Would only a man say this?

As per my routine, I’m checking out my favorite blogs this morning and come across a link to an article by Alan Elsner at The Huffington Post at Dear Author.  I couldn’t help but jump over and read the story. Title of his enlightening post, How Romance Novels take the Romance out of Romance.  Jump over and take a look and let me know what you think.

Still no word from Harlequin on my submission but it hasn’t been that long. Just nervous–soooooo want them to ask for the full of Hook, Line, Murder.

I’m currently on chapter 4 in Diamond in the Rough. Greer and Sloan have met. LOL

I’m going to leave you with a snippet from the book. Hope you enjoy it. I’m having a blast writing it.

Copyrights©nov2009jerridrennen

 Diamond in the Rough

Greer Beranger started for the stairs, not even bothering to see if they’d gotten the elevator fixed. Nothing ever worked at the Edgewood. The place was a dump. Too bad it was the only room he could afford on the money he’d been given the day he was released from the pen.

At his room, he took his key and inserted it into the lock, dreading another night in the roach infested palace. At least it was larger than a five-by-seven cell and he could come and go as he pleased, though, oddly after six years of being locked away, having freedom felt somehow suffocating. That, and the job market for ex-cons wasn’t all that abundant, especially when you had a conviction for robbery hanging over your head. A high-tech theft true, yet that didn’t matter since it showed up on paper the same. No one wanted a pick-pocket working for them, no matter whose pocket you picked.

He sent the bolt-lock home inside the door and went to sit on the edge of his lumpy mattress covered in a tattered blue bedspread.

What was he going to do all night? Watch television? He’d done that every evening since he’d been released. He might as well be back in prison for all the excitement he’d had.

Worst yet, he’d been out of the pen for two weeks and he hadn’t even come close to getting laid. It wasn’t like he could afford to pay for the privilege and no decent woman looked at a man who wasn’t dressed for success. Six year ago he had woman falling all over him, today he couldn’t catch a single one’s eye. Women liked men who appeared to be a catch—he obviously wasn’t that fish any longer.

He glanced down at the ratty green shirt and holey jeans and blew out a breath. He needed some new clothes and a decent haircut. Maybe then he could get lucky. But without a job, he couldn’t afford either.

How did a person right out of prison stay straight with no incentive to do so?

Greer stood and paced the room, angry with his dilemma. He had to think of something that’d keep him from going back to jail. Find a job that would earn him enough money so he could enjoy being free again and to get his life back on track. That was his ultimate goal. To work in his chosen field again.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out the cash he had left and quickly counted the bills. One hundred and sixty- three dollars. That would keep him in this luxury suite for another three weeks, and that was if he gave up eating altogether.

“Think, Greer. You’re a smart man with a college degree, not to mention skills you’d learned in prison. Surely that could help in some way.”

A knock sent his heart racing. He turned and stared at the door. No one knew he was here. Hell, all his friends from the past were long gone.

He walked to the door. “Who’s there?”

“Heard you were looking for a job?” a man with an English accent said.

Greer frowned. What kind of employer came to you with an offer?

The illegal kind.  It was probably the Feds trying to bait him. “You heard wrong.”

“You are Greer Beranger, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but like I said, I’m not looking for trouble.”

Silence met his answer.

Good. He didn’t need anyone trying to lure him to the dark side. His predicament was tempting enough.

“This is a legitimate job if you want it,” the man said, startling Greer back to the door.

“Doing what?”

“One of the things you’re good at.”

“And what’s that?”

“Attracting women.”

Anyway, have a great weekend all!

Jerri 

 

Grace Under Fire is out!

 

Grace Under Fire

Jerri Drennen

Crimson Rosebud

Release Date: 11-18-2009  

 

Since her husband’s death, Grace Diaglo has been sleepwalking through life. That is, until her husband’s ex-partner shows up just in time to become her impromptu bodyguard when a peeping Tom is spotted outside her bathroom window. Grace isn’t sure who she’s more afraid of, the man trying to see her naked or the one she’s started picturing that way.

 

Ex-Chicago cop, Cord Rawlings, intends to find his partner’s killer. What he doesn’t count on is an intense attraction to the dead man’s wife or the corruption a probe into his friend’s death uncovers-an investigation that has the pair dodging bullets to stay alive. Will he be able to keep Grace safe or have they become the targets of the last person either of them suspected?

 

Excerpt

 Cord Rawlings lifted the bottle of whiskey to his lips and drained the last drops. He wouldn’t say he was drunk, just numb. He’d spent all evening in Rockford, Illinois, holed up in a room at a roadside motel, drinking, and still felt no better than he had before he’d opened the bottle.

Would the painful memories ever fade—as the face of his partner, Vincent Diaglo, had?

He forced himself to swallow past the burning in his throat as he slammed his fist into the lumpy mattress.

Contempt for himself consumed him.

Vince had died because of him. He should have been in the car that exploded, not his partner. Now all Cord saw when he thought about his friend was his charred remains—not the strong, dedicated cop he’d been.

Inside, Cord was dead too. Probably wouldn’t fear dying because he’d been lifeless inside for a long time.

Maybe he should just end it all. Right here, right now.

He shook his head. That would be taking the coward’s way out. No way could he do that.

He sent the empty bottle into the air. It landed with a dull thud onto the carpet.

Vincent would have been disgusted with what he’d become, and that bothered Cord more than anything. Vince and his wife had been like family to him.

God, he could still see Grace’s pale, tear-streaked face at the funeral as the graveside attendants lowered the shiny silver casket into the ground, her hands white-knuckling the American flag that had draped it only moments before.

He hadn’t been able to face her that day. Guilt had eaten at him with a vengeance. So he’d watched from a distance, afraid she’d blame him for not being there to save her husband—to save the only friend he’d ever had.

The morning of the funeral, he’d pictured Grace’s misty green eyes filled with loathing, eyes that had haunted him from the moment he’d met her, and known facing her would be impossible. Burying his partner and losing her respect, all in the same day. No way could he have dealt with that. He’d chosen not to confront her.

Instead, he’d run away and buried himself in a bottle.

Shaking off his alcohol-induced buzz, Cord forced the images from his mind. He refused to think about Grace any longer. Every time he did, his stomach knotted. What he needed was another bottle of whiskey. Maybe then he’d pass out.

The Wild Rose Press e-book link.

The Wild Rose Press print link

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

 

I’ve been a bad, bad Girl!

I haven’t blogged in forever. I’m sorry but I’ve been finishing a book and having fun with my granddaughter. I have been participating in a group blog Shades of Suspense. I guess that’s something, right?

Update # 1: I sent a submission off to Harlequin Intrigue for Hook, Line, Murder. If they don’t ask for the full, they’ll miss a great story. Did that sound conceited? Well, so be it. I love Steve and Whitney. They are great characters and deserve to be recognized as such. I want to thank two people for helping me get through this book and shining it up. Betty Womack, my dear friend and critique partner, and Trish Albright, my mentor. Without them, I would have never finished the book this quickly.

Update # 2: Grace Under Fire is up for pre-order at The Wild Rose Press.

Grace Under Fire

Jerri Drennen

Crimson Rosebud

Release Date: 11-18-2009  

Since her husband’s death, Grace Diaglo has been sleepwalking through life. That is, until her husband’s ex-partner shows up just in time to become her impromptu bodyguard when a peeping Tom is spotted outside her bathroom window. Grace isn’t sure who she’s more afraid of, the man trying to see her naked or the one she’s started picturing that way.

Ex-Chicago cop, Cord Rawlings, intends to find his partner’s killer. What he doesn’t count on is an intense attraction to the dead man’s wife or the corruption a probe into his friend’s death uncovers-an investigation that has the pair dodging bullets to stay alive. Will he be able to keep Grace safe or have they become the targets of the last person either of them suspected?

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/grace-under-fire-paperback-p-3726.html

Update #3: I haven’t made it to any MORWA meetings lately because my husband had to work and I couldn’t go. I’m sure I missed a lot of great information. I plan to make the next meeting if I have to drive up there myself. I try never to drive in the big city. Makes me too nervous.

Update #4: Emma. Well, she couldn’t be any sweeter. The happiest baby I’ve ever been around. She lights up everything around her. She now has her first tooth–as of 2 days ago. She is over 17 pounds and 26 inches. Simply adorable.

This picture was taken yesterday at The Pumpkin Patch. According to Mom, she had a great time.

Anyway, plan to be a little better at posting. At least once a week and you can come by Shades of Suspense and meet all the wonderful suspense writers.

Jerri

I’ve been writing!

Sorry I haven’t blogged lately but I’ve been working on my new book and I’m totally wrapped up in my characters. I’ve half finished with chapter 5 of Hook, Line, Murder.

Over at Once Upon a Crime they’re have a one year anniversary party. Jump over and maybe win some prizes.

Emma is getting bigger. She was here yesterday and she is simply adorable.

Anyway, I’ll keep you abreast of anything new. Have a great weekend.

Christmas in July contest

For a chance to win a print copy of Aztec Security name all the couples in the book, then post them and your e-mail address here and I’ll choose a winner by next weekend.

Here is a link to the blurb that will give you the answer.

 http://samhainpublishing.com/print/aztec-security-print

Jerri

THE WINNER IS BETTY! I’LL GET THE BOOK OFF TO YOU AS SOON AS I CAN. THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING.

Too many irons in the fire!

That’s what I’ve got going with my writing. I’m, working on too many different stories.  Revision on two and writing a new story and struggling to finish another. I really think you can have too many characters running around in your head that its hard to focus on any of them. This is me right now. I started a new spy story that I think will be a novella. I’m doing rewrites on my Men of the Jungle series. Then I have my romantic suspense, “Going Once, Going Twice, Dead” that is about half done. Which one do I work on? I just don’t know. Maybe I’ll let you decide. I’ll give you the first lines of each and you can tell me which one I should focus my time on.

1. Untouched–Travis Kane lifted the box from the attorney’s desk and gave it a good shake, not at all surprised to find it sounded empty.

2. Unplanned–Dana Rutherford stared open-mouthed at the stick between her thumb and forefinger, the pink plus sign forming on the indicator sending her heart into her stomach.

3. Going Once, Going Twice, Dead–Christ almighty!  In the ten years Dane Reynolds had been in Homicide, he’d never seen anything like this, and that was saying something.

4. The Spy Who Snagged Me–From an acquaintances theatre box, Gil Bartholomew viewed his target, a tempting vision that made his groin twitch.

Which story should I finish first?

The baby shower was a blast. Everyone came and had a good time. I don’t think there is much my daughter needs now. She’s ready for her daughter to come. So am I.

Have a great evening!

Jerri

Excerpt Monday!

I thought I’d post an excerpt from Aztec Security’s–Caddy-Did.

http://samhainpublishing.com/print/aztec-security-print

 

Excerpt

 

 

Cadence gritted her teeth as she followed Jameson down the hall to the firing range. Not a good place to start training when all she could think about was aiming for the man’s crotch.

What a jerk. Insinuating that she was into S & M. All because she was intelligent, something he apparently couldn’t handle.

Cadence trailed him down the corridor, hands fisted in anger, when he abruptly stopped in front of her. She collided with his back, one of her palms landing on his behind to keep her balance.

He turned, his gray eyes dancing with amusement. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist me. But you’ll have to try. I don’t date anyone from work.”

Cadence’s tilted her head back, narrowed her eyes, and shot back, “Don’t flatter yourself, Jameson. If we were stranded on a deserted island, I wouldn’t look twice at you.”

His lips curled up. “Right, well, then keep your hands off my ass.”

Cadence wanted to yank the man’s sandy-colored hair from his head, but thought better of it. “It was an accident. You don’t even have a nice behind.”

He laughed, then turned and opened the door in front of them.

As he entered the room, Cadence found herself staring at his firm rump to check.

Okay, she was wrong. He had a damn nice ass, but he was still the biggest jerk she’d ever met.

Once inside the room, Cadence glanced at the firing range to the right.

She’d never held a gun before and admitted to being intimidated by the idea. Guns killed people, and she wasn’t sure she could aim one at a person and pull the trigger.

Kent took his gun from the holster strapped to his shoulder and removed the clip.

“First lesson,” he said, waving the gun and clip in front of her. “Always know the number of rounds in your weapon.”

As Cadence stared at the gun, her breakfast sandwich threatened to come up. On impulse, she swallowed.

What the hell had she gotten herself into? If she couldn’t do what was expected, she might as well quit before wasting any more of Aztec’s time.

“You’re looking a little green, Ms. Fleming. You feel all right?”

She opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out.

He reached for her arm. “You need to sit down?”

She shook her head. You can do this, Caddy. Don’t allow this man to see weakness or he’ll use it against you.

“I’m fine.”

“Good. Now watch while I unload the clip, because I’ll expect you to reload it.”

With full attention on his fingers as they ejected each bullet, Cadence made a mental note of which direction they came out. After his demonstration, she was confident she could place them back into the clip the right way.

Standing next to him, she caught a whiff of alcohol and something else. Something familiar, yet she couldn’t place it. Something unpleasant. But what?

She was about to give up when it dawned on. She knew exactly what it was. Sex. The man reeked of intercourse.

She snorted, loud enough to cause Kent to look at her.

“What?” he asked, his gaze intent on hers.

“You stink of booze and nastiness.”

He frowned. “Nastiness? What the hell’s that?”

“I think you know.”

He rubbed his beard. “No, you’re going to have to spell it out for me.”

“Okay, S-E-X just oozes off you.”

“I’m surprised you know anything about it. Especially with your high and mighty attitude. I’d suggest you get some. Maybe you won’t be so uptight.”

His cavalier tone made the cut worse.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve had plenty, thank you. You could’ve at least showered this morning. Now I’m going to have to stand upwind of you.”

He grinned. “Why? Does it turn you on?”

Cadence huffed. “Just give me that damn clip.” She tried to rip it from his hand, but he held firm to the steel bar.

They stood glaring at one another until he blinked, then let go and backed away. “Don’t just stand there, refill the thing.”

Didn’t these things come already filled? Cadence picked up a handful of bullets, inserted them into the device, and was pleased with herself when she finished.

“Now unload it and do it again.”

Cadence stared at him, wondering if he did this with everyone he trained, or just her.

As she removed the rounds, she asked, “When am I going to get to shoot the gun?”

“First of all, it’s a weapon, a Glock, not a gun. Second, I’d have to help you aim the thing, and as you so rudely pointed out, the smell of sex makes you want to jump my bones, and I wouldn’t want to embarrass you by having to turn you down.”

Cadence had never wanted to hit someone so badly in her life. The man had an over-inflated ego that needed to be burst in the worst way.

“Look, Jameson. I don’t like you. I certainly don’t want to sleep with you. I’m here to be trained, that’s all. Got it?”

He saluted, then glanced at the clip in her hand. “I’m waiting.”

His attention unnerved her, but Cadence managed to remove the rounds, then quickly put them back.

Once she’d finished loading the clip, she slammed the thing into the weapon and laid it on the table. “Okay, now what?”

“You repeat it until you can do it in your sleep. Meanwhile, I’m going down to the lounge to get cleaned up. I wouldn’t want to offend your sensibilities any longer.”

 

 

 

 

 

I’m really bad…

at this blogging thing. I’m never sure what would be interesting to the reader out in blogland. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my day-today life–which is quite boring to me. Kids, kids and kids. That’s exciting. Why do you think I write romance adventure/romantic suspense. I live vicariously through my characters. My heroines have exciting careers. Artists and scuptors and botanists and secret agents. Way more exciting then staying home with my children, washing clothes and cleaning house. That’d put me to sleep. Don’t get me wrong–raising children is rewarding, but its lonely and isolating. Writing helps break through that.

I’m currently working on rewrites for the second book in my Men of the Jungle series. I can’t even imagine trapsing through the Amazon, especially with the kind of snakes they have. Anaconda’s the size of pipelines. No thank you. But I’m willing to throw my characters in the middle of the rainforest to have a passionate affair. Did they look over their shoulder while indulging in sexual pleasure? Nope. Not even once. I myself would be so distracted that I’d have to pass on the whole thing.

In the second book, Unplanned, Dana finds herself in a family way after her trip into the peruvian rainforest and Galen the man who’d planted the seed is in jail for murder. Can you say conflict? How are these two going to get together when things look completely dismal. Well, you’ll have to read the book to see. Ha..ha..!

I’m also still working on Going Once, Going Twice–Dead. I’m on chapter 10. Dane and Simone just about did it, but they were interrupted by a knock on the door they were up against at the time. Poor, poor Dane. He shouldn’t be doing that anyway. Simone’s the only suspect in the murder investigation he’s led detective on. Tsk..tsk. Can you say suspension?

Anyway, I think I’ve bored you enough for the week. You all have a wonderful Sunday and a fabulous upcoming Mon, Tue, Wed….. I’ll be here–writing and working on revision.

Jerri

REMEMBER..AZTEC SECURITY IS IN PRINT.  With three men packing more than just handguns.

Biting is Bad for your Teeth–a vampire romance

I know that vampire romance is a huge genre right now, but I’ve never really gotten into the craze. Anyway, my cats woke me up at two this morning and after I feed them, I tried to go back to sleep. I did the usual things like counting sheep or daydreaming about Sean Patrick Flannery. But none of that works. My mind starts spinning ideas. A parody on the vampire romance. The heroine,  Pearl Wisdom is a dentist by day, vampire slayer by night. Using her trusty bite stick and explorer as her  weapon’s, she hunts down and extracts vampires canines so they are no longer a threat to society. That is until she meets the one man who changes everything, a dark and hunger vampire who wants to get incisor her head–and other parts of her anatomy. (Bad pun)Drak Bloodlet. Together the two give a whole new meaning to the word bonding.

Story to follow.

See what happens when I don’t get a enough sleep–it’s frightening.

Jerri

NOTE:  This is a simple parody and is not meant to offend any author who write vampire romance.

A new beginning!

Happy 2009 all! I know I wasn’t much of a blogger last year but I hope to change that this year.  Lots going on. I have another print book coming out the 27th. I’m totally hyped up.

Aztec Security

Inventing the Abbotts-Following the rules has never been agent Ava Stanton’s strong suit. Thorn Abbott isn’t exactly your average agent, either. Until he leaves his desk to join her in operation Fly to the Spider.

Now Ava’s seeing a whole new side of Thorn that ignites her passions. And as they dance a dangerous two-step through the Louisiana bayou, it’s difficult to tell who’s the spider and who’s the fly…

Mauvelous -Yancy Adams returns determined to prove he’s no traitor and to get Mauve O’Connor out of his head. Seducing an international criminal’s girlfriend should do the trick on both counts.

Mauves job is to watch her partner prove his innocence or guilt. Except memories of their one night together holds her hostage.

As sparks—and bullets—fly, she finds that the most elusive and dangerous thing of all is the truth.

Caddy-Did – Kent Jameson is contest with his free-and-easy life—until he’s sent out on a survival training mission with the agency’s newest recruit.

Cadence Fleming didn’t get what she considers the best of the best as a trainer. She’s stuck with a man who reeks of booze and sex and brings out the worst in her

Then they come across a body, and their training mission becomes a trial by fire. There’s a killer in the Everglades—and he’s hell bent on making them his next victims.

Available for pre-order at Borders, Barnes & Noble and Amazon. 

 

Also, I wanted to post a wedding picture of my daughter Becca and her new husband Brendon who are expecting their first baby at the end of May.

Anyway, I promise to post at least once a week from now on.

Jerri