Tag Archives: writing

Websites for Writers

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So every once in a while I’ve been throwing out some websites for the writerly type. Whether your goal is to write that one book to meet some bucket list type idea or you want to be a career writer, checking out other writers’ sites isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it is a brilliant thing.

One of the best sites is Kristine Kathryn Rusch‘s webpage. I discovered Rusch as a newb reader back in the day when I devoured sci-fi/fantasy books by the dozen. I LOVE her works. Her ability to create worlds rich in three dimensional characters is amazing. Her books are some of the few I have carted from place to place as I move. Even when I have thrown out/given away/traded  other works to make room and save poundage. However, I didn’t figure out how great she truly is until I began reading her blog. See, she CAN get multi-book deals and have the corner office agent. But she chooses not to. And she tells you why. And then she tells you how to get multi book deals or self-pub for maximum benefit ON YOUR OWN, just like she does now. That’s right, she fired her agent and cuts her own deals and pubs her own books. All the while giving pointers to the rest of us. Even if you don’t like her genre and have been reluctant to pick up her books, go read her blog. You’ll be glad you did. Information and education is THE most important tool in a writer’s toolbox. Seriously.

Along the vein of trying to help out, Brian Grove has compiled a list of over 100 publishers in various genres accepting submissions. It’s a good place to start compiling YOUR list of who you want to sub to, with or without an agent. Not that your agent won’t know about some of these houses, they probably will. But on the off chance they don’t, it’s a good thing for you to know so that if you start running out of houses, you can gently suggest one off this list. The list is invaluable, however, if you are subbing works yourself. Start here as the base for a subbing list. You won’t be sorry.

Last but not least, go read the Pub(lishing) Crawl. It is a blog written by publishers, writers and other in the industry. There is some insider info, some announcements and some good writerly advice from people who live, eat and breathe books and writing and publishing. Insightful. Funny. Sometimes, brilliant. It gives a voice to the thoughts of some industry professional from whom us peons would never get to hear. The list of contributors is a virtual who’s who in publishing.

Random Thoughts Part… the 8th

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It’s been a long while since I’ve had a random thought. Most of my thoughts have been pretty targeted. That happens when you got 3 back to back book releases while trying to hawk some more stories to various publishing houses. But for the last several weeks, I’ve taken a vakay from all things writerly to focus on other aspects of my life. Like getting my oldest off to college. And rediscovering how much I like READING books and stories and other people’s writings. What it’s really done is give me a chance to recharge, renew and get excited about MY writing again.

I hate getting older. Not only does time seem to be passing me by at warp speed, but my body seems to be failing at a scary exponential rate. It’s pissing me off. Every. Frickin’. Day. If I knew the person in charge personal like, I would be bitching constantly about how it’s not right to make time move so goddamn fast all the while my earthly vessel deteriorates like there is no tomorrow. See, in my opinion, it should be one or the other. Death should be flying rapidly to meet me -OR- not and, mind you, OR my body should be falling apart like a cheap Chinese toy. But not both. Never both. But I don’t the person in charge personally. So I have zero say in matters. Sucks to be me.

Even thought I am no longer in school, the end of summer is still signaled by kids going back to school. I don’t care what the calendar says. Fall starts when school starts. End of story. No other marker is needed. Period. Oh okay, if there is a holiday that might, just might, signal fall, it would be Labor Day. And who made the rule that a woman can’t wear white after that date. Seems arbitrary to me. Cause it should depend on the weather, season and where you live. I mean, it’s pretty damn hot in certain parts of the world. And white is a great reflective color. It gets the heat off your back. Literally and figuratively. But mostly literally. So white might be necessary after Labor Day. So there, you crazy fashion police bitches.

When are we gonna come up with an alternative fuel that doesn’t use oil? And by fuel, I mean for cars. I am so tired of paying through my nose to drive my gas guzzling vehicle. Yeah, I get the irony part of that previous statement. So what. I still want cheaper gas. And I still want fuel that doesn’t begin as dark sludge. And I want it yesterday. We’re smart. We could do it. My problem begins when I think about why we don’t. Politics. Plain and simple. Shit. Given the amount of money changing hands just to keep oil as king, we’re gonna have to run out of oil before we seriously start developing other fuel sources. Pisses me right the fuck off. Politics. Sucks.

That is all.

Snippet Saturday- FarSeen 1

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This will be the first of four or so FarSeen snippets that I will post until the official unofficial release date(s).

**Preorder: 6th September 2013 (the book becomes available to preorder through the TEB website)
**Prerelease: 20th September 2013 (the book becomes available to buy through the TEB website)
**General Release: 18th October 2013 (the book becomes available through all outlets)

FarSeen

Here’s the blurb:

 

Taking a break from finding the cure for a magic sickness killing witches, Evangeline (Evie) Parker picks up Drew for a night of hot sex. One night is not enough, however. In strange twist of fate, Trent, Drew’s partner also comes into Evie’s life. One night is definitely not enough when two becomes three. As they come together, they realize while separately they are good, together they are great.

All Hallows Eve is the time when the cure to the magic sickness is predicted to make itself known. Combining magic and sex on that special night cures more than the magic sickness afflicting the witch community, it also cures three lonely hearts.

FARSEEN is hot and sweet in a small tasty bite. It is filled with sex magic, lit up chakras and hearts slowly opening up to each other.

 

In the beginning…

 

Chapter One

 

 

 

Tonight was the night. She was going to get laid—have a bona fide one-night stand. Christ, it had been so long since another person had given her an orgasm. She needed one. She just needed, period.

Hot, slightly slutty dress. Check.

Killer fuck-me pumps. Check.

Blood-red lipstick. Check.

Several condoms. Check and double check.

With a last glance at her reflection in the mirror, she walked out of the door on a mission. A mission to have hot, sweaty, anonymous sex. It was on.

She glanced around the ballroom, taking in the sights and smells of people who were drinking too much, talking too loud and just trying too hard. Maybe a business cocktail function wasn’t the best place to pick up a random guy. She smirked at herself. Oh well, if she did some networking then the night wouldn’t be a total bust. So her perusal of the room went from looking for Mr Goodbar to whether she knew someone to start off the evening’s round of introductions and small talk ad nauseam.

She would need a drink for this. Disappointment always needed a cocktail…or two. Smiling, she walked to the cash bar and ordered another vodka tonic.

As she turned from the bar, her elbow struck a solid mass to her right.

“Oops. Sorry,” she murmured as her glance went from her drink to the face of the man she had just elbowed in the side.

Holy shit. He was gorgeous. Tall, blond and beautiful. Not pretty-boy beautiful, but the kind of beautiful that made a man stand out in a crowd. He had laugh lines around his mouth, kind eyes and hair that looked as if he’d run his fingers through it a time or two already. So it was the kind of beautiful that wasn’t polished, but was authentic. In a sea of plastic smiles and fake personalities, he stood out.

Summer Lovin Blog Hop- Rebel Ink Press

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Today starts the blog hop. It runs from August 15th through the 17th. Visiting more blogs means more chances to win a Kindle Paperwhite and other author swag given away by both Rebel Ink Press and the authors whose blogs you visit. The more blogs visited, the more chances you have of winning really COOL stuff. Plus, you get to read some cool blog entries written especially for the blog hop AND to learn about some awesome authors and the stories they’ve written. Don’t believe me? Well, read my entry below.  Just past my blog entry, you will find some tidbits about my Rebel Ink Press release, HOME RUN. Then scroll all the way down to find the button for the Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway and links to the other authors on the SUMMER LOVIN BLOG TOUR!

This is my first Blog Hop so I will be giving away a $25 Victoria’s Secret gift card to a lucky comment winner. I will choose a random commenter as the winner after the last day of the Blog Hop . It will be in the form of an e-gift card, so I will contact you and/or announce who the winner is the next day. So check back once the Blog Hop is over. Check my home page for the announcement. It is also possible, if I get a wild hair, for me to give a copy of the book to someone as well. Again, check back on the home page. How much more exciting can I make my first blog hop?!?!?!

SummerLovin_Button

Summer Love

Or is it the love of summer? Summer always brings to mind hot, hot days and sultry nights. Watermelon and cookouts and beaches and vacations. No matter how old I get, summer always makes me feel like I’ve been let out of school and the vastness of all the time and sunshine are just waiting for me to explore. Visits to relatives bring memories of hangin’ out my cousins and aunts and uncles and just being free to be me. Cause I don’t need to hide or make excuses for the craziness that is my family cause they ARE my family, ya know?

Summertime was when I said good bye to my first real crush as a young girl, even before I knew what crushes were all about. Summer was also the season I met my husband as well. So my first love and my final love are forever intertwined with summer.

The first date I had with my husband was a picnic at a huge park. Fried chicken, cheese, grapes and ice cold beer. Yes, I remember the menu even though it’s been more years than I care to count and there have been a gazillion other things that I’ve forgotten since that time. It makes me smile to remember how he took off his shoes and waded into ice cold water to pick a flower for me. It was silly and oh so romantic- it still makes me smile and swoon just a little.

So as much as summer is about love, I love summer too. Lazy reading of books, hanging out my girls and the smell of lilacs in the air. I yearn for summer in the winter and I am as giddy as newlywed when the first flower in my yard blooms. I can’t wait for the endless days and it makes me sad when summer draws to an end. Summer still means love to me. It still means vacations and free time and being outside. And no matter how many summers I live through, I want it to last just a little longer, come just a little sooner, and smell of sunshine and happiness and freedom and joy.

Summer was when I met my forever love, afterall.

Home Run

Home Run was released by just this month. It’s a sweet AND hot sports romance about two people who don’t have to take care of little kids, but do anyway. A chance meeting doing good deeds and their lives are changed much in the same way they change the lives of others. Making wishes come true… for others and themselves. And it’s only $2.99.

HomeRun_Cover

Amazon
ARe
Barnes & Noble

Blurb:

Daniela Sinclair is a trust fund baby who believes she can make a difference in the world by making the wishes of sick children come true. Noah Barker is a major league baseball player from a common background who agrees to fulfill a sick child’s wish. Together they burn up the sheets. Unfortunately, they also cause a family member to burn in anger. In a stunning case of betrayal, the home run ending they both envisioned is threatened and they teeter on the brink of striking out.

Snippet:

The snippet is racy- so BE WARE!

Chapter One

“Put your hands on the wall,” he told her. “Don’t turn around.”

At first she was startled. No one had been in the hallway. No one had been in the room. She was alone. At least she thought she was.

“And if I don’t?” she asked.

“Saucy,” he said. “Well, you know what happens to bad girls, don’t you?”

“Maybe. Tell me and I’ll decide if I want to be good or bad.” He couldn’t see the small smile that played on her face.

“Oh, you’ll want to be good. I have a feeling you’ll like what good girls get.” He punctuated his words with a brief touch of his groin against her ass.

She shivered. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” his voice was close to her ear, the breath whispering by, igniting her sense of want. He bit down gently. Her ear was delicate like everything
about her. His hands slide down the sides of her body, capturing her skirt then his hands slid up. Only this time, his hands held her skirt.

Just the nearness of him and she was ready to explode. She’d been dripping from his first words, his first touch.

She didn’t know it could be like this.

One hand rose to capture her breast over her clothes. It was frustrating. So very frustrating when what she really wanted was his hands on her bare flesh.

That thought disappeared the moment his other hand slipped into her panties.

He purred his approval when he felt how much she wanted him. If she wasn’t with him, she was thinking about him. Plotting when they could be together again. It scared her how much she anticipated when they could be together again.

 

Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway: Enter Here

 

Other blog participants. REMEMBER, the more you enter, the more chances to win!!!:

 

HL Wampler                                      DR Slaten                                            Vivian Proud

Nancy LaPonzina                              Joanne C Berroa                               Lila Munro

Melissa Keir                                       Lori J Gordon                                     Sarah Bella

Donna Steele                                    Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy     Juliette Springs

Suzzana C Ryan                                 Kate Roth                                            Anna Kristell

Wendy Smith                                    BethAnn Buehler                             Eden Glenn

Jane Wakely                                      Nora Snowdon                                  Erica Bayne

Britni Hill                                            BL Morticia                                         KD Ferguson

Bethany Cross                                   E Jaime                                                 Blair McDowell

Winfield H Strock III                       JL Oiler                                                 Alex Jones

Cassandre Dayne                             DH Black                                              Al Lohn

Jennifer Wilck

Summer Lovin’ Blog Hop T minus 3 Days

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SummerLovin_Button

 

Rebel Ink is going to give away a Kindle Paperwhite and some other swag just for following the blog hop. The posts will be about Summer and Lovin’. So be prepared for some heated posts. Hot. Hot. Hot.

Starts in 3 days. The count down has begun. 😉

August Blog Chain

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It’s that time of the month again- AW‘s blog chain is here!!! lol What did you think I meant?!?! My flash fiction piece is below. At the end is a list of the other participant’s blogs where their flash fiction pieces will be. It’s a kinda cool topic this month, so go read some of the others.

 

This month’s prompt:
Child of the devil

Whether the devil be literal, figurative, or Cruella. As always, can be prose, poetry, play, fiction, nonfiction.

Instructions:
Simply post your blog’s URL in this thread to join. I’ll let you know in this thread when it’s your turn. Once your turn comes up, you have two days to complete a blog post using the prompt. When you are finished, please add a link to your post on the thread.

1000 words or less

Date Night at the Devil’s House

“Don’t scare Trevor, dad,” she told her father. Then she turned to Trevor. “Don’t let dad scare you. I’ll only be a second grabbing my wrap.”

She turned and walked out of the room confident the two she’d left behind would get along. Her surety lasted only so long as it took to grab her wrap from her room and return. She almost walked into a low yet heartfelt discussion.

“I promise I only have the utmost respect for your daughter, sir.” She heard Trevor say so earnestly, it almost colored the room.

“Don’t stay out past her curfew. And if I find out that you’ve laid one single hand on my daughter, I promise I’ll make your life hell.” Her dad’s tone of voice was even, which was incongruous with the words he’d spoken.

She didn’t doubt her dad would make any guy who hurt her regret it. Could possibly make that guy’s life a living hell if he desired. Literally. He was the Lord of the Underworld. The proverbial devil- with a capital D,  after all. Satan. Beelzebub. And a host of other really odd sounding and spelled names.

She’d long ago given up the hope of having a second date with any guy while she still lived at home. Most guys took her out once.

Before meeting her dad, they would be all excited to have her agree to a date. Then they would meet her dad. Not wanting to offend him, they couldn’t very well turn tail and run on the spot. So invariably the date would proceed. But it would proceed in the sense that the guy would treat her like his kid sister and not an almost adult female. A few had given her a chaste kiss goodbye. Most just said ‘see ya later’ and then ran-walked as fast as they could far, far away from her and her house and her dad.

In the beginning, she’d just thought the guys were being nice in a gentlemanly sort of way. But as she waited and waited and then waited some more for a phone call about a second date, she’d finally gotten a clue they hadn’t been nice or gentlemanly. No, they’d been petrified of her father.

At first, her feelings had been hurt. But over time, she’d realized that such spineless ninnies weren’t for her anyway. Still, she’d wished that at least one of them had had a backbone. Seriously, was every guy such a wuss? Apparently, all the ones that came into her sphere of existence were.

Trevor would be the same. She had no doubt he would be like all the others. After overhearing her dad’s spiel, she at least understood why her other dates had all but peed themselves.

Resigned, she stepped back into the front room where Trevor was standing close to her father.

“I’m ready,” she said in a cheerful manner that belied her certainty that this date would be like all the others and just fizzle.

“I forgot to tell you that you looked fabulous, Lily,” Trevor said.

He walked over to her, pretended to help adjust her wrap and then kissed her lightly on the cheek.

She was so surprised by his actions, she couldn’t form a reply.

Her dad looked murderous. Whether it was because she was in the room, her dad kept his silence, however, just glowering in his dadly way. On anybody else, the the smoke coming out his nose would have been hypothetical. But since her dad was her dad, he had real little puffs of smoke coming out of his nostrils. Not a lot. But enough for her to know he was ticked.

She’d have to talk to him later. It wasn’t as if she were a child. She was 17 after all and a kiss on the cheek was pretty damn tame compared to some of the stories she’d heard from other girls.

She smiled. Maybe this date wasn’t going to be like all the others. It had certainly started out different.

She turned her head slightly so she could look directly into Trevor’s eyes. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Her dad followed her to the door and waited with the door open as they got into the car. As soon as the doors were shut, words tumbled out of her mouth.

“You’re brave, you know.”

“Not really. But if I had let him see I was afraid it would have colored our relationship.”

“Yeah? How?”

“I just wanted him to know he could care about you but so can I. Plus, it was a man thing. Trust me, he’ll respect me more for it and next time I come pick you up, he’ll be less intense.”

“Seriously? Is there like a handbook on this?”

“Nah. It’s just that my dad behaved like your dad when my sisters were dating. I figured it out then.”

“You’re dad’s a dick too?”

Trevor laughed. “Not normally. But the guys my sisters would date thought so. Until they started bring home guys he couldn’t intimidate. Then he chilled.”

“Great,” she muttered. “Wished I’d figured that out ages ago.”

Trevor broke out into a full on smile then. “No way, babe. Then you might’ve been taken when I was ready to ask you out. Besides, your dad’s gonna be more pissed when he figures out who my dad is.”

“Who’s your dad?”

“Michael.”

Well shit. What were the odds?

“Umm, my dad and your dad used to be friends. I overheard my mom talking about it once when she was complaining to her BFF that dad doesn’t get out for a guy’s night out anymore.”

“Yeah, I think they had a falling out.”

“Must have been serious. How long have they been on the outs?”

“A pretty long time,” Trevor told her. “But maybe if we keep going out, we can get them back together again.”

“The world might end if we do.”  Literally.

“True.”

“We’re going out again?” She couldn’t keep the hope and surprise out of her voice.

“Absolutely.”

“Cool.”

 

Participants and posts:

ishtar’sgate – http://chickenscratchbc.blogspot.ca/ (link to post)
orion_mk3 – http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com (link to post)
areteus – http://lurkingmusings.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
BDavidHughes – http://bdavidhughes.com/ (link to post)
Ralph Pines – http://ralfast.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
articshark – http://www.drslaten.com/blog (link to post)<———–me
pyrosama – http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
Anarchic Q – http://anarchicq.com/ (link to post)
meowzbark – http://www.lizzylessard.com/ (link to post)
MsLaylaCakes – http://www.taraquan.com/ (link to post)
grace elliot – http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
Angyl78 – http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ (link to post)

milkweed – http://www.thistlequill.blogspot.com/ (link to post) [after 8/15]

Home Run Release Day Snippet

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So the release day for Home Run was yesterday. I had planned to post a snippet when the book released. But for some reason, my brain told me Home Run was releasing today. I was totally off by a day. lol Go figure. I think my dates got all mixed up because I was at the Nora Roberts Writing Conference and for some reason, my brain juxtaposed the dates. So for whatever reason, the snippet didn’t go out yesterday. Instead, it is being posted today.

The snippet is racy- so BE WARE!

Chapter One

“Put your hands on the wall,” he told her. “Don’t turn around.”

At first she was startled. No one had been in the hallway. No one had been in the room. She was alone. At least she thought she was.

“And if I don’t?” she asked.

“Saucy,” he said. “Well, you know what happens to bad girls, don’t you?”

“Maybe. Tell me and I’ll decide if I want to be good or bad.” He couldn’t see the small smile that played on her face.

“Oh, you’ll want to be good. I have a feeling you’ll like what good girls get.” He punctuated his words with a brief touch of his groin against her ass.

She shivered. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” his voice was close to her ear, the breath whispering by, igniting her sense of want. He bit down gently. Her ear was delicate like everything
about her. His hands slide down the sides of her body, capturing her skirt then his hands slid up. Only this time, his hands held her skirt.

Just the nearness of him and she was ready to explode. She’d been dripping from his first words, his first touch.

She didn’t know it could be like this.

One hand rose to capture her breast over her clothes. It was frustrating. So very frustrating when what she really wanted was his hands on her bare flesh.

That thought disappeared the moment his other hand slipped into her panties.

He purred his approval when he felt how much she wanted him. If she wasn’t with him, she was thinking about him. Plotting when they could be together again. It scared her how much she anticipated when they could be together again.

Home Run Release

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Home Run released today from Rebel Ink Press. Woohoo!! The blurb and buy links are pasted below. Enjoy.

HomeRun_Cover

Rebel Ink Press
Release date: 8/3/13
Amazon
ARe
Barnes & Noble

Blurb:

Daniela Sinclair is a trust fund baby who believes she can make a difference in the world by making the wishes of sick children come true. Noah Barker is a major league baseball player from a common background who agrees to fulfill a sick child’s wish. Together they burn up the sheets. Unfortunately, they also cause a family member to burn in anger. In a stunning case of betrayal, the home run ending they both envisioned is threatened and they teeter on the brink of striking out.

Websites for Self- Publishers

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There are lot of choices in publishing today. The landscape is changing. One of the myriad of options is self-publishing your work. But don’t cut corners. Can’t stress this enough. If you self-publish, please hire an editor to edit your work. There is nothing worse than reading a good story and tripping over misspelled words and improper syntax. Just because you are doing it yourself doesn’t mean that you should do it sloppy. Like my dad always said, if you’re gonna do something, do it right the first time. Hire an editor. You’ll be glad you did. But more importantly, your readers will be glad you did.

Here is a list of several editors that you can hire to edit your work. The cost varies depending on the level of editing you wish to contract. Fade into Fantasy is editing services by Teresa, an Entangled editor. Between the Line Edits has three editors of varying levels of experience. Alphabet Editing is owned by Sarah Frantz, a Riptide editor. There are many more good editors out there. Search for them. Ask for references. Ask which other books they’ve edited. Ask your questions before you  hire them. Going the independent route necessarily costs more upfront. However, there is no reason that the cost outlay should be worthless. Due diligence on your part should help ferret out the worthless editors. Cause there’s nothing worse than spending good money on shitty service.

Lillie’s Literary Services offers proofreading services. Which is slightly different than editing services and the cost level is different as well. Erin Lark Designs offers stock and custom book cover designs to help round out the professional look and feel of your book. Take the time to search out a variety of different service to make your book the best it can be. Seriously. Google is your friend. Word of mouth is your friend.

Home Run- Snippet 2

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Gonna do a snippet a week until my August 3rd release date. Here is number 2. Enjoy!

 

HomeRun_Cover

She blasted Rihanna from the car stereo, pumping out the bass to get her groove going as she belted out the lyrics. Music helped her reset and she wasn’t going to let the other drivers’ stares stop her from enjoying the upgraded stereo she’d chosen for her sporty little Beemer. Her hair was whipping around because she’d rolled down windows and she probably looked ridiculous singing at the top of her lungs. She didn’t care. It made her happy.

She made it to Noah’s netting only a few uptight looks from his closest neighbors. Surely they were skeptical seeing so many women come and go. But Dani had grown up around uptight and she knew the look well. If she had her way, uptight would be a thing of the past for everybody.

Thinking of uptight people always made her think of her parents, the epitome of uptight, snobby and unwelcoming. She wasn’t sure how she had ever grown up in a house so cold, so devoid of laughter, love and joy. Then she thought of spending time with Betty in the kitchen and the answer was right there. Betty was how she had survived. Thank God for Betty.

She wanted to keep Noah and her parents in different spheres so those two worlds didn’t collide or even intersect. Noah was too precious and her parents too relentless. A shudder went through her at what would happen if they ever met. Dani would prevent that for as long as possible even though she knew if she kept dating Noah, a confrontation with her parents would be inevitable.

Her car glided to a stop and as she reached Noah’s front door, he opened it, grabbed her and hustled her inside as fast as her feet allowed.

Guess someone missed me.