Saturday, March 28, 2015

Temptation ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 03/29/15

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

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My entry this week is from Hostage Heart, a romantic suspense involving a young lady from Louisiana whose family was affected by the devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Ryan is trying to make things more bearable for Deanna even though he is still refusing to let her go. She makes a simple request, to bathe. He takes her to the bathhouse in the deserted camp.


...and now the eight:


The wooden bathhouse consisted of three door-less stalls, but the side walls provided enough privacy to change comfortably. Deanna felt odd knowing that Ryan was on the other side of that short wall undressing for his own shower and positioned so that she would have to pass by him if she tried to leave.
She stood naked with her eyes closed letting the cool water just splash over her, she trusted him not to peek; suddenly Deanna felt something grab her ankles, she looked down and screamed.
Ryan dropped the bar of soap he had been rubbing over his body when he heard her scream and he went around the stall divider.
She stood perfectly still with the water still cascading down her body. Help, she barely croaked the words as she motioned downwards.
He looked down at her feet and saw the back half of a Black Rat Snake coiled around her ankles; he said quietly, its not poisonous.
I dont care, get it off of me.

Two people, attracted to each other, naked and soapy...
Will the temptation be too much?
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Hostage Heart  by Chelle Cordero is available as an AUDIOBOOK and in All Ebook Formats and  Print Editions.


Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood...Deanna did the only thing she could do. She moved to New York City, found a job, worked hard, scrimped and saved to send what little she could manage back home to Louisiana to her parents.

An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her and deserved her courageous help in return... But he wasn't the man she thought he was...no, he was so very much more!

Review
Hostage Heart is a captivating read… I really enjoyed Chelle Cordero's 'Hostage Heart.  It read quickly and kept my interest until the very end. I would highly recommend this book and I plan to read all of the author's other books. It took me along on the adventure. I enjoyed the romance.
~LDB, on Amazon







    ~~~~~~~~


The Inspiration Behind Hostage Heart

In 2005 my hubby spent six weeks in Louisiana as part of a Federal medical team giving aid to thousands of injured and displaced victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. When he came back home, he spoke of all the wonderful folks he had met and related some of the horror stories of what they had endured. And after six weeks down there, he picked up, and brought home with him, many of the colloquialisms of the area.

Listening to his stories I envisioned more than what the TV news had been reporting. I heard about people who had lost homes, possessions and in some cases loved ones. And I learned what it meant to have an indomitable spirit to “pick yourself up” and rebuild. Despite all of the suffering and loss, there were amazing stories of generosity and kindness; people who had lost their homes cooked kettles over campfires as a thank you to the rescue workers and so much more.

To this day the TV news images of the flood waters and people on rooftops seem unreal. I certainly don’t mean to trivialize what had happened, but those scenes seemed more appropriate in some horrifying disaster movie than one of our American cities. Tragedies happened all over and not just from the failed levees in New Orleans. Tornadoes, high winds and torrential downpours wreaked havoc on property and the economy throughout the region.

Then again in 2008 Hurricanes Gustav and Ike struck the Gulf Coast. And hubby spent another five weeks down there; this time he was based in Texas. And again the folks down there were examples of humanity. This time hubby came home with tales of people who had been rebuilding their lives only to have waves, wind and rain tear apart their efforts. Some of the Texas victims had been relocated Louisiana survivors. Still, they were determined to rebuild.

The hurricanes of 2005 and 2008 were the inspiration for Deanna Blair and her family. In Hostage Heart Deanna’s “mamere”, the matriarch of her family, was lost when the levees overflowed. Her parents’ business was destroyed along with the home she grew up in. With her parents living in a FEMA trailer outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and no money to rebuild their once flourishing business, Deanna takes off for the call of New York City and the possibility of a salary to send back home. There wasn’t much, but she did what she could.

As for the inspiration for Ryan Hunter, well… suffice to say I used to date a guy (obviously long before hubby) who did undercover work in law enforcement. There was the evening I was visiting friends in an area of the city I normally didn’t frequent and I saw him. I was so surprised and excited – I had no idea he was working until that stranger ran out of the shadows…

16 comments:

Teresa Cypher said...

Oh geez, that rat snake would just finish me. I'd be worthless for days, maybe even weeks. Lol <-- nervous laughter. You really touch a nerve with a lot of readers in this scene. :-)Good 8.

Your inspiration was fascinating.

Linda said...

I agree, who cares if it's poisonous or not. But I guess now she can't trust him not to peek anymore.

Sarah W said...

I think my modesty would go out the window, too! :D

I wonder what's going to happen once the snake is gone? Hmmm?

Unknown said...

LOL, that's going to be awkward for her. I didn't see that coming. Yes, what's going to happen now that he's seen her? Great eight!

Charmaine Gordon said...

Wonderful eight. From nice shower to snake and there they are , both naked. I love it. Thanks, Chelle.

Anonymous said...

I'd be startled too;). You've put your two characters in a rather interesting situation. I'm looking forward to discovering what happens next.
My only question is would a snake stay in the shower once she'd turned it on? I don't know very much about them, but I thought they like dry and warm places.

Cecilia said...

I would of had a heart attack. Snakes poisonous or not.

JTsuruoka said...

Great work. With nakedness comes vulnerability-- to reptiles and otherwise.

Elaine Cantrell said...

Who cares about clothes with a snake on the feet? Well done.

Anonymous said...

It might not be venomous, but not everyone wants to cuddle with a snake. And hey, some of them still bite.

Chelle Cordero said...

...I guess it's not the first time a snake caused a whole hullabaloo between a man & woman, lol.

Tina Christopher, I guess it depends on the type of snake. I've seen Black Rat Snakes slithering alongside creek beds. And I know what it is to get startled by one, I actually got smacked in the face by a tail one night in the dark when I unintentionally got too close!

P.T.Wyant said...

Poor snake! He was probably just looking for something warmer than the cold water.

I used to have a black rat snake. His name was Houdini, and he would wrap himself around my wrist like a living bracelet.

Iris B said...

Curse the 8 sentence limit ... I want more ;-) ... LOL ... loving this story ....

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

I'm thinking the snake is doing a little matchmaking on his own. Scare the lady and get the guy there to save the day. lol Naked, wet, they're already attracted to each other... Just saying...

Unknown said...

Stupid snake. Now they can't enjoy seeing each other naked. I'm her. I don't care if it isn't poisonous...get it off. LOL!!!:)

Veronica Scott said...

What a great excerpt! That snake sure ruined the mood for everyone, but then again, we do have the main characters standing there naked. Hmmm. :-) Loved it!