I literally just blogged about Delicious Delay, my contemporary romance, which would make this my second Book Brew entry. It so happens that I have another new release to chat about. To keep things interesting, there’s a giveaway at the end of this post.
Nothing says love and romance like a fairy tale, which is why I’m a huge fan of retellings. I like them so much I’ve written two of my own. Catching Red is a post-apocalyptic thriller featuring an imperiled Little Red Riding Hood and the (Agent) Woodsman determined to save her. To find their happily-ever-after, Scarlet Ryding must hack her way through zombies, destroy an evil cult, and survive an undead world.
Here’s an excerpt:
Scarlet woke to the delicious smell of charred venison and cooking fruit. The rusty feeling between her joints was gone. She rubbed her crusted eyes as she curled into a sitting position. For the first time in months, she felt energized and rested.
Her bed ended where the kitchen area began. Marcus stood in front of the wood-burning stove, his back facing her. Even with his neck bent and spine curved, his blond head grazed the low ceiling. He wrapped a thick cloth around his hand, lifted the cast-iron skillet, and turned in place. He plunked it down on the circular stone tray at the center of her small rickety table. Her first and only attempt at carpentry creaked but didn’t fall apart.
She lifted an eyebrow as she scrutinized the skillet’s contents””seared smoked venison covered with slices of dried apple. It was an interesting meal choice.
Perhaps in reaction to her quizzical expression, he turned his palms up and defended his creation. “The food store in your basement is a mess. This was all I could scrounge up.”
She frowned. “I packed and stacked everything in alphabetical order.”
His broad shoulders rose and fell. “Your system didn’t make any sense. You’ll have to explain it sometime. Either way, this beats the MREs I fed you during the snowstorm. Come on. Your breakfast is getting cold.”
She grabbed the worn quilt and wrapped it over her shoulders. She was about to lower her feet to the cold floor when she saw him shake his head.
He walked over to the foot of her bed. The length of his torso and arms easily spanned the small area separating the cottage’s sleeping and eating spaces. He leaned forward and grabbed the edge of the table with both hands. When he brought his elbows into his body, the piece of furniture with all its contents slid as if on wheels. It stopped a few inches away from the bottom edge of the mattress. He stepped around it, then pulled up the only chair, and sat.
Scooting over, she sniffed the food. The smell made her mouth water. “Why are you being so nice?”
“I’ve always been nice.” He used his knife to spear a piece of seared meat and raised it to his mouth.
Scooting over, she sniffed the food. “You only did it to get me to have sex with you.”
Giveaway: Catching Red is the second book in my Undead Fairy Tales series, so it makes sense for me to giveaway a copy of Book 1 (Tower in the Woods). To enter, leave a comment here answering the following question: What is Red’s full name? (First and Last). Remember to provide me with a means to contact you.
0 Comments