“Cheer up mate. You can always try online dating. I can just see your profile.” Banjo held up his hands, framing an imaginary screen. “Quiet, reclusive, enjoys travel and exotic locations. Offers an out-of-this-world experience. Will make the Earth move.” They were all laughing now, the somber moment gone.
Excerpt:
Sutherland paused, staring at the floor. “Look at the mess we’ve gotten into here. If Jake had just let the law take its course with Pickens and Bullard, they likely would’ve ended up getting tossed from the force for belonging to the Ku Klux Klan. The two Hardinton cops would’ve been hit with felony charges for running an illegal dog fighting operation and gambling. Yeah, they might’ve seen a little jail time. But that stuff is a hell of a lot less serious than murder and attempted murder charges, which is what me and Jake are looking at—and maybe Pickens and Bullard as accomplices if Garbuncle can convince the jury they were complicit.”
“Okay, now just hold on,” said Seward. “It sounds like you’re throwing in the towel with the fight barely underway. The opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings. Yes, you guys are in a pickle. You’ve got a decision to make. You can take your chances with my legal skills, but I don’t hold out a lot of hope I can win, especially against that shrewd bastard Garbuncle. Or …” He brushed his lips with his forefinger.
“You just might already be in a hole too deep to crawl out of. If you see it that way,
there’s only one way out of this, in my estimation. You’ve got to stop the trial from going forward.”
“That’s easy to say,” said Sutherland. “How?”
“One way would be for me to just drop the charge.”
“So why don’t you do it?”
“It’s not that simple. There likely would be some bad repercussions. Suspicions would arise as to why we weren’t pursuing it. The boss would wonder why. He’d quiz me about it. The media probably would raise the issue, and the public would wonder what was going on. A lot of people would ask questions. Reporters would do some digging. Hawk reporters would be abetted by their colleague Brad Hitchens, even though he’s probably recused himself because he was a witness in the trial.”
Sutherland threw his hands up and sighed. “What the hell are we gonna do?”
If there’s one thing that Sam knows, it’s that life can suck! Yes, she’s a talented photographer, but that doesn’t mean much when she’s still working in the same position at the same company she started after graduating over a decade ago. Oh, and she’s nursing a broken heart. Every day is the same. She wakes up, drinks coffee, goes to work, comes home and sleeps. She’s stuck in a loop with no foreseeable way out. That is until her new boss ships her off to Paris on an assignment.
The project is a career maker; she has free rein over the city and no budget to worry about. It’s perfect. Paris appears to offer her everything she could ever want, including the attention of a beautiful woman who seems to be a constant presence in her life ever since her departure from the UK.
A chance of reviving her career is exciting and challenging, but the thought of putting herself on the line for a woman again is nothing short of terrifying. Sam learned her lesson a long time ago where matters of the heart are concerned and she isn’t going to make the same mistake again. So the last thing she needs is fate interfering with her well-conceived plan of keeping her heart locked-away where it will be safe from more heartache.
Anna has the life she’s worked hard for. She has a comfortable apartment filled with her precious books; she has her dream job working as the editor-in-chief at a successful publishing house in Paris, and a brother who loves her unconditionally. Life is good, right?
Well, not entirely because the one thing that Anna wants more than anything is a loving relationship, and that’s something she doesn’t have with her boyfriend, James. Yes, he’s kind and yes, they have a simple life, but for Anna it isn’t enough, not anymore. She’s never been the type of person to take risks. She’s always found it much easier to settle. But settling isn’t an option anymore, not after experiencing a dream so vivid it impacts Anna in her waking hours, too.
Anna’s life is turning upside down, her well-controlled existence is in free fall. If dealing with coming out isn’t hard enough, Anna also has to contend with the woman of her dreams turning up in Paris.
There once was a Unicorn named Laila.
Each night, Laila would have the wildest, craziest dreams.
She dreamed of a world filled with rainbows and castles. She flew through giant bubbles of cotton candy that looked like clouds, and the sky was always a different mix of colours; sometimes pink and purple, sometimes blue and green.
Laila loved her dream world and she often wished she could stay forever.
Laila was adopted by a family of horses when she was a baby; she didn’t know what a Unicorn was, or that she was one.
She sometimes felt like she didn’t belong.
When Laila was sad, she looked like the other horses. But when Laila was happy, her coat brightened up, her tail became colourful and she grew a little horn too! Beautiful, fluffy wings would grow from her mane and her eyes would shine bright like the night sky.
This made her shy.
Laila didn’t want to be different; when she was excited, she would hide behind trees or inside caves, but when she was sad, she would hang out with her friends.
One day, a little frog hopped over to a cave where Laila was hiding.
“Oh wow! A Unicorn!” shouted the little frog named Fred.
Laila was puzzled. What on earth was the little frog talking about?
“You’re a Unicorn! I’ve never seen one before, I’ve only heard about them in stories!”
Fred the frog saw that Laila was confused. He asked her if she knew how special she was.
“I’m not special” stuttered Laila, “I’m strange” she said glumly.
“Strange? You’re the most beautiful and special creature in all the land!” exclaimed Fred.
“Everybody dreams of seeing a Unicorn!”
3 days. 1 blizzard. A second chance at love. Emma Besta is the star behind the Hope Springs Christmas concert. But when the town loses power she needs a miracle. That miracle arrives in the form of her childhood crush, Harry Velasquez. He’s back in town, ready to help. But will Harry stay, or is this a holiday fling destined to end by New Years?
Excerpt:
The library was quiet when Emma Besta looked up from her computer. Students mingled around the tables with friends, and children out of school for the Christmas holidays tried to catch their parents’ attention, lolling, and laughing in the armchairs in the corner. Snow had been falling steadily for hours, and the warmth of the library and the anticipation of the evening ahead brought a smile to Emma’s face.
There were still several hours until the library was set to close, and Emma could think of any number of things to do. There was always shelving to be done, dusting to be completed. She could work on the seniors’ engagement program she was planning for the following month or catch up with her friend and colleague, Yara, at the front desk. But it was the day before Christmas Eve, and Emma’s mind was focused on one thing and one thing only. The concert.
It had been a Hope Springs tradition as far back as anybody could remember. The children at the local elementary school were tasked with putting on a Yuletide celebration, be it a play, a concert, or a series of acts. Every year was different, but Emma loved the results equally. Their town was small, so these were children she had watched growing up. It was an honor Emma didn’t take lightly. Whether they were skipping through town or delving into the books in her library, Emma wanted to support them and give them everything they needed to thrive.
She had lots of opportunities to do so, as Emma had been on the town council for several years, taking her aging father’s place. Emma tried to see the council appointment as a blessing, an opportunity to take her premature grief about her dad’s declining health and funnel it into busyness. That felt far easier than feeling the fear and sadness of it all. If she was the organizer, the coordinator, she could force herself to be too occupied to grieve her dad’s early old age.
Or so the lie to herself went.
5 Star Review on Amazon:
“This sweet novella really captured the craziness that comes with an unexpected storm and an unexpected visitor! Can Emma pull off the holiday show and keep her feelings for her old crush from getting in the way? And what is he doing in town anyway, it’s been 10 years! Perfect bite size holiday read.”