When Zelda first approached me I
Dropped the cigarette
(She disapproves)
“You are an American I see”
She said with a sneer
You eat…coleslaw.
Cutting.
I recovered.
Yes I do. I’m not proud of it. But I draw the line at grits.
She softened.
Come with me.
She led me through room after room.
Gently lit, tap rails and wallpaper, a bust here and there
Of a poet or an architect.
Beautiful rooms.
I longed to go to the garden but she led me to the kitchen.
Sit. Eat. Afterwards we make love.
I acquiesced.
Zelda in Tetouan
It’s always the house set at an odd angle
As though it’s falling into the sea
We spread our legs like Captain Ahab
Keeping our balance
Grasping for rails
Reaching for the back door
Escape! Escape into the garden
Zelda holds us back
You’re not going anywhere
It’s not what you think it is
It’s not a garden
It’s a dream. There are no plants
No flowers
No fruits
No comfort
It will not make you content
Come and play with me
Dancing on the coping
Howling at Pluto
Embracing the violinist with his slalom glissandos
Until at last we drop exhausted
On the sands of Tetouan.
Please welcome Linda Carroll-Bradd and her new romance from the Wild Rose Press, appropriately entitled Sweet Inspiration. Without further ado:
He’s the adventure she’s never had, and she’s the home
he’s always wanted.
Linda
Carroll-Bradd
The
Wild Rose Press, June 28, 2021
74
pp.
Blurb:
Dependable
Cadence Wills yearns for excitement. The owner of a yarn business, she is
pulled in every direction by her demanding family. Haunting dulcimer notes draw
her to a practice session where she spies an intriguing stranger.
Musician
Rafe Frasco is a rover, bouncing between musical competitions. Interest ignites
at his first glance at a woman enthralled by his music, who he learns has a
heart big enough to encompass everyone within her reach.
A
fantastic opportunity for Rafe presents Cadence with a dilemma—is she strong
enough to negotiate the business deal that will take him away…maybe forever?
Purchase
Links:
Excerpt: Unfamiliar Melody
Unmarried and approaching
thirty in a small town branded her as ready and willing to meet every
unattached man who set foot inside the city limits. A sigh escaped. Like last
week when Espe called Trent Sullivan over to their table at El Tres Amigos
and then suddenly remembered an important errand. What Espe hadn’t known was
Cadence and Trent already had been set up on blind dates—twice—by well-meaning
friends.
Nothing had clicked
between them. Cadence craved someone with a mysterious past like in her beloved
romantic suspense novels. A dark, shadowy figure who knew how to excite a woman
with a molten look or a lingering touch. A man who fought to hide his pain and
almost succeeded. Not someone like Trent—a guy whose high-school
accomplishments she could probably recite.
Sweet plaintive notes of a
stringed instrument floated on the breeze. Cadence strained to recognize the
tune. A person didn’t grow up surrounded by folk music without knowing just
about every ballad that could be plucked.
But this one eluded her.
The twanging strings cried with a soulful sadness that grabbed her by the
throat. Her thoughts were washed in loneliness, and she turned toward the
sound, past the Heritage Herb Garden. A part of Cadence that couldn’t resist
helping others had to see who was expressing such need.
She lifted the hem of her
long skirt and hurried toward the haunting sound, as if the notes pulled her
feet along the path. Abreast of the groundhog pottery kiln, she slowed and
peered toward the outdoor stage.
On the platform, several
musicians gathered—some unpacking instruments, others adjusting microphones.
Off to one side, a dark-haired man sat in a straight-backed chair, one foot
braced on a scratched case. He leaned forward and strummed a dulcimer, the
light wood instrument cradled on denim-covered thighs.
Cadence studied the
talented player. His too-long hair was tied back, his shoulders were broad
inside his western-cut shirt, and his legs were long and lean. Scuffed boots,
faded jeans and a worn Harley-Davidson tee-shirt composed his attire.
Definitely more attractive than her own outfit. Even from this distance, she
spotted a posture that meant the man had an attitude…or was mysterious. A
thrill ran over her skin.
Who was this guy? He’d
definitely swagger when he walked. Yummy. At the thought, she stepped
closer, wanting nothing between her and the performance.
Long fingers picked the
strings in a heated crescendo—note on teasing note, twang on shivery twang,
strum on driving strum. He ended the song with a flourish, right hand arcing
upward as the last note hung on the early morning air.
How did he know exactly
how she felt on nights when everyone in Mountain View either had a date or was
home curled next to a spouse? The isolation of being solo at the drive-in or
enduring the knowing smile of a sympathetic waitress. His song wrapped all
those feelings tight around her heart and squeezed.
As a young girl, Linda was often found lying on
her bed reading about fascinating characters having exciting adventures in
places far away and in other time periods. In later years, she read and then
started writing romances and achieved her first publication--a confession
story. Married with four adult children and two granddaughters, Linda now
writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor
from her home in the southern California mountains.
Social Media:
Father’s Day is upon us! Come by N. N. Light’s
Book Heaven TODAY for a preview of special books featuring all kinds of fathers,
including my Maine mystery Mrs. Spinney’s Secret. The
hero, Jasper MacEwan, is an aspiring movie director, and his father Philip has
given him his first major motion picture.
You can read two excerpts that show Philip in two lights—as the Hollywood tycoon, and an unexpectedly softer side as a father.
Enter the Rafflecopter to win an Amazon gift
card! Meanwhile, check Mrs. Spinney’s
Secret out here:
https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/post/mrs-spinney-s-secret-cfbe
Father’s Day is upon us! Come by N.
N. Light’s Book Heaven June 15-20 for a preview of special books featuring all
kinds of fathers. On June 20 (Father’s Day!) she will feature my Maine mystery Mrs. Spinney’s Secret. You’ll meet
our her Jasper’s father, a Hollywood tycoon with a softer side. Enter the
Rafflecopter to win an Amazon gift card!
Meanwhile, check out all the lovely books from today to Sunday.
https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/celebrate-fathers-bookish-event
