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Friday, August 3, 2012

A Little Romance...


by J. D. Faver


Welcome to August, National Romance Awareness Month.  
While I'm pleased that this very hot month has been dedicated to Romance Awareness, I'm also shaking my head. Do you know how HOT it is?
Romance equates to warm embraces, skin contact and so much more that involves heat-producing activities.
Whoever decided that August was the month to be aware of romance was obviously not living in southeast Texas where it's hot and sticky...and did I mention, HOT?  The census bureau confirms that more babies are born in August. (Ahem, both of mine were) That being said, I would think that November, and cooler temperatures, would be more likely to spark a little romance than this muggy, sultry summer heat.
If a hopeful Lothario brings chocolate, you better stow it in the fridge because, even as he walks from his air-conditioned car to your air-conditioned door, the chocolate will become a little ooky. Same goes for flowers. Better get those long-stemmed beauties in a vase quick before they faint.
Just went outside with my dog. We were both ready to come inside in a matter of minutes...maybe it was seconds. Gah! C'mon September.

Sending you a cool excerpt from my romantic thriller, ON ICE. Hope you enjoy it.
~J.D.
                                  ~*~
It snowed again that night. Rene stared out the window at the powdery flakes falling to earth. The full moon cast a silvery glow over the whiteness, contrasting against the dark of the trees. She shivered, contemplating her aloneness. She thought about Brett’s home, so snug and secure. What was he doing now? Was he staring out the window, thinking of her? The lonely howl of a wolf broke the stillness of the night.
She pulled on her jacket and boots and stepped quietly onto the porch. The crisp, cold night air tingled against her cheeks. The wolf howled again. Rene crunched out into the snow, taking in great lungfuls of the chilled air. It only hurt a little now. Throwing her head back, Rene answered the wolf, howling mournfully. The sound resonated, creating a hollowness when it died away. The eerie silence was broken when the wolf howled its reply.
“Mom?” Seth held Sara’s mittened hand as they watched her from the porch. They wore warm down-filled jackets, their breath sending cartoon-like balloon shapes from their mouths. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I was just keeping the wolf company.”
“The wolf?” he asked.
As if on cue, the wolf’s howl cut into the icy night.
“The wolf.” Rene held her arms out to the children. They ran to her, still holding hands. She embraced them, and then holding their hands, danced them around in circles. As she danced, Rene howled to the wolf. Sara threw back her head and let out a shrill, wolf-like howl. Seth and the wolf joined in.
“Let’s go in,” Rene said. “It’s cold and we have to get up early tomorrow.”
Rene slept well, but dreamed a strange jumble of dreams. She was dancing in the moonlight. First, she danced with the children, then with Brett. Then it was Mark. She ran as Mark changed into the wolf and chased her. She stopped and turned on her pursuer. Rene became the bear. Rearing up on her haunches, she growled and slashed her powerful claws at him. Waking suddenly, she lay in the dark listening to her heart thudding against her ribs. She smiled in the darkness, feeling powerful and secure.
~*~
ON ICE is currently available on Amazon:

16 comments:

  1. Yeah, who made August National Romance Awareness Month? I love that you brought in On Ice for this sultry week's post. Perfect. I can't get hubby's reader away from him long enough to finish reading On Ice. Hubby loved the book! You have another male fan. I'm going back and forth from computer to my phone to his reader, to read On Ice. Loving it! Thanks for commenting.

    Carol

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  2. Thanks so much, Carol. Give your hubby an extra great big hug from a fellow author. :-)
    *hugs* <- This one's for you.
    ~JD

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  3. Great post, June! I'm laughing out loud here because I'm currently writing a winter scene with lots of snow on the ground. Here is AZ it's 105, and that's low. Regardless, I thought it was ironic that we're both writing winter scenes. And somehow it does have a cooling effect.

    Your excerpt has me curious and wanting to read more.

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    1. Hi Carolyn! So glad you're keeping cool. Being in Houston in August is like being dipped in water, wrapped in Saran wrap and being left in the hot sun to swelter. Can you say muggy? Thankful for A/C. I don't know how our foremothers survived. Gah!
      *hugs*
      ~JD

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  4. Nice. I like reading about Christmas during the summer and about summer during the winter. :-)

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    1. Thanks, Elysa! I appreciate your visit. I hope you're staying cool. Christmas books would be a treat. Or I could just keep eating fudgecicles. :-)
      *hugs*
      ~JD

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  5. It's hot and humid in the DC area, but I can sit on the porch writing hot romances until around noon. Then I herd the cats back inside w/ me.

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    1. Just keep writing those hot romances, Rebecca because they are awesome. And anyone who can herd cats is to be commended. Mine are more likely to herd me.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  6. In what year was August deemed National Romance Awareness Month? Maybe it was back when they thought of romance in the innocent way? Like smiling at each other and MAYBE holding hands? :-) That would explain a lot! Even here in Michigan it is in the 90's and humid!
    I loved the excerpt too! I'm very intrigued! I will be visiting Amazon in a few minutes :-)

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    1. I don't know the year, but anything that celebrates Romance has to be good. Maybe it was the electric companies encouraging us to keep the A/C cranked down low. Good for snuggling up with your sweetie. Or maybe for reading about hot romance?
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  7. August is National Romance Awareness Month?? I vote for November! Then again, I WAS born in April. Hmmm....
    :)
    Rose

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    1. Hmmmm...Well, I'm just glad that romance is a basic need, and glad we can provide a little virtual romance to light the way.
      *hugs*
      ~JD

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  8. Loved the excerpt! So, are you doing anything special for National Romance Awareness month?

    I do totally agree with you though that it's just too hot to snuggle. Any suggestions for alternatives? :)

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  9. Hi Mary! My bow to National Romance Awareness Month is to do what I do most of the time. I'm writing a romance! Of course, my romances are filled with snark, humor and suspense, but the romance is right there in the big, fat middle.
    Too hot to snuggle? Well, my hero and heroine could get locked in a commercial fridge and need to snuggle just to stay warm. Or there is always a shower scene...Meeting at the pool at midnight? Love will find a way.
    *hugs*
    ~J

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  10. Love your descriptions! It's hot in Nevada, too. But hey? Isn't it summer? LOL

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    1. I grew up in Oklahoma and the temperature may have gone higher but it wasn't as miserable as the heat blanketed in humidity of south Texas. Likewise, the Oklahoma cold was more bearable because it was dry cold. I miss 4 real seasons. Here we have HOT, HOTTER and February, when you may choose to wear a jacket.
      Yup! It's summer all right. :-)
      *hugs*
      ~J

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