My Possible Ghost Story?

You know that feeling you get that you’re being watched?  My second year at college, I had that feeling most of the time.  My roommate and I moved into one of the oldest dormitories on the campus, and we counted ourselves lucky because we got a room on the top floor with a balcony view.  Not too bad for a otherwise cracker-box of a room.

One night, my roommate was still out, but I was getting tired, so I turned off all the lights and locked the door.  About two hours later, my roommate was knocking on the door and I awoke to the brightness of her closet light.  I crawled out of bed and let her in.  She’d forgotten her key.  We both went back to bed, but I had been sure I’d turned off all the lights hours ago.

The next day, I brought up the light incident, and my roommate had this to say, “Oh, the light?  Yeah, it comes on by itself all the time.  I just leave it on all the time now.  I guess our ghost is afraid of the dark.”

We only lived there for a year, but I was always curious about the possibility of having another “roommate” in the room.  It was an old building so it could have been wiring issues, but it’s also possible we weren’t alone.

How about it?  Any possible ghost encounters?

Into the Fire

Blurb

Months after he stole her affections—then her executive chef position—Shyann and Luke meet again under sizzling circumstances, competing head-to-head on a televised cooking show called Kitchen Twist. Each arrives with a motive: Luke intends to win back Shyann’s heart, even as she wants closure on the not-so-tasty heartbreak he once served up.

Luke knows culinary masterpieces require a delicate touch, but that knowledge is tossed out with the leftovers as he works to show Shyann he’s not such a bad guy. Now he pushes his skills to the limit to win the competition and satisfy a bet.

Can two top chefs resist each other as they move out of the pan and into the fire?

His hands burned with awareness of where they rested. His pulse raced, and her lips were mere inches from his. As if time stopped completely, they stared at each other, and for the life of him, Luke couldn’t seem to remember why he’d come in here. 

            Shyann shook off the haze first. “Let me go. I can get this without you.”

            Against his need and with exaggerated motion, he pulled his hands away. She stumbled and eyed him suspiciously but went back to jumping for a high box.

            Although he appreciated the bounce of her breasts each time she leaped upward, he forced

himself not to stare, gathering some of his ingredients instead. But after watching for a few more seconds, with an irritated grunt, he reached around her, grabbed her target, and handed it to her.

            “I said I didn’t need your help.”

            “Fine, I’ll put it back.”

            His hand touched the box, and she pulled it behind her. The motion caused their bodies to collide again. Her liquid brown eyes blazed up at him, and even as a small voice in the back of his brain screamed he didn’t have time for this, he couldn’t seem to pull away. She looked so damn soft and vulnerable, and all he wanted to do was step out of the way of her win, give it all to her because she deserved it. But first, he wanted to kiss her, a long, hot, turn-their-knees-to-jelly kiss.

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Into the Fire

by Cherie Marks

(This post is adapted from a post I did on http://www.asscheekangels.blogspot.com where a group of writers 'write by the seat of our pants.')

You don't have to be a male model to rule my world.  I'm drawn more to the mind.  A creative-minded brainiac gets me going quicker than anyone.  But it doesn't hurt if he has a great smile and bedroom eyes, if you know what I mean.  Inspiration comes from many, many places.

For example, Into the Fire is about two competing chefs. Who can really resist a man in an apron? Especially if he's wearing little else and catering to my foodie needs. So I painstakingly pored over images, hoping to get some sizzling pictures to inspire my hash-slinging hero until I finally found just the right ones. Here are just a couple of the too-hot-for-my-kitchen top chefs I came across:

Rocco Dispirito





...................................................................................................SamTalbot

Jeff McInnes
























Bryan Voltaggio

Oh, my, is it hot in here, or is it just that chefs wear too many clothes? But what exactly is the point? The need to give my fully visualized characters their HEA, of course.

Okay, okay, I've "researched" enough.

But before I go, any other chefs warm your burners?

Comment for a chance to win a $10.00 gift card to Amazon or BN. Don't forget to leave your e-mail along with your comment. I'm so thankful for the commenters who've stopped and taken the time to leave a few words that I'm going to give away another prize--a PDF copy of Into the Fire. So, two drawings today for commenting on any of my blogposts.

The blurb and excerpt for Into the Fire can be found here at my earlier post. You can also go here to see the book trailer.

Cherie Marks

http://www.cheriemarks.com

http://www.cheriemarks.blogspot.com
Facebook--http://on.fb.me/qRl1lD
Twitter—http://twitter.com/cheriemarks
Into the Fire available at http://tinyurl.com/3mfn3zj from The Wild Rose Press, October 5, 2011

Into The Fire

Into the Fire by Cherie Marks

Food is important in any culture. 

For almost a year, I didn't have a kitchen table, which is practically unheard of in our culture.  Even if people only use it as a flat-surface storage, most households have a table in their kitchen or dining room.

We sold ours in a yard sale because it had grown too small for our family of five, but we decided not to replace it right away.  We ate in the living room instead, using the large ottoman as a table.

I missed my table.  Who knew how much having a table to sit around and enjoy a meal with my family would mean to me?  I missed my table so much my mother finally bought us a particular one I'd wanted for a long time.  It went on sale, and she couldn't resist.  Who was I to say no?

Statistically speaking, children who eat with their families around the dinner table at least three times a week are less likely to get involved with drugs, alcohol, and other risk-taking behaviors.  This has been promoted for a while now, and I believe it.  Quality time is invaluable.

And some of my best family memories growing up were around a table covered in all the foods I loved to eat and even some I didn't.  Sundays and holidays were always special, and the food was often the highlight of the day.

Maybe that's why I was drawn to the aspect of a televised cooking competition in which two chefs with a romantic past go head-to-head against each other, all the while trying to resist the combustible attraction between them.  As a result, I wrote a short story titled, Into the Fire.

Blurb
Months after he stole her affections—then her executive chef position—Shyann and Luke meet again under sizzling circumstances, competing head-to-head on a televised cooking show called Kitchen Twist. Each arrives with a motive: Luke intends to win back Shyann’s heart, even as she wants closure on the not-so-tasty heartbreak he once served up.

Luke knows culinary masterpieces require a delicate touch, but that knowledge is tossed out with the leftovers as he works to show Shyann he’s not such a bad guy. Now he pushes his skills to the limit to win the competition and satisfy a bet.

Can two top chefs resist each other as they move out of the pan and into the fire?

Excerpt
Silence reigned for half a minute before he
reached out a hand and touched hers like a breezy
whisper. Her head went a little fuzzy at the warm
contact. He shouldn’t still be able to affect her so
strongly.

“I regret it went down the way it did, but why
did you show me the exit before giving me a chance
to explain, not to mention—dress? Enlighten me,
sugar cheeks?”

With a jerk, she pulled her hand free. He was
really asking for it. Sugar cheeks? Seriously? Now
she knew he was only messing with her. She could
give as well as she got.

“Tell you what. You win tonight, and I’ll give
you your chance. You lose, we go our separate ways,
and you walk out all by yourself, big boy.”
A crooked grin formed on his face as he reached
a hand toward her hair. He fingered an escaping curl
before she pulled away, leaving his hand hanging in
midair.

“You can call me big boy all you want, but I’ll do
you one better. How about if I win, I take you to
dinner, and you let me explain the whole situation?”
She felt her eyebrow rise and knew he’d read it
as interest, but she didn’t care at the moment. “I
honestly don’t want to hear any explanation from
you now or ever, but if I win? Which I will, of
course.”

“Then I’ll leave it up to you. If you want me to
walk away, I will.” He took a step closer, placed his
hand on her shoulder, and leaned down, his mouth
right next to her ear. “But if you want me to call you
darling, sweetheart, and sugar cheeks all night long,
I’ll do that too.”



Do you have any food memories around the table?  Comment for a chance to win a $10.00 gift card to Amazon or BN. Don't forget to leave your e-mail along with your comment.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to download your copy of Into the Fire available Wednesday, October 5, 2011 from The Wild Rose Press.

Cherie Marks
http://www.cheriemarks.com
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Book Trailer--http://youtu.be/lXrDrRC1daM