Not THAT sort of a man!

“I’ll be gone about a week. You and Gramps can manage that long without me, right?”

“Of course we can. Have you got a hotel room yet? They’ve got that big party there for New Year’s, so I’m hoping not everything’s booked.”

Anna concentrated on slicing the bread evenly. She knew Gran wasn’t going to approve of what she was going to say next.

“Well? Have you?” Gran asked.

“I’m staying in Jim’s guest room.”

“Without a chaperone?”

“I’m not flying out there to have sex with him, Gran!”

Her grandmother chuckled. “I don’t for a minute believe you’re going out there planning the sort of shenanigans that will get you in trouble, but I’m not a naïve country girl, either. That sort of thing happens when unmarried people stay under the same roof. One goodnight kiss can turn into a baby before you realize what’s happening!”

“He’s not that sort of a man.”

“Honey, they’re all that sort of a man. And for that matter, we’re all that sort of women.” (From Meet Me Midway, by Natalie Peck) http://tinyurl.com/kendo35

Screaming and Shouting

A squealing howl, a loud bang, and a very prominent whistling noise grabbed everyone’s attention. The wind suddenly poured itself into one of the jetways, flinging the terminal door open, bringing snow with it. A loud bell wailed and a bright red light above the door started flashing.

A woman’s shriek and several children’s terrified screams added to the din. The gate agent only took moments to punch a code into the keypad next to the door and silence the alarm. He picked up a phone receiver and shouted into it over the roaring wind.

His yell was loud enough everyone could hear him reassuring security the alarm had been caused by the wind, not a person trying to get into restricted areas of the airport.

Hanging up the phone, he struggled against the wind to push the door closed. Once the door was secured, he got on the PA system to calm everyone down. It was several long minutes before the children quieted. (From Meet Me Midway, by Natalie Peck) Read more here.

Chatting with Natalie Peck

We're pleased to interview the second of our new authors, Natalie Peck.

ES: Tell me a little about yourself as a person.

NP: I’m Natalie Peck. I’m married, with a daughter, and I live in Gilbert, Arizona. I love trying new recipes and coaxing my family to eat my creations. Nearly all of my favorite television shows are British. I’m taking a class to learn how to draw, and surprising myself by doing better than I thought I would.

ES: If you had unlimited money, what’s the first thing you would spend it on?

NP: I’d buy my mom a reliable car.

ES: What’s your biggest fear?

NP: Crickets. Well, most bugs, really, but crickets really scare me because they always jump right at my face.

ES: What is the most important thing in your world?

NP: My daughter. My entire world revolves around raising her and convincing her that she’s the awesome individual that she is.

ES: What is your favorite color?

NP: Most shades of purple.

ES: What’s your writing tool of choice?

NP: I do most of my writing on my computer. For writing by hand, I prefer a pen, either ball point or fountain.

ES: Reading: Paper or Electrons? Why?

NP: I read both. I like my Nook, because I can take so many books with me wherever I go, and they weigh nothing, but I also like the feel and smell of paper. My family owns pretty close to 5,000 paper books, and I think I’ve got somewhere around 300 or so on my Nook.

ES: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

NP: I assume you mean with the “me” time that isn’t taken up with cooking, cleaning, child-raising and other such family stuff. I like to read, play computer games, play board games, and watch TV with my family. I love going someplace cool with my daughter, just to watch her eyes light up.

ES: Tell me about your current work in progress.

NP: I’m working on a novella that’s currently named Meet me Midway, which is about two people who meet while they’re stuck in a storm at an airport. Being a romance, of course they fall in love, but then they have to figure out how they’re going to make things work, since one is a senior writer at a Manhattan advertising agency, and the other lives in small-town USA helping the grandparents take care of the family farm. The book will be out this fall, and I’m so excited that the Electric Scroll is publishing it for me.

ES: Tell me about your most recent published work, and why people should buy it.

NP: When I first wrote A Gigolo for Christmas, I asked my friend A M Jenner if we could publish it under her name, since she was already an established author. I’ll be getting it re-published under my own name within the next year, through the Electric Scroll, but until then, you’ll have to buy it with the old name still on it.

The story is a sweet romance between a woman who has nothing left to lose, and a guy who has, in her opinion, the most unsuitable job in the world.  Here’s the official book description:

Shelia Everett couldn't have imagined a worse company Christmas party. By the end of the evening she was unemployed and homeless.

Fortunately her boss' date, Anders Adamson was willing to help her repair the damage. He even offered to help her get a job at his escort service.  What's a good girl to do when she discovers she's fallen in love with a gigolo?  

Anyone wanting to read a sweet romance should buy my Gigolo and take him home for Christmas. You can get it here.