If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, again because the third time's a charm. I'm finally happy with the cover for Dream Kisses. I tried my hand at designing the cover and my husband said, "Verna, stick with what you do and let the experts do what they do." After trying twice and not creating the perfect look, I asked Elaina Lee (For the Muse) to design the new cover and I love it! She was also the artist for the Shapeling Trilogy. So, the cover is up on my website and will soon show up on Amazon.

Blurb for Dream Kisses:
Sarah Carter a.k.a. Mims Murphy, meets Sage Tanner at Imaginings Publishing while he's posing for the cover of her soon-to-be-released western romance novel. After being bulldozed into a coffee break with him by her publisher, Sissy Johansen, an embarrassing incident makes Sarah furious, and she walks out. Of course, fate has a wonderful way of intervening in matters of the heart. After deciding her book needs a touch of reality, she signs up for "dude" lessons at Lazy M Dude Ranch. Imagine her chagrin when she discovers the owner of the ranch is none other than Mr. Tanner himself!

Excerpt:
The photo shoot had already begun when they slipped into the studio. Sissy motioned her to a spot near a side wall. Mims leaned against the wall, her eyes riveted on the models. Lights flashed and the photographer, a short skinny man with a balding pate, called instructions. "Move in, Sage. Yeah, give her that sexy, hot hot HOT look. Make her sizzle. Chastity, let him know who's in charge."

Sissy smothered a giggle and whispered, "Can you believe her name is Chastity?"

Mims bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"Okay, models, let's try a kiss. The title of the book is Dream Kisses, so how about some dream kisses. Make my toes curl."

With a rather bored expression, the male model glanced in Mims direction. Her heart tripped when their eyes met, something that only happened to characters in her books.

Sissy whispered, "He's absolutely the most gorgeous model I've ever seen, and I've seen my share. If I were twenty years younger, I'd throw myself at him unabashedly." She sighed.

"Sissy, you're kidding, right? You're married," Mims shot back.

"I think I'm kidding; not really sure."

Mims shook her head and looked back at the models now sharing a passionate embrace and kiss. The female had hit the genetics jackpot: curvaceous body, flowing blonde hair, sexy sky blue eyes, and full pouty mouth. Of course, maybe it wasn't genetics; maybe it was implants, hair salon, contacts, and Botox. Whatever, she's still gorgeous.

A fan gently billowed the female's lavender silk drape around her luscious body and lifted her golden hair off her shoulders. The male model bent her slightly backwards, all evidence of his boredom gone when he laid a whopper on her. His hair, the color of rich mahogany laced with sunlight, also moved in the breeze of the fan. His linen shirt, falling off his shoulder and open to the waist, revealed tanned skin and washboard abs.

Sissy said, "My God, I think I can scrub clothes on his abs."

Mims choked and shook her head at Sissy's forthrightness.

I decided to do something different. Rather than sampling one book, I'm posting short samples from four books. Let's kick it off with my latest release:

Dream Kisses:
(Sage trying to apologize)

"Look Sarah, I think we should start fresh. I want you to enjoy your stay here and anything I can do to help with your research, just let me know. As for what happened at Java Junction, I'm truly sorry. I was just playing the game your boss started. If I'd known it would upset you, I would have kept my foot out of my mouth. So, like I said earlier, can we call a truce?"

Sage watched Sarah sip her coffee and then cradle the cup in her hands. "I'd like to ask you something, Mr. Tanner."

Sage held her gaze. "Shoot."

"Did you actually think I would be flattered by your attention?"

"I didn't think about it one way or the other. Like I said, I was playing along with the charade."

"Perhaps it was a game to you, but I saw it as demeaning and cruel."

Sage bit down on his back teeth. The woman was impossible. What did she want him to do, grovel on the floor? Inhaling to keep himself from saying something that would only antagonize the situation, he said, "What's done is done. Will you accept my apology, or at least call a truce so you can enjoy your stay here?"

She sipped her coffee again, looked down into the cup as if seeking an answer there, and then back at him. "Okay, I'll call a truce and think about accepting your apology."

Sage just about lost it. Holding his temper at bay, he inclined his head and sipped his own coffee, staring at her over the edge of the cup.
_________________________________________

Roth: Protector: Shapeling Trilogy Book One:
(Roth's Revelation)

"Tahnoon Kahlifa, you are going to be shocked by what I reveal. But please, listen until the end."

Tahnoon acknowledged the request with a slight nod of his head.

"Many years ago I received an assignment. I was directed by my elders to make sure a young man arrived at his own wedding. The young man’s parents had arranged for him to marry a girl he had met only once as a teenager. He had not been impressed by her and did not want to marry her. The elders who gave me my assignment believed it was very important, however, that the young man and the young woman marry. It would maintain peace between their tribes. The young man was destined to become leader of his clan, and my elders believed he would gain much wisdom from his wife."

Tahnoon watched Roth’s every movement, a puzzled expression on his face.

"That young man, Tahnoon, was you."

Tahnoon said, "Impossible! You were not even born when I married."

"That is where you are wrong. May I continue?"

Tahnoon inclined his head again, his expression showing more puzzlement than before.

"Do you remember trying to turn your camel away from the path it was on, but the camel would not turn, no matter how much you switched or kicked or pulled the reins. After many attempts, you came to believe that Allah had destined your marriage, and you accepted it."

Tahnoon jumped up and said, "How can you know that?"

"Because, my friend, I was that camel."
_________________________________________

Fawn: Master: Shapeling Trilogy Book Two:
(Fawn as a feral horse encountering Wade)

Fawn spotted the herd of feral horses. She searched the area for cowboys and seeing none, landed behind the cover of a large boulder. Shifting into the white mare, she lunged past the boulder and approached the herd. Her appearance did little to disturb the grazing horses and she mingled among them, slowly chomping her way to the black stallion. When she came within a few feet, he snorted and his ears pricked. However, it was not she who had caused his alert stance. Looking in the direction of an approaching rider, she was relieved to see Wade. He widely circled the feral horses, coming up behind and driving them forward. She ran with the herd, enjoying the thrill of the forced run. Wade herded them inland and halted Misty when they reached safer pastures. Fawn stopped when Wade did. Even though her mind urged her to continue with the herd, her emotions did not listen. She waited for Wade's approach. He walked Misty Morning toward her.

"Well, I'll be damn. So you're the seventh horse. I don't know how you do it, but your tracks appear and disappear like a magician's trick. You're a beauty. How close are you going to let me get?" He stopped at twenty feet and hesitated only a minute before sliding off his horse. Slowly advancing, he left Misty to graze. He walked to within ten feet.

"Shit, I can't believe you're letting me get this close. You're not going to rear up and trample me are you?"

Fawn snorted and shook her mane. He remained at ten feet. They stared at each other. She approached him. The shocked look on his face made her heart grin. When she stood directly in front of him, he hesitantly stretched his gloved hand to her neck. His touch sent shivers through her and he honed in on it.

"You like me, don't you?"

Fawn touched her snout to his forehead.
_________________________________________

Davide: Prince: Shapeling Trilogy Book Three:
(Davide's contemplation while watching his parents soar as eagles)

Davide stood and walked to the railing. Watching his parents soaring antics, he asked himself a question. What about you, Davide? Is your happiness complete? The answer to that question was a no-brainer. No. He sucked in the sweet smell of spring, and sighed. All his life he had been told of the prophesy surrounding his birth; how his parents had met and how the son of their love was destined to become the Great Prince.

"What a crock," Davide whispered into the breeze. A Shapeling Prince unable to shift. Long ago, he had determined the universe had played a dirty trick on him. Since babyhood, his parents had trained him in the art of shapeling focus, to no avail.

He shook his head. His mother was only half shapeling and she had attained the ability to shift into at least one creature. His twelve year old sister was making great progress, and here he was a three-quarter shapeling who had never even come close to shifting. Even with his inability to shift, however, his parents had never waivered in their belief that he was the fulfillment of prophesy; that he was the Great Prince spoken of by sages.

Disgusted, Davide turned from the balcony and the midnight flight of his parents.

For the past few weeks I have devoted my time to completing the first book in the Kisses/Romance on the Ranch Series: Dream Kisses. I first got an inkling for the series while writing Book One in the Shapeling Trilogy: Roth. In that book, I used the phrase "dream kisses." I liked the feel of the words and tucked them away for further exploration, and Dream Kisses was born. While writing Dream Kisses, secondary characters begged for their own stories, thus Honey Kisses and Baby Kisses, will become books two and three.

I've wanted to write a contemporary/western/romance without fantasy elements for some time and I'm happy to say Dream Kisses was uploaded to Amazon about a week ago. However, I have yet to promote it because there are always a few bugs to work out. No matter how many times I reread a story, it seems a few typos get by. I'm also redesigning the cover. I decided the first one (dream cloud with blue sky) does not convey the idea of a western romance. So, I went back to the drawing board. After a couple of hours searching photo sites, I found one showing the boots of a man and a woman standing close to each other (perhaps kissing?). I designed a new cover and now await Amazon's replacement of the first one. After that, I will begin promotion.

On another note, the first book in the Shapeling Trilogy is available for free at Amazon for a limited time. I guess you could say this happened accidentally on purpose. About three weeks back, I put the book up for free on Smashwords and left it up too long. The web crawlers for Amazon picked up on it being free and made it free on Amazon. Now I have to wait for the web crawlers to discover the book is no longer free before they will restore the price of .99 cents. In less than a week there have been about 1,300 downloads. I must say, I am speechless. I hope readers enjoy the Shapeling Series. I agonized over the characterizations and plots for months. There had to come a time when I said, "Enough, move on!" With that being said, I am elated that Dream Kisses is complete and looking forward to writing Honey Kisses. With each book, I endeavor to improve my writing and simplify the whole process from conception to publication. That's my rambling for today ((-:

Excerpt from Davide: Shapeling Trilogy Book Three: Prince

Davide studied his fingers tapping the side of his glass. "I need your help, Zoe."

The unexpected admission took her by surprise. What on earth could Davide need her help with. She waited for him to continue.

Instead of blatantly telling her what he wanted, he said, "You know about the prophesy concerning me; about me being…" he bent toward her and said softly, "…the so-called Great Prince." Zoe nodded and waited for him to continue.

"When I was a child, I believed what I was told, and I did everything in my power to live up to that prophesy. I diligently practiced my focus exercises, listened to my father's teachings about shapelings, and prayed to the source that I would be worthy of my calling." He lifted his scotch to his lips and swigged a long swallow. "When I reached my teens, my lack of ability to shift began weighing heavily on me. Of course, you know all this because you've always been my confidant."

Zoe nodded again, and sipped her daiquiri, waiting for his revelation.

He glanced around the room, seemingly forestalling what he wanted to say. "I've often begged my father to draw a map to the Cave of Thirteen, but he has refused. The reason I want to go there is to confront the co-Princes. I want to personally tell them they cannot count on me to become their Great Prince. How can a shapeling of mixed blood who cannot shift, possibly be the Great Prince. And anyway, I've never been told what this Prince is supposed to do or accomplish." Again, he swigged on his scotch.

"About two weeks ago, my father and mother returned from the Cave of Thirteen and immediately wanted to see me. They told me they were willing to reveal the way to the Cave."

Zoe gasped.

"Of course, I was elated until they told me their stipulation."

"What is it?" Zoe leaned in.

Davide sucked a breath. "I must first travel to Uluru in Australia and go on a walkabout."

"Davide, you can do that. You-"

"Wait, Zoe," he interrupted. "There's more." He glanced down and drummed his fingers on the table. Finally, lifting his head and reaching into the depths of her eyes with his own, he said, "You have to come with me, both to Uluru and the Cave of Thirteen."

"What!" she shouted. Several heads turned to look at them. Bending toward Davide, she repeated low, "What the hell are you saying, Davide?"

"You heard me, Zoe," he whispered fiercely back. The stipulation for me to be given directions to the place I've longed to visit, is that you must accompany me to Uluru and then to the Cave. It's as simple as that."

"No Davide, that's not simple. I can't just pack up and travel to Australia. I have a job."

"Tonight was your last night for several weeks."

"So you've already checked my schedule," she hissed.

"Yes, of course."

Although Zoe's heart longed for the adventure of being with Davide, she knew it would only make her heartbreak all the more wrenching. "I simply cannot go," she said quietly while staring at her daiquiri and circling the rim of the glass with her finger. She chanced a glance at Davide to see him watching the movement of her finger. Stilling her hand, she flushed. He finally looked at her."

"Zoe, I need you."

His simple words pricked tears and she blinked rapidly. Don't do this to me Davide. She didn't respond.

Finally, he sighed and relaxed. "You know what I'd thought about doing if you refused?"

She shook her head, unable to speak.

"Kidnapping you."

Zoe's jaw dropped.

"But of course, I won't do that." He slid out of the booth. "Honey, whatever I did to upset you so much that you've avoided me, I'm sorry." He tossed a tip on the table. "I had no right to expect this of you. I'm leaving tomorrow night. I've decided to go on the walkabout anyway. You have a great life, kiddo."

Before he walked away, he said, "Zoe, it was great seeing you again. Maybe you can find time for next year's birthday party."

Zoe stared after him, her tear pricks turning into real tears.

Excerpt from: Davide: Shapeling Trilogy Book Three: Prince

Davide lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He was twenty-five years old and going nowhere fast. Sure, he'd had a great education and now held a doctorate in philosophy. Sure, he was getting offers from the best universities for teaching positions. But did he want to accept any of the offers? No. He'd chosen to major in philosophy only because he'd hoped it would help unravel the mysteries of life—mysteries surrounding himself. He'd poured over ancient texts trying to gain glimpses into a race of beings that humans were unaware of—shapelings. He'd devoured the writings of ancient and modern philosophers and come up empty handed. When he'd approached his parents about the crazy prophesy surrounding his life, they'd listened to his misgivings, but had none of their own. They'd assured him the words of the prophesy would be fulfilled.

God, he felt like such a failure. He couldn't shift and he had no leadership skills. How could he be the Prince of Prophesy? Adding to his dismal attitude was the fact that his best friend, Zoe, had abandoned him

Davide sighed and looked toward the moon and shifting clouds. He closed his eyes and breathed the sweet night air, thinking of his sweet Zoe and how much he missed her. Running his hands through hair as black as his father's, he whispered a prayer to the Source. "What am I supposed to do with my life? I need answers."

He opened his eyes and gazed once more into the beautiful night, listening to the song of the wind. Later, he dreamed.

I just love the book cover for Davide's story! Elaina Lee (For The Muse) designed all the covers in the trilogy. She is so talented and easy to work with!

The edits are almost done. Of course, I'm such a perfectionist, I could edit for months and never get a book published. I have to draw a line and say, "Enough!"

I've been working on the back cover blurb for the paperback. Writing blurbs is my least favorite task in the whole process. I'll probably tweek this one several times, but it here's what I have so far:

Tentative Blurb:

Davide Beowolf:  All his life Davide has been told that he is the prophesied Great Prince. Early on, he decided the universe had made a mistake. How could he possibly be the Shapeling Prince…when he has no shifting ability? For years he has requested an audience before the Thirteen co-Princes in order to convince them of their mistaken belief. When that opportunity is unexpectedly offered, it is with a strange stipulation. He must first travel to Uluru in The Red Center of Australia and go on a walkabout with his childhood friend and confidant, Zoe Spencer. Only after completing the walkabout will his father reveal directions to the Cave of Thirteen. Unfortunately, Zoe has been avoiding him for two years.

Zoe Spencer:  Zoe just wants to get on with her life. She's spent too much of her adulthood pining for David Beowolf. After accepting the fact that he will always view her as his older childhood friend, never as his soul mate and lover, she severed contact to preserve her heart. While touring with her symphony orchestra in Spain, Davide unexpectedly arrives with an incredible request—that she accompany him to Australia and go on a walkabout! Could her heart survive if she agrees?

Book Three in the Trilogy is well on its way to completion. I'm aiming for a release before December. Here's a fun sample. Note: contains spoilers to Books One and Two.

Excerpt:

Davide sat under a brilliant moon on the balcony of his third story bedroom and watched the night flight of the eagles. He followed their dark shapes soaring above the wild-flower field beyond the manicured lawns of the Childress Estate. They reached the lawn and circled several times, obviously aware of him. He waved and they dived toward his balcony. The larger Bald Eagle landed first, near his feet, and then the smaller one next to it. Davide grinned and waited for the shift.

Within milliseconds, the eagles morphed into Roth and Rainey Beowolf, his parents. The exhilarated look on his mother's face made Davide pat the chair next to him. "Take a seat, Mom, and tell me about the flight."

For the next half hour, Davide listened to his mother's enraptured descriptions. He never tired of her enthusiasm. Finally, she rose and reached a hand toward her husband. "If we don't leave soon, I'm going to bore Davide to tears."

"Never," Davide responded, his voice sounding bittersweet. His mother placed her hand gently on his cheek and his father patted his shoulder.

His mother changed the subject. "Zoe isn't coming to your birthday party this year, either."

"When did you find out?" Davide frowned.

"Fawn called earlier today and told me."

"What country is her tour group in?"

"She's in Spain--Barcelona; soon to leave for Madrid."

"I haven't seen her in two years. She used to attend every party."

"Did the two of you have a falling out?" Roth asked.

"If we did, then I don't know about it."

Roth shook his head. "I know you've said you've tried calling her."

"Yes, several times, and left voicemails. I've sent her emails, too. She only responded to a handful of emails saying how busy she is. It's not like her."

Roth patted his shoulder again. "Keep trying, son. We'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, Dad." Davide watched his parents lower their heads to speak the Prayer of Secrecy that would shift them back into eagles. They flapped powerful wings and lifted skyward. Davide watched their ascent and disappearance behind low clouds. He blew a breath and rubbed his temples, thinking about Zoe. The strange attitude the past two years of his best friend baffled and depressed him. They had grown up together. Zoe had even babysat him when she was a teenager. He remembered fondly the pillow fight wars they often found themselves in. God, he missed her.

Davide caught sight of his parents zipping in and out of the clouds, diving and chasing one another. To take his mind off Zoe, he remembered the first time his mother had shifted. He had been ten years old and for ten years she'd faithfully followed his dad's instructions. His father had taught that the key to shifting rested in focus. Shortly before her first shift, he remembered seeing his mother in tears. He'd walked past the cracked library door and heard the desperation in her voice. "Roth, I'm a failure. I'll never be able to soar with you."

"Souier, you cannot give up. If it's meant to happen, it will."

His mother had sobbed and Davide had peeked beyond the door to see his father gently kissing her tears away.

He also remembered his mother bursting into his room a few days after the crying incident and exclaiming, "I did it, Davide!" She'd rushed back out and he'd run behind her while she'd searched the house for his father. She'd found him in the surveillance room talking to Johnson, one of the many bodyguards employed by Hank Childress to protect his family. When she'd burst into the room looking like a wild woman, both Roth and Johnson had rushed toward her.

Davide grinned, remembering how she'd thrown her arms around his father's neck and started kissing him passionately. His father hadn't known the reason for her joyfulness, but he'd participated wholeheartedly in the kiss. When she'd pulled away, she'd repeated her words to Davide, "I did it!"

In this scene, Fawn talks to her friend Rainey on the phone and then meets up with Wade for a tour of his ranch.

Excerpt:

Fawn sat on the side of her bed and perused her surroundings. Being tucked off the kitchen and secluded from the rest of the house suited her just fine. She smiled. Tonight, she'd slip out the kitchen door and shapeshift into—she pondered only a second—a feral horse. Feral herds roamed the area and the thought of running with them ran goose bumps up her arms.

Lying on her bed, she retrieved her cell phone and called her friend Rainey.

Rainey answered immediately, "Hey Fawn, you've got a special ring on my phone."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"A dolphin's chatter, of course."

Fawn laughed. "So Roth told you how much I love the species, but I've never received an assignment…" Her voice trailed, and she finished, "…you know what I mean." Fawn and her friend always refrained from going into details about shapeshifting while communicating via phone or internet.

"Yeah, I know," Rainey agreed. "So, how's the new assignment? You're in a beautiful area. With Roth hovering like a mother hen and insisting I rest, I've been reading about the Four-Corners region of the U.S."

"Well, I agree with Roth, you're as big as a house with that baby. You need to take it easy."

"Jeez, thanks Fawn, being as big as a house is just what I wanted to hear." Rainey pretended to be offended, and then laughed.

"Our little prince is going to make his debut soon and his mother doesn't need to be exhausted from lab work." Fawn knew Rainey understood the deeper meaning to her reference to "prince". The entire prophesy of the Great Prince was known only to a few humans and shapelings.

"You're right, of course. So, tell me about your new digs."

"I have a room away from the rest of the house which makes it nice for night escapes."

"Oh, I'm glad to hear that. What about the family?"

"Not exactly what I expected. Mr. Spencer doesn't talk much. And I don't think I'm what he expected either. For a minute, I thought he was going to tell me to catch the next hopper back to Denver."

"Well, Fawn, you're not exactly the matronly looking type. Goodness, I used to be so jealous when I thought you and Roth were having an affair. You're flat-out gorgeous."

"Rainey, I am not gorgeous. I'm just a hardworking—" She refrained from saying the word shapeling. "—girl, doing her best to complete her latest—" She refrained from saying, mission. "—job."

"Whatever," Rainey chuckled. So tell me, what's Mr. Spencer like? Is he a handsome cowboy?"

"Rainey, you are incorrigible. He's a…rough cowboy. According to human standards of handsome, I'd say he's average. The co-Princes said he was in the car accident that killed his wife, so maybe that's where he got the scar running down his jaw alongside his ear. It actually doesn't detract from his looks. His eyes are a lovely shade of green, he's tall and lean—probably 6'2", and wears typical cowboy garb: Levis, chambray shirt, boots, big belt buckle. His hair is brown with blond sun streaks. He…

"Whoa girl, for someone who doesn't pay attention to looks, I'd say you're paying a lot of attention."

"Rainey, you asked me and I'm just telling you what you want to know."

"Okay, okay. Tell me about the child."

"She's seven, small for her age. When I first arrived she was having issues—wanted the voices in her head to stop."

"Oh, my. What happened?"

"Actually, Rainey, I'm not sure if she was trying to get attention, or really hearing something. I sat beside her until she calmed down. She seems to be in her own little world."

"I can relate to that. I grew up in my own world believing my mother didn't love me. How wrong I was."

"Zoe's mother is dead and it appears she's never recovered."

"That poor child; I'm glad you're there for her."

"Well, things have sure started with a bang. I better run. Mr. Spencer said he'd show me around the ranch."

"Okay, Fawn. Call if you need anything. Talk to you later."

Fawn entered the small bathroom in her bedroom and pulled a brush through her straight, shoulder-length hair, pulling it into a pony tail. She splashed water on her face, pinched her cheeks, and returned to the kitchen. Wade sat at a small drop leaf table positioned in the center of the room, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Hello Mr. Spen…Wade. How is Zoe?"

"She's sleeping now. This would be a good time to show you around. Would you like a cup of coffee? I think there's tea if you prefer."

"Coffee's fine."

Wade started to rise.

"No, please don't get up. I see the pot. I'll get it myself." Fawn lifted a cup from the cup-tree. She poured a cup of the blackest coffee she'd ever seen. "Do you have flavored creamer?" she asked.

"Ah…no. We've got real cream in the fridge. I'll get it for you."

"No, no. I'll get it." Fawn walked to the refrigerator next to the back door. The many cartons of creamer were easy to spot in the well-stocked jumble of items.

"Zoe likes cream on her cereal," Wade offered as explanation. "Sometimes that's all she'll eat so we go through a lot of it. Sugar's on the counter." He pointed back toward the coffee pot.

"Thanks, just cream is fine."

An uncomfortable silence settled.

"Well, why don't we take our coffees and I'll show you around the ranch?"

"I'd like that."