Countdown: Day #2:)

Welcome to day #2 of the Reunion Week Contest!  Simply leave a comment about your best/worst memory about any reunion and include your contact info for a chance at a free copy of Class Reunion:)

20th HS Reunion:
Ten years had passed, and once again I got the invitation while pregnant.  I was beginning to think I'd set a horrible precedent at the 10th; surely I wouldn't have a baby every time we had a reunion?  *Kenzie grabs her hair and screams 'Nooooooo!'*  But this time, my little bundle of *ahem* unexpected joy arrived several months before the reunion.

My spouse refused to go.  He'd had a horrible time at my 10th, not being amused by my BFF's 'fixation' on the fact I was finally out of a training bra.  So I went alone.  And promptly ran into Melissa and Laura again, and was eager to catch up on the happenings in their lives.  And when I revealed my first book had been published, well, word spread and soon people I'd not even known wanted their picture taken with me!

And the funniest thing of all, beside the fact all the women had blonde highlights to cover up our gray hair, but   the fact so many women who were climbing the ladder of success at 28 were now choosing to stay home with their kids!  I was the only one passing out business cards that night, or so it seemed.

As for B, he had married a year or two earlier, and I'd not had the honor of meeting his wife, nor had I spoken to him since the engagement.  So it was a total shock when I finally sought him out and discovered he'd not only divorced his wife, he'd also remarried, and his new wife was pregnant with twins!  M and I were cordial to each other, and spoke for a while, then I noticed the 'B' from the 10th snuggling up to her and many glances made my way.  I decided to ignore it, and if she was telling tales out of school, then she needed to grow up.

Again, I hadn't joined the 'digital revolution' yet, and shot a roll of 35mm film from my four-hour socializing.  And 'lost' my car keys....turns out they were in my hand.  Talk about embarrassing!  I'd checked the bathroom; everywhere I'd sat; and when I asked the bartender if a set of keys had been found, I slapped my hand on the bar....and there they were.  And I'd only had two rum and cokes.....and bored another classmate silly when he asked me, in all innocence, what my Arbor U series was all about.  My 'cut-it-off' radar wasn't working yet.  I finally shut up when I realized he and I were the only ones left at the table!

********

Ready For Another Exciting Excerpt?
This is from All She Ever Wanted, and explains why 'Brian Vellinger' was an important factor in Amber Johnson's life.

“Go ahead, slut, or I’ll tell him,” Clint smirked.

“What is it, Amber?” Marc’s voice held a note of anxiety.

She closed her eyes and handed him the paper. “I made a deal with the president of the Credit Union. He would loan me the money for repairs, if I agreed to be at his beck and call for six months.”

“You slept with him?” Marcus scanned the document in disbelief.

“No. I never slept with him. I accompanied him to a few dinners, a couple of banquets, and organized two parties at his house.” She swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks. “But I did not sleep with him! No matter what that memo may imply, or what that photocopied hotel receipt may have you thinking. Yes, he had reserved a room, but we never used it; it was for a client of his. Marc—please believe me?”

“Ha! A likely story,” Clint interjected. “Her signature is on that receipt.”

“Shut up.” Marc’s frustration was reaching a low boil. He faced Amber. “Did
you pay him back?”

She nodded. “One year later. Business has always been good. He still comes in for lunch every now and then. But I don’t understand how your dad got his hands on a private note.”

(later)

“I want to meet with that bank president and assure him that you will no longer be at his
beck and call.”

Amber laughed. “Oh, honey, that ended two years ago. But if you want, I’ll invite him to lunch so you can talk to him.”

Marc frowned. “I still don’t like the fact you did him a favor like that. Don’t ever do anything else like that again, promise me?”

“Marc, it was a one-shot deal,” she protested. “At the time, he was the only one who didn’t proposition me. Brian Vellinger’s a good, decent man who was willing to give me a break when the others weren’t.”

All She Ever Wanted is also available at Freya's Bower, Amazon, and B&N:)

Reunion Contest!

Class Reunion goes LIVE in 3 days.....are you ready for a contest?  Each day this week I'll be posting some of my memories of past high school reunions, and I invite you to do the same.  Even if the only reunion you've attended is of the family-natured....I want to know the best, the worst, or even your feelings on reunions.  Simply leave a comment, plus your email info and what format you'd prefer your free book in (pdf, kindle, nook) and I'll pick a random comment each day.  On Friday, all names will go into the hat for a 'Grand' prize.  Sound good?  So dredge up those memories!

If you missed me on Chad McPherson's blog, go HERE to check out a never-before-seen scene.

Today, I'm on Carol Preflatish's blog, so click HERE for a 'deleted' scene:)  And yes, comments posted there count in the contest!

Okay.....reunion memory #1:

The 10th Class Reunion:
I was nervous about this one.  It was scheduled for a time when I could, literally, be in danger of going into labor with my daughter; or not being able to attend due to giving birth.  I even joked with my doctor about taking him as my date, should the event not have happened, or being induced five days before the event!  Plus, I was nervous for another reason:  My husband and I had done the math after the birth of our 1st born, and if I returned to work, my entire salary, plus $20 of his paycheck, would go for daycare.  So it made more sense for me to stay home full time.  And by 1994, I was still having a serious identity issue, and a little defensive of my choice to stay home and pursue my writing passion.  In fact, I'd already been in contact with a NY publisher who was interested in what is now Book #2 of Arbor U.  I'd not finished Keri's story, and Gretchen's was about three chapters at this point.  Book #1 wouldn't be written until 1999.  But I digress.

As luck would have it, my 'firecracker' arrived three weeks earlier than expected.  So I was thrilled to have my slimmer figure back, and had chosen a dress which looked good on me with or without the baby bump.  My only fashion  faux paux?  I'd chosen to wear my white pumps with my black dress.  And when we arrived, business cards were literally flying through the air, ala 'look at me, I'm important!' 

I recognized people I'd known, but really had no desire to pursue any sort of conversation.  Until my friends Melissa and Brian arrived.  Melissa I'd known since Sunday School days, and we ended up sitting at her table with another good friend from band, Laura.  And when BFF Brian walked in with his new girlfriend Jan, I spent a considerable amount of time with them, and his old buddies Mike, Mike, and Scott.  And the fact I now had a bosom was quite the talk of the group.  Especially later when it got closer to my daughter's feeding time!  Plus, no one could believe I'd shrunk down that much in three weeks!

I enjoyed getting to know Jan, and gave B my 'official best friend approval'.  But as I was leaving, I got a verbal slap in the face from one of the 'bitches' in our class.  She was talking to Jan, then looked at me and laughed, "You're the BEST thing that ever happened to B!"  I took it as a slap; he and I had been friends for 13 years; how dare she say that?

I sought out B as we were leaving and hugged him.  He squeezed me tighter.

"Oooooh, something feels different!  I like it!  Why can't you stick around a little longer?"

"Shut up.  It's time for me to feed my daughter."

He drew back and sucked in his breath.  "Wow....let me see if I can slip my credit card down your bra!"

Again I mock-slapped his face.  "Shut up and go back to your girlfriend!  Call me tomorrow if you have time for lunch."

He shook my husband's hand, hugged me again and kissed my cheek, and we departed.

I don't have any digital pics from that reunion; above is B and I at the 25th.

We weren't able to get together for lunch the next day; he and Jan had stayed at the party until the wee hours of the morning, and had drunk too much.  And we left in the early afternoon to return home.  Over the next ten years, B and I continued to talk on the phone, and see each other whenever we happened to be in the same town.

In fact, I even borrowed his name for the lead character of 'Brian Vellinger', borrowing the last name of another classmate, who was another close friend of ours in HS.

Excerpt:

“Brian, my man!  Great reunion you organized.  This was better than the tenth.”

        

Brian Vellinger stood by the keg of Bud Lite, nursing his third beer of the evening and watching his old friends and classmates mill around the reserved room of the local country club.  The staff cleared away the remains of their buffet dinner and the DJ was getting ready to start the music.

          

“Thanks Brad.  I thought something more informal was in order.  I mean, shit, half of us live on the golf course, so why not spend the whole damn day here?”

          

 “Exactly.”  Brad Townsend clapped him on the back.  “Hey, there’s Pat.  I didn’t know he was coming.  I’ll be right back.”

          

 “Brian, how are you?”  A young woman walked up to him, carrying a wine glass.

          

  “Natalie Collier.  Oh my God.”  Brian smiled and held out his arm to hug her.  “How long has it been?  You weren’t at the tenth.”

           

  She shook her head, strands of her dark blonde hair catching on the stiff collar of her blouse.  “No, I couldn’t make it home for that one.  And no one organized a twentieth, so I made sure I was free for this one.”  She sipped her red wine and looked around.  “What’s this I hear about you and Tracy being divorced?”

           

  Brian showed her his left hand.  “She left me with no warning.  She was tired of my long hours and took up with a guy she met at a coffee shop.”

           

  Natalie’s dark blue eyes widened.  “No.”  She gasped.  “You two looked so happy together!  Did you have any kids?”

           

  “No.”  Brian sipped his beer.  “So what are you doing now?”

           

  “I’m a pharmacist at our local hospital.  I’ve been offered a position with a national chain, but I’m still weighing my options.”

           

  “Pharmacy?  I thought for sure you were headed for law school, as much as we argued our senior year.”

           

  “No; you whipped my ass on the debate team that one time we ended up on opposite sides.  That showed me you were better in front of people than I was.  I could tackle you one-on-one, but not in front of an audience.”  She took another drink of her wine.  “I hear you’re in finance?”

           
“Sort of.  I worked my way up in our local bank, moving from teller to doing mortgages.  I went as high as I could and a couple of years ago started my own Credit Union, helping small businesses get off the ground.  Right now, we’re just trying to keep everyone solvent in this damn economy.”  

Pre-order Class Reunion HERE. 

Don't forget to leave your contact info along with your comment!

"The Staging Area Of The Party"

Remember that Friends episode, when the gang had to have two birthday parties for Chandler, since both his divorced parents showed up?  Whenever Chandler's mother would drift into Monica and Rachel's apartment, they informed her it was the 'staging area' of the party and sent her back across the hall.

Anyway, this is my 'Staging Area' post.  I've been featured on Chad McPherson's blog, so there's Sneak Peek #1:)

All next week, I'll be reminiscing about the four reunions I've attended, plus the two 'mini' ones.  You're invited to share your own memories, both good and bad, and you'll have a chance to win a copy of Class Reunion, All She Ever Wanted, and Teacher's Pet.  Sound fun?

You've got the weekend to prepare:)  So hang you coats here, grab some food and a beverage, and prepare for the party to start on Monday!

Blurb:

After being burned pretty badly by two different women in his past, Brian Vellinger has sworn off romance. Commitment-shy for the past fifteen years, he is stunned by his sudden attraction to a woman he's not seen since the last day of their senior year.

Natalie Collier thinks she's successfully put Brian Vellinger out of her mind. After harboring a secret crush all through high school and into college, she is both alarmed and thrilled when Brian makes his intentions known at their 25th class reunion. But will she succeed in softening his casual, 'sex only' policy, or will she end up just another notch on his belt?

See you back here next week!

2013 Hump Day Hook #5

Are you enjoying these Wednesdays snippets?  My TBB list has been growing with every one I read.  Here's a list of the bloggers who are posting this week.  Everyone at your fingertips.  Enjoy! 

Did you hear the news?  One week from today, Class Reunion will release!  If you missed my interview in the ARE newsletter, it can be found here.  So in honor of this long-awaited release for me, here is a tiny bit of it.

  “Interesting how you and Brian both have Subway bags.  Why didn’t he just order from the club like the others?” She linked her arm with Natalie’s.

            Natalie shrugged.  “Maybe he was in the mood for something different for a change?  I mean, who likes to eat at the same place all the time?”

            “Ahhh, but he didn’t stop anywhere.  Brent and I followed him here.  So that begs the question, where did he get it?”  Lisa’s voice dropped to a murmur.  “Come on, Nat…you can tell me.”

            “Okay. We discussed it last night while we were dancing,” Natalie lied.  “I mentioned Subway and he asked me to get him something.  End of story.”

            Lisa made a disappointed sound.  “That’s all?  No juicy details?”

            “What’s there to tell?  Lisa, I’m going back to Idaho tomorrow.  Why on earth would I hook up with someone I won’t see again for another ten years?”  Natalie struggled to keep her face neutral.

            “Ah ha!  You’re turning pink, Natalie. You always were a lousy liar.  Tell me!”  Lisa dropped her arm and faced her.  “You didn’t have sex with a vibrator. You slept with Brian!  Oh my God!”

You can preorder Class Reunion here or come back next week for Reunion Week.  Details will be explained on Monday.

Fantastic News!!

I have a release date!  Feb 6th, and you're all cordially invited to share your own Reunion Stories with me.  Beginning Feb 4th, I'll post excerpts, tell stories of my own, and we'll laugh, cry, commiserate!  And yes, there will even be prizes!  You didn't think I'd host a week-long party and not have PRIZES, did you?

And if you're too impatient to wait, by all means go ahead and start!  And you can preorder your copy here:)

So stay tuned:)

Happy Hump Day:)

Happy Hump Day!  For more hump day madness-I mean FUN, check out the links on our brand-spanking new Face Book page:) 

Here's a teaser from Teacher's Pet, one of my best-sellers:)  This'll warm everyone up, heh heh heh....

Tammy fought to regain her breath and reached for him, rolling over on top of him.  She covering every inch of his damp chest with kisses, and slid her body backwards down his length, rapidly unfastening his dress slacks and tugging them down to his ankles.  She took his long shaft in her mouth and teased him slow, tasting the effects pleasing her had on him.  She swirled her tongue around the slit at the top, dragged it to the base, and sucked gently on his testicles.  Only after she heard him moan did she rise  and position her dripping wet center upon his member,  

“Want it?” she teased, drawing only the tip inside and gyrating slowly.

“Oh yeah…”  His eyes darkened as they held hers.

“Come and get it,” she whispered.

Teacher's Pet available NOW at Amazon and other fine online book sites:)

Hump Day Hook:)

Good lord!  It's been a long time since I posted, hasn't it?  Still waiting for a release date for Class Reunion, and discovered the 3rd book in that trilogy is buried somewhere in my publisher's submission files.  Sigh....

So while we're waiting, here's a snippet from said 3rd book, Off The Clock.  I was inspired for this by the 7 Lines Meme this past week.  So enjoy!  And how about starting a whispering campaign to my publisher?  Just bombard her with emails asking for Class Reunion?  LOL:)

She started the car and headed for her home, clipping her Blue Tooth hands’ free device to her ear and dialing.  When her mother answered, Cara assured her she was on her way home.

            A barrage of complaints hit her ear.

            “Mama, I’m sorry.  I’m in traffic and I’ll be home in a few minutes.  Isn’t Cody there?”  Cara winced when she heard the answer.  Damn it…couldn’t her brother make it through a few hours without starting an argument?  “I told you; I had to work tonight.  That’s why I asked Cody to help you.  Calm down, Mama.  I’ll be there as fast as I can.”  She reached up and turned off the unit and checking her mirrors, changed lanes and stepped on the gas pedal.  Her mother needed her.