Otherwise Alone Out on Amazon!

I am really excited to have my first short story out on Amazon as an eBook for Kindle.  Even just buying my own copy of it (is that narcissistic?  I don't *think* it is...) was exciting.  Then with all of you sending me messages of encouragement and letting me know you have bought it or bought it for a friend...well, thank you so much for making my first day as a published writer extremely memorable!

If you haven't checked it out yet, Otherwise Alone is available at the following links:

For Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AP5NNWC

For Amazon.co.uk
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AP5NNWC

For Amazon.de
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00AP5NNWC

For Amazon.fr
http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00AP5NNWC

For Amazon.es
http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00AP5NNWC

For Amazon.it
http://www.amazon.it/dp/B00AP5NNWC

If you don't normally read with a Kindle, Amazon has a variety of free Kindle readers for PCs and smartphones.  One is bound to work for you!  Check theme out HERE. 

Again - thank you all so much!!!

Otherwise Alone

In blazing heat and almost complete isolation, I hide in the Arizona desert and wait for the day my boss tells me I can come back home.  My only companions are my Barrett rifle and a Great Pyrenees named Odin.

I check my email regularly – it’s my only link to what has become the outside world.  Everything in it reminds me of what is currently out of my reach, and I wonder if I will end up rotting here after all.

Maybe it isn’t exile.

Maybe it is an execution.

The days are long and the nights are longer, until a young woman suddenly appears on my doorstep.  I’m all for getting a little – it’s been ages – but she makes me long for more.


...

Coming soon in eBook format on Amazon!

All I Want for Christmas...

After writing off and on for what feels like my entire adult life, but is actually only about 20 years (oh wait...what is pretty much my adult life), I told myself New Years of LAST year that I was going to get something actually published before the end of 2012.

It actually looks like I might make it.

It's been a very interesting journey emotionally for me.  I've had kind of a crazy year with job changes and various other "real life" situations, but ultimately I have learned a really valuable lesson about myself - this shit scares me.  I don't know if it's fear of putting something out there "for real" and having people hate it, or maybe the fear of having people love it.  Honestly, both thoughts kind of make me cringe. 

I also think there is a good chunk of it that was just kind of "Ahhhhh!!!!  I don't know how to do this!!!!"  I know how to tell a story - getting the words down on the paper isn't the issue.  I average about 10k per week writing, which isn't bad for someone who works full time and has a family.  I just didn't know how to get a written story all ready to publish as an eBook, and kept telling myself I had other things that took precedent.

Well, I finally made a little progress, and now I'm kinda going "Damn, that wasn't so bad!"

I have a short story just about ready to put out there. I might even get it done this weekend.  Some of you may have already read it - it was included in one of the Fandom charity benefits last year (I did a few - can't recall which one it was in.)  If you've already read it, don't feel like you need to buy just for the sake of doing so.  If you WANT to buy it, by all mean - do! :)

For those who didn't read it before, hopefully you will be interested enough to buy a cheap, short story to read over the holidays.  If you do, please review it, rate it, recommend it - anything.  If you don't feel like buying it, I just ask you to please help me pimp it out.  Tell your friends, tell your coworkers, post it on facebook, twitter, your own blogs - I will accept any kind of publicity I can get!  If you buy it and hate it, hell, blog about that, too!

Ultimately, the only reason I'm getting the cojones to do this is because of the encouragement of those who read my work for free.  Seriously - I couldn't have gotten this far without each and every one of you - the people who read, review, post here, post on the FB group, send me PMs, tweet to me, retweet for me, email me, beta for me, offer to beta for me, beg to translate my work (sorry - the answer is still no :) ), and tell your friends to check out my latest post.  This wouldn't be happening without you.

So start watching for the hype, because you know I love to do that.  It's fun and exciting, and keeps me (and hopefully you) entertained.  

Otherwise Alone is finally coming.

Tuesday Teaser - Caged Chapter 23

It's Teaser time again!  All I can promise is that this one isn't near as bad as the last two teasers were.  If you survived them, you will survive this one. :)

***
“Can I see her?” I asked as I hauled myself back onto my feet.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Tanya growled.  “You are a lost cause.”

“I need to talk to her.”

“What, and tell her to kill the baby because you can’t manage to be a man?  You’re shit!”

She punched my gut again.  I cringed and rubbed at the spot before running my left hand up and over my head.

Mistake.

Tanya’s eyes widened as she grabbed my arm and twisted it.  Her eyes ran down the inside of my arm.

“You’re high,” she snarled as she practically threw my own hand back at me.

“Not now,” I said.  “I…I went a little crazy.  I’m straight now – really.”

“Lost cause,” she repeated.  “I’m done with you, Edward Cullen.  We’re done.  I’m not training you or helping you out with your shit anymore.  Fuck, Edward – I thought you had some real potential!  But you can’t get your head out of your ass long enough to make anything of it!”

“Please, Tanya,” I said, “I know she’s here.  I just want to talk to Bella.”

“No.”

“Bella!” I yelled over Tanya’s shoulder, and she shoved me back into the hallway.

“Get the fuck out of here,” she said as she moved herself to further block the doorway.

“Not until I see her,” I insisted.

“My building has actual security,” Tanya threatened.  “I’ll have them throw you out.”

“Do you think they can take me?” I asked, crossing my arms.  “I hope there’s more than one of them.”

“Get out!”

“I want to talk to her!”

“I don’t want to talk to you.” 

Instinctively, my head turned towards her voice.  Bella stood in the opening to Tanya’s guestroom, wrapped in a long purple robe which was tied around the waist.  It was dark in the hallway, and I couldn’t see her face well, but my heart started beating faster at the sound of her voice. 

“Please,” I begged, “just give me a chance.”


***
Sniff!

Until Friday!

Tuesday Teaser - Caged Chapter 22

Okay - you know all you people who read last week's teaser and you were all "OMG!!  I'm gonna go ballistic before Friday!!!"  Yeah, you.  I'm talking to you.  Don't read this.  It just gets worse.

JadaPattinson tweeted this out earlier - I have no idea where it came from, but I love it!

I told ya last time, and you didn't listen...

Just look at the pretty picture and then move on...

Wait until Friday...

I'm warning you...

Stop!!  Stop now!

You never listen...sigh...

***

The smell was exactly how I remembered it.  Sweat, urine, unwashed bodies – it was like a VW van in the middle of Woodstock if Woodstock was held in a nasty old swamp instead of out on a farm.  Max was sitting on a couch at the far side of the room with some strung out chick hovering around him, begging for a slam and offering to blow him for free if he just gave her a little.  I approached him slowly as she looked up to me with dead eyes.

“Eddie!” Max cried out as I came near.  “How ya doin’, bud?  Haven’t seen you in forever!  Damn, you look like you’ve been hitting the gym!  I thought you were all cleaned up or some such shit now.  You got a job at a bar or something, Eddie?”

Max had a tendency to ask a lot of stupid questions, none of which he actually expected to have answered.

“Hey,” I said, trying not to cringe at the use of the nickname, which had never been a favorite of mine.  “What’s been shakin’, bro?  I need a bit.”

“You know I’m your man,” Max said with a grin.  “Anytime, anywhere!  You name it, I got it.  Weed, blow, meth – what you want, bud?”

“Just some H, bro,” I told him.  I didn’t know why he was bothering to ask – I never touched the other shit.  I hadn’t even smoked weed more than a handful of times.  I was always about the smack.  I just didn’t see any point in going halfway on such shit.

Max shoved the girl off his lap and turned to the side.  He opened up one of those boxes that was meant to hold fishing lures or something like that and started rummaging around in it.  There was all kinds of shit inside, and he had everything I needed.   

Tyrannosaurus’ Tackle Box, I thought to myself.

My hand clenched at my side, and I had to swallow a lump in my throat.

The chick with the dead eyes watched me as I pointed out everything I needed, and Max named a price.  I swallowed, handed him most of the rent money, and walked away with a fresh needle, a rubber tube, and a little balloon of white powder.  I shoved them deep into my jacket pocket as I walked slowly back down the street.  I passed other junkies, hookers, pimps, and dirty cops without giving them a second glance as I made my way back to my apartment.

My apartment.

Not ours.

Not even the apartment anymore.

Just mine.

***

You didn't listen last week either, did you?

See you Friday!

Tuesday Teaser! Caged Chapter 21!

This is an evil teaser post, so don't read it.  

I'm warning ya...

Oh, not gonna listen to me, huh?  Just remember - it's called a teaser for a reason!

***

My knees gave out, and I fell heavily on the cement ramp.

“Holy shit,” Paul gasped as he grabbed hold of me just before my head hit the ground.

“I can’t deal with this,” Tanya said.  Her voice was perfectly calm in a no-nonsense, professional way that scared me a bit.  “Paul – lay him down gently, tell Jasper to call 911 and bring me all the clean towels in the kitchen.  Sam – hold him down.”

I tried to tell them I didn’t need help, but when I opened my mouth, I coughed up blood.  My vision blurred, the lights of the bar brightened, and lots and lots of voices filled my ears.  It was a strange sound – like having two conch shells held against my ears.  Only one voice managed to cut through the rest of the noise and make sense at all.

"Edward!  Edward!  Oh my God!"  Bella's voice echoed around the ceiling of the bar.  I turned my head to try and see her, but that just made me nauseous.

"Stay still!" Tanya huffed.  "There's an ambulance on the way.”

I wanted to ask her why she wasn't just driving me herself, but words were a little hard to form.  My lips were all sticky and not moving right.  My tongue felt weird, and my skin felt like there were little bugs crawling all over it.  Paul handed Tanya a bunch of towels, and she pressed them against my side.

Gasping, I flinched back and then sat up part way as I tried to shove Tanya off of me.  Everything went blurry and swimmy again as I felt heavy arms push me back against the floor and soft hands cradle my face.

"Bella."

***

As Sam always said on Quantum Leap - "Oh boy..."

See you Friday!

Walt Disney World Day Two

Today will be our first full day at Disney World in Orlando.  Yesterday was a blast, though we were all very tired by the end of it.  My daughter is keeping a list of all the modes of transport we've used on this trip.  I think all we're missing now is a boat and a helicopter!  LOL  We hope to check out the remainder of Magic Kingdom and Epcot today.

I'm up early, hoping the rest of them will follow suit soon because I want some breakfast!  In the meantime, I shall get a little writing done.  

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow to all my USA friends!  We shall be celebrating at Downtown Disney with dinner at Planet Hollywood after watching my son's jazz band play!  Woo hoo!

Have a great day!

Tuesday Teaser - Caged Chapter 20

Did you think I forgot what day it was?  Well, at least in my timezone, it's still Tuesday, so this is still a Tuesday Teaser.  :)  I'm currently vacationing at Disney World, and just got back from watching the parade at the Magic Kingdom.  My feet are killing me!  But I wouldn't forget you all deserve a teaser.  And this definitely counts as such. ;)

***

The tips of my fingers traced lightly over the skin of her inner thigh, and I felt her shiver under my touch.  Her hand wrapped tighter around mine, but she wasn’t really trying to stop me.

“I only got to fuck you once this morning,” I reminded her.  “We’re behind schedule.”

“Not in the back of a car with someone else driving!” Bella whispered harshly.

“Well, you can’t do it in the back of a car when you are driving!” I told her.  “That would be dangerous!”

Bella stifled a laugh with her hand, which left my hand free to roam around her thigh some more.  My mouth followed the contours of her bare shoulder, then back up her throat.  My lips covered hers, and the taste of her brought back the urgency of my need for her.  One hand gripped her thigh, and the other grabbed the back of her head, pulling her closer to me as I devoured her lips and tongue.  I finally pulled away when I was starting to run out of breath.

“I need you,” I whispered into her ear.  The previous tightness in my chest constricted again, and the words came out strained and a lot more desperate sounding than I intended as the weight of the evening crushed me.  “I need to be inside you.”

***

O.o

Hopefully, I will have time to finish the chapter while hanging around the Disney parks.  I can't swear to anything at this point, because it's only about half way done, but I'll try! :)

Tuesday Teaser! Caged Chapter 19!

Hello Caged readers!  It's another Tuesday, which means a brief glimpse into the next chapter of Caged!  Extra thanks yous go out to brodeurgirl30, who made the manip!

***

Chelsea stood at the bottom of the stairs with her graying hair coiled up into a fancy bun of some sort.  Her bright red dress didn’t match the season so well, but it made her look stunning.  Aro’s hair was pulled back inconspicuously, and his tie and cummerbund matched his wife’s attire, but I barely saw them.

Bella was near the door, and as soon as my eyes made contact with her, everything else disappeared.

Deep blue accentuated her cream-colored skin and brought out the deep brown of her eyes.  One strap over her left shoulder left her collarbones and right shoulder bare, and the flowing sheer skirt showed off her beautiful legs, with her feet encased in silver, high heeled shoes.

She was covered in sapphires and diamonds, from the three-tiered pendant necklace to the large bracelet on her wrist, and the drop earrings.  There was even a sapphire and diamond ring on her right finger.

I lifted my hand up and made a motion for her to turn around.  She complied, showing me the intricate nature of the back of the dress.  The single strap over her left shoulder met with the two pieces of fabric coming from around her front, and gathered together at her lower back in a slight V shape, leaving most of her back exposed.  As she spun around, I saw the tiny little clutch purse on her wrist and had to hold in a laugh.

I reached out, placed my hands on her hips, and brought her against me.  I leaned in close to kiss her right below her ear.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” I whispered in her ear.  “With you here, I just might survive tonight.  I know seeing you like this has made it all worthwhile.”
***

The wedding is bound to be interesting!  Tune in Friday after the BD2 premier and check out the complete chapter!

See you then!

Tuesday Teaser Time! Caged Chaoter 18!

Here's a little something to keep you occupied as you stand in line to vote!

***

The server brought over the list of today’s desserts, and we settled on one giant piece of cappuccino cake with chocolate and caramel drizzled all over it, along with two forks.  Bella moaned when she bit into it, and the sound circled around my dick and gave the moody little bastard a tug.

Unable to help myself, I carved a bit off with my own fork, and then held it out to Bella.  Her eyes stayed locked with mine, peering up at me through her lashes, as she slowly took the bite into her mouth and hummed again.

Thanks Kris Mkystich for the manip!

“This is incredible,” she said.

I couldn’t have agreed more, and I hadn’t even tasted it.  Bella was determined to rectify that fact, and fed me a bite from her own fork.  The chocolate was creamy, and the deep taste of coffee and caramel just made the whole thing nothing short of decadent.

As she leaned towards me, I could see through the outline of Bella’s form-fitting dress that there weren’t any bra lines. 

Yeah…decadent.

Or is that depraved?

We continued on, feeding each other bites and ignoring everyone around us.  We didn’t speak, just tasted – the silence only broken when Bella groaned at the taste of every bite.  As the cake disappeared, Bella ended up with a bit of it on the side of her face, which I had reach out and wipe from the side of her mouth.  As I did, she turned towards my hand and licked the chocolate off my finger.

“Holy shit,” a deep voice called out.  “Edward?  Is that you?”

***

Hmmm....who could that be?  

What would you give to have Edward feed you cake?

Find out on Friday at 10pm when chapter 18 posts!

See you then!