New Excerpt from Lethal Dreams & Last Week’s Winner Is....

*drum roll* Joye! Congratulations, Joye, you’ve won a copy of Danielle’s book Turtle Soup. Yaay! I know you’re going to enjoy this wonderful ‘sweet’ romance.

Now for some extra treets.  First of all, have you heard that Long and Short of it Reviews is having an Easter Egg Hunt?  Be sure to check it out.  They have great prizes to give away, including a free copy of my book Journey to Redemption.  You'll find the link for it in the sidebar.

Also, in celebration of Lethal Dreams being released in eBook last week, I’m including an excerpt in today’s post. This is one of my favorite scenes in the book. It takes place on a basketball court between Erin and one of the kids from the shelter where she volunteers. I hope you enjoy it.

Erin decided to cut through the park on her way to the office. As she neared the basketball court she caught sight of one of the kids from the shelter. She was within a few feet of him before he saw her. His eyes widened. “Don’t even think about running,” she warned.

“I’m not.” He dribbled toward the goal post.

Erin dropped her backpack and snuck in to steal the ball from him. She dribbled the ball around her twice, trying to entice him to go for it before making a basket. “Running a little late for school, aren’t you?”

He caught the rebound and quickly turned away from her, using his left arm to block her advance. “I suppose you’re going to tell on me?”

“Depends on how good your excuse is.” She leaned to her right to get him to turn the opposite way. When he did, she reached out with her left hand to knock the ball away, then twisted around, her back to him, and regained control of the ball. A good three inches taller, she was able to make the basket with ease.

“I hate school, Mrs. J. I have nothing in common with any of the kids. My only friends are the ones who hang out at the shelter.”

She empathized with the boy. In the system since he was six, he’d spent the last nine years being bounced around from one foster home to another till Andy and Emma had taken temporary custody of him six months ago. “This is your first year going there. You have to be patient, Joey, let them get to know you.”

“It’s not that easy for me. I’m not as outgoing as you are.”

“Believe me, Joey.” She took his hand and led him to a nearby bench, “I know what it’s like to be an outsider, to feel you don’t belong. I was in and out of so many schools in the Sheridan Springs area that when someone asks me where I went to grade school I can show them the yellow pages and tell them to pick one, I’ve been there.”

He smiled. “Did it ever bother you because you were different than the other kids?”

“Joey, the only difference between you and them is geography. Yes, they may have a set of parents and a couple of siblings, but you have a whole shelter full of people who love you and think of you as family. I know that doesn’t ease the hurt. But what you have to realize is that, as bad as things seem right now, life is all about change. Right now you have no control over your circumstances, however, there’ll come a day that you will. Eventually, you’ll step into a place where you’ll feel that you belong.”

“So what do I do in the mean time?”

She smiled. This wasn’t the first heart-to-heart talk they’d had. Out of all the kids that came and went from the shelter, Joey held a special place in her heart. In the six months they’d known one another, a strong bond had formed between them. He was almost like a son to her. “You do the best you can, Joey, and remember that the past doesn’t dictate your future.”

He grinned. “I think I can do that.”

“I know you can.” She glanced at her watch. “If you leave now, you should be able to make your afternoon classes.”

“Will you write me note?”

“Are you gonna be skipping classes anymore?”

“No.”

“All right, but if Andy or Emma get word of this you’re dead meat.”

He leaned over and hugged her. “Thanks, Mrs. J.”


Lethal Dreams is available in print and now eBook. Coming up tomorrow, I have a very special guest who is very dear to my heart. Maggie from my book Reservations for Two will be popping in for a visit. I think you’ll really get a kick out of Maggie. She was inspired by some very special ladies in my life. I hope you’ll join us.