Hi, everyone, and welcome back. Here's another G-rated sample from my new adventure release, Shakedown. Bonnie's retired war dog, Pojo, has run off almost as soon as he arrived.
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“Well, that was quick.” Fragging, frogging mutt.

Okay, so she should have grabbed the leash. Too late for hindsight. Like him or not, she needed to find the dog. There was a cougar out there twice his size, a coyote pack, javelinas with serious attitude, and if he made it that far, scorpions and rattlesnakes on the Chihuahua Desert floor. Pojo could likely deal with Afghanistan, he’d worked there, but West Texas was a whole ’nother country.

Repeated blasts from the dog whistle, the one that was supposed to bring the brilliantly trained bomb sniffer from the ends of the earth, produced neither hide nor hair. And she couldn’t get a signal on the cell phone, despite the military sort-of-surplus antenna on the roof. Well, signals were problematic at best, here in the mountains and the middle of nowhere. Bonnie shimmied up the ladder to the loft and flicked on the AN/PRC-77 radiotelephone, preset to the park ranger station’s channel.

“Pine Springs Station, Pine Springs Station, this is Whiskey Five Zulu.” Impatience bit at her. “Neal, Terri, are you there?”

The radio crackled. “Pine Springs Station here, Whiskey Five Zulu. It’s Terri, hon. What’s wrong?”

“Terri, my new dog arrived today and he’s already run off. I’m going to try chasing him down with the jeep. Leave the channel open for me?”

More crackling as the pause dragged out. Bonnie pressed her lips together. Terri Thomas was sweet and big-hearted. She’d understand hunting for a lost dog, even though the park was closed for the night and the rangers home around a television and fire. But Terri wouldn’t approve the hunt without a nod from Neal, her husband and the senior ranger. While Neal had gone along with Bonnie’s plan for a dog and horse, he hadn’t hidden his lack of enthusiasm. She didn’t like Pojo, but he was her responsibility.

She couldn’t abandon him. No matter what Neal said when he took over the mike.

No matter how much, for one desperate second, she yearned to.

“Whiskey Five Zulu,” a new, deeper voice said, “this is Pine Springs Station. It’s Neal, Bonnie. Go ahead and get your dog. But take a rifle along as well as the radio. I found what was left of another mule deer up on McKittrick Ridge today, a bare mile from the Grotto.”

A cold fist squeezed inside her chest. The limestone Grotto was less than a mile from her cabin. If the cougar was ranging that close, then Pojo was in grave danger.
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Now available from all fine ebook websites, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and AstraeaPress.com.

Here's the Sweet List. Enjoy. Cheers,

Gunnar

1. Kay Springsteen, Regency  
2. Susan Aylworth, contemporary  
3. Jenna Jaxon~Historical Romance  
4. Carrie-Anne Brownian ~ 1970s historical fiction with romantic elements  
5. Patricia Kiyono - Historical Romance  
6. J. Gunnar Grey, adventure  
7. Heidi Murphy-Paranormal romance, SF, romance  
8. Lindsay Downs, adventure (mild language)  
9. Leah Sanders - sweet historical romance  
10. Tmonique Stephens~Paranormal Romance  
11. Elaine Cantrell, inspirational romance  
12. Laurel-Rain Snow - Contemporary Fiction  
13. Rachel Rossano - romantic fantasy  
14. Rachel Van Dyken-Regency Romance/Contemporary Romance  
15. Beth Trissel Historical-Paranormal Romance  
16. Sherry Gloag ~ Regency Romance  
17. Mickie Sherwood - Mainstream Contemporary Romance  
18. S.G. Rogers - Romantic Fantasy/Fantasy Adventure  

Hey, everyone, despite a few adventures in the making (did I mention the cover artist and I finalized that work of art the evening before release?) Shakedown is now LIVE. Set in the same "world" as my contemporary mystery~adventure Trophies, Shakedown is the story of a NATO intel officer, combat zone veteran, computer nerd (take your descriptive pick) who adopts a retired war dog and gets more than she bargained for.

Last week we shared the opening; here's another G-rated excerpt.
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Pojo stalked away, head down, sniffing at the scrubby mountain grass. He turned and in the slanting evening sunlight, the washed-out hue of his mask and saddle became more obvious against his clear tan ruff and brindled hindquarters. Along his level back, several chunks of shorter fur rippled as he circled around them at the end of the leash.

Still ignoring her.

“So he was injured? Badly?”

“Not him, no. He and his handler were sniffing out a minefield near Khost, and the handler stumbled over a tripwire. One of them bounding anti-personnel mines.” The driver rubbed the back of his neck and ducked his head. “Cut the handler in half, but Pojo only caught a few bits of stray shrapnel.”

So the dog had seen his handler killed. That sounded like trauma and not a good thing at all. People went round the bend from less. One of her team members suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. The first time he’d flashed back, he’d had screaming fits in the hospital loud enough to be heard in the next hall over. He’d rolled out of bed, taking the bed with him. He’d had to be sat on and medicated.

One clear ray of golden sunlight splashed across Pojo, backlighting him and darkening that grey to charcoal. Then he stepped past it, nose cutting through tufts of grass and snuffling loudly. What happened when a war dog flashed back? Considering those teeth, did she want to stick around and find out?

The driver held out the leash. She didn’t want to take it. The brute on the leash’s end twisted her about somewhere deep inside. But already the red nylon was winding around her legs. If she didn’t take it, Pojo was going to tie them together, and the driver was too much a Southern country boy for her taste. She slipped her hand through the loop and stepped away.

Time to shake her down, boys.

The twist inside her tightened at the thought. In the days of sail, a newly-built ship, with a new crew and a new captain, would take a short, noncombatant cruise first thing off the stocks. The captain would feel out the ship’s behavior, the officers would sort out the crew, and the crew would learn their duties. A shakedown cruise, it was called.

She was going to shake it down with a dog that had more teeth than the law allowed, a dog with a brain that might or might not be in fully functional condition. A dog that clearly wasn’t impressed by her at all.

He still hadn’t looked at her since jumping from the SUV.
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Shakedown is now available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, the Astraea Press website, Smashwords, and many other ebook sales sites.

Here's the Sweet List. Enjoy. Cheers,

Gunnar

1. Andrea Buginsky, YA fantasy  
2. Kay Springsteen, Regency  
3. Marsha A. Moore - Fantasy romance  
4. Jenna Jaxon~Historical Romance  
5. Carrie-Anne Brownian ~ 1970s historical fiction  
6. Patricia Kiyono - Historical Romance  
7. Heidi Murphy-Paranormal romance, SF, romance  
8. Ruth Rainwater-Mixed Genre  
9. J. Gunnar Grey, mystery~adventure  
10. Leah Sanders - sweet historical romance  
11. Rachel Rossano - romantic fantasy  
12. Iris Blobel ~~ Romance  
13. Lindsay Downs-Suspense  
14. Laurel-Rain Snow - Contemporary Fiction  
15. Juli D. Revezzo--Paranormal Fantasy  
16. Beth Trissel Historical-Paranormal Romance  
17. Lisa Beth Darling-Immortal Romance  
18. Sherry Gloag ~ Regency Romance  
19. Elaine Cantrell contemporary romance  
20. Mickie Sherwood - Mainstream Contemporary Romance  
21. Rachel Van Dyken, contemporary romance  

Hi, everyone, and welcome back! Two big announcements this week — I've finished and submitted the Regency, A Different Sort of Perfect, and it's almost time to release Shakedown. An Army computer techie adopts a retired, traumatized war dog, a bomb sniffer. So is the dog insane or is she missing something?

Here's the opening.
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McKittrick Canyon
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Culberson County, far West Texas

“Captain Kelly Bonham? Here he is,” said the SUV’s driver, punctuating his words full stop by slamming the vehicle’s door. “Your rescue dog.”

Yeah. Right. Bonnie rubbed her hands on her fatigue pants. Silly, to feel nervous over a dog. It wasn’t like she’d accepted a blind date or anything outrageous. Dogs generally liked her and the more she saw of dogs, the more she preferred them to every single man she knew. But still her palms itched, as if she’d done something stupid and expected to regret it.

Through the tinted side windows, all she could see was a dark outline, sitting stiffly upright in the rear seat. It seemed to be staring at her. Sure, great. Make me even more nervous.

The driver trudged around the SUV’s front, a Texas Rangers ball cap tugged down crookedly over his eyes. His lopsided grin tucked up his cheek on one side, leaving the other side of his face serious, and he set a clipboard and two stuffed file folders on the hood in passing.

“His name’s Pojo,” the driver said. “That’s Papa Oscar Juliet Oscar. He’s a registered German Shepherd, but not suitable for showing.” He popped open the rear door and held it for her with a flourish.

Bonnie wiped her hands again and leaned over.

From the shadows, the most incredible pair of eyes stared back at her. Not the usual canine brown or black — but amber, gleaming pools of expensive, honey-toned Baltic amber, the sort of thing usually seen strung into a rich woman’s necklace. Wary, thoughtful eyes, staring without blinking as if weighing her in the balance. A shock rippled along Bonnie’s spine. This wasn’t a dog who’d wash her face, chase a ball, roll over for a tummy rub. This was a dog who made his own decisions. And he was making one right now.

Without looking away, he yawned, showing off an impressive collection of huge, glistening teeth, a dark mouth, an amazingly long tongue. His jaws stretched so wide, her head started to spin at the cavernous space opening before her. Then he snapped his jaws closed, teeth clacking.

And looked away. As if she no longer existed.

Oh, crap. Had she ever made a mistake.
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Tentative release schedule says Tuesday's the big release day. If that changes, I'll post a note. Ditto for any news on the Regency.

Here's the Sweet List. Click and enjoy. Cheers,

Gunnar

1. J. Gunnar Grey, mystery~adventure  
2. Lisa Orchard, middle grade mystery  
3. Kay Springsteen, Regency  
4. Heidi Murphy-Paranormal romance, SF, romance  
5. Patricia Kiyono - Historical Romance  
6. Carrie-Anne Brownian ~ 1970s historical fiction  
7. Lisa Beth Darling-Immortal Romance  
8. Lindsay Downs, suspense  
9. Jenna Jaxon~Historical Romance  
10. Susan Aylworth, contemporary  
11. Leah Sanders - sweet historical romance  
12. Sherry Gloag ~ Regency Romance  
13. Marsha Ward ~ Westerns with Heart & Grit  
14. Iris Blobel ~~ Romance ~~  
15. Laurel-Rain Snow - Contemporary Fiction  
16. Mickie Sherwood - Mainstream Contemporary Romance  
17. Kim Bowman, Regency  
18. Kim Bowman and Kay Springsteen, Regency  
19. Elaine Cantrell-Contemporary Romance  

Hello, everybody, and welcome back. (And happy birthday to my sister!) Hazard Yet Forward, an amazing and massive anthology, is now available on Amazon. It's over 700 pages, 75 stories, in more genres than I can count. If you're looking for a quality source of never-ending stories and writers, this is the collection for you. And because it's a charity anthology, you can't go wrong.

Here's an excerpt from my little contribution, entitled "The Lilies at Laura's Wedding." Don't worry, I'll end it just as it's getting good.
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She grabbed his hand, and hauled him across the bridge and down the grassy slope to the Cherwell’s bank. The lines of tied-together punts bounced against the concrete edging, the slow river whispering past. He followed her to the farthest line, beneath the shadow of Magdalen Bridge, where she crossed her arms in dramatic displeasure.

“Well? Hand me in like a gentleman.”

Neither of them attended Magdalen and so they’d no rights to these punts, but there was no sense arguing with Laura. He eased aboard, into the deep afternoon shadows, and helped her to follow. But she stumbled, or seemed to, falling against his chest and sending the craft to the end of its rope. His grace on water was no more secure than his dignity and he sat rather than fall, guiding her down beside him, and before he could give her room she ran her hands up his arms, across his chest, to his cheeks, and held him still while she stroked his lips with her own.

Something flamed inside him at her touch. His arms around her tightened, crushing her curves against him and arching her waist back over the till. Her head fell back, resting on his arm, and one hand gripped his hair as if to hold him where she wanted him. Beneath his kiss her lips opened, sucking him in and feeding the flames. His hand slipped below her waist, tracing that most luscious of curves, and meeting skin then lace and silk as she wrapped one leg around him and her skirt fell much higher than mid-calf.
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See? You can help a good cause and read for weeks with one little purchase. Come on, you know you wanna. Even if the anthology isn't close to sweet.

Here's the Sweet List. Enjoy. Cheers,

Gunnar

1. Kay Springsteen, contemporary romance
2. Heidi Murphy-Paranormal romance, SF, romance
3. Marsha Ward~Westerns with Heart & Grit
4. Sharon Cullen, paranormal romance
5. Jenna Jaxon~Historical Romance
6. Carrie-Anne Brownian ~ 1970s historical fiction
7. Victoria Adams, contemporary romance
8. Marsha A. Moore – Fantasy romance
9. Sandra Nachlinger/Sandra Allen – Romance
10. Patricia Kiyono – Historical Romance
11. Leah Sanders – sweet historical romance
12. J. Gunnar Grey, historical fiction
13. Laurel-Rain Snow – Contemporary Fiction
14. Lindsay Downs-Suspense
15. Beth Trissel Historical-Paranormal Romance
16. Misha Tagliaferro – Paranormal Romance
17. Elaine Cantrell contemporary romance
18. Mickie Sherwood – Mainstream Romance

Hi everybody. Let me introduce you to Donna Munro. She's a fabulous and rather fiendish writer of horror stories. She's got a warm heart when her thoughts aren't elbow-deep in gore, and she graduated a year ahead of me from Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction graduate program.

Donna has breast cancer.

So 76 of us SHU writers, faculty, alumni, and students, banded together to create this charity anthology. Sure, yeah, there are a number of these anthologies out there. Do any others have 75 works in them — flash fiction, short stories, and novellas? Ranging from horror to romance to mystery, and catching up everything in between? With stories from so many award-winning authors, there's no room to list them? Trust me, this is the anthology least likely to disappoint. And with a cover like that, you know you'll love it.

My own contribution to Hazard Yet Forward is insignificant: a short story based upon the backstory of a minor character from Deal with the Devil (which is still 99¢, by the way). Here's a G-rated excerpt from "The Lilies at Laura's Wedding."
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He’d taken her punting up the Isis and they’d stopped at the Trout in Wolvercote, sitting at an outside table as far from the inn as possible, where no one could overhear their meaningless chatter. They’d lingered over ale and sandwiches as the sun climbed to noon, chunks of smoldering light filtering through the old tree’s canopy and the river splashing against the bridge behind them. When he’d taken her hand in his, massaging the fleshy base of her palm with his thumb, she’d smiled a feline smile and closed her eyes.

“Medical students are the best, you know.” One eyelid eased open. A dilated pupil, surrounded by golden-green hazel at its greenest, flickered his way. “You lot know all the right bits to stroke and poke.”

“Good to know my years of study haven’t been entirely in vain.” But she was still able to speak coherently, so the job wasn’t done properly. He moved the massage up her fingers. The visible pupil dilated further, the iris lost focus, and her eyelid drifted down again. River water splashed against the shoreline’s concrete edging, as if eager to compete with her quickening breaths.

“Of course, it can only be better with a full doctor.” She glanced at him again, both eyes open this time as if daring him to work her other bits. “With scented candles, champagne, soft music—”

“—less clothing—”

She yanked her hand away and turned her shoulder, and a tremor of insecure nerves assaulted his own interested bits. But then she leaned against him, and her unspoken threat lost its heft as his shoulder took her weight and warmth spread from his center to his fingers and toes.
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Hazard Yet Forward goes on sale Tuesday. In the meantime, you can get to know Donna better and take a closer look at the anthology by clicking here.

Here's the Sweet List. Enjoy. Cheers,

Gunnar

1. Jenna Jaxon~Historical Romance
2. Kay Springsteen, Regency
3. Lindsay Downs-Contemporary Suspense
4. Beth Trissel Historical-Paranormal Romance
5. Carrie-Anne Brownian ~ 1970s historical fiction
6. J. Gunnar Grey, historical fiction
7. Leah Sanders – sweet historical romance
8. Laurel-Rain Snow – Contemporary Fiction
9. Marsha Ward ~ Westerns with Heart & Grit
10. Benjamin Wallace – Comic Fiction
11. Joselyn Vaughn ~ contemporary romance
12. Elaine Cantrell contemporary romance
13. Mickie Sherwood – Mainstream Contemporary Romance