As
of this morning, readers have visited Smashwords to downloaded 247
free copies of the three books I have participating in the Authors
Give Back Promotion: Hearts
& Handcuffs: Romantic Kink;
The
Witches of Gloucester;
and The
Heart of the Deal: Business, Bondage, Discipline and Desire.
I’m
happy so many people are taking a chance on my stories. And I hope
that the books are contributing, just a bit, to making the day-to-day
anxieties and inconveniences of the pandemic more bearable.
Of
course, I also hope that in at least a few cases, the people who’ve
downloaded the free books will like my writing enough to actually pay
for some of my other titles. However, that’s really secondary. I’m
a strong believer in karma; you reap the harvest of what you sow,
positive and negative. Hopefully these books are seeds of love,
laughter and hope.
You
can find the blurbs for all three books here. Meanwhile, I have a
quick excerpt from The Witches of Gloucester, a lesbian
fantasy romance, for your reading pleasure.
Bang!
Bang! What the heck? Who could be
knocking on her bright yellow door? No one but her mother knew
Emmeline was hiding out here, and Mom had sworn to keep the secret
safe. In particular, she didn’t want Timothy showing up, begging
for another chance. Everyone had told them that they made a perfect
couple, but she understood now just how false that perception was.
“Go
away,” she muttered to herself. “Nobody’s home.” The banging
continued, however. Maybe whoever was out there had caught a glimpse
of her out here behind the building.
Bang,
bang! The window rattled in its frame. Would they kick the door in if
she didn’t answer?
“Okay,
okay – I’m coming.”
The
door didn’t have a peephole. Hiding herself behind the door,
Emmeline peeked out through the wavy glass of the old windowpanes.
Two
women stood side by side on the short path that led from the street
to her door. Two very remarkable women.
The
one on the left made Emmeline think of a lioness. A gleaming black
mane framed her face, which featured high cheekbones and unusually
plump lips. Her caramel-hued skin flowed over finely balanced muscle,
alternately hidden and revealed by the royal purple cape that
fluttered from her bare shoulders. Underneath, she wore a brief,
sleeveless black dress that molded to her generous curves. As
unlikely as it seemed on a steamy June day in New England, the dress
appeared to be made of leather.
The
one on the right was as fair as her companion was dark. A storm of
red curls tumbled over her shoulders, catching glints from the
afternoon sun. Her chin was perhaps a bit too sharp, her nose a
little too prominent, for her to be called classically beautiful, but
she had a sort of presence that drew the eye and the mind. Like the
Amazon queen at her side, the redhead was taller than average, but
she had a slighter build, compact and athletic rather than
voluptuous. She was clad in a long Indian print skirt that grazed her
instep and a green cotton halter top which made it abundantly clear
she wore no bra. Brass bangles circled her wrists and her ankles,
tinkling softly when she shifted her weight. Perhaps it was just her
classic hippie image – though she could not have been older than
thirty – but Emmeline thought she looked familiar.
Both
visitors wore smiles of such warmth that Emmeline felt embarrassed.
How could she be so suspicious and inhospitable? She unlatched the
bolt and swung the door wide.
“Yes?
Can I help you?”
“Good
afternoon.” The redhead glanced at a scrap of paper she carried.
“Ms. Emmeline Scott?”
Suspicion
tugged at Emmeline’s spirit. She ignored it. “Yes, that’s me,
though I can’t imagine how you would know.”
“Electric
company records, Ms. Scott.” The lioness had a musical voice that
soothed away all Emmeline’s concerns. Indeed, when the woman paused
for breath, Emmeline ached for her to continue, to hear that melody
again. “Forgive us for what may seem like an invasion of privacy,
but we’re from the Ladies’ Welcome Brigade. When we heard through
the grapevine that a young woman had rented old Flaherty’s cottage,
we felt we should drop by and say hello.”
“Um
– that’s very kind of you. Thanks very much.” Emmeline suddenly
remembered how scantily she was dressed. Hot blood climbed into her
cheeks. She was annoyed to realize that her nipples had beaded under
her thin shirt and that her denim shorts had stuck to her skin.
“We
wanted to make sure you have everything you need.” The
copper-haired hippie picked up where the lioness left off. “We
thought you might be lonely out here by yourself.”
~~~~
Get
your copy of this luscious FFF fantasy today! The Authors Give Back
event continues until the 20th of April.
