Today I have a special treat. Sharon Hamilton’s fantastic SEAL books were just
released and I’ve invited her join us and share. But let me tell you a bit about her first. :)
Sharon loves all things
paranormal: Angels, Dark Angels, Watchers, Guardians, Upogenie and Vampires.
She also has developed a series of hot romantic suspense Navy SEAL stories. Her
characters follow a spicy road to redemption through passion and true love—not
exactly what they taught you in Sunday School!
She is represented by agent Jill Marsal,
and has finaled in several erotic, contemporary, paranormal and single title contests over the
past three years. She regularly participates in four RWA and California Writer
chapters, and two blogs.
An avid organic vegetable and flower gardener,
Sharon and her husband live in the Wine Country in Northern California, where
most of her stories take place.
And now, please welcome, Sharon...
GIVE ME SOME OF THAT STRONG SILENT TYPE OF ALPHA
Writing
about Navy SEALs has been a fun journey
for me. I’ve previously had dark angels and 300 year old vampires as my alpha
males. But writing SEALs, those real-life guys who are trained so that
hesitation is drummed out of them, has been even more satisfying.
I’m
lucky too that a lot of these SEAL stories the public hears are mainly made up
of rumor and speculation. A good thing for a writer! We will never truly know
what goes on in their community, but I can describe it through a fictionalized
story. The public wants all the gory details. As a romance writer, I want to
give the story behind these modern day super heroes, and I get to make up the
details.
I also
experimented this time with a short novella, bringing the two characters in
Accidental SEAL almost together, but not quite. The idea was that readers would
like the short so much, they would want to read the full length book next. So
far, it’s working.
What I
try to capture in the SEAL series is how this well-trained hero can handle
dangerous situations, but is thrown completely outside his comfort zone when it
comes to a long-term committed love. These guys aren’t celebate, after all. We
find our hero, Kyle Lansdowne, coming back from recent deployment, knowing that
he is tired of the one night stands, and perhaps beginning to think about
something long term. Or pushing the thought out of his mind completely,
steadying on a single life. He is heroic because he thinks he isn’t capable of
a long term relationship, and doesn’t want to hurt an innocent women. So he’ll
bear the loneliness in silence.
The SEAL
community is very strong. Families get together, children are raised together.
They band together in times of stress and tragedy and celebrate life together.
In writing these stories, I get to show this secret community, in a
fictionalized manner, so that the reader gets to experience something of what
it is like.
I hope
you enjoy these stories of brave young men so worthy of our praise.
Accidental SEAL:
Christy
Nelson embarks on her new career in Real Estate by holding her first open
house. Entering the wrong house, by
accident, she finds the nude sleeping body of a young man.
Navy
SEAL Kyle Lansdowne, on a mission to find his AWOL Team buddy, is staying at
his buddy’s home while investigating the disappearance. When someone breaks in, he takes protective
measures. He doesn’t expect to find that a beautiful young woman is responsible
for his teammate’s abduction.
What
starts out as a meeting by accident becomes a hot affair neither one is ready
for. Kyle is conflicted about getting Christy involved in his mission, but his
hand is forced when he learns the same San Diego gang responsible for his
teammate’s abduction has kidnapped her.
Battling
a cadre of dirty law enforcements hell-bent on getting military equipment,
especially state-of-the-art firepower, Kyle is forced to admit that he would be
willing to die to protect her.
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
*Adult Content*
Christy Nelson worked to keep her
breakfast down when Wayne Sommerville came lurking around her cubicle. He’d
pestered her every day since she’d been introduced as the newest agent at the
Patterson Realty sales meeting three days ago. His soft, flabby torso was
repulsive, and those distinctive hair plugs, installed at an angle on Wayne’s
shiny salmon-colored forehead, were distracting. Her gaze followed rows of
black dots receding into his dyed-black hair. A life-sized version of Mr.
King’s Chuckie.
Wayne winked at her again, and
her blood turned to ice.
His horse teeth and foul breath
could raise the dead. He’d made it clear he wanted to mentor her, but she
suspected he had more in mind than real estate contracts and short sales. He
was persistent, though. She’d give him that.
He draped his bulky frame against
the back of her chair. She wanted to duck for cover. The eerie need to protect
her neck put her radar on high alert as she visualized violence and fangs.
“I’ve coached quite a few of the
new agents over the years.” Wayne’s look lasted too long—hungry and
inappropriate. Christy didn’t trust one single hair plug.
“Well,” she said, resisting the
urge to escape, “I do need a good open house.
Now,
why did I say that?
“I’ve got the perfect one! Great
little short sale.” Wayne launched into his routine, oblivious to the fact
she’d become dizzy from the smell of the garlic fries he’d apparently had for
lunch. “The house is a little rough around the edges, but in a super
neighborhood. The sellers are about to lose it.” He threw her a mock frown. She
could see him singing a hymn, asking for money on TV.
Perhaps
a second career.
“No sign on the lawn yet and it’s
not even on the computer,” he continued. “You can snatch all those buyers for
yourself.” He leaned in and whispered like it was a national secret. “And I
could help you with the paperwork. You know, show you how it’s done.”
Male
alert. If he touches me, he’ll get a knee to his groin. She swung her chair to angle for
quick action.
He stepped back just in time. She
exhaled, grateful for the distance.
“Doing short sales is a real
art,” he added with a frown, stiffening. His shiny suit fit like one of those
unfortunate animals in a teddy bear factory, stuffed into its fur. The silver
glint of the fabric reminded her of fish scales.
Run,
Christy, run. You could be the one who got away…
She had never in her life paid a
favor with sex and wasn’t about to start. She would hold his new listing open,
but only if she could do it without owing him.
Besides, she had to do something
to drum up business. Her move to San Diego marked the beginning of her new
professional career as a Realtor. Being the top salesperson at Madame M’s
lingerie boutique on Maiden Lane in San Francisco had only barely paid the
bills. She’d loved Madame and had thrived as a sales clerk, but had recognized
the time for a real career and had trained in Real Estate, then moved to San
Diego after her mother had passed on and left her condo to Christy.
Though she’d been was comfortable
selling to the rich and powerful of the City by the Bay, Wayne, even if he was
half the success he claimed he was, made her nervous.
This
is a very bad idea. Just say no.
“Fine.” It sounded like it came
from the cubicle next to her.
But then she spotted Wayne’s
dimples and canines.
Oh.
My. God. I’ve just said yes.
Christy’s red Honda looked like a
wet cherry lollipop, shined and polished to perfection. Cute and shiny on the
outside, but hot and sweltering on the inside. Sitting in the cramped front
seat, she stopped and squinted to make out house numbers, comparing them to the
address Wayne had minutely scribbled on the back of his business card. Then she
found it.
The house appeared nicer than
he’d described. The advertised price, he said, was the lowest in the
neighborhood, going back ten years. Hopefully she’d pick up a young couple out
looking for their first home, complete with good credit and a wad of cash from
Mommy and Daddy. Wouldn’t it be great to make a sale on her very first day on
the job?
She parked in the driveway,
popped the trunk, and brought out three sandwich signs with the Patterson
Realty logo, on loan from Wayne. He was out with his family today. She hoped
the Somervilles didn’t stop by since she’d feel uncomfortable looking into the
eyes of Wayne’s wife, a woman he probably cheated on and would again, if he got
the chance. One of Christy’s other rules: no married men. She wasn’t about to
change that, either.
A perfumed late spring breeze
blew softly against her face and neck, sending a thrill up her spine. The air
ripened with possibility. This was her favorite time of year.
The walkway looked freshly swept.
After placing one sign in the front yard, she stacked the other two beside the
front door and inserted Wayne’s key. While the lock accepted the new shiny
silver metal, the tumblers stayed in place, frozen.
Way
to go Wayne. Waste my time and give me the wrong key!
Irritation bubbled, ruining her
cheerful, spring-induced mood. She yanked on the front handle and pushed
against it out of frustration. It opened.
“Anybody home?” Her voice wavered
like that of a small child. She waited. No answer.
Christy stepped inside, onto a
striped cotton rug lying cockeyed behind the front door. The smell of fried
food hit her. She walked across the wooden floor of the living room, her
stilettos clacking. She cracked open a window. Air scented by fresh blossoms
poured in, diluting the smells of ordinary life. She grabbed the newspaper
tossed on top of an ottoman and folded the crinkling pages under her arm,
aiming for the kitchen to find a trashcan. She passed the dining room table,
which was strewn with a map of the area, a couple of felt-tipped pens, and a
letter-sized yellow lined tablet. She collected these items as well and made
her way to the kitchen.
Christy threw the tablet and
newspaper onto the tiled countertop and placed her hands on her hips to assess
the scene before her. She squinted at several days’ worth of dishes piled high
in the sink. Next to it, a large stainless steel bowl sat encrusted with dark
green and purple leaves at the bottom, evidence of a salad—several days old.
Maybe Wayne had neglected to tell
the sellers about the open house. She decided it was entirely possible. “How
can you expect to sell a house this way?” she muttered, then sighed and removed
her jacket, slinging it over the back of a clean-looking kitchen chair. She
decided to take a tour of the place, checking for other things to clean or
straighten before she’d be ready to hold it open.
But this house was such a mess,
an uneasy darkness chilled her. She tiptoed down the carpeted hallway, feeling
like an intruder, past empty rooms, to a closed door at the end.
Probably
the master bedroom.
Something about the whole scene
was strange. These people left without cleaning up dinner from several days
before, in a hurry. She’d been told short sale houses rarely showed pride of
ownership, but this felt absolutely creepy, like she’d stepped on someone’s
grave. The hair at the back of her neck bristled as she gripped the doorknob.
She lightly tapped with her other hand, and then opened the door.
A naked body lay on the bed.
Holy
crap.
Hesitant to look at first, she
pushed through her fear. She saw
movement. Tanned skin, a muscular male chest that rose and fell. Earphones were
wired to a phone balanced on his open palm. The man was very much alive, and
healthy. Her eyes drifted further down to a dusting of dark brown hair that led
to an impossible-to-miss erection. His penis stood at attention, like a deep
rose-colored light standard under a matching fireman’s hat of deeper pink.
Blood pumped to her ears, making
them ring, as her heart raced. A wave of anger coursed over her at the
realization she had been the victim of a very sick joke perpetrated by Wayne
and one of his disgusting friends.
Christy silently closed the door
and tiptoed back down the carpeted hallway, her three-inch heels wobbling on
the thick, padded surface. Her knees knocked against each other as she picked
up speed, her anger building. She grabbed her jacket, keys, and purse, and
crossed the living room, headed toward the front door. She was almost free.
Christy wouldn’t give the
prankster the satisfaction of knowing she had even seen him. She wanted to
stomp her foot and kick something through the window. This was Wayne’s doing.
That
sonofabitch and his lopsided plugs will pay for this.
She pulled the door handle and
was rewarded by the smells of a warm spring day bleeding through the inch-wide
crack she’d created. An enormous hand and forearm came from behind her and
slammed the door shut. She saw a familiar blue-green tattoo of some animal
tracks on his muscled forearm just before his other hand gripped her mouth.
Callused fingers pinched the sides of her cheeks. The grip hurt.
Sharon is giving a Kindle copy of SEAL Encounter to everyone who comments! So, leave a note and get a taste of these great books!
This is
a private glimpse into the hearts and minds of these fictional SEALs, their
community, and the women who are lucky enough to be loved by them. Their
brotherhood, loyalty and mission to protect and defend, sometimes at great
personal cost, is what makes them heroes. They do so quietly, not seeking
public recognition.
Where you can find Sharon:
Check out Sharon's other books:
Thank you so much for being with us, Sharon!
Until next time, may your dreams be magical.
Charlene
