Tag Archives: Carlene Love Flores

Random, Sparkly, Silly

Interview, Kerri Carpenter, , , , , ,

Happy Release Day to our own lovely, funny, sparkly, kind, sweet, West Coast Mermaid, Carlene Love Flores!!!! Hoorah! *glitter toss*

I’m not even going to waste any time. Carlene has a new sexy book out called Stay for Me and she’s going to tell us about it. Plus, find out how Carlene remembers my accessories years later, who she’d bring to visit Alethea-Mermaid in Florida, and what her favorite Mermaid memory is. Ready, set, go…

1.     You just released a new book yesterday, Stay for Me – hoorah! Tell us a little about it.

Yes! Hoorah! But first I’d like to thank you, Miss Kerri Mermaid, for being such an excellent cheerleader of your fellow mermaids and romance books! Fishy kisses, xoxo.

Stay for Me is the first book in a new series called These Three Words. The series follows the unique love lives of  a troupe of best buddies who also happen to be male revue dancers. It was inspired by a night I spent in Las Vegas taking in the Chippendales and Australia’s Thunder from Down Under shows. In Stay for Me, former soldier turned dancer, Sam, has a limited amount of time to prove to his best friend Emma that she is safe with him, no matter what happened in their past and not just inside the club where they work together, but outside in the real world too. The clock is ticking because oops, as an assistant show manager, Emma has been given the task of suspending Sam on this very night when she needs him there with her most.

Carlene's new book - Stay for Me

Carlene’s new book – Stay for Me

2. Stay for Me is your 7th book. Can you believe it! I remember when we were just two scared little bunnies trying to get through a pitching session at the WRW Retreat. To celebrate your massive success, let’s play a game. Answer the following questions. You can use one, and only one, sentence to explain. Or, you can let us all imagine.

Wait! First I have to agree with you, it’s unbelievable that this is #7! For the record, I think we’re still scared little bunnies, hahahahaha! Okay, now onto the fun…

Which of your characters would you take to…

A dinner party? Awww, Lucky Mason because he’s just the right mix of good manners and Southern rugged charm, plus he cleans up real nice.

A Depeche Mode concert? Sisters Trista and Lily because Depeche shows are all about having fun with your girlfriends and letting your unruly hair down.

To visit Alethea-Mermaid in Florida? Oooh, definitely Gabe because a) he loves Greek food and b) he’s not afraid to don a tiara for the right person!

To baby-sit my dog, Harry in Virginia? Kids and dogs just seem to get him when the ladies don’t… big, gentle, quirky webmaster Benny, hands down.

To the beach? He’s Aussie so he can battle sharks, he’s the leader of the band and he’s a single daddy…I’m looking at you, Jaxon James.

With you to wait in line at the DMV? Most definitely Stefan because before we went, I’d dare him to flirt our way to the front of the line and he’d probably pull it off!

Carlene's favorite book cover - My favorite hero!

Carlene’s favorite book cover – My favorite hero!

 

3. The cover for Stay for Me is pretty hotsauce. What has been your favorite cover so far?

Why thank you! I do love the Stay for Me cover, especially the little S on the door and the way Sam is tugging Emma’s jeans, but my favorite is still my very first cover, Sidewalk Flower. Without a doubt, the couple on that one is Lucky and Trista, all the way to the core.

 

 

 

4. What is one place in the continental U.S. that you haven’t been and would like to visit?

Easy peasy, I want to go to Forks, Washington!!!!!! I’m pretty sure I don’t need to explain why. 😉

5. What has been your favorite Waterworld Mermaid moment?

There was a night when we all met up at Coastal Flats in Tyson’s Corner to celebrate the release of Robin’s first sale. You were wearing bright yellow to include the flower in your hair. Our waiter was completely adorable and somewhat Klaus-like from The Originals; I think his name was Thad. Pintip and Kim couldn’t get enough of their sugar cane sticks and we had a great time. Sadly though, this was also the night that Whitney Houston passed away and I think it might have been freakishly snowing outside. It’s definitely the most memorable for me. Unless you count the time we all went up with you to Maryland to stalk Nora Roberts or the time we starred in our own crazy panel at the WRW Retreat. Oh wait, and the time we were all supposed to meet in Ocean City for a writing getaway but then Sandy Hurricane Pants hit before I could get there and you all were stuck without me! I guess there are lots of ‘em.

6. As always, I have to go here. I love the ten questions that James Lipton asks at the end of every episode of Inside the Actor’s Studio. Your turn.

  1. What is your favorite word? — Depeche
  2. What is your least favorite word? – Anything mean spirited
  3. What turns you on? – A dimpled grin.
  4. What turns you off? — Hypocrisy
  5. What sound or noise do you love? – Casey James’ guitar playing
  6. What sound or noise do you hate? – Car crash sounds
  7. What is your favorite curse word? – Silly Hero, you know I don’t have one!
  8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? – Solid Gold Dancer
  9. What profession would you not like to do? – Astronaut!
  10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Well done, kiddo.

7. Besides sending your critique partner a gift for this FABULOUS interview, what’s next for you?

Yes, aside from that, in two days, I will be attending my very first book signing! It’s at The Menger Hotel in San Antonio at the Wild Wicked Weekend conference. Um, from what I understand there is a lair full of hot men that ladies are taken to in groups of 30. If I survive, I will regale all our fishy friends here at the pond with the juicy details and hopefully some pics. If I don’t survive, I’m honored for this to have been my last Mermaid post, done by my sparkly, effervescent Hero, Kerri! Xoxoxo Giant Fishy Kisses!

Hoorah for Carlene and her latest book!!! Now, let’s all cyber-stalk her. Links and book blurb below.

Click here to order Stay for Me! 

Website: www.carlenelove.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorCarleneLoveFlores

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cloveflores

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887320.Carlene_Love_Flores

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Carlene-Love-Flores/e/B00B04MD96/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Stay for Me

One night to finally make it right before it all gets torn apart…

Two years ago, best friends Emma Chester and Sam Jason tried being intimate. Due to Sam’s massive size, it didn’t work. Emma was hurt. Embarrassed, they did their best to move on. Now the day has come when Emma must suspend Sam as a dancer at the club they work at, awakening the buried pain of that one night.

Sam has seen this day coming but is shocked when Emma asks him to strip for her just once before he leaves the club. Allowing himself to feel for her again is too dangerous but she’s clearly not in her right mind and needs him.

Can he maintain his restraint and help her?

When she hands him his uniform to strip out of, is she handing him her heart? Or is it too tattered to ever belong to him again?

 

 

She’s With the Band: Carlene Love Flores Chats About Her Latest Rock Star Book

Carlene Love Flores, Interview, ,

Carlene MermaidMy mer-sister Carlene Love Flores and I have two HUGE things in common: 1. A deep and abiding love of real Mexican food and 2. A special place in our hearts for Depeche Mode. So of course when the latest in her rocker series, Sin’s Flower, came out I had, had, had to corner her in the lagoon to chat Jaxon, great music and the top five falling in love tunes and break-up songs.

Y’all are going to love this interview. How could you not, it’s Carlene?

But before I turn it over you have to check out the Sin’s Flower blurb.

sins-flower3When Jaxon James, a sexy rock star and struggling single-father, is invited to ditch California and spend Christmas in Tennessee with his estranged family, he hesitantly accepts for his young daughter’s sake.  But his attraction to his best friend’s baby sister, Lily Elstone, threatens to unravel the bonds he’s made for his daughter.  The honorable thing to do would be to give up Lily.  But his instincts are telling him she’s exactly the one who could bring light to his life and the missing fire to his bed.  Unfortunately, Lily’s too sweet for his world.  He fears his rock and roll life style will taint her.   How far are Jaxon and Lily willing to go to find what’s missing at home?

Take it away Carlene!

I love these questions and I want to thank you, Avery Flynn, for coming up with them! I’m beyond smitten.

(Right back at you mer-sister! *fist bump*)

What is it about rock stars that sucks you in?

Their ability to captivate masses of people in just one moment. I could never be that interesting and so I like discovering what their special spark is, where it comes from, how it makes them both super intoxicating yet incredibly vulnerable. And then how the bulk of their lives are spent as relatively normal human beings when they’re not on stage. In Sin’s Flower, Jaxon has to deal with everyday things like being a single father and paying his daughter’s ballet lessons on time or going home for Christmas and not pissing off his relatives at the family dinner.

What are the three best things that come with writing about rock stars?

Attending live shows is my research, meeting and talking with totally awesome and talented musicians is my research, and being obsessed with music is my research!

What five songs should be on every person’s playlist when they are in the midst of a new romance?

1. Private Emotion by Ricky Martin

2. Take Care by Drake & Rihanna

3. Summer Wine by The Corrs & Bono

4. The Sweetest Condition by Depeche Mode

5. That’s Where It’s At by Sam Cooke

What five songs should be on their playlist for right after a breakup?

1. Who Have You Been Loving by Bobby Long

2. Tears Dry on Their Own by Amy Winehouse

3. She’s Just a Girl That I Knew by Adam Ezra Group

4. Mama’s Broken Heart by Miranda Lambert

5. Four Kicks by Kings of Leon.

Jaxon is so hot. What is your favorite thing about him?

Thank you Avery, I’ll tell him you said so. (wink) I love that he’s a single parent and thinking about trying to be a good dad every single day but doesn’t deny his true nature when he’s with Lily. Also he has cool hair (think punk-goth blond Elvis) and a rockin’ hot neck tattoo that is a work in progress throughout Sin’s Flower. Jaxon’s hotness in a song? Check out Man Made Machine by Motor.

Why is Lily the perfect one for him?

Hopefully Jaxon won’t mind me saying this, but I’m obsessed with Joel Schumacher’s Phantom of the Opera movie and Jaxon has always reminded me a lot of the Phantom. I’m broken hearted that Phantom (played by Gerard Butler) bares his true self and isn’t rewarded with love in the end. In Sin’s Flower, Lily seems too sweet to handle Jaxon but I think she proves grit can be made of sugar too. Lily’s secret to Jaxon’s heart? Check out A Woman’s Touch by Casey James.

When you hear Jaxon singing in your head, what real life rock star does he sound like?

So Jaxon is the leader of the band and the chief songwriter, but aside from harmonies, he leaves the singing up to Stefan. I can hear Jaxon loud and clear in his speaking voice or when he’s humming the beginnings of a song, but he just doesn’t put himself out there when it comes to full on singing. Not sure why because he’s got an incredibly sexy voice. But if you want to “hear” Jaxon singing, check out this video of Jeremy Renner from SNL on You Tube. He sounds very close to that first Avenger song.

Can I just end by saying what a lucky girl Lily is? Thank you for having me and my musical friends today! Love stories rock! Big fishy kisses to all our fishy friends. xoxoxo

***

Be sure to check out Sin’s Flower and the first book in the series, Sidewalk Flower. Both are awesome.

Swimming with the Mermaids: Carlene Love Flores

Alethea Kontis, Carlene Love Flores, Interview, ,

If you have never experienced in person the gorgeous and amazingly pure sweetness that is Carlene Love Flores, then I suggest you check your calendar and make an appointment to do so at your earliest convenience. If I could convey the effervescent loveliness with which Carlene so subtly reminded me to get my coughing, virus-ridden duff out of its funk and post the interview I did with her last month about her fabulous debut release, Sidewalk Flower, you, too, would wish you had such majestic and judicious grace.

I am as blessed and honored to have her as a Mermaid Sister as I am proud of her release…which just so happened to launch on my birthday. How’s that for awesome karma?

*************************

Alethea Mermaid: Tennessee, California, Australia — what special meaning (if any) do each of these places have for you?

Carlene Mermaid: Let’s start at the end and work our way back (which fits since this is how I wrote Sidewalk Flower-Trista and Lucky’s story.) When I think of Australia, I see brave people with gorgeous voices and a tenacious, fighting spirit. I can’t imagine Jaxon James (Trista’s best friend) being from any other place.

The first time I drove through Tennessee was years ago in the fall. I fell in love with the state that day and when fictional native son, Lucky Mason, stepped up to the plate to be Trista’s hero in Sidewalk Flower, I fell in love with him too.

Southern California is everything I know about being young at heart and free but also a place you have to leave sometimes to find yourself. I was honored to have made this trip with the heroine of the story, Trista Hart.

Alethea: Music is very important to you and your work. Do you listen while writing? Was there a “Sidewalk Flower” playlist?

Carlene: I do love music with all my heart! I listen to it most hours of the day & night and leading up to every scene I write. But during the actual writing, I prefer to be alone with those thoughts. Here is Sidewalk Flower’s playlist:
“Why I’m Feeling Blue” by Casey James (Lucky’s song)
“Blown Away” by Carrie Underwood (Trista’s song)
“Better Than Me” by Hinder (Jaxon’s song)
“The Dead of Night” by Depeche Mode (Sin Pointe’s song)
“Talk About Suffering” by Debra James (Gramma Grace’s song)

Alethea: What is it about a man in a cowboy hat?

Carlene: Intriguing, isn’t it? I’m a big fan of men in hats. Also men without hats. Hey, everybody look at your hands! Now let’s safety dance. Sorry, I just had to go there in the name of 80’s music. Hmm…I also like Men in Trees. I miss that show…

Alethea: Have you ever driven cross-country?

Carlene: Oh yes! Road trips are my favorite and so when I had the chance to hop in the truck and drive from Virginia to California and back, I was in heaven. Where else can you listen to music, ride with the windows down and watch the sun setting in the rear view mirror? Here are a few pics from that trip: http://carlenelove.com/2012/08/08/my-favorite-cross-country-road-trip-pictures/

Alethea: Who are some of your favorite fictional heroes?

Carlene: Gosh, I am hands down the biggest broken record when it comes to talking about my favorite fictional hero, but since you asked…Valerius Magnus. ☺ Swoon. I am very jealous that you are Facebook friends with him. But can I just geek out a little here and say how excited I am to be officially sharing Lucky Mason with the world?

Alethea: Who inspires you — in both fiction and real life?

Carlene: There is so much I appreciate about life and the people living it. I’m inspired by the weak and the brave. The hurt and the whole. People with unshakable faith and those on the brink of losing it. I’m inspired when people don’t give up.

Alethea: What’s the coolest thing about being a Mermaid?

Carlene: I can think of many cool things about being a Mermaid, but the coolest by far, is calling the ocean home.

Alethea: What would you say are your Mermaid super powers?

Carlene: Well, whatever you do, don’t Google Mermaid Super Powers! The results are full of unimaginative fluff. Of course we exist, and of course we are super and powerful 😉 My super power is that I believe in make believe.
[Edited to add: I believe Carlene’s Mermaid Super Power is her beautiful purity of spirit. Am I right? Mermaids, feel free to chime in with your opinions below!]

Alethea: What’s next for you?

Carlene: Now that Trista and Lucky’s book is out, I’m spending time convincing Jaxon James it’s a good idea to tell the world his story next. This is where that Aussie tenacity I mentioned earlier comes in to play. But underneath it all, he’s a good guy. It’s really not his fault he can’t stop thinking about Trista’s long lost baby sister…

*************************

Thank you, Carlene!

If you have any other questions for Carlene, feel free to add them to the Comments below. And if you haven’t yet picked up your copy of Sidewalk Flower, now’s your chance!

Ask a Mermaid: The @MargieLawson Experience

Ask a Mermaid, Writing, , ,

Do you want to add a psychological punch to your writing and editing?

Are you interested in capturing the full range of body language on the page?

Is your goal to turn your work into a page-turner by powering up emotion and hooking the reader viscerally?

Well, duh! What writer doesn’t want to do those things? Recently, many of the mermaids left the lagoon for a writing workshop. What kind of awesomeness does it take to get us to leave the warm waters? The Margie Lawson kind.

Here are a few of the things we picked up during the Empowering Characters’ Emotions workshop presented by Margie Lawson and the Washington Romance Writers.

***

Denny S. Bryce said:

“I was reminded that revising a manuscript is a different ball game (cliche) than writing one, and there is an ebb and flow (cliche) to story telling that includes green, yellow, orange, blue with a well-timed blush of pink. As with any thoughtful craft session, I walked away from Saturday with another weapon in my writers toolkit (cliche, cliche, cliche:)! I also learned I can’t stop writing freaking CLICHES!

Seriously, Margie helped me understand how to avoid melodrama and the true meaning of cliche, especially as it applies to writing romance. So, what’s next now that I have these insights? I’ll let you know after I begin Margie’s class in January:)…”

Carlene Love Flores said:

“I left the Margie Lawson meeting feeling like a mad scientist, equipped with new-to-me terms like Anadiplosis, Anaphora, Haptics and Proxemics.  My favorite, Haptics, which is the power of touch and the easiest to pronounce 😉  And who can forget the term for when our normally lazy little body hairs stand at attention?  Pilo Erection! ”

Avery Flynn said:

“Some of my favorites include:

1. Write fresh. For example, don’t write ‘His stomach clenched.’ write something like, ‘His stomach shifted like a Buick on black ice.’

2. Always challenge your word choices.

3. Your character’s visceral reactions need to be caused by emotion and written in an expressive and fresh way.

4. Use words that carry psychological power and backload those words so that your sentences end with them. For example, ‘He’ll die if you give him the epi.’ becomes ‘If you give him the epi, he’ll die.’

5. A good way to slip in backstory is to slip it into dialogue cues and body language.”

***

A big thanks to Margie for inspiring so many mermaids. 🙂

Ask a Mermaid: I Hate My Heroine, Can This WIP Be Saved?

Ask a Mermaid, Diana Belchase, ,

Ask a Mermaid is a monthly advice column for writers. If we don’t have the answers, we’ll find them for you. Send in your questions to Ask a Mermaid.

Do you have a question for Ask a Mermaid? Click to logo to submit.

Dear Mermaids,

A horrible thing has happened. I’m halfway through my WIP and I’ve started to hate my heroine. Well, hate may be too strong a word but she sure does annoy me. Can this WIP be saved?

 Sinking in the Deep End

 

Dear Sinking,

First, congratulations on hating your heroine.  No, seriously, I promise I’m not being facetious.  The fact that you are identifying a problem halfway through your WIP is a great tribute to your writing sensory skills.  I don’t know if this is your first manuscript or you have others in your back pocket, but in my case, I finished the entire WIP and sent out submissions before I realized the heroine sucked.  And it’s a lot more difficult to fix a whole manuscript that to go back on something that is not yet finished.

My advice would be to put aside your manuscript and write down the specific reason why you aren’t bonding with her.  Putting it on paper will help cement the problem.  Next, put away your writer cap and take out the reader headgear.  If you purchased this book, why wouldn’t you connect with this heroine.  Write those things down too.  Compare the lists and see if there are matches.  Your lists may be different because when you are writing your focus is different than when you’re simply the reader and trying to get swept away by a story.

Next, go back to your manuscript and highlight where you think things went off track.  Was she unlikable from the beginning or did the writing veer off at some point?  I’m thinking if she’s unlikable from the beginning, it may be because you didn’t fully define her in your own mind.  So when it came time to write her, she may have swayed all over the place.  I know that’s the case with some of my writing.

If all else fails, my last bit of advice is to plagiarize.  No, I don’t mean ACTUALLY plagiarize.  Take your most favorite book ever, the one where the hero and heroine are so real they practically come off the page and start reading it again.  But don’t read as a reader.. read as a writer.  Try to pinpoint why you connect with the heroine and how the author manages to convey that attachment (heck, maybe even put together the same list, but this time, write down why the heroine was great).

Lastly.. if none of this works.. go for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.  Extra calories always gets my creativity flowing.

Good luck!

Mermaid Masha Levinson

 

Dear Sinking,

The first awesome bit of news is….YES! Your WIP can not only be saved but it can be made fabulous and riveting. Try this fun exercise that helps me: Set aside some alone time for yourself and your hero. Once you’ve got that, straight up ask him this, “Hey there handsome, so this girl you’re in love with, yeah the totally annoying chick no one but you can stand, what the heck is it that you see in her?” He’s your hero, he won’t let you down. And the second bit of awesome news? It’s my opinion that a prickly, hard to love heroine makes for fireworks when you figure out how to make the rest of us love her. So don’t give up!

Fishy kisses!

Mermaid Carlene Love Flores

 

Dear Sinking,

Of course she can be saved, Deep End. You made her, and you can fix her! Remember, two of the most beloved heroines of all time were not very nice people. Scarlett O’Hara was a conniving, man-stealing, vain, selfish woman. Shanna, in Kathleen Woodiwiss’ novel of the same name, was equally arrogant. Yet, these two heroines are beloved because of their transformative journey.

My advice, figure out what is annoying you. Make a list of those traits and then see what you can do to flesh out and balance your character. Can we forgive Scarlett when we see her heart is broken over Ashley? Do we want to cover our eyes and scream, “No don’t do it,” when she marries Melanie’s brother? Those are the kind of little flaws, equalizers, that keep us reading until we see the heroine become more than what she is at the moment. So, take your heroinethrough those “human” moments and let the reader see what the people in her life cannot — her true heart.

Good luck and don’t give up!

Mermaid Diana Belchase

Ask a Mermaid is a monthly advice column for writers. If we don’t have the answers, we’ll find them for you. Send in your questions to Ask a Mermaid.

Happy Valentine’s Week – Day Two

Kimberly MacCarron, mermaids, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy Valentine’s Week from the Waterworld Mermaids!!!

Here in our lovely mermaid lagoon, we are all abuzz with the holiday of love. And because we’re in such a happy mood, we wanted to share some stories and memories from mermaid-pasts. Best of all, we’re celebrating all week long! We hope you enjoy!

Today’s stories are guaranteed to melt your heart. Behind every beautiful flower, sparkly crystal and shining star are the real heroes. Here are some examples….

 

Roses, Tulips, Lilies
Carlene Love Flores

A soldier once sent his wife flowers for Valentine’s Day.  She would never know how he’d pulled it off.  It shouldn’t have been possible.  That big ole desert was far, far away and most days that year, even emails had been scarce.

But sure enough, three bouquets were delivered to her Oklahoma doorstep that morning.  Roses, Tulips, Lilies.

But soldiers do extraordinary things every day.  So when the wife sits and thinks about that Valentines, she doesn’t wonder for too long.  She’s just thankful.

 

Some Flowers Do Last Forever
Kim MacCarron

My husband is not the most romantic man in the world.

But, every once in a while he surprises me.  Mother’s Day of 2005 was just such a day.  By this time, we’d been married for not quite six years, and we had four children.  Romance wasn’t really that high on our list of priorities.   We fell into a daily grind of getting very young children ready for the day and basically stumbling through it until we climbed, exhausted, into bed at night.

On this particular day, my husband arrived home to tell me that he bought me flowers for Mother’s Day.  I casually glanced around him, looking for a dozen long-stemmed red roses.  No such luck.  I grinned and rolled my eyes.  Typical of my husband to not get caught up in another commercial holiday.

After putting the kids to bed that night, we climbed into bed and watched Desperate Housewives together, and after it was over, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.  When I came back into the room, I saw a Reed’s Jeweler’s bag sitting on my dresser.

Jewelry trumps flowers any day of the week, as far as I’m concerned.  He was grinning at my surprised expression, and I tried to not tear into the bag.

When I finally looked, I saw not one but four little boxes.  Four!  When I opened the first one, it wasn’t jewelry at all.  It was something far better than that, something I’d been collecting for years.  Swarovski crystals.  This particular one was a pretty pink crystal flower in a vase.  The next box revealed the same one.  The final two were yellow flowers.  Four separate flowers to represent our four children—two girls and two boys.

I blinked hard to not let the tears fall because I really hate to cry in front of him, but, man, it was hard.  He knows how much I love Swarovski crystals.  Oh, and my kids, of course.   That was the best, most thoughtful present he could have given me.

Placing my beautiful crystal flowers on the dresser, I sashayed over to the bed.  I’m not sure how great I looked sashaying when I had a baby seven months before, but I did my best.

About two weeks later, I had to tell him that I needed another flower.

Flowers wilt.  Cards become compost.  But those five Swarovski flowers still sit in my curio cabinet, reminding me of my best Mother’s Day gift of all.  Not my flowers.  My daughter…Shannon.

Shooting Star
Dana Rodgers

Several years ago my husband came home from work to find me on the couch in the fetal position. After a terse reminder that my abdominal pain had been getting increasingly worse over the past two days and me confessing the little incident where I just about collapsed a couple of hours earlier (I was fairly certain a Mac truck had been plowing through my living room and deemed it appropriate to rip out my intestines while passing by). My husband scooped me up and whisked me off to our local Emergency Room, chastising me for not calling him along the way.

Two hours later I was terrified. The plethora of tests revealed that I was pregnant, but it was ectopic. The fallopian tube had ruptured and the reason I was having severe abdominal pain, along with the overwhelming desire to sleep, was because I was hemorrhaging, badly. The doctor said that if I had gone to bed, I wouldn’t have woken up.

My husband held my hand all the way down the hall when they wheeled my gurney to pre-op and said all of the mushy things I needed to hear. It was one of the handfuls of times I have ever seen my 6’6, 230lb Marine get a little misty. (For the record, the other times involved a 14-month separation and the birth of our children–what a guy.) He was there when I woke up, stayed by my side in the hospital, and was there to support me through the emotional aftermath. (And trust me, that wasn’t pretty.)

A few months later, Valentine’s Day rolled around. I was thinking that we’d exchange cards, I might get chocolate, but since we don’t really buy into the commercialized holiday thing it wouldn’t be a big deal. I was Oh-So-Wrong! My husband strolled in that evening, grinning ear to ear, and handed me a letter-sized envelope and flowers. It was a star. My husband had named a freaking STAR after me. I mean how cool is that??? When I asked him why, he said that I was his compass and the light in his life, that I had scared the shit out of him and that he never wanted to be without me. Wow. I mean really, W-O-W!

So why do I write Romance? How could I not when I live with all that hero inspiration every day? I never want to be without him either.

 

We hoped you enjoyed our stories today. Come back tomorrow for more sweet stories that are sure to make you feel all gooey (in a good way)!

 

 

The Comfort Boy (Part Two) by Carlene Love Flores

Free Read, , ,

(Mermaid Note: If you haven’t already, please read The Comfort Boy (Part One) first.)

The plan.  That’s what was crazy.  This man’s plan to stay the weekend while observing her unnatural sleeping patterns and questioning her on why they were.

But what choice did she have?  None.

“This first night, I suggest we set up wherever you’re most likely to fall asleep.  Whether it’s your room or the couch or that recliner.  Wherever, your choice.”

My choice, what a joke.  But she had already condemned herself to participating at all cost.

“Okay, I guess Gram’s room.  That’s where I keep my stuff.”  Six months and she still couldn’t bring herself to claim the space as her own.

Alice followed closely behind, his proximity creeping her out a bit, as they walked the short hallway to the last door on the left, passing Alec and Andrew’s room on the way.  Sanden swallowed her sadness at what had become of their little family.  No one to call daddy, no Great-Grammy to sing them to sleep.

Once inside, she flipped up the light switch and made her way to the farthest side of Gram’s tall bed.

Alice stayed propped in the doorframe, his head only inches from skimming the top.  Would he tell her to lie down?  There was no way she’d be able to fall asleep in this strange circumstance with her mother’s confidant hovering in the doorway.  Was he expert enough to recognize if she faked it?  He couldn’t have that many years of practice, couldn’t be much older than her.  His clothes were too stylish, his brown hair a few strands too unruly and his skin too smooth to be past thirty-five.  The very unsettling way he patiently stood there made Sanden want to climb the wall.  But she wouldn’t let that happen.

She lifted herself onto the top mattress with a hop and then sat feeling uncomfortable in her own skin.

“So I didn’t realize shrinks made house calls.”

“I’m not a shrink.  I’m a sleep therapist.”  Alice paused and for the first time bowed his head as if he was the uncertain one.  “Sanden, I’m here as a favor to your Grandmother.”

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The Comfort Boy (Part One) by Carlene Love Flores

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Sanden’s mother had just finished cleaning the house.  With the room straightened, things looked odd and out of place.  The large, clear vase that had been used as a deposit for stray coins or buttons or anything small enough to toss in until they found a better place for it was now empty.  Sanden shrugged and plopped two artificial flowers and a handful of loosened dirt she had brought in from the backyard into the vase.  Thinking better of it, she tucked the marble she was about to toss in with them into her pocket instead.  She looked up and caught her mother frowning.

The silky, once white peonies, covered in a light shadow of dirt and yellowed by the sun, were the only things that looked right in the room at the moment.  It was clear her mother was on a mission to wipe Gram’s memory clean from the house.  Sanden stood nearby the junk vase and waited for her mother to toss the sopping sponge she was wringing into the sink.  Miraculously, she didn’t mention the fake flowers.

“Well, that’s that.”  Mother paused, inspected the sink as if looking for Gram’s reflection, wiped at the stainless steel basin, and then continued on with a doubtful kink knitted into her brow.  “The boys’ packs are in the trunk like I asked you?”

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Come Inside Our Garden

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The true beauty of a story is that through the written word we can travel anywhere, be anyone and experience anything.

As Waterworld Mermaids, we don’t normally find ourselves in a garden, unless it’s of the seaweed and coral variety; so, for our first anthology of short stories, we decided to tie each tale together by location and an exotic one to us – a garden.

What will you find in our garden during the next few weeks?

Alethea Kontis brings you a fantasy story of two ethereal beings who live only in dreams, without any of their own, emboldened by love to take the biggest risk of all.

Avery Flynn takes you on a steampunk journey to Victoria City. When the fate of the word is at stake, a freedom fighter and the man hunting her must work together to foil a would-be tyrant.

Carlene Love Flores will envelope you inside a moody thriller. A grief-stricken and sleep-deprived mother struggles against the family who thinks she’s gone mad until a mysterious man comes to her aid.

Dana Rodgers spins a paranormal tale of a lonely girl who discovers her family harbors dark secrets and finds salvation in a knight’s garden.

Denny S. Bryce ratchets up the tension, in the romantic suspense tale of an FBI agent in a post-apocalyptical world hunting an orchid thief who has stolen her heart.

Kerri Carpenter brings you the contemporary world of two long-lost lovers who find themselves together again surrounded by nature’s beauty, wondering if they can find nature’s greatest gift – love.

Robin Covington heats up the garden when lust and the promise of love collide in this steamy tale of when opposites attract.

The Come Inside Our Garden anthology of free reads will last from Oct. 3 to Oct. 26 with something new each day. Please enjoy your time in the Waterworld Mermaid garden and tell your friends about the new worlds you discover.