Today is the first of our EggCerpt Exchange features!
Our guest, Linda McLaughlin (aka: @Lyndi Lamont) has shared thoughts and treasures and been in our spotlight before, so please give her a warm welcome back!
Grief is Like an Ocean…
"Grief is like
the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is
calm & sometimes
it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim." - Vicki Harrison
I love this quote. I can't think of a more apt analogy for
grief than an ocean.
Grief begins with a shock akin to an earthquake of epic
proportions, followed by a tsunami of emotions: disbelief, denial, anger,
guilt, and above all an overwhelming sadness that engulfs your whole being. It
takes a while for the tsunami to recede, leaving you feeling adrift in a
turbulent ocean.
After a while, the turbulence decreases and there are
periods of smooth sailing, but like the ocean, grief is seemingly endless and
unpredictable. There will be squalls during which we experience what the
professionals call a STUG: a short, temporary upsurge of grief. And sometimes
there are storms of emotion. These usually occur at some pivotal moment: a
holiday, a birthday, an anniversary, when thoughts of the lost loved one are
impossible to deny or keep at bay.
And then the ocean smooths out again and we go back to
living moment to moment, waiting for... we know not what. Does grief ever end?
Not really, though the storms and squalls diminish over time until the loved
one becomes a cherished memory rather than an open wound of the heart.
My heroine in Lily and
the Gambler is still mourning the death of her lover when she arrives in California
to start a new life.
Respectability is in the eye of the beholder. Or so Lily
Penhallow hopes when she assumes the guise of the widow Albright. She has
learned the price of flaunting convention and is determined to obey society's
rules from now on. After her lover, Nigel Albright, was killed in a duel over a
card game, Lily dons widow’s weeds and travels to Grass Valley, California
where she plans to marry the man her uncle works for, a respectable mine owner
named Hugh Ogilvie. Then, on the riverboat from San Francisco, she meets
Creighton 'King' Callaway, a professional gambler, just the kind of man she
should avoid.
King believes that since life is a gamble, there's no point
in planning for the future. You have to trust Lady Luck. After meeting Lily,
King knows he has found his Queen of Hearts. But can he convince her to pass up
a sober businessman for a foot-loose card sharp?
Only Lady Luck knows for sure...
Buy links:
Amazon Kindle US: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MYMEKMD/
Coming Soon to Other Retailers
Excerpt:
Callaway looked at her curiously. “Were you
married long?”
“We were together for five years,” Lily said.
Her words were true as far as they went. She hoped Mr. Callaway wouldn’t ask
too many questions about her husband. It still astonished her that she
had told more lies since she became respectable than in her entire
unconventional life.
“You must miss him.”
“Yes,” she said, swallowing the lump that
suddenly lodged in her throat. Unwelcome tears sprang to her eyes and spilled
onto her cheeks. She blinked rapidly to stop the tears.
Mr. Callaway pulled out his handkerchief and
dabbed at her face. “Better now?”
“Yes. Please forgive me for breaking down.
I’m usually not weepy.”
He gave her a reassuring smile. “No apology
necessary. You suffered a terrible loss. I admire your strength and
determination.”
“Do you?”
“Yes, ma’am. And your pretty blue eyes.”
She felt a blush heat her cheeks, but had to
smile. “Are you flirting with me, sir?”
“I’m giving it my best shot,” he said with a
grin that quickly faded. “Mrs. Albright, I know this is none of my business,
but I don’t think it wise for you to travel alone. I doubt your husband would
have approved.”
Lily turned back to stare at the sea of stars
above, seeming almost within reach. Would Nigel approve of what she was doing?
Yes, she decided. He’d been the consummate adventurer. He wouldn’t have
expected her to live the rest of her life wrapped in cotton wool. And his death
had given her greater freedom than she’d ever known. It was both frightening
and exhilarating.
Creighton Callaway seemed to take her silence
for agreement. “Please, at least allow me to see you safely on the train.”
Lily spun around to stare at him. “And in
return?”
He spread his hands. “I expect nothing in
return but the pleasure of your company. I have a widowed mother and sister. If
either one was forced to travel alone, I would worry.”
Ah, so he thought women were too weak to take
care of themselves. A typical male notion. “I’ve gotten this far on my own, Mr.
Callaway, and my journey is almost over.”
“Mrs. Albright, you are not in England
anymore. I grant you California is more civilized than it was twenty years ago,
but it’s not what you are used to.”
Lily thought about the men she’d seen wearing
gun belts and suppressed a shudder. Perhaps she should accept his offer. Once
she reached Grass Valley and Uncle Arthur, she need never see the man again.
“I suppose you have a point, and I’d appreciate help with my trunks and sewing machine. Very well, Mr. Callaway. I place myself in your capable hands.” The image of his hands on her skin sent a shiver through her, but she suppressed the notion. The last person she needed in her life now was another gambler.
“I suppose you have a point, and I’d appreciate help with my trunks and sewing machine. Very well, Mr. Callaway. I place myself in your capable hands.” The image of his hands on her skin sent a shiver through her, but she suppressed the notion. The last person she needed in her life now was another gambler.
GREAT blurb, excerpt and cover, Linda! Tell us more about yourself and how readers can reach you.....
Linda McLaughlin grew up with a love of books and history,
so it's only natural she prefers writing historical romance. She loves
transporting her readers into the past where her characters learn that, in the
journey of life, love is the sweetest reward. Linda also writes steamy to
erotic romance under the name Lyndi Lamont, and is one half of the writing team
of Lyn O'Farrell. A native of Pittsburgh, PA. she now lives in Southern
California.
You can find her online at http://lindalyndi.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lindamclaughlin
Twitter: @Lyndi Lamont https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont
Thanks for joining us for our Eggcerpt Exchange folks! I'm on Linda's blog today too so check it out and be sure to join us each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT
