Time for our Saturday Spotlight and today I'm proud to share with you a fellow TWRP author, Amber Leigh Williams (aka: Amber Shedeck) and her book, Denied Origin!
Amber Leigh Williams is a member of RWA and secretary of the Gulf Coast Chapter of RWA. Her first novel Fox & Hound was published in February with Red Rose Publishing and received an "Outstanding Read" review with Simply Romance.
DENIED ORIGIN, a romantic suspense with The Wild Rose Press, is available now with a print release of November 14. She is also contracted with TWRP's Wayback, TX series with her western novella BLACKEST HEART. The first book in her contemporary Fairhope series, A SUMMER'S HOPE, is also contracted with TWRP.
She enjoys being a stay-at-home writer mostly because she loves spending as much time as possible with the three Labradors she shares with her husband, Jacob. She’s lived in the South all her life and currently resides in Alabama. Contact Amber at amber@amberleighwilliams.com. Visit Amber at http://www.amberleighwilliams.com/.
Blurb for Denied Origin: Former FBI agent and bodyguard Mark Welles’s career and life are going downhill until he meets Marcisso Tuttora, the man his father died protecting years ago. Wealthy businessman Marcisso puts the life of his only child, Valentina, in Mark’s hands by asking him to return to Rio de Janeiro to guard her.
Less than a week later, Marcisso and his wife are murdered in their beds, and Valentina is running for her life for reasons she cannot begin to guess until she meets Mark Welles. A stubborn heiress to an oil fortune and the son of a highly decorated soldier, they must find a way to escape the country without getting caught and find out why they are chased by a deadly terrorist. In a matter of weeks, they are driven into a scavenger hunt across the globe laid out by Valentina’s parents and embark on a passionate, emotional journey as exhilarating and intense as the race for their lives.
EXCERPT:
"He's gone…gone." She chanted it like a sinner at a shrine, her eyes wide with fear. "He was there…then he was gone."
"Drink it," he ordered, holding her tight. He managed to pour the liquid into her mouth.
She winced as she swallowed it. There were tears pouring down her cheeks again. "They took him to get to us. He was just a ladder to me." She ripped the envelope from her bra strap and, in a sudden burst of righteous anger, hurled it across the room. "What is it worth? People shouldn't have to die for me!"
She collapsed into shudders against him. He held her close as she sobbed loudly into his shirt. "Don't think of it," he advised.
Her face lifted and she stared incredulously at him. "Don't think about it?" she shot back. "Why don't you tell me how to do that? Why don't you tell me how to block it out, numb it? You must be an expert on that!"
He was silent. The anger was better than helpless shudders. He let her berate him without interruption.
"They killed a good man to get to me! It's my fault he's dead! It's my fault that some poor, innocent man is lying out on the street in a million pieces! There's no way they can justify that!"
"They're not trying to justify anything, Valentina," he said calmly, taking her face in his hands to keep her eyes on his. "They're not thinking about morals or justice. They're thinking about you and the letter. They're thinking about eliminating you. They think they can weaken you or take you out by targeting the people you love. He didn't die a coward. That matters. Let that be your comfort."
Unmoved by his words, she shoved his hands away from her face and scrambled to her feet. "Who's going to die next for me, Mark? You?" Her lips trembled threateningly and her eyes filled with hot tears at the mere thought of the idea. "If you die, too, because of me, I'll never be able to live with myself. If somebody else dies for me, I won't be able to keep going. Why not just let them take me? It should end here! Right here, right now!"
He got to his feet and went to her quickly. In a quick surge of anger, he pushed her against the wall with his hands on her shoulders. "Don't say that ever again, you hear me? You're not going to give up. You're not going to quit. If you do, you're quitting your family. You're quitting what we've worked for together. You're quitting me. Could you live with that, Valentina?"
Her hands came to her face as her throat heaved with dry sobs. "Why can't it all just go away? I don't want my life anymore. I don't want it. I can't live this way anymore. Take me back home, Mark. Take me right now."
"I am taking you home!" he yelled without thinking.
She stared at him for a long moment. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He paused, collecting himself. "You're going to find out soon enough because you're not quitting. The end's not far and I won't let you quit now. I can't. You're moving on even if I have to drag you every inch of the way."
She shoved him away, her eyes hot with fury. "You don't control me!"
"You can justify his death by finishing this. You will finish!"
"Leave me alone!" she cried, turning from him. "Just go away; take my father's money and run. I don't need you anymore."
"You need me, Valentina," he warned, gripping her arm before she could walk away. "You need me and you know it!"
"He's gone…gone." She chanted it like a sinner at a shrine, her eyes wide with fear. "He was there…then he was gone."
"Drink it," he ordered, holding her tight. He managed to pour the liquid into her mouth.
She winced as she swallowed it. There were tears pouring down her cheeks again. "They took him to get to us. He was just a ladder to me." She ripped the envelope from her bra strap and, in a sudden burst of righteous anger, hurled it across the room. "What is it worth? People shouldn't have to die for me!"
She collapsed into shudders against him. He held her close as she sobbed loudly into his shirt. "Don't think of it," he advised.
Her face lifted and she stared incredulously at him. "Don't think about it?" she shot back. "Why don't you tell me how to do that? Why don't you tell me how to block it out, numb it? You must be an expert on that!"
He was silent. The anger was better than helpless shudders. He let her berate him without interruption.
"They killed a good man to get to me! It's my fault he's dead! It's my fault that some poor, innocent man is lying out on the street in a million pieces! There's no way they can justify that!"
"They're not trying to justify anything, Valentina," he said calmly, taking her face in his hands to keep her eyes on his. "They're not thinking about morals or justice. They're thinking about you and the letter. They're thinking about eliminating you. They think they can weaken you or take you out by targeting the people you love. He didn't die a coward. That matters. Let that be your comfort."
Unmoved by his words, she shoved his hands away from her face and scrambled to her feet. "Who's going to die next for me, Mark? You?" Her lips trembled threateningly and her eyes filled with hot tears at the mere thought of the idea. "If you die, too, because of me, I'll never be able to live with myself. If somebody else dies for me, I won't be able to keep going. Why not just let them take me? It should end here! Right here, right now!"
He got to his feet and went to her quickly. In a quick surge of anger, he pushed her against the wall with his hands on her shoulders. "Don't say that ever again, you hear me? You're not going to give up. You're not going to quit. If you do, you're quitting your family. You're quitting what we've worked for together. You're quitting me. Could you live with that, Valentina?"
Her hands came to her face as her throat heaved with dry sobs. "Why can't it all just go away? I don't want my life anymore. I don't want it. I can't live this way anymore. Take me back home, Mark. Take me right now."
"I am taking you home!" he yelled without thinking.
She stared at him for a long moment. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He paused, collecting himself. "You're going to find out soon enough because you're not quitting. The end's not far and I won't let you quit now. I can't. You're moving on even if I have to drag you every inch of the way."
She shoved him away, her eyes hot with fury. "You don't control me!"
"You can justify his death by finishing this. You will finish!"
"Leave me alone!" she cried, turning from him. "Just go away; take my father's money and run. I don't need you anymore."
"You need me, Valentina," he warned, gripping her arm before she could walk away. "You need me and you know it!"
Ooohhh, sounds facinating!
Denied Origin is available in Ebook and print (released yesterday!) so get your copy today~ PS: Crimpson Rose is TWRP's Romantic Suspense line and November is Suspense Month therefore all of the books (including Denied Origin) are on sale!Well Friends, stay tuned next week when I give you an account of Bayou Writers' Group's conference and tell you who our next Saturday Spotlight is!
Until then....take care, God Bless and remember...every day should be Thanksgiving Day!
PamT
1 comment:
Thanks so much for the interview, Pamela!
Amber
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