tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388363892024-03-05T10:02:22.635-07:00At Home with Pamela ClareA place to share my thoughts on romantic fiction and the ups and downs of being a single mom, newspaper editor and authorPamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.comBlogger595125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-79959127938181577152022-11-05T18:32:00.005-06:002022-11-05T18:32:49.271-06:00COVER REVEAL! Plus the kindness of friends.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUe2Buq4KNi-b10Q24TsgCJ8lcTc07FDvtyMmz1zjSbJjHgLuqfSvjLeqwng1WqOZAUeOgdyaaD85USAjImNVRy9plOWaUfHI2xvV1a94Q-7PeZKxet5HuPzb4QTeQuwA3M5GHTVlnXElS_YOO8UCjA17fxcedzkI_jasRrUHdDwkUo7Ifzg/s2700/Snow_And_Starlight_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUe2Buq4KNi-b10Q24TsgCJ8lcTc07FDvtyMmz1zjSbJjHgLuqfSvjLeqwng1WqOZAUeOgdyaaD85USAjImNVRy9plOWaUfHI2xvV1a94Q-7PeZKxet5HuPzb4QTeQuwA3M5GHTVlnXElS_YOO8UCjA17fxcedzkI_jasRrUHdDwkUo7Ifzg/w426-h640/Snow_And_Starlight_1800x2700.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Here it is—the cover for <i><b>Snow and Starlight</b></i> (Wildest Alaska, #2), CGIS Special Agent Chase Santee and Anya Alexyev's story. For health reasons, I’ve only written three chapters so far. But already, these two are striking sparks off one another.</p><p>What can I tell you about the story?</p><p>For starters, the book opens with Anya’s first day at her first real job. She’s just joined the staff of the Kodiak Courant as a reporter, leading her headlong into a conflict with Chase.</p><p>The two of them are so much fun together.</p><p>Watch for an excerpt soon!</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> ***</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvMqGIgYYzk8yJ0EEpLCq6eOgs68PPBRI2-RGbeZ9afKGuApRPhqGyEjd0z-2f4AQ_NfDOh02QOnReFXykal2VpgZq49lOyyd3KRqTHgCgMvN9adktaV39p-CYu_SRzs2Uf1YNt_KikUOkDRVFgcPll3WFcx_FMH_qLepmEU9_1ZUxNREbw/s2344/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-05%20at%206.24.02%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="2344" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvMqGIgYYzk8yJ0EEpLCq6eOgs68PPBRI2-RGbeZ9afKGuApRPhqGyEjd0z-2f4AQ_NfDOh02QOnReFXykal2VpgZq49lOyyd3KRqTHgCgMvN9adktaV39p-CYu_SRzs2Uf1YNt_KikUOkDRVFgcPll3WFcx_FMH_qLepmEU9_1ZUxNREbw/w400-h236/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-05%20at%206.24.02%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Writing is my profession. But prolonged health struggles have kept me from writing since I finished <i>Fire and Rain</i> (Wildest Alaska #1). In fact, the last third of that book was written when I was in hellish pain. Not one to miss a deadline, I forced words out of myself with tears running down my face day after day until it was finished because I felt so awful.</p><p>I shared with you last month how I passed out, hit my head, and got a concussion. No one was able to say why I passed out, despite many scans and tests. But the cause was likely a series of UTIs and related infections that I've been battling again and again since July.</p><p>I've seen specialists and had every test imaginable since July, and it seems that chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2014 has caused long-term damage to the organs in my pelvis. That damage has left me vulnerable to infection and something worse—constant nerve pain in my bladder and all of my female tissues.</p><p>I haven’t shared this until recently because it’s rather personal. It seems that treatment for estrogen-positive breast cancer can damage cells in the body that have estrogen receptors—which includes every tissue in a woman’s pelvis.</p><p>What this has meant for me is an inability to write or really function because I'm grappling with pain that prevents me from sleeping. My sister was here in September because she'd come to help me navigate doctor visits and the emotional struggles of constant misery.</p><p>The medical bills have been horrendous, and my not being able to write due to exhaustion and pain is going to have a long-term impact. I do have a new treatment plan, but it's a long-term plan, with recovery expected in roughly six months.</p><p>One day a couple of weeks ago, author Toni Anderson got in touch with me about an unrelated topic, and I fell completely apart. I told her everything. The next day, author Katie Reus contacted me to tell me that she, Toni, and Kaylea Cross had put together a <b><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-cancer-survivor-romnce-author-pamela-clare?qid=af7553e533886aa16a8e4cfee5fa349b" target="_blank">Go Fund Me</a></b> campaign to help me cover medical bills and lost work time.</p><p>As hard as it is for me to ask for or to accept help, I’m deeply grateful to Kaylea, Katie, and Toni and to all of my friends and readers who have contributed to the campaign. It’s hard enough to deal with a serious health issue. It’s another to face hardship as a result.</p><p>For more information about the campaign or to contribute, <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-cancer-survivor-romnce-author-pamela-clare?qid=af7553e533886aa16a8e4cfee5fa349b">click here</a>. </p><p>My deepest and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has reached out with encouragement and donations to help me through this. You give me hope.</p><p>As for when <b><i>Snow and Starlight </i></b>will be released, I just can’t say. I have had a few good days over the past week, so that's encouraging. The specialist I'm seeing said I'd have more good days and fewer bad ones, and her words are what I'm holding onto tightly right now.</p>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-32336150220050700142022-09-26T14:56:00.003-06:002022-09-26T14:58:12.020-06:00What goes bump in the night.<p> </p><br /><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full combo-left table-1 middle" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px 20px;"><div align="left" class="module combo-left" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><span class="module-1 text-container"><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEKqaf7ZKHUfQrl9mlGG_vobqVqxJmv1aR7R4f0MV5q1TfKUprd57vq26HLB7Nlgnk9ULKGO8oGZknHYSxKIHAzsgBUCSNTOUB3QQ5olx1qyP0t44zRhbscTy3sFtcVMxYGxeaRRGXHBZnXR8ZSVR-qXlsxDbZ-YrFC-F8VFyedk2KX_Lyg/s2000/Ambulance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEKqaf7ZKHUfQrl9mlGG_vobqVqxJmv1aR7R4f0MV5q1TfKUprd57vq26HLB7Nlgnk9ULKGO8oGZknHYSxKIHAzsgBUCSNTOUB3QQ5olx1qyP0t44zRhbscTy3sFtcVMxYGxeaRRGXHBZnXR8ZSVR-qXlsxDbZ-YrFC-F8VFyedk2KX_Lyg/w400-h266/Ambulance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Dear readers,</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">It's been one heck of a month here at Casa Clare. Two weeks ago, I got up early in the morning and ... passed out, hitting my head on my nightstand as I fell to the floor.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I woke up with blood dripping from something—I didn't realize it was me—then struggled to my feet. I barely remember this. The next thing I knew, I was waking up on the bathroom floor. I tried again to stand, and again I hit the floor.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">My sister heard a series of bumps. At first, she thought it was my very naughty but cute cats—Tazzy and Willy. The second time she realized something was wrong. She called out to me, but I didn't answer. Then she heard the third bump. She came to the door and asked if I was okay,</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I said, "No." I was lucid enough to give her my cell phone number when she called 911. Firefighters came. Paramedics, too.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">An ambulance trip to the ER, a hospital admission, and a 36-hour hospital stay later, and I have thousands in medical bills but zero answers. They scanned my brain, heart, and lungs, did an echocardiogram, x-rayed my injuries, and monitored my heart the entire time I was there.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Nada.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I was left with a concussion, a gash in my temple, a sprained finger, sore muscles and joints from landing strangely, and a dozen bruises and lacerations. My bedroom looked like a crime scene, with blood on the white carpet.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">The experience is also quite unnerving. To pass out and not know why... That's scary.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm so grateful to my sister, Michelle, my younger son Benjamin and daughter-in-law Courtney, and my brother David who took care of my kitties and me in various ways and got me safely home from Denver again. My sister was my champion, staying overnight with me.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm recovered enough to start writing this week. Read on for more on the next book in the Wildest Alaska series!</p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full divider table-2 middle" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px 20px;"><div class="module divider" dir="ltr"><div class="divider-container module-2"><img alt="***" src="https://d1lggihq2bt4jo.cloudfront.net/assets/responsive_divider-003cda7043b1bbd93c29436541bdc9f7503eb3bbb2fb9b9323bc9b29c83a9fe6.png" style="height: auto !important; width: 530px;" width="530" /></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full combo-right table-3 middle" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px 20px;"><div align="left" class="module combo-right" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="module-3" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; float: right !important; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 170.015625px;"><tbody><tr><td class="combo-image" style="padding: 0px 0px 18px 20px; width: 150.015625px;"><div align="center" class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Fire And Rain 1800x2700" src="https://cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/3133/3314/original/Fire_And_Rain_1800x2700.jpg?1650839970" style="border: 0px none; float: none; height: auto; padding: 0px; width: 150.015625px;" width="150" /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="module-3 text-container"><h1 align="left" style="color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;">My newsletter readers chose... Chase Santee</h1><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Coast Guard Investigative Services Special Agent <strong>Chase Santee</strong> won last month's poll. He will be the hero of Book 2 in my Wildest Alaska series, titled <strong><span style="font-style: italic;">Snow and Starlight</span></strong>.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Chase was last seen getting a medal pinned to his chest for shooting a criminal while hanging out the door of a helo in rough weather. Yes, he's a total badass.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">So, what can I tell you about the story? I haven't started writing yet for reasons made clear above, but I can tell you this.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Anya Alexyev, one of Eden's younger sisters, will be his love match, though neither of them believes that possible at first. She's 24. He's 33. She's a bit of a wild child, while he's into law and order. They find themselves on opposite sides of a criminal investigation. If you're picking up "sexy enemy to lovers" vibes, you're right on.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Next month, I'll have a cover reveal for you, as well as a description.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Stay tuned!</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">If you haven't yet read <strong><span style="font-style: italic;">Fire and Rain</span></strong>, the first book in the series, it's available for <a href="https://amzn.to/36LVoKs" style="color: #3693cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3Kg6y7M" style="color: #3693cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/38kKGuQ" style="color: #3693cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kobo</a>, and <a href="https://apple.co/3OwTMFf" style="color: #3693cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Apple Books</a>. You can also get it through Smashwords/D2D in all ebook formats or in paperback. Don't miss out on Sean and Eden's story.</p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full image table-4 middle" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px;"><div class="module large-image-container image" dir="ltr"><table align="" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="module-4" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 399.984375px;"><tbody><tr><td class="single" style="padding: 0px 0px 18px; width: 399.984375px;"><div align="center" class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Coast Guard helo" src="https://cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/3398/5524/original/Coast_Guard_helo.jpg?1664221148" style="border: 0px none; float: none; height: auto; padding: 0px; width: 399.984375px;" width="400" /></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-10231176085773715642022-07-26T14:51:00.001-06:002022-07-26T14:51:12.380-06:00FIRE AND RAIN is out! Excerpt #2<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgA4XCpiohSV4oQMulYB6BYW-C7t3fvIgs6p36FSJ0Ru181lkzY67bHNuhQKhhnCQYAhCLmo2aG9LFCvd32wRqtNGzWZ6XosU4ssHnjl3E52znXOOaHKxY5RVKUf17zjfSdz1RsIRncEkEaDwupd5bdNNPmigOxJ3TswDRPwz8t4c6BeYhg/s2400/Fire_And_Rain_1600x2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgA4XCpiohSV4oQMulYB6BYW-C7t3fvIgs6p36FSJ0Ru181lkzY67bHNuhQKhhnCQYAhCLmo2aG9LFCvd32wRqtNGzWZ6XosU4ssHnjl3E52znXOOaHKxY5RVKUf17zjfSdz1RsIRncEkEaDwupd5bdNNPmigOxJ3TswDRPwz8t4c6BeYhg/w426-h640/Fire_And_Rain_1600x2400.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b><i>Fire and Rain</i></b> (Wildest Alaska, #1) is out in ebook and paperback. You can grab your copy for <a href="https://amzn.to/36LVoKs" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3Kg6y7M" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/3OwTMFf" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/38kKGuQ" target="_blank">Kobo</a>, or <a href="https://amzn.to/3PSWULD" target="_blank">paperback</a>. It's also available on <a href="https://bit.ly/3yZOdbp">Smashwords</a> in all ebook formats.</p><p>I hope you enjoy the first story in this new contemporary adventure series. It's not romantic suspense. It's contemporary romance with a dash of suspense and lots of adventure. </p><p>I visited Alaska for 10 days when my older son got married on an Alaskan cruise through the Inside Passage. I could have stayed forever. The bigger-than-life scenery, the fresh air, the cold. I really like the cold. It was breathtaking. </p><p>The Coast Guard elements of the story were fascinating for me and completely new. Obviously, Colorado isn't on the coast, so I've never had contact with the Coast Guard. I didn't know that rescue swimmers were considered special operators or that AST A-school (where rescue swimmers train) has a higher drop-on-request rate than the Navy SEALs. </p><p><i><b>Fire and Rain</b></i> is my 37th work, my 35th novel, and I'm thrilled that it's out in the world today.</p><p>To celebrate the book's release, here's a brief excerpt...</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p>Even as his lips brushed hers, Sean told himself he wasn’t going to kiss her. He wasn’t going to kiss her. He was <i>not</i>…</p><p><i>Ah, hell.</i></p><p>He gave in to the thrumming in his chest, slid his fingers into her hair, and claimed her mouth, tasting rum and sugar. She whimpered then gasped when their bodies met, and some part of Sean remembered that he was soaking wet. He was probably getting her wet, too, and making her cold. And still, he didn’t stop.</p><p>She slipped her arms behind his neck, melted against him, her breasts pressing against his ribcage, her body warm. Hunger he’d tried so hard to ignore hit his bloodstream, his cock going hard, straining against his fly. He traced the curve of her lower lip with his tongue, nipped it, sucked it into his mouth, wanting to devour her.</p><p>She sucked in a breath, shivered. “Sean.”</p><p>But he wasn’t finished. </p><p>He angled her head, and claimed her mouth again, teasing her tongue with his, blood racing hot through his veins. She drew him closer, answered his teasing with strokes of her own, her fingers curling in the hair at his nape.</p><p>From somewhere nearby, came the sound of a garage door opening.</p><p><i>Shit.</i></p><p>If they were seen kissing…</p><p>He released her, stepped back, trembling from head to toe, whether from the chill or from desire, he couldn’t say. “I should go.”</p><p>“Don’t be silly.” She took his hand, her fingers threading easily with his. “Come in and dry off before you get hypothermia. We can talk.”</p><p>Sean should have said goodnight. He should have walked to his vehicle and driven back to the barracks, but he didn’t. Instead, he followed her inside, his mind reeling. </p><p>But she was right. They needed to talk.</p><p>“I’ll put water on to boil for tea.” She smiled. “You know where the towels are. Just toss your wet stuff in the dryer.”</p><p>While she busied herself in the kitchen, he removed his boots and damp socks, then walked to the bathroom and undressed, wet down to his skin. He took a bath towel from the cupboard near the door and dried off. As he rubbed the towel over his hair, he caught his reflection in the mirror.</p><p><i>Do you know what you just did, buddy?</i></p><p>Hell, no. He’d gone off the edge of the map tonight. </p><p><i>But damn. </i></p><p>In his twenties, he’d dated lots of women, wasting far too many hours on dating apps. He’d had more than a few first kisses in his life. But nothing could compare to what he’d just experienced with Eden. Their kiss had lasted only a few minutes, but it had rocked his world.</p><div>Available for <a href="https://amzn.to/36LVoKs" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3Kg6y7M" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/3OwTMFf" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/38kKGuQ" target="_blank">Kobo</a>, and in <a href="https://amzn.to/3PSWULD">paperback</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>(c) Copyright Pamela Clare 2022</div>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-79729848487352522012022-06-15T15:21:00.003-06:002022-06-15T15:21:54.943-06:00A second excerpt from Fire and Rain — plus a 99 cent sale<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIILBcMQZ69apuPHoTLJRtaVaqavUm8POk69sTrL-ydzXYIyE95-XX3EJM4B0w9jWEOTkb-s8mKDsxKYY6LsW5jNjhKEN6Fl-fxWja0mMb6ru7qwLZnDzC7A-TErq_oI_8gDU_Lk4GfQ7QJY8nHaxA9OyBaKKzgYnq_9Fd6aesoo-GjYC-Ew/s2400/Fire_And_Rain_1600x2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIILBcMQZ69apuPHoTLJRtaVaqavUm8POk69sTrL-ydzXYIyE95-XX3EJM4B0w9jWEOTkb-s8mKDsxKYY6LsW5jNjhKEN6Fl-fxWja0mMb6ru7qwLZnDzC7A-TErq_oI_8gDU_Lk4GfQ7QJY8nHaxA9OyBaKKzgYnq_9Fd6aesoo-GjYC-Ew/w426-h640/Fire_And_Rain_1600x2400.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p></p><table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="module-1" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; float: left !important; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 170.015625px;"><tbody><tr><td class="combo-image" style="padding: 0px 20px 18px 0px; width: 150.015625px;"><div align="center" class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="module-1 text-container" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><h1 align="left" style="color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;"><br /></h1><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">As many of you undoubtedly already know, I changed the release date for <span style="font-style: italic;"><strong>Fire and Rain</strong></span> to July 26. Summer is a busy time here, and sometimes a book takes longer than you think.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I am loving Sean and Eden and the slow way they transform from friends to lovers. I'm also in love with the setting—Kodiak, AK. Mountains. Ocean. Wildlife. Hot Coast Guardsmen. What's not to love?</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">The book is available for preorder now for <a href="https://amzn.to/36LVoKs" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3Kg6y7M" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/3OwTMFf" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, and <a href="https://bit.ly/3aW0tS6" target="_blank">Kobo</a>.</p></span><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full text table-2 middle" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px 20px;"><div class="module text" dir="ltr"><span class="module-2 text-container"><h1 align="left" style="color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;"></h1><h1 align="left" style="color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;"><br /></h1><h1 align="left" style="color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;">Excerpt No. 2 from <strong><span style="font-style: italic;">Fire and Rain</span></strong></h1><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Sean looked up—and stared.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Damn.</span></p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Eden was walking straight toward him, looking good enough to eat.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">She wore a short black dress that made the most of her curves. Oh, hell, yes, it did. The fabric clung to her body from her breasts to the flare of her hips. He it was wrong, but he couldn’t stop his gaze from raking over her from her bare shoulders to that hint of luscious cleavage to those long, smooth legs. <br />Desire warmed his blood, scattered his thoughts, left his brain blank.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">She’d reached the table before he got a hold of himself. “Hey.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">He swallowed, stood. “Hey.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Trey stood, too, and pulled out a seat for her. “Good to see you, Eden.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">She sat, her hair sliding over one soft, round shoulder. She wore makeup on her face, her lips glossy and red. “It’s my sister Maria’s thirtieth birthday, so we’re here to celebrate. Maria loves clam chowder.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Trey grinned. “Then this is the place to be.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">“You’re looking much better. I mean, you always look great. But you look better than you did. I… uh… you were really sick and…” Sean got a sharp kick to the shin from Trey under the table, and his brain started working again. “How do you feel?”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Her lush, red lips curved in a sweet smile. “I feel so much better. Thank you again for all you did to help us through that.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">“I hear you had scarlet fever.” Trey shook his head. “Nasty stuff.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">“Poor Maverick still has bright red cheeks. The pediatrician said that should go away within the week. He’s back to being his happy little self.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">“Good.” Sean did his best to act normal, the urge to touch her, kiss her, and carry her out of this place overwhelming. “Happy I could help.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">“How have you been?”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">“Good. Fine. Okay. Yeah.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Trey looked like he was trying not to laugh. “We’ve kept pretty busy. A surfer broke his leg and ended up on a tidal rockpile. We got him before he was washed out to sea. There was also a case where a fisherman caught himself in the eye with his hook.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Eden winced. “Oh, God.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">This time it was Sean who kicked Trey under the table.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Trey’s grin vanished. “Sorry. That was probably TMI.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">On the stage, the Outriggers broke into their rendition of <span style="font-style: italic;">Footloose</span>, quickly filling the dance floor. Then the server was there to take their orders, all of them half-shouting to be heard above the band.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Sean ordered a salmon burger and a beer, while Trey went for the steak. <br />“Nothing for me. I’m actually sitting at the table with my sisters.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">“Oh, right.” The server smiled. “I recognize you now. Another glass of wine?” <br />“No, thanks.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">While the band went from number to number, they talked about little stuff, the conversation moving to everyone’s favorite topic—the weather.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">The Outriggers ended one song to applause and then launched into their rendition of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, which quite possibly was the very last song Sean needed to hear at the moment.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Trey was still talking about the weather. “They’re saying we’re in for a major storm system next—”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Eden stood, held out her hand to Sean, invitation in her eyes. “Dance with me.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Sean had just taken a drink and almost choked. “I… uh…”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Trey kicked him again—hard this time.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Sean shot him a look then stood and took her hand, his skin seeming to ignite at the touch. He led her onto the dance floor, where only a handful of couples remained, slow dancing. “Everyone’s watching us. Your sisters are staring.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Eden came easily into his arms, rested her palms on his shoulders. “Let them.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Sean closed his eyes, drew a breath, and gave in to the moment, savoring the soft feel of her body against his, inhaling the sweet scent of her skin. “You smell so good.”</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">She rested her head against his chest in a way that was unmistakably intimate, unleashing an answering pull inside him.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">God, he wanted her.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Worse, he was beginning to think she wanted him, too.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">He rested one hand on the curve of her hip, splayed the other across the bare skin of her upper back, the contact setting him on fire. He nuzzled her ear, breathed her in, felt her shiver.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">What the hell was he doing?</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Eden was Justin’s wife. No, she was his widow. She was alone now.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Justin is gone.</span></p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">And just like that, Sean found himself balanced on a razor’s edge, torn between past and present, right and wrong, duty and desire.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">The book is available for preorder now for <a href="https://amzn.to/36LVoKs" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3Kg6y7M" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/3OwTMFf" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, and <a href="https://bit.ly/3aW0tS6" target="_blank">Kobo</a>.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Copyright (c) Pamela Clare 2022</p><span><!--more--></span><h1 align="left" style="color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;">3 Books. 99 cents. Ends Saturday!</h1><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLZnf_1WedykSG9qMkO1sp8vpzm__EZRJZWlrgVRVNhQyTxCXBQTNtwHI9HNyeX2Cbnj1zwos8Ty0MAMpPzWfVF_6RANYSm126hDHIIVCAArGpZTw-54jAsqyIo83bctE-YT7ZCCnbYZluCWn8f7wSpo3VQC_pP4i4mtCNhVbE9FQk9bygQ/s2667/3D_Cobra_International_Security1-3_Transparent.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2667" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLZnf_1WedykSG9qMkO1sp8vpzm__EZRJZWlrgVRVNhQyTxCXBQTNtwHI9HNyeX2Cbnj1zwos8Ty0MAMpPzWfVF_6RANYSm126hDHIIVCAArGpZTw-54jAsqyIo83bctE-YT7ZCCnbYZluCWn8f7wSpo3VQC_pP4i4mtCNhVbE9FQk9bygQ/s320/3D_Cobra_International_Security1-3_Transparent.png" width="240" /></a></div><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Thanks to those of you who put the Cobra Elite Box set in the No. 1 slot for both Military Romance and Romantic Suspense. The special $0.99 price ends on Saturday!</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Available globally for <a href="https://amzn.to/3HcGNW5" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/39s2vsy" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/3Qb8DpX" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, and <a href="https://bit.ly/3aW0tS6" target="_blank">Kobo</a>.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">If you don't have your copy, grab it while you can. Join the members of Cobra International Security as they find love and danger around the world. The Cobra Elite Box Set features three pulse-pounding military suspense novels by USA Today Bestselling Author Pamela Clare.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Hard Target</strong> — When a US senator asks Cobra to protect his daughter, a midwife volunteering in Afghanistan, Derek’s gut tells him to turn the senator down. The last thing he wants to do is babysit an aid worker. But Jenna isn’t just another assignment. She’s also the younger sister of his best friend, the man who died taking bullets meant for him. There’s no way Derek can refuse.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Hard Asset</strong> — On the run from a genocidal madman and his army, Connor will have to use all of the skills he learned in Delta Force to keep Shanti safe.</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Hard Justice</strong> — When Quinn McManus’ best friend from his days in the British Special Air Service is found dead in an alley in Glasgow, he turns to Elizabeth Shields to help him find the man who did it. As they cross the line from friends to lovers, they find themselves in the sights of a stone-cold killer</p><p align="left" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Thanks for following my blog!</p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-14129066391102789202022-05-12T10:48:00.001-06:002022-05-12T10:49:13.803-06:00Excerpt from FIRE AND RAIN<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNFi36N2ZmK4lBbd8mJVyEnDzkYZprQqeT3640cbE0KtRYcS1lxKJtlDB81p39ZZSGEZDOZTixMwi-KzD28-YU9vStiOzDz6lchuvmvDEM3bSftYdLqfytChmm-jefDR2CJzEIvjKrTEKrgdVPZgHg6wV3CPOnOsoFtg2wt-Pc3MF3RLwNg/s2400/Fire_And_Rain_1600x2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNFi36N2ZmK4lBbd8mJVyEnDzkYZprQqeT3640cbE0KtRYcS1lxKJtlDB81p39ZZSGEZDOZTixMwi-KzD28-YU9vStiOzDz6lchuvmvDEM3bSftYdLqfytChmm-jefDR2CJzEIvjKrTEKrgdVPZgHg6wV3CPOnOsoFtg2wt-Pc3MF3RLwNg/w266-h400/Fire_And_Rain_1600x2400.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Spring is here! With its thirteen fruit trees, our garden is an explosion of blossom. It's such a beautiful time of year. Because we grow almost all of our own fruit and veg during the summer, it's a busy time, too. Those of you interested in urban farming can join in the fun in my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/632664867569821/" target="_blank">Living Prepared</a> group on Facebook. (Just tell me you read about it on my blog when you ask to join, and I'll add you.)</p><p>I’m hard at work on <i><b>Fire and Rain</b>,</i> the first book of my new Wildest Alaska series, which tells Sean McKenna and Eden Koseki's story. They lose a man they both love—Eden's husband and Sean's best friend—and eventually fall in love. The book is available for preorder for <a href="https://amzn.to/36LVoKs" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3Kg6y7M" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/3OwTMFf" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, and <a href="https://bit.ly/38kKGuQ" target="_blank">Kobo</a>. It will be available in paperback on release day.</p><p>I visited Alaska once, and I fell in love with it. I hope you're as excited for this series as I am. </p><p>Without further ado, here's the entire prologue of <i><b>Fire and Rain.</b></i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>PROLOGUE</b></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 4.8px; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>February 11</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 4.8px; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Air Station Kodiak</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 4.8px; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Kodiak Island, Alaska</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 4.8px; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean McKenna was jerked from a sound sleep by the SAR alarm. Instantly awake, he got to his feet and left his duty room, already wearing the black long underwear that would go beneath his survival suit.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">The operations duty officer’s voice sounded over the loudspeaker. “Now put the ready helo online. Now put the ready helo online.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin Koseki emerged from the duty room across the hall and walked with Sean together toward their lockers. “Get any sleep?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Some. You?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean had met Justin a little more than eight years ago at boot camp, and they’d been friends ever since. Tonight, they were both on duty and needed to be ready to take off at a moment’s notice.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin shook his head, a smile on his face. “I was talking with Eden. She wants to try for another baby.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Eden was Justin’s beautiful wife of three years and the mother of his eighteen-month-old son, Maverick.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean chuckled. “Weren’t you just complaining about the cost of diapers?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin grinned. “She wants our kids to be born here in Kodiak so her parents can have time with them before we get transferred away. I’ll ask to stay here for as long as I can, but you know how that goes.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin had already gotten a second tour of duty in Kodiak, but where he served after that was up to the Coast Guard. Most Coastie families lived far from loved ones, moving every two to four years. But Eden had deep roots on the island, with ancestry that included Alutiiq, Russian, Scottish, and French Canadian. She’d never lived in the Lower Forty-Eight, and Sean couldn’t blame her for wanting to raise her children here.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin glanced at him. “When are you going to meet someone?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Do the math. There are twenty-six percent fewer women than men on this island, and if you subtract married women, girls, and grandmas, the pickings are slim.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Oh, come on! You’re a flight mech. You’ve got shiny gold wings on your uniform. Women dig wings.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Too bad I can’t wear my uniform into the bars.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin chuckled. “I didn’t meet Eden in a bar.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Not all of us get to show off the way you rescue swimmers do.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin had jumped out of the helo at Kodiak’s Crab Fest as part of a demonstration to show the crowd what rescue swimmers did. But rather than hooking himself up so he could be hoisted back up to the helo like he was supposed to, he’d swum over to a pretty woman standing with her friends at the pier and asked for her name and number. He’d been reprimanded, but it had been worth it. Six months later, Sean had flown up from Air Station San Francisco to stand with Justin at his wedding to Eden. Sam had gotten one look at the landscape and had requested to be stationed in Kodiak for his next move.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Some Coasties hated Alaska, but Sean loved it. It was a land of extremes—extreme beauty, extreme weather, extreme risk. Living and working on Kodiak Island got Sean’s blood pumping in a way that no other assignment had. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">They reached their lockers and dropped the banter. Lt. James Spurrier and Lt. David Abbott, the helo pilot and co-pilot, were already halfway into their survival suits.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“What’ve we got?” Sean opened his locker, began to dress out. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Spurrier yanked up the diagonal zipper of his survival suit. “The ODO got a call from a twenty-eight-foot fishing boat called the Marjorie T. A forty-six-year-old male collapsed suddenly, seized, and is having trouble breathing. The boat is about fifty miles offshore.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Do they have an AED onboard?” As the rescue swimmer, Justin was an EMT and would be in charge of medical care once they got the patient onboard the helo.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“They don’t.” Spurrier grabbed his flight bag. “The woman who made the call sounded extremely upset and said she didn’t have first aid training. The ODO told her how to put him in a recovery position and asked her to check for a pulse. She couldn’t tell his pulse from her own.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Adrenaline will do that.” Sean zipped his suit, grabbed the rest of his gear, and walked with James and Justin toward the operations center. “What’s the weather doing?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Here in Alaska, the weather could change in a heartbeat and varied drastically from one area to another. It might be a calm night over Air Station Kodiak but gusting forty knots with zero visibility a ten-minute flight up the coast.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Clear skies with gusts up to fifteen knots. Water temp is forty degrees.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Nice.” Sean’s primary job was to conn the pilot into position and manage the hoist, lowering the rescue swimmer to the water or the deck of the boat and then lifting him and any patients or survivors to safety. High winds made that job a lot more challenging.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">They found Lt. Michelle Yamada, a fixed-wing pilot, staffing the operations duty officer post for the night. She’d already calculated their flight path. “It should be a straightforward evolution.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Spurrier’s gaze was on the map, where the ship’s position was clearly marked. “Any amplifying information?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Lt. Yamada nodded. “The boat isn’t moving, so they’re getting tossed around by the swells. Apparently, the patient is the only one who feels safe piloting the craft. The woman who called in is the patient’s wife. The patient is unconscious and unresponsive. She thinks he has a pulse, but she’s pretty upset and seems confused. I asked a corpsman to join you just in case you need extra medical help. Ahlgren is already waiting near the helo.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Good idea.” Spurrier pulled on his helmet. “Let’s go.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">~ ~ ~</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">It was a short flight to the position of the <i>Marjorie T</i>, so Sean helped Justin and Will get the cabin ready for the patient, the three of them preparing for the worst. Sean and Justin had worked dozens of SAR cases together and operated quickly and efficiently. Will rarely flew, but as a corpsman, he had a higher level of medical training and was allowed to administer medications that Justin could not.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Once we get the patient into the cabin, I’ll defer to you,” Justin told Will.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Copy that.” Will hung a bag of IV fluids and retrieved an AMBU bag, while Justin got the AED ready. IV tubing. O2. Medications. Pulse Oximeter. Blankets. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">An unconscious patient meant a litter rescue, but Sean would wait until Justin had left the cabin to put the litter together. He turned to the window, flipped down his night-vision goggles, and searched for the <i>Marjorie T</i>.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Abbott’s voice came through the headphones. “I wonder what a small craft like that is doing out here in the middle of the night.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Good question,” Spurrier replied.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">There was no fog, but there wasn’t any moonlight either, the darkness broken only by the MH-60 Jayhawk’s lights. They had no photos of the <i>Marjorie T</i>, and Sean wasn’t sure the boat had power or functioning lights.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Spurrier’s voice sounded in Sean’s ear. “You’ve got door speed.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Roger that. Opening cabin door.” Sean leaned out as cold air rushed in, his gaze on the inky black surface of the swells below.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Spurrier tried to pick the boat up on the radio. “Marjorie T, this is Coast Guard Rescue Six-Zero-Three-Eight, do you copy?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">A moment of silence was followed by a burst of static. “Coast Guard, it’s the Marjorie T. I can hear you, but I can’t see you. Help us!”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean spotted the vessel bobbing in the water. “They’re at our two o’clock.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“I see them.” David turned on the helo’s TrakkaBeam, the powerful spotlight illuminating the boat below. “Let there be light.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Is the big flashlight giving you a god complex, Abbot?” Spurrier joked.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Marjorie T, Rescue Three-Eight, we’re nearing your position. Can you give us an update on the patient, over?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“He still isn’t moving. I think I felt his heart beating.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Good copy, Marjorie T. We’ll circle your position and figure out the best way to reach the patient, over.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean made a quick study of the boat and any hazards it might present to a hovering helo. “The boat’s really small, and there are a couple of antennas coming off the cabin.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Looks like our patient is in the stern,” David said.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“I see him.” Sean had already made up his mind. “We’re going to have to put the swimmer in the water. You good with that, man?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin nodded, his gaze on the boat. “I’ll climb on board and assess the patient. Then you can send down the litter.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Roger that.” Spurrier circled the boat once more.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean conned Spurrier into position as he brought the helo to a hover about fifteen feet above the water’s surface just off the boat’s starboard side. “The tail rotor is clear. Hold.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin was already wearing his harness and fins, so Sean started his safety check. “You ready?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Yeah, man. Let’s get this guy.” Justin sat with his legs dangling over the water. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Safety check complete.” Sean gave Justin a little push. “Swimmer is leaving the cabin.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Roger.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin took the plunge, disappearing beneath the water. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Swimmer is in the water.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin surfaced, gave Sean a thumb’s up, then swam with strong strokes toward the boat.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Swimmer is fine. He’s heading toward the Marjorie T.” Sean watched as Justin reached the boat’s starboard railing and pulled himself onto the craft. “The swimmer is on deck.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">With Will’s assistance, Sean got the litter ready and attached it to the hook and hoist line.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Below, Justin knelt beside the patient, checked for a pulse, then turned to speak to the woman, his words drowned out by the helo’s rotors. He looked up, motioned for Sean to send down the litter. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Swimmer has asked for the litter.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Begin the hoist,” Spurrier said.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean held onto the line so the litter wouldn’t spin in the helo’s rotor wash. The litter had almost reached Justin when the cabin door opened and another adult male staggered out, hand held over his mouth as if he were coughing.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin’s voice came over the radio. “Abort! Abort! We need to get everyone off the boat and pick them up in the water. They’re cooking meth, and the patient was exposed.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Fuck.</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Abort the hoist. I’m putting some distance between us,” Spurrier said as the helo moved upward and back. “Prepare to recover our swimmer and survivors from the water.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Aborting the hoist. Get out of there, Koseki.” Sean raised the litter, holding tight to the line as it moved slowly upward. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Below, Justin caught the unconscious man beneath the arms and dragged him toward the railing, shouting to the other two passengers to abandon ship. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Were they arguing with him?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Come on!</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Spurrier spoke into the radio, updating Sector. “The swimmer says they’re cooking meth onboard. We’ve aborted the hoist and put some distance between us and—”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">A deafening blast. Searing heat. Flames.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Almost at once, the shockwave hit the helo, ripping the line from Sean’s hand, and hurling him backward. The litter and hook were blown back into the tail rotor. The aircraft pitched, spinning, alarms on the aircraft screaming.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Mayday! Mayday!” Spurrier’s voice sounded in Sean’s headphones as the helo spun out of control, heading for the water. “This is Coast Guard Rescue Six-Zero-Three-Eight! The Marjorie T just exploded. We’re going down!”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Justin!” Sean shouted into the chaos.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Then they hit the water with a bone-jarring crunch.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; text-indent: 4.8px;">~ ~ ~</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Eden Koseki slipped quietly into Maverick’s room to check on him, her heart swelling as she gazed at him. He lay sound asleep in his crib, completely relaxed the way only a baby could be, pacifier still in his little mouth, his downy hair dark against his pillow. It was hard to believe that this sleeping angel was the same little rascal who’d dumped all the cat food onto the floor this afternoon—and then cried in protest when she’d cleaned it up.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">She drew up the quilt her mother had made for him and then walked out of the room, leaving the door cracked behind her. Se needed a hot soak and a good night’s sleep.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">She walked to the tub and turned on the tap, undressing and tossing her clothes into their bedroom. Then she hung a clean towel on the rack, put her phone where she could reach it, and stepped into the tub, sinking into the hot water with a sigh.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift, savoring the heat and the quiet.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">She’d heard the helo lift off about thirty minutes ago and knew that Justin was out there somewhere, trying to save lives. When they’d first met, she’d sat by her VHF radio any time he went out on a case, listening, needing to know he was safe. But they’d been married for almost four years now, and she’d adjusted to the risks of his job—mostly. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">She’d fallen in love with that brave man who’d jumped out of a hovering helicopter and swum through icy water just to ask for her name and number. Danger was part of the package that was Justin. If he could cope with it, so could she.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">When she’d met Justin, she’d been working full-time as a pharmacy tech at Safeway. She’d enjoyed that job more than the jobs she’d had as a teen—acting as a tour guide, waiting tables, working at the fish processing plant. When she’d found out she was pregnant, she and Justin had talked about it and decided they had enough money saved up for her to leave work until their kids were in school. Given his long hours and unpredictable schedule, it had seemed the best thing for them as a family. It wasn’t as if Eden had any great career ambitions. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">She was an Alaskan through and through. What mattered to her was family and spending as much time as she could in nature, boating, fishing, hiking, watching wildlife. For her, a job was just a way to pay the bills, nothing more.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">But Justin had always wanted to be in the military. He’d chosen the Coast Guard because he loved the water. Then he’d learned about Avionics Survival Technicians—rescue swimmers—and he’d known exactly what he’d wanted to do.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Her brave, crazy husband.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">She found herself smiling as she remembered their conversation tonight and the sexy purr in his voice when she’d told him she wanted to try for another baby.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Are you saying no more condoms?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“No more condoms.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Man, I wish I weren’t on duty tonight.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Oh, so did she. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">She wanted Maverick to have a sister or a brother, and she wanted her parents to meet their grandchildren before they passed. They were in their sixties, and neither of them were in very good health. Though Justin had promised he would do all he could to stay here on Kodiak Island, she knew that was beyond his control. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Eden brought her hands to rest on her belly, the tiny silver stretch marks from her pregnancy with Maverick barely visible. Would their next baby be a girl or a boy? A part of her hoped it would be a girl so they would have one of each. She would love to watch her newborn daughter wrap Justin around her tiny finger. But boy or girl, it didn’t really matter to Eden.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">In the distance, she heard the rotors of another helicopter leaving the station. Was it for the same case, or had they gotten another call?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Justin would tell her all about it when he came home in the morning.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; text-indent: 4.8px;">~ ~ ~</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 4.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Wrapped in a blanket, Sean sat in the troop seat of another MH-60, Spurrier strapped in beside him as the helo that had rescued them made its way back to home plate. He was oblivious to the searing pain from his burns and the ache of his broken arm, his mind fixed on those few seconds just before the explosion.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Abort the hoist! Abort! We need to get everyone off the boat and pick them up in the water. They’re cooking meth, and this man was exposed.</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Abort the hoist. I’m putting some distance between us. Prepare to recover our swimmer and survivors from the water. </i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Aborting the hoist. Get out of there, Koseki!</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>BOOM!</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Mayday! Mayday! This is Coast Guard Rescue Six-Zero-Three-Eight! The Marjorie T exploded. We’re going down!</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">If only Sean had shouted to Justin to jump <i>now</i>… </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">If only he’d held onto that hoist line…</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">After the helo had hit the water, Sean had unhooked himself and tried to help Will escape the sinking aircraft. That’s how he’d discovered that his right arm was broken and useless. The pain had been excruciating. Fortunately, Will had been uninjured and had followed Sean through the dark water to the surface. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean had glanced around, his right arm limp. “Where are Spurrier and Abbott? Do you see Justin?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Will turned in the water. “No, I… There!”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Spurrier had surfaced fifteen feet to Sean’s left.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Abbott?” Sean had shouted.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Flames had reflected off Spurrier’s flight helmet. “Gone.” </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Jesus.</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Abbott was dead, and Justin… </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Driven by desperation, Sean had fought to swim through swells and flaming wreckage, searching the surface for any sign of Justin—a flash of orange, his helmet, anything. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">But Spurrier had caught him in a rescue hold and dragged him away from the flames. “Don’t fight me, man. It’s too late! It’s not safe.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean had never felt so helpless.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Now, a boat crew and a third helo were searching the water for remains. The Coast Guard would do an investigation and come up with procedures to avoid this in the future. But nothing would bring back Justin or David or the people whose lives they’d died trying to save—to say nothing of the multi-million-dollar aircraft that now lay at the bottom of the Gulf of Alaska.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Petty Officer McKenna!” </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean’s head jerked up. Had he blacked out? “Sir?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“I think he’s in shock.” But Will wasn’t speaking to Sean.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Liam Casey, the rescue swimmer on this flight, turned to Will and Spurrier. “Apart from the blanket, he says he’s fine and has refused treatment.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Sean wanted to insist that he was okay, but he couldn’t keep his teeth from chattering.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Spurrier spoke clearly. “McKenna, you are to do whatever Liam and Will tell you to do. That’s an order. Do you understand?”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Y-yes, sir.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Will moved closer. “I’m going to give you some morphine, and we’ll settle you in the litter so we can transfer you as soon as we land.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">The jab of a needle.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">After that, it was a blur of shivering, pain, and voices.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“… second-degree burns on the exposed part of his face …”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“He’s got a right humeral shaft fracture. I splinted it when he was unconscious.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Between the meth and the burning ship, we can’t rule out chemical exposure.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“We should be on deck in zero-five mikes.”</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Then he was on a gurney, rolling toward a waiting ambulance, the dark sky above him. Before he drifted into unconsciousness, one thought crystallized in his mind, the pain it caused worse than any injury.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">How in God’s name was he going to tell Eden that the man she loved was dead?</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0px;"><i>Tropes: Friends to lovers, best friend's widow, military romance...</i></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Available for preorder for <a href="https://amzn.to/36LVoKs" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-indent: 0px;" target="_blank">Kindle</a><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0px;">, </span><a href="https://bit.ly/3Kg6y7M" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-indent: 0px;" target="_blank">Nook</a><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0px;">, </span><a href="https://apple.co/3OwTMFf" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-indent: 0px;" target="_blank">iBooks</a><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0px;">, and </span><a href="https://bit.ly/38kKGuQ" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-indent: 0px;" target="_blank">Kobo</a>.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Copyright (C) by Pamela Clare 2022</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><p></p><div>I hope you enjoyed that little glimpse. So far, I haven't written a chapter that didn't make me cry. And now off to the vet with a cat emergency... </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUGJII4kMs7S6OLErAykTgiIKYrl3zJgKe7LrbUAdKpDiJZKr11r8wAqzEI8I0Br-9cC81xY6xO0ORkkR54oGdn1RPNfesY7ldoYWGUQ-hO_Mn_1dEtbosshuKkd7tFsSlWB-h-03qzQeTHSbAvIxdBIwWohvh_HT5biynFIWp2Yp9EKtaA/s2048/IMG_2333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUGJII4kMs7S6OLErAykTgiIKYrl3zJgKe7LrbUAdKpDiJZKr11r8wAqzEI8I0Br-9cC81xY6xO0ORkkR54oGdn1RPNfesY7ldoYWGUQ-hO_Mn_1dEtbosshuKkd7tFsSlWB-h-03qzQeTHSbAvIxdBIwWohvh_HT5biynFIWp2Yp9EKtaA/s320/IMG_2333.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-32985288400249909642022-04-24T16:05:00.001-06:002022-04-24T17:13:04.253-06:00FIRE AND RAIN Cover Reveal and Back Blurb!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZePG7tDA24DemwdTnmi15tkPraIIQ4qtv05tJ6MYYSIMY6NeoGqgtQm0qBxdDz3wZWe98dONjjlzGSWR8WBlSiDIM8qyOrp_rNFhu0EOTzKu8tJFZinbBo9RebsPvrlVUPpe6zkZjeF0122c_EAxpssVp5u5f_vgnDubjkWuaDxD3gsaCw/s2400/Fire_And_Rain_1600x2400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZePG7tDA24DemwdTnmi15tkPraIIQ4qtv05tJ6MYYSIMY6NeoGqgtQm0qBxdDz3wZWe98dONjjlzGSWR8WBlSiDIM8qyOrp_rNFhu0EOTzKu8tJFZinbBo9RebsPvrlVUPpe6zkZjeF0122c_EAxpssVp5u5f_vgnDubjkWuaDxD3gsaCw/w266-h400/Fire_And_Rain_1600x2400.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I am <i>so</i> in love with this cover! </p><p><i><b>Fire and Rain</b></i>, the first book in my new <b>Wildest Alaska</b> series, featuring Coast Guard heroes, will be out on June 28. Here’s your first glimpse of the cover. Read on for a description of the story.</p><p>You can now preorder your copy for <a href="https://amzn.to/36LVoKs" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3Kg6y7M">Nook</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/3OwTMFf">iBooks</a>, and <a href="https://bit.ly/38kKGuQ">Kobo</a>.</p><p><i>Note: This series is contemporary action and adventure romance, not romantic suspense. I realize the line can be thin at times, but it's there.</i></p><p>I have always been drawn to Alaska. When I was little, I used to look at an old painting of mountains on the wall, imagine it was Alaska, and then daydream about homesteading there with my sister. For some reason, I envisioned us building a sod hut and making our way as children on our own. </p><p>Hey, dream big, right? Or maybe that was my writer's imagination already at work.</p><p>Fast forward a few decades, and I fell in love with Alaska itself on my older son's honeymoon cruise. I saw vast expanses of water with more whales than I could count. I also went on a float plane for a bear excursion and watched black bears munch salmon and fight one another for the best fishing spots. (I had a crazy craving for sushi after that.) I also visited a glacier, hiked through a national park, and sat on the balcony of my stateroom watching some of the earth's most beautiful scenery drift by. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NpdglzvW0t_tSCsGdIQhyVFwKT3fbukrKaLoBjYBwNJpc2rDZ0w0Tm-WXIizol0o93nmg3flWSvg0yJdz6Fo3pTd8a-c5z8huwlhVWhtudCcsJKqXbV3ns5DXoaUPP5dzNr9YApVWpCffKVkekcpBfify4GV7K78DnYEf1DaYBkoGpb3cw/s1848/69468391_10162286810325370_3179038984663728128_n-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1848" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NpdglzvW0t_tSCsGdIQhyVFwKT3fbukrKaLoBjYBwNJpc2rDZ0w0Tm-WXIizol0o93nmg3flWSvg0yJdz6Fo3pTd8a-c5z8huwlhVWhtudCcsJKqXbV3ns5DXoaUPP5dzNr9YApVWpCffKVkekcpBfify4GV7K78DnYEf1DaYBkoGpb3cw/w400-h265/69468391_10162286810325370_3179038984663728128_n-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>It’s only natural for me to set a series there. </p><p>What can you expect from the Wildest Alaska series? Brave men and women unafraid to live in and near the wilderness. Coast Guardsmen willing to risk their lives to save others. Sexy love stories as big as the landscape where they're set. And lots of search-and-rescue action.</p><p>I love the natural world, and some of my best writing involves the landscape as its own character.</p><p>Here's the description I promised you. Watch for an excerpt here soon!</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Lives shattered…</i></b></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>Sean McKenna joined the Coast Guard to save lives. Now a flight mech, he loves living and operating in the wilds of Alaska. When a mission goes terribly wrong, Sean is badly injured. But no pain can compare to the guilt he feels over the loss of his best friend. It was Sean’s job to keep Justin, the rescue swimmer, safe. Now Justin is dead, leaving his wife, Eden, without a husband and their toddler son, Maverick, without a father. The best Sean can do is step up and help Eden in any way he can. As the months go by, he finds himself fighting a growing attraction to her. He knows people on base are talking. What kind of man hooks up with his best friend’s widow? But the heart wants what it wants, and this desire can’t be denied—because it’s mutual.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><b><i> A heart torn…</i></b></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>Eden Koseki loved Justin from the moment he jumped out of a hovering helicopter, swam to shore, and asked her for her name and number. She thought they had all the time in the world. Losing him and the future they’d planned together is more devastating than she could have imagined. It’s only the support of her family—and Sean’s steadfast presence—that get her through those first months of overpowering grief. But as the weeks pass, she feels unexpectedly drawn to him. When she’s with him, she’s able to smile and laugh again—especially while watching him play with little Maverick. Still, her emotions leave her torn between loyalty to Justin’s memory and the living, breathing man who makes her feel alive again.</i></p><p><i> </i></p><p><b><i>A second chance… if they’re both brave enough to take it</i></b></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>As winter turns to summer and snow turns to rain, the heat between Sean and Eden intensifies. So does the gossip in town. Still, Eden isn’t about to let anyone interfere in her business. She knows now just how fragile life can be. When Sean’s sense of duty threatens to keep them apart, Eden knows she must help him move past his survivor’s guilt—or risk losing this second chance at deep love and lasting happiness.</i></p><p><i>Tropes: Military romance, contemporary romance, best friend's widow, action and adventure, search and rescue</i></p><p><br /></p><p>Preorder your copy today! <a href="https://amzn.to/36LVoKs" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3Kg6y7M">Nook</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/3OwTMFf">iBooks</a>, and <a href="https://bit.ly/38kKGuQ">Kobo</a>.</p><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-90631248896878871542022-02-17T14:28:00.003-07:002022-02-17T14:28:33.045-07:00Bound to Fall will be out on 2/22/22!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYDpxu8fUSrdKYB8ay2Fj-an-RIxGHcpLHkE9lXH0S1NB9vdINsUjiY1TaCj8RrI4UB7alWWnFriOOA7smhDkuFcLPZUJ_YZ9ND1_DPLQgeK97r2JInwAc2wvX-_Yhrrbw6Xz_FQGDvq1h6A_839A-ptVL_Cb5PTJuMsgZ_TxHvOgpzFuHKQ=s2700" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYDpxu8fUSrdKYB8ay2Fj-an-RIxGHcpLHkE9lXH0S1NB9vdINsUjiY1TaCj8RrI4UB7alWWnFriOOA7smhDkuFcLPZUJ_YZ9ND1_DPLQgeK97r2JInwAc2wvX-_Yhrrbw6Xz_FQGDvq1h6A_839A-ptVL_Cb5PTJuMsgZ_TxHvOgpzFuHKQ=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><br /> I am delighted to let you know that Sasha’s story, <b><i>Bound to Fall</i></b> (Colorado High Country #10), will be out on 2/22/22.<p></p><p>Sasha has always been a reader favorite, and I've saved her story for last. I won’t say that I’ll never come back to Scarlet Springs again, but I do intend to move on. There are still so many characters worthy of an HEA in this series. But back to Sasha's story... </p><p>It was a fun story to write, especially because I got to bring Marcangelo (Julian and Marc of I-Team fame) into the story. Here’s a description of the book:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><i>Featuring characters from Pamela Clare’s acclaimed I-Team series.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><i>She barely survived.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Sasha Dillon, a five-time world champion climber, moved to Scarlet Springs to join the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. She loves the tiny mountain town and its quirky residents and finds happiness using her climbing skills to save lives. But her sense of safety is shattered when two unknown attackers in an SUV run her down, destroying her shot at her sixth world championship title. As the town rallies around her and she begins to heal, the sheriff brings in a big-city detective with experience handling celebrity stalkers. As unemotional and cold as he is good-looking, Darius Silva both irritates her and tempts her, tying her in knots. She doesn’t know whether to tell him off—or kiss him. <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><i>He’s done with celebrities.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Darius knows firsthand what happens when cops arrest the wrong person. He’ll carry those scars forever. That’s why he’s always careful to remain detached on the job and why he never, ever bends the rules. The last thing he wants is another case involving a demanding, self-centered celebrity. But Sasha makes her mark on him the first time he looks into her beautiful blue eyes. Down-to-earth, genuine, and full of life, she’s nothing like the shallow stars he’s known. Something about her gets under his skin, threatening to unravel his self-control and undermine his focus. And the only way to catch the men who hurt her and get back to his life in the city is to keep his mind—and his hands—off her and on the job. <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.05in;"><b><i> </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.05in;"><b><i>To claim their future, they must face his past.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>As they come closer to exposing her hidden foe, their desire for one another explodes, and Sasha learns that his cold exterior masks deep passion—and terrible pain. Now she will do all she can to heal his jaded heart and show him that the life—and love—he’s secretly longing for is here with her in Scarlet Springs. </i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><i>Tropes: Law enforcement hero, opposites attract, small town romance<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><i>Bound to Fall</i> will be out in ebook and paperback on Feb. 22. You can preorder your ebook copy here: </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3oy3QD6" target="_blank">Kindle</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="https://bit.ly/3rNRjNK" target="_blank">Nook</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="https://bit.ly/3GtZkeL">Kobo</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="https://apple.co/3GtYdM6" target="_blank">Apple Books</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="https://bit.ly/3sRa0iD" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> (all ebook formats)</p>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-28017304465574520142021-11-01T12:25:00.002-06:002021-11-01T12:26:22.510-06:00Two weddings and an incredible harvest<p> It’s been a jam-packed summer at Casa Clare. With the first snowflakes falling this morning, I thought I'd share some of the highlights with you.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAtFv44PK7RbHxA3eHBQgbTvwM5ovOCS5B893iYcZJkVTLkeC7-kyt2tvpUpQoEo_xp6dqpxTPz1Wi1R6yLPWybiTwyoh6ECErJe16YDRtpcKfCz0vbD-92S8uBqkykg8phs1/s960/204594969_10165379349360370_5305524328492777083_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAtFv44PK7RbHxA3eHBQgbTvwM5ovOCS5B893iYcZJkVTLkeC7-kyt2tvpUpQoEo_xp6dqpxTPz1Wi1R6yLPWybiTwyoh6ECErJe16YDRtpcKfCz0vbD-92S8uBqkykg8phs1/w300-h400/204594969_10165379349360370_5305524328492777083_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><br /></p>As some of you know, I got rid of my lawn many years ago and have a huge flower garden and a productive urban farm. Our flower beds bloomed beautifully all summer. Several times, people stopped to tell us how beautiful it was. We love sharing that beauty with others.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYKp62zH5jFGtdJ8GLT3gdow3HgiNfb6_yjbaAj6a0nm-MxfXUAGDuNo5IWN47Xufa-YQDTqxOpmbHGzx3h8zebCOuyrTMJbG-4fK7bJPfhKHaiidvLLSOAZMwbWeUvOwS5uU/s960/235540250_10165519178030370_9054622004512532548_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYKp62zH5jFGtdJ8GLT3gdow3HgiNfb6_yjbaAj6a0nm-MxfXUAGDuNo5IWN47Xufa-YQDTqxOpmbHGzx3h8zebCOuyrTMJbG-4fK7bJPfhKHaiidvLLSOAZMwbWeUvOwS5uU/s320/235540250_10165519178030370_9054622004512532548_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">We had record cherry, apple, plum, peach, and pear harvests out of our own garden this year. I have never pitted so many cherries in my life. We ate the peaches and pears fresh. We ate many apples, turned some into cinnamon apple sauce, and used some in pies. We still have plenty left.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSmAJP9eIBx6OmJtXJ9uS_LX85FI4Unz5vw4ROysX46Bus2PxPINA9SjxRthmv5zuhLG6dKp8CTiShaVeAShJj8nR-mMgWsS-p3GsknzgnwLXua5vO_vkVyZoyErJ0RbZwII4/s960/221855195_10165463656775370_1713890347710510842_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSmAJP9eIBx6OmJtXJ9uS_LX85FI4Unz5vw4ROysX46Bus2PxPINA9SjxRthmv5zuhLG6dKp8CTiShaVeAShJj8nR-mMgWsS-p3GsknzgnwLXua5vO_vkVyZoyErJ0RbZwII4/s320/221855195_10165463656775370_1713890347710510842_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p>Our tomato harvest was off the charts, as well. We had so many one-pound+ tomatoes that they were no longer exciting. Yes, another huge tomato. We've made <i>so </i>much sauce. We ate some fresh and froze the rest.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8Q-yO1yIK0-pcCzTFh3oEgUGIpMGISGVYSP9p7357hYlAfIwGZ86ahQ_mrd-MLj_xX0deqiwLAfsJlRYcTiWK0B4r6rukvfLB1CFsrJ3Hj1jiqBVJ8Tv52k-P1eH0roUnF8D/s960/242083940_10165629240170370_8640613614376544431_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8Q-yO1yIK0-pcCzTFh3oEgUGIpMGISGVYSP9p7357hYlAfIwGZ86ahQ_mrd-MLj_xX0deqiwLAfsJlRYcTiWK0B4r6rukvfLB1CFsrJ3Hj1jiqBVJ8Tv52k-P1eH0roUnF8D/s320/242083940_10165629240170370_8640613614376544431_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Cucumbers and shishito peppers. Herbs. Potatoes. Everything gave us a record harvest, come to think of it—everything except garlic. Something went wrong there, and I have no idea what.</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, having a large garden is a lot of work. When you grow that much fruit and veg, you need to preserve that bounty. In addition to applesauce and plum jam, I dehydrated cherry tomatoes and made pickles and dill pickle relish with our peppers and cucumbers. It took me <i>three hours</i> to chop the veg for the relish. I won't do that again! I now have a device to do it for me. I also got an electric water bath canner, which was a huge help.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeUy0yykEqEyAIYaRVJgg4PTxOahNITRInj14hc3B4lwPe5qrYrtXg2zgw1HULSgHkTdmepis_axjKdVhX5LfWkQqzbVMeHaixzGNLOq5Q1nV2tKmL9xAcOY2yYa6H4qCfYIE/s960/240671179_10165572108600370_4583903963771376060_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeUy0yykEqEyAIYaRVJgg4PTxOahNITRInj14hc3B4lwPe5qrYrtXg2zgw1HULSgHkTdmepis_axjKdVhX5LfWkQqzbVMeHaixzGNLOq5Q1nV2tKmL9xAcOY2yYa6H4qCfYIE/s320/240671179_10165572108600370_4583903963771376060_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I made things worse by having foot surgery in July. I had to get help with the garden while I healed. Still, I finished and released my 36th novel, <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3B2x4Os" target="_blank">Take Me Higher</a></i></b>, featuring fan favorites Megs Hill and Mitch Ahearn. I had more fun writing their story than I've had in a while. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgTux6Dfe7u3YMGNGnYJQ7HyYL-AnO_B61Rty1bYFZS0SrETeKO-yT44k5TXwlCCk8CELrdcUbkG_kOkuWN6eopNIP_sJk5XXmb7SZXBnHwXSW8HP1Ez0JsfrDQ0rfdG2KC5o/s2048/Take_Me_Higher_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgTux6Dfe7u3YMGNGnYJQ7HyYL-AnO_B61Rty1bYFZS0SrETeKO-yT44k5TXwlCCk8CELrdcUbkG_kOkuWN6eopNIP_sJk5XXmb7SZXBnHwXSW8HP1Ez0JsfrDQ0rfdG2KC5o/s320/Take_Me_Higher_1800x2700.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div><p>In the meantime, we had some real romance in our lives when my younger son married the love of his life. The ceremony was held in the mountains close to sunset. A close friend of mine officiated. It was one of the loveliest weddings I've seen. Sure, I'm biased, but it truly was. Their vows to each other, written privately, were so heartfelt that there wasn't a dry eye anywhere. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtOKSej5OIyUGzRkiH2P1b7F7KsjqHe2_H-h9r8eKd4CsVHwfV1Qwrt9_D9tKfDkpHKDnciXYwImakZ1lRKNzjVzDBFAs10ot2xir63ghn4FuNeiZVMdHfo4XOZbQQBks08Dh/s1944/243013419_10165659583410370_4671451518894086719_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1458" data-original-width="1944" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtOKSej5OIyUGzRkiH2P1b7F7KsjqHe2_H-h9r8eKd4CsVHwfV1Qwrt9_D9tKfDkpHKDnciXYwImakZ1lRKNzjVzDBFAs10ot2xir63ghn4FuNeiZVMdHfo4XOZbQQBks08Dh/s320/243013419_10165659583410370_4671451518894086719_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMMLNnzFlcw3W2tZfM2hmNVf-mYixFHUZM0X0NsocUTdTWHFtJximCwxAo67Gq4WaYhRbH85r7XNjI3X_QEotqWPvrZFVD9s7BnggMaozOSnJhFhM43o4per4Orh8HVgooiOu/s960/242782193_10165654719220370_7970675218039266395_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMMLNnzFlcw3W2tZfM2hmNVf-mYixFHUZM0X0NsocUTdTWHFtJximCwxAo67Gq4WaYhRbH85r7XNjI3X_QEotqWPvrZFVD9s7BnggMaozOSnJhFhM43o4per4Orh8HVgooiOu/s320/242782193_10165654719220370_7970675218039266395_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtNa5fi45DwzIBmnV5iKLNNP3Vfw6giqDGhOTKpqZV2y50tcLdEumt5OS9lA8LAyUGAdbL4LENOFzH50MZbzDsDox26r8luzO0ClIWSaWSwQpZVRnBRUyK6DrAUnrMds0gZDY/s1944/243021772_10165659580615370_5705158092980796056_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1458" data-original-width="1944" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtNa5fi45DwzIBmnV5iKLNNP3Vfw6giqDGhOTKpqZV2y50tcLdEumt5OS9lA8LAyUGAdbL4LENOFzH50MZbzDsDox26r8luzO0ClIWSaWSwQpZVRnBRUyK6DrAUnrMds0gZDY/s320/243021772_10165659580615370_5705158092980796056_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>My son wore medals representing the four divisions of competition target shooting in which he has won the gold. (He was our state gold-medalist for two years running.) He looked like a prince, and she looked like a fairytale princess. They danced a waltz for their first dance, drawing lots of applause because they know how to dance. My littlest grandchild, Oliver, was the ring bearer, and he took his job quite seriously.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EiA0HF5uz3jGrmKZjKJRczQwKCUMfAXCVnYVICiSvuASYlE7BNlNuBBCVSrrW_EwZTB3F7ZwMOQ7NV5ZqTPmRgwejfK84aXdpgyuyfsahgMfg8vz80EPw0f4b-a4ut5sleV2/s960/243034377_10165654741600370_21743526607836097_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EiA0HF5uz3jGrmKZjKJRczQwKCUMfAXCVnYVICiSvuASYlE7BNlNuBBCVSrrW_EwZTB3F7ZwMOQ7NV5ZqTPmRgwejfK84aXdpgyuyfsahgMfg8vz80EPw0f4b-a4ut5sleV2/s320/243034377_10165654741600370_21743526607836097_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>My sister came back from Sweden for his wedding—and for our niece's wedding, which took place in the mountains three weeks later. </p><p>Didn't I say it was a busy summer? </p><p>Now, flakes are falling, and I'm gearing up for my next two books—<b><i>Bound to Fall</i></b>, Sasha Dillon's story (Colorado High Country #10), and <b><i>Reckless</i></b>, Captain Joseph's story from my long-dormant MacKinnon's Rangers series. I hope to have<i> Bound to Fall</i> out in January, while <i>Reckless</i> will be out in about a year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7I_IVYAOM8mcNy6uL9DIUnjvDcbEWAPTkZIvAFwMhSNz3Iil3W898yaMJsjy_nQp3cC6yN6Rglj4MZG4HstHJsiotNCKauhrAtQ95Qndq3ksOsbz3kxDUhDearNslELcGXlb/s2048/Bound_to_Fall_1600x2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7I_IVYAOM8mcNy6uL9DIUnjvDcbEWAPTkZIvAFwMhSNz3Iil3W898yaMJsjy_nQp3cC6yN6Rglj4MZG4HstHJsiotNCKauhrAtQ95Qndq3ksOsbz3kxDUhDearNslELcGXlb/s320/Bound_to_Fall_1600x2400.jpg" width="213" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcG_cccs46PT1ZAGl5cBNl3SrEmvwSAry1xF-WcLP5q2N2veS58CBUyUz7lsX36SQDplJS2L8z3LhIDF14890eZnnK1oFoTPywc4NomQsDvTo-Lj1ud3BkFLkQqVSNsAQDn46/s2048/Reckless_1600x2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcG_cccs46PT1ZAGl5cBNl3SrEmvwSAry1xF-WcLP5q2N2veS58CBUyUz7lsX36SQDplJS2L8z3LhIDF14890eZnnK1oFoTPywc4NomQsDvTo-Lj1ud3BkFLkQqVSNsAQDn46/s320/Reckless_1600x2400.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, Thanksgiving is only 25 days away, and I still need to embroider the Thanksgiving tablecloth I started making for my family in 2019. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you all had a wonderful summer and have lots to look forward to during the upcoming holiday season. Come the New Year, I’ll have new books for you to read.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-31099507559696010512021-08-18T15:07:00.002-06:002021-08-18T15:07:45.085-06:00EXCERPT! EXCERPT! A glimpse at Megs and Mitch's story<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgTux6Dfe7u3YMGNGnYJQ7HyYL-AnO_B61Rty1bYFZS0SrETeKO-yT44k5TXwlCCk8CELrdcUbkG_kOkuWN6eopNIP_sJk5XXmb7SZXBnHwXSW8HP1Ez0JsfrDQ0rfdG2KC5o/s2048/Take_Me_Higher_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgTux6Dfe7u3YMGNGnYJQ7HyYL-AnO_B61Rty1bYFZS0SrETeKO-yT44k5TXwlCCk8CELrdcUbkG_kOkuWN6eopNIP_sJk5XXmb7SZXBnHwXSW8HP1Ez0JsfrDQ0rfdG2KC5o/w266-h400/Take_Me_Higher_1800x2700.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3B2x4Os" target="_blank">Kindle</a> — <a href="https://bit.ly/3r69kVl" target="_blank">Nook</a> — <a href="https://apple.co/3ekVEAF" target="_blank">Apple Books</a> — <a href="https://bit.ly/3yU9RML" target="_blank">Kobo</a></p><p><br /></p><p>I’m down to the wire on Megs and Ahearn's book—<b><i>Take Me Higher</i></b>. I’ve had so much fun with them as characters, especially the 1970s versions of them. The Seventies flashbacks have had me laughing out loud while I’m writing. I’ve also enjoyed giving myself a deep dive into the ”free-climbing revolution” that happened at that time.</p><p>Those of you who dived into the series with my sale on the 4-book box set are just getting to know them, but Megs Hill and Mitch Ahearn are fan favorites. It’s been a fantastic experience to give them their own story. </p><p>For readers who enjoy older couples, this book is for you. For people who don't like older couples, well, they’re young in the flashbacks. What’s so emotional about this story is showing an entire relationship over the span of a lifetime. It’s had my sister, who reads while I write, choking up more than any other book in the series. We just talked about the ending today, and we were both in tears.</p><p>(No worries! I’m an absolute believer in happy endings in romance.)</p><p>Those of you who haven’t read this series... It’s contemporary romantic adventure. It follows the members of the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team as they save lives and fall in love. It’s focused heavily on the climbing scene here in Colorado—rock climbing, alpine (mountain) climbing, ice climbing. </p><p>I come from a climbing family. My father and brother were semi-pro climbers, and my father put up some first ascents in Colorado. I literally grew up watching people climb. When I got older, I got into it, too. Sadly, I had to be rescued after a calamitous 40-foot fall that almost killed me. So I know what I'm writing about in ways I'd really rather not.</p><p>But now it’s time for an excerpt—two excerpts actually. I haven’t done one of these for a long time. I hope you enjoy it. Turn back your clocks for 1973, folks. Here we go.</p><p><b>EXCERPT!</b> <b>EXCERPT! </b><b>EXCERPT! x 2</b></p><p>From <i>Take Me Higher</i>...</p><p><i>Yosemite Valley, summer of 1973</i></p><p>Mitch Ahearn sat in his battered lawn chair in the shade of a ponderosa pine, reading Hunter S. Thompson’s <i>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas</i>, his shirt off to enjoy the warm spring breeze. The other guys sat shirtless around the picnic table smoking grass and shooting the shit, the Beatles’ <i>Let it Be </i>playing on Jim Gridwell’s cassette recorder.</p><p>“Too bad this was their last album, man.”</p><p>“They might get back together. You never know.”</p><p>“No way. It’s over, man. Yoko messed with John’s head.”</p><p>“What do you know about it, Yoder? Were you there?”</p><p>Their conversation and the music drifted around him, Mitch’s attention riveted to the page by Raoul’s brilliant insanity. Had Hunter actually done all of this shit?</p><p>He glanced up as a rusty red VW Beetle pulled up to the campground, music coming through its rolled-down windows. His gaze remained as a young blonde climbed out. She was small, not much taller than the vehicle. She stood there, looking into the distance at El Capitan, a smile on her face.</p><p>Rick Accardo looked over his shoulder. “Who’s that?”</p><p>“Fresh fish.” Gridwall whistled.</p><p>Mitch couldn’t understand why some of the guys treated women like this. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you have a sister, man?”</p><p>“Yeah, but I don’t want to screw my sister.”</p><p>The others laughed, stoned off their asses.</p><p>Mitched glanced down at the page—or tried to. The woman shut her car door, walked around to the passenger side, and reached into her glove box to pop the trunk. She wore denim shorts and a yellow halter top, her long blond hair streaked by the sun, her body slender, her skin tanned, her legs strong.</p><p>“Check out that foxy mama.”</p><p>“Hey, need some help?” Gridwall called out, the greasy tone in his voice showing exactly the kind of help he was imagining.</p><p>“Hot chick, man.”</p><p>She ignored them all, walked to the front of her car, and lifted the trunk lid, disappearing from view. When she closed the trunk, she had a large frame pack on her shoulders, climbing ropes hanging from one arm, a bag of climbing gear from the other.</p><p>“She’s a climber?” Accardo sounded surprised.</p><p>“She’s not a climber.” Gridwall laughed. “Women can’t be serious climbers.”</p><p>“Why not?” Mitch truly wanted an answer.</p><p>But Gridwall ignored him, instead getting to his feet and heading toward the woman, who was now searching for a campsite on the other side of the campground, probably trying to get as far away from them as possible.</p><p>He couldn’t blame her.</p><p>She found a site she liked and started putting up her tent—one of those new Nylon all-weather tents with a rainfly—just as Gridwall walked up to her.</p><p>“That’s a slammin’ tent, sugar. Let me help.”</p><p>“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got it. My name is Megs, not ‘sugar.’”</p><p>That was an unusual name. Mitch bet it was short for Maggie or Margaret.</p><p>She worked quickly and confidently, clearly knowing what she was doing.</p><p>But Gridwall didn’t get the message. “Lighten up, babe. I’m just being friendly.”</p><p>“Your friendliness is noted. As I said, I don’t need help.”</p><p>Mitch couldn’t help but grin.</p><p>“Fine.” Gridwall raised his hands in mock surrender, a smirk on his face. “Are you some kind of women’s libber?”</p><p>“I’m here to climb, just like you.”</p><p>The woman—Megs—was a spitfire. Mitch liked her already.</p><p>“Is that right?” Gridwall was turned so Mitch couldn’t see his face, but Mitch could hear the condescension in his voice. “Have you climbed before? Any first ascents?”</p><p>She almost had the tent up now. “What’s your name?”</p><p>“Jim Gridwall.”</p><p>“Dean Calder mentioned you.”</p><p>She knew Dean? That was news.</p><p>Gridwall sounded confused by this. “How did you meet Calder?”</p><p>“I bouldered with him in Joshua Tree last fall.”</p><p>So, she had climbed with Dean.</p><p>“You went bouldering with Dean?” But the surprise in Gridwall’s voice quickly became amusement. “I get it. You’re one of those chicks who digs climbers.”</p><p>“No, I dig climbing.” She reached for a guy line.</p><p>Gridwall grabbed her wrist. “Hey, don’t be so uptight. Come sit with us, smoke a joint, listen to some music, relax.”</p><p>She jerked her hand away. “Not interested.”</p><p>Mitch found himself on his feet. “Gridwall, leave her alone!”</p><p>“Mellow out, Doc.” Gridwall glared at him. “I’m just making conversation.”</p><p>But Megs could clearly stand up for herself. “It’s been great chatting, but this conversation is over.”</p><p>Then she stepped into her tent and zipped it behind her, leaving Gridwall to stand there, looking stupid.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Roughly one month later...</i></p><p>Mitch hiked alongside Megs, leading her through the forest to one of the high mountain tarns he’d stumbled on last summer. Surrounded by glades of aspen and open meadow, it was the place he liked to come when he needed to be alone. He’d suggested the two of them hike up to the lake to ditch the reporters who’d been hanging around Camp 4 all week. In truth, he just wanted to be alone with her.</p><p>Lately, he’d been getting signals from her that she liked him the same way he liked her. There was something in the way she looked at him, a softness she didn’t show the other guys. She sat by him in camp, shared food with him, and asked him to climb with her. But her attempts to flirt with him—if that’s what she’d been doing—were shy and uncertain, lacking her usual confidence. Then again, she couldn’t be much older than eighteen. Maybe she didn’t have much experience with men.</p><p>She stepped over a tree root, her legs mostly bare, her denim cutoffs dangerously short, her shoulders and back bare apart from the ties of her halter top. She wasn’t wearing a bra, either, though he supposed she was small enough that she didn’t need one.</p><p><i>Stop thinking about her breasts.</i></p><p>“Those reporters act like seeing a woman rock climbing is like finding a giraffe on the moon.”</p><p>Mitch chuckled, but he understood her frustration. “They think we’re all crazy, but they sit at desks all day. Not a single one of them took us up on our offer to try climbing. They don’t know a damned thing about it.”</p><p>“Good point.”</p><p>“Watch your step.” He took her hand, drew her to the side to avoid a hornet nest in an old ground squirrel burrow.</p><p>“Little devils.” She held on a little longer than was necessary. “Thanks.”</p><p>It took them almost two hours of hiking off-trail to reach the tarn. Just as he hoped, there was no one else there. The lake sat in the middle of a wildflower meadow, its waters almost turquoise, pine, and hemlock forest surrounding it, no sound but birds in the trees and the buzzing of insects. It was his special place.</p><p>“It’s beautiful!” A look of wonder on her face, she walked slowly to the lake’s edge, almost as if she were entering a church. “Look at all the flowers!”</p><p>Warmth blossomed in his chest at her reaction. By bringing her here, he was sharing a secret part of himself, offering her something that he loved. “This is where I come to read and be alone.”</p><p>Megs sat on a nearby boulder and took off her hiking boots and socks and set them aside. “You like to read?”</p><p>Was that so strange?</p><p>“I do. I try to keep a book in my backpack.” Mitch removed his boots and socks, too. “I get to travel the world and experience all sorts of things I wouldn’t otherwise. How about you? Do you read?”</p><p>“I read when I had to in school.” She walked into the water up to her ankles, moaned, the sound sending a jolt of lust through him. “Oh, that feels good.”</p><p>Mitch rolled up his bellbottoms and followed her in, the cold water soothing to his feet, mud squishing between his toes. “Do you have any favorite authors?”</p><p>She shook her head. “I just have a GED.”</p><p>Mitch bit back a smile at her assumption that being well-read meant having a college degree. “Hey, a GED is cool.”</p><p>But he hadn’t brought her here to talk about books. </p><p>She kept walking until the water reached her knees. “How deep is the lake?”</p><p>“I’ve gone in up to my chest before.”</p><p>Her next question made his mind go blank.</p><p>“Have you ever gone skinny-dipping here?”</p><p>“Um…” It took him a moment. “Yes, but I was alone.”</p><p>“Are you sure there are no leeches?”</p><p>He chuckled. “Yes.”</p><p>“Then turn around.”</p><p>His heart gave a hard knock. “Megs, I…”</p><p>She made a turning motion with her finger. “Turn around.”</p><p>He did as she asked, heard her stepping through the water, blood rushing to his groin when he saw her halter top, shorts, and panties land on the rock beside her boots.</p><p>Splashing. A gasp. “This is cold!”</p><p>Thank God for that.</p><p>“Okay, now I’ll turn around, and you can come in.” </p><p>Mitch glanced over his shoulder, saw that she was in the water up to her breasts, her back turned toward him, her hair floating behind her. He walked to the boulder, stripped out of his jeans and underwear, his dick still half hard. </p><p>Naked now, he turned to walk into the water—only to find her gaze raking over him. He couldn’t help but grin. “That’s cheating.”</p><p>She stared at his cock for a moment, her cheeks flushed pink. Then she turned away. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”</p><p>Mitch wasn’t ashamed of his body, and, judging from her reaction, she hadn’t seen many naked men. He waded in and made his way over to her, sucking in a breath when the cold water reached his nuts, the shock of it stealing his wood. Well, that was probably a good thing. “I’m in now.”</p><p>The words were out before he realized their double meaning.</p><p>He coughed.</p><p>But she hadn’t picked up the double entendre, her gaze fixed on the scenery. “The view is incredible. That’s the back of El Cap, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Yes.” </p><p>He was a foot taller than she was, and the water was almost crystal clear. He could see her breasts with their puckered, rosy tips. He ached to touch her, to run his hands all over her, to kiss her.</p><p><i>Damn.</i></p><p>She turned toward him, took a step in his direction, rested a wet palm on his chest. “What would you do if I told you to kiss me?”</p><p>~ ~ ~</p><p><i><b>Take Me Higher</b></i> will be out in September. I had planned for an August 31 release, but then I had foot surgery and fell behind. You can preorder your copy from these e-tailers. The book will be available in paperback as well on its release date.</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3B2x4Os" target="_blank">Kindle</a> — <a href="https://bit.ly/3r69kVl" target="_blank">Nook</a> — <a href="https://apple.co/3ekVEAF" target="_blank">Apple Books</a> — <a href="https://bit.ly/3yU9RML" target="_blank">Kobo</a></p>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-28781712493055010732021-07-27T19:59:00.001-06:002021-07-27T19:59:27.133-06:00Hot romantic adventure. Four books for 99 cents.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWX0xPObbCHlDbA1CoBvbezR_wJUKCf2dBUzEM1Ik1KnAUr1QJJcWPqeKnisbSLKEydgWtJmzB3FiQCBMM3oNqT5rluxaMNwrlJLa8xjRtT6G50Z7661rnKbWrqDkM5xylqErc/s2048/3D_Colorado_High_Country_Box_Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWX0xPObbCHlDbA1CoBvbezR_wJUKCf2dBUzEM1Ik1KnAUr1QJJcWPqeKnisbSLKEydgWtJmzB3FiQCBMM3oNqT5rluxaMNwrlJLa8xjRtT6G50Z7661rnKbWrqDkM5xylqErc/w480-h640/3D_Colorado_High_Country_Box_Set.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /> There’s time to catch up on the Colorado High Country series before <a href="https://amzn.to/3B2x4Os">Take Me Higher</a> (#9) comes out on August 31. And you can get the first four books in the series for 99 cents for a limited time only.<p></p><p>Join the members of the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team for love and adventure in the high mountains of Colorado in this special four-book box set! </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://amzn.to/35Oeb28">Kindle</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://bit.ly/2J4TTrz">Nook</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="ttps://apple.co/2oVUsgp">Apple Books</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://bit.ly/2oTvY7B">Kobo</a></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span></span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span></span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span></span></span></p></blockquote><p><span><span></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p>Here’s what you’ll get:</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Barely Breathing </i></b>— Lexi Jewell and Austin Taylor broke each other’s hearts in high school. Now, Lexi is back in Scarlet Springs — temporarily. After they become lovers again, Austin realizes he’ll lose her a second time if he can’t show her that what she’s searching for has been right here in Scarlet all along.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Slow Burn</i></b> — Victoria Woodley is done with men. Firefighter Eric Hawke has just one week to convince her to trust her heart and take a chance with him. </p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Falling Hard</i></b> — Getting involved with war widow Ellie Meeks is the riskiest thing that former Army Ranger Jesse Moretti has ever done. </p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Tempting Fate </i></b>— When Naomi Archer’s Colorado vacation takes a deadly turn, she has no idea that the EMT who saves her life will have the key to her past — and her heart. </p><p><br /></p><p>See why so many of my readers wish they lived in Scarlet Springs.</p><div><br /></div>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-7216264312286210662021-07-23T11:45:00.001-06:002021-07-23T11:45:38.918-06:00TAKE ME HIGHER is available for preorder<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuzhxfieBE1zmAFsTacW3s6kQt1TGzaIwJUNIY2YpnJjqe0GOAp2KX2XG-36Vpg7BFQ6yR6-gw02Agzy2yAs1KqJ-Y1XFRqhgSJ3yHbeFKGhL4Xx6RzUv9zAcNd1xkZUHGAXa/s2048/Take_Me_Higher_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuzhxfieBE1zmAFsTacW3s6kQt1TGzaIwJUNIY2YpnJjqe0GOAp2KX2XG-36Vpg7BFQ6yR6-gw02Agzy2yAs1KqJ-Y1XFRqhgSJ3yHbeFKGhL4Xx6RzUv9zAcNd1xkZUHGAXa/w266-h400/Take_Me_Higher_1800x2700.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Every superhero has an origin story. The Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team in Scarlet Springs is home to a bunch of heroes, but the couple who started it hasn't yet gotten their story. </p><p><b>Megs Hall</b> and <b>Mitch Ahearn</b> have been at the heart of the Colorado High Country series from the beginning. Over the past couple of years, I've gotten so many requests for their story, in part because Megs, with her smart mouth and steel spine, is such a popular character. </p><p>Fans of the series know that the two met as young people in Yosemite Valley in the early 1970s, where they helped establish the sport of free climbing. How can I resist writing a story set partly in the 1970s when things were groovy and far out?</p><p>Writing this story has been a blast. I was 9 years old in 1973, the oldest child of a semi-pro climber who has at least one first ascent credited to his name (Cadaver Crack on Castle Rock in Boulder Canyon). His climbing partner for that climb was Richard Nixon. No, not that Richard Nixon. Can you imagine being an adult in the early 1970s with the name Richard Nixon? But I digress...</p><p><b><i>Take Me Higher</i></b> will be out on August 31 in ebook and paperback. Preorder your digital copy now! Read on for the back blurb to the story. I will share an excerpt soon. </p><p><i>Tropes: Older couple, small mountain town, forbidden love, celebrity couple, strong heroine, rescue, lifelong love</i></p><div><a href="https://amzn.to/3B2x4Os">Kindle</a><br /><a href="https://bit.ly/3r69kVl">Nook</a><br /><a href="https://apple.co/3ekVEAF">Apple Books</a><br /><a href="https://bit.ly/3yU9RML">Kobo</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>For fans of the Colorado High Country series comes the love story of the couple who started it all!</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>He’s the love of her life…</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Rock climbing saved Megs Hall. The sport gave her an emotional escape from her abusive stepfather when she was a teen and turned her into a living legend. It also brought her together with the one man who truly understood her. Elite climber Mitch Ahearn believed in her and her abilities at a time when other male climbers just wanted to get into her pants. Somehow, Mitch broke through her armor, helping the shattered girl inside to heal. He became her first and only lover and her best friend. Together, they made history and set the climbing world—and the bedsheets—on fire. </i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>She’s his only chance at survival…</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Forty-eight years later, Megs and Mitch live in tiny Scarlet Springs, Colo. They’ve left professional climbing behind and now put their time and energy into running the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team, using their vertical expertise to save lives. But when their hard-earned climbing vacation ends in tragedy, they find themselves far from home and in desperate need of rescue, with Mitch’s life hanging by a thread. Megs must use all her experience and training to save him.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Will their love be only a memory? </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>With Mitch gravely injured, Megs finds herself reliving the past, reading the private journals he kept of their adventures together. It’s a bittersweet trip down memory lane, one that reveals Mitch’s innermost thoughts and his deep and abiding love for her. But will they have the chance to make more memories together and live out their happy ending—or have they come to the end of the trail?</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Ebook ISBN: 978-1-7352939-8-1</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-60311590105516814392021-04-28T11:41:00.002-06:002021-04-28T11:41:34.661-06:00BREAKING FREE is out!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoXaF4gab8vQMQswJerKkPC0VESVD2SdIYoxNXhilBfuqS53AKrrDAHNGafJzogsICeBmQhhylcfB-E3USSQa578qVQhlOjazXst1bJT_J5dw6ZeLEOixtMdjSWhTgMTxlNVB/s2048/Breaking_Free_1600x2400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoXaF4gab8vQMQswJerKkPC0VESVD2SdIYoxNXhilBfuqS53AKrrDAHNGafJzogsICeBmQhhylcfB-E3USSQa578qVQhlOjazXst1bJT_J5dw6ZeLEOixtMdjSWhTgMTxlNVB/w266-h400/Breaking_Free_1600x2400.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3tWrhpx" target="_blank">Kindle</a></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://bit.ly/3ctW0UV" target="_blank">Nook</a></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://apple.co/3dkFIgr" target="_blank">Apple Books</a></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://bit.ly/3svIGoP" target="_blank">Kobo</a></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://bit.ly/3aCGzs3" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3tVKU19" target="_blank">Paperback</a></p><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Breaking Free</i></b> (Colorado High Country #8) is out! It's my 35th book, and I'm excited to take you with me back to Scarlet Springs and the Cimarron. </div><div><br /></div><div>The story has some of your favorite I-Team characters — Gabe Rossiter and Kat James, Zach and Natlie McBride, and the West family. Even the hero, Jason Chiago, comes from the I-Team series. You first met him in <b><i>Breaking Point</i></b> (I-Team #5) when he helped track Zach and Natalie in the Sonoran Desert. </div><div><br /></div><div>This was actually a tough story to write, mostly because I'd just come off a very complicated injury to my knee that resulted in a complicated knee replacement and a loooong recovery. My brain took a while to go from pain killers to prose. </div><div><br /></div><div>But the book is out. It's done. And by this morning, it already had two five-star reviews on Amazon. One reader who finished early this morning said it gave her ”the best book hangover ever.”</div><div><br /></div><div>For a short excerpt, click <a href="https://www.pamelaclare.com/breakingfee.html" target="_blank">here</a> and scroll down the page.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the back blurb, read on. And thank you for following my blog. Apparently, email following is going away, so I'm not sure where that leaves many of you.</div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>He’s the one man she can’t have…<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Winona Belcourt left the Pine Ridge Reservation to become a wildlife vet in the small Colorado mountain town of Scarlet Springs. She now leads a busy life caring for sick and injured animals and watching over her aging grandfather. Apart from a complete lack of romance, her life is close to perfect. She doesn’t have time for dating, even if there were available men in tiny Scarlet who interested her. Then Jason Chiago comes to town, one of many volunteers here to help rebuild her family’s summer camp. Tall, dark, and hot as hell, he’s the friend of some friends and a member of the legendary Shadow Wolves, an all-Native unit of expert trackers who patrol the US-Mexico border. Sadly, he’s also taken—or so her friends say. Winona would never get involved with another woman’s man. Still, she can’t turn off the longing she feels for him—or stop herself from imagining the heat of his kisses.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>She’s everything he wants…<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">As a Tohono O’odham man, Jason knows that life’s journey is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Still, he never expected to be where he is now—his ex-fiancée in prison and his job with the Shadow Wolves on the line. On administrative leave for taking out a killer on the wrong side of the border, he has come to Scarlet Springs to help rebuild a kids’ camp that burned to the ground—and to clear his head before his disciplinary hearing next month. Yet, from the moment Winona stumbles into him, he can think only about her. With her big heart, sharp mind, and sweet face, she is everything he’s ever desired in a woman. But he made a deathbed promise to his grandmother that he would never abandon his responsibility to the O’odham people and move away from the reservation like so many others have done. It’s his duty to pass on traditional lifeways so they won’t disappear and to be a role model for O’odham youth. Winona deserves better than a fling with a man who can’t stick around. That’s why he’s going to keep his hands to himself, no matter how much she makes him burn.<s><o:p></o:p></s></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>A love that won’t be denied…<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">When a wealthy rancher asks Winona to help find a wolf that is killing his livestock, Jason and Winona join forces to solve the mystery. There haven’t been wild wolves in Colorado for eighty years. But working closely side by side has consequences. As they move in on the wolf and uncover a more shocking truth, their attraction ignites into passion. Jason realizes he has a choice to make. He can either keep a vow he made long ago and break both of their hearts by walking away—or he can turn his back on his duty and his people to seize a chance at true happiness in the arms of the woman he loves.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><i>Tropes: Forced proximity, soul mates, law enforcement, man in of uniform<o:p></o:p></i></p></div>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-7182697652586660432021-03-29T14:07:00.001-06:002021-03-29T14:07:23.273-06:00Return to Scarlet Springs with BREAKING FREE!<p><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZk-0S16KsqbvRCmVkx953oovJxXiOxlByzaANsAGPHBGK_XIxoHp5n6EU3OsajreQ07Ib4ROLsAFkvoVVJbrWKbAaBpJ8kWBhE72I8sjx5-LDZFlsYqWB2NdI25WgIp37NQO/s2048/Breaking_Free_1600x2400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZk-0S16KsqbvRCmVkx953oovJxXiOxlByzaANsAGPHBGK_XIxoHp5n6EU3OsajreQ07Ib4ROLsAFkvoVVJbrWKbAaBpJ8kWBhE72I8sjx5-LDZFlsYqWB2NdI25WgIp37NQO/w266-h400/Breaking_Free_1600x2400.JPG" width="266" /></a></b></div><b><br /><i><br /></i></b><p></p><p><b><i>Breaking Free </i></b>is available for preorder! I've missed Scarlet Springs, and I just felt it was time to take a break from romantic suspense for that good feeling of being in Scarlet again.</p><p>Here's the back blurb:</p><p><b>It’s the return of the Colorado High Country series! Come back to Scarlet Springs with members of the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team.</b></p><p><i>Featuring characters from Pamela Clare’s acclaimed I-Team series.</i></p><p><b>He’s the one man she can’t have…</b></p><p><i>Winona Belcourt left the Pine Ridge Reservation to become a wildlife vet in the small Colorado mountain town of Scarlet Springs. She now leads a busy life caring for sick and injured animals and watching over her aging grandfather. Apart from a complete lack of romance, her life is close to perfect. She doesn’t have time for dating, even if there were available men in tiny Scarlet who interested her. Then Jason Chiago comes to town, one of many volunteers here to help rebuild her family’s summer camp. Tall, dark, and hot as hell, he’s the friend of some friends and a member of the legendary Shadow Wolves, an all-Native unit of expert trackers who patrol the US-Mexico border. Sadly, he’s also taken—or so her friends say. Winona would never get involved with another woman’s man. Still, she can’t turn off the longing she feels for him—or stop herself from imagining the heat of his kisses.</i></p><p><b>She’s everything he wants…</b></p><p><i>As a Tohono O’odham man, Jason knows that life’s journey is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Still, he never expected to be where he is now—his ex-fiancée in prison and his job with the Shadow Wolves on the line. On administrative leave for taking out a killer on the wrong side of the border, he has come to Scarlet Springs to help rebuild a kids’ camp that burned to the ground—and to clear his head before his disciplinary hearing next month. Yet, from the moment Winona stumbles into him, he can think only about her. With her big heart, sharp mind, and sweet face, she is everything he’s ever desired in a woman. But he made a deathbed promise to his grandmother that he would never abandon his responsibility to the O’odham people and move away from the reservation like so many others have done. It’s his duty to pass on traditional lifeways so they won’t disappear and to be a role model for O’odham youth. Winona deserves better than a fling with a man who can’t stick around. That’s why he’s going to keep his hands to himself, no matter how much she makes him burn.</i></p><p><b>A love that won’t be denied…</b></p><p><i>When a wealthy rancher asks Winona to help find a wolf that is killing his livestock, Jason and Winona join forces to solve the mystery. There haven’t been wild wolves in Colorado for eighty years. But working closely side by side has consequences. As they move in on the wolf and uncover a more shocking truth, their attraction ignites into passion. Jason realizes he has a choice to make. He can either keep a vow he made long ago and break both of their hearts by walking away—or he can turn his back on his duty and his people to seize a chance at true happiness in the arms of the woman he loves.</i></p><p><i>Tropes: Forced proximity, soul mates, law enforcement, man in uniform</i></p><p><b><i>BREAKING FREE</i></b> is vailable for preorder for <a href="https://amzn.to/3tWrhpx" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3ctW0UV" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="http://ttps://apple.co/3dkFIgr" target="_blank">Apple Books</a>, and <a href="http://ttps://bit.ly/3svIGoP" target="_blank">Kobo</a>.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatGl5XO1YwTHJczClSLvcTBjktdpTA9F5q97qnvkiyHB9BeL_m0eqlXxbW_RXKDQ_XRR7PhyphenhyphenpH4wuCHIWaDmMuPam2kvyEnyh4HSITLtEu1S4kBI-YnRJ6erz9mGDgVsWKN87/s2048/IMG_1647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatGl5XO1YwTHJczClSLvcTBjktdpTA9F5q97qnvkiyHB9BeL_m0eqlXxbW_RXKDQ_XRR7PhyphenhyphenpH4wuCHIWaDmMuPam2kvyEnyh4HSITLtEu1S4kBI-YnRJ6erz9mGDgVsWKN87/s320/IMG_1647.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-1369053470158191002020-11-08T17:09:00.002-07:002020-11-08T17:09:14.746-07:00HARD PURSUIT (Cobra Elite #6) is up for preorder<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa9oVh-xJgWbvB80j9gAWlxoSBKD8BSgbFSLqAOtndxbgeRQh0WrTWMkrvOM-YWbLZr5AqFvg45GPyjTQ6mav5JvpU-vv4IIfkJHE6UWcvXbkHuLkpmj2pHuEjvzoDxKKhehu/s2048/Hard_Pursuit_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa9oVh-xJgWbvB80j9gAWlxoSBKD8BSgbFSLqAOtndxbgeRQh0WrTWMkrvOM-YWbLZr5AqFvg45GPyjTQ6mav5JvpU-vv4IIfkJHE6UWcvXbkHuLkpmj2pHuEjvzoDxKKhehu/w266-h400/Hard_Pursuit_1800x2700.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/COBRA6" target="_blank">Kindle</a><div><a href="https://bit.ly/35TpkzE" target="_blank">Nook</a></div><div><a href="https://bit.ly/3oG1Nej" target="_blank">Kobo</a></div><div><a href="https://apple.co/32huswL" target="_blank">Apple Books</a> <div><br /></div><div>We've had a smoky time of it in Colorado. News of the wildfires close to us made national and even international news. I even got an evacuation notice, which proved to be a mistake. As my phone was telling me I must grab essentials and evacuate <i>NOW</i>, I was trying to finish one more paragraph of <b><i>Hard Pursuit</i></b>. Just one more...<p>We got the all-clear shortly thereafter and are fortunate that our only experience of the fires is unbreathable air and two months of smelling like there was a campfire in the house. It was dark much of that time, an eerie kind of orange light. I was so glad when the snow came and knocked the fires back. (They are still burning.)</p><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsJfxnmRwFiZre1wPw1xXU9hI4RTbBea6qnfhgG_Zlb_PL3ERmjIOV06bsSnhzquD6R6D277uDBr2zfGdePss5HLAjjMZkZ6tS7A2BK079-n1NOVNLVVtKonZmQRjiCZ1uz5e/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsJfxnmRwFiZre1wPw1xXU9hI4RTbBea6qnfhgG_Zlb_PL3ERmjIOV06bsSnhzquD6R6D277uDBr2zfGdePss5HLAjjMZkZ6tS7A2BK079-n1NOVNLVVtKonZmQRjiCZ1uz5e/w400-h300/122090014_10164381733770370_4533883749456873805_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noon at my parents' house. This is a color photo.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-l5HUZfi7nYBV5E-9mccTU0o8OyJ8N2e0TbgMtc8KqlAgSb7c9abDVjY4ySyQtwBazWsk9BDdjhZjN4PFIg5fSDlHuZjMeMyxedKnIENxqk7ZYv3TYyfVm0ghAcvgfBSDSOJ/s960/122120296_10164378151445370_3315960140286295046_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-l5HUZfi7nYBV5E-9mccTU0o8OyJ8N2e0TbgMtc8KqlAgSb7c9abDVjY4ySyQtwBazWsk9BDdjhZjN4PFIg5fSDlHuZjMeMyxedKnIENxqk7ZYv3TYyfVm0ghAcvgfBSDSOJ/w300-h400/122120296_10164378151445370_3315960140286295046_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I live directly beneath the plume from the East <br />Troublesome Fire and very close to the <g class="gr_ gr_1214 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" data-gr-id="1214" id="1214">Calwood</g> Fire. <br />This was pretty much every day.<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>But enough about fires. Let’s talk about books! Malik and Kristi, who burned up the sheets together in Antarctica, are getting their own happily ever after. I absolutely love the cover, with those penetrating, intense eyes. Here’s the book description:<div><br /></div><div><div><i><b>She walked away once…</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>When ER nurse Kristi Chang met former Army Ranger Malik Jones in Antarctica eighteen months ago, they agreed to sex with no strings. She had no idea that Malik would turn out to be the most fun she’d ever had. Or that a big, bad soldier could be so sweet. Or that she would still be thinking of him more than a year later. Now working with an international aid organization in Nigeria, Kristi regrets letting him go. When gunmen suddenly attack and tear her from her medical unit and force her at gunpoint to care for their leader, she knows she’ll have to use her wits if she wants to stay alive. She warns her captors that she’s married to a Ranger named Malik who will kill any man who touches her. If only that were true…</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>Now he’ll do anything to free her…</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Malik hasn’t forgotten a single incredible moment he spent with Kristi. When he gets the news that she’s been abducted, he is gutted and wants to get Cobra’s guns into the fight to free her. A veteran of more than a few rescues, he knows only too well how brutal captivity can be for a woman and wants to get her out of there as soon as possible. But the State Department decides to let local authorities handle the situation and gives Cobra a different assignment, leaving Malik no choice but to quit the job he loves to go after Kristi himself. But locating her in an area bigger than the state of Texas and freeing her from a band of ruthless killers by himself isn’t going to be easy.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>But the threat is greater than they realize…</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>When Malik appears out of nowhere and saves her life, Kristi thinks she’s dreaming. As she recovers from her ordeal, the heat between them once again flares into passion. This time, however, it’s not just about lust and physical pleasure. Their hearts are on the line. But in rescuing Kristi, Malik has kicked the proverbial hornet’s nest, unleashing the wrath of a ruthless criminal organization bent on revenge. It will take all of their strength and skill to survive—and turn this second chance at romance into the love of a lifetime.</i></div><br /><div>I hope you're as excited to read their story as I am to share it with you. It will be out on Dec. 15. I’m working hard to get it done before Thanksgiving. I had a little accident this summer and have to get my left knee replaced. My surgery is the day before Thanksgiving. No turkey for me this year. But then 2020 has been a crazy year for everyone.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Stay well, everyone! Take good care of yourselves, and enjoy escaping into fiction.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://bit.ly/COBRA6" target="_blank">Kindle</a><div><a href="https://bit.ly/35TpkzE" target="_blank">Nook</a></div><div><a href="https://bit.ly/3oG1Nej" target="_blank">Kobo</a></div><div><a href="https://apple.co/32huswL" target="_blank">Apple Books</a> </div></div>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-73409449235792904512020-08-25T17:17:00.001-06:002020-08-25T17:18:16.890-06:00HARD LINE is out!<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="container logoless" id="container" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; table-layout: fixed; width: 640px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" id="" style="padding-top: 20px;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; table-layout: fixed;"></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="social_share_table" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px !important; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 590px; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" id="social_share_buttons" style="padding: 5px 8px 10px; text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="" id="outer_wrapper" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="" id="" style="padding: 0px;"><div class="borderless" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px;"><div id="header_inner" style="border-style: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; width: 590px;"><br /></div><table align="" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full spacer spacer-top" id="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="" id="" style="height: 30px; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px 30px;"> </td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full combo-left table-1 middle" id="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px 20px;"><div align="left" class="module combo-left" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="module-1" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; float: left !important; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 170.015625px;"><tbody><tr><td class="combo-image" style="padding: 0px 20px 18px 0px; width: 150.015625px;"><div align="center" class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Hard Line 1800x2700" src="https://cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/1843/2300/original/Hard_Line_1800x2700.jpg?1598310776" style="border: 0px none; height: auto; width: 150.015625px;" width="150" /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="module-1 text-container"><h1 align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><strong><g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del" data-gr-id="89" id="89">HARD LINE</g> is out!</strong></span></h1><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><strong><g class="gr_ gr_95 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" data-gr-id="95" id="95">Hard Line</g></strong></span> (Cobra Elite, #5) is out both in ebook and paperback!</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://bit.ly/COBRA5" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/31gp2SS" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/Cobra5" target="_blank">Apple Books</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3i44t1T" target="_blank">Kobo</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/2Ei6KHA" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/32iUVZI" target="_blank">Paperback</a></p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">This time, Thor Isaksen is headed to Antarctica with two other Cobra operatives on a death-defying mission to recover components from a crashed military satellite before they fall into hostile hands. The only thing colder than austral winter is the heart of the traitor who wants Thor and astronomer Samantha Park dead.</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">It was nice to write about the coldest place on earth during a record-breaking hot summer here in Colorado. At least I could <span style="font-style: italic;">imagine</span> being cold. I'm not sure it made me sweat less, however.</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Here's a description of the story:</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="font-style: italic;">A woman dragged into danger…</span></strong></p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dr. Samantha Park’s life is shaken when her best friend and research partner dies barely two months into their eight-month stretch at the South Pole. She hasn’t begun to face her loss when men from Cobra International Security arrive to recover sensitive military components from a crashed satellite—and ask her to come with them. As a scientist, she has always been suspicious of the military, and flying across Antarctica in austral winter is more like suicide than a rescue mission. But when she hears what’s at stake, she agrees to help and is forced to put her trust in Thor Isaksen, the tall, broad-shouldered Dane who leads the Cobra team.</span></p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="font-style: italic;">The only man who can keep her alive…</span></strong></p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Thor served as an elite soldier in Afghanistan and spent two years as part of a Danish spec-ops unit patrolling sea ice in the Arctic. He’s used to the cold and constant darkness. That’s why he’s been tapped to lead this mission. Under orders to do whatever he must to keep a dangerous weapon from falling into enemy hands, he’s prepared for every scenario—except one. Samantha, with her blue eyes and brilliant mind, takes him by surprise. She’s confident in her abilities as a scientist and yet so unsure of herself as a woman. Stuck at the station with his team until the weather clears, he can’t ignore the growing attraction he feels for her even if she’s the last thing he should be doing on the job.</span></p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="font-style: italic;">A killer who will destroy them all…</span></strong></p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: italic;">As temperatures drop to one hundred below, the heat between Thor and Samantha flares out of control. But a killer is lurking on <g class="gr_ gr_182 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" data-gr-id="182" id="182">station</g>, someone with an agenda that threatens not only the lives of every person <g class="gr_ gr_183 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" data-gr-id="183" id="183">there,</g> but also global peace. It will take all of Thor’s skill and strength to stop the murderous traitor—and keep himself and the woman he loves alive.</span></p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I hope you come to love Thor, my first Danish hero, and Samantha as much as I do.</p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full combo-right table-2 middle" id="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px 20px;"><div align="left" class="module combo-right" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="module-2" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; float: right !important; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 170.015625px;"><tbody><tr><td class="combo-image" style="padding: 0px 0px 18px 20px; width: 150.015625px;"><div align="center" class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="B Cengagement" src="https://cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/1843/2499/original/B_Cengagement.jpg?1598311639" style="border: 0px none; height: auto; width: 150.015625px;" width="150" /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="module-2 text-container"><h1 align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;"><strong>Some good news!</strong></h1><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">My younger son, Benjamin, proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Courtney, on Aug. 6 while on an 18-mile hike from Bear Lake to Grand Lake that took them over the Continental Divide. And she said YES!</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">They are radiant and happy, which makes me happy, too. I am thrilled for them both. It was wonderful to have something beautiful to celebrate in the midst of the hardship that has defined 2020 for so many of us.</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Congratulations, Benjamin and Courtney! You've made both of your families so very happy.</p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full combo-left table-3 last" id="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px;"><div align="left" class="module combo-left" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="module-3" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; float: left !important; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 170.015625px;"><tbody><tr><td class="combo-image" style="padding: 0px 20px 18px 0px; width: 150.015625px;"><div align="center" class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Butterfly Bush" src="https://cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/1843/2535/original/Butterfly_Bush.JPG?1598311742" style="border: 0px none; height: auto; width: 150.015625px;" width="150" /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="module-3 text-container"><h1 align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;"><strong>What's next?</strong></h1><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">In response to my last newsletter, some of you write in to say what you'd like me to write next, and historical romance was at the very top in terms of votes.</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I haven't decided what I'm writing next, but it could well be a new historical unrelated to my previous series or something set during the Revolutionary War in the Colonies (Blakewell/Kenleigh), or even some kind of crossover that brings a MacKinnon man together with a Kenleigh woman.</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I would love to write Malik's story, too, and possibly give Gabriela (<span style="font-style: italic;">Hard Edge</span>) and Holly Andris (I-Team/<span style="font-style: italic;">Seduction Game</span>) a novella together.</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">At this point, I'll have to see what the Muse has to say. In the meantime, it's nearing harvest season on our little urban farm. I've been busy with food preservation — pickled beets, pickles, peach jam, herbs, sour cherries. We've got about 50 tomato plants and are expecting a tomato tsunami soon.</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Stay safe out there! Be kind. As always, thanks for subscribing to my newsletter.</p><p align="left" style="color: #333e76; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">All my best, <br />Pamela Clare</p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full social_links bottom" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100%; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-67722148807272526872020-08-01T15:32:00.002-06:002020-08-01T15:32:34.257-06:00HARD LINE is available for preorder!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCe0wVCZsbxD5ihM5ISfbPp_oVvmAVz4SO1KMJmzf1DZ2U9GIuU69ZQ-yqiJ7exGVDzqeVXe5PinvUmLdqZ-ti5HKLaWmQbb1MzdCijpuQ2B_5pjSQRNQImCNWQZRrEfFq8Xzs/s1600/Hard_Line_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCe0wVCZsbxD5ihM5ISfbPp_oVvmAVz4SO1KMJmzf1DZ2U9GIuU69ZQ-yqiJ7exGVDzqeVXe5PinvUmLdqZ-ti5HKLaWmQbb1MzdCijpuQ2B_5pjSQRNQImCNWQZRrEfFq8Xzs/s400/Hard_Line_1800x2700.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Hard Line</i></b> (Cobra Elite, #5) will be out on August 18! Set in Antarctica during austral winter—that’s winter for the Southern Hemisphere—it tells Thor Isaksen and Samantha Park’s story.<br />
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You can preorder your copy today: <a href="https://bit.ly/COBRA5" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/31gp2SS" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/Cobra5" target="_blank">Apple Books</a>, and <a href="https://bit.ly/3i44t1T" target="_blank">Kobo</a>.<br />
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Thor, if you'll remember, is the Danish member of the Cobra crew. He served with the Jægerkorpset—Danish special forces—in Afghanistan, before joining Sirius Dogsled Patrol, pretty much the toughest unit in the world. Members of Sirius spend months at a time patroling parts of Greenland during Arctic Winter with one other person, a sled, and a dog team.<br />
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Samantha is a slightly geeky astronomer who's in Antarctica, mapping new and distant galaxy clusters. The <i>Star Trek</i> and <i>Star Wars</i> fan in me loved writing a woman scientist who deals with space. Samantha is good with science—but not very confident with men, especially not super-hot guys like Thor.<br />
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This is arguably the most exotic location in this series, which has traveled with our Cobra heroes around the globe. It’s been fascinating to learn about Antarctica and how scientists live down there year-round despite the coldest temperatures on Earth.<br />
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It has also been fun for me, as a fluent speaker of Danish and a Dane at heart, to have a Danish hero—and, yes, to add some Danish profanity into the mix.<br />
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Here's the description from the back of the book:<br />
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<i><b>A woman dragged into danger…</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Dr. Samantha Park’s life is shaken when her best friend and research partner dies barely two months into their eight-month stretch at the South Pole. She hasn’t begun to face her loss when men from Cobra International Security arrive to recover sensitive military components from a crashed satellite—and ask her to come with them. As a scientist, she has always been suspicious of the military, and flying across Antarctica in austral winter is more like suicide than a rescue mission. But when she hears what’s at stake, she agrees to help and is forced to put her trust in Thor Isaksen, the tall, broad-shouldered Dane who leads the Cobra team. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b> The only man who can keep her alive…</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Thor served as an elite soldier in Afghanistan and spent two years as part of a Danish spec-ops unit patrolling sea ice in the Arctic. He’s used to the cold and constant darkness. That’s why he’s been tapped to lead this mission. Under orders to do whatever he must to keep a dangerous weapon from falling into enemy hands, he’s prepared for every scenario—except one. Samantha, with her blue eyes and brilliant mind, takes him by surprise. She’s confident in her abilities as a scientist and yet so unsure of herself as a woman. Stuck at the station with his team until the weather clears, he can’t ignore the growing attraction he feels for her even if she’s the last thing he should be doing on the job. </i><br />
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<i><b> A killer who will destroy them all…</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>As temperatures drop to one hundred below, the heat between Thor and Samantha flares out of control. But a killer is lurking on station, someone with an agenda that threatens not only the lives of every person there, but also global peace. It will take all of Thor’s skill and strength to stop the murderous traitor—and keep himself and the woman he loves alive.</i><br />
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The e-book is available for preorder for <a href="https://bit.ly/COBRA5" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/31gp2SS" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/Cobra5" target="_blank">Apple Books</a>, and <a href="https://bit.ly/3i44t1T" target="_blank">Kobo</a>. Both the ebook and the paperback version should be available on the same date. You will also be able to find it on Smashwords.<br />
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I hope your summer has been a good one despite the hardship we’re all experiencing due to the pandemic. Stay safe, and be well!<br />
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<br />Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-30355051248698924012020-04-28T23:44:00.002-06:002020-04-28T23:45:05.666-06:00HARD EDGE is out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEZpDswTfhioDSQmsHDFdZ8jM4X2EcsSfSEI6qnZ69HZztpkrMfCqwGVFYLklIwOKtN2L65b8ouv8-PKUyLM3nssSf9VOYnPN2SeaNoWpZJ97tTi4uD3kIjXXZYIRySAL89v1/s1600/Hard_Edge_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEZpDswTfhioDSQmsHDFdZ8jM4X2EcsSfSEI6qnZ69HZztpkrMfCqwGVFYLklIwOKtN2L65b8ouv8-PKUyLM3nssSf9VOYnPN2SeaNoWpZJ97tTi4uD3kIjXXZYIRySAL89v1/s320/Hard_Edge_1800x2700.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-style: italic;">HARD EDGE</span></strong> (Cobra Elite #4) is out today in ebook and paperback!</div>
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I am thrilled to get the story out to you, given that I spent most of March fighting what my doctor believes was COVID-19. I was one of the lucky ones. I didn't end up in the hospital, and I managed to finish the story, bumping back the release date by just one week. Thanks for your understanding.</div>
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What's the story about?</div>
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Dylan Cruz, the former Seal Team Six member at Cobran International Security, finally gets his own story. It's a high-octane, sexy adventure with a heroine who turns out to be much more than Dylan expects.</div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/Cobra4" style="color: #737d42; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kindle</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2VW6DIv" style="color: #737d42; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Nook</a><br />
<a href="https://apple.co/2ImaoyQ" style="color: #737d42; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">iBooks</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2x68v6N" style="color: #737d42; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://bit.ly/2KADVpB" style="color: #737d42; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Smashwords</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2xcnywc" style="color: #737d42; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Paperback</a></div>
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Here’s the description:</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Gabriela Marquez came to her parents’ homeland of Venezuela to help its people. Working undercover for the CIA as Sister María, a Franciscan nun, she spends long days at the mission, giving food to the poor, helping the sick—and keeping a close watch on local drug trafficking. When a violent raid makes her a hostage together with two American journalists, she finds herself the prisoner of the very cartel she’s been spying on. Fortunately for the journalists—but not so luckily for her captors—Sister María is not what she seems to be. Hiding behind her nun’s habit, Gabriela puts her training to use to ensure the hostages’ survival.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Dylan Cruz spent the better part of a decade with Seal Team Six, ridding the world of scum. Now an operative with Cobra International Security, he’s sent to Venezuela with a small team to gather intel for a hostage rescue. Against all expectations, he gets valuable information from one of the hostages—a beautiful young nun. Sister María of the Gorgeous Brown Eyes puts R-rated thoughts in his mind, thoughts he has no business thinking. Then again, he always figured he’d end up in hell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">When the rescue fails, Dylan finds himself trapped in hostile territory with lovely Sister María. Together, they go underground to reach the Colombian border, but Sister María is full of secrets—and enticing surprises. Beneath that shapeless, gray habit is a woman whose abilities—and passions—are a match for Dylan’s. As the desire between them ignites, what should have been a straightforward mission of evade-and-escape turns into a fight for survival against a murderous cartel boss who wants them both dead.</span></div>
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Those of you who loved <span style="font-style: italic;">Seduction Game</span> (I-Team, #7) will love Gabriela.</div>
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Grab your copy today and escape into romantic suspense.</div>
Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-30340052764004854852020-03-07T14:59:00.000-07:002020-03-07T15:00:31.774-07:00HARD EDGE (Cobra Elite, #4) is available for preorder!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLn2BI2ltiP9pYK4CFReGGbiVl4YHqm8Xap0RZnhX15WQ9HZhbI_lnYrbY9ilUQb3lGp_4A7iuJw_pkVtYCAv0ZSmaiv-KTd4EZfckBjtmJsXFUW6uyOSbtvaSXiv0EGDviZNW/s1600/Hard_Edge_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLn2BI2ltiP9pYK4CFReGGbiVl4YHqm8Xap0RZnhX15WQ9HZhbI_lnYrbY9ilUQb3lGp_4A7iuJw_pkVtYCAv0ZSmaiv-KTd4EZfckBjtmJsXFUW6uyOSbtvaSXiv0EGDviZNW/s400/Hard_Edge_1800x2700.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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I’ll give you a few minutes to finish staring at the sexy abs on the cover of HARD EDGE (Cobra Elite, #4) before we move on here... I know. It takes some time.<br />
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Okay. Are you all with me now?<br />
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<b><i>Hard Edge</i></b> is Dylan Cruz's story and takes place in Venezuela amid the social unrest and humanitarian crisis that has forced so many <i>Venezolanos</i> to flee their own country, including a good friend of mine.<br />
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He’s got a long journey to his happily ever after. In fact, he doesn’t anticipate having a happily ever after. But life has other plans. Here’s a sneak peek at the story:<br />
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<i><b>Gabriela Marquez came to her parents’ homeland of Venezuela to help its people. Working undercover for the CIA as Sister María, a Franciscan nun, she spends long days at the mission, giving food to the poor, helping the sick—and keeping a close watch on local drug trafficking. When a violent raid makes her a hostage together with two American journalists, she finds herself the prisoner of the very cartel she’s been spying on. Fortunately for the journalists—but not so luckily for her captors—Sister María is not what she seems to be. Hiding behind her nun’s habit, Gabriela puts her training to use to ensure the hostages’ survival.</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i> <i><b>Dylan Cruz spent the better part of a decade with Seal Team Six, ridding the world of scum. Now an operative with Cobra International Security, he’s sent to Venezuela with a small team to gather intel for a hostage rescue. Against all expectations, he gets valuable information from one of the hostages—a beautiful young nun. Sister María of the Gorgeous Brown Eyes puts R-rated thoughts in his mind, thoughts he has no business thinking. Then again, he always figured he’d end up in hell.</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i> <i><b>When the rescue fails, Dylan finds himself trapped in hostile territory with lovely Sister María. Together, they go underground to reach the Colombian border, but Sister María is full of secrets—and enticing surprises. Beneath that shapeless, gray habit is a woman whose abilities—and passions—are a match for Dylan’s. As the desire between them ignites, what should have been a straightforward mission of evade-and-escape turns into a fight for survival against a murderous cartel boss who wants them both dead.</b></i><br />
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So far, it’s been a fun story to write, and now that the action is heating up, I expect things to get steamy on my computer.<br />
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The story will be out this spring in both ebook and paperback. You can preorder your copy now and have it in your hands on April 21. Right now, you can preorder on <a href="http://bit.ly/Cobra4" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/2VW6DIv" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/2ImaoyQ" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, and <a href="http://bit.ly/2x68v6N" target="_blank">Kobo</a>.<br />
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I can’t wait to share their crazy adventure with you all.<br />
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As for the rest of this year, I still have Thor Isaksen and Malik Jones' stories to share. I hope to get a historical written — possibly Lord William's story — as well as one other book. Not sure what yet. Stay tuned!<br />
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Thanks for reading, and, hey, WASH YOUR HANDS!Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-37825816601231444582019-12-17T00:17:00.000-07:002019-12-17T00:17:13.303-07:00Hard Justice is out!<table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full combo-left table-1 middle" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody>
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<strong><span style="font-style: italic;">HARD JUSTICE</span></strong> is out in ebook and print!</h1>
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Get ready to fall in love with sexy Scotsman Quinn McManus. <strong><span style="font-style: italic;">Hard Justice</span></strong> (Cobra Elite #3) is out today, and this time the badass men and women of Cobra International Security head to Glasgow, Scotland.</div>
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I confess that I was selfish when I wrote this book. So far, the Cobra series has taken us to Afghanistan and Bangladesh. But I love Scotland and find Scottish accents irresistibly sexy. So when I needed to pick the next location for an adventure, I chose Scotland. Can you blame me?</div>
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Read below for a description of the story, followed by a fun little excerpt.</div>
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<span style="color: #737d42;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(115, 125, 66);"><a href="https://amzn.to/31YoYDM" target="_blank">Kindle</a></span></span><br /><span style="color: #737d42;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(115, 125, 66);"><a href="http://bit.ly/2MTBErk" target="_blank">Nook</a></span></span><br /><a class="" href="https://apple.co/2PqxZ6a" style="color: #333e76;" target="_blank">ibooks</a><span style="color: #333e76;"> </span><br /><span style="color: #737d42;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(115, 125, 66);"><a href="http://bit.ly/2WUL3m1" target="_blank">Kobo</a></span></span><br /><span style="color: #737d42;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(115, 125, 66);"><a href="http://bit.ly/34cpEGL" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span><br /><a href="https://amzn.to/38MclAi" style="color: #333e76;" target="_blank">Paperback</a></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Elizabeth Shields has always craved adventure. That’s why she went to work for the CIA straight out of college. That’s probably also the reason she feels drawn to Quinn McManus, a veteran of the British Special Air Service. The big Scotsman gives off a dangerous vibe that she can’t resist. Yet, resist she must. She and Quinn both work for Cobra International Security, which has a strict policy against hook-ups between employees, and she’s too much of a professional to date a coworker. She and Quinn can never be more than friends. But when his best buddy from the SAS is found murdered on the streets of Glasgow, Elizabeth will do all she can to help Quinn cope with the loss … and find the culprit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Quinn McManus escaped a life of poverty by joining the British Army. His fellow soldiers became his family, forging a bond stronger than blood. Now, with his best friend dead, he needs Elizabeth’s special skills to help track down the killer. He has no intention of getting physical with her. Rules are rules. But as their unofficial investigation heats up, so does the attraction between them. Still, he refuses to surrender. Because if they cross the line from friends to lovers, there will be no going back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">But some battles can’t be won, and soon the passion between Quinn and Elizabeth ignites, hot enough to melt the cold Glasgow winter. As they move closer to the truth and to each other, they find themselves in the sights of a stone-cold killer, who won’t hesitate to destroy them both to keep a terrible secret.</span></div>
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Excerpt from <strong><span style="font-style: italic;">Hard Justice</span></strong></h1>
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Quinn walked in wearing a T-shirt and gym pants that rode low on his hips. He flashed Elizabeth a smile and walked over to the free weights, setting up the chest press.</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Damn.</span></div>
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Elizabeth had seen him work out before—all that muscle in action. Cobra had a gym in the basement that most of the employees used to stay fit. The difference between Cobra’s gym and this place was that they were on vacation now—and they were alone.</div>
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It would be so easy to give in and let her hormones win. She’d danced with Quinn and knew he was good with his body. He’d probably be as lethal in bed as he was out of it. But she’d hooked up with a coworker once before and had paid a terrible price for it. She’d sworn to herself never to make that mistake again.</div>
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Still, she was on vacation. It didn’t hurt to ogle him—just a little.</div>
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Bench press. Bicep curls. Triceps. Incline press.</div>
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He got to his feet, raised the hem of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, exposing that delicious six-pack.</div>
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Elizabeth didn’t realize she’d stopped running until the machine tossed her onto the floor. She toppled with a shriek, landing flat on her butt.</div>
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“Are you hurt?” Quinn jogged over, held out a big hand to help her up.</div>
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Heat rushed into her cheeks. “I’m fine.”</div>
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She took his hand, stood, coming face to face with him—or face to sternum. He smelled like salt and sweat and soap, the warm scents filling her head, leaving her intoxicated.</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Pheromone alert.</span></div>
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“Did you forget you were runnin’?” The gleam in his blue eyes told her he found all of this funny.</div>
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She couldn’t tell him the truth, so she lied. “I’m not sure what I did.”</div>
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She was <span style="font-style: italic;">such</span> an idiot.</div>
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He leaned down, bringing his gaze level with hers. “Next time you’re wantin’ to watch me at the weights, turn off the machine first, and come pull up a chair.”</div>
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# # #</div>
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Quinn saw Elizabeth’s eyes go wide, her cheeks flaming scarlet.</div>
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“You!” She glared at him, gave him a wee shove.</div>
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“Me?” He fought not to laugh. Och, she was adorable when she was angry. “It was you gawpin’ at me and you who fell. What did I do?”</div>
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“Oh, like you’ve never stared at my ass before.” Furious now, she gave herself a slap on the bum and then cupped her breasts through her T-shirt. “Or ogled my tits.”</div>
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The sight of her cupping her own breasts sent blood rushing to his groin and brought his gaze to the exact place it should not be.</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Sweet blazin’ hell!</span></div>
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“Aye, I’ll no’ deny it. We’re both adults. What’s the harm in lookin’?”</div>
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His words seemed to make her angrier. She opened her mouth as if to blister his ears—then leaped into his arms and kissed him.</div>
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Quinn caught her, drew her hard against him, his shock washed away by a rush of lust. He forgot about Jack’s murder. He forgot they were in the hotel gym. He forgot that they shouldn’t be doing this, because, <span style="font-style: italic;">sweet Jesus</span>, they ought to have done it years ago. He forgot everything but Lilibet—her taste, the soft feel of her body against his, the sweet scent of her skin.</div>
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Och, the woman could kiss. She took everything he could give her and demanded more, her tongue teasing his, her teeth nipping his lips—</div>
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“Is this man harassin’ you, miss?”</div>
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Elizabeth went stiff in Quinn’s arms, the two of them opening their eyes to find a young security guard walking toward them.</div>
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Quinn set Elizabeth on her feet, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. “We’re just havin’ a wee snog, aye?”</div>
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“Miss?” The man didn’t seem to believe Quinn, but waited for Elizabeth to answer. “It didnae look like snoggin’.”</div>
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It took Quinn a moment to understand the accusation—a measure of how distracted he was just now. The guard must have seen Elizabeth shove him on the surveillance feed and had gotten the wrong idea.</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Fuck.</span></div>
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Elizabeth gave the man that beautiful smile of hers. “I’m fine. Thank you. I fell off the machine. He helped me up and teased me about it, so I gave him a shove and, um, kissed him. I guess we forgot where we were. I’m so sorry we worried you, but I do appreciate your concern for my safety.”</div>
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“If you’re certain, miss…”</div>
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“Yes, thank you.”</div>
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Quinn couldn’t fault the guard for watching out for women, but the thought that anyone could believe him capable of abusing Elizabeth set his temper on edge. He wasn’t that sort of man. No matter what anyone said, he was nothing like his father. Some part of him wanted an apology, but that would make him a right prick.</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">The guard was just doin’ his job, aye?</span></div>
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Elizabeth turned to Quinn. “I’m done with my run. I’ll see you upstairs.”</div>
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“Aye, I’m comin’, too.”</div>
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The security guard walked out of the gym with them. “Enjoy your stay wi’ us.”</div>
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I hope you enjoyed the excerpt. Grab your copy today, and snuggle up with Quinn and cup of hot cocoa.</div>
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Copyright (c) 2019 Pamela Clare</div>
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Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-77167406944594033272019-10-30T22:24:00.000-06:002019-10-30T22:24:13.325-06:00HARD JUSTICE (Cobra Elite #3) is up for preorder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What woman doesn’t love a sexy Scotsman? I joke with my fellow authors that a Scottish accent counts as foreplay. How could I resist telling Quinn McManus' story?<br />
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McManus is a veteran of the British Special Air Service, a badass who now works for Cobra International Security. In the first two books in this series, we've seen that he has an interest in Elizabeth Shields, a former CIA analyst. But the two of them have never hooked up—and for a reason.<br />
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Here’s the story description:<br />
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<i>Elizabeth Shields has always craved adventure. That’s why she went to work for the CIA straight out of college. That’s probably also the reason she feels drawn to Quinn McManus, a veteran of the British Special Air Service. The big Scotsman gives off a dangerous vibe that she can’t resist. Yet, resist she must. She and Quinn both work for Cobra International Security, which has a strict policy against hook-ups between employees, and she’s too much of a professional to date a coworker. She and Quinn can never be more than friends. But when his best buddy from the SAS is found murdered on the streets of Glasgow, Elizabeth will do all she can to help Quinn cope with the loss … and find the culprit. </i><br />
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<i>Quinn McManus escaped a life of poverty by joining the British Army. His fellow soldiers became his family, forging a bond stronger than blood. Now, with his best friend dead, he needs Elizabeth’s special skills to help track down the killer. He has no intention of getting physical with her. Rules are rules. But as their unofficial investigation heats up, so does the attraction between them. Still, he refuses to surrender. Because if they cross the line from friends to lovers, there will be no going back. </i><br />
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<i>But some battles can’t be won, and soon the passion between Quinn and Elizabeth ignites, hot enough to melt the cold Glasgow winter. As they move closer to the truth and to each other, they find themselves in the sights of a stone-cold killer, who won’t hesitate to destroy them both to keep a terrible secret. </i><br />
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<b><i>Hard Justice </i></b>is set in Glasgow, which sounds like a great excuse to travel to Scotland to me. Sadly, my travel budget was blown this year when I went on my older son’s wedding cruise.</div>
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<b><i>Hard Justice</i></b> is up for preorder now and will be out on December 17, just in time for holiday reading. It’s my 30th novel, which feels like something of a milestone. </div>
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You can grab your copy now for <a href="https://amzn.to/31YoYDM" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/2MTBErk" target="_blank">Nook</a>, and <a href="https://apple.co/2PqxZ6a" target="_blank">iBooks</a>. Watch for it on Kobo and Smashwords soon. <b><i>Hard Justice</i></b> will be out in paperback on December 17, as well.</div>
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In the meantime, Colorado has sunk into a deep freeze. Outside, we’ve got a good nine inches of snow and temps of 6 F/-14 C and a windchill of -14 F/-25 C. We’ve kept a warm fire going in the woodstove, and the cats are loving it. Here they are taking up the entire sofa. </div>
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Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-36370799802556437732019-09-06T11:36:00.003-06:002019-09-06T11:36:31.668-06:00A wedding — and a book release: HARD ASSET<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since the last time I posted, I’ve been to my older son’s wedding, went on the honeymoon cruise with him and my new daughter-in-law, been up close and personal with bears in Alaska, seen so many humpback whales, seals, sea lions, otters, glaciers, and so on. And I topped that off with a visit to fellow author Kaylea Cross in Vancouver, where we talked about our books, went sea kayaking, ate some fantastic food, and looked at beautiful gardens.<br />
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Of course, I caught some nasty virus on the plane on the way home, so I've been in bed since getting home four days ago. Doesn’t it just figure?<br />
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I thought I'd share some of the photos. Ready?<br />
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At the top is a photo of the bride and groom with their two older kids from her first marriage. The bride wore purple embroidered with white, while the groom wore purple. It was an amazing day with a sweet ceremony that left me in tears. After a reception with cake and champagne, we set off on the cruise, and that was a week of non-stop adventure.<br />
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My brother and I signed up for a float plane trip into the Tongass, where we were led on a hike to a bear blind above a salmon stream. Salmon were fighting their way upstream to spawn, and the bears were making the most of it. We got close footage of bears fishing, eating, fighting. It was amazing—like being in the middle of a NatGeo program or something.</div>
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We also got amazing views of the Inner Passage — so many islands and channels, so many humpback whales, so much beauty. My brother and I spent some time just sitting on our balcony watching the scenery slip by until it was too dark to see anything.<br />
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Speaking of humpbacks, we went on a whale-watching tour and got to see several. None of them breached, but we did see a lot of flukes. In one case, we saw a mother with her calf swimming side by side. On this same trip, we encountered a colony of sea lions, some harbor seals, lots of jelly fish, eagles, and a sea otter floating along and washing its cute face.<br />
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On August 27, when I was still on the ship, <b><i>Hard Asset </i></b>was released — my biggest release day ever! Thank you for that. The book is garnering fantastic reviews overall. I packed it full of action and adventure — and a little hot jungle sex. I'm grateful to those of you who’ve read it and taken time to post reviews, with a 4.7 average on Amazon and a 4.54 as of this moment on Goodreads.<br />
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Here’s a description of the book:<br />
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<b><i>A perilous mission…<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<i>Shanti Lahiri’s tragic family history inspired her to fight for justice. Now a prosecutor with the International Criminal Court, she doesn’t have time for dating or relationships. When an investigation takes her to the Rohingya refugee camps in her father’s homeland of Bangladesh, the last thing she wants is an armed security team following her everywhere and frightening her already traumatized witnesses. But others who’ve tried to investigate these crimes have gone missing, and Shanti doesn’t want to be the next one to disappear. Despite her misgivings, she has no choice but to accept their protection. And, no, the fact that the team’s leader is lethally sexy has nothing to do with her decision.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>An undeniable attraction…<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<i>Connor O’Neal left the Unit—Delta Force—after a decade of war, scarred both inside and out. Now an operative with Cobra International Security, he’s been tasked with protecting Shanti in one of the most dangerous parts of the world. He can handle anything the bad guys throw at him, but nothing prepares him for the instant attraction he feels to Shanti. From the first moment he sees her, he wants her. Too bad, because clients are strictly off-limits, and he’s a man who follows the rules—most of the time. Besides, he can’t afford any distractions, because Shanti’s life is on the line.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>A merciless enemy…<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<i>But something about Shanti breaks through Connor’s defenses, forcing him to confront his own demons. As their mutual desire transforms into reckless passion, Shanti discovers evidence crucial to putting the mastermind of genocide behind bars. Connor knows her life is in immediate danger, but his plan to get her out of the country comes crashing down when a traitor strikes, leaving the two of them stranded in the jungles of Myanmar. Now on the run from a ruthless killer and his army of minions, Connor and Shanti are fighting for survival—and a chance at the love of a lifetime.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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The book is available in ebook and paperback formats.<br />
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<a href="https://amzn.to/30Vk9vc" target="_blank">Kindle US</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/30Vk9vc" target="_blank">Kindle</a><a href="https://amzn.to/2OddkU8" target="_blank"> UK</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/30Vk9vc" target="_blank">Kindle</a> <a href="https://amzn.to/2LBFHt1" target="_blank">CA</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/30Vk9vc" target="_blank">Kindle</a><a href="ttps://amzn.to/2YmWTID" target="_blank"> AU</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2Z9YzCC" target="_blank">Kindle DE</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2y2OZFC" target="_blank">Nook</a><br />
<a href="https://apple.co/2MjMbMS" target="_blank">Apple Books</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2MjELJv" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2K7K2Rl" target="_blank">Smashwords</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2z42ghP" target="_blank">Paperback</a><br />
<br />Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-54470948513316001182019-07-27T19:19:00.000-06:002019-07-27T19:19:16.363-06:00HARD ASSET (Cobra Elite #2) is up for preorder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a crazy summer! Benjamin and I did some landscaping work outside, managing to put in a new flagstone and gravel patio before our annual High Bloom Party when we celebrate our roses. We grow a lot of our own fruit and veg here, too, so there's a lot to do outside when we aren’t working on landscaping. So far this summer, we’ve gotten radishes, arugula, chard, scallions, peas, shishito peppers, green peppers, potatoes, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries out of the garden with so much more on the way.<br />
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Yum!<br />
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In the meantime, I’ve been hard at work on <i><b>Hard Asset</b></i>, the second book in my new Cobra Elite romantic suspense series. Book 2 picks up with the men and women of Cobra International Security to tell Connor O’Neal’s story. I'm super excited to say that the book is now available for preorder and will be available on August 27.<br />
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Here’s the blurb from the back of the book:<br />
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<i><b>A perilous mission…</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Shanti Lahiri’s tragic family history inspired her to fight for justice. Now a prosecutor with the International Criminal Court, she doesn’t have time for dating or relationships. When an investigation takes her to the Rohingya refugee camps in her father’s homeland of Bangladesh, the last thing she wants is an armed security team following her everywhere and frightening her already traumatized witnesses. But others who’ve tried to investigate these crimes have gone missing, and Shanti doesn’t want to be the next one to disappear. Despite her misgivings, she has no choice but to accept their protection. And, no, the fact that the team’s leader is lethally sexy has nothing to do with her decision.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>An undeniable attraction…</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Connor O’Neal left the Unit—Delta Force—after a decade of war, scarred both inside and out. Now an operative with Cobra International Security, he’s been tasked with protecting Shanti in one of the most dangerous parts of the world. He can handle anything the bad guys throw at him, but nothing prepares him for the instant attraction he feels to Shanti. From the first moment he sees her, he wants her. Too bad, because clients are strictly off-limits, and he’s a man who follows the rules—most of the time. Besides, he can’t afford any distractions when Shanti’s life is on the line.</i><br />
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<i><b>A merciless enemy…</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>But something about Shanti breaks through Connor’s defenses, forcing him to confront his demons. As their mutual desire transforms into reckless passion, Shanti discovers evidence crucial to putting a mastermind of genocide behind bars. Connor knows her life is in immediate danger, but his plan to get her out of the country comes crashing down when a traitor strikes, leaving the two of them stranded in the jungles of Myanmar. Now on the run from a ruthless killer and his army, Connor and Shanti are fighting for survival—and a chance at the love of a lifetime.</i><br />
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<b><i>Hard Asset</i></b> is available in ebook for preorder for <a href="https://amzn.to/30Vk9vc">Kindle</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/2y2OZFC" target="_blank">Nook</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/2MjELJv">Kobo</a>, <a href="https://apple.co/2MjMbMS">iBooks</a>, and through <a href="http://bit.ly/2K7K2Rl">Smashwords</a> (international, all formats). It will be out in paperback on/near August 27 as well. I always publish in paperback, too, so those of you who prefer a book you can hold can look forward to this story as well.</div>
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Watch for an excerpt soon! International Kindle buy links below.</div>
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<a href="https://amzn.to/30Vk9vc" target="_blank">Kindle US</a></div>
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2OddkU8" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a></div>
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2LBFHt1" target="_blank">Kindle CA</a></div>
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2Z9YzCC" target="_blank">Kindle DE</a></div>
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2YmWTID" target="_blank">Kindle AU</a></div>
Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-78810936971139577662019-04-13T11:41:00.002-06:002019-04-13T11:41:40.779-06:00HARD TARGET available for preorder + EXCERPT<br />
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<b><i>Hard Target</i></b>, Book 1 in my new Cobra Elite romantic suspense series, is now available for pre-order! It will be out in ebook on<b> April 25</b>, and hopefully, print that same day or shortly after that.<br />
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2FUxZGa">Kindle US</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2OIiXWP">Kindle UK</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2UwrD84">Kindle CA</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2CPayfC">Kindle AU</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2Vk0Bhu">Kindle DE</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2Igom6D">Nook</a><br />
<a href="https://apple.co/2TWjghV">iBooks</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2UfCtQI">Kobo</a><br />
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It will be available on Smashwords (all formats, international) on its release date.<br />
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This is a high-octane spin-off to the I-Team series, featuring Javier Corbray, Holly and Nick Andris, and Derek Tower and all the heroes and heroines at their private military company, Cobra International Security. Expect the occasional I-Team cameo in this series.<br />
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Here’s a description of the story:<br />
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<i>Derek Tower has spent his life at war, first as a Green Beret and then as the owner of a private military company, Cobra International Security. When a high-ranking US senator asks Cobra to protect his daughter, a midwife volunteering in Afghanistan, Derek’s gut tells him to turn the senator down. The last thing he wants to do is babysit an aid worker. But Jenna isn’t just another assignment. She’s also the younger sister of his best friend, the man who died taking bullets meant for him. There’s no way Derek can refuse. </i><br />
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<i>Jenna Hamilton doesn’t need a bodyguard, especially not one hired by her intrusive and controlling father. She knew the risks when she signed on to work in rural Afghanistan, and the hospital already has armed security. She also doesn’t need the distraction of a big, brooding operative skulking about, even if he is her late brother’s best friend—and sexy as hell. As far as she’s concerned, he can pack up his Humvee and drive into the sunset. And, no, nothing her hormones have to say about him will change her mind. </i><br />
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<i>From the moment his boots hit the ground in Afghanistan, Derek does his best to win Jenna over, posing as her brother so the two of them can spend time alone. Except that what he feels for her is anything but brotherly. Stolen moments lead to secret kisses—and an undeniable sexual attraction that shakes them both to the core. But events have been set into motion that they cannot escape. When a ruthless warlord sets his sights on Jenna, Derek will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if it costs him his heart—or his life.</i><br />
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I'm super excited to share the story with you. Without further ado, an excerpt.<br />
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In this scene, Derek, who is pretending to be Jenna’s brother so he can speak with her in an environment that mandates total separation of the sexes, helps Jenna get the hospital safe room ready just in case.<br />
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From <i><b>HARD TARGET</b> </i>—<br />
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Derek jogged back up the stairs, making four more trips -- two for the remaining two drums and two for the rest of the MREs and the water -- while Jenna tore off the shrink wrap, opened the boxes, and piled the meals into the barrel. Then she fitted the lids onto the barrels, stepping back as he pounded them firmly into place with the heel of his palm.<br />
<br />
“That ought to keep out the mice.”<br />
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“I’d like to store some medical supplies down here, too, just in case—first aid supplies, IV fluids, pain meds.” Her headscarf had come loose, and she instinctively reached up to straighten it.<br />
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He caught her hand. “Don’t. I want to see your hair.”<br />
<br />
Jenna forgot to breathe.<br />
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~ ~ ~</div>
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<i>What the hell are you doing?</i><br />
<br />
This hadn’t been part of Derek’s plan. The words had just come out of his mouth, but for some reason, he wasn’t taking them back.<br />
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A part of him tried to convince himself that he was just doing his job, just trying to win Jenna over. But he knew that was bullshit. He truly did want to see her hair.<br />
<br />
Jenna stood, frozen in place, looking up at him, green eyes wide, her pupils dilated. “I-I probably shouldn’t…”<br />
<br />
He took hold of the damned headscarf and pulled it off to reveal thick auburn hair that hung well below her shoulders.<br />
<br />
She reached up, ran a hand self-consciously over her hair. “I’ve gotten used to covering up. I don’t spend any time styling it or…”<br />
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Her words trailed off when he lifted a handful of silky strands, raised them to his nostrils, and inhaled, the feminine scent sending a dart of arousal to his groin. “You smell like flowers.”<br />
<br />
“It’s … uh … my shampoo.”<br />
<br />
Had he managed to fluster her?<br />
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<i>Good.</i><br />
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“I like it.” He slid his fingers through the thick tresses, grazing her cheek with his palm, his fingers finding her nape.<br />
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Her eyes drifted shut, her lips parting on an exhale.<br />
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Lust punched through him, sharp and bright.<br />
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Reluctantly, he drew his hand away, fighting an irrational impulse to pull her close and kiss the hell out of her. “You’re a beautiful woman, Jenna.”<br />
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She shook her head, her cheeks flushing pink. “I’m not wearing any makeup.”<br />
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“You don’t need it.” He truly meant that.<br />
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Her skin was nearly translucent, her eyelashes dark and long, her lips full and…<br />
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Hell, he should not be thinking about her lips. If anyone caught them kissing, they would both end up very dead. Not that anyone would wander in just now. The women were shut in the hospital wing, and Farzad was likely too afraid to set foot in this place.<br />
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<i>Don’t take chances.</i><br />
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He wouldn’t, not where Jenna was concerned.<br />
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Besides, kissing her wasn’t his mission.<br />
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“I wish you would come with me back to the U.S.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “There are men not far from here who would tear you apart if they could.”<br />
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“Are you trying to scare me? It won’t work.”<br />
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“No, I’m just telling you the truth. I’ve seen the aftermath of more than one Taliban massacre -- women and girls raped to death or shot in the head, entire families slaughtered.”<br />
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She took a step backward. “I know it’s dangerous to be here, but it’s more dangerous for these mothers. If I bail out of my contract and go home because I’m afraid, where does that leave them? Where does it leave Marie, Delara, and the students? The world can’t just abandon these women. I know that what I’m doing is just a drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed, but at least I’m doing something.”<br />
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Derek could tell she meant every word, and he respected her. That didn’t change the fact that he had a job to do. “At least think about it.”<br />
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“I should get back to work.” She bent down to pick up her headscarf.<br />
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“Let me.” He took it from her, draped it over her hair, tucking it beneath her chin and drawing it around her so that the ends fell over her chest to cover the gentle curves of her breasts. “That should do it. Not a single strand is showing.”<br />
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Copyright (c) Pamela Clare 2019</div>
Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-33387164273325256542019-03-06T21:24:00.001-07:002019-03-06T21:24:42.259-07:00COVER REVEAL! All about HARD TARGET<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichyphenhyphenFykFd2avNTwSn_qnWOoqTu3bRSPiLKm7qa27t7oBzkTI5icxWF5NkrWKXUHa0-hCArla_CbBGYYHUseWcToC_EnHGo-Pn9y3Nxhp880yNPLC5j_-X2Q2VkQhWEHdQjPHum/s1600/Hard_Target_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichyphenhyphenFykFd2avNTwSn_qnWOoqTu3bRSPiLKm7qa27t7oBzkTI5icxWF5NkrWKXUHa0-hCArla_CbBGYYHUseWcToC_EnHGo-Pn9y3Nxhp880yNPLC5j_-X2Q2VkQhWEHdQjPHum/s400/Hard_Target_1800x2700.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<br />
Here it is — the sexy new cover for my sexy COBRA ELITE series. Yes, I’m back to writing romantic suspense, and HARD TARGET is the first book in my new I-Team spinoff.<br />
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The hero of the story is Derek Tower, who first made his appearance in the I-Team series in <i><b>Striking Distance</b></i> as the owner of a black-ops company that had gone into bankruptcy after the kidnapping of Laura Nilsson. He was a JERK — at first. As the story moved on, he discovers that Laura isn’t to blame for her kidnapping and the deaths of his men and does all he can to make up for the way he intimidated her.<br />
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We see him again in <i><b>Seduction Game</b> </i>when the new black-ops company he and Javier Corbray (<i><b>Striking Distance</b></i>) have created get involved to recover Holly Bradshaw after a rogue CIA agent abducts her. Here’s the logo of Cobra International Security.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qPjRaIrXlewjq2tHyCqdhiMkT8ND0Za9ig5LNc0i4dVl79kL3pI5ZNeJQ93sDU-Ld98tprh4id6Jl2hcFsWNJvdy3RPxNZQbSbGRaWZjUN3dSWo1d5sdGPPgRenWOnN6LHbf/s1600/Cobra_Logo_black_med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qPjRaIrXlewjq2tHyCqdhiMkT8ND0Za9ig5LNc0i4dVl79kL3pI5ZNeJQ93sDU-Ld98tprh4id6Jl2hcFsWNJvdy3RPxNZQbSbGRaWZjUN3dSWo1d5sdGPPgRenWOnN6LHbf/s320/Cobra_Logo_black_med.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Basically, if you’re a terrorist or drug smuggler or asshole and you see this, you are probably well on your way to being trussed up in the back of a truck or dead.<br />
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<b><i>Hard Target</i></b> is Derek’s story. A former Green Beret, he is compelled to accept an assignment that lands him in Afghanistan’s Balkh Province playing bodyguard to the younger sister of special forces buddy who gave his life to save Derek’s.<br />
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Jenna Hamilton, the heroine, is a nurse midwife. She’s gone over as an aid worker to help save the lives of women and babies in a country where women have a 1-in-8 risk of dying of pregnancy-related causes in their lifetimes. That part is not fiction, sadly. Neither is the fact that the Taliban, which forbids the education of women, deliberately targets and executes midwives. Last year, they attacked the city of Ghazni, occupied a midwifery school, and murdered one of the midwives while the others hid in a safe room.<br />
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Caught in political the political machinations of militias, warlords, and Talibs, they find themselves on the run, relying on Derek’s skills (and at times Jenna’s) to survive.<br />
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Derek has no intention of getting involved with Jenna. He owes her brother a life debt, something he can’t repay by getting in bed with her. But sometimes adrenaline and primal attraction can overcome even the strongest will.<br />
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Where did I get the idea for this story? I’m so glad you asked.<br />
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The groundwork for aspects of it was laid in <b><i>Striking Distance</i></b> and <i><b>Seduction Game</b></i>. Javier and Derek’s company — Cobra International Security — was already established.<br />
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But the setting and especially the heroine come from a story I reported on long ago when I was a journalist. I'd heard of a local midwife who had set up a midwifery school and hospital out of her living room in Boulder County. She went over to Bamiyan and worked with the Afghan government to develop a curriculum to train one of the first groups of midwives in the new Afghanistan. She saved lives every day. She had the honor—I think it IS an honor—of receiving death threats from the Taliban, which promised to put a bullet in her head.<br />
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Screw those guys. (Or not.)<br />
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The organization she founded is a nonprofit that now operates in Afghanistan, Uganda, and Haiti, helping local women give birth safely. Through her efforts and those of others who joined in to help, these clinics have surpassed UN goals for maternal and infant safety. The organization is one I am proud to support — International Midwife Assistance. You can read about their work at www.midwifeassist.org.<br />
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She and I met over coffee a few weeks ago, and I told her that I’m working on a story with an American midwife working in Afghanistan—and she literally squealed. Immediately, she began making suggestions for how to make the story real, offering me a wealth of first-hand experience that I couldn’t have unless I, too, worked as a midwife in Afghanistan.<br />
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The <b>Cobra Elite series</b> is going to be a fast-paced, action-packed romantic suspense series with all the realism of the I-Team series. At this point, I’m planning for a trilogy, all of which will be published in 2019. So hang onto your panties — if you can.<br />
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<b><i>Hard Target</i></b> will be out in mid-April. Watch for an excerpt with pre-order links soon! If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, <a href="http://www.pamelaclare.com/contact/mailing-list.html" target="_blank">click here</a>. It’s the best way to stay on top of new releases. I won‘t spam you or share your email information. Just be sure to check your inbox for a confirmation email.<br />
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<br />Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38836389.post-84371924538321587722018-12-15T11:27:00.001-07:002018-12-15T11:27:36.203-07:00CHASING FIRE is out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuymgJ161T_NBA5fQNXXqL6GkCFIyF2XGn6pHnCuLh7YzNhXKfbHfAsZRAJL7ZwUogulY5F8yO-smo64aCv5lm0yTDjwVg3pc-O4VxLiQguDyYSfUsve2tPxmIlY4jeyw7ac9/s1600/Chasing_Fire_1800x2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuymgJ161T_NBA5fQNXXqL6GkCFIyF2XGn6pHnCuLh7YzNhXKfbHfAsZRAJL7ZwUogulY5F8yO-smo64aCv5lm0yTDjwVg3pc-O4VxLiQguDyYSfUsve2tPxmIlY4jeyw7ac9/s320/Chasing_Fire_1800x2700.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Chasing Fire (An I-Team/Colorado High Country Crossover Novel)</i></b> is out! That has to be the fastest turnaround time ever. The ebook publishers were on top of things yesterday.<br />
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What kills me is that so many people have finished the book already. What? I know! The first reader finished it before I had even finished getting all the links together.<br />
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The story brings together the cast of the I-Team series and the Colorado High Country series for a battle against a devastating fire. Inspired by the Cold Springs Fire (2016) here in Colorado, I wanted to bring my favorite heroes together and see what they would do in a crisis.<br />
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They won’t disappoint you.<br />
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If you haven't read either series, this isn’t the story for you. People's backstories are discussed, so it would ruin the ending of pretty much every novel in both series. Also, we move from person to person, and if you don't know these folks, you’re going to be overwhelmed.<br />
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Fortunately, <b><i>Barely Breathing</i></b> (Colorado High Country, Book 1) is FREE at ebook retailers, so you can kick off your reading with Lexi and Austin's story and get to this book eventually.<br />
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What can I tell you about this book?<br />
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1. It’s very high octane. Some readers who've already finished it say it should come with a warning label, "Not for the faint of heart" or "I didn't even get up to pee while reading this story." (I like that!)<br />
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2. I-Team heroes + Scarlet Springs heros = A lot of sexy running around in the mountains.<br />
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3. Unlike the guy in the photo, the firefighters are wearing brush gear. No one fights the fire shirtless. I know. Bummer.<br />
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Here are the links:<br />
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2zZelW8" target="_blank">Kindle US </a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2CeOqM0" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2S2JRtF" target="_blank">Kindle CA</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2CeEfXy" target="_blank">Kindle AU</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2UKBXH6" target="_blank">Kindle DE</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2Qw0jWq" target="_blank">Nook</a><br />
<a href="https://apple.co/2S1I9sr" target="_blank">iBooks</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2EmYeoA" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2S1KBPH" target="_blank">Smashwords</a><br />
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I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It has all the tension of<i><b> Dead By Midnight</b></i> and my romantic suspense books, but the enemy this time is fire.<br />
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Here’s the blurb from the back cover of the print edition:<br />
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<i>For fans of Pamela Clare’s acclaimed I-Team and Colorado High Country series…</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>An I-Team/Colorado High Country Crossover Novel</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Fire chief Eric Hawke knows it’s only a matter of time until the next big wildfire. He’s done everything he can to prepare his crews for the inevitable. When high winds turn a small blaze into a raging crown fire that threatens Scarlet Springs, he, Brandon Silver, and the rest of Scarlet FD put their lives on the line to save the town and its citizens. But the one thing Hawke hadn’t planned for was bureaucratic red tape and waffling from higher-ups that could turn this crisis into a catastrophe. When his requests for support go unheeded, he’s faced with the prospect of watching the town he loves burn to ashes.</i><br />
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<i>But sometimes help comes from unexpected places.</i><br />
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<i>Marc Hunter, Julian Darcangelo, and Zach McBride are in the mountains above Scarlet Springs for an interagency training exercise when they see a single wisp of smoke to the west. What begins as a fun day of playing cops and bad guys soon becomes a battle against time, as they join forces with Hawke and members of the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team to save friends trapped by the fire.</i><br />
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<i>Together, they pit their strength and courage against a terrifying and unforgiving force of nature. Will it be enough? Or will</i> the ravenous flames claim lives—and leave the people of Scarlet Springs forever scarred?<br />
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I am about to disappear, as I'm having my right knee replaced with a slinky or something on Monday. Total knee replacement. Not excited about it, but I am looking forward to walking normally again. I injured my knee in 2014 during chemo, and it never healed because of the chemo drugs. Getting this behind me at last feels like a step forward away from the nightmare of 2014.<br />
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Thanks so much for your support throughout the year! If I don’t get back to you before Dec. 25, then Merry Christmas to all my readers around the world. You are the best!<br />
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<br />Pamela Clarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308504469372100650noreply@blogger.com0