Happy St. Patrick’s Day

My sister had a bulldog that looked just like this one. Her name was Sugar Baby.

I have some great memories of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in years past, but none very recent. So, I thought I’d share a snippet that takes place at next hero Sam O’Neal’s annual fundraiser at the Rocking M ranch. (This appears as an epilogue in HER COWBOY VALENTINE and will also serve as the prologue in HER TWINS’ REAL FATHER (to make it a true stand-alone book, as well as a continuity series.)

HER TWINS’ REAL FATHER

(coming early summer 2021)

St. Patrick’s Day

Rocking M Ranch

Whiskey Ridge, California

Sam O’Neal tapped the toe of his cowboy boot to the beat of the Irish band Josh somehow procured at the last minute. Sam’s regular D.J. wasn’t too happy to be sitting out this annual event, but by the looks of the happy faces all around him, live music was the one thing that had been missing from his St. Patrick’s Day barn dance.

“Great party,” someone shouted over the music. Sam nodded his greeting to TJ Huey, who looked dapper in a crisply pressed black shirt with a kelly-green western string tie.

Sam motioned for TJ and fiancé Paige Jackson to follow as he stepped around one of the pyramids of hay bales that helped absorb the sound and provided a place to sit when your feet got tired of dancing.

“Thanks. I don’t know where Josh found these guys, but they’re really good.”

He shook TJ’s hand and smiled at the pretty woman at his side. “Nice to see you again, Paige. Doc’s been singing your praises. How are the wedding plans coming?”

The lovely blonde held up both thumbs. “We’re all booked. It really helps having a local on the ground in Vegas.”

“Especially a local with a platinum credit card,” TJ put in.

Paige’s laugh warmed Sam’s heart. He couldn’t have been happier for his old friend, who’d been through lot of disappointments and heartache over the years.

Haven’t we all?

Out of habit, Sam scanned the crowd for his brother. Is he over-doing? Drinking too much? Alcohol was sugar, and sugar fed cancer cells. Josh’s doctors may claim his last scan proved he was cancer free, but Sam heard that before where his late stepdad was concerned.

His tension eased when he spotted Josh and Jenny talking beside the smorgasbord of classic Irish dishes—or the Americanized version of them. Jenny didn’t appear happy. No surprise. She and Sam had one thing common–they both worried more about Josh’s health than Josh did.

“So, have you two been dancing?”

Paige blushed. “I never really learned. Always had my nose in a book, I guess. But the music makes me want to learn.”

Sam made an ushering motion toward the dance floor. “Aw, just dance. Nobody will judge. I promise. We’re all just here to have fun and let off a little steam after a long winter.”

TJ and Paige exchanged a look that said things mere words couldn’t.

Envy—not something Sam often felt—pricked the thick shield around his heart. Of course, it was hard not to be a bit wistful around Josh and Jenny. Even though he couldn’t be happier that his brother found his soul mate–Josh’s words, not Sam’s–Sam knew it unlikely that he’d wind up with that kind of relationship.

He’d heard it said a person can’t miss what he’s never known, but Sam didn’t think that was true.

He’d have given anything to share the kind of love he knew existed between TJ and Paige and Josh and Jenny. But some things just weren’t meant to be.

“I should play host and check on the food. You guys have fun. I’ll see you in Vegas, if not before.”

He watched them melt into the crowd before turning to thread his way through the revelers. The closer he got the to buffet table the clearer it became the lovebirds were arguing about something.

“I’m gonna ask him.”

“Don’t you dare. We have still options.”

“This is the best one.”

“It’s not right.”

“But it’s not wrong, either.”

“Hey, you two, what’s up? Why aren’t you dancing to the great band you found, little brother?”

Josh—the kid Sam always thought had the looks of a movie star—dropped his chin and gave his wife a look that clearly warned he was about to say something she wasn’t going to like. “Hello, Sam, we were just arguing about you.”

“Me?”

“Well, your sperm, actually.”

Copyright © Debra Salonen ~ All Rights Reserved

May the luck of the Irish be with you! “Sláinte!” (Pronounced slawn-CHA, in case you wondered. ;-))

All the best,

Deb

Debra Salonen Book List

Free at last…except in India…sigh

Making a previously published book go FREE is no easy task. Believe me, it’s taken hours of every day for the past two weeks. Some vendors are a piece of cake. Some are a piece of … work. 😉

But this morning, my first BookBub Feature (as an Indie author) came out! I’m so excited and thrilled for the exposure this will give a book I love dearly, PRINCE CHARMING UNDERCOVER. Fingers crossed readers will love it and want to read the rest of the series.

I was disappointed to learn that the book was NOT free in Amazon Kindle India (after being told the price had changed), but some things are beyond your control–and it’s important to remember that when you’re an author. Sigh.

If you love a little suspense with your romance, I hope you’ll give this book a try. (And your kind review would be GREATLY appreciated.) Here a few pull quotes from reviews to date:

“An utterly gorgeous start to a new series”

“…a plot that makes caring about the final outcome imperative.”

“…entertaining, intriguing, emotional and couldn’t put the book down…you will not be disappointed!!”

 http://littl.ink/CHARMINGAZ 

http://littl.ink/CHARMINGBN

http://littl.ink/CHARMINGGoogle

http://littl.ink/CHARMINGIB 

http://littl.ink/CHARMINGKOBO 

AZUK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DF79KFM

AZCA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07DF79KFM

Have a great weekend and happy reading!!!

Deb

 

Finally Friday: Gasp! It’s June, already!

Happy 1st day of June!

I’m playing catch-up. This week was busy prepping for my newsletter and getting my new release up for PreOrder. There are always so many loose ends to tuck into place before the links go live. Then, there’s the wait time while the vendors upload your book to make your links live!

But I think the drama was worth it. As I wrote in my newsletter, “As sometimes happens in the book publishing biz, your creative team disagrees about certain elements of production, and, although I’m the one who came up with the Princess Brides concept, my editor pointed out one small inconsistency: not every book ends with a wedding. In fact, the wedding above doesn’t take place until the last book of the series. Sooo…we’ve come up with a new flash, improved tagline, title tweaks and a new focus for the covers. I absolutely love what my cover designer, Rogenna Brewer, did with Book 1. I hope you like it, too.”

Click on cover to purchase from your favorite vendor.

Is it me, or does my heroine look a bit like Meghan Markle?

Here’s the blurb that finally passed editorial muster:

Four sisters named after royalty, with dowries fit for a queen. Their Gypsy fortuneteller mother predicted each would marry a prince…of sorts.

She’s a princess with more to lose than her dowry.

Las Vegas restaurateur Grace Parlier doesn’t gamble, but she’s risking her dowry on a new business with her late father’s friend because casino owner Charles Harmon has what she wants: location, location, location. The money may have been earmarked for a wedding, but everyone knows Grace has terrible taste in men. Look at the way her heart races every time her family’s latest Romani rescue comes close. But how could an ex-con from Detroit possibly be the prince she was meant to marry?

He’s a Detroit cop with no skin in the game—or so he wants to believe.

Nick Lightner goes undercover in Vegas for one reason only: to take down scumbag Charles Harmon. Does he believe Lucky Chuck is a human serpent threatening his birth father’s family? Hell, no. Nick knows who he is and where his allegiance lies. Certainly not with a sexy “princess” who makes the few drops of Romani blood in his veins run hotter than a winning streak at the craps table. His heart maintains a safe distance…until the princess takes a bullet meant for him, then all bets are off.

PRINCE CHARMING UNDERCOVER is Book 1 in the Betting On Love series. If you’re a fan of romance with a side of suspense, you’ll love this action-packed story that introduces you to the kind of family Debra Salonen–winner of Romantic Times Reviewer’s Career Achievement “Series Storyteller of the Year” award in 2006–is known for. “Debra Salonen captures reader attention with multifaceted characters, layered conflict and fast pacing.”—Pamela Cohen, Romantic Times

Buy PRINCE CHARMING UNDERCOVER–the perfect “staycation.” Visit Las Vegas without leaving home. But remember, when your heart’s on the line, there’s no such thing as a safe bet.

The book won’t release wide for a whole month, but the way time is flying by, that will probably be tomorrow. 😉 But feel free to preorder here: PRINCE CHARMING UNDERCOVER or you can read the first chapter for free HERE.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Deb