Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Today's Special - - Tawny Weber


It's always fun to welcome Tawny Weber to the blog!  Tawny is here today to talk about her newest book from Harlequin Blaze, A SEAL's Surrender.  I have to say, I am really loving these SEAL books.  The first one, A SEAL's Seduction was terrific and this new book looks to be even better.  (I'm currently reading it and, let me tell you, this one sizzles!)  

Tawny has been writing sassy, sexy romances since her first Harlequin Blaze hit the shelves in 2007.  A fan of Johnny Depp, cupcakes and color coordination, she spends a lot of her time shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking and hanging out on Facebook. 

Readers can check out Tawny’s books at her website or join her Red Hot Readers Club for goodies like free reads, first chapter excerpts, recipes, insider story info and much more.  And for a limited time, she has a few open spots on her Street Team

Welcome, Tawny!





Ooops, She Did It Again


            I am a klutz.  Certifiably clumsy, with the casts and scars to prove it.  I’ve fallen down flights of stairs (numerous times).  I’ve flipped over the handlebars of a bike into a brick wall-face first.  I’ve broken my foot walking out my front door.  I’m regularly sporting a bruise or two thanks to desks and tables and walls, all that jump out at the most inopportune moment.   
            So it was VERY easy for me to create a heroine who is a klutz.   Eden Gillespie, in A SEAL’s Surrender, has a reputation for clumsiness.  But while she’s somewhat resigned to her reputation, she’s also just a little thrilled with the fact that she’s most often rescued from her latest mishap by her very own hero, Cade Sullivan.  SEAL, sexy town golden guy and all-round sweetheart, she’s wanted Cade for her own for, well, almost ever. 

Here’s a peek at the first rescue Cade performs in A SEAL’s Surrender, resulting in Eden finally getting up the nerve to ask him out for a thank you drink...

    Eden waited until her friend and the cat were safely inside the car, treats and water dispensed, before she lowered herself to the next branch.
There.  She smiled her relief.  Almost down.
It was the smile that did it, she figured.
Because she went from an easy descent to suddenly trapped in the space of a heartbeat.  Like an anchor, something held tight, so she couldn’t move.
Breathless, Eden twisted to see what was wrong. 
And hissed when she saw that the strap of her high heel was caught on a branch.  Eden tugged.  The shoe stuck.  She tried to slip it off, but the branch was too rough, scratching painfully against the soft flesh of her instep. 
A minute later she added cussing to the mix.  
“Haven’t we been here before?” a husky voice asked.
Oh hell.  Eden froze.  She hadn’t even heard a car.  Please, oh please, let him be talking to someone else. 
“That is Eden up there, right?” the voice asked. 
Double hell. 
She shook her head, hoping the move would shift the curtain of hair from blocking her view.
Her heart, already pounding like a freight train, sped up.  What little was left of her breath escaped her lungs in a rush. 
She twisted her torso, angling herself sideways to make sure the face matched the voice. 
Gorgeous green eyes, a tanned complexion over sculpted cheekbones and a strong jawline.  Wide, full lips stretched in a smile that bordered on laughter.  And the sexiest man-dimple she’d ever seen. 
Her eyes widened and she gave a long, lusty sigh.
Didn’t it just figure?  At least she’d tucked her skirt in so she wasn’t flashing him.  Sure, she might have a few dozen fantasies about sharing her undies with this particular man.  But this position wasn’t featured in a single one. 
So she did what she always did when caught in an uncomfortable situation. 
She smiled and made the best of it. 
“Hi Cade.” 
***
“Do you do these things just to keep me in practice?” Cade asked, grinning at his favorite perpetual-victim, her silky brown hair a dark curtain over a face he knew would be sliding into a sheepish smile.
Eden Gillespie always looked sheepish when she had to be rescued.  Something, if he’d ever considered it, he’d have figured she’d outgrow.  He eyed her legs, smooth and bare all the way to the top of her hot pink panties thanks to the way her dress was hanging.  Her arms were wrapped around the tree limb and one foot dangled while the other was caught in a snarl of branches and leaves.  Clearly he’d have figured wrong. 
“Consider it my welcome home,” she muttered, blowing a puff of air so her hair cleared enough that he could see the resigned amusement in her big brown eyes.
That was one of the things that he’d always admired about Eden.  She could laugh at herself.  So many of the girls he’d grown up with, and the women he’d dated for that matter, took themselves and life way too seriously.  They were so worried about controlling the impression they made, they didn’t let themselves just live.
Without thinking, his eyes shifted back to Eden’s legs.  Long and sleek, they wrapped around that big, hard branch.  He frowned at the scrapes and faint reddening of her tender flesh, for the first time ever, tempted to kiss away a boo-boo.  All the way up to her panties.  Practical cotton, he noted, his mouth going dry, but in a fun sassy color.  Since she was face down on the branch, the curve of her butt was perfectly highlighted in that pink fabric.  His fingers itched to touch, to see if her curves were as firm as they looked.
Whoa.  Not cool, he lectured himself.  Lusting after the sweet girl next door was walking an awfully close line to planning to settle down.  Nothing wrong with it in the big picture, but in his personal rulebook?  Totally out of the question.

So here’s my question to you... Are you accident prone or naturally graceful?

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment will receive an autographed copy of A SEAL's Surrender!  



 

40 comments:

  1. Accendenly prone I have bruises, to prove it, congrats on the book
    Kimh

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    1. I have a few of those bruises myself, Kim. ;-)

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    2. Oh, the bruises :-( What's sad is when we find a new one, look at in puzzlement because we have NO idea where this latest came from. All ya can do is shrug and accept it, I guess LOL

      Thanks for the congrats, Kim :-) I appreciate it!

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  2. Here's a hint... on my second date with my now-husband I capped off an afternoon canoeing by getting hung up by my bra while climbing over a fence. There he stood, trying to decide the gentlemanly thing to do. There I hung, attached to the top of the chain link fence by my underwire. His hands several inches from my cleavage, while he checked out the situation, wondering where he dared grab hold to help. Blushing a wonderful fuschia, I finally undid the bra, letting the double d's loose to unhang myself and finish climbing the fence.

    Need I say more? I must read the book! I can certainly relate to Eden!
    - Maggie J.

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    1. OMG! I'm LMAO here! So glad I decided to read your post before taking a drink of my tea! Maggie, you most definitely need to read this book! ::grin::

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    2. Oh -that is priceless. I'm so sorry, but I can't stop laughing, Maggie :-D That is a story worth writing!!! I'll bet it's a date your husband-to-be never, EVER forgot, either LOL.

      I think you could totally relate to Eden :-D I hope you'll check out her story and let me know if she seems familiar *ggg*

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    3. My husband and I have been married 16 years on Valentine's Day... and he's still frequently entertained by my escapades. He tried to teach me how to ski on our honeymoon (he's a certified ski instructor) and decided I'd best stay in the lodge where it was safe.

      He's been trying to keep me safely out of trouble ever since, with varying levels of success. Thankfully my adventures are usually more embarrassing than painful. I have looking sheepish down to an art and am looking forward to reading A Seal's Surrender!

      I'm glad my story could bring a smile... or a snort!
      -Maggie J.

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  3. I am most definitely accident prone.

    Maggie J. that is just too funny you poor darling!!

    I do like the idea of a heroine who is a bit of a klutz.

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    1. Eden is a very endearing klutz.

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    2. :-) Mary, if you like a klutzy heroine, then Eden might be perfect LOL. She's had so many misadventures. But luckily for her, she had her very own big, sexy SEAL to rescue her. I kinda envy her that :-) The time I went over the handlebars of my bike into the brick wall, I had to take a bus home. Bleeding and bruised mess that I was.

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  4. My sense of balance has saved me several times over the years.

    Last year I tripped and ended up falling over one of those mechanical carts at the supermarket. I landed on my right shoulder. I couldn't lift my right arm for weeks. Luckily I didn't break my arm.

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    1. My sense of balance has not saved me several times. ;-)

      Glad your shoulder wasn't hurt worse!

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    2. Oh, ouch!!! Falls are the worst! I'm sorry you had to bear the pain of that lack of balance for so long, Laurie. Those deep bruises are so miserable :-(

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  5. PJ, I thought it was a rule (I'm sure it's written somewhere) that Tawny's books must sizzle. :)

    I've had my share of awkward, graceless moments, but I'm an amateur compared to some. I have an old friend whose adventures rival Maggie J's. G literally fell at her husband's feet on their first date, hitting most of a flight of stairs on her way down. She also fell out of the booth at the elegant restaurant where they were dining when he proposed and tripped on the prie-dieu at their wedding. I always thought her parents jinxed her when they named her Grace, LOL

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    1. LOL! I think you're right, Janga! Poor Grace.

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    2. Oooh, I like that rule, Janga :-D I think my editor would, too LOL. Thank you!!!

      But... wow. Just... wow. That is like the pinnacle of klutziness. Holy cow, I'm actually in awe of her NOT being in a full body cast or something, with all those impressive falls.

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  6. Welcome, Tawny! I'm reading this book now and really enjoying Eden and Cade. I've been a klutz my entire life. The late dh used to say I could trip over dust. He was right! lol!

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    1. PJ, thank you SO much for having me :-D I always love visiting the Dish - and it's even more fun when we can trade clumsy klutz stories *ggg*

      LOL on tripping over dust. Oh yeah, I can so relate to that. My husband is always a little extra scared when I'm in heels, since he's sure I'll break my neck (although I'm less clumsy in heels IMO, but thats just my opinion, probably influenced by the fact that I refuse to not wear cute shoes).

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  7. I wish I can say graceful but I am a klutz. :(

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    1. I'm with you, May. I wish it were otherwise, but I've given up thinking that someday I'll acquire any sort of grace.

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  8. Hiya Tawny! Hiya PJ! Hiya Andrea! Ooh, three of my faves in one spot. Must mean good luck! Tawny, I absolutely loved A Seal's Surrender. Saving the next one for this weekend when I intend to hunker down with more Tawny Weber deliciousness. Laughing at you asking if I'm a klutz. Yeah, baby. And I've got the scars to prove it!

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    1. Hiya Anna :-D I like the idea of you getting lucky. I mean, of bringing you luck ;-) And woooot!!! I'm so so excited that you loved my SEALs :-) I can't wait to hear what you think of the next one.

      Aren't those scars great *g* The really fun ones come with their own embarrassing story, too. So every time we see it, we can not only relive the ouch, we can wince, too *g*

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  9. I'm sure glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read Maggie J.'s comment. Holy cow!

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  10. LOL I've had my moments. I've had both feet come out from under me and bruised my tail bone on one of them which was horrible. Had a horse fall out from underneath me while on vacation and on a moutainside. Tried skiing and destroyed a whole line of people on the tow rope. Fallen up and down stairs. The usual lol.

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    1. Oh, ouch! I've done that tailbone bruise fun on rollerblades. The pain... And OUCH on falling off a horse, but I'm kinda giggling over taking a whole line of people down on skis.

      LOL -see, thats the true sign of a gifted klutz. We fall up stairs, not just down!!!

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  11. Hi Tawny, and hi Dishers!

    I'm not accident prone usually, but I go through spells it seems. One friend of mine used to notice and would say, "you're having a low biorhythm day." I'll be fine for months, then I'll go through a spell where I just fall over my own feet. It's aggravating. Love the excerpt. Gotta go download. :0)

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    1. Oh man, that's almost worse sounding, Cassondra :-\ At least when one is a lifetime klutz, we learn to prepare. Random periods of clumsiness would have that added surprise factor - yikes *g*

      and yay -so so glad you like the excerpt!!!

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  12. LOL... I totally sympathize cuz I'm very accident prone myself. In my defense, I literally have no depth perception b/c of a medical condition, so a lot of my accidents are from that.

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    1. Erin, is it bad of me that I envy you having an actual reason for clumsiness? I'm just totally graceless :-( And that's not pretty...

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  13. Well, I don't consider myself accident prone, but I'm far from graceful. I'm short but don't wear heels because I'm afraid I'll fall off them. LOL

    Loved Eden and the excerpt. And don't even get me started on SEALs. ;)

    Marcy Shuler
    bmndshuler(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I'll admit it, Marcy... I've fallen off heels before. Not often, but enough that I know my heel height limit and have given up trying to push it to those awesome and fabulously fun 5 inch platforms I love so much :-)

      LOL - oh no, please, do start on the SEAL. I'd love to hear what you think *g* I'm so glad you love Eden and that lil scene, though :-D

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  14. Tawny, thanks so much for being our guest! Wishing you all the best with A SEAL's Surrender. I can't wait to dive back into the story!

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    1. PJ, thank you SO much for having me :-) It's always so fabulous to visit here!! And thank you, too, for the wonderful wishes :-) I hope you enjoy the rest of A SEAL's Surender!!

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  15. I think my mom thought ballet would help... but it didn't... Not terribly clumsy, just not graceful!

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    1. Oh man. Ballet -the ultimate in graceful movement :-) We tried that for my daughter. After two lessons, they suggested she try something else *g*

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  16. Im not terribly accident prone, but my hubby would say I just don't pay attention to what is going on around me.
    lauratroxelatyahoodotcom

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    1. Laura -that's what we always say to our daughter. She's not a klutz like me, but she does tend to daydream a lot, or focus on talking instead of walking *g* The world needs dreamers, though, so I figure it's worth the occasional bruise, right?

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  17. I'm not exactly a Klutz, but I do have my moments. I have fallen upstairs more times than I like to think and fallen down them a few times too. I haven't gotten stuck in a tree. I used to be a great tree climber, but haven't tried it in many years. Doubt I could get myself off the ground now.

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