Happy August!
Mine has been a busy summer between writing, editing, trips to Georgian Bay, and getting my youngest son ready for college in a week. Eeep!!
Here we are ready for another episode of the Round Robin Blog Fest as we face the end of summer. It's only natural we write about Vacation and Travel...
August 24, 2019 -- Post an excerpt from one of your books dealing with travel or vacation.
I've been very blessed this summer. This has been my view for several weekends as I get to spend some time with my honey. Not only have I been able to put my feet up and relax, do some writing while I gaze at Lake Huron, and do some fossil hunting, I've also come across something that totally made me happy!
Gilda's Log from my Gilda Wright Mystery Series!!! All it needs is to be further back on the beach. I won't complain.
That is why my excerpt this month is from a novella I'd published a couple years ago that has since been taken out of print. The good news is, I plan to add it to my next Gilda novel as a bonus! Then all my Gilda fans will find out the truth about what happened to Sensei Mick's hearing. In the meantime, buckle up.
While Gilda couldn't actually take a vacation, she and Marion Yearly found a great place to sit back and chill out...
Dead Without Loyalty (excerpt)
Gilda fanned her face, melting into a lawn
chair in the shade as she groaned. “This weather is unbelievable. I doubt even
Hell is this hot.”
“Here, this will help.” Marion Yearly, her
best friend, handed a tall glass of lemonade with a straw to her over the round
mosaic-tiled table. “Just drink it slow, there’s—”
Too hot and thirsty to heed the warning,
Gilda had sucked back nearly half the tangy drink before she noticed Marion’s
wide eyes and the odd taste in the back of her throat. She scrunched up her
face. “What’s in this?”
“It’s called Lemonade Margarita. I was
going to warn you I added tequila, but I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.”
Marion topped off her glass, then Gilda’s. “Cheers to finally getting a whole
day off to hang out together. Well, aside from going to karate class this
morning.”
“Amen.” Gilda tapped Marion’s glass with
hers and smiled. She was glad she’d pulled on a bikini beneath her shorts and
tank top after class that morning. Maybe later she’d convince Marion to join
her at the beach, which wouldn’t take much effort.
Marion took a sip then frowned. “So how
did you manage to get the rest of the day off anyway? I thought Mick wanted you
at the karate school day and night to get ready for the July fourth
celebrations on the beach next weekend.”
She waved a hand. “We’ve already got all
the details worked out. Besides, I’ve put in well over my usual hours in the
past few weeks and needed a day off before I strangled him or Kane.”
Marion adjusted the top of her yellow
sundress and settled back with a dreamy smile. “Did I tell you how jealous I am
you get to work with the biggest hunks in town?”
Gilda knew. So did all the hunks in
question. Three years ago when she’d gone to work for Sensei Mick Williams at his small karate school, she’d been ill
prepared for the insanity that lie ahead. She’d been more concerned with hiding
behind a desk from the world to rebuild her shattered self-confidence and ego
after a nasty—and very public—breakup
with her ex-boyfriend, a local police officer.
“Do you realize it’s nearly been a year
since Mick shut down the old school?” Gilda asked. Then he’d built the new
school, Phoenix Martial Arts, held an MMA extravaganza, and memberships had
soared ever since.
“Yeah.” Marion nodded as she sipped.
“Right about the same time Kane Garrick came to town and didn’t seem to care
less if you were dating Mick or not.”
“He still doesn’t.” Her face burned.
Marion sighed. “I can’t believe he’s still
such a sore spot. Why doesn’t he back off and leave you alone?”
“Because he’s Kane Garrick, former MMA
superstar.” Gilda sucked back another half glass of lemonade without thinking.
A slow buzz filled her brain then vibrated over her entire body. “Oh, boy. I
forgot about the tequila.”
“There’s Triple Sec in there too.” Marion
chuckled. “On the upside, you’re finally relaxed and don’t have to go back to
work today.”
She closed her eyes and rested her head
against the chair back. “You’re right. I have the afternoon off and a great
friend to spend it with. What more could a girl want?”
They chatted and reveled in the peace for
five more minutes before Marion’s doorbell rang. She flinched and sat upright.
After a few seconds, she shrugged. “Whoever it is, they can go away. I’m not
getting up to answer the door. I’m on vacation for today.”
“Good for you. Me too.” Gilda raised her
glass, her entire body warm from the alcohol, yet cooled by the ice. Heaven.
“Cheers.”
“Hey, Gilda, love. Are you here?” Kane
called out from the side of the house.
Her eyes flew open. “Are you kidding me?
He knows I’ve got the rest of the day off. What on earth does he want now?”
“You, darlin’.” Marion chuckled. “Ever
since the first day he met you on the beach.”
She huffed then slammed her glass on the
table. “When will he get it though his thick skull I’m dating Mick and not
available?”
Marion shrugged. “Did you ever ask him
that?”
“No, I’ve been trying to avoid being
anywhere alone with him ever since...”
Ever since he’d kissed her during a wild
rainstorm, which she’d never told Marion or Mick about. Not so much to protect
Kane as her own sanity. Gilda sat back and wished she could blend in with the
shrubbery around them. Marion’s backyard resembled a small-town version of the
Garden of Eden. Fruit trees, shrubs, and plenty of shade.
“G’day, ladies.” Kane slithered into the
backyard like the snake Gilda suddenly imagined him to be. Temptation in bright
blue board shorts and white tank top against his bronzed skin. With his
shoulder-length blond hair twisted into dreadlocks all around his head and a
two-day growth of stubble, he resembled a scruffy beach bum more than a trained
swordsman.
“What do you want, Kane?” Gilda groaned.
“I’ve had one day off in the past two weeks and you are not going to ruin this
for me.”
His too-white smile drooped. “Whoa. Did
you wake up on the wrong side of bed this morning or what? You know if you’d
woken up next to me that never would’ve happened, love.”
Marion fanned her face, batted her eyes,
and sipped her lemonade in silence.
Want to read more? Keep an eye out for Gilda's new mystery Dead Without Shame coming early in 2020!
In the meantime, I have one more week of vacation coming up after a long weekend at work. I'm looking forward to a few more days of gazing into a crackling fire and putting my feet up.
Enjoy the excerpts from my fellow authors and savor the rest of summer! Cheers!
Marie Laval Skye Taylor
Victoria Chatham
Judith Copek
Anne Stenhouse
Helena Fairfax
A.J. Maguire
Beverley Bateman
Dr. Bob Rich
Connie Vines
Rhobin L Courtright
