Black Friday Blog Hop

Welcome to the first stop on Marketing For Romance Writers' Black Friday Blog Hop.
Here's an excerpt of my latest romantic suspense, Blonde Demolition.

She slammed her hand on the table. Her beer wobbled. She caught it. "You are not seducing me back into this life."

     He shifted away from her, his arms crossed. His expression didn't change. He hadn't even flinched at her outburst. Not even at her use of the word seduce, which she knew any shrink would have a field day with.

Had he predicted what she would do?

     When they had worked together, he'd known before she did that she had to pee. She'd never met anyone so in tune with her. Maybe she never wanted to have anyone know her that way again.

     "I'm different now. I have this great life." Her finger stabbed the air, punctuated every word. "You cannot take that away from me."

     "I'm not taking away anything. I'm giving you something. I'm giving you back the ability to make a difference."

     She stalked away from him. "You think I don't make a difference? What about the family whose house didn't burn down because I was here?"

     "You can prevent many more houses from not burning down with us."

     She shook her head. "It isn't the same."

     He would not pull her strings. He would appeal to her sense of honor and her strong desire to help people. He knew all the cards she held and how to play them to his advantage.

"No, it's better," he said.

Buy links:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/7olwvhs

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104247

Amazon in print: http://tinyurl.com/87qdaam

Other books by Chris Redding

Corpse Whisperer

The Drinking Game

Confessions: Volume One

Incendiary

A View to a Kilt

The Rest of the Hop:

W. Lynn Chantale

http://wlynnchantale-decadentdecisions.blogspot.com/

Christine Ashworth http://christine-ashworth.com

Chelle Cordero http://chellecordero.blogspot.com/

Tammy Dennings Maggy http://tammydenningsmaggy.blogspot.com/

Shelley Munro http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog

Debra Holland http://drdebraholland.com

Jane Wakely www.janewakely.blogspot.com

Smoky Zeidel www.SmokyZeidel.wordpress.com

Ann Siracusa http://backmybook.com/authors/r-ann-siracusa/blog Here is your next stop: W. Lynn Chantale http://wlynnchantale-decadentdecisions.blogspot.com/  There is a prize at each stop for one lucky commenter. The more blogs you comment on, the more chances to win multiple prizes. I'm giving away an iPod Shuffle. Good Luck and Happy Hopping

ExcerpTuesday: Me!

Today you get to read an excerpt of my latest: A View to a Kilt.

Waking up next to a dead guy can ruin your whole day. When a wise-cracking interior decorator wants to put her past behind her, the dead body of the mayor’s son makes her realize that won’t happen too easily. A conservative former computer geek for the FBI is holding on too tightly to his past. His wife died under suspicious circumstances and he believes the decorator has the information to solve the case. Unfortunately for him, she isn’t speaking until a series of events convinces her she needs protection especially when her biggest secret threatens to destroy both of their lives.

Excerpt:

Waking up next to a dead guy can ruin your whole day.

At least interior decorator Miriam Stokes’ thought so.

The Philadelphia Police Detective whose name she couldn’t remember talked soothingly to her, making her feel, not better, but at least calmer.

As calm as anyone could feel after finding a dead body. How did she get herself into these things?

Sipping coffee Miriam didn’t remember asking for, she eyed the cop as they sat in a flowered living room. The owner of said living rooms was a neighbor of Miriam’s friend Joe.

The friend she just found dead.

She tried to keep eye contact with Detective . . . Dasher? She knew his name was a reindeer.

Her vision was only just returning to normal.

“So you woke up and he was dead.  Didn’t you hear a shot?” The cop asked.

After swallowing the scalding liquid, she answered him. “No detective.  I do sleep very soundly, but I think I had help from this bump on the side of my head.”

To indicate the reason, she pulled away the bag of ice that had appeared sometime after the first patrolman. The lump began to throb, but he only glanced at her head. He scribbled some notes in a small pad.

How many murders does one have to see to get so matter-of-fact about it? Miriam shuddered.

“Would it be possible for me to at least get dressed? I feel a little vulnerable in my pajamas,” she told him.

Donner, that was name. He looked her over as if making a decision. He nodded, glancing around the apartment. “Do you have any clothes?”

She nodded towards Joe’s apartment.

“When they remove  . . . ” he murmured, then grimaced. She caught his meaning.

He turned his brown eyes back to her. “We’ll work it out. I just have a few more questions for you. Then we’ll go downtown.”

Miriam nodded. Who would do this to Joe?

“How long have you known the deceased?” Donner asked.

She let the hand holding the ice fall while the other hand rested her coffee on the table. She massaged her right temple. The hushed voices of cops in the hallway wafted past her. She wondered of she would ever get the blood smell out of her nose.

“Five years,” she murmured. She blinked then stared past the detective.

“Ms. Stokes?” He came into her view and she shook her head. “I think we need to finish this downtown. They’re going to take the deceased away.”

Downtown?

Here is where I am going to be this month.

Incendiary will be out in all electronic formats December 15.
December 10  http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/articles.php
December 14 http://www.wendygray.net/
December 16 http://www.morganmandel.blogspot.com/
December 17 http://maryogara.com/?p=297
December 22 http://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/

Stop by. There will be prizes!
And one lucky commenter will even win a free pdf of Incendiary, but I'm not telling you which blog I'll give it away at.
cmr

Squeeeeeeee

This is my cover for my December 15 release, Incendiary. I'm pretty happy about it.

cmr