Good morning, dear Readers! Today’s special guest is Suzanne Rock. Suzanne is celebrating her latest release, Whispers, and her daughter’s first swim lesson. Oh gods, I’m a sucker for a good ghost story. Come take the plunge with us.
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Taking the Plunge
Do any of you remember what it felt like the first time you jumped into the pool? Were you scared or excited? Did you do it under peer pressure or because you were curious? For me, it happened so long ago that at first I didn’t remember. Then I took my daughter to her first swimming lesson, and all of the emotions came back to me.
I had been talking up the swimming lessons to my daughter for weeks. This was going to be a great adventure. She was excited, and so was I, but then we walked into the pool area and something changed.
I saw the look of horror on my little girl’s face as we walked over the tiled floor and breathed in the chlorine-filled air. She was scared, very scared. My heart skipped a beat. The mother in me wanted to march her right back to the locker room and save her from her fear. Unfortunately, doing this wasn’t going to help her learn how to swim. Since our family spends a lot of time around water in the summer, I knew that this was an important life skill for her to learn.
So, I held my tongue as we watched the other kids jump in and navigate the cool, clear water like experts. My daughter’s fear radiated from her in waves as she sat down and joined her classmates along the edge of the pool. I stepped back and hugged her towel to my chest. Questions filled my mind. Was she really ready for swim lessons? Maybe I should have waited, spent one more summer at the beach, teaching her how to float and kick. What if she couldn’t keep her head above the water? Needless to say, my nerves were shot. What was going to happen to my baby?
The teacher introduced herself, and then one by one her classmates jumped into the pool, their little heads disappearing under the water. My daughter looked back at me with this “Do I really have to do this?” expression on her face. I smiled, even though part of me was dying inside. I wasn’t sure if either one of us were going to be able to go through with it.
Then it was her turn. The plan was simple: jump into the pool, and the teacher would catch her. Afterward, with the instructor’s help, she’d swim to the edge of the pool and hold onto the side. I held my breath. The teacher held out her hands and my daughter gave me one last look. Fear shone bright in her eyes. For a split second, I wanted to grab hold of my little girl and drag her back into the safety of my arms. I didn’t do that, however. Instead I watched and waited.
Then my daughter turned back to the instructor, bent her knees, and jumped.
Water droplets flew in all directions as she flew into the waiting arms of the instructor. Time stood still. Then, in the next moment, she popped up and took a gulp of air. Then the teacher helped her swim to the side. My little girl climbed up out of the water and got in line again.
“That was fun, mommy!”
She jumped into the water three more times that day, and each time she went a little farther under the surface. I finally began to relax and enjoy her growing confidence. Pretty soon, I’m sure she’ll become a pro at jumping into the pool, just like her classmates.
Publishing a book is a little like jumping into a pool. At first you’re scared. Will people like it? Will they understand and love my characters as much as I do? How will they react? You wonder if you should really send that book out into the world, if it’s ready. Knowing that someone else will read and form an opinion about your work can be quite scary. At some point, however, you have to let it go. Some books do beautiful swan dives, and some do belly flops, but each one is special, because you learn and grow from the experience. After some practice, your skills improve. You begin to do more swan dives than belly flops, and your confidence grows. Oh, you still have the occasional belly flop, but now you’re doing twists and flips in the air before you hit the water – and it’s fun. You love the thrill of the jump, the way the water breaks around you as you hit the surface. You couldn’t imagine your life without it.
And you have this great joy in your life because you had the courage to overcome your fear.
So I’m asking all of you today, do you remember what it was like to jump into the pool for the first time? Do you still jump into the pool today, or do you sit on the sidelines? Did you ever have to overcome an inner fear? How did you do it? Tell me about it!
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Thanks Suzanne! I don’t remember my first swim, but I can relate to jumping in with these wonderful stories.
Speaking of wonderful stories, Suzanne’s latest release, Whispers, is a tempting, sexy ghost story now available from Loose Id. Read on to learn more, dear Readers.
~Pia
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Rose is skeptical when Lady Denville hires her to take care of some ghosts in her townhouse. She expects to find a nest of rats or branches scraping against a window. Instead she finds two sexy spirits intent on fulfilling her every sexual desire. They introduce her to a whole new world of pleasure — and a curse that may destroy them all.
Lionel and Jonathan have been trapped in the townhouse for decades, waiting. When Rose walks in, they know that she is the one with the power to save them. The key to their freedom lies within reach, and both men must put aside their differences if they ever hope to break the curse that binds them to the townhouse. As the men set out to seduce Rose and gain their freedom, their sexual desire turns into something more. Now they must be honest with the woman they love, or stay imprisoned in the spirit world forever.
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Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC4czQ-TVjg
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Excerpt:
Rose stood at the top of the stairs and listened. The moans were louder now, and she could easily distinguish the two tones. She scanned the area around her, but it was too dark to see much beyond her hands.
She straightened her light green dress, chosen to match her eyes, and poked a wispy blonde curl back into her twist. If Lady Denville indeed had guests up here, then Rose had to make sure to look her best.
She picked up a candle off the nearby end table and lit it. The soft glow illuminated the hallway, which looked as if it hadn’t had a good dusting in ages. Thick velvet curtains had been pulled over the windows, blocking any light. It was so unlike Lady Denville to keep her upstairs closed up like this.
Besides the depressing atmosphere, nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the crimson carpet and dark wood walls. Rose took a deep breath, steeled her jaw, and stepped forward.
The noises filled the air, fanning her desire from a small spark into a large flame. They were smooth and melodic, almost blending with each other. Her body warmed, and she placed her hand to her cheek. Her husband wasn’t overly amorous, and it had been a long time since she had enjoyed the pleasures of the bedroom. The noises spoke to something feminine and primal deep inside her body. It awoke and rushed through her system, leaving her breathless.
The sensations felt…strange. She had not felt anything so strong before, not even with her own husband. What could be making her feel this way, and could it alleviate the ache forming between her legs? She inched forward a step, then two. With each small advance, her desire grew until she found it difficult to concentrate on the matter at hand. She paused as a name echoed off the walls.
“Jonathan.”
Her skin tingled with sexual awareness as the deep, commanding voice rippled through her body. Rose slid her fingers along the low-cut edge of her dress, then dipped them between her breasts. How did it get so warm in here?
And who was Jonathan?
She continued to the very end of the hall. It was darkest here, the heavy curtains in the windows blocking all light. She heard new noises now, like the shifting of furniture. They seemed to be coming from behind the large wooden door. A low glow shone through the cracks as the moans grew louder.
Heat traveled over her skin as she stared at the strange light. A light breeze blew over her skin, just like it had when she was downstairs moments ago. It did nothing to cool her rising temperature or the fluttering in her stomach.
The flame on the candle flickered, then extinguished. She fought back the sudden urge to shed her clothes as confusion filled her mind. She had to know what was behind the door, not just for Lady Denville’s sake, but for her own. Rose needed to find out what was making her feel like some animal in heat.
Rose felt the familiar ache low in her abdomen. She was desperate for something to ease the building pressure between her legs, but nothing suitable was available. She resisted the urge to rip off her clothes and touch herself, for she suspected such an act would do little to alleviate the growing ache. She craved something bigger and stronger to satisfy her. The whole situation felt barbaric and yet thrilling at the same time.
Rose moistened her lips and turned the knob…
http://www.loose-id.com/Whispers.aspx
~~~Suzanne Rock~~~
Love Immortalized, Destinies Fulfilled
Bio:
After over a decade in the scientific world, Suzanne needed a creative outlet. She tried scrap booking, cooking, crocheting, painting, and piano, none of which held her interest for very long. Then one of her friends suggested writing. Thrilled with the idea of creating her own worlds, she opened up her lap top and never looked back.
When Suzanne’s not writing, she can be found playing with her two daughters, testing her husband’s latest kitchen creations, or curled up with her favorite romance novel in her central Massachusetts home.
Learn more about Suzanne:
Website: www.SuzanneRock.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/suzanne.rock
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Suzanne_Rock
