September | 2013 | Kishan Paul

Hello all,

The Ones is a writing blog game in which participants receive a story title, a little wrinkle to up the challenge factor and then must create a single draft story in no more than one hour from the prompt. They then trade stories and post someone else’s entry on their website. My guest this week is http://blog.edmartinwriter.com/

___

She sits on the front porch, ears attuned to the sounds of the night.
A dog barks. Cicadas sing. A car door slams. Footsteps approach as
starlight tickles her skin.“Allen?” she calls out.The footsteps fade.“Allen?” she calls again. “Is that you?”The screen door screeches open behind her, and floorboards creak. A
hand rests on her shoulder, and a brown voice speaks from the
darkness. “You okay out here, Beth?”

She nods. “Yeah, Dad, I’m fine.”

The hand remains. “Were you talking to someone?”

“I thought I heard Allen, here to pick me up for the dance.”

“Beth….” The hand’s grip tightens, and the voice is apologetic. “Allen
died in the accident.”

It all floods back: getting in the car, racing around the curves, a
crash. Waking up in the hospital, asking for the bandages to be
removed but they were already done. And Allen—Allen was gone too. Of
course he wouldn’t be coming up the sidewalk.

“Yeah, I remember.”

But she doesn’t, not really. Not always. There’s so much she doesn’t
even realize she forgets.

***

The next day, Ms. Someone spends the afternoon with her. Beth’s been
told her name but can’t remember it. But at least she can remember she
can’t remember. Progress.

Ms. Someone chatters on in her yellow voice while Beth knits, one of
the few things she can still do now. “He’s staying with us for awhile,
until he gets his life together. I was against it, but George said it
was a good idea. George said it would do him some good, and wasn’t I
lonely since Nathan went off to college? He’s not all there, but
that’s okay.” She goes on and on, but Beth stops paying attention. And
she won’t remember any of it anyways.

***

She’s back outside that evening, waiting for Allen to pick her up. Her
dad comes out at one point, at lots of points maybe, and reminds her
that Allen isn’t coming because he died.

“I know,” she tells him. “I remember.”

Each time, he goes back inside, by the murmuring TV. Beth’s stopped
watching TV since the accident; she can’t see the screen, can’t follow
the plot. Like so much in her life now, it’s not worth doing. Better
to sit here and wait for Allen.

Footsteps again.

“Allen?” she calls out.

Tonight the footsteps approach the porch. “Hi.”

“Allen?” she asks again, although she knows it’s not him. The voice is
wrong; Allen’s was deep, crimson, and this one is mellower.

“Who’s Allen?”

“My boyfriend. He’s going to pick me up, and then we’re going to the
dance. Are you going to the dance?”

“Sure.” The voice sparkles with amusement. A green voice, she decides,
with hints of purple and red.

“Do you have a date?”

“No.” The purple is more pronounced.

“I’m Beth.”

“Nice to meet you.”

The green voice is silent, but the lawn chair next to her squeaks.

“Allen?”

“No.”

“Who are you then?”

“Robert. I’m staying next door, with my aunt and uncle.”

“I’m Beth. I’m waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up for the dance.”

The green voice grunts, then launches into the story of why he’s
staying with her neighbors, why he wanders the neighborhood streets in
the night.

He finishes. The cicadas sing. A car honks. The chair next to her
squeaks as someone’s weight shifts.

“Allen?”

—

“To read the next entry in the circle, click here. To go straight to my story from this prompt, go to Paul Hamilton‘s blog.”

—

ED Martin is a writer with a knack for finding new jobs in new places. She currently lives in Illinois where she job hops while working on her novels. She is the author of the women’s fiction novel The Lone Wolf, due out December 2013, and numerous short stories.

: DC Stone

K: Today I’m interviewing my dear friend and published author DC Stone (or Des as I’d like to call her). Thanks for taking the time to meet with me.

D: *smiles* Thank you for having me. *bounce*

K: I had the privilege of reading Armed and Desired in the early stages of the story. It was my first exposure to DC Stone and to erotica. To be honest, I expected it to be poorly written for no other reason than the genre it was in. I know that was very ignorant of me (hangs head in shame).

Let me tell you, Des, you blew those biases out the water with in five minutes of reading. I was blushing and totally sucked into the lovely Allyssa Bloom’s and sexy Nate Wilshire’s worlds.

Since then, I have read your other short story, High Scandal, and full length novel, Feral Craving, which is part of part of your Justice Demon series. Both of them so very polished and addictive. So first and foremost, thank you Des for, ahemm, enlightening me and for taking the time to hang out with me

D: Well, I should be thanking you for that introduction. I’m glad you liked it. It was certainly fun to write.

K: Before we get into Armed and Desired, tell us about the Justice Demon series and Feral Cravings.

D: Oh boy, the Justice Demon series is both my baby and my biggest heartache I have. It’s different from anything else I write, in the stance that it is paranormal romance. Of course this series still contains the whole Alpha male approach, with sexy men who fight against the ultimate battle in losing their hearts. They don’t want to fall, don’t think they are good enough, but we learn and prove to these cavemen that they are. The paranormal aspect is different from anywhere else in the industry. I’ve created a group of “Justice Demons” who are charged with keeping the good and evil of the world centered. Should the scales tip too much in either favor, then life on Earth as we know it, can end. The only way this is enforced is through these demons, who also live under the pretense as humans, and their ability to “read” souls.

K: Now you have a book releasing on September 10^th and I’m so excited the rest of the world will get to know and fall in love with Alyssa and Nate. Tell us about that.

D: Armed and Desired is part of the booming 1NS series with Decadent. In my story, I put a spin on two police officers and opened the doors for them to either act, or sink, on the mutual attraction they have for one another.

K: Here’s a blurb about the story and if you scroll down, you’ll find an excerpt from the book.

Being a cop can be a dirty job … but somebody’s got to do it. Sergeant Alyssa Bloom, assigned as Patrolman Nate Wilshire’s trainer, knows what it means to stay in control, be alert to her surroundings, and keep a level head. Not so easy to do around the hot, young rookie.

Nate has the best job in the world—police officer with the sexiest partner a guy could ask for. Alyssa might be training him, but he has a few things he’d like to teach her. Unwilling to act on his desires and risk unprofessional conduct, he asks Madame Eve to find him someone to scratch the itch Alyssa can’t.

With the need to let loose hitting the red zone, Alyssa agrees to contact 1Night Stand. When her date is none other than her sexy partner, she has a decision to make—maintain professionalism and leave…or let her heart finally take control.

K: Alyssa is a very strong but sexy woman who should have no problem, you would think, in finding a man but yet she does. What or who inspired you to introduce the world to her?

D: Alyssa is based off a good friend of mine, same name. Lol. In my world, especially where I’m dealing with criminals and alpha cops all day, it isn’t unusual for a woman in the industry to push their feminine side to the back seat. It’s a world where we (as women) need to work twice as hard to prove ourselves. Alyssa is the true example of that. She’s a woman who thinks she has to be tough, be this cop (and not a woman) all the time. I wanted to show those outside the industry that they are just as sexual, and just as feminine.

K: So has your inspiration read the book?

D. Um, no. LOL But she does know it exists, and I’m sure she’ll be one of the first to pick it up. In true Alyssa fashion, the woman is working AND going to school, and that leaves very little playtime for her.

K: What do you think you like most about this story?

D. I like the concept that Valerie, Olivia, and Heather created with this. The ability for this Madam to push two people together and give them not only the time, but also the ability to see if sparks fly is intriguing.: I fell in love with Alyssa and Nate myself, and it’s nice to see these two finally get their HEA.

K: Thanks Des, I’m looking forward to getting a copy of Armed and Desired on September 10. You always seem to be in the middle of something new. What’s in store for DC Stone after this?

D: *laughs* It seems that way, doesn’t it? Well, at the moment I’m working on finding a home for my romantic suspense series, Blue Empire. This is something I hold very near and dear as it is going to be such a huge commitment. One I’m definitely looking forward to. Besides that, I’m working on book 2 in the Justice Demon series, which will be Mike’s book. And already, I’m seeing that I’ll be an emotional wreck through this entire story!

K: Both of those projects sound amazing. I can’t wait!! Tell us about what you do when you’re not writing about sexy strong women and hunky men.

D: Investigating! *laughs* I write what I know, and what I know is the world of crime. 😉 Now, if I told you anymore, than I’d have to …

K: Ha! Let’s not but what you can tell me is where can readers find your books and get connected with you.

D: The best place I can direct anyone who wishes to get in contact with me or find out what’s new is my website www.authordcstone.com

Thank you for having me again!

DC Stone

BIO:

D.C. Stone is an e-book author and full-time fraud investigator when she isn’t diving into the world of Fiction. She lives in the north-east with her incredibly supporting husband, two kids, and the all American black Labrador puppy. She’ll deny any association with the grumpy cat that also resides in the house, but he is there, never-the-less.

After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of Financial Crimes and became a lead investigator for many years.

Reading has always been a passion of hers, getting lost in a good, steamy romance one of her favorite past times. That passion took a back seat as soon as she discovered her own love for writing and recreating her own stories and characters. Her writing concentrates on Romance with specifics in Paranormal, Suspense, and Erotica.

Now, when she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. Trying to keep up with that crazy bunch is a skill many would yearn to have.

She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, New Jersey Romance Writers, Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. Come stop by on Facebook, Twitter or her website and say hello!

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Excerpt from Armed and Desired:

Nate waited at the floor-to-ceiling window of the hotel room and stared out across downtown San Diego. Tall skyscrapers soared around the city, their tops dusted with popping colors of green, blue, and red. Cars passed by in a blur, and with dusk only minutes past and the weekend kicking off, nightlife began to bloom along with his own anticipation.

He tucked his hands inside the charcoal dress pants and rocked back and forth in the uncomfortable black dress shoes. After spending days in his boots and uniform, the toes of the shoes pinched at his toes, and the soles unforgiving. He did not miss them. At all.

The door behind him clicked and a brush of air alerted him someone entered the room. He stilled, his heartbeat kicking out an erratic tempo in his throat, but he didn’t turn, instead watching a woman cross the threshold in the window’s reflection. She assessed the larger-than-normal hotel suite before her gaze settled on his back.

Perplexed, he tipped his head, recognizing her familiar features. She progressed with a lethal grace only a trained law enforcement officer would know, her steps purposeful, but silent, even in heels higher than he’d ever seen her in.

Standing to the side, she set her purse and a small black bag on a table, giving him her profile. A flash of deep red hair grabbed his attention. He sucked in a breath and pivoted in slow motion, refusing to allow hope to grow any more than it had, yet at the same time, fear sliced through. The one person he needed to get out of his system stood in the same room as he.

The night was about to go to hell.

Facing away from him, she took in the overwhelming luxury of the room. Desire slammed into him, he came to life with a kick against his fly.

Alyssa.

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Armed-Desired-1Night-Series-ebook/dp/B00EZ7XVBO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378731335&sr=8-1&keywords=armed+and+desired

All Romance E-Books – https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-armedanddesired-1268392-177.html

Smashwords – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/355588

Barnes and Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/armed-and-desired-dc-stone/1116860884?ean=2940148807964