Interview with Nikki Zakocs – Narrator
I want to introduce you to a gem of a narrator. Give a Spooktacular welcome to Nikki Zakocs, audiobook narrator. She has narrated two of my books (so far), CHARM ME AGAIN (available now) and HIDDEN GYPSY MAGIC (available by year end). Pssst… she’ll be working on Chocolate Raspberry Magic (due out April 2021) 4th book in A Witch’s Journey plus it’s one of the One Scoop or Two series from The Wild Rose Press. Working with Nikki to bring my books and characters alive was an absolute blast. She is professional, courteous, and a talented narrator. Scroll down to the bottom for an audio sample of Charm Me Again. Now lets see what makes Nikki tick.
Tell us about yourself.
- I was a teacher by profession, but have always loved the Arts. Theatre, film, music. I stayed at home with my kids when they were young and came upon audiobook narrating through a casting call for my son. He was a child actor. When I realized it was something I could do on my own schedule and it involved reading and acting, it was a no brainer.
- I am a full time narrator.
- I did theatre as a child and teenager. I do not think it is essential. But a love of story telling and performing is what is important, in my opinion.
- Yes, I am an audiobook listener. I have been listening to books on audio for years, way back when they were books on tape. I love hearing a story. Especially on long car rides or walks. I love that you can do something else while being transported to another place and time.
- I don’t think I am suited for books with a lot of violence in them. I have turned down a couple of books because after I read the entire book, it just wasn’t a good fit for me.
- I love to work closely with authors. I feel it it’s a team effort and the closer we work together the better the finished product will be.
- I have not yet been recognized for my voice, but I hope to be some day!
- I always connect with at least one character in a book. I find something I have in common and I become that character. This is how I really get into the book and it makes it easy to tell the story.
- Yes, I read reviews. I love the good ones, and the not so good ones are taken with a grain of salt. I know not to take it personally. I can’t be everyone’s cup of tea. The comments I find most constructive are the ones that give details of why they like/dislike my narration.
- My dream author would be Phillipa Gregory. But I will have to work on my British accent a lot. That is why it is a dream.
SPEED ROUND for a little added fun: Take it away Nikki-
Favorite movie: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Favorite book: Kane and Abel
Last Book Read: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Favorite Color: Midnight Blue
Stilettos, Tennies or Flipflops: Flip Flops
Coffee or Tea: Coffee
Ebook or audio book or paper back: Love all 3
Pencil or pen: Pen
Favorite Song : Stevie Nicks, Landslide
Streak or not: Streak – after a couple glasses of wine
Favorite Dessert: Tiramisu
Favorite Junk Food: Cheese Popcorn
Favorite thing to do to relax: Lay in the sun with a drink and a good book
Champagne or gin: Champagne
Paranormal or Historical; Tie between paranormal and historical
WonderWoman, Superman, Aquaman, Batman, Top Model: Wonder Woman
Favorite TV Show: Big Bang Theory
Hot or cold: Hot
POV: 1st Person
I’d die if I don’t have my pets
Review or not: Always Review
Nikki Zakocs Biography
Nikki lives in sunny Arizona where she records in her professional home studio. A love of learning, reading and the arts has created her passion for narrating books. With a Master’s degree in Education and Literacy, she spent many years reading to her students, many who were English language learners. Nikki is passionate about education, child advocacy and a true animal lover with a home full of pets. When she is not a party of one in a small padded room, she enjoys travel, photography and a good cup of coffee with a piece of cake.
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NikkiZakocs
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NZakocs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkizakocs/
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-zakocs/
Thank you so much Nikki for stopping by to chat with us. I look forward to working with you again very soon.
Charm Me Again: – Breaking the curse is only the first step to forever.
Daylan, a warlock, is being haunted, but what the ghost wants is a mystery. His magical powers bring him no closer to an answer—until he encounters Josie, a Yoga instructor.
But when she is kidnapped by an ancient Fae Warrior set on revenge Daylan must rescue her before the rogue claims her as his own. During his quest, his world spirals out of control, and a devastating curse comes to light. Could the ghost hold the answers he needs?
Can he break the age-old curse to save Josie and their future, or will Daylan lose her forever?
Hidden Gypsy Magic – (Due out by 12-31-20) – Discover the consequences of awakening hidden Gypsy magic!
The Salem Wildlife Sanctuary is Gwen Taylor’s life work. Her Irish Gypsy heritage provides a hidden talent she uses to help the creatures under her care. But even her magical skills can’t help new rescues in dire need of veterinary care.
The opportunity of signing on as the vet for Gwen’s sanctuary dropped into Brock Scutter’s lap after he expanded his practice to include wildlife. The personal attraction he and Gwen experience is undeniable the more their professional and personal lives collide.
Touring the only “non-haunted” house in Salem they both feel a spark of magic. A trip to his family’s cabin uncovers a heritage he didn’t know existed. If they want a future together, it means facing the consequences of awakening hidden Gypsy magic and a race against the clock to correct past wrongs.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Charm Me Again, Hidden Gypsy Magic, Nikki Za, Nikki Zakocs-Narrator, Tena Stetler by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
Hidden Gypsy Magic & A Witch’s Journey Series #MFRWHooks
HIdden Gypsy Magic, (can be read as a stand alone) third book in A Witch’s Journey Series. Spookalicious reads ror #MFRWhooks this week I’m so excited for you to discover the consequences of awakening hidden Gypsy magic! Pssst…A new twist tells what you didn’t know about the Salem Witch Trials. Share the magic, mystery, time-travel adventure Grab your copies from Amazon, Amazon UK , Amazon AU , Amazon CA Barnes& Noble itunes , and KOBO
OH, one more thing, Pssst… I’m participating in a Spooktacular FB Halloween Party October 21, 2020. There will be prizes, giveaways, games, and fun. You don’t want to miss it. My time is from 7-8 EDT that’s 5-6 p.m. MDT, but the party goes from 10:00 a.m. – to 10:00 p.m. EDT. (8:00 a.m.to 8:00 p.m. MDT) Click here to join the party on October 21st: I’ll see you there!
Join the magical adventure, pick up the series today! https://buff.ly/2p28qJU UK links https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tena-Stetler/e/B014E0PEPM
So pull up a chair and get comfy, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Hidden Gypsy Magic! This week new hook and excerpt.
A Witch’s Journey – Former Navy Seal, Lathen Quartz helps Pepper, a powerful witch, achieve her life-long dream of a wild life rescue, but can they save the McKay magic & their love?
A WItch’s Holiday Wedding – A small town paranormal romance/mystery. It’s down to the wire, will the nosy McKay ghosts, Lathen’s werewolf pack, Pepper’s parents, and her best friend help or hinder the wedding and holiday plans? Lathen’s covert military mission threatens life as he knows it. Torn in too many directions will Pepper and Lathen make it to the altar?
Can they overcome the obstacles?
A little about Hidden Gypsy Magic:
Discover the consequences of awakening hidden Gypsy magic!
The Salem Wildlife Sanctuary is Gwen Taylor’s life work. Her Irish Gypsy heritage provides a hidden talent she uses to help the creatures under her care. But even her magical skills can’t help new rescues in dire need of veterinary care.
The opportunity of signing on as the vet for Gwen’s sanctuary dropped into Brock Scutter’s lap after he expanded his practice to include wildlife. The personal attraction he and Gwen experience is undeniable the more their professional and personal lives collide.
Touring the only “non-haunted” house in Salem they both feel a spark of magic. A trip to his family’s cabin uncovers a heritage he didn’t know existed. If they want a future together, it means facing the consequences of awakening hidden Gypsy magic and a race against the clock to correct past wrongs.
A sneak peek between the pages of Hidden Gypsy Magic: The hook. A bit of a twist on the Salem Witch Trials.
Carefully, Gwen took the poppet and eased her hand into the painting. A vortex sucked her arm then her entire body into the painting swirls of red, blue, and yellow swam around her then she was falling. She gulped in air as her stomach flipped threatening to spill its contents into the void. Her throat hurt from screaming, yet there was no sound. Something hard hit her backside, then it was quiet, she blinked and rubbed her eyes. Finding herself sitting in a rocking chair that squeaked announcing her arrival, she straightened and several pairs of eyes peered at her with interest. The room was familiar— it was the living room of Brock’s soon-to-be house, only the furnishings were quite different. The dragon staircase…
Before she could grasp what was happening a swirling portal of colors opened up in the center of the room again… Available from : Amazon UK , Amazon AU , Amazon CA Barnes& Noble itunes , and KOBO
Pssst… While you’re here, don’t forget to check out my paranormal romance/mysteries click here.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged #MFRWHooks, fantasy, ghosts, Hidden Gypsy Magic, magic, Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Salem, Tena Stetler, Witches by Tena Stetler with 7 comments.
Most Haunted Cities in America Plus Hidden Gypsy Magic
Most Haunted Cities in America, plus Hidden Gypsy Magic, set in Salem, MA, a Spooktacular Halloween read! Pssst… I’m participating in a Spooktacular FB Halloween Party October 21, 2020, My time is from 7-8 EDT that’s 5-6 p.m. MDT, but the party goes from 10:00 a.m. – to 10:00 p.m. EDT. (8:00 a.m.to 8:00 p.m. MDT) Click here to join the party on October 21st:
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cauldron. Take your choice of a bat wing Chocolate Chip or Pumpkin, or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about my book Hidden Gypsy Magic. But first take a peek at the Most Haunted Cities in America!
Most Haunted Cities in America
It’s autumn the cool fall days are perfect for a walk on America’s dark side. With the approach of Halloween, it’s natural for our thoughts to conjure up ghosts, goblins, and all things that go bump in the night. Bloody battles, shady shanghaiing practices, cities built over burial grounds, and natural disasters have left behind an unsettled past in towns throughout our country. What better place to start than….
Salem, MA
Salem is best known for the witch trials of 1692 where mass hysteria led to more than 200 people being accused of practicing witchcraft, and ultimately 20 innocent people were executed. The tragedy has led to Salem becoming synonymous with witches and the city has embraced their history by preserving artifacts in museums and offering tours to educate visitors. The Witch House, The Salem Witch Museum, The Bewitched Statue and Witch Trials Memorial to name a few. Yep, it’s on my bucket list to spend Halloween in Salem MA. How about you?
Baltimore
Several nation-shaping events have played out on Baltimore’s historic streets: the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Hundreds of years of lost lives and the spirits that remain make the Fells Point area popular among ghost trackers. Guided tours through the maritime neighborhood take you to taverns, shops, and restaurants where things go bump in the night.
Galveston, Texas
When the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 struck, some 8,000 lives were lost—about 6,200 more fatalities than in New Orleans’ devastating Hurricane Katrina. Galveston’s was the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, and ghost hunters say most of the town’s spirits linger in its storied harbor and Victorian mansions. If that doesn’t give you goosebump, I don’t know what will, unless of course it’s Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen. Which brings us to…
New Orleans
Not much, it seems, separates the living from the dead in New Orleans. Because the town is below sea level, tombs sit above ground in the 42 cemeteries within city limits. Ghosts from the War of 1812 still hang around the French Quarter. And visitors to the grave of a prominent 1800s voodoo queen continue to leave offerings and ask for help.
Gettysburg, Pa.
During the most tragic battle of the Civil War, about 51,000 soldiers were killed or injured in and around Gettysburg. There was so much spilled blood on the floors of churches and schools (used as makeshift hospitals) that drainage holes had to be drilled in the floors. Baltimore Street downtown and Hospital Road in the countryside are purported hotspots for spirits with unfinished business.
Savannah, Ga.
Savannah may look like a sweet Southern belle, but she keeps a dark secret. The city was built, literally, on its dead. Homes and buildings sit atop Native American burial grounds; roads cover forgotten cemeteries of slaves and colonialists. Over the years, bloody battles, massive fires, yellow-fever epidemics, and hurricanes have taken hundreds of lives, leaving behind unsettled spirits.
Chicago
It was here, on Valentine’s Day, 1929, that seven men were lined up against the wall of a garage at 2122 North Clark Street and gunned down by Al Capone and his Prohibition-era gangsters. Strange mists, screams, and machine gun sounds have all been experienced at the site; other local gangster hideaways and crime scenes are also said to be haunted.
Portland, Ore.
Beneath the cobblestoned streets of Portland’s Old Town lies the legend of the Shanghai Tunnels, passageways that swirl with dark tales and hauntings. As the story goes, men who came to Portland to work—sailors, loggers, cowboys, and others—were “shanghaied,” or kidnapped through trapdoors in saloons, smuggled through the tunnels to the waterfront, and sold to sea captains.
Athens, Ohio
This Ohio University town is home to the Athens Lunatic Asylum, a mental institution open from 1874 until 1993 and known for its lobotomy practices. Now a university-owned property called The Ridges, the building has its share of haunted stories, say many amateur researchers: disembodied screams, apparitions that walk the halls, and a ghostly bloodstain on the floor. Throughout campus there are several haunted dorms, sororities, and fraternities.
Washington, D.C.
It’s an election year, and some in D.C. will be watching for the demon black cat that is rumored to show up in the U.S. Capitol Building as an omen of national tragedy or change of office. Ghost trackers say it appeared just before President Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre (which has its own haunting stories). Abraham Lincoln, John and Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and Andrew Jackson are among the spirits that have been sighted in the White House.
Last but not least on my most haunted cities list I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention Cripple Creek, Colorado. Mining District of Colorado is extremely rich in history and it is also touted to be one of the Most Haunted Places in the United States. On Highway 67, at the base of Pike’s Peak, southwest of Colorado Springs, Cripple Creek sits at an elevation of 9,500 feet. There are mine shafts, head frames, miner’s cabins long abandoned tumbling down. A lonely stone fireplace may be all that’s left of a miners home. Standing among the rubble might cause the hair on the back of your neck to stand on end. A brief visit to one of the abandoned cabins still standing, gives you a window into what it was like back in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. Can you imagine a more inviting place for ghost to spend Halloween?
Click on the cover to read more or purchase!
A little about Hidden Gypsy Magic Third book in A Witch’s Journey Series.
Discover the consequences of awakening hidden Gypsy magic!
The Salem Wildlife Sanctuary is Gwen Taylor’s life work. Her Irish Gypsy heritage provides a hidden talent she uses to help the creatures under her care. But even her magical skills can’t help new rescues in dire need of veterinary care.
The opportunity of signing on as the vet for Gwen’s sanctuary dropped into Brock Scutter’s lap after he expanded his practice to include wildlife. The personal attraction he and Gwen experience is undeniable the more their professional and personal lives collide.
Touring the only “non-haunted” house in Salem they both feel a spark of magic. A trip to his family’s cabin uncovers a heritage he didn’t know existed. If they want a future together, it means facing the consequences of awakening hidden Gypsy magic and a race against the clock to correct past wrongs.
A sneak peek between the pages of Hidden Gypsy Magic.
“It feels like all the air is being sucked out of this room.” His brother’s face turned ashen white as Beth’s ghostly form took shape in the center of the room.
Brock moved to the little group gathered and glanced at the grandfather clock standing in the hallway. Fifteen minutes until midnight. The witching hour on All Hallows Eve. A nervous chuckle rose up in his throat. How cliche. His brother would be a believer after this night.
He cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around Gwen’s waist. “Can we help you, Beth?” Misfit’s howling could be heard clearly from the upstairs bedroom.
“No, but I hope we can help you.” Ghost Beth glanced back at the painting and sadly shook her head. “The ghost of Judge John Hathorne stands outside ready to curse or worse all those involved in sullying his reputation. The house stands between all of you…protecting—” The ghost’s hand and arm made a sweeping motion toward their group, “— against his magic ability.”
A soft almost hysterical giggle burst from Gwen. “Doesn’t he know that by his actions this night, he has not only outed himself but proved the rumors and article are true?”
About the Author:
Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance with an over-active imagination. She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. Colorado is home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.
Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.
Website: https://www.tenastetler.com
Authors’ Secret’s Blog – https://www.tenastetler.com/category/authors-secrets-blog/
My Say What Blog – https://www.tenastetler.com/category/my-say-what-blog/
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/tenastetler.author
Twitter Page: www.twitter.com/TenaStetler
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14187532.Tena_Stetler
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/tenastetler
Newsletter: https://www.tenastetler.com/newsletter-signup/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tenastetler
Tribber – http://triberr.com/TenaStetler
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tena-stetler
Hope you enjoyed the Spooktacular Most Haunted Cities in America, along with a snippet of my book Hidden Gypsy Magic. Happy Halloween!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged ghosts, Halloween, Hidden Gypsy Magic, Most Haunted Cities in America, Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Tena Stetler, Time travel, Witches by Tena Stetler with 1 comment.
Dare to Hope by Author Madison Michael
Give a spooktacular welcome to Madison Michael author of Dare to Hope. Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cauldron. Take your choice of a bat wing Chocolate Chip or Pumpkin, or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Madison and Dare to Hope.
- What defines you as an author? As a person? Are they one in the same?
Not the same at all…I write sexy romances with happy endings, but all my friends tell me I am anything but romantic. I believe in love, true love, but I believe it is messy and complicated. As an author, I am all about romance. As a person I am all about a good argument.
2. What inspired this particular story?
I am so glad you asked this question. I have a wonderful group of women friends – my posse. They are there for me always. Sadly, they live in North Carolina while I live in Chicago. Every year (before Covid) we spend a long weekend together on the beach in NC, and every year I feel bereft when I come home. I wanted to bring a piece of my friends with me, so I created a dozen characters who share their traits, both lovable and annoying. Now I hold the posse close whenever I write.
- Who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written and Why?
The first book in my Beguiling Bachelor series introduces a manipulative, rich-bitch named Sloane. She wreaks havoc in Bedazzled, creating an almost insurmountable obstacle for the love-birds. She is a woman you love to hate. So, of course, I had to give her problems of her own. I made her the heroine in book 2, Beholden. Sloane is no longer a woman on top of the world. Rather she is a woman scraping the bottom of the barrel. Her transformation from rich to poor, to kind was a pure pleasure to write.
- Where do your story ideas come from? If they come to you in the middle of the night, do you get up and write them all down?
This is the question readers ask me more than any other. Truth? I do wake up sometimes with a whole story itching to come out, but more often I see something or hear something that creates a kernel of an idea that I have to massage for days. I carry a notebook everywhere to collect these snippets and warn everyone around me that they are ‘fair game’ and may very well turn up in my next novel.
- Okay, you’re casting the movie version of your novel – who would you choose for the main characters? We’re talking dream cast.
I wish! The Beguiling Bachelors are easy, because I pictured actors when I wrote the characters, you may have to ignore age anomalies. Bradley Cooper, Jake Gyllenhall, xxx and Robert Downey, Jr were my four bachelors, Wyatt, Randall, Alex and Tyler. Their leading ladies, Susan Sarandon as Keeli, Jennifer Garner as Sloane, Meghan Markel as Charlotte and Meg Ryan as Regan. In my new series,
SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:
Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>
Favorite movie:
Favorite book:
Last book read:
Favorite color:
Stilettos or flipflops: Stilettos
Coffee or tea: both
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: ebook
Pencil or pen: pencil
Favorite song: “God Only Knows”
Streak or not: not
Favorite dessert: OMG – just give me dessert!
Favorite junk food: potato chips and onion dip
Favorite thing to do to relax: soak in a hot bath
Champagne or gin: Champagne
Paranormal or Historical: Historical
Wonder Woman or Top Model: Wonder Woman
Favorite TV show: West Wing
Hot or cold: Cold
POV: third person
I’d die if I don’t have: My Posse
Review or Not: Review
About Dare to Hope:
She’s Betting on Love and the Stakes are High
The “Crazy Eights,” eight women who have been friends for 30 years, have a powerful connection yet rarely see each other. At a pivotal time in their lives, they create a way to remedy this predicament, an audacious dare contrived to bring them together for weddings – each participant must get married within twelve months. The stakes are high. Win the bet and lose your heart; or lose the bet and perform a personally mortifying task.
In the first of their stories, we meet Eliana, beautiful and brilliant, but starting over, focused on her career, not on some foolhardy dare. Longing for a family but recently divorced and on her own, Eliana sets her sights on a new job, a new home and accepting her single, childless status. Independent and determined, she has no idea that in less than six months she will both win and lose her heart’s desire.
Jeremy Klein, genius engineer and inventor, is also making life changes. He’s sold his startup to a major medical device company, becoming President and CEO, and a billionaire before he is forty. Although he’s gun-shy about the dating game, Jeremy knows it’s time to apply his smarts, sex appeal and new-found success to finding true love.
When Eliana meets Jeremy, they bond quickly. The couple has so much in common and a chemistry that sizzles. Winning Eliana feels like a fantasy come true to Jeremy. Their attraction is immediate and electrifying, and a one-night stand morphs into planning a future. But plans change. On track to wedded bliss, baby and all, Jeremy and Eliana are derailed by accusations that threaten their relationship, Eliana’s career and Jeremy’s future as CEO.
Spies, lies, allegations and misunderstandings abound, threatening to destroy their happiness. That is, until those “Crazy Eights” get involved, scheming and manipulating to win Eliana her happily ever after. Can a group of determined friends help Eliana and Jeremy hold onto love?
In the tradition of The Beguiling Bachelor Series, Madison Michael creates a romance series about independent and sassy women, sexy and successful men, true love, and lasting friendships.
Amazon Buy Link:
An sneak peek between the pages of Dare to Hope:
His grin was devastating up close – wide and welcoming, with a hint of naughtiness and the promise of shared pleasures. But it was his eyes, deep coffee brown and fringed with long dark lashes that were his best feature; piercing, intelligent and inquisitive eyes, trained on her.
Please, God, Eliana prayed quickly, do not let this man be the new sales manager. It would be lamentable if she had to keep him at arm’s length. He was the first man Eliana had felt drawn to since Nico. If she was honest with herself, he was the first man she had ever felt this attracted to so immediately. It was enough to make her believe in love at first sight or fate.
“Hi,” he stepped closer, ignoring the empty stool beside her to halt just inside her personal space. Usually, Eliana would have reflexively backed up, but she savored his closeness, the power emanating from his presence. Even in this stuffy bar, he smelled good – fresh, like soap and good whiskey. And up close, his eyes were more magical – a hint of gold dancing in their depths.
“Hi,” she responded on a breath, letting the single word hang there for a moment before adding “You aren’t in sales, are you?”
“Nope.” If he thought it was a strange conversation starter, he kept it to himself. “Engineering and design, although I have dabbled in sales. I could be in sales for you,” he offered in a voice smooth as brandy, redolent with sexual promise and a hint of curiosity. She laughed at his offer. “Are you in sales?”
“Yes, I am. I was thinking of what a crime it would be if you turned out to be my new boss. I’m meeting him tomorrow.”
“Jeremy,” he responded, extending his hand to shake hers. “Not in sales. Is your boss named Jeremy?”
“Thankfully, not.” Eliana extended her hand, savoring the moment as Jeremy wrapped his long fingers around hers. She noticed there was no wedding band as she admired the strength and length of his fingers, the fine hairs on the back of his hand, and his grip – warm and dry. His skin was soft over fine bone and healthy muscle. Everything about him captivated her. “Eliana.”
Jeremy seemed in no hurry to release her hand, but after several beats too long for politeness, Eliana pulled hers from his. “Is this seat taken?” he asked, already sitting down, not thinking twice about it. “Or perhaps that table against the wall? I am anxious to learn why you don’t know who you work with, Eliana.”
Eliana laughed and watched as Jeremy’s breath stopped. His every emotion was transparent, especially the desire flaming in his eyes right now. A passion she reciprocated. Wholeheartedly. She couldn’t remember such an instantaneous attraction. But with Jeremy, she felt electricity and lust move through her entire body, just from the touch of his hand and the sound of her name spoken in his rich baritone.
“Eliana,” he rolled the word around his mouth as if tasting a fine wine. “What a lovely name.” Eliana panties dampened. He was just saying words, but their underlying promise was undeniable. She wanted to be alone with him. She wanted to be naked with him. And all she knew was his first name.
Eliana nodded toward the table, questioning her sanity. She was sure about what this man wanted, but after only minutes, her body governed her head. Jeremy spoke briefly with the bartender, passed him a fifty like it was a single, and motioned for her to lead the way to the empty table. Before they had settled in their chairs, both had fresh drinks. Earlier, the bartender had responded to her beauty with decent service and half-hearted flirting, but he reacted with alacrity to the big tip.
“So, spill,” Jeremy directed, leaning forward on his elbows and putting his mouth dangerously close to hers. Just a few inches, Eliana imagined, and they could be kissing. “I am dying to hear your story. I want to know absolutely everything about you.” The way he lingered on the word ‘everything’ made Eliana wetter still. Oh man, she was in way over her head.
Meet Madison Michael:
Madison Michael loves to binge news, movies, books, Oreos and romance – reading romance novels, writing romantic stories, watching Rom-Coms over and over. Maddy has spent her self-isolation fretting about the health of her friends and neighbors and catching up on TV programs from ten years ago. Hunkered down with her cat, Gracie, and a Zoom life-line to the world, she is wondering how people date and social distance, how much junk food she can consume in a day and why Gracie only wants to play when Maddy needs to work.
Oh, and Madison is also hard at work on the rest of the Double Dare Romance series. Watch for more of the series in Autumn and Winter, 2020.
Madison’s Social Links:
- Website: http://madisonmichael.net/
- Maddy’s Blog: https://www.madisonmichael.net/maddys-romance-madness/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/madisonmichaelromance
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/madisonmichael_
- Amazon Author Page: com/Madison-Michael/e/B01EVUGG6G/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/madisonmichaelromance
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisonmichaelromance/
- BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/madison-michael
- GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15221601.Madison_Michael
It’s been great having you with us today. Good luck with Dare to Hope!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Dare to Hope, Double Dare Romance Series, Madison Michael, Steamy Contemporary Romance by Tena Stetler with 1 comment.
