By Desiree Holt (Guest Blogger)
With Christmas practically right
around the corner, I wanted to share a taste of my newest Christmas
story. Bang the Drummer is part of the collection The 12 Brides
of Christmas from The Wild Rose Press – a spicy version of
twelve drummers drumming!
Blurb
Jill
Kennedy has plans for a Christmas wedding. She's put down deposits
for the flowers, photos, and venue. Now all she needs is a groom. A
drummer who'll keep her life as steady as he keeps the beat to his
music. With her good friend Charlie Costello as her wingman, she'll
interview percussionists, one per month until she finds the right
tempo. But with Christmas approaching and no groom in sight, she's
starting to wonder if she'll ever bang the drummer of her dreams.
Excerpt
Jill
Kennedy curled up on her couch studying her iPad, frowning. Her
Christmas tree still twinkled in the corner although the holiday was
long past. Coldplay’s latest CD bumped its tunes out from her iPod
docking station. The last of her Christmas candles flicked in glass
holders on the coffee table, filling the room with the scent of pine
and cranberry. She should be feeling mellow, but instead her nerves
were jumping and a headache was creeping slowly up from the nape of
her neck.
Charlie
Costello lounged next to her, sock feet resting on her coffee table,
his hands tapping a steady rhythm on his thighs in time to the song.
Jill
tucked a strand of her shoulder-length sable-colored hair behind her
ear as she studied the information on the iPad screen.
“I
think I’ve got everything taken care of. Booked the Creekside
Winery. Ordered the decorations. Set up a tasting for the food and
Stella’s designing the wedding cake.” She glanced up at Charlie.
“Why are you looking at me in that strange way?”
He
gave her his familiar lop-sided grin. “You are the only woman I
know who plans and pays for her wedding without knowing who the groom
is.”
She
flipped a hand at him. “I’ll have one by then. It’s in the
plan. You know.”
He
threw back his head and laughed. “Yeah, I love your interview
process. You aren’t even dating anyone right now.”
“Because
look how poor my choices were in that arena, right?”
He
snorted. “So this is better? Tell me how?”
Jill
pulled up another memo on her iPad. “Okay. I have a list.”
“A
list? This I gotta hear. Lay it on me.”
If
she didn’t need his help so badly, she would have smacked him.
“It’s very specific. I asked around about different drummers in
different bands and narrowed it down to the twelve most likely
prospects. You know. Twelve drummers drumming, for Christmas.”
“Like
a grocery list,” he teased.
“No,
Charlie.” Damn him! “Like an interview process for a job.”
“Is
that what this is, kitten? A job?”
“It’s
a lifetime commitment,” she sniffed. She wished he’d just let her
get on with this. All these questions were making her have tiny
doubts about the wisdom of her decision. She gave herself a mental
shake. “I’ll do one a month until I hit on the right one. The
exact right one. First I check out their musical talent and their
band history.”
Charlie
gave a roar of laughter. “Because that’s such a requirement for
stability?”
“Because
it has to be a drummer so I need his performance history,” she
snapped.
“Maybe
it’s a different kind of performance you should be worrying about.”
“That
comes later. After the phone calls and the coffee dates to see how he
is in person and match our likes and dislikes.”
“Coffee
dates?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Not even a romantic dinner?”
She
wanted to sling the iPad at him. “I’ve been that route, remember?
The whole nine yards, and what did I get? A bunch of losers. No, I’m
doing this like a project for work. As a systems analyst, she knew
the importance of things being able to mesh on a practical basis. ”
So
you’re going to interview these bozos and then—what?”
“Drummers,”
she told him. “Interviewing drummers.”
He
cocked his head. “And that’s why?”
“I
told you.” She blew out a breath of exasperation. “Drummers have
the best beat. The best tempo. They’re the heart of the band.”
She grinned. “And have the best rhythm in bed.”
***
A
Recommended read from All Romance eBooks, the book is available now from all your favorite book sellers!
ARE
ARE
About
Me
Desiree
Holt’s writing is flavored with the rich experiences of her life,
including a long stretch in the music business representing every
kind of artist from country singer to heavy metal rock bands. For
several years she also ran her own public relations agency handling
any client that interested her, many of whom might recognize
themselves in the pages of her stories. She is twice a finalist for
an EPIC E-Book Award, a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice
Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at
The Romance Studio as well as twice a CAPA Award for best BDSM book
of the year, winner of the Holt Medallion, multiple winner of the
Whipped Cream Book of the Week Award and is published by five
different houses. Romance Junkies said of her work: “Desiree
Holt is the most amazing erotica author of our time and each story is
more fulfilling then the last.”
You
can find her at
Twitter
@desireeholt.com
Pinterest
desiree01holt
desireehol [at] desireeholt [dot] com
1 comment:
This sounds like so much fun, Desiree!
And I LOVE the cover!
Thanks for sharing with my readers.
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