Seasons Change- Fall Into Love with… your hostess 🙂

by | Nov 16, 2010 | Christian authors | 24 comments

As you guys know, it’s the last week of Seasons Change – Fall Into Love series. My hope is that the wonderful Missy Tippens will have her excerpt ready for us by Friday – we’re still waiting on a few of the logistics about approval and all that- but in the meantime, I’m going to share an excerpt from my wip.

It’s so much easier to ask other people my questions, instead of having to reflect on them myself. I guess that’s why I always add my excerpts at the ends of my series, so I can glean from all the brilliant writers who answered before me J

As a gift for one lucky commenter today, I’m giving away Sharon Gillenwater’s newest novel, Emily’s Chance. So make sure to leave a comment about your favorite movie that shows the hero/heroine recognizing a growing love between them.

What are some elements that are present when a hero and heroine first realize they are falling in love with each other?

I love the moments when the attraction comes as a surprise to one or both characters. There are so many great ways to watch ‘romance’ happen between two characters. The hostile-attraction – like Darcy/Elizabeth or Just Like Heaven ; the slow-growing attraction – like Anne Shirley and Gilbert; the sweet attraction – like My Big Fat Greek Wedding; the forbidden attraction – Jane Eyre or Romeo & Juliet; and the timid attraction/or fear of falling – Persuasion.

I like to watch all of them unfold – especially if the tension or conflict is high.

So, here are two excerpts from two of my wips:

The first is from my Speculative Fiction (hostile-attraction) 🙂 Heartless:

Sophia stumbled forward, the foliage a tangled barrier of vines and bush, pinching her palms as she pushed through them.  A clearing opened up among the trees, filled with angle high grass, twigs, and three bodies. Two lay splintered with wood and Ethan bent over the third. He spoke with his back to her, hands resting on the head of, what appeared to be, a teenage boy.

“Have trouble finding your way?”

                Maybe she should do herself a favor and kill him now. He kept provoking her.

                He turned then and his gaze locked with hers for a brief moment before he shot to his feet. “What happened?”

His aqua eyes scanned her face, her body, focused concern so intense she lost her train of thought.  Raw emotion, pure and uncovered, exuded from him as evident as the twin trail of blood from the teen’s neck.  She fought the connection, the offering, and looked down at the boy.

Ethan stepped nearer. “You’re bleeding.”

It took a moment for his words to register. She followed his darkening gaze with her hand to her forehead, finger gliding from her wet hair to a sticky substance. Her lips closed around a wince. “You left your partner behind.”

Ethan’s brows shot heavenward, and then, with the ease of a sunrise, his lips tilted slightly. “Partner, is it?”

Sophia pushed past him and knelt beside the boy. “I obey orders.” She tossed a grin over her shoulder, but not the nice kind. “That’s why you’re still alive.”

This second excerpt is from my contemporary romance, A Twist of Faith, set in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mtns

He checked over his shoulder to see if Doc was still following. Nope, she stood stone still at the bottom of the porch steps with Haus sniffing at her heels. Their gazes locked. He offered a smile. She grimaced. Seemed ‘bout right.

“That’s Haus, my grandpa’s hound.”

Reece adjusted the keys in the door and clicked it open.

“Where does he live?”

“Here.” Reece turned to her and leaned against the doorframe. “We ain’t been able to get him to understand that grandpa’s dead. So he hangs around here and someone usually stops by once a day to check on him. There’s no better dog in all of Virginia.”

“Wh…what’s he doing?”

Reece cocked his head and studied the old dog. “Well, he must like you. He’s smilin’ at ya.”

Doc visibly shuddered. “Smiling? Is that what you call it?”

Reece looked from Dee to Haus. How else could he describe it? The dog was smilin’. Hadn’t the woman every seen a smilin’ dog before?

Doc shrugged past Reece, her attention so focused on Haus, she stumbled over Reece’s foot. In one fluid motion, he steadied her in his arms. Her hands gripped his shoulders and momentum pushed her forward until her nose grazed his chin, fanning warm breath down his neck. Explosions erupted in his stomach, and if she hadn’t pushed him away so fast, he’d have beaten her to it. He had to get out of there. Quick.

“I’m not much of a dog person.”

Reece backed out the door, half falling, and hoped for an easy grin. “That’s alright. He don’t mind none.” The threshold of the door stood between them like a visible wall, but it couldn’t hide the faint bloom of color in her face. Ignore it. It didn’t make her look that much more attractive.  He cleared his throat and nodded toward the staircase inside. “There are two bedrooms upstairs and a ladder  to the attic. Not much room for storage up there, cause it’s full of old stuff of my grandparents Mom ain’t gotten around to piddlin’ through yet.”

He had to look passed her to point toward the study, and caught her gaze fastened on him again, for a minute, till she quickly turned away. His words almost got stuck in his throat. She did have pretty eyes.

Hope you enjoyed today. Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to win Sharon Gillenwater’s latest release.

Blessings,

24 Comments

  1. Renee Ann

    Great excerpts, Pepper! Too bad there isn’t a publisher who’d pay you (and a few others I know who are shopping their manuscripts) to publish them little by little on your blog. Now that would be fun morning reading! I like how some of the lines showing the attraction between the characters are understated . . . “It didn’t make her look that much more attractive.” Makes the ebb and flow of emotion seem more real. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Pepper

      Thanks, Renee Ann.
      As tempted as I am to ‘see’ them in print, I’m not quite THAT tempted yet. Besides, maybe my books are as ready for public consumption as I want them to be 🙂

      I really like the subtle hints. It’s not always easy to write those, but I love to sprinkle them in

      Reply
  2. Sherrinda

    I always love to read your stories, Pep. You bring so much emotion into them! 🙂 One day….they will be on my shelf.

    Reply
    • Pepper

      Sherrinda,
      sigh….
      Big smile!!

      Reply
  3. karenk

    a wonderful posting today (as always, pepper)…thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Pepper

      Thanks, Karen

      Reply
  4. Casey

    LOVE ’em! Love that one line, “her lips closed around wince” GREAT line!! Please don’t enter me, I’ll let Sherrinda take this one. 😉

    Reply
    • Sherrinda

      Wait, wait, wait! There is a giveaway????

      I don’t think I’m allowed anymore after winning Julie’s. Really, I am just so stinkin’ lucky at those things. Weird. Or God’s blessing upon me!!!!!!

      Reply
    • Pepper

      Casey!
      LOL…we dont’ let Sherrinda take them anymore. She’s a giveaway-hog. 😉

      As if Sherrinda needed any help, anyway. (snicker)

      Reply
      • Sherrinda

        *snort* It’s weird how lucky I am in book giveaways. I probably ought to break down and buy a lotto ticket, just to see what happens. 🙂

        Reply
  5. Laura Frantz

    Love your excerpts, Pepper!! You are so talented with different genres! I’ve often wished I could do that myself. Please don’t enter me in the giveaway. Just wanted to stop and say hi before closing down for the holidays. Prayers with you as you write…

    Reply
    • Pepper

      Thanks for the visit, Laura.
      have a wonderful holiday season. May God bless your time with your family…and your travels through the beautiful Blue Ridge and Smokes 🙂

      Reply
  6. Julie Lessman

    Okay, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I have NO clue why you aren’t published yet, but I gotta believe it’s down the road soon because you are just WAY too good not to be, my friend, and I truly say that from the heart.

    I am blessed enough to be able to read some of your pages today for a critique (yes, I am FINALLY done with edits and able to dive in to your wonderful work!!), so I am VERY excited!!

    Hugs,
    Julie

    Reply
    • Pepper

      Okay – Jules, I just read this and conviently swallowed my gum!!
      You’re reading my chapter. AHHHHH! I know you love me. I know you are the sweetest thing since apple crips smothered in vanilla ice cream, but I’m still super-nervous. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Mary Connealy

    Tripping and falling into someone’s arms is a classic. And classics are classics for a reason. Love it.

    Both of them.

    Good work, Pepper

    Reply
    • Pepper

      Thanks for visiting, Mary.
      You would know all about characters ‘falling’ wouldn’t you? Out of trees? Off cliffs? I think it’s a habit of yours.
      Does that mean that You are a classic? 🙂

      Reply
  8. Your Bro

    How can you fall when you’ve never landed?

    Reply
    • Pepper

      Bro,
      Are you getting existential on me or what?!?

      Reply
  9. Audra

    Great excerpts, Pepper! I love the way you can skip from sub genre to another. That’s talent, girlfriend. Pure talent.

    I love the intial meeting. Mr Darcy and Elizabeth being my fave.

    Beautifully done, Pepper!! You should interview yourself more often!!

    Reply
    • Pepper

      LOL, Audra.
      I talk to myself already. Interviewing myself should be the next step, right?
      Thanks for stopping by. I hope my genre-hopping doesn’t end up getting me into trouble, but stories just pop in my head from all different directions.
      It’s an interesting world to live in 🙂

      Reply
  10. Regina

    Those were both great, Pepper! Love the contemporary, but very intrigued by the speculative! Can’t wait to read them in PRINT!!!

    Reply
  11. Missy Tippens

    Great excerpts, Pepper! I’m so glad you did your own post today so we got to read. 🙂

    I’ll let you know about the excerpt tomorrow. Even if I haven’t gotten permission from Hq yet, I’ll at least answer the question! I love those special realization moments. They always make me sigh. In a good way! 🙂

    Reply
  12. Angie Dicken

    Wow, Pepper…your writing is so vivid! So great 🙂

    Reply
  13. Charlotte Kay

    Please enter me in this giveaway:)
    I so enjoy visiting this blog!

    Many blessings!

    Reply

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