MY HEART BREAKS FOR THE PEOPLE OF NEPAL

MY HEART, THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO ALL THOSE LOST IN THE DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE IN NEPAL. FOR THE BRAVE, AMAZING RESCUE WORKERS WHO STILL SPEND HOURS SEARCHING FOR LOVE ONES, I PRAY FOR STRENGTH AND GUIDANCE.  

WITH ALL MY LOVE,

NANCY C. WEEKS


If you would like to help the people of Nepal, here are a couple ways: 

AMERICAN RED CROSS HELPING NEPAL

MERCY CORPS

W IS FOR THE WHITE CARNATION BY SUSANNE MATTHEWS--WELCOME HERO ROB HALLIDAY

Hello, Everyone!

Today I have a real treat for you for the A to Z Challenge. You have all met my good friend and fellow author, Susan Matthews. Well, she has asked the hero of her newest release, The White Carnation, Book One in the Harvester Series, Detective Rob Halliday to drop by for an interview. 

Rob is in the middle of a brutal case that honestly sends chills down my spine. He doesn't have much time to spend with us so let's get right to it.

An Interview with Rob Halliday, main character in The White Carnation, Book One in the Harvester Series...

Nancy: Good morning, Detective.  Thank you for joining me today.

Rob:  It’s a pleasure to be here, Nancy. Thanks for having me.

Nancy: It’s always nice for my readers to meet a hero. Now, tell us a bit about your career with Boston PD.

Rob: I started as a street cop. Eventually worked my way up to Narcotics where I did some undercover work, followed by a short term posting in Major Crimes and then four years ago, I did a stint in Vice. I was promoted to Homicide eighteen months ago. There isn’t much about Boston’s underbelly that I don’t know or haven’t seen.

Nancy: I understand BPD is working a joint case with the FBI and you’re the liaison.

Rob: That’s right. We’re working the Harvester murder case together.

Nancy: (shivers) The Harvester is the most prolific serial killer around here since the Boston Strangler. How many bodies has he left for you?

Rob:  Three to date, but we’ll catch him. Every criminal gets cocky and makes a mistake, and when he does, we’ll find him.

Nancy:  I heard there are eerie details about the body, some kind of ritualism?

Rob: You know I can’t answer that, Nancy, but I will say there are rituals involved in every serial killer case. They’re part and parcel of the killer’s MO.

Nancy: I understand all of the victims had given birth shortly before their deaths. Can you comment on that?

Rob:  That’s correct. The medical examiner believed the women gave birth prior to their deaths and physical evidence indicates they nursed the infants.

Nancy: Have you found the children’s bodies?

Rob: There’s nothing to suggest the children have been killed. The theory we’re working on right now is that this is in part a baby mill, and the children are being sold for adoption on the black market.

Nancy: That’s terrible.

Rob: It is, but it’s a practice that’s been going on for years. Healthy white babies command the highest prices.  The FBI has a task force working with Interpol and other overseas law enforcement agencies. If we can find the children, we’ll find the Harvester.

Nancy:  You don’t sound too optimistic.

Rob: Well, the first child’s been missing a year. The more time passes, the harder it is to find a trail.

Nancy:  I see. One last question. Eighteen months ago, you were engaged to Faye Lewis, the former Boston Examiner Crime Beat reporter involved in that scandal. Rumor has it you had something to do with the story she filed.

Rob: No comment. This interview is over. I have to go.

~~~

I guess I asked one to many questions. :(

Susanne did leave behind a blurb and excerpt of The White Carnation. I can't wait to read my copy and find out why asking about Faye Lewis had Rob running scared. 

Official blurb for The White Carnation

The last person disgraced reporter Faye Lewis wants back in her life is Detective Rob Halliday, the man she blames for ruining her career and breaking her heart. But when she finds an old friend murdered, he’s the one she calls.

 For the past year, Rob and his team have been hunting the Harvester, a serial killer who ritualistically murders new mothers and vanishes with their infants. What Rob doesn’t need is another case, especially one involving his ex-fiancée.

 Then Faye is assaulted, and Rob realizes the cases are connected. She may hold the answers he needs to find the elusive killer. But the more they investigate, the more complex the situation becomes. Can they set the past aside and work together, or will the Harvester and his followers reap another prize?

Excerpt # 3 The White Carnation

Twenty minutes later, the unmarked police sedan pulled up behind the black and white outside the brownstone. The paramedics were parked farther along the street, just ahead of the police car, reducing traffic to a single lane. The coroner’s van pulled up behind them. Rob got out and approached the coroner.

“Amos, I didn’t expect to see you here so soon. I called for a bus, not the meat wagon.”

“Paramedics were nearby so Logan got here quickly. He radioed in—exsanguination due to a lacerated throat. He’s still up there. Nothing he can do for the victim, but your fiancée is taking it hard.”

“The victim was like a second mother to her.”

Your fiancée—Amos’s words were true once, but never again. There was no way Rob would hitch his wagon to a woman who could believe he’d betray her like that, a woman who’d put her job so far ahead of him, he’d barely been on her radar at times. The sex had been great, but love was supposed to be more than that. Still, she’d reached out to him. He took the stairs to the brownstone two at a time, his lean, muscular body having no problem with the climb. He flashed his badge at the officer who stood guarding the door. “Anyone showing any interest?”

“No, Detective. According to the concierge, the people in number five are in Europe, and I don’t think the rest of the residents are home from work yet. Looks like a robbery—the place has been tossed pretty good—and there’s no damage to the door, so she must have let them in. Logan says her throat’s been slit from behind.”

“Where’s Ms. Lewis?”

“In the living room with Logan. He wanted to take her to the ER—claims she’s in shock. I told him she had to stay put until you arrived. He’s pissed at me. Says I’m interfering with his job. He seems pretty friendly with her. I heard she’s some big shot investigative reporter.” He chuckled. “Some crime reporter—she’s puked a couple of times already.” He continued to laugh. Rob’s face must have reflected the anger moving to the surface because the guard choked it off.

“Rick Logan is one of the best paramedics we have. For the record, McMillan,” Rob read the nameplate on the policeman’s uniform, “the next time he says someone has to go the ER, you’d better damn well listen to him. And as for Ms. Lewis, the victim was a personal friend. It’s different when the victim’s someone you know.” His voice was clipped, his displeasure obvious.

Rob turned and entered the apartment. He’d learned the need to remain objective in order to do the job properly, but as he’d told the young officer, it was different when it was personal. Not only had the victim been an acquaintance, Faye was in there. He swallowed and tried to find the emotional distance he needed.

The place was a mess, just as the officer had said. He looked around quickly, his trained eye taking in everything in an instant—the wallet on the table, money on the floor mixed with the victim’s blood, the take-out bag, Faye’s purse and its scattered contents. Whatever this had been, it hadn’t been a routine robbery. Someone had been looking for something other than the usual snatch and grab items, so what were they after? What could Mrs. Green have that was worth dying for?

He found Faye sitting on the living-room sofa with Logan. Her face was red and blotchy, her blue-green eyes mascara-rimmed from her tears, and her clothing disheveled and covered in blood. She stood and moved forward, stopping before she reached him. Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked young and vulnerable, not a bit like the bitter, angry woman she’d been the last time he’d seen her.

About the author:

Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She’s always been an avid reader of all types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. A retired educator, Susanne spends her time writing and creating adventures for her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Follow Susanne on her:  

Website    Blog    Facebook page    Twitter @jandsmatt

Amazon author page    and    Goodreads author page

The White Carnation is available in e-book form from most major retailers. Visit my website http://www.mhsusannematthews.ca/  for direct purchase links to this and the rest of my books.

I can't thank Susanne Matthews enough for twisting Rob Halliday's arm to give us an interview. If you have any questions for Susanne, Rob or her exciting new Romantic Suspense,The White Carnation, please just drop her a line in Comments before.

Have a wonderful day.

Hugs to all, 

Nancy C. Weeks

V IS FOR VALUE OUR UNIQUENESS

Happy Saturday, Everyone!

I hope you had a great week. The A to Z Challenge is winding down. I can't believe I'm at the letter V. 

It took me a little thought to decide on my V topic. The one thing I have enjoyed most about this challenge is visiting all the different blogs and getting to know  the bloggers. So my V word today could have been V is for Visit. 

But after a little thought, what stood out about this challenge was how different each blog was. We all have special talents and unique ways of understanding this life we are all trying to live. My V word could have been V is for our own unique Point of View. 

Then I hit on what I'm always trying to stress in this space.

V is for Value Our Uniqueness!

We are all special, wonderful, amazing, individuals. I want to revel in the glory of who we are, appreciate and VALUE the UNIQUENESS that makes up the human race. Maybe if we could see how wonderful we really are, accept and appreciate the person inside, we would be able to appreciate and VALUE the uniqueness in others. 

My mother taught me from a very young age that there was no way I could love others until I learned to love myself for who I am. She was an amazing woman. Listen to her! Take a good look at yourself and find something to love, something to VALUE. 

That is my thought for the day. Thanks so much  for stopping by for a visit. As always, I would love to hear from you if you have a moment to comment. Just click on the tiny pencil at the bottom of this post. 

Have a wonderful, restful weekend. 

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

P.S. I want to remind everyone that the PRINT books of my In the Shadow series are part of a great contest called SUMMER OF LOVE CONTEST. 

SUMMER OF LOVE GIVEAWAY

You can win a print book every week of the summer. There are several authors, lots of ways to improve your odds to win AND several winners. To enter, click on the BOLD title above or clink on the Daisy image called Summer of Love at the top right of this blog. We are even adding extra prizes along the way. So check it out.  

U IS FOR U-TURN

Happy Friday, Everyone!

I have another wonderful guest taking over my blog today. I hope you all will give a big Texan welcome to Irene Preston. You met Irene just a few weeks ago. She has a wonderful U story to share with you as well as a wonderful new multi-author anthology called Romancing Austin.

CONTEST ALERT BELOW!

So U IS FOR U-TURN ...

Irene Preston ...

When Nancy offered letters of the alphabet for guest-bloggers I wanted W. W is for Weird.  I could do all kinds of stuff with weird! (Some of the weirdness would even be related to living in Austin, where our motto is Keep it Weird, and not specifically to me.)

But someone had already taken W. Can you believe it?  So I wound up with U instead. Which is a good thing, because U is for U-Turn.

My latest little story will be out in a few days. It’s set in Austin during the SXSW music festival.  While Keeping it Weird would have been a great introduction to Austin, U-Turn is better because “Tall Order” is a second-chance story. Sometimes you need to turn around to get where you’re going.

We all make U-Turns occasionally. Sometimes it’s because we missed our exit. Sometimes it’s because we’ve taken a wrong turn and are driving down the wrong road completely. Sometimes the highway department didn’t see fit to put an exit exactly where we  need one and the best option is to drive on by and circle back rather than try to 4-wheel the family truckster across the median.

When I first met my husband, Bones, he says he knew right away I was The One. Well, I didn’t know. For REASONS, I was particularly relationship-averse at the time. We were both in college, and when summer break rolled around I high-tailed it out of state for the summer and broke up with him long-distance. I know. I’m horrible. How did I ever become a romance writer with a story like that?

Fortunately, Bones didn’t give up. When I flew back at the end of the summer, he was waiting for me at the airport. We’ve been together ever since.  You might say I was foolish to take that summer apart, but I’ve never regretted it. I was not in the right place to accept our relationship before then. I needed that summer in New York to make the rest of our life work.

Sometimes, passing your destination and coming back is the best way to get where you need to be.

“Tall Order” is about Dylan, who has to make a major U-Turn, and Aston, who watched him drive away and didn’t give up.  This story is part of the Romancing Austin anthology – which is basically me and my local writer-buds having a really good time and inviting you along for the ride.  (Seriously, we had way too much fun.)

Here’s a little peek!

“Tall Order” (Romancing Austin)

Chef Dylan Travino is back from New York with his tail between his legs. A year ago, when he left Austin, his job, and his boyfriend behind, his only thought was making it big. Now he’s reduced to taking any job to pay the rent.

Aston Winkler’s steampunk guitar mods are all the rage with rockers and he’s got invites to every hot party in town.  From his 6’7” vantage point, Aston has no problem spotting Dylan in the SXSW crowd. Getting his boyfriend back? That’s a tall order.

Excerpt from Tall Order

“I’m not in the mood to go to Houston, Dylan, so you better tell me where I need to exit.”

“You can just drop me at the Hilton.”

“You don’t have a car and you were working for Joe Bob’s last night. You’re not staying at the Hilton.”

“It’s close enough.”

“Or maybe Houston is nice this time of year.”

Dylan shot him a look that could have felled a longhorn. “We need to U back around right after the airport, I’m on the other side of the highway.”

Five minutes later they were not at the Hilton. They were not at the Holiday Inn Express or the Comfort Suites. Aston stared at the rundown two-story building and tried not to shudder. It wasn’t condemned? The sign at the entrance had proclaimed they offered hourly, nightly, and weekly rates. This place was actually occupied? By humans?

Dylan opened the door. “Thanks for the ride. Bye.” He turned and headed toward the building. Aston sat in the car, too stunned to move until Dylan started up the stairs.

No. Absolutely not.

He jumped out of the car and followed, pausing a little at the stairs. Jesus, the metal was rusty and the concrete steps were cracked. He took a deep breath and rushed up, not entirely convinced they would hold his weight.

Dylan was jiggling his key in the door of the last room at the end of the landing. He got it open and stepped inside just as Aston caught up to him. Aston caught the door before it swung shut in his face.

Dylan turned around, blocking his entrance. “What?”

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“No.”

“I need to pee. Let me in.”

Dylan sighed and stepped aside.

Aston wouldn’t have thought the interior could be worse than the exterior of this place, but he was wrong. There was water damage on the ceiling, patched plaster on the walls, the carpet…he didn’t want to examine the carpet closely at all. A burst of canned laughter erupted, and he looked around for the television, only to realize the sound was coming, plain as day, from the room next door.

“Thought you needed to pee.”

“I lied.”

“So, you see where I live. Happy?”

Aston stared at Dylan. “No. I am not happy. I understand why you wouldn’t call me when you got back in town, but this?”

“It’s cheap and close to work.”

“Work? What work? You were in Austin last night.”

“Joe Bob’s was a side gig, not regular work. I’ve got three nights a week at the diner across the street. I can walk there from here.”

Aston paced around the room, trying not to breathe too deeply. What was that smell?

“You’re working at a chain breakfast place by the airport?” His voice was rising and he couldn’t stop it. “You were head chef at Ophelia’s when you left. You were head chef in New York. Why don’t you get a job someplace decent in town?”

“Well I plan on it, don’t I? But meanwhile I have to eat and pay the rent.”

“No. No Dylan, you do not have to pay the rent in this crappy place. Why didn’t you just move back in with your aunt and uncle until you got back on your feet?”

Dylan hunched his shoulders. “I’m not mooching off of them any more. They’ve got enough people to feed over there and the boys finally have their own rooms.”

Dylan had worked steady food service jobs since he was a teenager. Aston doubted his aunt considered him a moocher, but Dylan’s tense stance indicated the subject was closed.

“Then why didn’t you call me? Even if you didn’t want—“ He stopped, not willing to go there. “Why didn’t you call me?”

Why didn’t you call me? God, how pathetic was he? Why don’t you love me anymore? Did you ever love me?

“I can’t pay rent. Even the taxes and utilities on your place are more than this room costs me.”

Aston hoped a meal at the diner was more than this room, because you couldn’t pay him enough to stay here. He’d be damned if he left Dylan here, either.

Read more from “Tall Order”

WHERE TO BUY ROMANCING AUSTIN (Includes “Tall Order”)

Amazon | Are | Kobo

Note: Order now and get all 7 stories for the $0.99 introductory price!

Add to Goodreads “Want to Read”

About Irene Preston:

Irene Preston has to write romances, after all she is living one. As a starving college student, she met her dream man who whisked her away on a romantic honeymoon across Europe. Today they live in the beautiful hill country outside of Austin, Texas where Dream Man is still working hard to make sure she never has to take off her rose-colored glasses.

Visit Irene Online:

IrenePreston.com | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | GoodReads | Amazon

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T IS FOR TRUST YOURSELF

Today's letter for the A to Z Challenge is going to be short and sweet. 

T is for Trust Yourself...

This is something I have to work on every day. I question everything, but if I keep this quote close to my heart, it gives me the power to let go of my doubt and have faith that I'm doing the right thing. I hope it helps clear your path as well.

"ABOVE ALL, BE TRUE TO YOURSELF, AND IF YOU CANNOT PUT YOUR HEART IN IT, TAKE YOURSELF OUT OF IT"

~~UNKNOWN~~

Until tomorrow, have a great day and please try to be nice to one another.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

Q is for NEVER QUIT and S is for STAYING THE COURSE

Hello Everyone!

For my next post for the #AtoZChallenge, I'm going to do a little catch up by combining today's letter S with the letter I missed, Q. I know skipping Q isn't keeping you up at night, but it is making me feel like a slacker.  So...

Q is NEVER QUIT

AND...

S is for STAYING THE COURSE!

In some ways, my topic, Q is for NEVER QUIT and S is for STAYING THE COURSE, says it all. I thought I would give you a little insight on how these two statements became so important to me.

As a young girl, learning to read was extremely difficult. In fact, I had trouble with every subject in school. Nothing came easy. I spent hours staring at an assignment without a clue on how to complete it. My father would come over and tap the page, "Only quitters quit. You're not a quitter. Stay the course."

At the time, I didn't appreciate how consequential my father’s words were.  Since then however, I’ve learned that turning my dreams into my reality was hard, grueling work.

Each of us has a tendency to block out own paths when it comes to living the dream.  The biggest obstacle in our way is ...ourselves.  I have  found the only way to get out of my own way is by setting specific goals and... staying the course.  

It's that simple.  Take responsibility for making your own circumstances and ... stay the course! 

Tell me about your dreams and what you have done to keep them alive and stay the course?

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

R is for Romance on the Lusitania: Love Story Hindered by Class, Time, and Promises.

Hello, Everyone!

I hope your week is going well. I'm back with another letter in the #AtoZChallenge. 

Today, I would like you all to welcome for the first time on my blog, a dear, sweet friend and fellow Crimson Romance author, Joanna Lloyd. Joanna is taking over the letter R and I can't wait for you to see what she has in store for you. 

Joanna, welcome to my blog. I'm so excited to have you. After this challenge is over, I would love for you to come back for an interview so we can all get to know you better. In the meantime, my space is all yours. 

R is for Romance on the Lusitania: Love Story Hindered by Class, Time, and Promises.

Joanna Lloyd ...

I am very excited to share Shadow Beneath the Sea with readers of Nancy Weeks’ Blog, especially as we approach the centenary of this shocking act of war against a passenger ship.

1915: Britain and Germany are at war and the waters off Great Britain have been declared a war zone. In six days the luxury ocean liner, Lusitania, sails from New York to England with 1,959 passengers on board.

The story of the 202^nd Atlantic crossing of the luxury liner, Lusitania was one of the great maritime disasters of the last century. The actions of the German U-boat captain, as the great ship cruised the Irish coast, spawned a flood of conspiracy theories, investigations, a court case, hard questions of the British Admiralty, and targeted Captain William Turner as the scapegoat. The whole truth of this disaster was closely guarded to protect the actions or non-actions of the Admiralty.

However, there sailed on this ship a group of fictional characters whose motives for travel were as varied as their personalities. In the time it took to cross the Atlantic Ocean, in the microcosm of this floating universe, lies and deceit festered, secrets changed lives, money was made and lost and a deep and lasting passion ignited between Lillian Marshall and Edward James.

Amazon  

Crimson Romance  

B & N  

iTunes 

Excerpt:

The great ship reverberated with the explosion, throwing Lillian against a deck chair. Stunned from the impact, she watched as debris, smoke and water erupted into a fountain and catapulted into the air. The strange conglomeration hovered above, as if considering a landing point, while a child’s multi-colored ball rolled carelessly down the deck. Then the funnel of water dropped, pummeling the deck, scattering splintered wood, bent metal and ripped canvas in every direction……

…Lillian closed her eyes, ready for the chilling drop to her death when suddenly someone gripped her body and she was pulled into Edward’s firm embrace. His arms trembled with the exertion of holding onto her while battling against the pitching ship. He dragged them both back from the edge and braced himself against a column of steel.

            She twisted her shivering body enough to face him. “You came for me.” She drew in a sobbing breath. “You cared enough to risk your life for me.”

            “I have no life if you’re not there to share it with me. What else could I do?” He buried his face in her hair.

Here is a short bio on Joanna Lloyd:  

Joanna Lloyd was born in Papua New Guinea and educated in Sydney, Australia. With a background in Psychology, she trained as a mediator and conducted Workplace and Family Law mediations for over twenty years. After muscular dystrophy caused her to be wheelchair bound, she transferred her fascination with human behaviour from real people to the written word. She now lives, and writes historical and contemporary fiction, in tropical Far North Queensland, Australia - her version of paradise.

Here are all the wonderful places you can find Joanna and her books:

Website  

Blog  

Twitter 

Facebook  

Where you can BUY her amazing books:

Amazon  

Crimson Romance  

B & N  

iTunes 

Joanna, thanks so much for taking over the letter R. The Shadow Beneath the Sea sounds fascinating and is going on my reading list. If anyone has any questions for Joanna about her amazing story or why she decided to use the Lusitania as her backdrop, please don't be shy!!!!. We love comments and will answer any questions you have in the comment section below.

That's it for today. Please be kind to one another.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

P IS FOR IN THE SHADOW OF PRIDE

HAPPY MONDAY, EVERYONE!

I'm a day behind on the #AtoZChallenge. My post for Saturday did not post for some strange reason. I was away from social media this weekend and couldn't fit it. So bare with me while I catch back up. Tomorrow I plan to create a post for Q and R and be back on track.

This post is shameless self-promotion,  but if you had a wonderful story you had such an amazing time creating, wouldn't you also want to share it with the world? 

So ....

P is for IN THE SHADOW OF PRIDE

In the Shadow of Pride has just been nominated by InD'Tale magazine for the 2015 RONE Award.  Voting Period for the Romantic Suspense category begins next week,  April 27 - May 3, 2015. The RONE Award recognizes the very best books in the Indie and Small publishing industry and I'm so very proud that In the Shadow of Pride is on that amazing list. 

Today, I thought I would just leave you with the blurb and an excerpt. I have to say it took me a long time to get over Mac and Lexie. I fell completely in love with this couple from page one. Honestly, I still dream about them ...explore what their lives are like now that they are together. Yup, my characters become very real to me while I writing their story. Readers constant remark that I have brought them to tears or made them laugh out loud. The only way I could do that is to get inside my characters hearts and souls. So...yeah, it can be a little hard letting that go. 

I wrote a post about my characters on the release day of In the Shadow of Pride. You can read it here: RELEASE DAY OF IN THE SHADOW OF PRIDE.

And here is the blurb for In the Shadow of Pride

Lexie Trevena buried her murdered husband, discovered he had cheated on her, and signed to adopt his newborn son—all before noon. Now she just wants to raise her child in the loving, supportive home she never had. The last thing she needs is another man to complicate her life, but her best friends feel differently. Their matchmaking meddling accidentally places Lexie smack in the path of a terrorist who intends to use her as his pawn.

 The only person who can help her is the FBI agent she holds responsible for her husband’s death.

Special-Agent-In-Charge Luke “Mac” McNeil watched his best friend and partner marry a woman he knew was too good for him, but he did nothing to stop the wedding. He stood by as Lexie adopted the cheating jerk’s son. But when someone goes to great lengths to make it appear that Lexie is responsible for launching a drone into the home of a prominent Texas senator, Mac’s conscience finally speaks up, and he fights for Lexie’s freedom ... even though all the evidence leads to her door, and she has never given him a reason to trust her. Can Lexie and Mac find the courage to forgive and trust, or will their pride stand in the way of love, allowing terrorists to bring another devastating attack onto United States soil?

Excerpt of In the Shadow of Pride

Lexie leaned her back against the cool stone and made herself release Mac’s hand. She then took a breath of fresh, clean air and tried to hide the shakiness in her voice. “Now what?”

“I’m going to drop down to the roof. You will kneel on the ledge and, using the window to balance, turn so your legs hang over the edge. Let go of the ledge, and I’ll catch you.”

“Are you crazy? I can’t—”

“Lexie, look behind you.”

She turned her head slowly toward the open window. Flames appeared under the door and the small office was completely filled with smoke. One word escaped her lips. “Trapped.”

“Once we get down onto the roof, there’s a fire escape ladder to the street.” He reached for her hand. “Gabriel needs you. We can do this together.”

Finding her voice, she whispered, “Not fair using Gabriel.” She bit down on her lower lip and dredged up an ounce of courage. “Mac, do what you have to do.”

With the grace of a trained athlete, he lowered himself over the side until only the tips of his fingers were on the ledge. An instant later, he dropped, landing on his feet.

“Tag, you’re it, Lexie. Just drop and I’ll catch you. Trust me.”

Lexie’s heart pounded like she had just run the 100-yard dash. After a quick glance into the office, she knelt, and holding onto the window, rolled onto her stomach.

“That’s it. Now just ease your legs over the ledge.”

The instant her feet hit empty space, panic ripped through her and she swung a leg back onto the ledge as her fingers dug into the window frame. God, she couldn’t do this. It was freaking crazy.

“You have to let go of the window frame. I’m right under you.”

“This isn’t the time to be nice to me, Mac.”

“Okay, then how’s this? I’m loving the view of the sexiest red panties I have ever seen that barely cover an ass that will live in my dreams for years to―”

Lexie dropped. Before she could get out the ear-piercing, girly scream that roared in her head, she landed in Mac’s arms. The impact crushed the air from her lungs.

“You’re okay,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she allowed his strength and his herbal all-male scent to soothe her. He eased her legs back on solid ground, but she didn’t let go. She couldn’t remember a time in her life when she felt so safe, protected.

She raised her chin and met his amused stare. Of all stupid days to wear a skirt to work. As soon as she got out of this mess, it was going to Goodwill.

Heat spread up her neck and her chest tightened. “This one time, I’m going to let that go.”

“Let what go, Lexie?” Mac’s hand moved slowly down her back to her waist and pressed her tightly against him.

His touch sent a flash of need that had been dormant for too long into her gut. Lexie swallowed but couldn’t look him in the face. “That wasn’t my best moment on that ledge. You shouldn’t have looked.”

“You told me not to be nice. I was saving your life.”

To read the first three chapters for free, CLICK HERE

That's all for today. Until tomorrow, be kind of one another.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

O IS FOR JUST HOW OBSERVANT ARE YOU

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched…but are felt in the heart. ~ Helen Keller

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Today for my letter O,  I'm re-posting a video that I had on my blog a couple years ago. Sometimes things just need to be repeated so maybe it will leave a lasting impression this time around. 

So ...O is for Just How Observant Are You ...

Every now and then, I come across something that is life changing. This video really opened my eyes to the beauty that people in my life see in me that I have never noticed in myself. As of today, it has had over three million views and that still isn't enough. I think we should all see it over again until the message becomes part of us.  Please take a moment and watch it. It is really fantastic.

TWO PEOPLE DESCRIBE THE SAME PERSON TO A FORENSIC ARTIST AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED

I can’t help wondering how I would have described myself. It wouldn’t have been very flattering. When I look in the mirror, all I see are the things I wish I could change; my nose is an odd shape, the dark circles under my eyes that never go away, my weight …

Why is it I’m so hard on myself? I don’t see faults in others. I think it all boils down to the fact that I see the inner beauty that shine in others, but don’t look for the inner beauty in myself. 

Maybe I need to stop and take a deeper look at myself, try to see myself the way my kids see me, the way my husband sees me. Something to think about….

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

N IS FOR NOÉ AND COWBOYS IN MY LIFE

Hello, Everyone!

Today, I'm so excited to have back on my blog my dear friend and fellow author, Leslie P. Garcia. Leslie, it is wondering having you and your hunky cowboys back for a visit. Have a great time with the letter N.

N is for Noé and Cowboys in My Life ....

Leslie P. Garcia...

            Nancy C. Weeks invited me to stop by her blog today and hold forth on the letter ‘N.’ With the enormous success my co-authors and I have enjoyed with our Cowboy Up and Cowboy Up 2, I thought it might be nice to tell how cowboys came to mean so much in my life.

            Many of you probably cut your teeth, as I did, on TV and movie westerns, on men like Roy Rogers or Little Joe or so many others thundering at breakneck speed across treacherous deserts or through raging rivers. Who couldn’t fall in love with the idea of independent men with courage, men who could catch (and then free) wild stallions or tame wild women and love them faithfully, if sometimes from afar. Cowboys were royalty to many of us, and we wouldn’t trade a man in boots and a hat for a prince.

            Regretfully, reality always comes clawing through fantasy. One of my first disappointments with an actual ‘cowboy’ came at the hands of my father, dressed in a snap shirt, boots, and a hat, getting stopped and given a speeding ticket on the way home from the train station. My mom, brother and I had been left in California for several months, and I couldn’t even remember that strange man who looked sinister rather than heroic. Years later, when he bought a lame, but flashy, pinto mare with a split tongue, and rode her around in the same get-up---complete by then with a holstered revolver, I had come to understand that as in any arena, there truly are the good, the bad… and well, you get it.

            But while some cowboys turned out to be the outlaws and bad guys of my childhood, working on a dude ranch in the hill country introduced me to a real cowboy, and pretty much brought back my respect for the real professions.

            I met my husband at the dude ranch, and while he could do rope tricks like jumping through the lasso he was swinging, he wasn’t a cowboy. In spite of a number of teenagers my age who ‘wrangled’ the tourists who packed the place every summer, the only cowboy there was Noé.

            Noé was ancient, I thought, and friends would have ridiculed me if I’d said he was attractive. He was fencepost thin, and his chest, which was always covered by a faded, long-sleeved shirt, wouldn’t have turned heads. But when he tipped his hat, which he did always, or spoke, which he did seldom—you could see clearly that those long ago heroes still lived. In flesh.

            He could corral and shoe horses, find and treat injured livestock, and hitch the hay wagon to a tractor for an evening’s festivities. He told me once, on a rare occasion when he came into the social room, that he decided to wrangle dudes because nobody really ran cattle in the area and he would die doing the work he had always done. I knew Noé only briefly, and a lifetime ago—but he will always be the cowboy in my life that defines ‘real.’

            Noé would never be confused, appearance wise, for the sexy, troubled, hot men in the Cowboy Up stories. But he’ll always be the epitome not just of our fictional heroes, but of cowboys in our real lives. Because now or a lifetime ago—cowboys have always made us sit up and take notice.

SIX NOVELS FOR ONLY 99 CENTS ON AMAZON

Blurb from “Cowboy in Waiting” (Cowboy Up 2)

She’d buried a hero. She wasn’t looking for another. But her cowboy in waiting was far from a hero…

Bury enough dreams, and you’re bound to grow up.

Diana Salas Chester is a rancher’s daughter and a hero’s widow. There isn’t a lot she can’t do, from raising her daughter Gwen to facing down the loss of dream after dream. And then a birthday celebration goes wrong, and Diana winds up in Border Patrol Agent Ray Bennett’s bed.

Not many of her acquaintances approve of Ray “Baby” Bennett. But is he just the cowboy she’s been waiting for? Ray Bennett spent his life running away from the demands of his cowboy brothers and the ranching life. So when he wakes up in bed with his Border Patrol partner’s sister, he doesn’t want the complications. But suddenly the choice isn’t his to make.

~~~~

Leslie P Garcia would be delighted to answered any questions you might have for her. All comments welcome!

Until tomorrow, have a great day, and as always, be nice to one another.

Hugs,

Nancy C. Weeks