What's Scarier Than A Zombie Apocalypse?

As an author, the idea of creating a small slice of life and being able to craft it into an interesting short story has always been more than a little scary for me and of course that makes it irresistible.

Why, you ask? Okay, I’m imagining that you’re interested enough to ask. The truth is, every once in a while I think it’s good to shake things up. Ordinarily, I’m a person who likes order. I have a plan; I have a schedule and shaking things up usually scares me worse than a zombie apocalypse.

But whenever I think I’ve become too complacent, or a manuscript has started to stall no matter what direction I take, I know that it’s time to write something different. I mean really different.

And that’s usually about the time I start asking myself: What’s the wildest story idea you can come up with? Where hasn’t your writing taken you before?

Those questions are how my short-story, BEND OVER, COWBOY began. This little side-project wasn’t in my business plan for 2012 but nevertheless had me smiling and scared and jump-started my enthusiasm this past January. I hope that you enjoy the humor and the romance (but alas, no zombies) that I’ve tried to portray in my new Ellora's Cave Quickie, available April 6th.

I’m leaving you with the blurb and a short preview. Enjoy!

Blurb:

The toss of a coin, a whispered request and some very interesting toys add up to an amorous weekend for a fun-loving woman who isn’t afraid of asking for what she wants and a pleasure-seeking cowboy that’s finally found a woman who can give as good as she gets!

An Excerpt From: BEND OVER, COWBOY Copyright © PARIS BRANDON, 2012 All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc. “You plan on misbehavin’ anytime soon?” he asked, sounding hopeful as hell. His sexy grin made her want to drag him into the nearest dark corner and rub up against him like a cat but she’d just caught Livy’s confused what-the-hell-does-he-see-in-your-big-butt glare. For someone as astute as the beautiful marketing executive usually was about business, she didn’t have a clue about personal relationships. Livy, with her lithe little cheerleader body and her surgically perfect profile was a trophy hunter and she couldn’t seem to wrap her mind around the fact that Tall didn’t have any interest in being part of her collection. Bless her heart. Kitty had had about all this party she could politely stand and she could tell Tall was getting itchy when he reached into his pants pocket. “I think it’s time for our annual coin toss,” he suggested, pulling out what she knew to be the same quarter he’d used the first time they’d cut and run from Marcy’s annual to-do. She knew because he kept it on the dresser in his bedroom. “Toss away, cowboy. I call heads,” she said sweetly and watched him flip the coin into the air, catch it and slap it down on the back of his hand. His lips twitched after he lifted his palm and she knew she’d won again. “You are the luckiest woman alive.” “Don’t I know it,” she bragged and couldn’t resist winking at him. She’d been flirting with the idea of how this night was going to end since last summer’s Fourth of July impromptu photo shoot when she’d posed him naked except for his chaps and boots. And that raggedy-ass cowboy hat that was almost as battered as he was after surviving riding bulls and anything else he could get his hands on during his ten-year stint on the rodeo circuit. She smiled and he looked wary, but as usual, very eager. “Are you going to tell me what I’m in for or are you just going to smile all night and make me guess?” If you’d like to find out what Kitty’s plans for Tall are, you can read more of the excerpt here: http://www.jasminejade.com/productspecs/9781419939914.htm How about you? As a reader, has there ever been a story that's fascinated you out of your comfort zone? And authors, has a story ever taken you someplace that's surprised you? I’d love to know! Until next month, Happy Reading! Love, Paris http://parisbrandon.com http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9942-bend-over-cowboy.aspx