From The Nightstand ~ Hitting Black Ice

January 21, 2015 by Alexis Duran

Today I’m excited to have Heloise West here to talk about her new release, Hitting Black Ice. I’ve been looking forward to reading a novel by Heloise, having been a fan of the fiction excerpts she posts on her blog, Velvet Panic. When the excerpt is never long enough, you know you’ve found your next favorite writer!

Heloise tells us about her inspiration for the book, followed by a delightful, much too short excerpt:

***

Alexis asked me what inspired my story “Hitting Black Ice.” Here’s my attempt at an answer 😀

I love mysteries and suspense, romantic or otherwise, and I knew I needed to work on a contemporary story to offset the historical mystery romance I was struggling with at the time.

It’s a little like putting a soup or stew together at first. Or a sketch that needs to be developed because you’ve fallen in love with a line or a shape, a color. I honestly can’t remember who said a story is a juxtaposition of two ideas, but I find that very true. I have to fall in love with that place of juxtaposition first in order to be inspired. I had a winter setting in mind and a character who was trying to talk another out of suicide. I like darker stories, and stories of redemption, so their journey together became important. One of them was on the run from something and living in terror of discovery. The other character had resources. But I needed another layer, the juxtaposition, and that became Nick, the evil FBI agent. I really liked the idea of turning the Romance trope of the enigmatic law enforcement alpha male character on its head.

The story gave me fits, and I abandoned it once or twice, and worked on the historical until that story needed me to step away from it. A glimmer of potential always remains beneath that stagnant pond when the words dry up or I’ve written myself into a corner.

It’s funny how after awhile, the story itself becomes the inspiration to continue writing it.

***

Excerpt:

Hunter opened red wine instead of whiskey and was savoring the first sip when the cell phone dinged with a text message.

Hunter? It’s Shawn.

His heart leaped into his throat. Ok.

“You brilliant asshole,” he told himself, thumbs twitching over the keypad.

U home?

Y. wru?

*$.

The Starbucks across the damn street? U ok?

Y. U want anything? Biscotti? Muffin?

Get up here, muffin man.

He waited a heartbeat.

OK!

Fuck, the bed still needed making. Hunter raced into the bedroom, threw sheets and blankets back together, and shoved the body pillow in the space between the bed and the wall. The building buzzer went off. He ran into the living room to answer it and slid in his socks on the hardwood, nearly going down. He limped to the bathroom, combed his hair, washed his face, and sniffed his armpits. He swished cinnamon mouthwash around and managed to spit it out without dribbling on himself. Off came the pajama bottoms. He jumped into the tightest jeans he owned and changed the rumpled sleep T-shirt for a fresh one.

“Get hold of yourself, boy,” he said to the man in the mirror. “It’s not effing prom night.”

He tucked the T-shirt in, trying not to catch his swooning cock in the zipper as the door buzzer went off. He stood in front of the door, counted to three, and jumped when it buzzed again with his hand still on the knob. He yanked the door open.

Shawn stood on the threshold in a black leather jacket, holding a cardboard box with two coffees and a bag of cookies or muffins or damn biscotti perched on top. His eyes were light with hope, though his smile was tentative and sweetly unsure.

***

Blurb:

ER physician’s assistant Hunter guards his heart carefully, but that doesn’t stop him from falling for Shawn, the front desk clerk. He keeps his distance from relationships for a reason, but just can’t help himself when it comes to Shawn.

Shawn is on the run from the law and love to protect himself and anyone else involved. One man is dead because of him, and his life now is simple and easily thrown into a bag at any hint of danger. Until he meets Hunter, and he no longer wants to run.

Forced into a hostage situation, buried passion explodes in the aftermath, and sex in the supply closet brings their hearts back to life. Tentatively, step by step, they begin to explore a relationship together until the past catches up with Shawn.

FBI agent Nick Truman has finally found his man, but when Shawn escapes, he focuses his attention on Hunter. Shawn returns, even though it means sacrificing himself to save Hunter from the man who framed him for murder.

Title: Hitting Black Ice

Author: Heloise West

Publisher: Loose Id

Publication date: December 2, 2014

Word count: 75,000

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23644828-hitting-black-ice

Bio:

Heloise West, when not hunched over the keyboard plotting love and mayhem, dreams about moving to a villa in Tuscany. She loves history, mysteries, and romance of all flavors. She travels and gardens with her partner of 10 years, and their home overflows with books, cats, art, and red wine.

Social Media:

heloisewest@hotmail.com

https://twitter.com/velvetpanic

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23644828-hitting-black-ice

https://www.facebook.com/heloise.west.1

http://velvetpanic2.wordpress.com/

Buy Links:

http://www.loose-id.com/hitting-black-ice.html

http://www.amazon.com/Hitting-Black-Ice-Heloise-West-ebook/dp/B00QJEJ7VO/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-hittingblackice-1689874-340.html

Weekend Writing Warriors #40

December 14, 2014 by Alexis Duran

Greetings and welcome to another edition of Weekend Writing Warriors. I hope your holiday season has been peaceful and productive so far.

This week I’m going to continue with my little Paranormal Mystery, which I’m temporarily calling Phoenix Night Stalker, though that won’t be the title because I loved the original Night Stalker with Darren McGavin and wouldn’t dream of ripping it off (unless I thought no one would notice).

So here we are with Detective Sergeant Lucas Fortier and his partner Sandra Teasdale at the scene of a murder. I’m skipping ahead to hit juicy plot points. Lucas is questioning the officer on the scene, Red Oxford.

***

“What can you tell us?” Lucas asked.

“Not much. Neighbors heard nothing unusual.”

“Who found him?”

“You’re going to love this – a reporter for The Cosmic Eye.”

Lucas groaned inwardly. Sandra said, “That crappy tabloid that reports Bigfoot sightings and haunted burial grounds?”

“The very,” Red said.

***

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com

Weekend Writing Warriors #38

November 30, 2014 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop that has it all. Much like a Thanksgiving smorgasbord, here you can sample romance, science fiction, mystery, YA, fantasy, sweet potatoes- you name it, we’ve probably got it. If not this week, then next week or the next.

This week I’m overindulging on mystery. My NaNoWriMo scheme to write on several stories has floundered on the shores of reality, but it’s a good reality. I received an acceptance and revision suggestions which swept aside my vision of a purely playful November. Details coming soon.

So today we continue with Detectives Lucas Fortier and his partner Sandra Teasdale still discussing the wreck of his love life as they approach the crime scene.

***

“I never liked him,” Sandra said.

“You told me to marry him before he got away.”

“That had nothing to do with him, everything to do with me. You’re such a grouch when you’re not getting laid regular.”

“Better get used to having a grouch for a partner for a long, long time,” Luke said. Gloom settled over him- dating wasn’t on his to-do list either.

Officer Red Oxford greeted them at apartment number 317. “Morning, detectives, fine day for a murder investigation, eh?”

***

Weekend Writing Warriors #36

November 16, 2014 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to another edition of Weekend Writing Warriors! At the risk of appearing commitment-phobic, this month I’m sampling from various story starts, trying to decide which to get serious about next. Having completed and submitted my last WIP after much suffering and hair-pulling, I’m indulging in the writerly impulse to go play with whatever story is new and shiny. As far as getting things done, not a good plan. But it’s fun and I hope you have fun playing along.

This week I’m sampling from the opening of a contemporary fantasy/mystery set in Phoenix.

***

The apartment building should’ve been torn down about twenty years ago. A fire hazard, an eyesore and a den of iniquity all rolled into one architectural disaster, it teetered on the brink of collapse near the gritty western edge of downtown Phoenix. Detective Sergeant Lucas Fortier accepted a paper cup of coffee from his partner, Sandra Teasdale, with heartfelt gratitude. It had been one hell of a night and answering a homicide call at 4 AM had not been on his to-do list for Sunday morning.

“Barney Baker,” she said in response to his unasked question. “Ran a dubious real estate business, occasional bookie at the dog track, legendary alcoholic.”

“And we know it’s a homicide because . . . ?”

“Because of the bowie knife in his back.”

***