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Thursday, January 29, 2015

Throwback Thursday!

The internet takes a step back in time every Thursday as people around the world share old baby pictures, vintage prom and wedding photos, and other assorted oldies. Authors can share too! This Thursday meme highlights those books in your backlist.

In comments, tempt us with
a snippet, 300 words or less, from your older works. Don't forget your buy link and website/blog link. Have fun!


 Share your participation with our
ready-to-go tweet or make your own:

Discover great reads. Exquisite Quills' Throwback Thursday!    

12 comments:

E. Ayers said...

Sometimes the best things happen at the worst of times.
A Valentine romance.

ASK ME AGAIN
E. Ayers

The house seemed quiet until Michael strode into the kitchen.

"Mom and Ruth are out shopping for clothes for Mom."

"Oh."

"Since you're here, I have some questions for you. Starting with, where is Dad's file folder?"

"Michael, I'm handling things, so no one else has to worry about it. I've got all the paperwork. Dad's medical bills are staggering. Mom made some payments and so did the insurance, but several are more than 90 days past due."

Rob clenched his jaw. He had little patience for his brother who never bothered to lift a finger his family. But Michael always battled with his sister for a free handout. "Let me remind you that I'm the one who has been here, because you and Ruth couldn't handle the situation."

Rob grabbed a ripe banana and took a bite while he retrieved a bag of lettuce, along with the English cuke, from the refrigerator. No one else would eat them so he might as well take them.

"What about the life insurance policies we're each supposed to get?"

Rob shook his head. "Got to wait for the death certificates. Twenty-five hundred dollars doesn't go very far. Guess I spent my inheritance paying Mom's bills. It didn't make a dent in them. How are you going to spend yours?"

Tired of the drama, and realizing he had one more stop to make, he tossed the banana peel in the trash and strode out the back door.

Amazon International Buy Links.
http://authl.it/B007D58M5K
Available as a Kindle Unlimited

Susan Macatee said...

Opening from Civil War romance, Confederate Rose.

Excerpt:

Thursday Throwback - Near Winchester, Virginia
March 2, 1863

Katie O’Reilly tensed as she stared at the swift-running stream. Trees cast long shadows across the rushing water, and the air held a biting chill. Her stomach emitted a growl, protesting not having had anything to eat since she’d departed earlier that morning. She yanked the empty canteen’s cork to refill it before continuing the journey. As she neared the frigid water, her hands shook. Her mare, hitched to an oak tree, shook its mane and pawed the ground with the left hoof.

"I know, Morna." Katie glanced at the mare. "Allow me to complete me task, and we’ll be on our way."

She bit her lip and turned back to the icy water. With heart pounding, she stretched the arm holding the canteen toward the white-foamed breakers.


"There’s nothing to fear," she recited. Nevertheless, she planted her brogans securely on the bank.

A cracking sound, like a branch snapping, stilled the outstretched arm. "Morna?"

The mare whinnied. Katie whirled. A man stood beside the gray-white dappled horse. She reached for the butt of the sidearm tucked into her belt and pulled the brim of her felt hat down to conceal her face.

The man stood stock-still and didn’t speak. Apparently, he'd hoped to make off with the pack or her horse.

He wore a greatcoat, so she couldn’t tell if a uniform for either North or South lay beneath. Likely, he was a local civilian. A black wide-brimmed hat covered his head, under which thick chestnut-colored hair touched his collar. A full beard half-concealed his face.

Katie swallowed hard and tried to speak in her most commanding voice. "Are you lost, sir?" She gripped her pistol.

http://www.amazon.com/Confederate-Rose-Susan-Macatee/dp/1601545568/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307799716&sr=1-1

Erin OQuinn said...

From the first Gaslight Mystery, HEART TO HART: When Michael met Simon, chapter 1

Michael’s life began all over again on Monday. The rain that had been threatening for weeks finally banged Dun Linden with bare fists just as dawn broke, pummeling and pounding, leaving everyone a little off balance. Setting the banner line for the day’s newspaper edition, he’d looked up from the linotype into the most arresting pair of eyes he’d ever seen. They were soulful and tormented, of a color somewhere between teal and turquoise, like a rare metal seen once in a lifetime. Or an undiscovered ocean on the edge of a wet dream. He stared in spite of himself at the man behind the eyes.

He was tall—all of six feet, almost as tall as Michael. A black felt bowler hat covered his hair. But Michael knew it had to be as dark as the eyebrows and the growing shadow around his upper lip and chin. Had the man even slept last night? The mouth itself was sulky, arrogant, almost angry.

Michael’s cock set up a slow hammering beneath the stiff leather apron.

http://amzn.to/12gBwlL
Blog devoted to these m/mysteries: http://caitlinfire.wordpress.com

Lindsay Townsend said...

Excerpt from “Dark Maiden” by Lindsay Townsend

The abbot… moved to the crucifix, bearing it aloft and tucking it safely into the crook of one arm.
Will he sing it a lullaby too?
Geraint folded his arms across his chest like an angry fish seller’s wife. It was that, or punch an abbot. “And what do you love about Yolande? How her eyelashes curl at the ends? How she puts herself into danger first, to protect others? How she never abandons a friend? How she walks all day without a complaint? How she sometimes talks in her sleep because she is so beset? How she laughs and sheds ten years each time she does? Or are such human reasons too earthy for you?”
He stopped, mainly because he had run out of English words for the moment and his mind was filled with indignant, furious phrases in the Welsh. He also wanted to see whether Abbot Simon would answer.
“These human trifles, as you call them, are irrelevant. It is her soul—”
“Yes, her soul, hers alone, and unique. Created in the image of God. What do you love about that? Or is the soul of one female exorcist too mean to consider?”
“Stay away from her!” thundered the abbot. “What do you know of her trials and torments, of what she might need to encounter? If you love her, you should not trouble her. Or would you act upon this love and then abandon her —as is the habit of fleshy, sinful men?”
“Sorry, no.” Geraint counted off on his fingers. “I will not leave her, no. I will not act upon anything and abandon her, no. I will not trouble her, no. Do I know the trials she has? No, I do not, but then, neither do you, my lord abbot, neither do you.”


This is one of my favourite excerpts from my historical romance, “Dark Maiden”, and shows Geraint, my hero, and all his anti-authoritarian, bumptious attitudes. Geraint will stand up and fight anyone or anything, including an abbot. I also like it because it shows Geraint’s deepening feelings for Yolande, my black exorcist heroine, and it tells us more about her. This excerpt also shows the attitude of the medieval church to physical love outside marriage and hints at the serious trials that Yolande will have to face – but not without Geraint.

DARK MAIDEN http://amzn.to/1z1TnNq
UK http://amzn.to/136t9ja

Margay Leah Justice said...

Nora's Soul by Margay Leah Justice:

Dante flicked a negligent glance over a shoulder at his rival’s approach, pushed himself away from the tree to stand beside it, feet braced apart in a defensive pose. He didn’t speak until they stood shoulder to shoulder under the tree. “Well, fancy meeting you here.”
“What are you doing here, Dante?” Peter demanded, his tone barely tolerant. “I thought I warned you to stay away from her.”
“Oh, yes, you did,” Dante answered, a smile in his tone as well as on his lips. “But of course that only made me want her more.” He made a show of sniffing the air about
them, which was suddenly alive with charged particles. “I just love the smell of human despair,” he stated with unholy relish. “It does wonders for the soul.”
“She’s not meant for you, Dante,” Peter said, his voice so soft it was nearly lost in the howl of the rising wind.
“She’s meant for another.”
“Oh, please, stop,” Dante mocked him. “You’re just making me want her more.”
“Take your pleasure elsewhere, Dante. Leave this one alone.”
“O-o-oh.” Dante gave a mock shudder. “Is that a warning?” He feigned a tremble of fear. “Whatever shall I do?”
“For once in your damned existence,” Peter advised, “heed it.”
“And if I don’t?” Dante asked, unnerved by Peter’s smug smile despite his bold words.
“Then everything you do to her will come back on you,” he predicted, “tenfold.” Peter didn’t wait for a response as he backed away from the suddenly menacing tree, retreating to the safety of the opposite side of the street.
“Oh, is that so?” Dante tossed back at him in his customary show of bravura. “We’ll just see about that!”
But, as he returned his attention back to the garage apartment, where a single light shown from within its dim interior, illuminating the activities of its ethereal occupant, he found himself in the unusual—and untenable—position of uncertainty regarding his own success.

http://www.amazon.com/Noras-Soul-Book-Dante-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00NBJL07O/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1409941217&sr=1-1&keywords=Nora%27s+Soul

http://margayleahjustice.blogspot.com

Jana Richards said...

Hi! My Throwback Thursday contribution today is from BURNING LOVE, my humorous paranormal/contemporary romance published in 2010. Here's a snippet:

Riley looked into her beautiful blue eyes and her smiling face and did the only thing he was capable of doing at the moment.

He kissed her.

Maybe later, he told himself, when sanity returned, he’d think of a hundred reasons why pulling Iris into his arms, holding her snug against his body, and plundering her soft, sweet mouth was not a good idea. But for now, right now, as she wound her arms around his neck and made tiny sounds of excitement deep in her throat, it felt exactly right.

Heaven. Having Iris in his corner made him believe everything was possible.

He stepped backward toward the stairs, pulling Iris with him, intent on taking her upstairs to his room. He suddenly tripped, nearly losing his balance. He glanced behind him and saw the object he’d stumbled over. A set of luggage sat next to the stairs, still bearing tags from the retailer.

“What the hell is this?”

Iris kissed his neck. “I’m sorry. I should have taken them up to my room.”

Iris had bought new luggage for her trip. Her plans hadn’t changed.

She’s leaving me.

The thought acted as effectively as a bucket of cold water tossed over his head. What was he doing? She was leaving in three weeks and didn’t plan to return. The calendar in the kitchen reminded him of that every day. Why start something that would only lead to heartache?

He’d already lost too many people in his life.

And Riley instinctively knew that if he let himself get close to Iris, let himself love her, a part of him would not survive when she left.

Jana Richards
www.janarichards.com
Click here for Amazon Author Page

Savanna Kougar said...

HER INSATIABLE DARK HEROES

[Siren Menage Amour]

PG Story Excerpt ~

Zion fastened his gaze on the tornado’s advance, straight for the center of Chrontropolis. Already chunks of debris whirled in the funnel, with the larger pieces being hurled in every direction.

“What are they doing ” Wendy abruptly straightened. Her muscles tensed anxiously as he lowered them onto the chair. Riveted, she watched his brothers’ streaking flight toward the behemoth tornado snaking angrily over the ground.

Zion coded in the emergency, sending it to all of the Super Brethren. It could be too late. Whoever had created the weather monstrosity had known where to conjure it up and how to time its attack on Chrontropolis. He hoped like wild hell some of the Super Brethren followed behind his brothers, though he knew if they’d been anywhere close, the screen’s visual technology would have already shown them.

“Can they really stop that horrible thing?” Wendy’s breaths quickened in fear. “By themselves?”

Zion didn’t know which way to jump. Should he reassure her or tell her the truth? The force and size of the tornado as shown by the screen’s readouts required six supermen with the power level of the Dark Brothers to alter its course and lessen the destruction. Instead of answering her, he shut his eyes in concentration, communicating telepathically the current status to his brothers.

“My Great Aunt Minnie,” she swore. “Since you’re not answering, it must be bad.”

“Wendy,” he began. Yet what did he tell her?

“Why do you have to stay here?” she impatiently challenged. “Go help them.”

She moved restlessly while he refined the screen’s imaging capability and searched a wider perimeter for other Superheroes. Quietly he heaved in a relieved breath. The three Gallant Brothers flight-charged toward the tornado from another angle. Although their arrival would not be timely, the odds had just improved.

Available at: http://bookstrand.com/her-insatiable-dark-heroes ~ Ebook & Print

HAPPY READING!

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~ savannakougar.com

Linda Mooney said...

THE VIRGIN SACRIFICE - a humorous erotic romance by Linda Mooney writing as Carolyn Gregg

Seeing that the dragon wasn't about to pounce on her any time soon and eat her, she managed to get to her feet. Behind her, the huge doors led into what appeared to be a bedroom. A strange idea came to her, and she turned around to face the immense black creature.

"What are you? Some kind of pet? Were you sent by whoever lives here to fetch me?"

The dragon tilted its ears forward but made no other movement.

"Where are the rest of the girls you've taken? Did you bring them here, too? Are they inside somewhere? Do they know I'm coming?"

She took a step backwards, closer to the doors. The dragon made no move to stop her.

"Who lives here? Are they expecting me? Hello!" She turned to face the bedroom. "Helloooo! Is anybody here? Hell—"

"You talk too much."

The sound of a human voice at her back shocked her, and she whirled around. The black dragon was gone, but where it had been stood a tall, gangly man with jet black hair.

A tall, gangly, naked man.

Buy links: http://lindamooney.com/virginsacrifice.htm
Website: http://lindamooney.com
Blog: http://lindamooney.blogspot.com
Carolyn's naughty blog: http://carolyngregg.blogspot.com

Joan Reeves said...

JANE (I'm Still Single) JONES, a Romantic Comedy by Joan Reeves

A billionaire, a reunion, a betrayal. What's the worst that could happen?

Excerpt

Bent on making sure no one thought she was man-hunting, or less than happy with her life, Jane said, "I'm not looking for a husband. I'm perfectly happy in my unmarried state, and I wish everyone in this town would realize that. I have the freedom to come and go as I please without answering to a man. I support myself. I don't need a husband for that so why would I want one? You can have the milk without buying the cow, if you get my drift. Men knew that for years before we women discovered that fact."

Felicia looked at her rather oddly. "So you don't think Morgan is a good catch?"

Jane forced a laugh. "I was not impressed by him ten years ago so why should I change my mind just because he's acquired a few bucks in the bank."

"Actually, that's ten million in stocks, bonds, precious metals, and bucks in the bank," a deep voice behind her corrected.

Jane whirled and came face to face with a dark-haired man who towered over her. His mouth stretched in a smile that revealed dazzling white teeth. A silly thought flitted through her stunned brain. The better to eat you with, my dear.

Jane stared into his intensely blue eyes. Two things about Morgan Sherwood hadn't changed. His voice and his eyes.

"Hello, Jane."

Make that three things that hadn't changed, she thought, with the way she felt when he said her name being the third.

Morgan's smile widened, making her think again of the wolf that devoured Grandma. It wasn't a smile, Jane thought. It was a smirk. A smug, macho smirk aimed at her.

He looked pointedly at her name tag. "Jane (I'm Still Single) Jones," he read. "With a personality like yours, that's understandable."

JANE (I'm Still Single) JONES is available in audio at Audible and iTunes, and in ebook at your favorite ebook sellers including Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/JaneStillSingle-Kindle

See Joan Sling Words: http://SlingWords.blogspot.com | Readers, sign up for Joan's email list: http://eepurl.com/Yk61n

Kelley Heckart said...

Of Water and Dragons, Celtic historical romance/fantasy
Experience ancient Britain like never before…
Blurb: Of Water and Dragons weaves together the Roman history and Celtic lore of ancient Britain to create an unforgettable story of love and sacrifice.

Snippet:
He turned away, his legs buckling beneath him, and was violently ill. Shaking, he turned his face upward, letting the rain cleanse his invisible wounds. They had killed his wife and unborn child, but it was the unborn child who reached out to him from the smoldering ashes. He imagined the tiny fingers grasping on to his large, callused hand. Cursing, he pounded the earth with his fist, the vision fading into a black abyss; and with it any hope of peace.

kelleyheckart.com

Theda Hudson said...

From The Pearl Witch by Theda Hudson

The slap of flesh on flesh and the squishy noises were loud, the breeze through window moaning a counterpart. Tarin’s head, filled with the buzz now, made music of it all. The music of sex, the accompaniment to their journey.
Tarin's right hand was on fire with cobalt sparks of light jumping off them and floating up to the ceiling, bright in the dim light of the bedside lamp.
As she got closer to coming, the sparks got bigger, brighter, like fire. It felt like a little sun of burning pleasure sat in her palm. She shook it.
Why doesn’t he see?
Chris began to moan, his hips shifted, and everything rose to another level altogether.
Sex before now had never been like this.
A door opened deep inside her just then, revealing depths of ecstasy she had never imagined.
"Yes, please, Chris, keep doing that." She lifted her hips, her feet making treading motions on the floor as she strove to climb with him, to position herself better.
Her pleasure downshifted again to climb the final hill to the climax. A throaty purr filled the room and Tarin realized she was making the noise. She was eager to reach the top, but forced herself to stop thinking about the destination and just enjoy the ride.
Her right hand felt thick and hot and she shook it again as they ground their way to the top, spilling a cascade of brilliant blue sparks throughout the room. She and Chris fell over the edge, coming at the same time. A great blaze of blue gold light flew off her hand and through the wall.
She stared in a daze at the spot where the ball had disappeared, completely drained, when Chris let her go.
What the hell was that?

http://amzn.com/B007881TDY
www.thedahudson.com

Christine Young said...

Highland Magic
Christine Young
Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 3

Buy at: www.roguephoenixpress.com

Throughout the Highlands she is known as Keely, the witch woman. She is a great healer-a woman whose dreams come true. Ian MacPherson is a man who puts honor, loyalty and duty above everything. Their lives are entwined when Ian is sent by the Scottish King to bring Keely to trial for witchcraft. He is attacked and left for dead, but Keely rescues him. When he wakes, he discovers he has no memory. As he remembers his lost past, Ian finds that his need to protect the woman who has saved his life eclipses his duty to his king and country., He is a man torn between honor and duty to his country and the woman he loves.

Excerpt:

Scotland, Summer 1513:

For a moment the man's gaze met hers, bored into her heart, questioned. Blood curdling war cries rode the wings of death through the timeless night. Claymores clashed. Dark eyes the color of midnight flashed a challenge. The holy man's opponents hesitated then lunged once more.

Moonbeams reflected light from the gold chain he wore around his neck. Brown robes fell from massive shoulders. Three more enemies appeared from the trees. The priest fell to the ground, wounded by the broadside of his enemy's weapon. Motionless, he lay on her flower-strewn meadow, blood staining the grass and wildflowers, marring the colorful, summer landscape.

Keely Gray woke, heart pounding a rapid staccato. She pressed against her throbbing temples with sweat-slick palms, hoping to ease the horrific pain that always accompanied the dreams. Death--the scent of blood, fear and treachery still hung heavy in the darkened hut. The prickling sensation radiating from her spine to encompass her body was too familiar.

She listened and heard nothing.

A dark void impaled her. The usual night sounds stilled. She heard no hoot of owl, no chirp of crickets, no croak of frogs, nor could she hear the mournful sighing of the wind through the branches of the old oak trees.

Silence emptied her heart as well as her soul, leaving only an ever-present loneliness.