My Sexy Saturday: Beauty’s release

by with 5 Comments ExcerptsMeg & Matt

LynnSexySaturday_buttonIsn’t “Beauty’s Release” the title of an Anne Rice book? Haven’t read it, but I was in high school when I first heard of it. I remember being intrigued by the mere idea of her Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, written under the pen name A.N. Roquelaure. I’d just read—and fallen in love with—THE VAMPIRE LESTAT, and wanted to read all the Anne Rice books I could get my hands on.

You can imagine that, in small-town Indiana in the late 1980s, the Beauty trilogy wasn’t readily available on the library shelf. I wonder if they have it even now …

Ahem. File that under “jaunt down memory lane.” Funny how the strangest things send you down that road, eh? When I typed in my blog post title, I was off.

Beauty and the Ballplayer | Arlene HittleWelcome to the My Sexy Saturday in which I get to celebrate the release of BEAUTY AND THE BALLPLAYER. BEAUTY, which went live Thursday, has been many things to me — my first manuscript set somewhere outside the Midwest (in Flagstaff, Ariz), the first one with a baseball player hero, the first (and only) one to final in the Golden Heart (and win the FCRW Beacon).

Yet it’s the second book in my All Is Fair in Love & Baseball series. How’d that happen?

Not only was BEAUTY the second book I sold to Turquoise Morning Press, it fell second in my Arizona Condors timeline. Dave and Mel had already bumped into one another and reconciled by the time Matt meets Meg. In fact, Dave’s experience, which Matt went through alongside him, plays a role in Matt’s reasons for doing some of the things he does to piss Meg off. (DIVA IN THE DUGOUT came out of Matt’s explanation to Meg.)

You know the My Sexy Saturday drill by now, right?

Post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words ONLY. The choice is yours. It can be from a WIP or something you already have published. Your post should be live by 9 am US Pacific Time on Saturday. Put those lucky 7s to work for you!

This scene, from the early chapters, finds Matt kicked out of his hotel room while his brother, super-stylist Stan, cuts Meg’s hard-to-manage hair. Roping his brother into cutting her hair was Matt’s “in” to see her again. While he kills time in the lobby, one of his teammates tries to pick up the hotel restaurant’s hostess. The kid enlists Matt’s help, and Matt realizes she’s a baseball groupie just as Meg and his brother get to the lobby. But Meg doesn’t know he’s a ballplayer, and that’s the way he likes it … so he has to get her out the door before the hostess exposes his identity.

****

Matt pushed the door open and dragged her through it just as flashes started going off behind them.

Desperate that she not turn around to try to see what—or rather who—someone was attempting to photograph, he wrapped an arm around her waist and bent his head to kiss her.

Her lips were soft. Extremely soft. Beyond that, she tasted like something he couldn’t put his finger on. Slightly salty, but comforting.

As he maneuvered her away from the doors and into the darkness, he deepened the kiss. She responded in kind, and he forgot where he was. Forgot everything except kissing this woman who didn’t want him only for his talent.

Oh, she wanted him all right, but not because he could play baseball. That couldn’t be why; she had no clue.

Spurred by the thought, Matt pushed Meg against the wall. He was about to hike her leg up over his hip to draw her closer when his brother’s voice whispered in his ear.

“Matty, you don’t want people to see you out here like this, do you?”

Beauty and the Ballplayer, available now from Turquoise Morning Press and other e-tailers.

 

My Sexy Saturday: Meet Meg & Matt

by with 3 Comments ExcerptsMeg & Matt

LynnSexySaturday_buttonHi, all. It’s been a while since I’ve jumped in with a My Sexy Saturday post. But with BEAUTY AND THE BALLPLAYER set to release in mid-March and SLIDING INTO HOME in mid-April , it’s high time I get back in the habit.

Blog hops like this are a fun way to share info about a new release, don’t you think?

A quick refresher on the rules:

Post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words ONLY. The choice is yours. It can be from a WIP or something you already have published. Your post should be live by 9 am US Pacific Time on Saturday. Put those lucky 7s to work for you!

Beauty and the Ballplayer | Arlene HittleBEAUTY is my newest release, but it’s far from a new story. It’s the manuscript secured me my first (and only) RWA Golden Heart finalist title, way back in 2011. (Wow 2011 seems like forever ago …) It’s the second book in my Love & Baseball series, and the only one set in my adopted hometown of Flagstaff. The Arizona Condors are in Flagstaff for spring training. Matt, the team’s catcher, is feeling every one of his 28 years now that the manager has added a rookie catcher to the roster.

Here are seven paragraphs from the opening scene, in which Meg, who just that morning discovered she’s pregnant, and Matt meet in a bar. What’s a pregnant woman doing in a bar, you ask? Drinking 7-UP and commiserating with her coworkers, all of them glad they’re still employed after a fresh round of layoffs at the ad agency where she works.

Hard to say which of them is having a worse day, eh?

***

After enduring his appraisal, Meg had no qualms about completing one of her own. She slid her gaze from the tuft of thick, chestnut hair poking through the back of his burgundy-and-white cap downward, over his golden-brown eyes, straight nose and smiling mouth. She took in his toned arms, broad chest, tree-trunk thighs and—oh my.

Perhaps he had good reason for his arrogance. She jerked her eyes back to his face. After they’d mentally stripped each other, it didn’t feel right to not know the man’s name. She extended her hand. “I’m Meg.”

He eyed her outstretched hand and his lips lifted again. She grinned back as she rescinded her offer. He was right. They already knew each other too well for a mere handshake.

Awareness jolted through Meg when he rested a hand on her knee. “Matt.”

“Well, Matt, I’d like to say it’s nice to meet you, but I can’t say that to the guy who took my table.” She shifted ever so slightly, hoping to break the strange hold he had over her.

Matt chuckled. “Would it help if I told you I’ve had one hell of a day?”

BEAUTY AND THE BALLPLAYER, coming from Turquoise Morning Press in March 2014.

My Sexy Saturday: Willow’s Grove welcome

by with No Comment Excerpts

LynnSexySaturday_buttonIt’s been a few weeks since I’ve joined in the My Sexy Saturday fun. A couple of weeks ago, I was so sick that there were several days the laptop stayed firmly closed. And then I was spending time with the Boyfriend and doing last-minute Christmas prep.

Not to worry. I’m back in the saddle again. (And if the phrase doesn’t give you an annoying ear worm, click here for a lovely Aerosmith flashback.)

The rules are simple:

Post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words. The choice is yours. It can be from a WIP or something you already have published. Your post should be live by 9 am US Pacific Time on Saturday. Put those lucky 7s to work for you!

This week, I’m taking you back to Willow’s Grove. The holidays aren’t quite over yet, and Cher and Derrick have more to offer. And I’m cheating a bit. Since I didn’t have any paragraphs last week, you get 12 this time. Don’t worry: Some are short.

In this scene,  Derrick has just picked Cher up for their dinner date at DeLuca’s Italian restaurant in nearby Willow’s Grove. She’s second-guessing the outfit she borrowed from her sister, a black mini-dress almost completely covered with a soft lavender cardigan, worried it makes her look like a reject from a Barney the Dinosaur casting call.

***

“I feel like a thrift store refugee.”

“Don’t. That sweater looks better on you than your sister.” With that, Derrick pulled back onto the highway and pointed the car toward Willow’s Grove.

“Thanks.” She cringed when her laugh came out too high-pitched. With all the adulation she got from audiences, surely she ought to be able to handle a simple compliment without getting nervous. Then again, nothing about Derrick had ever been simple. As hard as she chased him in high school, she’d only ever succeeded in pushing him farther away.

“I won’t tell Carrie you said that.”

With his eyes fixed on the road, he shrugged. “I don’t care if you do.”

When he lapsed into silence, Cheryl sank back into the passenger seat, cursing the impulse that had prompted her to say yes to his dinner invitation. If they were already out of things to say, how would they ever survive the rest of the drive to Willow’s Grove? Even dinner at DeLuca’s wasn’t worth torturing herself with thirty minutes of strained silence.

“Cher, I—”

“Derrick—”

They began speaking at the same time. Derrick chuckled. “Ladies first.”

She took a deep breath. If she put a stop to this abomination of an outing now, she could borrow Carrie’s car and drive to DeLuca’s for garlic bread after Derrick took her home. “I just wanted to say you don’t have to feel obligated to be nice to me. I’m a big girl. My sister’s fiancé’s best friend and I don’t have to be on speaking terms.”

Derrick didn’t answer right away. Instead, he pulled to the shoulder and guided the car to a stop. His smoky gray eyes were inscrutable as he studied her for several long moments.

Finally, he rumbled, “Cher, I didn’t ask you out for El’s sake.”

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

My Sexy Saturday: Holiday heat

by with One Comment Cher & DerrickExcerpts

LynnSexySaturday_buttonDashing through the malls? That’s so last week.

‘Tis now the season for holding hands with the one you love while strolling through freshly fallen snow and cuddling (and more) in front of a blazing fire. No need to shiver in sub-zero temps when there are so many fun, creative ways to stay warm, right?

The hero and heroine in my holiday short, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, have no trouble staying warm. Cue today’s My Sexy Saturday snippet. Cher has just admitted to Derrick the real reason she’s back in town, and asked him not to tell anyone, even their mutual friend, Elliott.

****

“Especially El. He’d tell my sister, and she’d blab it to everyone we know—not to mention every total stranger we run across. I don’t want my medical history to become fodder for the gossip rags. Any rumors about Starshine’s future would be bad for business.”

He made a zipped-lips motion. “They don’t call me The Vault for nothing.”

The mention of his high school nickname brought a smile to Cher’s lips. “I thought that was because your parents had more money than God.”

“That, too.” His teeth flashed white in the darkness. “But people tell me things. I must have a face you can trust or something.”

“Or something,” she echoed, her eyes glued to Derrick’s supposed trustworthy face. With his killer smile and cheekbones sharp enough to slice a bagel, trust wasn’t the first thing that came to mind. More like hot, sweaty nights. “What do you say we get inside before we end up with frostbite?”

Wrapping his arms around her, he nuzzled her neck. “We probably ought to wait until the rest of the family leaves, to avoid any more pleas to join in.”

She pressed against him, letting his body’s heat surge through her. No danger of frostbite as long as they were together. “I like the way you think.”

Get HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Only 99 cents — less expensive (and fattening) than a fancy coffee drink.

My Sexy Saturday: Coming home

by with No Comment Excerpts

LynnSexySaturday_buttonIt’s Saturday—time for another installment of everyone’s favorite blog hop, My Sexy Saturday.

A quick reminder of the rules:

Post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words. The choice is yours. It can be from a WIP or something you already have published. Your post should be live by 9 am US Pacific Time on Saturday. Put those lucky 7s to work for you!

Arlene_HomeHolidays_300dpi(1600x2560)This week, I’m celebrating the release of my holiday novella, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

The tale of a singing sensation forced to return to her tiny Indiana hometown just in time for Thanksgiving is a little bit sexy, a little bit sweet and a whole lotta hilarious.

Enjoy this sneak peek:

Derrick didn’t seem to mind her lapse into brainlessness. He merely chuckled and stepped away to strip off his T-shirt, revealing the muscles she’d been fantasizing about all night. Hair dusted his chest, narrowing down to …

Oh my. They weren’t in high school anymore. This Derrick was all man, and finally, all hers. She raised her eyes back to his face too late. He’d caught her looking.

His lips quirked up in amusement. “You looked your fill yet?”

Not trusting her voice, she nodded.

“Good. Now it’s my turn.”

“What?”

“Strip for me, Sweetness.”

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, my indie publishing debut, available Monday at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

My Sexy Saturday: Home for the Holidays

by with One Comment Excerpts

LynnSexySaturday_buttonThe release of my holiday novella, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, is just around the corner. It’s my first indie release, and I’m stoked.

Does anyone say stoked anymore? Probably not. I’m hopelessly uncool—and mathematically challenged. (More on that in a future post.)

To celebrate my upcoming indie debut, I’m dedicating this week’s My Sexy Saturday snippet to HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

Since I’ve been too busy to play for a couple of weeks, here’s a quick refresher on the My Sexy Saturday rules:

Post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words. The choice is yours. It can be from a WIP or something you already have published. Your post should be live by 9 am US Pacific Time on Saturday. Put those lucky 7s to work for you!

Arlene_HomeHolidays_300dpi(1600x2560)In this sweet and sexy holiday short, singer Cheryl “Cher” Stanton reluctantly returns to her tiny Indiana hometown for Thanksgiving—and some forced R&R. When her mom’s SUV swerves into a ditch to avoid a cow in the road, she hits her head on the dash. One of the paramedics answering the call is Derrick Mullins, her high school friend and the one guy who didn’t know she existed … or so she thought. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

In this scene, Derrick has—at his best friend’s urging—returned to the scene of the accident to talk to Cher, whom he hadn’t recognized at first. She was more than a bit put out that he’d called her “ma’am.”

****

… She found herself hurt and angry he hadn’t seen through the disguise. “You know me well enough.”

His eyebrows shot skyward. “After ten years? I don’t think so. A lot’s changed since then.”

“Well, excuse me for not peaking in high school.”

The smoldering fire in Derrick’s gray eyes set her soul ablaze, offsetting the chill in the crisp November air. “Sweetheart, you can trust me when I say I’ve improved with age.”

To distract herself from the flash of desire his comment sparked, she lowered her lids and tapped her inner smart-aleck. “You think so, huh? You’re not wine or cheese.”

That was a line of crap and she knew it. Even in the watery gray early morning light, he looked as good now as he had in high school. Better even, if she took into account the broader shoulders and more masculine presence. He knew it, too, judging by his sly grin. Damn the man. Why couldn’t he have developed a paunch, or better yet, started balding?

A low, sexy laugh rumbled from deep in his throat. “Wine and cheese aren’t the only things that get better with age, Cher.”

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, coming to Amazon and Barnes & Noble Nov. 25 … just in time for the holidays. Can’t wait to read more? Find the first chapter at TheCheapEbook.com.

My Sexy Saturday: DIVA’s big moment

by with No Comment Dave & MelindaExcerpts

LynnSexySaturday_buttonCan you feel the excitement? I sure can.

My debut romance, DIVA IN THE DUGOUT, will be up for sale at Turquoise Morning Press this week. To celebrate, this week’s My Sexy Saturday seven are from that story. (Yes, this time I’m using a snippet from the actual book, not something I cut.)

This moment comes at the end of a long, emotionally charged day, the day Dave and his daughter meet for the first time, under mamma Melinda’s watchful—and slightly green—eye. Mel’s having trouble reconciling how enamored Tara is with all things “Daddy,” in part because she, too, is still attracted to the man.

When Tara demands that Dave be the one to put her to bed and read her a bedtime story, Mel can’t resist peeking in. Touched by the sight of father and daughter together at last, her emotions are churning when she sits down on the couch with Dave.

***

Diva-Dugout-AHittle-LGWhen he reached out to brush her hair off her face, Mel reared back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Dave’s grin flickered on in full force, and something else melted inside her. “Renewing our acquaintance.”

There had to be something wrong with that idea, but Mel suddenly couldn’t think what. She leaned into him, her lips parted, already begging for a kiss.

His lips settled over hers and his tongue swept into her mouth. Her senses swirled with the touch of his tongue until she barely noticed he was repositioning her onto his lap.

Mel’s body remembered. Her nipples puckered and her panties grew damp in response to the erection nudging through two layers of denim. Dave deepened the kiss. His hands settled on her hips, bringing the most intimate part of her more firmly in contact with him.

Caught up in old memories and new sensations, she didn’t object when he eased her back against the arm of the couch and started fumbling with the button on her shorts. She wasn’t thinking of Tara, just upstairs, or the fact that Luanne would arrive any minute.

She wanted—no, needed—this. Sex. With Muscles. She hadn’t had intimate relations with anyone since…since a disastrous reunion attempt with Bud when Tara was nine months old.

DIVA IN THE DUGOUT, out this week!

My Sexy Saturday: Meg & Matt

by with One Comment ExcerptsMeg & Matt

It’s Saturday! That means it’s time for My Sexy Saturday. *Cue happy dance.*

The rules:

Post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words ONLY. The choice is yours. It can be from a WIP or something you already have published. Your post should be live by 9 am US Pacific Time on Saturday. Put those lucky 7s to work for you!

Since I just turned BEAUTY AND THE BALLPLAYER in to my my editor, it’s uppermost in my thoughts. This week’s sexy seven are part of a scene between Meg and Matt. They’ve just paused for a kiss in a Flagstaff park.

***

A whistle split the air, breaking the spell Matt had cast over her with his kiss. She looked in the direction from which it had come and saw a teenage boy grinning at them. He flashed them a thumbs-up.

Meg felt her cheeks get warm. “I think you have a fan.”

“Are you kidding? He’s probably staring at you. I’m just a guy. You’re the babe.”

There he went again, handing out unnecessary compliments. She rolled her eyes. “And you’re the baseball player. I bet he recognizes you.”

Matt shook his head and motioned at the kid, who edged closer to them, eyebrows lifted in an unspoken question. Matt asked, “Do you know who I am?”

When the teen shook his head and ambled off, Matt grinned. “Told you he was admiring you.”

“Or he was admiring your technique,” she shot back.

Beauty and the Ballplayer, coming in March 2014 from Turquoise Morning Press.

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My Sexy Saturday: More fun with Dave and Melinda

by with 3 Comments Excerpts

LynnSexySaturday_buttonThank goodness for My Sexy Saturday. Without its weekly posts, this blog would get none of my attention at all.

Does it matter that I’m waist-deep in the first draft of my third Love and Baseball story? It’s still untitled for now, but I’m falling for Anne Marie Becker‘s suggestion, SLIDING INTO HOME. It works on more than one level:

  1. The hero, Greg, who’s always done all he can to distance himself from his famous father, has to make peace with dear ol’ dad. He must find his way home—both figuratively and literally.
  2. And then there’s the obvious baseball analogy involving Greg and his heroine, Jenn. Will he score with her? (Would he be the hero of a sexy romance if he didn’t?)

What do you think? Do I have a winner with SLIDING INTO HOME?

I just got word from Turquoise Morning Press that they’ve slated my next two stories, BEAUTY AND THE BALLPLAYER and the untitled masterpiece I’m currently writing madly, for March 2014 and April 2014, respectively. That’s just in time for a new baseball season …

But for now, I want to focus on my October release, DIVA IN THE DUGOUT*. For this week’s sexy seven, I’m returning to that deleted opening scene. After Dave and Mel had their fun, here’s how the morning after plays out.

***

She tiptoed around the room, gathering up her clothes. She found her skirt on the bathroom doorknob and her shirt on the floor beside the bed. Her bra dangled from the corner of the mirror. Her panties —

Where were her panties? She didn’t see them anywhere. They weren’t on the floor, or the chair or even the bathroom door. Wait — there they were, tangled in the sheet at Muscles’ feet. It looked like they were wrapped around his big toe.

Well, hell. She’d never get them back without disturbing his slumber.

Stifling a sigh, Mel slipped into the rest of her clothes and made her way to the door. Sans panties, she’d have to watch every step of the long walk home.

As she quietly closed the door behind her, she made a mental note to herself: Next time you’re having anonymous sex with a hot stranger, be more careful where you throw your clothes.

Or wear pants.

This time, Mel didn’t scoff at her conscience. Pants sounded like an excellent idea. If she ever wanted to have revenge sex with another hot, nameless stranger, she’d do it in denim.

DIVA IN THE DUGOUT, coming in October 2013 from Turquoise Morning Press.

*Scene not included in book.

 

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My SexySaturday: Wild Boys

by with 2 Comments Dave & MelindaExcerpts

Er … don’t get the wrong idea. There’s only one Wild Boy, actually.

I just couldn’t resist the chance to misappropriate another ’80s song title for a blog post. (Like The Escape Club, I’m  living in the ’80s— just not headed for the ’90s. We’re smack-dab in the middle of 2013. Yikes. How did that happen?)

LynnSexySaturday_buttonIt’s Saturday again, and I’m sure you haven’t stopped by my blog to listen to me wax nostalgic for ’80s music. You’re here to check out this week’s My Sexy Saturday offering, right?

The rules, for those of you playing for the first time:

Post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words. The choice is yours. It can be from a WIP or something you already have published. Your post should be live by 9 am US Pacific Time on Saturday. Put those lucky 7s to work for you!

A while back, I treated you to seven paragraphs of deleted material from DIVA IN THE DUGOUT. With DIVA coming out in less than a month*, I thought I’d give you another seven deleted paragraphs, this time from Dave’s point of view—hence the Wild Boy in the title.

Five years ago, when he and Mel first met, Dave was as wild as they come. Now, his challenge is to shed that bad boy image once and for all and step into the toughest role of his life: Fatherhood.

Keep in mind, this is from the first chapter that I decided was really a prologue before ruthlessly slashing it from the finished manuscript. (A hero and heroine both behaving badly made neither look sympathetic.)

***

Arizona Condors shortstop Dave Reynolds cocked his head as he considered the perky blonde’s question. He was always up for a little off-the-field action.

“What do you have?”

Her smile widened as she brushed her breasts against his chest again. God, she was beautiful. The short, spiky haircut emphasized her green eyes and full, pouty lips — classic beauty queen looks some women would kill for. “You mean I’m not enough?”

When she seemed ready to pull away, Dave held her fast. Hard nipples contrasted with soft, full tits. The concierge at his team’s hotel had said the locals were friendly, but this woman’s greeting went beyond friendly. She’d plopped into his lap and kissed him “hello.” Now she wanted to party.

The party in his pants was already in full swing, due in large part to her enthusiasm. Not that he was surprised. Women loved athletes, and he took full advantage of the Condors’ road trips to get his share of tail.  It wasn’t usually quite this easy, though. Apparently everything — including desire — was bigger in Texas.

“You never answered my question.” The blonde watched him expectantly.

He noted the freckles dusting her nose. Despite her objection to being called young, she couldn’t be much more than 18 years old. But at 24, it wasn’t like he was over the hill. And if this barely legal Texas babe wanted to party, who was he to say no?

Dave swallowed again. “I think you’ll be more than enough.”

DIVA IN THE DUGOUT, coming from Turquoise Morning Press the week of Oct. 15. (*Scene not included.)