment, her eyes reflected her hope, her joy, but especially her hopeless love for him.
Richard watched those powerful emotions play across her face and relief slammed him. Gotcha. She’d always had such an expressive, beautiful face. Now, no matter what she did, but especially said, he would know the truth. The love was there, and it flared like a beacon.
ABOUT ME
I’m a romantic suspense author with a unique point of view, I think. My adventure novels take place in locales across Europe and the United States, reflecting my international upbringing and extensive time as a global traveler. In my duology, The Coin and The Book of Hours, my wonderful characters, Gabriela and Richard, walk the same paths as moi, though my life was never in so much danger.
I began my writing career circa age thirteen with a very juvenile science fiction short story, but the writing bug hit, and I have been writing, in one capacity or another, ever since. I have worked as a professional dancer, singer, journalist, and literature teacher (and not necessarily in that order—they say variety is the spice of life, and I like variety). I hold a Masters in English literature, speak several languages, and love to he
ar from readers. When I’m not writing, I’m either reading or roaming around the area I am currently living in in order to discover new places to set my novels.
I am currently working on my third novel and live in North Carolina with my wonderful husband and my dog, Amber. Empty nester…he, he.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MY NOVEL
http://Smarturl.it/tboh
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME
Goodreads:
And if you want, you can sign up for my newsletter:
www.mariaelenawrites.com/newsletter.html
LINK TO OTHER BLOGS
Now is YOUR time to hop. So…post a message before you leave (so you are entered in the giveaway), and GO!
Awesome blog. Congrats!