Patricia Oshier Franks

Life, Writing and Work

2011-11-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

I am now a workig writer. By that, I mean, I am a writer who has a job. I work 4 days a week for ten hours a day. That also means, I have three days a week off, usually taken up by errands, chores, housework, and scuh, suplemented by writing time. If you are ina similar situation, please respond. Tonight, I have a live author chat at NCP Network live chat. Be the first to respond and you can win a free book!
I've never done a live author chat before so please be patient with me. It will be fun anyway!

Just leave a comment on my blog. Http:patriciaoshierbruening.blogspot.com and you might wn a copy of Morgan's Muse, available now at New Concepts Publishing

Everyone who attentds the even also receives a copy, free, of Devil in Blue Jeans, a sexy little romp that took me by surprise so that I had to write it!

Hot Romances AVailable Now! Enjoy scorching hot reads! Just in time for summer!

2011-05-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Good morning, world! Enjoy these scorching hot reads just in time for summer. Lots of sizzling passion, unforgettable romance, thrills and suspense all for you!

EMBRACED BY DARKNESS

by: Patricia Oshier Bruening

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/patriciabrueningbooks.html

BookTrailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOf_JJyZpcU

After meeting her new neighbor, Ben Thornton, Naomi Carter finds herself embroiled in murder, mayhem, and a plot straight out of science fiction, but will she survive the answers to her mysterious past?

Shaking off vague memories of a nightmare, Naomi steps outside her door and finds Ben Thornton, those startling green eyes so reminiscent of the man in her nightmare she faints in terror. Ben catches and carries her inside, surprised at this close proximity of the the woman who stars in his erotic dreams. After Naomi wakes, they discover an inexplicable sense of recognition, a familiarity out of place for two people who have never met. That connection fuels an intense physical attraction, an instant blinding lust making it difficult to keep their hands to themselves. The appearance of strange men wielding tranquilizer guns throws them into sudden danger and the mysteries of their pasts. There's more going on than meets the eye. Naomi rediscovers buried telepathic abilities as the connection with Ben intensifies into a mental link that only gets stronger over time. Empathic, with flashes of telepathy, Ben needs as much information as he can get, especially after Naomi's nightmare vision of a brutal murder on the other side of the country a month earlier.

GATHERING STORM

by: Patricia Oshier Bruening

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/patriciabrueningbooks.html#GATHERINGSTORM

Beaten and left for dead on a storm-lashed, Northwest coast beach, Jordan Sinclair finds himself alive and healing in the capable hands of the psychic healer he sought. Irene Ryan, confused by Jordan yet inexplicably aroused by him, is thrown into chaos as Jordan whisks her away from the haven of her cliff-side cottage. On their trail is Malakai, a strong telepath who uses his skills at the whim of Donald Sutton, director of Psychorp. Book two in the Psychorp series, Psychic Alliance follows the flight of Jordan and Irene to Sanctuary, Jordan’s safe haven for those who wish to escape or avoid Psychorp once Sutton sets his sights on them.
Rescuing Irene puts Jordan in a quandary. The intense attraction between them prevents him from seeing her as only a mission. Despite the life or death consequences, he is embroiled in the passion exploding between them. But Irene is inexperience and that only fuels the fire. With Malakai hot on their trail, he takes her first to her family estate to grab some papers of her father’s, papers containing the historical records and secrets of not only Irene’s family but of many people with psychic ability.

ALWAYS A WARRIOR

An intense, life threatening situation, a dangerous man, and a fierce, undeniable passion—Laurie knew this story would have no happy ending, but Damien's touch shot sparks of desire through her. His kisses overloaded her senses and short-circuited her brain.

When Navy SEAL Damien McAllister dropped into her life, he turned it literally upside down. Laurie had never found the love and acceptance she needed from anyone but the daughter who loved her unconditionally. She didn't trust her feelings in the intense situation she'd been thrust into, and she didn't want to risk her heart on a man like Damien—a man who would always be a warrior—and yet what the heart wants, it will not be denied, regardless of the heartache that's sure to follow.

STILL A WARRIOR

Sequel to Always a Warrior

By: Patricia Oshier Bruening

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/stillawarrior.htm

When the past returns to haunt them, with Damien struggling with the transition to civilian life, can Laurie hold her family together?

As the terrorists re-enter their lives, demanding the release of the traitor, Nathaniel Crawford, Damien and Laurie are confronted by the demons of the past. But Laurie has already been battling Damien’s personal demons and his belief that SEALs shouldn’t have families. Can their new marriage survive?

The Secret of Locke Ridge: Zoe’s Return

Paranormal Erotic Romance
Rating: Spicy/Carnal: graphic language; multiple sex partners

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/zoesreturn.htm

Locke ridge hides its secrets, dark and deadly under a layer of modern civility. Dominic, whose strange presence often soothed Zoe after nightmares, waits for her there. But is he friend or foe, ally or trap?

Unable to remember much of her childhood in Locke Ridge, except in the horrors of her dreams, Zoe tumbles into lust with Dominic and, in the course of passionate play, remembers her heritage. She is the descendant of the supernaturals who moved into Locke Ridge when its early inhabitants played with satanic rituals, opening a portal between the supernatural realms and Earth, releasing evil into the world. Zoe’s birth was arranged to either unite warring factions or to, in league with Dominic, defeat Malakai, the evil leader who would rule not only Locke Ridge, but Earth as well.

DANGEROUS CONNECTIONS

Rachel Mackenzie has always been alone, orphaned at the age of eight and raised in foster homes. But she has always felt another presence, an elusive shadowy person at the edge of her perception. She thought herself nuts and tried to ignore the phenomenon—until she receives a package in the mail containing a notebook/journal and a short, cryptic note urging her to save her sister. Stunned that she actually had a family, Rachel returns after twenty five years to the hometown she does not remember and, with the reluctant help of Kyle Chandler, finds the answers to lifelong mystery. Who is she? Where did she come from? What happened to her? Will she find the remnants of her family, the painful answers to her questions, and the love of the Kyle Chandler as well as the passion that has eluded her all her life?

The Waiting is Over!

2011-02-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

Morgan's Muse is being contracted! I'll still check my email frequently, but the breathless waiting is over. Morgan will be published later this year! In other news, Affairs of the Gods is available at both smashwords and lulu, so you can enjoy it form either place, and will soon be available at Createspace in print, for those who prefer paper books. Along with the A I received in my last college class, I am having a great year, for this first month and two days! Check back for more info and more updates as things progress.

New Year, another adventure-- hmm, more work!

2011-01-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

Yep, the New Year, 2011, is supposed to be another adventure, translate: more work! But its hard to mind when that 'work' is your favorite, yet at times most hated, thing to do.

This week, the first week of January 2011, I finished a story I had started over three years ago... finished it, edited it, and sent it off to my publisher. Now I wait calmly... NOT!... for that esteemed person's opinion on Morgan's Muse.

Now, I am a veteran published author, I have several published works, but I still cimb the walls, bite my nails and wallow in impatience until I receive word--thumbs up or thumbs down. In the past several years that I have been published, the reaction with every submission is the same! Does this high anxiety stress reaction ever fade, or stop altogether?

Yes, I have other projects to work on. I also have schoolwork for my Criminal Justice Degree class to complete, but none of that keeps me from checking my email a thousand times a day! I am a complete basket case! Where is the valium? Or, if that's not available, I'll settle for a stiff drink! Just kidding--or am I?

This stress level doesn't fade even when I look at the second Dean's List certificate I've acquired since starting school in June of 2010.

I have criminal procedure/report writing class and shapeshifters vying for equal time in my head, characters screaming at me to write at the same time homework calls for my attention, but I cannot concentrate as long as email, and a possible response any minute now exists, so I keep going back to check it! What strategy should I use to stop this phenomenon? Going back to sleep appeals but, alas, sleep will elude me until I know the verdict!

Answer me this, how can I have the same reaction on the most recent submission that I had on the first when I had never been published and only wanted to get at least one contract in my whole life?

Now, I'm laughing at mysef, talking to myself, and if I actually start arguing with myself, I'm in big trouble! Oh wait, I do that all the time! How long will I have to wait in limbo?

Maybe guzzling all this coffe, and making a second pot, will shove me into work mode so I can finish another story and have the same stress reaction to its submission!

Available Now: Gathering Storm, sequel to Embraced by Darkness!

2010-12-29T14:20:00.000-08:00

GATHERING STORM
By: Patricia Bruening
Brought to you by:
New Concepts Publishing
December 24, 2010
Happy Holidays!

Beaten and left for dead on a storm-lashed, Northwest coast beach, Jordan Sinclair finds himself alive and healing in the capable hands of the psychic healer he sought. Irene Ryan, confused by Jordan yet inexplicably aroused by him, is thrown into chaos as Jordan whisks her away from the haven of her cliff-side cottage. On their trail is Malakai, a strong telepath who uses his skills at the whim of Donald Sutton, director of Psychorp. Book two in the Psychorp series, Psychic Alliance follows the flight of Jordan and Irene to Sanctuary, Jordan’s safe haven for those who wish to escape or avoid Psychorp once Sutton sets his sights on them.

Rescuing Irene puts Jordan in a quandary. The intense attraction between them prevents him from seeing her as only a mission. Despite the life or death consequences, he is embroiled in the passion exploding between them. But Irene is inexperience and that only fuels the fire. With Malakai hot on their trail, he takes her first to her family estate to grab some papers of her father’s, papers containing the historical records and secrets of not only Irene’s family but of many people with psychic ability.

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/patriciabrueningbooks.html#GATHERINGSTORM
http://patriciaoshierbruening.blogspot.com
http://patriciaoshierbruening.webs.com

Adventures in Total Confusion

2010-12-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

Unlike my usual posts which deal primarily with my book releases and reviews, this one is just me trying to do something new, and totally confusing right now, which means research, research, and more research. I've agreed to write a movie pitch, outline, thing based on a true story/event that occurred in 1998. My dilemma? I have no real clue how one writes for movies or tv! I've never written a script or screenplay, never pitched an idea to Hollywood-- how on earth do you outline soemthing you haven't even written yet? I have trouble condensing a novel into a 3 to 5 page synopsis, now the ideas and concepts have to be condensed to one page?

I do have a single spaced one page synopsis or summary written up. I'm not sure if this is what the producers and film developers have in mind. I imagine it needs a lot more work but I have no clue how to do anything else with it. Okay, yeah, I'm whining, but I promised to do this for my other half and I want to do a really good job. Its an exciting story, I admit and it would make a great movie, I think, but I need to get the attention of the right people, which is even harder than getting that first publishing contract!

I spent yesterday morning traipsing around the Internet, looking up production companies and producers, contact points, places to submit, and even reading artilces on how to pitch to Hollywood. Do you know how many sites will allow you to post/list your ideas and concepts, for a price, that is? Ugh! And how many producers/companies wont even accept unsolicited material? Just like NY publishing houses! One of them will readit and use it but not pay or credit the author, and the disclaimer on their website says so!

Okay, I've whined enough so I"ll get back to work, if I can! More research! Good thing I like to learn new things!

Post Holiday Sale! One Fateful Night Kindle version! 4.99!

2010-12-28T09:37:00.000-08:00

Now through New Years, holiday sale. One Fateful Night, only 4.99! Grab this limited time bargain and enjoy a hot, steamy, suspense-filled romance!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=One+Fateful+Night&x=12&y=20

Can one night really make a difference in life? For Jaime Parker and Justin Carpenter, one fateful night of unforgettable passion changes their lives forever.

Jaime, content with the routine of her marriage to police detective Michael Parker, finds herself in a lot of trouble when she meets sexy millionaire Justin Carpenter. Mired in the sticky aftermath of a one-night stand, she cannot handle the high price of that one passionate night when she loses her family forever. Ready to face life again two years later, she must also face Justin and the past.

Justin must convince Jaime they belong together, that their love is strong enough to survive the past as they deal with the return of their enemies. Only then can they be free to share their lives and their love.

Gathering Storm, Dec 24, 2010 Just in time for Christmas!

2010-12-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

GATHERING STORM
By: Patricia Bruening
Brought to you by:
New Concepts Publishing
December 24, 2010
Happy Holidays!

Beaten and left for dead on a storm-lashed, Northwest coast beach, Jordan Sinclair finds himself alive and healing in the capable hands of the psychic healer he sought. Irene Ryan, confused by Jordan yet inexplicably aroused by him, is thrown into chaos as Jordan whisks her away from the haven of her cliff-side cottage. On their trail is Malakai, a strong telepath who uses his skills at the whim of Donald Sutton, director of Psychorp. Book two in the Psychorp series, Gathering Storm follows the flight of Jordan and Irene to Sanctuary, Jordan’s safe haven for those who wish to escape or avoid Psychorp once Sutton sets his sights on them.
Rescuing Irene puts Jordan in a quandary. The intense attraction between them prevents him from seeing her as only a mission. Despite the life or death consequences, he is embroiled in the passion exploding between them. But Irene is inexperienced and that only fuels the fire. With Malakai hot on their trail, he takes her first to her family estate to grab some papers of her father’s, papers containing the historical records and secrets of not only Irene’s family but of many people with psychic ability.

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/Upcoming-Books.html

http://patriciaoshierbruening.blogspot.com

http://patriciaoshierbruening.webs.com

Embraced by Darkness, available now!

2010-12-19T03:12:00.001-08:00

In anticipation of Gathering Storm's upcoming release, I invite you to peruse what others have said about Embraced By Darkness, http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/patriciabrueningbooks.html#EMBRACEDBYDARKNESS the story that started it all.

Embraced by Darkness is also available at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Embraced-Darkness-Patricia-Oshier-Bruening/dp/145285713X/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292758047&sr=1-8

and for Kindle, http://www.amazon.com/Embraced-by-Darkness-ebook/dp/B003XYEVYQ/ref=sr_1_8_title_1_ke?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292758047&sr=1-8

Coffee Time Romance gave Embraced by Darkness 4 STeaming Cups!

The rush of your breath and the pounding of your pulse will let you know just how unnerving this novel truly is. Naomi’s and Ben’s characters are not your average couple; in fact there are times when you dislike or are disgusted with both of them, but that is exactly what makes them so vivid and alive. They both have demons within that they struggle to overcome, and that fight really draws the reader in. I sincerely hope that this story continues on, because there is so much more to learn and love about the victims of Psychorp.

Lototy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

http://coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/embracedbydarknesspatriciaosierbruening.html

Siren Book Reviews gave Embraced by Darkness 4 Siren Stones!

Embraced by Darkness by Patricia Oshier Bruening is an engaging story..."

"The story’s characters were well developed and likable. Each character has a different and unique personality that was well developed."

"The romantic scenes between Ben and Naomi are definitely hot. Ms. Bruening manages the idea of two psychics feeding one another’s desires quite well. I enjoyed the mystery of who-done-it, and what would happen next immensely."

"I found Embraced by Darkness to be quite a captivating story.

Posted by Kayden McLeod at 11:25 AM
Labels: 4 Siren Stones!

http://sirenbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/patricia-oshier-bruening-embraced-by.html?zx=b667a173094da692
Please feel free to browse my website at http://patriciaoshierbruening.webs.com.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, to all!

2010-12-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

May not be doing a whole lot, but the 99.73% grade in my class is perfect! The perfect 100% score on the last test made my holiday. Now if I can do the same on the final test next week, I'll really be happy!

Made the Dean's List for the second term in a row and that really keeps me happy! Its funny, I really didnt' care for school when I went years and years ago, but I'm really enjoying it now! People may think that's weird, but I chose to go back to school and there's no reason to be miserable when you're doing soemthing you wanted to do!

I'm studying for a degreee in Criminal Justice, something I really got interested in when the big brouhaha started over SB 1070. I originally thought to get into the Immigration department or Homeland Security when I first started back in June, but I'm learning more now and may do something else entirely when I graduate in May 2012.

Criminal Justice fields have a wide range of options for jobs and careers. AS I continue, I will keep my options and interests open until I narrow it down to something I really like and am even more interested in.

Among other things I've done the past couple of years, one of the best decisions I made was to go back to school. I'd like a career rather than just another mundane, work for the check job.

Now on Kindle! One Fateful Night!

2010-12-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, now that it has gone live, One Fateful Night, is now available on Kindle! For on 7.00, you get the entire 566 page story,immediately delivered to you.

http://www.amazon.com/One-Fateful-Night-ebook/dp/B004EYUIBO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1291777239&sr=1-1

Can one night really make a difference in life? For Jaime Parker and Justin Carpenter, one fateful night of unforgettable passion changes their lives forever.

Jaime, content with the routine of her marriage to police detective Michael Parker, finds herself in a lot of trouble when she meets sexy millionaire Justin Carpenter. Mired in the sticky aftermath of a one-night stand, she cannot handle the high price of that one passionate night when she loses her family forever. Ready to face life again two years later, she must also face Justin and the past.

Justin must convince Jaime they belong together, that their love is strong enough to survive the past as they deal with the return of their enemies. Only then can they be free to share their lives and their love.

Excerpt 1

A shadow moved near the glass door. She paused, looked behind her.
Justin stood on the deck, a beer in each hand, watching her. He seemed
riveted by something though she had no idea what. She twisted her hair off
her neck then, eyes on her reflection, reached back to bundle the thick
mass back into a ponytail.

“Leave it down,” Justin suggested in a husky murmur as he moved into
the room.

“Huh?” She watched in the mirror as he set the beer bottles on the desk
and moved up behind her. Her arms froze, raised in position. His hands
covered her shoulders and slid down her arms as he lowered them to her
sides. Those rough palms scraped lightly over her skin as he stroked back
up to her shoulders.

“I wondered,” he admitted softly.
He slid his fingers up into her hair, lifted it, and let it fall straight back
down. Dark brown waves fell to her shoulder blades; except for the layers
she trimmed to frame her face.

“Justin?” she squeaked.

His gaze met hers in the mirror and his eyes darkened. Dark thrills
spiraled through her, from her groin to her breasts.

“Your hair feels like silk in my hands,” he murmured.

His breath warmed her ear, drifted down the curve of her neck. Shivers
of sensation rippled up her spine. He moved one hand to her shoulder and
with gentle pressure turned her to face him. She tilted her head
automatically to keep eye contact. Then he combed the fingers of both
hands into her hair, letting the strands fall around her. Mesmerized, she
stared into deep green pools and willingly drowned.

“I knew it,” he whispered as his gaze dropped to her mouth. “Now—”
Those fingers slid into her hair again as his hands framed her face. He
stared into her eyes again, bored into her skull.
“I have to—. I need to know,” he stated urgently.

Before she even thought to stop him, his mouth was on hers. His arms
wrapped around her, held her tight against him, as his lips rubbed over
hers. Her hands were at his waist before she realized her intentions. It
swamped her—that sharp, staggering need to taste him. Of their own
volition, her lips parted under his. His tongue slid over hers. The taste of
him exploded in her mouth, swamped her senses, and became a craving
she could not control.

Oh my Jesus Christ, she thought on a wave of sensual pleasure. She
linked her fingers at the small of his back, just above the waistband of his
jeans. The shock of cold metal on her finger shot into her skull. Fool, her
logical mind screamed. Stop!

She froze in his arms. It took him only a moment to realize she no
longer responded to him. He dragged his mouth from hers, sucked in a
harsh breath, and looked into her eyes.
“I—no,” she whispered through trembling lips.

He flinched, and then released her so abruptly she stumbled back into
the wall. Anxiety mingled with guilt to effectively banish desire. Now she
only felt cold and trapped. She pressed the back of her fist to her mouth but
still tasted him there, like some slow-acting but sweet drug.

“Fuck,” he muttered and rubbed a trembling hand over his face before
he looked at her again. “I’m sorry. I promised I wouldn’t... I’m sorry.”

Devil in Blue Jeans Trailer_0002.wmv

2010-11-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

Check out Devil In Blue Jeans, exclusively for Kindle at Amazon.com!

http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Blue-Jeans-Lindseys-ebook/dp/B0049H92BI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1288356989&sr=1-1

Long Overdue Update!

2010-10-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, between going back to school this year, and working on some exciting projects of my own, it has been a busy year! First, in June, I returned to school. The staff and faculty of Brown Mackie College, Tucson, are wonderful. I started classes at the begining of June, seeking an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice. For the summer term, June, July, and August, I made the Dean's List with a 3.9 GPA. That really made my day the morning I received the news. In fact, the Certificate of Recognition is displayed in a prominent place.

These days, I spend much more time writing--and not just writing school assignments! I just self-published a short story, erotica of course, exclusively for Kindle at Amazon. Kindle owners can find Devil in Blue Jeans here:

Devil in Blue Jeans is the start of an ongoing series, Lindsey's Lust, which follows the waitress' adventures as she blossoms from mousy food server to sex siren, with surprise visits from the "Devil in Blue Jeans" who awakened her sexuality in the first story.

I have also contracted the second in the Psychorp series, a sequel to Embraced by Darkness, to my publisher, New Concepts Publishing, and am now working on the third story.

It's Halloween and the weather here in Arizona is gorgeous today. Clear and sunny and not cold, rather a pleasant 61 degrees. I should be outside, but self-discipline, and the desire to get things done, have me working this morning.

With Devil in Blue Jeans now available, I have several other works in progress, including the sequel to Lindsey's story. Shapeshifters, a 'live' Muse, and other interesting characters are now cluttering my brain.

In addition to Criminal Justice studies, which includes Psychology next month, I am studying a host of other topics, mainly how-to subjects that might help me accomplish certain things such as: more traffic to my website, how to make book trailers and use them on youtube, all manner of things.

As long as you can read, or ask a question, there is nothing that cannot be learned, even for a technoidiot like me!

4 Cup Review Embraced by Darkness!

2010-05-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

What a great way to start the day! I got this in email!

The rush of your breath and the pounding of your pulse will let you know just how unnerving this novel truly is. Naomi’s and Ben’s characters are not your average couple; in fact there are times when you dislike or are disgusted with both of them, but that is exactly what makes them so vivid and alive. They both have demons within that they struggle to overcome, and that fight really draws the reader in. I sincerely hope that this story continues on, because there is so much more to learn and love about the victims of Psychorp.

Lototy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Embraced by Darkness now available!

2010-05-12T09:35:00.001-07:00

First Review of Embraced by Darkness!

2010-05-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

This news really made my day yesterday morning!

"This romance story is not just fluff. It contains an enjoyable mystery that becomes harder to put down, the deeper into it you get. I would suggest this for anyone interested in Science Fiction/romance or mystery/romance stories.

I found Embraced by Darkness to be quite a captivating story."

Posted by Kayden McLeod at 11:25 AM
Labels: 4 Siren Stones,

Read teh whole review here: http://sirenbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/patricia-oshier-bruening-embraced-by.html

Embraced By Darkness, hot new release from Patricia Oshier Bruening

2010-04-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

EMBRACED BY DARKNESS

Book One: Psychorp Trilogy

by: Patricia Oshier Bruening

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/patriciabrueningbooks.html

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/patriciabruening.htm

After meeting her new neighbor, Ben Thornton, Naomi Carter finds herself embroiled in murder, mayhem, and a plot straight out of science fiction, but will she survive the answers to her mysterious past?

Shaking off vague memories of a nightmare, Naomi steps outside her door and finds Ben Thornton, those startling green eyes so reminiscent of the man in her nightmare she faints in terror. Ben catches and carries her inside, surprised at this close proximity of the the woman who stars in his erotic dreams. After Naomi wakes, they discover an inexplicable sense of recognition, a familiarity out of place for two people who have never met. That connection fuels an intense physical attraction, an instant blinding lust making it difficult to keep their hands to themselves.
The appearance of strange men wielding tranquilizer guns throws them into sudden danger and the mysteries of their pasts. There's more going on than meets the eye. Naomi rediscovers buried telepathic abilities as the connection with Ben intensifies into a mental link that only gets stronger over time. Empathic, with flashes of telepathy, Ben needs as much information as he can get, especially after Naomi's nightmare vision of a brutal murder on the other side of the country a month earlier.

Lovers of paranormal romance, check out this exciting story, available now
from New Concepts Publishing!

Excerpt:

Prologue

She rose out of the gentle, lapping waves of the lake, wet T-shirt clinging to every luscious curve of her body. Her nipples peaked against the cotton shirt, from wet or cold he couldn’t tell. The fabric molded to her full breasts, slender waist, and gently rounded hips and buttocks. That skimpy T-shirt showed off long muscular legs to distinct advantage.
She walked out of the water and stopped, eyes riveted to him. He stood still, trapped in that hungry gaze. Long dark hair, gleaming wet in the moonlight, fell around her shoulders and down her back to her hips. His heart skipped a beat and then lurched into a faster rhythm. His body hardened to a painful familiar ache as she continued to watch him, staring as though at her favorite dessert and she was eager to bite.
“They chose you for me.” Her voice, a low husky invitation, stroked his senses, rippling through him. “But I give you the choice.” She faltered and uncertainty flickered in her eyes. “Don’t take me unless you want me—forever.”
His body yearned. Every fantasy he ever had rolled into one glorious woman, one moment in time, and she offered herself to him—forever. His brain, his intellect, balked at that word-- Forever. The word, her tone, the fantasy—he looked away from her before he lost his sanity. As though a cage closed around him, he backed up a step.
Unable to stop himself, he looked at her again. He needed to look at her. It was too dark, even in moonlight, to know the color of her eyes, but he could not mistake the hunger, the need, which mirrored his own. Water slid off her gleaming body like a temptation. His fingers ached to touch, his hands to slide over bare wet flesh. His mouth suddenly dry, he swallowed hard and barely grasped logical thought.
“What do you want? What is going on here?” he demanded, his voice rough with desire. “What happens next?”
The stunning apparition shook her head. “I don’t know.”
He stared at her. He had no choice. His rapt gaze roamed over her luscious body and stopped, trapped, by her eyes. In the harsh moonlight they gleamed, stark and direct, as she continued to stare at him. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. Every instinct he possessed urged him to either run from the trap or grab her and spring it. He stood, frozen in place, his gaze never leaving her.

Benjamin Thornton woke with a start, his breathing harsh and ragged in his ears. His heart pounded. Blood rushed through his veins. The sweat of desire glistened and cooled on his skin as though from a broken fever. His cock, hard and throbbing, strained against the sheet twisted around his waist and legs.
“Jesus,” he groaned in the aftermath of the vivid erotic dream he'd experienced on and off for the past ten years. Scowling, he sat up in the bed and glared at his reflection in the large mirror on the wall across the room. Different locations, different clothes, little or no conversation, the dream always focused on the same woman—sexy, alluring, blatantly inviting.
He long ago dismissed them as harmless fantasy. He never met the woman and certainly never bedded her, he would remember that, but the intense sense of familiarity nagged at him.
Deliberately, he shoved the woman and the erotic dreams from his mind and, naked, left the bed. He forced himself to forget her, as usual, as he prepared for the workday ahead of him. In his work as an electrical construction foreman, Ben had plenty to keep his mind busy and his body exhausted.

Heat scorched her back as she ran, panicked, through shadowy metal corridors. Locked doors taunted her from both sides in the large wavering shadows that flowed along the walls, chasing her. Fire roared behind her from around the corner she had just blindly turned. Thick smoke choked her nose, mouth, and lungs as she rushed toward the door at the end of the hall. Nearly blinded, she barely made out the fixtures along the walls of the corridor. A huge menacing shadow, a silhouette of a man with a gun held at the ready, appeared from the intersection just ahead of her.
Despair settled over her like a wet blanket. The others had already escaped. Would she, one of those who masterminded and led the escape, be able to join them? Her eyes burned from the thickening smoke as she fixed her avid stare on the doors ahead of her.
The heat at her back increased as the fire drew closer. Alarms screeched and clanged amid human screams and shouted commands. The shadow coming at her grew larger, infinitely more menacing, and he stepped directly into her path. Heart pounding erratically, she skidded to a halt. On a spurt of panic, she reached for the nearest door knob and twisted it. Locked, it didn't budge. Trapped between the roaring fire and her nemesis, she deliberately looked up into his glittering eyes—eyes so cold they might freeze the oceans.
“Don’t,” she whispered, her throat sore and raw from smoke inhalation. “Please.”
Her gaze slid to the gun pointed at her and then back to his harsh expression. Without a word, he reached out with his free hand and took her upper arm in a bruising grip. It was useless to struggle. He had her. She closed her eyes and waited to die. Instead he jerked her along with him, the gun barrel at the side of her ribs, prodding her along.
“What are you going to do with me?” she demanded in a hoarse croak.
“Shut up,” he ordered as he forced her around the corner, further from the fire blazing like an inferno through the building.
Heavy smoke and blistering heat followed them, overtook them. She coughed, twisted in vain against his iron grip, and finally screamed.

That furious, terrified scream rang in her ears and jerked her out of sleep. Disoriented, she panicked in the dark room until her mind insisted the dream had ended. Chest heaving, heart pounding, she shoved off the blankets, sat up, and switched on the bedside lamp.
Naomi Carter met the wide-eyed frightened stare of her reflection in the mirror across the small room and blinked. It took concentrated effort, but her breathing slowed to normal. Her heart and pulse rates might take a little longer. As she drew in slow, deep breaths, the horrifying images of fire and a man deadlier than any creature on earth began to fade until the nightmare seemed no worse than any other bad dream.
By the time the coffee finished brewing and she had showered and dressed, the nightmare’s details had blurred in her mind, leaving her drained and worn out. She’d had the nightmare before, off and on, for the past ten years. It terrified her, left her gasping for breath, bathed in the sweat of fear. The details, though fuzzy, indicated a terrified flight from something—or someone.

Coming very soon! Dark Horizons, Patricia Oshier Franks (Bruening) hot new paranomral romance!

2010-04-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

DARK HORIZONS

Book One: Psychorp Trilogy

by: Patricia Oshier Franks

www.newconceptspublishing.com

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/patriciabruening.htm

After meeting her new neighbor, Ben Thornton, Naomi Carter finds herself embroiled in murder, mayhem, and a plot straight out of science fiction, but will she survive the answers to her mysterious past?

Shaking off vague memories of a nightmare, Naomi steps outside her door and finds Ben Thornton, those startling green eyes so reminiscent of the man in her nightmare she faints in terror. Ben catches and carries her inside, surprised at this close proximity of the the woman who stars in his erotic dreams. After Naomi wakes, they discover an inexplicable sense of recognition, a familiarity out of place for two people who have never met. That connection fuels an intense physical attraction, an instant blinding lust making it difficult to keep their hands to themselves.
The appearance of strange men wielding tranquilizer guns throws them into sudden danger and the mysteries of their pasts. There's more going on than meets the eye. Naomi rediscovers buried telepathic abilities as the connection with Ben intensifies into a mental link that only gets stronger over time. Empathic, with flashes of telepathy, Ben needs as much information as he can get, especially after Naomi's nightmare vision of a brutal murder on the other side of the country a month earlier.

Lovers of paranormal romance, check out this exciting story, available soon from New Concepts Publishing!

Excerpt:

Prologue

She rose out of the gentle, lapping waves of the lake, wet T-shirt clinging to every luscious curve of her body. Her nipples peaked against the cotton shirt, from wet or cold he couldn’t tell. The fabric molded to her full breasts, slender waist, and gently rounded hips and buttocks. That skimpy T-shirt showed off long muscular legs to distinct advantage.
She walked out of the water and stopped, eyes riveted to him. He stood still, trapped in that hungry gaze. Long dark hair, gleaming wet in the moonlight, fell around her shoulders and down her back to her hips. His heart skipped a beat and then lurched into a faster rhythm. His body hardened to a painful familiar ache as she continued to watch him, staring as though at her favorite dessert and she was eager to bite.
“They chose you for me.” Her voice, a low husky invitation, stroked his senses, rippling through him. “But I give you the choice.” She faltered and uncertainty flickered in her eyes. “Don’t take me unless you want me—forever.”
His body yearned. Every fantasy he ever had rolled into one glorious woman, one moment in time, and she offered herself to him—forever. His brain, his intellect, balked at that word-- Forever. The word, her tone, the fantasy—he looked away from her before he lost his sanity. As though a cage closed around him, he backed up a step.
Unable to stop himself, he looked at her again. He needed to look at her. It was too dark, even in moonlight, to know the color of her eyes, but he could not mistake the hunger, the need, which mirrored his own. Water slid off her gleaming body like a temptation. His fingers ached to touch, his hands to slide over bare wet flesh. His mouth suddenly dry, he swallowed hard and barely grasped logical thought.
“What do you want? What is going on here?” he demanded, his voice rough with desire. “What happens next?”
The stunning apparition shook her head. “I don’t know.”
He stared at her. He had no choice. His rapt gaze roamed over her luscious body and stopped, trapped, by her eyes. In the harsh moonlight they gleamed, stark and direct, as she continued to stare at him. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. Every instinct he possessed urged him to either run from the trap or grab her and spring it. He stood, frozen in place, his gaze never leaving her.

Benjamin Thornton woke with a start, his breathing harsh and ragged in his ears. His heart pounded. Blood rushed through his veins. The sweat of desire glistened and cooled on his skin as though from a broken fever. His cock, hard and throbbing, strained against the sheet twisted around his waist and legs.
“Jesus,” he groaned in the aftermath of the vivid erotic dream he'd experienced on and off for the past ten years. Scowling, he sat up in the bed and glared at his reflection in the large mirror on the wall across the room. Different locations, different clothes, little or no conversation, the dream always focused on the same woman—sexy, alluring, blatantly inviting.
He long ago dismissed them as harmless fantasy. He never met the woman and certainly never bedded her, he would remember that, but the intense sense of familiarity nagged at him.
Deliberately, he shoved the woman and the erotic dreams from his mind and, naked, left the bed. He forced himself to forget her, as usual, as he prepared for the workday ahead of him. In his work as an electrical construction foreman, Ben had plenty to keep his mind busy and his body exhausted.

Heat scorched her back as she ran, panicked, through shadowy metal corridors. Locked doors taunted her from both sides in the large wavering shadows that flowed along the walls, chasing her. Fire roared behind her from around the corner she had just blindly turned. Thick smoke choked her nose, mouth, and lungs as she rushed toward the door at the end of the hall. Nearly blinded, she barely made out the fixtures along the walls of the corridor. A huge menacing shadow, a silhouette of a man with a gun held at the ready, appeared from the intersection just ahead of her.
Despair settled over her like a wet blanket. The others had already escaped. Would she, one of those who masterminded and led the escape, be able to join them? Her eyes burned from the thickening smoke as she fixed her avid stare on the doors ahead of her.
The heat at her back increased as the fire drew closer. Alarms screeched and clanged amid human screams and shouted commands. The shadow coming at her grew larger, infinitely more menacing, and he stepped directly into her path. Heart pounding erratically, she skidded to a halt. On a spurt of panic, she reached for the nearest door knob and twisted it. Locked, it didn't budge. Trapped between the roaring fire and her nemesis, she deliberately looked up into his glittering eyes—eyes so cold they might freeze the oceans.
“Don’t,” she whispered, her throat sore and raw from smoke inhalation. “Please.”
Her gaze slid to the gun pointed at her and then back to his harsh expression. Without a word, he reached out with his free hand and took her upper arm in a bruising grip. It was useless to struggle. He had her. She closed her eyes and waited to die. Instead he jerked her along with him, the gun barrel at the side of her ribs, prodding her along.
“What are you going to do with me?” she demanded in a hoarse croak.
“Shut up,” he ordered as he forced her around the corner, further from the fire blazing like an inferno through the building.
Heavy smoke and blistering heat followed them, overtook them. She coughed, twisted in vain against his iron grip, and finally screamed.

That furious, terrified scream rang in her ears and jerked her out of sleep. Disoriented, she panicked in the dark room until her mind insisted the dream had ended. Chest heaving, heart pounding, she shoved off the blankets, sat up, and switched on the bedside lamp.
Naomi Carter met the wide-eyed frightened stare of her reflection in the mirror across the small room and blinked. It took concentrated effort, but her breathing slowed to normal. Her heart and pulse rates might take a little longer. As she drew in slow, deep breaths, the horrifying images of fire and a man deadlier than any creature on earth began to fade until the nightmare seemed no worse than any other bad dream.
By the time the coffee finished brewing and she had showered and dressed, the nightmare’s details had blurred in her mind, leaving her drained and worn out. She’d had the nightmare before, off and on, for the past ten years. It terrified her, left her gasping for breath, bathed in the sweat of fear. The details, though fuzzy, indicated a terrified flight from something—or someone.

The Latest News: Psychic Reunion Contracted!

2009-11-11T06:22:00.000-08:00

Good morning, everyone!

Monday, that nasty start of the work week day, heralded tremendous news. After months of waiting for the verdict, Psychic Reunion, the first in the psychorp trilogy, is contracted. My publisher, New Concepts Publishing, sent the contract late Monday morning--proof postive that sometimes the best news brightens up that horrible Monday. It made the agony of getting out of bed to start the work week well worth the 'suffering'!

As I go through the remaining editing/revision work prior to release--I'll post that date as soon as I have it--I will also be waiting with baited breath for their decision on the second story, Psychic Alliance.

In the mean time, life goes on and work continues despite my need to dance on the ceiling for a while longer.

Feature ata NCP: Always A Warrior

2009-10-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

Always a Warrior, by Patricia Oshier Bruening, is a featured story at New Concepts Publishing! Check it out now at http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/alwaysawarrior.htm
Patricia Oshier Bruening
AKA Patricia Oshier Franks
http://patbruening.bravehost.net/index.html
　

Still Other Places to Find My Works!

2009-09-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

See more of my work, and my story, by follwoing these links, where you can also read my profiles and all about me pages.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/622903/patricia_oshier_franks.html

http://www.triond.com/users/Patricia+Oshier+Franks Here you can check out a series of articles on my experience in an abusive relationship

New LIfe and New Directions

2009-09-28T11:14:00.001-07:00

Good morning!

I've had many good mornings the past few months, not the least are mornings that start with new articles published. I'm enjoying this new venture in my writing career, and continued with the latest article, which can viewed in several places, including http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2224971/is_it_easier_to_stay_or_waalk_away.html?cat=41

I also have my own zone at Helium. Follow this link to read about other articles I've written: http://www.helium.com/zone/3027-patricia-oshier-franks-published-author-freelance-writer

I am also at bloggerparty: here: http://www.helium.com/zone/3027-patricia-oshier-franks-published-author-freelance-writer

I enjoy freelancing, and plan to expand my subject matter with a series of articles about the history of my home town, Tucson. It's a project I look forward to completing as I explore for the first time the place I've called home for the past ten years.

Life After Abuse--For Me

2009-09-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

It has been four months and two days since I left my alcoholic abusive husband—and despite some difficulty on occasion, I’ve never felt better in my life. I am much healthier, have kicked the growing tendency to drink excessively and sometimes loose my temper which was usually set off by my abuser, and have embarked on a new aspect of my writing career. I m a published novelist, and recently began writing articles for pay on various web sites. I have several web sites and web pages of my own and I hope to broaden my writing career with this new freelance venture. I’m certainly enjoying it so far, and have already published several articles.
I love writing romantic fiction, steamy romance and erotica, but discovered I also enjoy writing articles about things I either know and have some expertise in or do research on before I write anything. It feels like I’m rediscovering myself, getting to know myself all over again—and I like what I’m finding!
Certain changes have to be made to further break from my abuser husband and those may take some time, but I’m learning how to make myself happy again, something I haven’t been in so long I forgot what happiness is until recently. Have you ever known a man whose sole goal is to provide you with everything you need and want to be happy? The new man in my life is so different from my abuser, it’s like night and day. He is one reason for the sparkle in my eyes lately, the biggest reason actually, but being able to be myself and do the things that make me happiest, like this new writing venture, --well, the two go hand in hand.
I know its only been four months, but I feel I’m set on the path perfect for me and I’m lucky I don’t have to make that journey alone. I would have done so rather than return to the abuser, but I have a wonderful man to journey with me. There can be life and love after escaping domestic violence/spousal abuse.
In helping myself, I started this new aspect of my career with a series of articles about my life at the hands of an abusive alcoholic. I won’t put those details here as it may be upsetting for others to read, but follow the links if you’d like to learn more. http://patriciaoshierbruening.blogspot.com/
Colleagues and instructor, well meaning friends with advise have always said one thing regarding writing—write what you know. I do know something about Domestic Violence and Spousal Abuse, and Alcoholism. Not only was my abuser an alcoholic, but so was my father, who died of liver disease/deterioration in 1999. In fact, I nearly was a full-fledged alcoholic myself before I left that relationship. I have some experience with it on both sides of the fence. In the aftermath of leaving the abuser after twenty years in that relationship, I am finally exploring the things that contributed to the deterioration of our relationship, everything from alcoholism to abuse, and yes, even my part in enabling and allowing it to happen. The above mentioned articles were the beginning of an informal form of self-therapy.
But I expand on those thoughts and feelings with further information on my life after the escape. That is an ongoing process as I discover other things I enjoy, doing and writing about, including resurrecting my love of history. I am currently working on some articles about Tucson, where I have lived, but known little of, the past ten years.
I write for several sites, with some articles cross-posted and others exclusive to that site. Join me as I journey further and rediscover the world around me, and myself.
　

I Survived and Escaped Spousal Abuse: The story continues

2009-09-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

http://authspot.com/short-stories/the-blaze-rages-i-survived-and-escaped-spousal-abuse/
The Blaze Rages
http://authspot.com/biographies/wildfire-out-of-control-i-survived-and-escaped-spousal-abuse/
Wildfire Out of Control

Freedom Grows!

2009-09-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

Follow my story in the fourth article, The Blaze Rages: I Survived and Escaped Spousal Abuse. I decided to write these articles as a form of self-therapy, as writing has been the mainsay of sanity for many years. It took some times for me to be able to write this, to deal with it all myself. This helps and I hope it gives others in the same predicament the courage, and hope, to do what they need for their very survival.

Free At Last!

2009-09-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
I recently left my alcoholic, abusive husband after years of marriage. After a few months of not dwelling on it all, I decided to write a series of autobiographical articles about my experience. Follow these links to read more. Three articles are completed now, with more to come in the near future. I’m not counseling or advising anyone what to do, but this is my story. While they may not be as informative as others, nor as dramatic as some stories are, I hope they make some impact. This is a widespread epidemic, with so many hopelessly trapped in a never-ending cycle of violence. My name is Pat, and this is my story.
　
http://authspot.com/biographies/out-of-the-frying-pan-part-one-i-survived-and-escaped-spousal-abuse/ Out of the Frying Pan

http://authspot.com/biographies/into-the-fire-i-survived-alcoholism-and-spousal-abuse/
Into The Fire

http://authspot.com/biographies/the-inferno-i-survived-alcoholism-and-spousal-abuse/
The Inferno

Available Now! ZOE'S RETURN

2009-04-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

Available Now from Patricia Oshier Bruening and New Concepts Publishing
The Secret of Locke Ridge: Zoe’s Return
Paranormal Erotic Romance
Rating: Spicy/Carnal: graphic language; multiple sex partners

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/zoesreturn.htm

Locke ridge hides its secrets, dark and deadly under a layer of modern civility. Dominic, whose strange presence often soothed Zoe after nightmares, waits for her there. But is he friend or foe, ally or trap?

Unable to remember much of her childhood in Locke Ridge, except in the horrors of her dreams, Zoe tumbles into lust with Dominic and, in the course of passionate play, remembers her heritage. She is the descendant of the supernaturals who moved into Locke Ridge when its early inhabitants played with satanic rituals, opening a portal between the supernatural realms and Earth, releasing evil into the world. Zoe’s birth was arranged to either unite warring factions or to, in league with Dominic, defeat Malakai, the evil leader who would rule not only Locke Ridge, but Earth as well.

Excerpt One:

Prologue
Thirty Years Ago
"It is said that dead men tell no tales, but the ancient writings tell of those who raise the dead, who compel corpses to speak of the future. A warning; beware what you ask, you may not like the answer."
Clinging to the massive tree trunk, gasping for breath after running full speed through the
wild overgrown forest, she stared down into a small clearing scattered with a few old grave markers. She straddled the thick tree branch, feet dangling well above the ground. Her eight year-old mind, dazed with stark terror, could not grasp the meaning of the unfolding horror that pursued her.
"Find her!"
"Get her!"
Harsh shouts of rage assaulted her ears. Rapid pounding footsteps came closer as she
hugged the tree despite the burning pain between her legs. She swallowed back sob after sob until her throat ached with the powerful urge to cry out loud. Tears streamed from her eyes, streaking her dirty face.
She clamped her mouth shut, teeth biting into her tongue in an effort to remain silent.
Eyes squeezed tight shut, she pressed harder against the tree trunk, rough bark digging into her young flesh.
Oh, please, oh, please, she begged, clinging to the tree . Her hands and arms ached like
fire from her unrelenting hold on the tree. Don’t let me fall, don’t let me fall!
All noise finally stopped. The forest fell into an unnatural silence. Only the rapid beat
of her heart reached her straining ears. It echoed in her mind, an eerie endless beat in the dark behind her eyelids.
A rustle in the underbrush drew a startled gasp from her. Her eyes snapped open and she
stared down into the clearing. Dark shadows in the forest, scattered around the weathered grave markers, shifted in the slight breeze. The noise stopped and started again as several people moved into the small graveyard.
Though bathed in moonlight, the figures could barely be distinguished from other
shadows. Low, incomprehensible voices drifted in the air. Four figures carried four small boxes and four arrows. Cat noises emanated from the boxes, feral growls and snarls of creatures hating their captivity. Another figure led a goat into the clearing.
Terrified yet fascinated, she could not look away. She stared at the strange group as it
stopped directly under her. People moved around, talking in voices so low only a hum wafted up to her.
After putting everything on the ground, several people spread something slimy all over
the nearest grave. Its marker leaned to one side like a drunk struggling to stay on his feet. A horrible smell rose into the night. Her stomach lurched under a wave of nausea but she didn’t dare throw up.
As she watched, two black robed figures sprinkled something over the layer of slime.
They all converged into a thick knot of people so she didn’t see what they did next. When they spread out again, taking places around the grave, a body lay in the middle of their circle. Someone held a lit candle that looked black. Another held the rope attached to the goat and a long knife.
Mesmerized by this unfolding horror, she could only watch. Several smaller candles
flared as their owners applied fire to the wicks. Flames wavered in the breeze, throwing eerie shadows over the ground. Four people removed the cats from the boxes, eliciting pitiful mewing noises tinged with terror.
She tightened her grip on the tree, terrified beyond her capacity to understand. They
lifted the arrows and stabbed them into the cats with short vicious jabs. Pained cat howls split the air. Blood pooled on the ground from the dying creatures. A horrified scream burst from her throat, shattering the night. Her hands lost their grip on the tree. The ground rushed in a blur toward her. Her piercing scream blasted her ears. Pain exploded in her head and oblivion saved her from the terrors of the night.
Present Day, 2008
Zoe's eyes snapped open and she froze, every muscle rigid. Blood roared in her ears, the
only other sound in the pitch-dark bedroom besides the wild pounding of her heart. Drenched in the sweat of fear, she shivered in the draft of cool air from the air conditioner vent directly over her bed. Her fingers tightened in a death grip around the sheet, tangled thick around her waist, between her legs, and around one knee. It effectively trapped her in bed, pinning her to the damp mattress. She sweated as though in the grip of a high fever, but that nightmare did not come from illness. She swallowed hard, her throat parchment dry, and released her grip on the sheet.
Fingers trembling, she fumbled for the lamp on the nightstand, found the switch at its
base, and flipped it. Soft light spilled over the bed, bathing her in its glow. Huddled in that welcome circle of light, Zoe carefully disentangled her body from the sheet and dragged it as well as the heavy quilt over her shaking body. The quilt, patterned in strange interconnecting geometric symbols, inherited from her mother, wrapped her in warmth.
She curled on her side, drew knees to chest, and stared into the depths of the bedroom.
Beyond the circle of light, the rest of the room held shadows, but nothing menaced her. She waited, her heart gradually slowing its hard, pounding rhythm. He would come. He always came after the nightmares. Only Dominic kept terror at bay, kept her sane.
Minutes later, his warm presence wrapped her in comfort. She couldn’t see him, couldn’t
touch him, but his arms slid around her and heat enveloped her, chasing away the last cold shivers. A sigh escaped her as she snuggled deeper under the bed covers, surrounded by him, her own guardian angel, it seemed. Body and mind relaxed until she drifted on the fine line between asleep and awake.
You know it’s time, Zoe. Dominic’s low resonant voice slipped into her hazy mind. Time
to come home.
Home, she thought, snuggling deeper in the sense of security Dominic brought to her.
Yes, but you won’t be alone. I’m waiting for you. Come home.
To Locke Ridge, she mused, far too drowsy and too deep in his presence to be afraid, to
protest. To Locke Ridge. And the terrors waiting there.

Excerpt Two:
Buried deep in the new story thundering like a freight train through her head, Zoe didn’t
notice the day’s passing until the words streaming from her mind slowed to a stop. She blinked at the darkness outside her window and shuddered. Dominic had promised to explain things, but did she really want him in the house?
"Maybe I should meet him in town?" she mused aloud. An image slipped into her mind;
tall, dark, mouthwateringly handsome with shoulder-length dark hair and jet black eyes, the exotic Dominic drew her interest.
Frowning, Zoe left the desk and wandered over to the open French doors. The slight
breeze stirred her hair, caressing her face and the bare skin of her arms. She stepped onto the balcony and drew in a deep breath, inhaling the scents of the forest and the night.
An owl hooted, the sound drifting in the air along with the numerous insects and the
various noises of nocturnal animals. A mournful howl rent the night, silencing all other
creatures. Zoe shivered, unease settling over her like a wet blanket. Uncomfortable in the black of night, she turned from the balcony rail and stopped short. Tall and regal in black, his long leather coat left open to the night, Dominic stood between her and the doors. His eyes glittered in the light of the half moon over their heads and Zoe trembled, senses reeling under the impact of that piercing stare.
"Zoe," he said in a husky drawl that edged past her defenses and aroused everything
feminine deep inside. Kevin lingered in the back of her mind and she shook her head. Safe in LA, free from the danger she might soon face, he need never know another man attracted her. Soon enough, he would forget their one night stand.
Studying the exotic man before her as his eyes roamed over her, she stepped back against
the iron rail. Her mouth watered at the thought of those full sculpted lips on hers and her senses soared. You don’t know what you’re doing, the voice of logic warned. You wanted answers, not sex.
"W― what are you doing here?" Shit, she cursed the tremor in her voice. Zoe turned
away from him, looking out over the dark forest as moon light bathed trees and foliage in silver light.
Though she never heard him move, his presence drew closer. Warm hands settled on her
shoulders, squeezing in gentle reassurance. "Privacy."
Warm puffs of breath fluttered over bare skin. Sharp tingles of pleasure shot up and
down her spine. His grip tightened and he urged her around to face him. Tilting her head, she met the fierce gleam of desire in his eyes.
"You wanted answers," he stated, soft and persuasive as he lowered his head. "And I
want you."
Her breath caught and her lips parted as she focused on his mouth. Firm hands moved
from her shoulders in slow strokes to palm her ass. He brought her closer, his arousal a burning brand through two layers of clothes.
Oh, God, she thought as a wave of intense longing washed over her. Liquid heat flooded
her pussy. Leaning into him, she waited on the sharp edge of need. Anticipation sizzled along each nerve she possessed as she rose to her toes, seeking his kiss. A shudder rippled over her, but she couldn’t have said whether from fear, desire, or both. She sucked in a deep breath, lips parting in invitation as his enticing scent swamped her.
A low groan melted into the night, hers or his, she didn’t know and didn’t care. His mouth covered hers, his tongue plunging to explore the hot moist cavern open to him. Blood rushed from her head to her throbbing pussy as he kissed her with devastating carnality. All lingering thoughts of Kevin vanished.
Staggered by the force of Dominic’s passion, she clutched broad shoulders as her knees
went weak. Heart pounding an erratic beat, she pressed harder against his rigid length. Heat swamped her as desire erupted into full passion.
Only when her lungs burned for oxygen did she pull away from those mind-numbing
kisses. "Dominic." She gasped for breath, fists curled against leather.
Stark possession glinted in his eyes as he stared down at her. He tightened his embrace,
pushing her breasts against his rock solid chest. Sparks shot straight to her drenched pussy. Breaths coming in harsh pants, Zoe looked up at him and fought the urge to drag him back. Alarm bells rang in her head, vying for attention as her body clamored for Dominic.
What are you doing? Logic demanded drowning out the mad heart beat in her ears. Don’t do this. You don’t know.
"Dominic, please." It emerged as a hoarse whisper, a plea for what she didn’t know.
His brows lifted. "Please, what?"
Take me! Her body screamed in longing. "Let me go," she said aloud. "I can’t do this. I
don’t understand what’s going on here. You want me back but why? What were you talking about last night?"
Silent, he stared down at her for a long moment. Time spun out around them until she
wanted to squirm under that intense perusal. Finally, he relinquished his embrace, easing away to lean a hip on the iron rail. "Okay, Zoe. Before you are mine and we complete this thing, you have the right to know why and we don’t have time to wait for nature."

Patricia Oshier Bruening
http://patbruening.bravehost.com/index.html

DANGEROUS CONNECTIONS, available now!

2008-12-29T23:47:00.000-08:00

AVAILABLE NOW!
From
Patricia Oshier Bruening
&
New Concepts Publishing

D A N G E R O U S C O N N E C T I O N S
http://patbruening.bravehost.com/index.html
http://patriciaoshierbruening.blogspot.com/
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/dangerousconnections.htm

Orphaned at eight years old, Rachel grew up with the invisible presence of another. Is she crazy? Will finding the truth with Kyle Chandler, kill her?

Rachel Mackenzie has always been alone, orphaned at the age of eight and raised in foster homes. But she has always felt another presence, an elusive shadowy person at the edge of her perception. She thought herself nuts and tried to ignore the phenomenon--until she receives a package in the mail containing a notebook/journal and a short cryptic note urging her to save her sister. Stunned that she actually had family, Rachel returns after twenty five years to the hometown she does not remember and with Kyle Chandler's reluctant help, finds the answers to her lifelong mystery. Who is she? Where did she come from? What happened to her? Will she finds the remnants of her family, the painful answers to her questions, and the love of Kyle Chandler as well as the passion that has eluded her all her life?

Excerpt 1
More relaxed that she’d been in days, Rachel let her eyes drift closed but not in sleep. Her fingers idly stroked his shoulder in a gentle caress over his shirt. Without conscious thought, her hand slid down his chest. Her fingers toyed with the first button. Beneath her ear, his heart beat increased speed. Her lips curved in a dreamy smile and her hand drifted down to rest on his belt buckle before dropping to his thigh. She traced idle circles on denim covered muscle with her fingertips.

"Rachel?" he said, his voice hoarse. He slid his hand into her hair.

"Mmm," she murmured, content, flattening her hand on his thigh. Her fingers grazed the bulge behind his zipper.

"Unless you want to be flat on the floor, naked under me, I suggest you move your hand." He growled in her ear, low and rumbling, to scatter good sense to the winds.

She froze for a moment. Anticipation exploded through her and she squeezed the hard muscle beneath her fingers. He inhaled sharply, gripped her hair, and forced her head back until she looked up at him. Desire smoldered deep in his blue eyes as he stared into her green ones. Her breath caught in her throat, but not from panic.

"Be sure, Rachel." It was a harsh command. "Be very sure. I’ll have you this time. Make sure it’s what you want."

Staggered by the abrupt wealth of sensations flooding her, she let instinct rule. Everything she wanted shone in her eyes. He groaned, low and deep, captured her mouth with his, and plundered as he forced her onto her back. Desire shot through her and her mind scrambled. Fast and lethal, his hands streaked over her. Lightning exploded from deep inside. His tongue plunged, withdrew, plunged again. Her tongue tangled with his and she kissed him back; ravenously; voraciously.

He shifted, lay over her. Crushed against his chest, her breasts tingled and ached for his possession. He continued kissing her with drugging intensity until, struggling to breathe; he dragged his mouth from hers.

"I want to be gentle," he rasped, his chest heaving against her breasts, "but I want you so damn much it hurts."

She gave him a sultry smile, wrapped her arms around him, and arched closer. "Who said anything about gentle? Take me. I want you."

He groaned, a helpless sound that sent a curl of triumph through her. "I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to scare you."

"I’m not scared." She looked deep into the blaze of passion in his eyes and wanted everything he could give her.

His gaze narrowed on her as though seeking the truth in her words. He gave another helpless groan, covered her mouth with his, and ravaged. The inferno enveloped her, driving out all thoughts of anything but him. His mouth left hers, streaked down her throat to feast on the pulse beating frantically beneath her skin. She arched her neck, offering him easier access. Delicious sensations swarmed through her. He moved lower, growling when his lips hit the barrier of her shirt.

Shifting, he straddled her hips and curled his fingers between the buttons. Holding her rapt stare, he yanked hard. Buttons scattered everywhere. A sharp gasp of pleasure escaped her. Startled to find her braless, he dropped his scorching gaze to her bare breasts. Her chest heaved with every raspy breath, every fiber of her being focused on him. Poised on the sharp edge of need, waiting, she grabbed his arms. "Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare stop now."

He covered her breasts with his hand, his breath ragged and his eyes fixed on her heaving breasts. "I couldn’t stop if I wanted to," he admitted, squeezing and molding her flesh to his hands. Her nipples turned to rigid peaks under the circular motions of his palms. Pleasure streaked through her, set her nerves on fire. She flexed her fingers on his biceps and moved her hands to his chest, covering his flat nipples under his shirt with the warmth of her palms.

He flinched at her soft touch, nearly groaned at the silky smooth texture of her skin, and shifted abruptly, lodging himself firmly between her restlessly shifting legs. Denim rasped against denim and he lowered himself over her. His mouth replaced his hands, his tongue swirling over soft pale skin. She tasted like heaven on his tongue. He licked and nibbled, scraped the edge of his teeth over her creamy flesh until his lips closed over her turgid nipple.

Moaning, squirming, she plowed her fingers into his thick silky hair and held him to her. A dozen different sensations streaked through every nerve ending, overwhelming her. Instead of fighting it, she reveled in his touch, arching her back for more.

Lips and tongue slid across the valley between her breasts until he covered the other nipple in moist heat. Her skin gleamed wet when he lifted his head from his ministrations. His gaze shifted, met hers. Her eyes burned with needs and desires that clearly surprised her. She trembled under him, but not from fear. The fierce need for more blazed in her face.

Elbows at her hips, supporting his weight, he smiled down at her. He swept the edges of her shirt further aside. His hands bracketed her ribcage, fingers delicately stroking her flushed skin. He hesitated, struggling to keep control of the raging animal in him.

Yearning, needing, Rachel stared into his passion-darkened eyes. Her fingers flexed, digging into his shoulders.

"Please," she begged though she didn’t know for what.

Her body, her senses strained toward something outside her realm of experience. That slow, devastating smile of his promised dark delights. He stared down at her for so long, she fidgeted.
"Kyle?"

"Shhh," he murmured and slowly disentangled himself from her.

Tingling nerves now trembled. What did I do, or not do, to make him stop? Had her inexperience frustrated him? He stood over her, his burning gaze roaming slowly down her torso and back to her anxious eyes. She blinked at the passion in etched on his face. Her skin tingled as though he touched her again.

"My bed is bigger than the sofa," he said on a husky growl and held his hand out to her. His fingers trembled.

Excerpt 2
Gentle warmth spread through her and her heart melted. Kyle seduced her with words, gentle caresses, and tender murmurs. He swirled his tongue around the shell of her ear. Delicious tremors rocked her and weakened her knees. She clutched at his shoulders for support. His mouth came back to hers. He kissed her with a slow, drugging intensity that unraveled her mind and spun her senses. His tongue teased and soothed, reawakening all the delicious sensations she reveled in earlier.

When he lifted his mouth from hers, she stumbled. He caught her against him, his breath warming her ear. His musky soap and man scent curled around her.

"Come to bed," he murmured in her ear, each word a caress to her heart. "I need you." He pulled back slightly. Holding her gaze, he skimmed his knuckles along her jaw. His eyes gleamed in the moon light as he released her and stepped back to hold his hand out to her.

"Come to bed, Rachel," he repeated huskily, leaving the decision to her.

Mesmerized, she put her trembling hand in his. Her eyes never left his as he walked backward, drawing her to the bedroom. Leaving off the ceiling light, he snapped on the lamp by the bed. The corners of the room remained in shadow but the lamp cast a warm glow over the bed.
He released her hand, dragged the quilt off the bed to the floor, and smoothed the sheets with both hands. He gathered up the quilt and, with a deft flick of his wrists, snapped it over the bed. It draped gracefully, neatly, to brush the floor. He turned down the quilt in a warm silent invitation and faced her again. Rachel watched him, anxiety fluttering in her stomach. Desire, the need to touch him, to love him, burned hot and lethal in her blood.

He walked to her, spearing her gaze with his as his hands curled around her wrists. She expected to be pulled into his embrace, plastered to his body. He didn’t. He rubbed his thumbs over her inner wrists. Her breath hitched and her pulse scrambled under her skin, inflamed by his light teasing strokes.

Feeling her rapid pulse beneath his thumb, he smiled in satisfaction. Her fingers trembled; light fluttering touches that made his heart lurch into a faster beat. The contrast between his tanned skin and her lighter skin delighted him.

He flicked a long glance over her, caught the stunned pleasure in her eyes, and took a step closer. Though his shirt covered her adequately, it was the sexiest sight he’d ever seen. He lifted her hand, brushed his lips over her palm to her wrist. A shiver rippled through her, her pulse pounding beneath the curve of his lips. He skimmed light, teasing kisses up the inside of her arm to the barrier of his rolled shirt sleeve at her elbow. The contrast of textures teased and tormented him with what he didn’t yet have.

He slipped his tongue beneath the fabric at the crook of her elbow, tasted the softness there and groaned deep in his throat. A barely audible gasp escaped her, music to his ears. The fierce need to ravage clawed into him, but he clamped down on control and lifted his head to look into her passion-glazed eyes.

He released her wrists, brought his hands up her arms in a blood boiling caress to her shoulders. His thumbs rubbed the erratic pulse at the base of her throat. She curled her hands around his wrists, clinging as her gaze clung to his. Her lips parted, inviting him to take. He resisted the fierce need that raked into his gut.

He slipped his fingers under the shirt collar, stroking the soft warm skin he needed desperately to taste. He moved around behind her, shifting his hands so his fingers curled around her neck, his thumbs sliding leisurely under the shirt. He buried his face in her silky, dark red hair and inhaled deeply. The strawberry scent drew a smile from him.

"What are you doing?" The breathless question enchanted him.

"Seducing you," he murmured against the curve of her neck and shoulder.

Her head dropped onto his shoulder, allowing him greater access to her heat. His fingers lingered at the shirt button between her breasts, his palms rotating slowly over her peaked nipples. He slipped the button through the hole, moved to the next one.

"Kyle," she whimpered, the throaty sound sending his blood pressure soaring.

"Shh," he soothed as his lips skimmed her shoulder. The next button slipped free before he shifted his hands to the shallow flare of her hips. He gathered the fabric in his hands until his fingers brushed bare skin. She wore nothing beneath the shirt. On the ragged edge of control, he closed his eyes and counted her heartbeats under his lips. Over her shoulder, he gazed down into the valley between her breasts.

The shirt draped over his wrists as he slid his fingers slowly through the curls at the apex of her thighs. Her breath stopped then shuddered from her on a long low moan. He lingered with every touch, every stroke, until she trembled violently in his arms. His thumb rubbed her as he slid his finger slowly into her. Inner muscles automatically clenched around him finger. Another finger joined it and his thumb continued its slow circular motions over her. Her unsteady breaths became harsh gasps in his ears as he swept one hand up her torso to her throat.

He turned her head until her frantically hungry eyes met his. He slowed and deepened his lower ministrations until her eyes glazed. Her back arched taut and every muscle tensed in climax as her liquid heat flooded his fingers. He covered her mouth with his, captured that husky groan of hers. Her eyes closed and she shuddered then went limp in his arms. When she lifted her lashes, her eyes were dreamy, drowsy, sated.

Still a Warrior, available now!

2008-12-05T08:57:00.001-08:00

Now Available at New Concepts Publishing

STILL A WARRIOR

Sequel to Always a Warrior
By: Patricia Oshier Bruening

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/stillawarrior.htm

When the past returns to haunt them, with Damien struggling with the transition to civilian life, can Laurie hold her family together?

As the terrorists re-enter their lives, demanding the release of the traitor, Nathaniel Crawford, Damien and Laurie are confronted by the demons of the past. But Laurie has already been battling Damien’s personal demons and his belief that SEALs shouldn’t have families. Can their new marriage survive?

Excerpt:
As spring slid into summer, Laurie and her small but growing family settled into a cherished routine. Damien’s job at Somerset took him to Tucson every weekday morning but he returned home each evening with news of his day, none of it involving terrorists. Laurie clung to happiness, loved the child growing inside her, and gradually released the anxiety of the days and events that brought Damien into her life. At five, soon to be six, Stacy gave them moments of laughter and apprehension, as children are supposed to do, and Laurie adored the growing bond between her daughter and her husband.
Only during some late nights, after the muse left her brain and allowed her a break from her current project, did she think of those days in Damien’s mountain cabin several months earlier. He and his Navy SEAL team had saved her and Stacy from terrorists intent on abducting them. He took them to his mountain cabin, stole Stacy’s heart, and taught Laurie to shoot and defend herself in unarmed combat. Only at the end of that week did Laurie realize he’d stolen her heart as well.
The terror didn’t end there. Following orders he abhorred, Damien took her straight into the terrorists’ camp for easy infiltration. Her father, believed dead, resurfaced as a traitor smuggling weapons’ technology to terrorists.
Laurie sighed as the memories flickered into her mind. Damien captured the traitor. Using her new skills, Laurie killed two terrorists intent on killing them first, and though it took six months, she got her man. Damien opted for discharge, took a computer analyst position in Tucson, and married her.
Two months , she mused, her thumb sliding over the gold band and the sapphire engagement rings around her ringer. With a contented sigh, she left the desk and wandered over to lean on the window overlooking the backyard from the second floor. Stacy’s chatter drifted from her bedroom across the hall. The steady patter of summer rain streaked the window, providing soft background music. But the sounds of summer routine didn’t drag her thoughts from Damien.
Was he already regretting leaving the Navy to marry her? She never asked or wanted that. In typical Damien McAllister fashion, he made a decision and implemented it without discussion. Lately he seemed tired, quiet, and preoccupied. At night he tossed and turned in his sleep, muttering things she didn’t understand. Just the night before, he sat straight up in bed, glancing wildly around the room. At the touch of her hand on his arm, he flinched and glared at her before recognition dawned in his eyes. He blinked, mumbled what might have been an apology or an explicit oath, and lay down. Though he slept again, he continued to toss and turn the rest of the night.
"Nightmares," she muttered under her breath as she returned to her office chair. Her idle gaze drifted over bookshelves lining her walls and the worn, black-leather sofa where he’d held her and explained that his ex-wife cheated on him, divorced him, and took his two children whom he hadn’t seen in a decade.

Excerpt Two:
"Now," Damien agreed on a husky note.
Her arms slid around his neck, yanking him down to her. Her breasts brushed his chest in exquisite torture. Her mouth fastened on his, desperate yet demanding. He rolled, taking her with him so they lay chest to breast as he dragged his mouth from hers, gasped for breath, and propped his head on his hand. His breathing slowed as he stroked her hair and peered into deep green eyes. Uncertainty flickered in her eyes before love for him blocked out everything. He shifted his attention to her mouth, lips trembling as they parted in a soft sight. Staring into her eyes again, he lost himself. He could deny her nothing.
Soft hands slid over his chest, fingers brushing skin as she flicked open the remaining buttons of his shirt. She dragged the fabric from the waistband of his jeans. Tentative strokes and caress sent blood rushing through his veins. All of sudden, she upped the tempo, fingers digging into hard flesh. He grabbed her wrists, forcing her to stop. She went still, meeting his gaze with wide, anxious eyes.
"Slow down, honey. Are you sure? We don’t have a handy means of birth control right now."
The surrender of her sigh as she melted against him skyrocketed his blood pressure. Her leg edged between his, nudging him to painful arousal. "At the moment, it really doesn’t matter." Passion blazed in her eyes, etched her face. She scooted closer, her hand spearing into his hair. Her lips brushed his and settled in place, rubbing slow and erotic before her tongue slipped into his mouth.
He jerked back and stared at the wanton vamp in his arms. She stared back at him, her eyes pleading for his touch. He growled, deep and feral. "I want you. I want to look at you, I want to touch you. Christ, I want to be inside you so bad, it’s killing me," he admitted in a harsh tone but gentled his voice. "But, honey, I don’t want to hurt you."
"You won’t," she purred, confidence in her eyes that warmed his heart. She reached for him but he grasped her wrists, held her still, and smiled. "You said you weren’t ready to think about getting pregnant again. If we finish this right now, pregnancy is a likely outcome—unless the timing is wrong."
He read in her eyes the temptation to lie but she lowered her lashes and sighed. Her arms went lax as she pulled her hands free. "You’re right." An impish grin curved her lips. "I wasn’t thinking. I want to love you. I want you to love me."
"Well," he drawled as other sensual and satisfying ideas occurred to him. "We’ll just have to get creative." He arched an eyebrow and gave her teasing grin. "Or we wait while one of us goes to the drug store."
Her eyes widened and then glittered with dark desires. "Anything with you. What do you have in mind?" Not waiting for an answer, she shoved her hand down to his belt buckle, unfastened it, and then unbuttoned his jeans. Blood rushed to his crotch, swelling flesh to a hard ache. The rasp of the zipper barely covered his sharp gasp. The lady had definite ideas of her own.
"Creative, huh?" The wicked gleam in her eyes enticed him, scrambling his pulse to thunder in his ears. Her other hand at the back of his neck urged him closer as fingers inched into the opening of his jeans. He covered her mouth with his, swallowed her hungry growl, and devoured those luscious kisses that drove him out of his mind.
Tongues tangled and stroked until his blood pressure soared and his pulse thundered. Starved for air, he pulled back with a harsh gasp and searched her face, seeking—he didn’t know what. Her needs, desires, reached into him, a soul deep need more than sex, more than love. Staring into deep emerald depths, he found the other half of himself, his soul mate. And all she wanted, needed, was his love.
The shrill ring of the bedside phone doused them with cold, irritating reality. With a harsh groan, Laurie snatched up the phone. Damien grabbed for it but she held it out of reach and snarled, "Somebody better be dying."
Damien reached past her and stabbed the speaker button. His groin throbbed with unappeased lust and his heart thundered in his chest.
Nathaniel Crawford’s voice filled the room. "Somebody might if you don’t cooperate!"
Laurie said nothing. The abrupt silence chilled the room. Blood drained from her face. Her eyes went wide with shock and terror.
"I see you survived our little surprise," the traitor continued. "I do hope I didn’t interrupt anything." The malice in the old man’s tone told Damien the man knew, somehow, exactly what he’d interrupted.
"Oh, my god," Laurie whispered, her voice as shaky as her trembling hands.
Damien scrambled to the edge of the bed, passion forgotten, and planted both feet on the floor. The sheer terror in her voice brought all his protective instincts raging to the surface.
"You have lousy security for a woman married to a Navy SEAL," Crawford taunted. "It was real easy to grab the girl."
"You didn’t!" Laurie barely breathed the denial.
Damien’s heart chilled and then defrosted in the white-hot fury erupting in every cell in his body. Laurie dropped the phone, bolted off the bed, snatched up her robe, and ran. Footsteps pounded through the house. Let it be a vicious lie, he hoped as he refastened his jeans, but he knew it wasn’t.
"Go ahead, McAllister. Check. I’ll wait."
Damien froze for a mere instant, mind racing. He wanted to strangle the life from the traitor. In his mind’s eye, where strategic details often came together, he saw the image clearly as he wrapped his hands around the traitor’s throat. He squeezed until maniacal eyes bulged out of their sockets.
Adrenaline surged into his bloodstream as he scanned the room for a target. He shook off the murderous images of Crawford dead by any of the thousand ways he knew to kill a man, grabbed his .45 from the top shelf of the closet, and raced after Laurie. After a fast but unsuccessful search of the house, he shoved the pistol into the back of his waistband and caught his wife just as she stepped through the back door on to the porch. Late afternoon sun blazed down on the glaringly empty yard, the air so still and muggy not even a blade of grass moved.
"Stacy!" Laurie screamed and staggered.
Damien caught her in arms of steel before she fell off the porch. She turned in his arms and clutched the front of his unbuttoned shirt in two tight fists. Harsh defeat etched her expression as she faced the truth of Stacy’s disappearance. He stared down into green pools of anguish and his heart broke under every parent’s worst nightmare. Stacy, his daughter in every way but blood, every way that counted, was now in the hands of his enemies. He had no idea whether she even lived. Laurie’s agony belonged to him.
"No!" That miserable wail wrenched his heart into knots.
"Stacy, no!" she cried, loud wracking sobs and hysterical wails fell against his chest. Tears drenched his skin and scorched his soul. Guilt followed, fierce and shocking in its intensity. But he ignored it. Laurie needed him. Stacy needed him. Wallowing in guilt accomplished nothing. He tightened his arms around her and battled the all consuming rage sweeping over him.
Gritting his teeth, he forced down the urge to storm out of the house armed to the teeth and hunt them all down like vermin. Adrenaline skyrocketed past anything he ever experienced on a mission. He tasted the sheer animal thrill of the hunt, savored the anticipation of the kill. "Control," he muttered and tensed every muscle of his body. Emotional reactions were not options. He needed clear, logical thought for planning and strategy. By slow degrees, he calmed the raging inferno and his mind slid into soldier on a mission mode.

Contest! Celebrate MEN with me!

2008-08-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

To celebrate the upcoming release of MEN, I'm sponsoring my first ever contest!

To win a signed print cover and pdf cd copy of Graphic Intentions, soon to be part of the print anthology MEN, from love you divine, and a discount coupon toward purchse of the MEN anthology, stop by the MEN anthology blog at http://menanthology.blogspot.com/ and answer these two questions.

1. How many authors contributed stories to this anthology, and how many stories are included?

2. In Graphic Intentions, according to the blurb, what event leads Scott and Derek to a new level in their relationship?

Send your replies to patricbrueni@gmail.com. The winner will be announced in the His and His Kisses yahoo group--and posted in other yahoo groups on Aug. 15, 2008

The winner will be added to a group of contest winners for a drawing for the big LyD gift basket at the end of the year.

Thank you!

Coming August 1, 2008 Summer's Hottest Read!

2008-07-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

COMING IN AUGUST FROM LOVE YOU DIVINE, THE SUMMER'S HOTTEST READ!

Coming to all who love erotica in any form, the hottest anthology of the summer, MEN, from Love You Divine Alterotica. Are you ready to sizzle with the summer's passion? Lyd's first His and His Kisses print anthology is all MEN cover to cover. This scorching collection includes seven stories from lyd legends Carol Mckenzie, Anastasia Rabiyah, Max Griffin, and Patricia Oshier Bruening. We're also very happy to introduce talented authors, Jon Michaelsen and Alex Morgan.

If you enjoy gay fiction, these stories will scorch your senses more than summer heat! In Voyeur, Jon Michaelsen takes you into the obsessive depths of voyeurism. Kevin enjoys gardening on the balcony of his high-rise condominium when he notices a chiseled Adonis staring out the window of the penthouse across the street, the sun cascading down the man's naked torso, he's mesmerized. What begins as innocent glances soon spirals into an obsession that changes his life forever.

Dive into passion and explore all five senses with Anastasia Rabiyah in Blindfold. Blindfolded in the basement, at the mercy of a coworker, Leo's senses are put to the test, as well as his broken heart.

Max Griffin will take you on a wild ride into another time dimension with The Other Side of the Window. David spends his life pursuing Truth through physics, sex, and gin. One morning, after hot sex with an anonymous stranger, the three beacons in his life conjoin when a hole in space and time appears in his room. In Dream a Little Dream of Me, Max plunges you into an exploration of the dark side of perfect love. Sean and Gil, polar opposites, seek in one another the perfect lover. In a forbidden dungeon in Gil's apartment, Sean finds secrets coiled within secrets. When he finally unlocks the mystery, he learns the horrifying truth about Gil, and about himself.

Carol Mckenzie explores a man's first time in Pure Artistry. Cameron Bracy is just out of a relationship...or so he thinks. Needing to ease his stress, he enrolls in a drawing class. However, the tension increases when he meets and becomes acquainted with the gorgeous hunk, Eli Thompson.

Take a walk on the wilder side of things with Alex Morgan in Safe Word. The body of a man is found as Provincetown prepares for Mates Weekend, a popular leather gathering. Corey thinks a bdsm scene went past it's extreme limit. He tours the town's dark dungeons, looking for a murderer preying on young men. Can Corey find him before becoming a victim to the ultimate bdsm fantasy of execution?

With Graphic Intentions, Patricia Oshier Bruening takes you into the tortured memories of two men, who meet in a coffee shop, neither thinking the other is gay. Scarred by past events, Scott and Derek find each other when neither is looking for a partner. It takes a confrontation from a loud mouthed bigot before each realizes the other is interested in more than artwork. Can they discover a way to battle their demons together rather than alone?
Check out these sizzling stories at http://loveyoudivine.com/.

See previous blog entries for more informatin on each story.

Always A Warrior, available in print!

2008-07-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

Now Available in Print from New Concepts Publishing:

ALWAYS A WARRIOR
by: Patricia Oshier Bruening

A Steamy Contemporary Romance

Available at: http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/alwayswarrior.htm

Blurb:

An intense, life threatening situation, a dangerous man, and a fierce, undeniable passion—Laurie knew this story would have no happy ending, but Damien's touch shot sparks of desire through her. His kisses overloaded her senses and short-circuited her brain.

When Navy SEAL Damien McAllister dropped into her live, he turned it literally upside down. Laurie had never found the love and acceptance she needed from anyone but the daughter who loved her unconditionally. She didn't trust her feelings in the intense situation she'd been thrust into, and she didn't want to risk her heart on a man like Damien—a man who would always be a warrior—and yet what the heart wants, it will not be denied, regardless of the heartache that's sure to follow.

Excerpt

A short time later Damien grunted in his sleep and Laurie slowly opened her eyes. The
gray light of early dawn peeked through the windows. Damien’s arm lay across her stomach, a
heavy but not uncomfortable layer of extra warmth under the blanket. It was a curiously pleasant sensation and for a brief instant she wanted it to last forever.

He snuggled, pulling her closer as he tightened his embrace. His deep even breathing
caressed her ear. His chest pressed into her back with each slow rise and fall. She shifted slightly,
felt the brush of his hairy muscular leg against hers and drowned in the sensations. There was
something completely, decadently luxurious about snuggling with Damien in bed during the
early, cozy dawn. Trapped by his strength but strangely secure, she sighed deeply and pulled the blankets to her chin. Closing her eyes, she tried to go back to sleep.

The arm holding her shifted. His hand covered her breast. A startled gasp escaped her but
her nipple tingled and tightened. His fingers lightly squeezed that nipple to a hard bud. Electric
jolts of pure pleasure shot through her. A long forgotten sensation tripled her heart rate and sent
hot blood surging into her veins--desire. He was man. She was woman. And she wanted him.
He moved until she lay under him, his hand on her breast. She stared into his passionglazed
eyes. Dangerous thrills spiraled through her. Her lips parted on a silent inhale of breath.

His mouth covered hers, dominating her senses and demanding a response. Powerless to resist
abruptly reawakened passions, Laurie kissed him back without restraint. He nudged her legs
apart with his knee, hair-roughened skin sliding erotically over silky smooth skin. A raging flame
threatened to consume her. Alarm bells clamored in her head. What the hell am I doing? This is
insane! His kisses devastated, destroyed, logic and she struggled to hang onto self-preservation.
Then why does it feel so damn good, a tiny inner voice goaded? Why are you enjoying it so
much?

Damien dragged his mouth from hers, his lips sliding along the curve of her jaw. Her
knees went weak.

Say Hi to Anastasia Rabiyah!

2008-07-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Another talented author, from the group bringing you the hottest read of the summer, MEN, an anothology hotter than the weather! Anastasia teases your senses and your hormones, with her story:

BLINDFOLD

by: Anastasia Rabiyah

Available http://www.loveyoudivine.com

Blindfolded in the basement, at the mercy of a hot co-worker, Leo's senses are put to the test as well as his broken heart.

Leo's pained past has kept him from trying again when it comes to serious relationships, but when he finds himself in Marcel's house and at the center of this man's expert attentions, hope glimmers in his heart. Can Marcel be the one to help Leo put his past behind him and let go of his distrust, or will the weekend be just a fling that leads back to another string of long, empty silences and loneliness? Either way, Leo is willing to go through with it just for the erotic memory.

Excerpt

Chapter One: Touch

I sat in the uncomfortable, metal folding chair, my wrists bound behind my back, my body naked, chilled and aroused by the raw feeling of helplessness. This is me and had been me since my lover broke it off and I gave up on trying for the real thing. Even though a man I desired stood nearby and was about to have his way with me, I figured I’d still be helpless and alone afterward—still searching for that thing I thought I had once. I wore a blindfold and could discern changes in light, but not much else.. I didn’t struggle. I wanted to be here, needed to be here. Every dark dream and erotic fantasy I envisioned before this moment about Marcel had prepared me. A door clipped shut nearby. The light dimmed. A shadow crossed before my limited field of vision.

“Are you ready?” the voice asked, a man’s voice, low and strong, with a hint of decadence in it.

“Yes.” I loved that about Marcel. The man exuded sex appeal. He always wore his button down shirts open at the top, revealing a chiseled chest and the hint of curled hairs. I envisioned his brown eyes, sharp, knowing, and able to hold everyone’s attention. I imagined those eyes examining my naked body. My cock, stiff with need, awaited the tortuous seduction soon to come. Was Marcel staring at it? Comparing it to his own length? Did it turn him on? I shivered at the delightful thought of our first secret meeting.

“Do you dream about me?” he whispered against my right ear. His lips brushed over my skin, hot, soft.

“I have ever since I met you at the party that first night.” I thought over our chance meeting. Marcel had crossed the room in a rush, his martini in hand. I stood still in the midst of the crowd of people trying my best to be invisible. The tall, dark seducer had bumped into me by accident, spilling the remains of his drink over the both of us. We had laughed over it.

“What do you dream?” Marcel questioned, drawing me from the memory. Lips moved down to take in an earlobe, to suckle it with a wet tongue.My tiny nipples hardened. I squirmed and immediately regretted it when Marcel pulled away. “I—I dream of you doing things to me. Kissing me, holding me.”

“Taking you?” he pressed, that lascivious tone tantalizing me. Footsteps, muffled by the rug, shushed as Marcel paced.

“Yes. I dream about that, too.”

A chuckle.

Fingers traced one knee in ticklish circles. Rough, experienced and manly, they massaged up my inner thigh. A whispered touch caressed the head of my erection before he retreated, leaving me to catch my breath.

“I won’t take you this time,” he said in a whisper. “You have to earn my affections. You have to work for them. I want a man who knows how to please me and whose body I can explore and know before I become a part of him.”

“But, I want you to take me tonight.” I said it without pleading, with truth, because I did want it. I needed to feel him buried inside me, thrusting, filling me. I shivered at the delicious thought.

Marcel moaned. “You’ll have to learn patience.”

Footsteps again, closer now.

Fingers returned to my thighs. His heated touch roamed over prickling skin, up and impossibly slow back down to my knees. Up again. I eased back in the chair, calming my breathing, enjoying the sensations of being teased.

The massages continued for some time before Marcel paused and popped open a bottle of something.

“What’s that?” I muttered, still floating above myself in relaxed bliss.

“Lotion.”

Hands rubbed together with wet sounds.

Warm, moist cream slicked over my legs. I groaned my frustration and longing. “You’re cruel.”

“No.” Fingers moved higher, circling my hardness, but never touching long enough. “I’m spoiling you. You’ll see. Taking you is not as good as pampering you.”

“I want you to take me.”

Palms, hot and soothing, explored the muscles of my abdomen. A finger toyed in my bellybutton, making me snort out a small laugh. Hands worked and molded, sending my mind away from my desires and into a world of darkness with touch...only Marcel’s touch.

A body soon wedged between my spread legs. I wanted more contact and scooted forward until Marcel’s bare chest pressed against my cock. He bucked once, the closeness intense.

He laughed, his voice near my heart. “I like your body,” he said, and kissed my nipple. Soft kisses, warm and tenuous worked across my skin to the other nipple. “You take care of yourself. How often do you work out?”

“Couple times a week,” I answered. “You could come with me.”

A chuckle again, devious and making me realize the double meaning in my words. “Not this night. This night it’s all about you. I’m not coming and you’re not going…anywhere.”

His cheek grazed along my side, down the abs I’d worked so hard to keep toned. A hint of stubble scratched my skin, but it felt good, like something that shouldn’t be allowed.

The blindfold heightened my senses of him. His every caress and press of his body set the fire ablaze in my loins.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Author Bio:

Anastasia Rabiyah is an author of erotic romance and fantasy. She often blends the two genres to create magical worlds of romance portrayed in a dark light. Enter her imagination, a place filled with demons, secrets, magic and star-crossed lovers. She writes in every spare moment, haunted by her muses.

Watch out. Here comes Alex Morgan!

2008-06-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

HI All, here I am again with another of my favorite authors works. Check out Safe Word, by Alex Morgan. This is a wonderful mystery, very erotic, with an interesting character twist in the end. We all have our deep dark secrets, places inside us we never see or show, and are rarely aware of until extraordinary circumstances bring them into the light, as Corey finds out in:

SAFEWORD

by: Alex Morgan

Available at http://www.loveyoudivine.com

The body of a man is found as Provincetown prepares for Mates weekend, a popular leather gathering. Corey thinks a bdsm scene went past its extreme limit. He tours the town’s dark dungeons, looking for a murderer preying on young men. Can Corey find him before becoming a victim to the ultimate bdsm fantasy of execution?

Blurb:
The naked body of a young man is found as Provincetown prepares for Mates weekend, a popular leather gathering. The police suspect a random murder but Corey thinks it was an extreme bdsm scene that went beyond its limit. He tours the town’s dark dungeons, looking for a murderer preying on young men. He becomes immersed in the local scene and discovers a side of himself he never explored before. In a sea of muscular leather masters and slaves, he realizes hidden urges in an environment where every fantasy can be fulfilled. He must set aside his sadomasochism desires to locate someone who takes the bdsm to the extreme before he kills again. Can Corey find him before becoming a victim to the ultimate bdsm fantasy of execution?

Author Bio:
Alex Morgan grew up in western Oklahoma, addicted to comic books, mysteries and Saturday morning cartoons. He has published several scientific articles and writes mysteries and comedy as well as gay erotica. He lives near Washington, DC with his partner.

Look out for Max Griffin!

2008-06-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

He likes to write stories with a Hitchcock twist and his evil genius for plot twists will keep you turning the pages. Max is joining his fellow loveyoudivine authors in the upcoming print anthology MEN, coming in August. Check out these two stories, wonderful parts of the hottest read you'll find this summer.

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME

by: Max Griffin

Available at http://www.loveyoudivine.com

Sean and Gil, polar opposites, seek in one another the perfect lover. In the a forbidden dungeon in Gil's apartment, Sean room finds secrets coiled within secrets. When he finally unlocks the mystery, he learns the horrifying truth about Gil, and about himself.

Blurb
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" is the a tale of Sean and Gil, polar opposites, who seek in one another the perfect lover. Twice forsaken by past loves, Sean longs for this newa relationship to that will last. But when he meets Gil, he believes he’s found his perfect mate. After Gil warns him to stay out of the spare room, temptation overpowers himSean. In the spare room Sean finds secrets coiled within secrets. With a turn of a key, Sean learns the horrifying truth about Gil, and about himself. The sound of Momma Cass singing the classic Gus Kahn song threads throughout the narrative of this novel, inviting readers to Ddream a Llittle Ddream. of idealized love alongside the characters. As the story unfolds, the dream edges over to nightmare and the love to horror.

Excerpt

On sudden impulse, he grabbed the key chain and strode to the spare room. Gil wouldn't know. He would just look for a moment, and then he’d lock it again. After all, it was just a room.

The key turned like any key. The door opened like any door. The room was dark. Sean groped for the light switch. When he flipped it on, an ethereal blue light, dim and chill bathed the room. The walls were painted ebony, and someone had taped black plastic bags over the windows. A sling dominated the middle of the room, hanging from the ceiling by chains. An array of sex toys hung from pegs, and mirrors adorned the walls, positioned at strange angles so that images reflected upon images in infinite progression.

Sean lusted for this room. The key chain suddenly felt heavy in his hand. He dropped it onto the sling, and ran fingertips along the leather and steel.

A deep freezer huddled against one wall of the room. "What a strange thing to have in a dungeon," he mused. The blue light cast a ghostly sheen on the white enamel finish. Curious, Sean strode to it and tried to lift the lid.

It was locked.

The tune from the bar and Momma Cass' voice lingered on his mind, though the words faded. He hummed in harmony with the melody cascading in his memory while he examined the freezer's lid.

Ah, there was a triangular opening just below the latch of the freezer lid. It was just the size of the dowel on the blue key. This must be the door that the third and final key on Gil's key chain opened.

The key chain rested on the sling, calling to him. As he approached it, out of the corner of his eye, Sean caught a hint of motion, a dark and handsome face repeating in an eternal echo of memories. Fear rushed through him. Had Gil come home early and found him disobeying? No, no, it was just his own image reflected in the mirrors, fooling him.

He tossed the key chain from one hand to another, reflecting. Gil could return at any moment. He backed out of the room, turned out the light, locked the door and left the spare room exactly as he had found it.

Author Bio:

Max Griffin writes horror and science fiction stories, often with a dark twist. Authors as diverse John Updike, Dean Koontz, Richard Matheson, and Lawrence Block inspire and inform his literary style.
Max Griffin is the pen name of a professional mathematician who is the author of a textbook and numerous research articles. When he is not writing fiction, his days are filled with teaching mathematics and statistics, research, and administrative work at a major comprehensive university in the southwest. He is the proud parent of a daughter who is a librarian. He is blessed to be in a long-term relationship with his life partner, Mr. Gene, who is an expert knitter.
The two humans in Max's household are the pets of an Abyssinian cat named Mr. Dinger, short for Erwin Schrodinger the Cat. Mr. Dinger graciously lets them live in his home in return for food and occasional petting. Oh, and there's that litter box thing they do for him too.

Pure Artistry, by Carol McKenzie

2008-06-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a moment to brag about my friend and fellow author in the upcoming MEN anthology at loveyoudivine.com Carol Mckenzie is the talented author of Pure Artistry, now available at http://loveyoudivine.com/

PURE ARTISTRY

by: Carol Mckenzie

Cameron Bracy is just out of a relationship and is straight…or so he thinks. Needing to lessen his stress, he enrolls in a drawing class. However, the tension only increases when he meets and becomes acquainted with the gorgeous hunk, Eli Thompson.

Cameron Bracy, an established Certified Public Accountant enrolls in a drawing class at a local university to relieve stress. Just out of a heterosexual relationship, and thinking he’s straight, he meets a man at the class, and denies the chemistry he feels for the gorgeous hunk, Eli Thompson. Over drinks and long walks to the canteen, they talk and becomes well acquainted. Eli, who also has just broken up with a male friend, is drawn to Cameron and attempts to show him through a series of experiments that gay sex is hot.

Author Bio: Carol born and raised in the Midwest, U.S.A. enjoys reading, writing and rendering artwork. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Eastern Illinois University and attended beauty school in Dubuque, Iowa. Dogs are her favorite animals, and in fact owns a pesky Jack Russell terrier. On any given day, she can be found sitting at her computer working away on her next story.

MEN
Are you ready to sizzle with the summer's passion? lyd's first His and His print anthology is all MEN cover to cover. Coming Soon from loveyoudivine Alterotica's His and His KissesIncluding lyd legends Carol McKenzie, Anastasia Rabiyah,Max Griffin, and Patricia Oshier Bruening. And we're very happy to introduce Jon Michaelsen, and Alex Morgan to you...from loveyoudivine Alterotica.

For more info please visit www.loveyoudivine.com

ISBN 978-1-60054-240-4
Genre: Gay Lit
www.loveyoudivine.com
www.amazon.com

2008-06-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

Good morning. I'd love to introduce a very talented author, whose work, I believe far in the world of ertoica. This story, soon to join Graphic Intentions in an anthology titled MEN, to be released in print from loveyoudivine.com in July. You can find Jon's story, Voyeur, at http://loveyoudivine.com/ today.

VOYEUR

by: Jon Michaelsen

Kevin enjoys gardening on the balcony of his high-rise. When he notices a chiseled Adonis staring out the window of the penthouse across the street, the sunlight cascading down the man’s naked torso, he’s mesmerized. What begins as innocent glances soon spirals into an obsession bound to that changes his life forever.

Kevin has an obsession; one that involves the muscular Adonis in the penthouse adjacent to his high-rise condominium. He’s told no one, not even Alice, his best friend at the office of his fascination. He purchases binoculars, adds a camera with zoom lens and spirals into the depths of voyeurism before devising a plan to finally meet the man of his dreams. An evening of easy conversation and lustful glances ends far too soon, but not before Tony plants the most amazing kiss ever on Kevin’s lips, leaving him yearning for more.
When Tony shows up at Kevin’s apartment the next night all bloody and bruised, Kevin offers him instant refuge…and his bed. But not all is what it seems. Police burst into Kevin’s home, searching for the killer of a man in the penthouse across the street—Tony’s so-called partner.
Will Kevin’s pleas of innocence save him from this horrible turn of events?

Excerpt
Later in the week, Kevin sat at his desk and stared at a spreadsheet of figures. He calculated and recalculated each totaling different than before. He snapped his fourth pencil and held his face in his hands. Frustrated and exhausted, with a headache the size of a boulder, he sighed. Month-end loomed and the more time he spent on this client’s portfolio, the less he for his other accounts. He’d spent the last few nights tossing about and awakened by nightmares, none of which he could recall. Each retching experience left him drenched in sweat and drained. Though forty-five minutes remained of his shift, he logged off the computer, killed the lights, closed the door to his office and exited the building.
He walked a couple blocks to Peachtree Street and headed south, strolling past a menagerie of street vendors who hawked everything from faux designer handbags and watches to fake collegiate team jerseys and sweatshirts. He entered the Five Points rail station and boarded a crowded commuter train headed west. Exiting at Centennial Olympic Park station, he walked the few blocks home. Inside his unit, he rushed to the wet-bar camouflaged behind a beveled mirror door in the kitchen. He poured a tumbler full of scotch and downed half the amber liquid. Though not prone to needing a cocktail before dinner, tonight he made an exception. His was anxious, but couldn’t figure what made him nervous, or why he lacked focused at work today. The guy in the window, maybe? He shrugged his shoulders. Whatever caused his stomach to grind the last few nights and must be responsible for his restless sleeps, and now seemed poised to ruin the rest of evening.
He stepped out onto the terrace and moved to the railing to stare at the horizon. The scenery appeared aseptic, not as beautiful as the other day. Could it the absence of the angelic face? The sun’s rays glistening across his sun-bronzed skin? He frowned. The sun set the same time every day during spring, spreading tranquility across the sky. So, why should today be any different?
He chanced a glance toward the window across the way. The glass stood empty and dark, the vertical blinds drawn. No young man peered out. Disappointed, he sipped the alcohol dry and moved back inside.
Before going to bed, Kevin opened the mini-blinds in his bedroom. The windows covered the south wall, floor to ceiling and overlooked the city. He looked up at the night sky that resembled a black canvass littered with white dots of various shapes. The view engrossed him. He stood there longer than he’d intended, when a flash caught the corner of his eye. He glanced down and across to the adjacent tower. A light glowed against the backdrop to reveal a bedroom of the unit across the way. By his calculations, the same floor belonging to the hot guy from the window. He made out a dresser, reclining chair and the lower portion of a frameless bed.
His heart jumped into his throat, excited with the prospect of seeing the guy again. He wanted to catch a glimpse of him once more to be content. Afterward, he’d go to bed and forget all about the man in the window for the night.
His plan failed the moment a figure moved within sight. He found himself trapped, frozen by the hunger, the need to see even more. The man he spotted days earlier passed by the window again. He moved about the room, perhaps getting ready for bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress to remove his sneakers and socks. He stood and unbuttoned his jeans and dropped them his knees. He sat and slipped free of the denim.
Kevin’s heart pounded in his chest like a jackhammer. His stomach somersaulted and his mouth went dry. What luck! Adrenaline shot through his body like fireworks. Clad only in white briefs, the man came toward the window. Kevin panicked. He tried to move away from sight but stumbled. Regaining his balance, he eased forward like a child sneaking a peek at Santa Claus in the middle of the night.
The blinds no longer glowed. The guy disappeared
***
Kevin missed his alarm in the morning. He called in to explain his tardiness. He showered, dressed in a pale blue linen suit with a yellow tie and rushed to work. When he arrived, he found Alice waiting in his office. She handed him a cup of coffee.
"You’re late."
"I called in." Kevin pulled the cord of the lamp on his desk.
"You missed our appointment."
Her eyes followed him around the room as he opened blinds and turned on the radio. He placed his jacket on the back of his chair and plopped down behind the desk. "You are late once in a while. Give a guy a break, will ya?"
"I am never late," she sassed, brushing aside auburn curls. "Relax, already. I’ve proofed the figures. We won’t be late for the presentation."
"I did that yesterday." He felt the irritation rising in his voice.
"I know, but I found several mistakes."
Rolling his eyes, he retrieved a pair of reading glasses and placed them on the bridge of his nose. "Where?" He figured she’d already marked the errors, like usual. Her character often involved pointing out the faults in others. He watched her tiny body squirm with agitation.
"Pages three, five and eight." She pointed to each correction. "What in the hell was on your mind yesterday, Kev? You know this is an important proposal! If we don’t show the Stutmans they’re investments are solid, we’ll loose the account. Do you realize? That’s half a million in revenue for this firm."
"I’m sorry, Alice." He sighed. "I promise that I’ll pay closer attention. Okay, let’s go to the meeting."
Kevin drifted through the rest of the day. The image of the guy in the adjacent high-rise seemed to be everywhere, haunting him around every corner, in the lobby, even in the break room. Men who passed him in the corridor took on the features of the mysterious young man. In the john, a colleague stood beside Kevin at the sink as they both washed their hands. Turning to exit, he nodded at Kevin, who could only see the full lips of the stranger from the window.
On his way home, Kevin passed a photography store. The window display featured binoculars of various sizes. Kevin entered to browse with no intent to purchase. He left with an inexpensive pair of binoculars. Embarrassed and feeling guilty, he concealed the purchase under his blazer and rushed home.
That night, after Desperate Housewives he had recorded the night before, Kevin glanced out the glass door to the balcony. The blinds across the way were open and the lights illuminated from the penthouse. Seized by the possibilities, he rushed to get the binoculars. He snuck to his bedroom window without turning on the lights. He pressed the rubber tips of the scopes to his eyes and focused. He’s lifting weights!
The guy appeared far better looking than he’d imaged, with a narrow nose, sharp jaw line, dimples and piercing green eyes. He could easily be a runway model at Bryant Park! Shirtless and wearing white gym shorts that clung to his body like a second skin, Kevin watched as he bent down to retrieve a set of chrome dumbbells. He curled the weight in each arm, twisting his wrist at the top of each pull, his stomach contracting to reveal solid muscle. Kevin counted the lines of the six-pack. The guy’s biceps bulged with reach repetition.
He ignored the stirring in his loins and struggled to keep the binoculars steady. Finished, the man moved out of view, perhaps to shower. Kevin remained at the window waiting the guy’s return. His hands shook, his chest heaved. What are you doing? He chastised himself. Becoming a freaking Peeping Tom! A flash regained his attention. The guy reappeared, a white towel secured about his waist. Kevin stared through scopes, the heat of his eyes fogging the lenses. The man moved toward the window and in a quick one-two motion, stripped from the cloth and closed the blinds.
Kevin stood awestruck, angry he’d drawn the blinds, but thrilled to get a glimpse of the beautiful man. He stayed at the window for over an hour longer, hoping the guy would return to open the blinds. He tried many times, but couldn’t pull away from the window. He wanted just one more look before going to bed, an image to take with him in slumber. His eyes aching from the strain of staring for hours through the rubber-tipped scopes pressed into his face and frustrated the glimpse he prayed for never came, he fell onto his mattress sometime well after midnight.

Author Bio:
Jon Michaelsen is an author of erotic romance and suspense/thriller stories where main characters happen to be gay. Being gay doesn’t define his characters, but it does provide interesting opportunities for challenging plots, often with a twist. His writing is influenced by such diverse authors as David Baldacci, John Grisham and Michael Crichton, to the groundbreaking, Patricia Nell Warren, Michael Nava and Felice Picano.

5 Cup Review from Coffee Time Romance for Graphic Intentions

2008-06-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Mondays are usually horrible for me--I hate monday mornings especially. But not today. How can you have a horrible day when it starts like this:

GRAPHIC INTENTIONSPATRICIA OSHIER BRUENING
ISBN# 1-60054-246-6
June 6, 2008Love You Divine www.loveyoudivine.com
E-book$3.50
96 Pages
Gay Romance
Rating: 5 cups

Scott Delaney is a graphic novelist who is suffering from writer¢s block. He is looking for inspiration.
Derek Reinhart is a consultant and makes more than enough money to live the high life, yet he chooses not to. He just takes things on a day by day basis.
When Scott spots Derek in a diner, he knows he has found his muse. His writer¢s block instantly disappears and Scott finds himself feverishly drawing picture after picture featuring Derek. It is not long before Derek notices the hot guy who keeps watching him and then drawing. Curious, he goes over and takes a look at the drawings, and then introduces himself. Both men are highly attracted to each other, but both think the other is straight. When a drunk bigot takes out his frustrations on Scott, Derek defends him and it is then that they discover their mutual attraction. Will they be able to help each other work through their dark pasts, or will those pasts drive them apart?
I loved Graphic Intentions! There is nothing I love more than a gay romance that has deep seated emotions on the part of the two main characters. Ms. Bruening paints a picture of two men who have been hurt deeply by decisions they made in the past, each carrying deep scaring on the inside. Reading about these two men who are tortured by their memories coming together and helping each other heal makes for a fantastic story. The emotions are realistic, as are the men, and there is no sugar coating any of it which I thought was great. The love scenes are hotter than hot, and had this reader fanning herself quite often. Even if you do not buy another book this month, you will want to buy Graphic Intentions!

Regina
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books

Absolutely nothing can go wrong on a day that starts like this--if it does, it won't bother me!

Available today: Graphic Intentions at loveyoudivine.com

2008-06-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited now--my latest story, Graphic Intentions is now available at http://loveyoudivine.com. You can check out a trailer, the cover art and an excerpt in my june 4 entry.

Graphic Intentions will also be released in a print anthology titled MEN coming in July. Love You Divine Alterotica is sponsoring a contest, see http://lydcontest.carol-mckenzie.com/ for more details on this and other wonderful stories by this group of very talented authors.

Upcoming New Release

2008-06-04T10:05:00.001-07:00

Coming June 6, 2008 from love you divine alterotica,

and also appearing in the MEN anthology, the first anthology by love you divine for the His & His Kisses line

GRAPHIC INTENTIONS

Scarred by past events, Scott and Derek find each other when neither is looking for a partner. Can they discover a way to battle their inner demons together rather than alone?

Scott Delaney, a graphic novelist suffering from writer's block, discovers his elusive inspiration in Derek Reinhart, but he finds himself interested in him for more than just breaking down the wall of his writer’s block.
Derek isn't looking for a relationship, but is intrigued by something beyond Scott's graphic artwork.
While each is thinking the other is straight, neither acts on the attraction until a loudmouth bigot confronts them. Sparks fly as they begin exploring this new side of their relationship, but can their new passion overcome each of their haunting pasts?

Read an excerpt at: http://www.freewebs.com/patricbrueni/graphicintentions.htm

MEN

Are you ready to sizzle with the summer's passion? lyd's first His and His print anthology is all MEN cover to cover. Coming Soon from loveyoudivine Alterotica's His and His KissesIncluding lyd legends Carol McKenzie, Anastasia Rabiyah,Max Griffin, and Patricia Oshier Bruening. And we're very happy to introduce Jon Michaelsen, and Alex Morgan to you...from loveyoudivine Alterotica.

For more info please visit http://lydcontest.carol-mckenzie.com/ and www.loveyoudivine.com

ISBN 978-1-60054-240-4

Genre: Gay Lit

www.loveyoudivine.com

www.amazon.com

Doofus Newbie here

2008-06-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hi All, please bear with me as my technoligically impaired brain figures this all out. And pelase, pardon the typos. I try to be diligent in proofreading but invariably, some errors slip through. i will return at a later point to write a real entry but I just set this up and needed a starting point. Thank you for your time and patience.