Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and Happy New Year! So excited to be kicking 2020 to the curb. I’ll be celebrating soon with the release of Shameless in Seattle in mid-January. Just waiting for those few last pieces of the publishing process to click into place.

I really like this book. It’s different for me; no snarky cat shifters, fairies, elves or wizards. Just two people trying to overcome the difficulties of their pasts in order to find love in the present.

On to the snippet. Aaron, against his better judgement, finds himself sucked into the steamy pages of Shameless in Seattle.

***

Aaron hadn’t found anything to sue over yet. Yes, it was obvious Olympia had hacked his life. Reporter in Seattle—check. Big child porn story and journalism award—check. Dog named after Humphrey Bogart—check.  Apartment on Queen Ann Hill—check. Dated a cop of Latin heritage—check.  All were facts anyone could pick up from the web or social media.

He’d received a lot of attention after the police busted the pornography ring and he’d squirmed under the mantle of hero until things blew over.  Some people got dazzled by a thing like that. 

That’s ten. Here’s a few more paragraphs to take us to the heart of the matter:

That happened three years ago, right when Olympia must’ve written the first book. Right when she was looking for a marketable character.

Convinced he wasn’t really being stalked, he snugged back against the pillows and continued to read.  Eric had to drive to Pullman after discovering one of the child pornographers was linked to someone he’d known in high school.  Eric’s school life had been way more exciting than Aaron’s, that was for sure.

As usual, when Eric pulled onto his parent’s street, the first thing to catch his eye was the big green house on the hillside.  He always told himself they wouldn’t, but they always did; the memories of that fateful night flooded back.

Aaron realized he’d stopped breathing.  For a moment his eyes wouldn’t track the words, but he forced himself to keep reading.

Everyone knew the man who lived there was odd, but no one ever warned Eric or the other kids that he was dangerous. Why was that, Eric wondered? What desperate need for normalcy caused them to turn a blind eye to the viper in their midst?

Aaron closed the book, swung his legs out of bed and was halfway to the kitchen before he was aware of what he was doing.

This was beyond stalking. This was . . . mind reading?  He’d never told anyone in Seattle about the big green house.  No one knew. No one knew.  

***

Shameless in Seattle – Coming in January 2021!

Aaron Schafer, star reporter for the Seattle Times, is shocked to find out he’s the inspiration for a series of bodice-ripper romances written by a reclusive author no one has met.  He’s even more surprised, and disturbed, on discovering intimate secrets from his past buried in the pages of Shameless in Seattle. Who is this mystery author, who has clearly been stalking him and stealing details from his life? Are they dangerous? And worse, will they reveal Aaron’s darkest secret to the world? Aaron decides to stalk the stalker, a decision that will change his life.