Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

Happy New Year!

I know I’ve been MIA for the past month, but the holidays were especially crazy this year as my daughter flew in from Chicago for Christmas then my family took a train down to Orlando for our Christmas present to each other–a week’s stay at Disney World! It was a wonderful, exhausting time that we all enjoyed immensely. I’m still recovering from it, which is part of my excuse for my long absence from WWW. However, I’m back now and until I can begin snippets from a story that’s coming out in an anthology on Valentine’s Day, I’m going back to one of my indie releases from the fall, 10 Things I Hate About the Earl. I’m picking up where I left off in October and I give a quick synopsis of what’s happened so far below. Enjoy!

10 Things I Hate About the Earl

BLURB:

Between love and hate there is a pencil-thin line to walk…

Miss Katherine Locke is terribly irked to start her third Season dancing with the disagreeable Lord Haversham, her brother’s friend and her own arch enemy. After a particularly odious run-in with the earl, Kate declares she hates everything about the man. When her brother challenges her to come up with even ten things she doesn’t like about Haversham, a gleeful Kate is itching to put quill to paper to point out everything she finds wrong with the man. Unexpectedly, she discovers the task harder than she thought because she keeps remembering things she secretly likes about the gentleman instead. Frustrated, Kate shoves the list in a drawer, determined to stop thinking about Haversham. But can she?

Marcus, Lord Haversham, is in a tight pinch. His estates are failing and, worse, he’s just lost three thousand pounds to his best friend, Lord Ainsley. Ainsley’s solution: have Marcus marry his shrewish sister, and he’ll cancel his gambling debt plus give him ten thousand pounds for her dowry. With nowhere else to turn, Marcus agrees, praying he can keep word of the wager from Miss Locke long enough to charm her into marrying him.

When Marcus discovers Kate’s list however, he can’t keep himself from trying to show her how wrong she is about him. But in the process, will he be able to avoid falling in love with the stubborn woman?

I’m starting where I left off back in September with book two of The Matchmaker’s Ball series. Meet Miss Katherine Locke–a young lady going into her third Season with few options for matrimony because of her shrewish nature. Her brother has a notion that she should marry his best friend, an idea Kate hates with a passion. Enjoy!

EXCERPT:

“I have no desire to become affianced to either Bertie or Lord Haversham. Bertie would bore me to tears before the banns could be read, and there are no words to describe what I feel about Lord Haversham.”

“Then find some, my dear,” her brother put his cup into its saucer, “tell me why you are so set against Marcus.”

Well, she would put a stop to her brother’s nonsense this moment. “Because I hate everything about the man, Nathan. I know he’s your best friend and has been for years, but I have disliked him ever since you brought him home–I’ve made no bones about it before, and I make none now.”

A smile played around Nathan’s lips, and he leaned back in his chair. “Oh, surely that cannot be true, Kate–you hate everything about Haversham?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Prove it.”

And a little bit more…

Bewildered, she frowned at him. “What do you mean, prove it?”

“Make a list for me.”

“I beg your pardon?” Her brother must’ve woken up with addled brains this morning.

“Make a list… I’ll make it easy for you. Make a list of just ten things you hate about Marcus.”

“Why would I do that?” Suddenly nervous, Kate pushed her breakfast around her plate, her appetite vanished.

“As a wager.” Nathan’s eyes flashed the challenge at her. “You list ten things you hate about my friend—with an explanation of each—and I will cease to suggest you should consider marrying him.”

10 Things I Hate About the Earl is now available on Amazon in e-book and print. Grab your copy here!!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the WWW snippets here! There are some great stories out there!