Happy Saturday Readers,
Join me in helping to celebrate J.Arlene Culiner's release of her newest book...
A Swan’s Sweet Song
(Contemporary Romance from
The Wild Rose Press)
The
air sizzles when a country music star and renowned playwright meet, but can
opposites fall in love?
The instant
Sherry Valentine and Carston Hewlett meet, there’s desire and fascination in
the air…but they’re complete opposites.
Smart-talking
Sherry fought her way up from poverty to stardom as a country music singer.
Now, she’s ever in the limelight, ever surrounded by clamoring fans, male
admirers and paparazzi, and her spangled cowboy boots carry her all across the
country, from one brightly lit stage to the next.
A renowned but
reclusive playwright, Carston cherishes his freedom, the silence of his home in
the woods and his solitary country walks.
Any long-term
commitment is obviously out of the question: how about a quick and passionate fling?
But when their names are linked in the scandal
press, Sherry’s plans to become an actress are revealed. And the budding
relationship seems doomed.
EXCERPT
Perhaps she could avoid meeting
Carston Hewlett again and circumvent disaster. And why worry? She had a concert
to do, interviews to give, and contacts to make so her name stayed in the
forefront. And when this festival was over, she’d climb back into the bus with
Charlie and her boys and ride away. Perhaps head for the new career she’d been
dreaming about—because, according to Charlie, there was serious talk of a role
in a television series...
Yes, she had enough on her agenda.
No room for a temporary fling. A fling at a conference like this? That had
become so commonplace, it was positively banal. And, at
this stage of
her life, it
would also be undignified.
“There he is now,” said Charlie, ripping
into her thoughts.
“Right over there. On the left. You see?”
Of course, she saw. How could she miss him? Tall, mighty easy on the eye, he leaned, glass in hand, against a plaster pillar,
listening to the dozen people surrounding him.
“Don’t make plans,” she warned
Charlie. Yet she couldn’t avoid looking in Carston’s
direction again and noticed he didn’t
seem to be enjoying himself. Oh, he nodded politely
at what was being said, but his eyes had that vague glazed
look that comes just before sinking to the floor with boredom.
But didn’t he look delicious
in that brown silk shirt and elegant tweed jacket; look how those
jeans hugged his long legs. He was just the way she’d always imagined
a successful playwright should be: cool, intelligent, strong, and sexy.
As if aware she’d been watching
him, Carston turned slightly, caught her eye. She tried forcing
herself to look away. And failed.
For an eternity, their gaze held over the space
separating them. Then detaching himself from the surrounding group, he headed
in her direction.
She commanded herself to pretend indifference, but her pulse accelerated, and her heart thumped a sensual jungle beat. Was this supposed
to be pleasure? Something
closer to pure panic.
She swallowed, tried to summon up some zen-like calm…then
realized she didn’t have any available. She needed
help. Fast.
“Charlie?” she gasped. Looked
around. Damn! Where had that man gone now that she needed him? The only thing left to do was run. Except she was incapable of movement. Fool. The reprimand didn’t get
escape muscles into moving order.
Why come over here anyway?
What would they talk about? They had nothing,
absolutely nothing, in common. She had to stop staring
at him like this.
Here he was now, tiny inches away, his jaw a hard definite
line, his body that tight,
sinewy stretch she’d thought
about too many times during
the night. But it was the expression in his eyes, warm eyes, humorous
eyes, that confirmed her instinct:
the immediate, deep reaction was mutual. Try as hard as they could to avoid it, something
would happen. It was inevitable.
And for once, she, Sherry Valentine,
a woman with a smart answer, a flippant remark for everything, everyone, and every occasion, was tongue-tied.
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Born in New York, raised in Toronto, J. Arlene Culiner has spent most of her life in England, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Hungary and the Sahara. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no real interest. Much to everyone's dismay, she protects all living creatures -- especially spiders and snakes -- and her wild (or wildlife) garden is a classified butterfly and bird reserve.
Good morning J.Arlene, Congrats on your new book. What a great excerpt. Can you tell us what inspired your story?
ReplyDeleteHappy Release! Congratulations! How do you concentrate on writing with so much history and beauty in your surroundings?
ReplyDeleteBeen to all those places except the Sahara. Been to the Sinai though. and. Been a Country music singer in Switzerland, no less. Got write ups and radio play. Your book sounds interesting. Good interview. Good luck with it. Envy your life.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I long to visit those lovely places. Best of luck with your book.
ReplyDeleteHappy release day! Loved the excerpt. Your book sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing.
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