July 2nd, 2009
I’m continuing my tour of blog land to celebrate Micah’s release. Today I’m hanging out with the wonderful and sweet Fatin!
Come on by… I’m giving away books! Whatcha waiting for, pop over to Fatin’s blog now!
July 1st, 2009
*pops open one eye*
Whew, I am so wiped out from yesterday. What a crazy, fun day it was though! LOL. I’m drinking coffee in large amounts this morning.
I want to thank everyone who came by my blog to wish me happy release day and those who popped by Leah Braemel’s blog for some fun. I enjoy sharing the fun of having two teenage sons (most of the time anyway ;).
Guest blogging with Leah reminded me that my bio is really dry, like I need a drink of water after reading it dry. So I want to snazz it up and bit. Y’all ready to help?
Cool beans!
Here’s the dry version:
Beth is the author many novels and novellas with Samhain Publishing, Kensington Publishing, and Loose Id with many more in the works for the coming years.
Born and raised in New York, she holds a B.F.A. in writing from New York University. Currently, Beth lives just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two sons.
See what I mean? Okay, so I need to spice it up a bit…
Beth has never been able to escape her imagination and it led her to the craft of writing romance novels. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family (not to mention long cruises). She works full-time (DDJ) and writes romance novels evening, weekends, early mornings and whenever there is a break in the madness.
She is compassionate, funny, a bit reserved at times, tenacious and a little quirky. Her cowboys and western romances speak of a bygone era, bringing her readers to an age where men were honest, hard and honkin’ built.
Beth squeals when she hears from readers so get to e-mailing her.
Okay, that was the first pass - whatcha think?
June 30th, 2009
It’s here, it’s here! I’m thrilled to announce The Redemption of Micah is now available from Kensington Brava. I’ve posted three excerpts yesterday on my blog for your reading pleasure!
“The characters are both flawed human beings, but they’re wonderfully endearing. The fast-paced story touches the heart.” ~ Romantic Times Book Reviews, 4 Stars
“…an exciting historical romance starring two strong but flawed lead characters and a strong support cast…Fans will enjoy this entertaining profound historical tale in which a Miracle is the only hope for this family to come together.” ~ Harriet Klausner
“I cannot deny Beth Williamson’s gift as an excellent historical fiction writer. She has a way of drawing the reader in, immersing you within the post-Civil war era…” ~ Two Lips Reviews
To celebrate, I’m hanging out today with Leah Braemel on her blog. Come on by and say howdy!
June 29th, 2009
And now for one last excerpt today, this is a glimpse into the darkness that permeates Micah’s soul, the beast that lies within and he cannot seem to escape.
Excerpt #3:
Micah held up one hand and Eppie waited for him to catch his breath. In a few moments, he blew out a breath and met her gaze.
“I’ve spent the last few years hoping I’d see you open your eyes again, and when you did, I reminded myself be happy even if you didn’t remember me. Then when you came into my arms, God I couldn’t believe how amazing it was. I could only pray you would be there again. And you were.” His smile was so bright it made her smile in return. “I waited so long to tell you I love you, I can hardly believe it’s finally now.”
Eppie’s heart leapt with joy. “It’s now, with the help of some guardian angels looking out for us.”
He rubbed a hand down his face. “I feel like I’m dreaming, darlin’, and I hope like hell I’m not going to wake up soon.” What sounded like a sob burse from his throat. “Irony is something I never expected to come full circle. I don’t deserve this, but that doesn’t mean I won’t grab onto it with both hands.”
Eppie slid down to the floor and knelt beside him, more than concerned about Micah. “Everyone deserves loves, a chance at happiness.”
His laugh sent a chill up her spine and a coil of dread settled in her belly. “I am the last person on earth who deserves love or happiness. I’ve done so many things to put my ass straight in hell, I deserve nothing but misery and eternal damnation.”
The most frightening thing about his speech was she could see in his eyes that he meant every word of it. Micah firmly believed he was not only damned, but there was no force that could change his fate. Eppie vowed to prove him wrong, come hell or high water. She almost laughed at the image, considering it was the high water that had brought them to the cabin in the first place.
“Tell me,” she commanded softly.
“I can’t. You see if I let them out, I might not get them back in.” Ancient dark shadows lurked behind his gaze, so sharp and deadly, Eppie wanted to move away.
But she didn’t. Instead she took his cold hands in hers and settled at his side.
“Tell me.” This time she was more forceful, determined to ferret out what haunted the man she had come to love.
He blew out a long sigh. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“Start where you grew up. If you told me any stories, I’ve forgotten them.” She smiled. “I’m like a sieve that way.”
Her silly joke made the corner of his mouth kick up. “I grew up in Virginia on a big tobacco plantation. My grandfather had been a bastard who knew how to make money on the backs of others, and I gladly sat up there with him, eating, drinking and whoring from the time I was fourteen.”
She wanted to say something about a fourteen year old whoring, but kept quiet, silently urging him to continue.
“I had four good friends from similar backgrounds and we spent our time doing whatever we felt like. I never worked a day in my life those wonder years, never had to even lift a finger to dress myself.” He shook his head. “Shallow, empty-headed son of a bitch. If you had known me back then, you would have hated me.”
The self-hate was evident in everything from his posture to his tone, but Eppie didn’t succumb to it. She squeezed his hand, giving him the encouragement of her love.
“When the war began, I was just twenty-one, so stupid and foolish, I assumed I’d be given a command and be home within a month, perhaps two. It gave us an excuse to go to Maryland find new whores to play with.” He clenched her hands so hard, the bones smashed up against each other. “I didn’t know, you see, how wrong I was about everything, about life and how much I deserved. I was put in an infantry unit beside gap-toothed morons who likely were born from years of careful inbreeding.”
In that moment, Eppie heard the spoiled Virginia plantation owner, the man who Micah hated, but who also apparently lurked beneath the surface of the twisted soul he’d become.
“I was muddy, cold, tired and miserable every second of every day. I complained mercilessly until the captain threatened to hang me if I didn’t shut up. He whipped me in front of the squad, in front of the regiment’s major. My friends turned their backs and pretended not to know me.” His body had heated as he spoke, and Eppie felt perspiration gathering on his skin. “From then on I was a ruthless soldier, killing without thought or remorse, anything to release the rage and frustration at where I was. My bloodletting caught the attention of a lieutenant in the regiment and he promoted me to sergeant and gave me my own squad to command.” His smile set off the warning bells in her head to run.
Eppie stayed put and swallowed the fear. This was who Micah was, and she had to love all of him, even his secrets.
“My squad became known as the Red Grays because of all the kills we claimed during raids and battles. I remember one boy who was so afraid he shit his pants right before he killed his first man. From then on, he had the same blood lust I did. That boy died a week before the war ended by his own hand.” He looked up into Eppie’s eyes and the ghosts of the war were clearly writhing in his memories. “I was left without a squad, without a friend, or even a goddamn pair of shoes. After four years of killing, I didn’t remember much else. They sent me home and when I got there”—he swallowed so hard she heard the gulp—“I wanted to go back to the war.”
***
http://www.bethwilliamson.com/books/the-redemption-of-micah/
June 29th, 2009
And now for something else to whet your appetites… another excerpt from tomorrow’s release (squeeee!), The Redemption of Micah.
Excerpt #2:
He smiled and reached out to touch her cheek with the back of his hand. “The sunlight makes your skin glow. You know this is our spot?”
Eppie couldn’t help but be startled. “Our spot?”
“Where we met every week for almost a year.” He looked to the left to a group of aspen trees. “I’d bring that big blue blanket and we’d lie out under the stars. When I saw you came here, I can tell you my heart started beating a mile a minute. Maybe somewhere you do remember deep down.”
Eppie’s heart joined in and beat right along with his. Was he right? Could she remember things by instinct? She had no idea they’d met for a year before she was injured, but the fact that they were so different should have given her a clue their relationship wasn’t the normal type.
“Why did we meet here?”
He jerked a thumb towards the house. “You didn’t want Madeline to know. I always hoped it was because you weren’t embarrassed by me, but rather that you didn’t want to marry me since I’m a crazy hermit from the mountains.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “You’re a crazy hermit and you asked me to marry you and I said no?”
“Oh, you sure did. Let me see if I can remember your exact words. ‘I might love you, you crazy fool, but that don’t mean I am crazy enough to marry you. I ain’t got to this point in my life to marry the first man to ask me.’” He shrugged. “I’ve thought about that night for the last three years. It was the last time we, well, were together. I think it was the night Miracle was made.”
Eppie’s throat tightened and she knew a moment of panic. Had she spoken like that to him? Who was she to throw away a chance at happiness with a man who obviously loved her? She was already intimate with him, that couldn’t be debated, so why didn’t she want to marry him?
“I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
Micah chuckled, sounding like half-pain, half-amused. “Ah, Eppie, love can bring a mountain of hurt and an ocean of happiness. I accepted one and embraced the other.”
The silence between them stretched into an uncomfortable one. Eppie didn’t know what to say so she let the quiet continue until he finally spoke.
“What else did the doctor say?”
A safe topic, thank God. “He said I was in good health, but underweight and needed lots of fresh air and exercise. My muscles hurt because I haven’t used them in so long, but he also said someone had been caring for me by stretching them regularly. Was that you?”
“I did everything he told me too. I wanted to make sure you came back to me.” Micah’s simple explanation told her a great deal about his motivations, which were selfless and selfish at the same time.
“He’s going to consult with a few other doctors in New York and Chicago, then do some reading in a journal for doctors. I don’t know how much Madeline is paying him, but to be a doctor’s single patient is a bit odd. I told him I didn’t want to become an experiment.” She already felt as if she were on display and it would only get worse if he used her to study on.
“I won’t let that happen. I’ve kept you safe for three years, please let me continue.” His silver eyes glittered in the dappled sunlight and Eppie felt odd for a moment, as if the world tilted beneath her.
An image flashed through her mind of a younger Micah, with fuller cheeks and longer hair, smiling and tickling her nose with a feather. She yelped and scampered backwards, scared and unsettled.
“What is it? What happened?” Micah looked as worried as she felt.
“I think I just remembered you.”
If she had given him the keys to a golden city, he couldn’t have looked more thrilled as his eyes danced with joy. “Really?”
“I think so. It was here, only you were younger and you were tickling me.” She tried to swallow but her throat was so dry, she couldn’t.
“With a white feather?”
Eppie stared at him in astonishment. He’d confirmed what she had suspected. She’d remembered.
With a squeal she threw herself into his arms and lost herself in a tight embrace as they celebrated the minute taste of her previous life. Her heart beat so hard, it knocked against her ribs, and she felt the answering throb of his.
When she pulled back, she was close enough to count his eyelashes. His pupils had dilated and felt an answering arousal growing within her, whether or not she wanted it. Her body felt as if she’d been hit by lightening.
“Please.” He didn’t beg or take, just asked politely.
Eppie couldn’t refuse him, her body wouldn’t let her. She nodded and closed her eyes as his head lowered. This time the kiss was more intense because their bodies were touching. Her nipples pressed against his hard chest at the same time his hands roamed up and down her back. Sweet, sweet heavens, kissing Micah was like nibbling on the most decadent dessert.
She forgot where she was and what was around her. Diving into Micah was like diving into a pond on a hot day. It felt wonderful, exhilarating and exactly what she needed.
He leaned back and touched her cheek, rubbing his thumb along her cheek bone. She stared up at him, waiting and wanting, what she wasn’t sure. It could’ve been sex, it could’ve been confirmation she was desirable.
Of course, judging by the stick of wood in his pants currently pressing against her hip, Eppie was definitely desirable.
“I don’t want to rush you.”
She shook her head. “You’re not. This is my choice.” She swallowed the lump of fear and uncertainty. “Show me.”
He smiled then, a sweet, beautiful smile that lit up his whole face and Eppie knew then what he looked like when he wasn’t wallowing in the depths of misery. Micah was exceptionally handsome and for some reason, God decided to give him to her.
For the first time since she’d woken, Eppie took a chance on something other than what to wear or eat. She took a chance on Micah.
***
http://www.bethwilliamson.com/books/the-redemption-of-micah/
