Thank you to
Jennifer for hosting me again! I’m thrilled to get a chance to come back and
share my latest story with you. My current romantic suspense novella, Simple
Treasures, was released on December 25th. Merry Christmas to
me!
The heroine of
this story, Joanna Grainger, enjoys everything she can in life. She appreciates
all the beautiful scenes she sees while in Edinburgh for Hogmanay, or New
Year’s to the rest of us. As she wanders through the colored lights, watches
the fireworks, and listens to the music, she reminds the hero, Colin Munro, of
a little kid in a sweet shop. But Joanna has a reason for living her life like
this. She almost died.
Before the story
begins, Joanna spent time in the US Army. While a soldier, she received an
injury that left her with an ugly scar on her chest. Thankfully, the surgical
team was able to repair the physical damage and keep her alive, but the emotional
scars have lingered. She doubts her own judgment and often struggles with her
identity as a woman. Of course, she has had college to keep her busy so it’s
been easy to shove her doubts and worries about herself to the back of her
mind. But the villain after her in Simple Treasures and the attraction
she feels to Colin both force her to deal with her emotions, her worries and
her view of herself.
I don’t know
about you, but I know I’ve had self-doubts before. Although, thankfully, my own
have never been as crippling as Joanna’s are. For that reason, it was difficult
to delve into Joanna’s psyche as I wrote this story. But ultimately I’m
thrilled with the way it turned out. It’s a story I can definitely be proud of.
Plus, setting it in Edinburgh during the Hogmanay Festival gave me a chance to share
some fantastic events in one of my favorite cities in the world.
Happy New Year
to everyone! Be safe as you ring in the New Year, and may 2013 bring you all
some exciting, positive surprises!
ALEXA BOURNE- SIMPLE TREASURES
Author
Bio:
Alexa Bourne is a teacher by
day and a romantic suspense writer by nights, weekends, and all school
holidays. She also teaches online classes for writers throughout the year. She
is thrilled to be writing for Decadent Publishing and to have the chance to
share her love of Great Britain with readers everywhere.
When she's not concocting sinister
plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring new cultures, Alexa
spends her time reading, watching brainless TV and thinking about exercising.
She loves to interact with readers, so visit her web page, hang out at her
blog, follow her on Twitter or drop her a note at Alexa@alexabourne.com!
Book
Blurb:
Take-charge bodyguard Colin Munro
believes working for the International Protective Network will be the perfect
occupation for him. Unfortunately, his trial assignment is protecting a woman
who has no intention of blindly following orders. Aye, he’ll bring the bonnie
lass in line because there’s no way he’ll allow her to ruin his chance of
securing his dream job.
Physically and emotionally scarred
during her stint as a U.S. soldier, Joanna Grainger wants nothing more than to
enjoy life. New Year's Eve in Edinburgh marks the beginning of her
transformation. But when she witnesses a crime no one believes occurred, her
plans come to a screeching halt. To make matters worse, her sexy but headstrong
bodyguard has no compassion for her or the victim.
As danger hunts them during one of the
busiest times of the year, Joanna must convince Colin she's a worthy partner.
But first, can she convince herself?
Excerpt:
Joanna
bolted upright. Darkness wrapped her in its hideous embrace. And silence
reigned. Her heart raced. She flattened her hands on the mattress beneath her.
Mattress.
Bed. Colin’s hotel room.
Rustling
sounds came from the floor. The bedside lamp flickered on. Colin propped
himself up, one knee bent and an arm dangling over it. He squinted against the
brightness. “Are you all right?”
“I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” She brushed her fingers under her eyes.
“Don’t
be daft, lass.”
“I
had a bad dream.” She smoothed her hair back off her face. Moisture beaded at
her temples.
“Here
we call it a nightmare.” He smiled, and at once she relaxed her shoulders.
“Americans
do, too.” After another deep breath, she said, “I’ll be all right.” Once her
heart rate slowed to normal. With her forearm, she wiped perspiration from her
forehead.
He
stood, padded into the bathroom, and ran the faucet. When he returned, he sat
beside her, tucked his finger under her chin, and pressed the cloth to her
cheek. The cool moisture soothed her burning skin.
She
reached up and covered his hand with hers. “I can do that.”
“I
know.” He brushed her fingers away. “But you’ll not.”
After
a few seconds, he moved the wet towel across her forehead and to her other
cheek.
When
he reached her neck, she sighed and closed her eyes for a few valuable seconds.
“Thank
you.”
His
gentle caress reminded her how much she’d missed simple comfort…from anyone.
“You’re
welcome.” The cloth soon disappeared. “Now, will you tell me what you dreamed
about?”
“Mark
Rawlings. I dreamed I was back in the train car and he was bleeding out on the
floor. The guy with him faded into the background, but I could see the man’s
hands and lips moving. I couldn’t hear anything, though. Then somebody jabbed
me with something, and my blood drained out of my body, but there was nothing I
could do. The guy standing stayed in front of me. There was another voice, but the
words were garbled.”
“Did
you see anyone else?”
“No,
but at the end I wasn’t paying attention. I was losing consciousness.” She
tilted her head to one side and into her palm. “Colin, what am I going to do if
we don’t find the professor’s attacker soon?”
“We’ll
take it one day at a time.” Strong, confident, able to leap tall buildings
and all…even in the middle of the night.
Website: www.alexabourne.com
Twitter: @AlexaBourne
Buy
Links:
Decadent Publishing: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=695&osCsid=c4f503tisneu0ck64d4qbfspb7
All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-simpletreasures-1031942-149.html
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/simple-treasures-alexa-bourne/1045488229?ean=2940016157382