Osiyo~

I’m so happy to have an awesome writer on the Ranch today. Maxine Douglas is a multi-published lady who knows how to stay focused if her life story is any indication. Take it away, Maxine!

Hi Calisa, and thank you for letting me visit, even if I am a few days late. Let me start off telling you a few things about myself.

I was totally a single mom (meaning never married) until 11 years ago, when I married a very good friend from high school. We just took separate paths during those 28 years apart, but I believe we were always meant to be together—obviously one of his brothers did as well when he said “Welcome to the family and it’s about damn time too!”  LOL  I married my best friend not only in this life but also in past lives.

If it’s one thing I’ve learned over the years of my life it’s that you can never stop dreaming and reaching for the stars, because sooner or later you just may get to touch one, and it’ll bring you more happiness than you can ever imagine. I’ve been lucky enough over the past couple of years to have been able to reach out and touch two stars…and I’m still reaching for more.

Originally from South-central Wisconsin, my husband and I traded the snowy winters for warmer days and nights. I currently am a member of such writing organizations as Romance Writers of American, Oklahoma Romance Writers of America, and Electronic Publishers Internet Coalition.

I took creative writing in high school and liked it. Although I wanted to be a songwriter, I’m not writing longer versions of those songs of the heart. It took a friend’s sister, who is now an agent with 3 Seas Literary Agency, to become published that I finally put my storytelling skills to work. I thank Cori every day for that.

I like my heroes to be strong and sensitive, while my heroines are sassy and loving.  At least, I think so anyway LOL

I’ve just had my second romance released from MuseItUp Publishing. RINGS OF PARADISE, came out on August 24.  This Friday and Saturday it will be offered for free through Amazon, I hope you grab a copy.

I’m a muse writer and a panster on top of it. What this means is that it can take me several months, years, to write a story getting it the way I want it to be. I tend to write very slow, careful to get the scene just right before moving on. I’m trying to plot it out a bit more, so we’ll see if it works with THE QUEEN or not.

I have found that I can’t write if I’m around family—they like to talk to you, or the t.v., and it takes a second to pull me out of my work and 15 minutes to get back into it. That being said, I like to have noise around me whether it’s the t.v., radio or just people milling about at McDonalds or the park because I know the chances of these people interrupting me is next to none.

While working on THE QUEEN this past week, I’ve found my hero and heroine like to come out at night, which is fine if I don’t have to get up early the next day. For instance, the other night I was up until 4am working on the first two scenes of chapter 1 before they finally decided it was time to go to bed.  LOL

THE QUEEN is a novella for FOUR SEASONS OF PASSION to be published by www.museituppublishing.com in 2013/2014. THE QUEEN will be one of the summer stories and takes place on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, which I totally fell in love with while at a writer’s conference held there a few years back. It inspired this paranormal story line when I got home:

Cole Masterson is the lead investigator of GHOST, Ghost Hunters of Spiritual Transcendental, and professional ghost hunter who’s aboard the Queen Mary investigating its paranormal activity, and trying to find out if the journal his great-grandfather left was the ramblings of an old man or truth. Cole’s about to realize the ship’s paranormal activity can be more than just shadows and cold spots.

Hanna Amery is a spirit looking for the man she lost decades ago aboard the Queen Mary during WWII on the troopship, The Gray Ghost, aka The Queen Mary. What Hanna doesn’t understand is how she can feel his spirit there with her, but he can’t feel hers.

What happens when two dimensions collide as Cole and Hanna struggle to find a way to be more than passing shadows?

RINGS OF PARADISE

One man’s quest to find the truth. One woman’s desire for more in life. A mistress that won’t let go.

Dear Reader,

I’m not much on putting words to paper, action is more up my alley. I’m Flame, the reigning champion in the Universal Wrestling World (UWW). So why am I here?

I grew up in a wrestling family and cut my teeth on the squared circle, which by the way is the only “lady” I trust any more.

I’ve gone and bought out a small press magazine in Madison, Wisconsin that was going nowhere fast, hired a woman by the name of Khristen Roberts, who according to the editor-in-chief is untrained and wants nothing more than to be a journalist.

Okay, I’m a sucker in helping people out, it’s my one weakness, if I have any. Problem is she’s on vacation in Hawaii. I’ve got to catch up with her somewhere along the line for her to join up with me and the UWW. I just hope Khristen is up for the ride…it’s always a trip.

Yours truly,

The Flame

Excerpt:

The beautiful eyes of the man from the plane seemed to appear as an apparition in the deep-blue-green pool water. Thoughts of him ran wild in her mind, and Khristen felt the warm wetness of desire grow deep between her thighs. She shivered from wanton desire. Something about him seemed familiar.

No. Surely, I would have remembered if we’d met before. His eyes, if nothing else, would have been burned into my memory.

It seemed as if she’d seen them, and the challenge in them, once before—a dare to defy him in any manner.

Challenges. That’s what gave Khristen her drive. In her career, she had felt like a lamb lost in the fog in search of its home. She longed for the type of position that offered her the unexpected excitement of a contest each and every day.

Her current position at one of Madison’s once top magazines came very close to fulfilling that yearning. It offered variety in its article context, and nine times out of ten, they didn’t read like something out of Miami Vice. Plain Talk covered just about anything and sometimes everything. Still, something was missing.

She’d finally come to realize she wanted to be a staff member who did more than run around the office. She was going to spend the next few weeks thinking of a plan to convince Ric to move her up the ladder. One day, she would have her own byline.

Ric Scott, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, had become the big brother she never had. He drank too much coffee in a day for one human being and stayed at the office until well past midnight. She worried about his excesses in both areas and feared one day she would walk into his office to find him slumped over his desk.

More than once, she had wondered why their relationship had never gotten past the big-brother stage. Deep in her heart, she knew it was the lack of emotional and sensual challenges. The spark she felt with a total stranger wasn’t there with good ol’ reliable Ric.

Khristen slid a pair of red-framed sunglasses from the top of her head and perched them on her nose. She took a deep relaxing breath, leaned back, and forced the man’s image out of her brain. She knew she had to let this challenge go for what very well could be the first time in her adult life. If letting go was at all possible.

For now, one thing she knew for sure. Absolutely no way was she going to become caught up in another romance. The last one had almost destroyed her, both emotionally and professionally.

* * * *

His shadow draped across her skin. He’d known he would find her; he’d never thought it would be connected to one of his businesses. He had thoroughly enjoyed seeing her sweat earlier, looking for a place to escape the dining room. If looks could kill, she should have laid him to rest before noon.

Now it was his turn, and he couldn’t wait to see her reaction. It was going to get more interesting now that he’d decided in the length of time it took for him to reach her side that the game would start. He would have to proceed with caution before snaring her for himself.

Shadoe fought the temptation to pluck an ice cube from one of the glasses he carried and let it drip onto Khristen’s sunburned flesh. A mischievous smile played on his lips as he visualized the response he would get. It would be fun, but they had already gotten off on a bad foot, and he didn’t want to aggravate the situation further—or did he?

* * * *

“Khristen.” Someone repeated her name, and as she stirred, raised his voice, calling to her again.

“Huh?” Sleepy eyed and well-burnt, Khristen was not sure what had drawn her out of a groggy sleep.

“What’s your pleasure? Mai Tai, Piña Colada, or Aloe Vera?” Shadoe adjusted the two sweating glasses and one bottle on the tray he balanced with care.

Khristen shielded her eyes, suspiciously looking up at him. The touch of friendly sarcasm that had edged his over-exaggerated deep voice set off her warning light.

“Owweeee!” Pain and agony edged her voice, caused from the effects of too many hours in the sun and too little sunscreen.

“I’ve got just what you need.”

“Like what?” Khristen grimaced, seeing the bottle of lotion and look of concern in his eyes.

Or is it lust?

“Aloe Vera. It’s a great natural ointment with a cooling effect for skin that’s on fire.” He set the tray down on the small, round table next to her. “I could, ah, rub it in for you.” Another teasing smile played on his lips as he picked up the bottle.

Khristen smiled back and looked into his eyes. How sexy and sure of himself he looked as he gazed over the rims of his sunglasses, daring her to resist his charm, challenging her.

“Actually, I have a better idea.” She reached for the lotion and caught a look of satisfaction sweep over his face. With a crooked smile, she softly wrapped her fingers around the bottle and let them linger a moment too long before taking it into her possession.

“Mmmm, sounds very tempting.” He moved in closer to her.

“It is,” she said, reeling him in with her sweet, sexy tone, and placed her free hand on his bare chest, blocking his advance. As much as she’d love to feel his skin against hers, she wasn’t about to play on his web.

“Fortunately, there’s room for only one. You see, what I have in mind is, well…” She could see the anticipation grow in his eyes. “The ultimate total package of soothing the senses, everywhere, and all at once.”

Gathering up her belongings, Khristen walked away, in pain. After only a few feet, she turned and gave him a look of triumph.

His deep, sexy laugh did nothing to dampen her victory.

Buy: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=550&category_id=176&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

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WOW! Great excerpt and love that cover, Maxine. Thanks again for being here and good luck with the books!

Dodadagohvi~