I am fully immersed in Desire in the Demimonde, the story of Justine Dixon, a high-priced prostitute living in Butte, Montana in 1910. I have even taken a strong liking to my hero, Jack Murphy, a mine worker being forced to play mediator between the other miners and the corporation who has bought out the mine. I'm very happy with the way the story is spinning out, with a healthy balance of romance, adventure, and sharp wit. It's all coming together rather quickly. I anticipate a release date in the middle of next month.
In the meantime, I am almost certain I am asking my graphic designer, Laura Gordon, to create a new cover for The Demimonde Trilogy. I didn't really have a clear idea of what I wanted when I did the cover for Daughter of the Demimonde. This weekend, while browsing Laura's recent covers, I found some that gave me some new ideas that I'm hoping to try out. She really is fantastic!
So with any luck--and some clear focus and hard work--my next post will be an excerpt and then a release announcement. I will say that I always enjoy this process of creation, but I haven't adored a character more than Jac MaCall until now. I hope you all enjoy Justine Dixon and Jack Murphy as much as I have.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Daughter of the Demimonde - an Excerpt
The first book of The Demimonde Trilogy is now available on Amazon. I typically post excerpts of the beginning of my books, but I wanted to share this one, as well. This is the moment with Cathleen Ainsley, daughter of a notorious brothel owner, meets Agent Kane Malone, the man investigating allegations of human trafficking in the red light district. He mistakenly believes that she works as one of her mother's prostitutes and is less proper than he probably should be.
Excerpt of DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE
Excerpt of DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE
He sipped the amber colored liquid from his glass, noting that the color of his scotch matched one of the many shades of Cathleen’s hair. Holding the glass between his thumb and index finger, he swirled the contents and smiled to himself.
“I understand that you’ve been looking for me.”
Startled, he dropped the glass and leapt to his feet, but not before getting his lap sprayed with his spilled drink. The sound of the glass striking the hard wood of the hand crafted table echoed around the room, even above the sounds of the other men’s voices.
She stood before him, her chin thrust into the air, whether out of pride or in an effort to meet his gaze, he couldn’t be sure.
“You have freckles,” he greeted absently.
“I am aware of that. What I am not aware of, Agent Malone, is what business you think you have with me.”
She hadn’t expected him to be so tall. When she’d seen him at Hum Yow’s, he’d been hunched over, retrieving the bolt of fabric he had toppled to the floor. Her eyes dropped to the front of his wet pants. His clumsiness seemed to be a chronic problem.
Meeting his eyes again, she caught both amusement and challenge in his hazel eyes, and when her pulse began racing, she comforted herself with the knowledge that Bear was only forty feet across the room. And in a matter of moments, he would be much closer, judging by his past protective behaviors.
She cleared her throat in expectation.
“I have been trying to track you down,” he explained, having regained his senses.
“Yes. The question is why?”
“I saw you at the Chinese silk store, and you caught my attention,” he began. He smiled disarmingly, increasing her sense of unease.
She flicked a nonexistent piece of lint off of her sleeve, feigning disinterest. “I remember.” Her short, direct answers were her way of encouraging an explanation without giving away the tremor she felt threatening her voice. Her knees felt shaky, and she feared that she would drop if she didn’t sit down soon. Nevertheless, she urged herself to remain standing so that she could keep the tone professional for this particular conversation.
“When I saw you enter the Artisan, I knew that I had to speak with you.”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, assuming that talking wasn’t the only thing he wanted to do with her. Her mother’s business had taught her that much about men. Short of Bear and Tommy, she’d not met one yet who could be trusted to treat her as a human being. But to be fair, her mother and Bear had taken care to keep her from having direct interaction with too many members of the opposite gender. Nevertheless, the limited contact had not been reassuring.
“I have been there the past two nights in hopes of meeting you, but you were not there either night. Did Justine tell you about me?”
Rather than answer, she said, “I find it hard to believe that you were so entranced by me in Hum Yow’s that you have shamelessly been hunting me ever since. You strike me as a proud man.”
He was a proud man. And he was insulted by her bold response. “‘Shamelessly’ seems an exaggeration.” His pride struck back. “If it was an attraction I felt, I wouldn’t want to speak with you. You are a whore and available at a price much more reasonable than the expense of a conversation, no?”
She flinched and responded curtly, “Perhaps not.”
Feeling guilty for having evidently offended her, he tried again. “Of course you are attractive. And I would happily purchase your services. I may yet.”
She shifted uncomfortably and glanced back at Bear. He still stood behind the bar, but was glaring in their specific direction. His paying customers tried and failed to catch his attention as he undoubtedly was weighing the consequences of letting their conversation continue against the consequences of killing a federal agent.
“Perhaps not,” she repeated with a touch of disgust in her tone.
Malone continued, “To be honest, I am not in town to become a parlor house patron. I am in town for business. And I think that you could be a great help to me.” He reached out to gesture at the chair across from him, but accidentally brushed her fingertips with his own.
He did not hear the slight gasp that she emitted, but found himself briefly distracted by the swift parting of her bright lips. She pulled her hand away as though burned and twisted her hands together uncomfortably. The new color in her cheeks was somehow both arousing and angelic, and Malone found that he—like Artan Murphy—suddenly wanted to protect this young woman. Even if it meant protecting her from himself.
Cathleen glanced over her shoulder and silently begged her heart to slow down. She could feel the heat in her face and knew that she was humiliating herself. And a swift peek at Bear confirmed that she didn’t have much time to give Agent Malone her message.
Bear had tossed his towel on the top of the bar and was moving to the opening that would allow him to join his customers on the more popular side of the bar.
“I am not interested in helping you, Agent Malone,” she whispered quickly.
“I haven’t even told you of my business,” he protested. He took his eyes off of her for the briefest of moments and concluded that he had only seconds before they were going to be interrupted.
She, too, concluded that she was nearly out of time. “You are here in hopes of identifying any madams guilty of holding girls against their will or enticing them under false pretenses.”
He stood silent, stunned by the accuracy of her conclusion.
“And the reason I cannot help you, Agent Malone, is because my mother is not guilty of any such behaviors. In fact, I am fairly confident that no madam in Butte is guilty of these atrocities.”
Her gaze was unwavering, a rare quality in a young woman of her age. He could only blame her chosen profession for her bold nature. But he could clearly see that she was serious and believed her claim.
“Someone in Butte is definitely guilty. I have seen the advertisements myself. And given the nature of your relationship with the Artisan’s madam, you must understand why I can’t simply take your word. We are launching a full investigation of each of the parlor houses on Mercury Street, and some of the crib madams, as well.”
She met his determined gaze, his warm hazel eyes meeting her gaslight blue ones. To her credit, she didn’t blink.
A low rumbling caught the attention of both of them. “Cathleen,” Bear growled. “I thought you were waiting in the back.”
She froze Kane with another look before turning and warmly patting the large man on the arm. “I’m going. I was just telling Agent Malone how fruitless his investigation into my mother is. Alas, he clearly cannot be swayed.”
She turned on her heel and moved across the room.
He admired the sway of her hips as she moved, but only until he realized that Artan Murphy was watching him watch her. He cleared his throat briefly. “I apologize for upsetting her.”
The large beast of a man and the federal agent stared each other down with more ferocity than made sense. Finally, the large man’s stern face broke into a grin. “She’s not upset,” he informed him. “That’s her natural reaction to people.”
Clearly, Kane concluded, it would take more to convince the stubborn woman to speak with him about her mother’s business. And even if Nora Ainsley was innocent, and that was a big “if,” the advertisement that the Bureau had uncovered suggested that another madam in Butte was guilty of human trafficking.
He glanced at Murphy and found the large man was still smiling at him.
“Are you going to kill me now?” he asked with a charming smile.
Murphy threw his head back and laughed. “I’d like to,” he admitted. “But I honestly think it will be even more fun to watch that girl’s mother get her hands on you. Anything I could do to you would be a leisurely stroll down a sunlit beach compared to being ripped to shreds by Nora Ainsley. Nobody messes with her girls, especially not that one.” He laughed again and shook his head, putting a sympathetic hand on Kane’s shoulder. “Poor bastard.”
“I understand that you’ve been looking for me.”
Startled, he dropped the glass and leapt to his feet, but not before getting his lap sprayed with his spilled drink. The sound of the glass striking the hard wood of the hand crafted table echoed around the room, even above the sounds of the other men’s voices.
She stood before him, her chin thrust into the air, whether out of pride or in an effort to meet his gaze, he couldn’t be sure.
“You have freckles,” he greeted absently.
“I am aware of that. What I am not aware of, Agent Malone, is what business you think you have with me.”
She hadn’t expected him to be so tall. When she’d seen him at Hum Yow’s, he’d been hunched over, retrieving the bolt of fabric he had toppled to the floor. Her eyes dropped to the front of his wet pants. His clumsiness seemed to be a chronic problem.
Meeting his eyes again, she caught both amusement and challenge in his hazel eyes, and when her pulse began racing, she comforted herself with the knowledge that Bear was only forty feet across the room. And in a matter of moments, he would be much closer, judging by his past protective behaviors.
She cleared her throat in expectation.
“I have been trying to track you down,” he explained, having regained his senses.
“Yes. The question is why?”
“I saw you at the Chinese silk store, and you caught my attention,” he began. He smiled disarmingly, increasing her sense of unease.
She flicked a nonexistent piece of lint off of her sleeve, feigning disinterest. “I remember.” Her short, direct answers were her way of encouraging an explanation without giving away the tremor she felt threatening her voice. Her knees felt shaky, and she feared that she would drop if she didn’t sit down soon. Nevertheless, she urged herself to remain standing so that she could keep the tone professional for this particular conversation.
“When I saw you enter the Artisan, I knew that I had to speak with you.”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, assuming that talking wasn’t the only thing he wanted to do with her. Her mother’s business had taught her that much about men. Short of Bear and Tommy, she’d not met one yet who could be trusted to treat her as a human being. But to be fair, her mother and Bear had taken care to keep her from having direct interaction with too many members of the opposite gender. Nevertheless, the limited contact had not been reassuring.
“I have been there the past two nights in hopes of meeting you, but you were not there either night. Did Justine tell you about me?”
Rather than answer, she said, “I find it hard to believe that you were so entranced by me in Hum Yow’s that you have shamelessly been hunting me ever since. You strike me as a proud man.”
He was a proud man. And he was insulted by her bold response. “‘Shamelessly’ seems an exaggeration.” His pride struck back. “If it was an attraction I felt, I wouldn’t want to speak with you. You are a whore and available at a price much more reasonable than the expense of a conversation, no?”
She flinched and responded curtly, “Perhaps not.”
Feeling guilty for having evidently offended her, he tried again. “Of course you are attractive. And I would happily purchase your services. I may yet.”
She shifted uncomfortably and glanced back at Bear. He still stood behind the bar, but was glaring in their specific direction. His paying customers tried and failed to catch his attention as he undoubtedly was weighing the consequences of letting their conversation continue against the consequences of killing a federal agent.
“Perhaps not,” she repeated with a touch of disgust in her tone.
Malone continued, “To be honest, I am not in town to become a parlor house patron. I am in town for business. And I think that you could be a great help to me.” He reached out to gesture at the chair across from him, but accidentally brushed her fingertips with his own.
He did not hear the slight gasp that she emitted, but found himself briefly distracted by the swift parting of her bright lips. She pulled her hand away as though burned and twisted her hands together uncomfortably. The new color in her cheeks was somehow both arousing and angelic, and Malone found that he—like Artan Murphy—suddenly wanted to protect this young woman. Even if it meant protecting her from himself.
Cathleen glanced over her shoulder and silently begged her heart to slow down. She could feel the heat in her face and knew that she was humiliating herself. And a swift peek at Bear confirmed that she didn’t have much time to give Agent Malone her message.
Bear had tossed his towel on the top of the bar and was moving to the opening that would allow him to join his customers on the more popular side of the bar.
“I am not interested in helping you, Agent Malone,” she whispered quickly.
“I haven’t even told you of my business,” he protested. He took his eyes off of her for the briefest of moments and concluded that he had only seconds before they were going to be interrupted.
She, too, concluded that she was nearly out of time. “You are here in hopes of identifying any madams guilty of holding girls against their will or enticing them under false pretenses.”
He stood silent, stunned by the accuracy of her conclusion.
“And the reason I cannot help you, Agent Malone, is because my mother is not guilty of any such behaviors. In fact, I am fairly confident that no madam in Butte is guilty of these atrocities.”
Her gaze was unwavering, a rare quality in a young woman of her age. He could only blame her chosen profession for her bold nature. But he could clearly see that she was serious and believed her claim.
“Someone in Butte is definitely guilty. I have seen the advertisements myself. And given the nature of your relationship with the Artisan’s madam, you must understand why I can’t simply take your word. We are launching a full investigation of each of the parlor houses on Mercury Street, and some of the crib madams, as well.”
She met his determined gaze, his warm hazel eyes meeting her gaslight blue ones. To her credit, she didn’t blink.
A low rumbling caught the attention of both of them. “Cathleen,” Bear growled. “I thought you were waiting in the back.”
She froze Kane with another look before turning and warmly patting the large man on the arm. “I’m going. I was just telling Agent Malone how fruitless his investigation into my mother is. Alas, he clearly cannot be swayed.”
She turned on her heel and moved across the room.
He admired the sway of her hips as she moved, but only until he realized that Artan Murphy was watching him watch her. He cleared his throat briefly. “I apologize for upsetting her.”
The large beast of a man and the federal agent stared each other down with more ferocity than made sense. Finally, the large man’s stern face broke into a grin. “She’s not upset,” he informed him. “That’s her natural reaction to people.”
Clearly, Kane concluded, it would take more to convince the stubborn woman to speak with him about her mother’s business. And even if Nora Ainsley was innocent, and that was a big “if,” the advertisement that the Bureau had uncovered suggested that another madam in Butte was guilty of human trafficking.
He glanced at Murphy and found the large man was still smiling at him.
“Are you going to kill me now?” he asked with a charming smile.
Murphy threw his head back and laughed. “I’d like to,” he admitted. “But I honestly think it will be even more fun to watch that girl’s mother get her hands on you. Anything I could do to you would be a leisurely stroll down a sunlit beach compared to being ripped to shreds by Nora Ainsley. Nobody messes with her girls, especially not that one.” He laughed again and shook his head, putting a sympathetic hand on Kane’s shoulder. “Poor bastard.”
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
The Demimonde Trilogy - Book 1 is FREE!
Daughter of the Demimonde is FREE on Amazon from April 15 - April 18. I welcome your honest reviews!
http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Demimonde-The-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00IZTTPOK
http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Demimonde-The-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00IZTTPOK
Friday, April 11, 2014
The Demimonde Trilogy - Book 2
The second book in The Demimonde Trilogy is shaping up nicely.
The novel will take us back to Butte, Montana again, and it's still 1910. The focus is on Justine, a high price woman from the red light district. Her past is painful; her future is uncertain. And presently, she finds herself living comfortably in a life of luxury that permits her enjoyment of the company of a man with whom she is secretly in love.
But times are treacherous on Mercury Street. And the comfortable life that Justine has built around her begins to fall apart. The pain from her past is revisiting her even as the competition in the red light district escalates. And the conflict between the miners' union and the corporations are also coming to a head, a conflict that threatens Justine's life and livelihood, as well.
And the man she has spent six years loving is finally ready to settle down...with a perfectly suitable daughter from a respectable family.
I expect this will end up being my favorite book in this trilogy. And I'm hoping for a release date some time in June.
In the meantime, check out the first book in the series, Daughter of the Demimonde, which introduces Cat Ainsley, the naive daughter of a red light district madam. She is inadvertently involved in a human trafficking investigation that leads her into the seedy underbelly of her mother's world and pushes her into the arms of the federal agent leading the hunt.
The novel will take us back to Butte, Montana again, and it's still 1910. The focus is on Justine, a high price woman from the red light district. Her past is painful; her future is uncertain. And presently, she finds herself living comfortably in a life of luxury that permits her enjoyment of the company of a man with whom she is secretly in love.
But times are treacherous on Mercury Street. And the comfortable life that Justine has built around her begins to fall apart. The pain from her past is revisiting her even as the competition in the red light district escalates. And the conflict between the miners' union and the corporations are also coming to a head, a conflict that threatens Justine's life and livelihood, as well.
And the man she has spent six years loving is finally ready to settle down...with a perfectly suitable daughter from a respectable family.
I expect this will end up being my favorite book in this trilogy. And I'm hoping for a release date some time in June.
In the meantime, check out the first book in the series, Daughter of the Demimonde, which introduces Cat Ainsley, the naive daughter of a red light district madam. She is inadvertently involved in a human trafficking investigation that leads her into the seedy underbelly of her mother's world and pushes her into the arms of the federal agent leading the hunt.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE...Free for One Day Only!
Daughter of the Demimonde is the first book in my new historical romance series, The Demimonde Trilogy. I am offering it for free for one day only, Wednesday, March 26.
It is 1910, and the city
of Butte, Montana is on its way to becoming one of the wealthiest cities of
America. The success of the silver and copper mines has drawn a
number of young men in search of fortune and glory. Not surprising, a
number of women followed these men in search of their own fortune, and thus the
Demimonde was formed.
Cathleen Ainsley grew up admiring the strength and
independence of her mother, a powerful madam in the red light district of
Butte. And when the newly formed Bureau of Investigation sends the
irresistible Kane Malone to Mercury Street to investigate allegations of human
trafficking in the parlor houses, Cat is eager to prove her mother's honest
heroism. His charm and conviction capture her heart, and she agrees
to assist with the investigation. It is her close and personal look at
the underbelly of the red light district that causes her to question everything
she thought she knew about herself and her mother. And in an effort to
protect her mother's innocence, she may end up sacrificing her own.
Get DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE on Wednesday only!
Friday, March 14, 2014
NEW RELEASE...Now Available on Amazon
It's official. My first book of my new historical romance trilogy is now available.
The Demimonde Trilogy will follow three women with very different relationships to the red light district of Butte, Montana in 1910. At this time, a number of monumental historical events were taking place in this very town. The Bureau of Investigations (later the FBI) was founded just a few years earlier and they were put in charge of investigating allegations of human trafficking in the brothels. With the huge success of the copper mines also came some early formations of unions fighting for the rights of miners in Butte and Anaconda. And as the influence of both the groups of Copper Kings and madams grew, corruption in the town inspired the Progressive Movement, led by the Women's Christian Temperance Union, among others. War ensued between the BOI and the parlor houses, the unions and the copper companies, and the righteous and the "fallen women" of the town.
All of these events shaped the future of not only Montana, but also the entire nation. It is a time and place that captured my attention over a year ago, and I've been ecstatic about writing this series ever since.
DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE features Cathleen Ainsley, the daughter of the (fictionally) infamous Nora Ainsley, parlor house madam extraordinaire. Cat is perfectly aware of the sacrifices her widowed mother made to raise her, and she would do anything for her...even if it means going against the Bureau of Investigations. Agent Kane Malone has come to town to investigate allegations of human trafficking, and he won't leave without his madam. To prove her mother's innocence, Cat agrees to help the agent identify the woman responsible for entrapping young girls and forcing them into a life of prostitution. But she may end up sacrificing her own innocence to prove her mother's.
The Demimonde Trilogy will follow three women with very different relationships to the red light district of Butte, Montana in 1910. At this time, a number of monumental historical events were taking place in this very town. The Bureau of Investigations (later the FBI) was founded just a few years earlier and they were put in charge of investigating allegations of human trafficking in the brothels. With the huge success of the copper mines also came some early formations of unions fighting for the rights of miners in Butte and Anaconda. And as the influence of both the groups of Copper Kings and madams grew, corruption in the town inspired the Progressive Movement, led by the Women's Christian Temperance Union, among others. War ensued between the BOI and the parlor houses, the unions and the copper companies, and the righteous and the "fallen women" of the town.
All of these events shaped the future of not only Montana, but also the entire nation. It is a time and place that captured my attention over a year ago, and I've been ecstatic about writing this series ever since.
DAUGHTER OF THE DEMIMONDE features Cathleen Ainsley, the daughter of the (fictionally) infamous Nora Ainsley, parlor house madam extraordinaire. Cat is perfectly aware of the sacrifices her widowed mother made to raise her, and she would do anything for her...even if it means going against the Bureau of Investigations. Agent Kane Malone has come to town to investigate allegations of human trafficking, and he won't leave without his madam. To prove her mother's innocence, Cat agrees to help the agent identify the woman responsible for entrapping young girls and forcing them into a life of prostitution. But she may end up sacrificing her own innocence to prove her mother's.
Monday, March 3, 2014
FIRSTBORN is FREE on Amazon!
You can now download FIRSTBORN on Amazon for free! This promotion will only run until Wednesday. Enjoy!
Jac MaCall is the eldest daughter of a wealthy and brilliant security consultant. She, however, has chosen a different life for herself, running a new age store that specializes in selling crystals, candles, and aromatherapy that enable people to tap into their subconscious awareness. But when Dr. Will Archer’s office is vandalized by a dangerous organization threatening his life, fate sends Jac in as a consultant for her father’s business to update his security and provide additional protection.
The old adage about opposites attracting proves true the moment he opens his door and finds the exotic beauty standing in her yoga pants while lecturing him on his security system and asking questions better left to the police. In time, Will and Jac learn that a prophecy involving the firstborn child of Will Archer has an extremist militant group fearful enough that they will not stop until Will and his unborn child are destroyed. And when Jac gets a vision of her own future with the uptight and irresistible Dr. Archer, it becomes evident to everyone involved that she will play a bigger role in this prophecy than anyone had imagined.
Jac MaCall is the eldest daughter of a wealthy and brilliant security consultant. She, however, has chosen a different life for herself, running a new age store that specializes in selling crystals, candles, and aromatherapy that enable people to tap into their subconscious awareness. But when Dr. Will Archer’s office is vandalized by a dangerous organization threatening his life, fate sends Jac in as a consultant for her father’s business to update his security and provide additional protection.
The old adage about opposites attracting proves true the moment he opens his door and finds the exotic beauty standing in her yoga pants while lecturing him on his security system and asking questions better left to the police. In time, Will and Jac learn that a prophecy involving the firstborn child of Will Archer has an extremist militant group fearful enough that they will not stop until Will and his unborn child are destroyed. And when Jac gets a vision of her own future with the uptight and irresistible Dr. Archer, it becomes evident to everyone involved that she will play a bigger role in this prophecy than anyone had imagined.
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