The Spot Writers Present...RC Bonitz!

Welcome to the Spot Writers. We're making a change, starting today. We are continuing the story begun by Val Muller a couple of weeks ago. Remember Remy shooting pool in the Corner Pocket bar? And the guy who was eyeing her, who turned out to be her neighbor? Well, they're back and will be for a while. They're the stars of our new serial story, which doesn't really have a title yet. Mmm, there's a thought for a contest down the road a bit.

Today's episode comes from RC Bonitz, author of A LITTLE BIT OF BLACKMAIL and A BLANKET FOR HER HEART, both available from Amazon or B & N. He's looking forward to the release of A LITTLE BIT OF BABY, due in Sept.

Next week's story will be by Val Muller, author of FOR WHOM MY HEART BEATS ETERNAL, a sci-fi romance, and CORGI CAPERS: DECEIT ON DORSET DRIVE, a mystery novel for young readers.

Check out our blogs at the end of this story. You'll also be hearing from Jessica and Cathy in the next few weeks.

First Thing in the A.M.

Remy rolled over in bed and glanced at the clock. Darn it, time to get up. Her dreams had been wonderful all night, all about Mr. Handsome Jeremy from the Corner Pocket and Unit 1354. But, darn, she kept waking up every time things got really hot and sexy. What was that about?

She groaned and slid out of bed, stretched every muscle in her body, and headed for the bathroom. No time to dawdle over dreams right now, she needed a shower and then had to move her butt and get to work. Dr. Kendrick was a stickler for being on time and he wanted his nurse/receptionist in the office before he got there.

Images of Jeremy filled her head as she turned the shower on. He was so cute, with that tousled hair and all those muscles. And, who’d believe it- the man lived right across the tiny courtyard from her new condo. Spittin’ distance as her Grandpa used to say.

Hurrying, she finished her shower and dressed, then turned the dryer on her hair. A wonderful idea struck her. Her makeup still had to be done, but she could open her front door a little bit and maybe Jeremy would notice when he opened his. Well, maybe she’d open it completely. If she wanted him to notice she’d have to do it right. Right?

So silly. She hardly even knew the guy and here she was getting all ditsy about him. . A text would get his attention. But, a chat would be so much nicer, right? Right!

Her hair almost dry, she hurried to the door, removed the safety chain and released the lock. Okay, she could do this. Open the door halfway- he'd notice that if he went out before her. She turned the knob.

The door slammed back against her and a mop of blonde hair smacked her in the mouth!

“Oh, what, I’m sorry,” the blonde said, sounding a bit panicky. She looked up at Remy and frowned. “Oh damn, you’re not him.”

“I hope I’m not a him. What are you doing? Were you listening at my door?” Remy demanded.

The blonde straightened and glanced around the courtyard before examining Remy from head to toe. “No, of course not. I was…..looking for somebody.”

“Through my doorknob?” She checked just to be sure. The condo was old but she didn’t have one of those big old fashioned keyholes they always looked through in the movies did she? Nope.

“Never mind. I said I’m sorry.”

“Who were you looking for? Maybe I know them.”

“I…I…His name is…Oh, never mind.”

It was Remy’s turn to frown. Was this woman a thief? Would she have tried to pick the lock if Remy hadn’t opened the door when she did?

The door of 1354 opened and Jeremy appeared. His eyes met Remy’s and he brightened, only to wilt when he saw the blonde. “Morning.”

“Good morning,” Remy said, her heart stumbling in her chest. What was wrong with this picture? He knew the blonde? Without a doubt, judging by his reaction.

“Hi,” the blonde said and gave Jeremy a teeny little wave.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I want to talk to you. I—“

“We have nothing to talk about, Barbara.”

“What about the wedding?” 

The Spot Writers- our members.

Catherine A. MacKenzie

http://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Jessica Degarmo

http://www.jessicadegarmo.com/

RC Bonitz

http://www.rcbonitz.com

Val Muller

http://www.valmuller.com/blog/

Well, hello!

Hi there!
It's been a while since I've posted any updates, etc., so I thought I should pop in and spread the word.
It's been busy over here lately. I'm now editing for Taylor Street Books, and I'm loving it! There are so many wonderful authors and manuscripts out there, and I think I've been very lucky with the ones I've worked with. I had the very amazing pleasure of helping a wonderful new author with her YA paranormal romance, and let me tell you, she's got some chops! I think the YA world had better sit up and take notice of  this one. She's brilliant, and sweet as pie, too. I'll give you more details when her fab book comes out.

As far as my work goes, Historically Yours went off to a beta reader, a woman I greatly admire and truly adore, and I can't wait for her to tell me what she thinks. It's wonderful to have so many awesome writer buddies. I've said it before and I'll say it again: writers get it. They completely understand the frustration, the exhilaration, the sheer madness that comes from writing. There are struggles and heartaches, build-ups and letdowns, happiness and utter depression. It's wonderful to have such an amazing support system.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, Historically Yours is the second in the Johns Creek Second Chances series. The first, The Storm Within, has taken a nice leap up the charts recently, and received a great review besides. I hope you all enjoy Johns Creek. I modeled this fictitious town after two places I know and love: Elmira, NY (where I grew up) and Wellsboro, PA (a wonderful small-town with old-time charm and a very distinct heartbeat). Johns Creek is a place filled with second chances, and readers who enjoyed reading about the small town and its residents will be happy to read more about the hero and heroine from The Storm Within, and meet some new friends as well. Look for that in August!

Fans of Hooking Up will be pleased to note that a sequel is on track to be released late this year or early next year. I've had plenty of people wonder what happens to Ryan and Catie next. Is Catie's relationship with Gran repaired? Does Catie ever meet her birth mother? How does Benjie cope with the scorn of his own mother? Fans, your questions will be answered in Holding On, the long-awaited sequel to Hooking Up. Excited? I am!

PS-I'm on Kindlegraph now. Want your favorite kindle book by Jessica L. Degarmo autographed? Pop on over to Kindlegraph.com and send a request!

The homefront is as busy as ever, but I'm very blessed. I honestly wouldn't have things any other way! The kids are having a blast so far on summer vacation, and we're planning a small camping trip. I'm having way too much fun buying camp coffee pots, S'mores skewers and all kinds of other fun gadgets that we'll probably never use...

Reminder: I'll be at the Bradford County Library in W. Burlington, PA on July 9, 2012 at 7:00 pm to talk about Decisions, The Storm Within and Six Weeks. I'll have copies available for sale as well. I look forward to meeting some readers. See you there!

I guess that's all for now. Of course, I say 'that's all' but that's a lot! I need to post more often, I think...

Hugs,
Jess

The Spot Writers Present...Me Again!

Here's this week's flash fiction... Next week, our amazing RC Bonitz will be up. Enjoy!

I awaken slowly, exquisitely, alive from the soles of my bare feet to the top of my mussed head. My body hums with electricity, a spark that has started from my skin and moved inside me; it nestles into my heart and throbs there, speaking to me. I am awake. I am alive, perhaps for the first time ever.

I am lying in my bed, the same old bed I’ve always had, the same rumpled quilt tossed carelessly over my still form.  I look around me and everything is the same. The walls, covered with memories and dreams, envelop me, hide me, comfort me. Everything is the same, yet everything is different.

He touches me once; a light caress that feels like the kiss of a butterfly. This monarch’s kiss makes me tremble.  My arm, exposed to the cool evening air wafting in through my open window,  leaps into goose pimples.  He chuckles once and reaches out again to tease me.

His firm hand runs down my arm, so gently, so maddeningly I feel I might die from it. It is merely a touch, but it is everything.

He lays next to me and turns back the quilt, pausing to smile through the intensity smoldering on his face. His eyes soften when he sees me stare back at him. Slowly, so slowly the quilt reaches my knees, my ankles, my feet, the foot of the bed.  I am bare, spread before him in the twilight, but I know no shame.

There is nothing but want.

I need him.

I reach for him with tremulous fingertips. He shakes his head. My arm lowers and my eyes follow him. The heat from his gaze warms me, makes me burn, sets me on fire. And then his hands, his body find me.

When we join, it is more than a physical act. It is everything I’ve ever wanted, everything I’ve ever needed, more than I’d ever hoped for, more than I deserve. But it is all I know, all I feel as we love together.

My heart leaps in joy; I offer each heartbeat to him, gladly. His soul is my destiny. His love is my fate.

Next week, our Spot Writer is RC Bonitz!

The Spot Writers- our members. You can find our Thursday posts at any of the following blogs:

Catherine A. MacKenzie

http://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter

Jessica Degarmo

http://www.jessicadegarmo.com/

 RC Bonitz

http://www.rcbonitz.com

 Val Muller

http://www.valmuller.com/

The Spot Writers Present...Cathy MacKenzie!

Today’s fiction comes to us from Cathy MacKenzie, who this week delivers two poems. If you enjoy these poems, check out her TO LOVE A GRANDMOTHER poetry book (100 poems), available on Smashwords for only $1.99: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/camack. You can also find three compilations of her short stories there, as well. Visit her website at the end of this posting for more information on this author. Let her know what you thought of her poems (good or bad, she's open to critique).

Next week's flash fiction will come from Jessica Degarmo, who grew up in Upstate New York and now lives with her husband, children and dog in rural Pennsylvania. When she is not writing, she is an insurance agent, the lead singer in a classic rock band, and an avid collector of gemstones. Her publishing credits include: HOW TO MEET A GUY AT THE SUPERMARKET (Night Publishing, November 2010); HOOKING UP (Night Publishing, May 2011); DECISIONS (Silver Publishing, July 2011); and THE STORM WITHIN (Night Publishing, September, 2011). Jessica's contribution this week is an excerpt from HISTORICALLY YOURS, the second book in her Johns Creek Second Chances series. THE STORM WITHIN, the first in the series, is available now, and the second will be published later this year by Taylor Street Publishing.

***

A Blank Canvas

I gather my tools in front of me:

paints and canvases and brushes

to paint a portrait

from a photograph of a face

I know so well

and love even more,

I discover wrinkles

and crinkles

that I did not acknowledge before

for I did not see them,

and now,

like tears and unravelling stitches

upon a worn and dulled tapestry

they seem to mock me -

rich brown age spots loom

and cryptic creases and mysterious furrows

race off to nowhere,

and I don't know where death ends

and where life began,

And I don't know how to proceed

for I don't know how to draw time

and paint passing years

that disappeared with barely a breath

before I knew they were gone.

(above poem published in "Still Point Arts Quarterly," October 2011)

Following the Path

He grasps my cold limp hand and I follow

into the forest so green and deep.

The cerulean ceiling lunges down

and the trees form our walls,

our barrier from the world.

I'm swept within a hollow garden

where the moss swells around us,

sticky and sweet and sickly.

Is it a miracle or a mirage?

Perhaps it's both; perhaps it's neither.

His warmth delves into the depths of me,

tingling my nerves and caressing my bones.

The rush is like a speeding freight train

silent in the night, yet determined,

knowing its end, aware of its surroundings.

Lost in acres of wilderness

I scan the blazing landscape from afar

amid the hush of nature's songs.

The world is mute and nothing but

the chorus of your breath chimes with mine.

Again in the distance is that train

lumbering down the tracks to somewhere,

its roaring refrain now haunting the night.

I see the dragon breath swaying

before disappearing into the stars.

Then life is silent once more. I'm at peace

in the dark where only angels dare to tread,

dreams and nightmares quashed forever.

There's nothing, yet there's everything –

everything but your breath mingling with mine.

***

The Spot Writers- our members. You can find our Thursday posts at any of the following blogs:

Catherine A. MacKenzie

http://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter

Jessica Degarmo

http://www.jessicadegarmo.com/

 RC Bonitz

http://www.rcbonitz.com

 Val Muller

http://www.valmuller.com/

The Spot Writers Present...Val Muller!

Today’s flash fiction comes to us from Val Muller, the author of CORGI CAPERS: DECEIT ON DORSET DRIVE, a mystery novel for young readers and FOR WHOM MY HEART BEATS ETERNAL, a spicy sci-fi romance with a twist. Learn more at www.valmuller.com

Next week's story will be by Cathy MacKenzie, who has self-published two books of poetry, "To Love a Grandmother" and "Poems of Inspiration and Love," which can be found at: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/camack. She also appears in various anthologies, such as those published by Rebel Ink Press and Dancing With Bear Publishing. Visit her website (at end of this week's story) for more information on this author.

* * *

Alison and Sarah cheered as Remy sank the eight ball, clearing the table and winning the game.

“Thanks, gals!” Remy took a bow then checked her watch. “But I’ve got to get going. Work tomorrow.”

“At least play one more game,” Sarah said. She leaned in close. “I think that guy’s been checking you out.”

Remy watched the man in question through her periphery. He had been sitting at a bar table with his friend eating wings and playing with his phone.

“Cute, but I think he likes his phone more than he likes me,” Remy said.

Alison laughed. “Maybe he likes his phone almost as much as you like yours!”

Remy blushed, pushing her phone into her pocket.

“Want us to walk you home?” Alison asked.

“Nah. I live right around the corner now, remember?”

Alison shrugged. “Suit yourself. That guy’s pretty cute, though…”

“Maybe next Thursday. You know how nervous I get around guys.” She frowned. “Night, girls.”

She walked toward the door, careful to avoid making eye contact with the man in question on her way out. She made it safely to the sidewalk and took a deep breath, avoiding the temptation to take one last peek through the window at the handsome stranger.

Go home, she reminded herself. The girls had chosen The Corner Pocket for their Thursday night outing on purpose. It was a block away from Remy’s new condo, so it would be a fast walk. Remy had just taken her first step toward home when her phone vibrated. It was a text:

Mr Hottie is following you!

Remy turned to look. Indeed, he had left right after her, and he was alone. Remy already felt her skin flushing as she turned and hurried toward her condo.

Step, step, step, she told her feet. Don’t look back.

Behind her, a deep voice cleared its throat.

Remy couldn’t help but turn around.

“I thought we could walk back together,” he said.

“Walk back together? I—”

His hair was perfectly disheveled, and his smile could have been chiseled by Michelangelo. His eyes twinkled like the stars above them. Her heart fluttered.

“We’re neighbors,” he said.

“Neighbors?”

He nodded. “You’re the new girl. The one in 1352.”

“1352,” she repeated senselessly. Her head spun. She was losing the ability to think. Her friends would never believe this was happening.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have introduced myself. I’m one door over. 1354. I’ve seen you around the building. I’m Jeremy.”

“Jeremy,” she said, the syllables flowing off her tongue. She barely realized they had reached the door to her condo. 

“Do you hang out at The Corner Pocket often?” he asked, stopping under her porch.

The lighting from the street lamp above broke the trance. “Yes,” Remy said, regaining her ability to think straight. “I’m sorry—I’m Remy. And yes, my friends and I hang out there on Thursdays.”

Jeremy smiled with his eyes, his lips curling in approval. “It’s a date, then,” he said.  “Next Thursday at The Corner Pocket.” He typed it into his cell phone.

Then Jeremy reached down to her hand, and Remy’s heart raced. He’s going to take my hand, she thought.

But he didn’t.

Instead he reached for her phone, which was—as usual—in her hand at the ready. He slid the phone from her hand and typed something in. “Text me,” he said, “handing back the phone.”

She looked down. He had entered his phone number. She smiled, but when she looked back up, he had disappeared into his own entryway.

Night, she typed and hesitated only for a moment before sending it.

As she entered her apartment, her phone vibrated once more. It was from Jeremy. Sweet dreams, Remy, it said. And she drifted off to sleep that night dreaming sweetly indeed of the possibilities that next Thursday night might hold.

The Spot Writers- our members. You can find our Thursday posts at any of the following blogs:

Catherine A. MacKenzie

http://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter

Jessica Degarmo

http://www.jessicadegarmo.com/

 RC Bonitz

http://www.rcbonitz.com

 Val Muller

http://www.valmuller.com/