Kiss? Yeah.

Do you remember your first kiss?

For some reason, the recent holiday, Valentine’s Day, brought to mind my first kiss. Actually, I consider that I’ve had two, but more about that in a minute. 

My first kiss took place in a movie theater. It was Christmas day, and I was 13 years old. My family had invited their best friends—my godparents—to our home to celebrate with us, and they brought Daewon with them. He was an exchange student living with them at the time. Daewon was older than me—16. Whew.

I’d never met anyone like him before. He had the curliest and longest long blond hair I’d ever seen on a boy. Moreover, he spoke with an Israeli accent, which was so exotic and sexy to me. 

After spending the afternoon with him, my older brother, his wife, and my sister decided we should all go to the movies. To my surprise and excitement, my new friend came too.

My sister’s boyfriend met us at the theater. They sat with my brother and sister-in-law in the back rows, leaving me and Daewon alone in a more crowded mid-row. I think they thought I’d be safe in the middle of the crowd.

Here it gets a little fuzzy. We talked softly to each other during the movie, and at some point, he gave me a peck on the cheek. And then he kissed me. Really kissed me, like, a full-on, grown up kiss.

I think I levitated. A chorus of angels sang.

We continued to kiss all the way through the rest of the movie. I think that first kiss changed my life. I don’t know how, but I think I would be a different person if Daewon hadn’t kissed me.

Of course, after that I kissed a number of people as I navigated my teen years. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t a kiss-aholic. Let’s see. I think I kissed 4 more people, including the person I would be with for the next 20 years. 

And then, after kissing all the wrong people, I had my last, first kiss with my soulmate. My forever love. Long-distance friends for years prior, we danced around the issue of attraction for a long time. Not that we talked about it. But one day, we both suddenly realized maybe we were meant to be more than friends. 

The moment we saw each other again, we kissed. A full-on, grown up kiss. 

It felt like home. And that kiss, it absolutely changed my life. I am a different, better person than I was before.

Your turn. Tell me about your first kiss.

All Creatures Can Celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is a day created for lovers. You might think it would be a romance writer’s favorite holiday.  Candy, flowers, and wine sales are booming.

But humans aren’t the only creatures that can celebrate. What about the paranormal community?  What are they supposed to do? Vampires never drink—Well, at least not wine. And candy is iffy. Toffee and jellied fruits, or gummies and other confections could create tooth and other dental problems in several species.  

I bet paranormal creatures have their own traditions when it comes to Valentine’s Day.  I imagine it would look like this:

• Vampires—Blood in a heart shaped bag might make a nice gift.

• Shifters could enjoy a picnic (steak sandwiches?) and a moonlight run.

• Dragons—Ah, gold jewelry would do the trick.

• Witches may appreciate a beautiful journal for spell books.

• Incubi—These feast on lust and other emotions, so perhaps a weekend  at a honeymoon hotel would be exquisite. 

In my story Indigo Dreams, you get a peek at how one wraith spent his Valentine’s Day.  Sign up for my VIP Reader email list here and get your free copy! 

An Update, a Question, and Free Books!

I’m excited to be back into a project that has taken a back seat through much of last year.  I have one novel, the sequel to House of the Rising Son, a book that has been neglected while I prepared the novella for Fire and Ice, and two short stories that were published in anthologies.

Thankfully, now I am able to concentrate on the project I call Slippery.  I’m anxious to see what Cheyenne and Zander get into next.  Ok, I’ll admit I plot my stories so I already know what they are going to get into, but that isn’t the same as being into the rhythm of writing their stories. I’ve missed them through the other projects but now I can give them the focus they deserve.

I’m also adding words to another story, so far titled Wolves, which I started awhile ago. It’s another urban fantasy in the same world as Chey and Zander’s story but with different characters.  

I have so many responsibilities that take me away from my writing. I’m settling into a routine so I know I will have more to report as time goes by.

What takes you away from projects you really want to do, and how do you get back on track?

While you wait for Slippery and Wolves, here are a couple of promotions offering free short stories and novels, including my latest short story, Indigo Dreams. Take a look and enjoy!

A graphic promoting the Great Tales of Fantasy promotion.

Find great Urban Fantasy and Paranormal books here!

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More books and short stories are available. Get them here while you can!