Sunday, October 24, 2010

Cliffhanger Blogfest

Here we are at one of the blogfests I'm going to participate in whilst in the midst of revisions (which, actually, are officially finished. Now I'm working on some agent research...any suggestions for agents I should query for a paranormal romance?!)

Thanks to Brenda Drake for hosting the Cliffhanger Blogfest! Participants are supposed to "leave us hanging, craving more, and cursing your name for making us want to turn a page that isn't there."

My entry is the end of section two of Chapter 12 of my paranormal romance, Faerie Fate, (yes, this is the one I've been madly revising to get ready for agent querying).

A little setup:  Holly has only recently discovered that she's half faerie and has managed the task of transforming from human to faerie form. She's overwhelmed by this new world, and when Shadow publicly claims her as his soul mate she bristles at the idea of being someone's property and about losing her right to choose. This scene takes place the same night, after Shadow has claimed her, and is from Shadow's POV.

***********

Since the moment he’d accepted in his heart that she was his mate, after dancing with her at Lunasa, and especially after today when he’d announced his claim publicly, he’d discovered he had a growing physical attraction to her. He’d tried to fight it, especially since in his mind he wasn’t sure she’d ever acknowledge him as her mate, much less truly love him, but it was a fight he knew he was bound to lose. For now he just wished he could stop thinking about what she wore as she slept. He hadn’t offered her anything of his, so he wondered if she was still wearing her clothes - or not.

He threw his blanket off and slapped his feet to the floor, leaned his elbows on his knees and shoved his hands through his hair. Thinking about her naked on his couch was not going to help him sleep. It only made him want to go watch her sleep naked on his couch. Which, now that the idea was in his head he couldn’t resist doing. He padded on quiet feet to the living room and peeked over the back of the couch. She wore a t-shirt, but he saw her pants folded in a neat pile on the floor. The blanket tangled around her, one leg exposed high on her thigh, her foot dangling over the edge of the cushion.

He moved around the couch to sit on the edge of the coffee table and watched her sleep. Her breathing was even and peaceful, and her eyes moved back and forth beneath her lids, the long black lashes brushing her cheeks. He liked that she didn’t wear makeup, and he liked the novelty that her skin was completely clear of any body art. It was pristine, and it made him want to explore every inch of it. In his imagination it was as smooth as it was pure.

He felt his own skin heat as he watched her, the need to touch her burning hotter until the urge was overwhelming. She stirred in her sleep, shivering. Her lips parted and he thought she murmured his name. Amazed by what he thought he’d heard, he was drawn to her mouth. Just one kiss won’t hurt, he thought, and leaned to brush his lips lightly over hers. He shivered and groaned, torn, then kissed her again, barely tracing her lips with his tongue. He'd expected her to taste spicy like her personality, but she tasted sweet instead, and it made him dizzy.

His heart pounded and his mouth was dry, and he knew he should walk away. Kissing her, especially while she slept, would only complicate things. He’d feel guilty for taking advantage of her and he’d never be able to look her in the eye. And, no doubt, she’d be angry at him. But he couldn’t stop himself. He kissed the corners of her mouth, then took her lips with his in a full kiss. And this time, she kissed him back.


*************

Hope you liked it! (does it leave you hanging?) Now, go check out the rest of the entries!

30 comments:

Unknown said...

Every time I read something from the WIP I want to know more!! I really hope you're successful with querying so we can actually read the whole thing one day!

Rachael Harrie said...

Ooh, very tantilizing. Would love to read more :)

Rach

Unknown said...

Great cliff hanger, it definitely left me wanting more.

Jamie Manning said...

Nicely done, and I'm with the others...I'd love to read more!

Meredith said...

Oooh, I want to see her reaction when she wakes up! Awesome snippet :)

Gabriela Lessa said...

Great entry, Mara! I'd definitely want to read the whole story!

Bree said...

I'm left wanting more! Lots of great internal things going on in there.

Good luck!

Tina Lynn said...

Mmmm...that was yummy. I am definitely super curious as to what's going to happen next.

Shallee said...

I agree, very tantalizing! You've done a good job here. I'm interested to know what's next!

Jodi Henry said...

I love adult paranormal as I assume that's what this is. It feels like its going to get really spicy fast. Great ending here.

If it is adult. Do you read Keri Arthur or Kelley Armstrong. They both write PR. I would google them and see who their agents are. Email me if you want me to look in the books I own of theirs.

If its YA (spicy YA) I would try Cassandra Clare's agent. Her books hinge very closly to adult PR but are YA. Her agent is Barry Goldblatter (yes this is off the top of my head. I've snooped around his site several times ;)

I'm so following. Really looking forward to reading more of this WIP.

J

Mara Nash said...

Rachel: Thanks...I'm hoping for success too!

Jodi: Yep, it's adult PR. I haven't read Keri Arthur or Kelley Armstrong, but I'll add them to my to read list right now! It's always great to get referrals to other awesome authors to read in my genre. And I'll google them to see if I can find agent info. Thanks!

Everyone else: Thanks so much for the input and comments!

Marieke said...

Ooh, wonderful! :D

Summer Ross said...

very intriguing, I would turn the page to read more. You nailed it for this blogfest. thanks for posting!

Francine Howarth said...

Hi,

Nicely handled male sexual impulse and his desire for that illicit touch!

Oh boy, do I get the feeling someone is going to explode when reality dawns! Lovely read, nice cliffhanger.

best
F

J E Fritz said...

Nice description--you can feel the physical attraction Shadow has for Holly. I wish I knew what her reaction will be!

Raquel Byrnes said...

Okay, not nice to pull me into this scene, get me completely hooked, and then stop! Argh! Great excerpt. Loved that she was sweet and not spicy like he thought.
Edge of Your Seat Romance

Wendy Tyler Ryan said...

Very nicely written, and I can guess what's coming!

erica and christy said...

I like a good romantic cliffhanger! Thanks for the read! christy

Michael Di Gesu said...

Love the premise, and the writing is descriptive. The scene flashed in my mind. Well done. We can only guess what happens next. Many things come to mind.

Unknown said...

Kinda hott... in a stalker sort of way! lol! Nice post.

Dawn Embers said...

oooo Faeries! It's interesting to get his perspective in this point of the story. Well done.

Anonymous said...

Very well done. It seemed so full for only 500 words long. I liked the POV--charming, enticing. I might have left off the last line and let the reader guessing as to whether she kisses him back, at least until the next chapter. Good luck!

Jennie Bailey said...

You had me from the first line. Well written, excellent build-up and a great cliffhanger. If I had picked this up on a shelf, I would have walked out of the store having purchased it. I would be curled up on my couch reading my way through it RIGHT now. This has the makings of a book I can't put down!

Brenda Drake said...

Thanks for participating! We've judged your entry. o/\o *high five*

Mara Nash said...

Raquel - I know. I've been frustrated all after reading the other entries, wanting to know what happens next!!!

Summer - Thanks!

Francine - Indeed...explosions of all kinds are in the offing.

Jennie - wow, thanks! Hopefully when I start to query in the next week or so agents will feel the same way!

Brenda - Thanks for a fun blogfest!

JJ said...

Nicely done! That definitely left me wanting to read more!

dolorah said...

Hi Mara (waves)

Didn't realize I hadn't been by to visit lately.

Yum, this is a delightful excerpt. And I'm so drawn by the possibilities of that stolen kiss. Your characters are so vividly drawn, I just fall right into them.

........dhole

Anonymous said...

Ooh spicy stuff.
I'm wondering if you'll have her open her eyes after she's kissed him back and suddenly remember where exactly she is? :O)

Lydia Kang said...

That was a great excerpt! This is a great entry. Good luck with the blogfest!

J.C. Martin said...

Nice bit of sexual tension and internal conflict.