SECRET BODYGUARD is available now at AmiraPress.com!

Blurb:

Erica Kellogg is a former Olympic synchronized swimmer who has been blackballed from the sport she adores. She's dealt with her loss by joining a world renowned security firm where she can lose herself in a myriad of dangerous assignments. Needless to say, she's not thrilled when she learns her latest case barely amounts to babysitting duty. If that weren't bad enough, Trevor Cole, the man she's been assigned to protect is, in her opinion, nothing more than a spoiled rock star. She doesn't count on finding out there's more to him than meets the eye or falling in love.

Secret Bodyguard Excerpt:

At last, Erica emerged on the main deck of Trevor's yacht. She'd taken advantage of the chaos to explore the boat so the layout in her memory was more detailed than what she'd learned from a blueprint. During her explorations, Erica took the time to appreciate the lushly appointed amenities. Trevor had spared no expense on the dark mahogany which appeared polished within an inch of its life. The heads were done in marble and the furniture thick and comfy. Luxury exemplified.

Now that she'd finished studying the yacht, Erica wanted to get a look at each guest. It was a long shot, but if she could ID his tormentor and put a stop to it at the party, she'd be a very happy camper. And she'd be free for assignment on a juicier case. She looked over another mindless couple when they raced past her to a stateroom. Erica sighed, a girl could dream.

She made her way up to the Flydeck where she'd glimpsed him heading earlier. Trevor was chatting with the woman who'd arrived with his friends. Erica wasn't sure what surprised her more, that Trevor appeared to be listening or that he'd given his attention to the one female who was still wearing a full set of clothes. Erica considered her own costume hidden under her coat and shrugged. It wasn't quite as revealing as most of what she'd seen, but she didn't want to be lumped in with the rest of the partygoers either. Part of her job today depended on standing out.

She looked around the deck and took a deep breath. It was time. The pool sat in the middle of a casual teak deck crowned with a bubbling hot tub. That many people in one hot tub was just . . . wrong. Erica shook off her shudder and spied a stereo on a shelf at the far side of the deck. She turned her attention back to the pool which was raised about three feet so that meant it couldn't be more than four feet deep like she'd expected.

Routine modifications came to her while she slunk toward the stereo, careful to blend with the crowd. She sat on the ground out of Trevor's view and shed her coat and boots.

The brisk air sent a shiver through her. What kind of nut threw a party on a yacht in this kind of weather? Even packed like it was, the steam rising from the Jacuzzi was pretty inviting. Nothing came from the pool. She shuddered to imagine how cold it was. Surely people would be in it if he kept it heated. Or maybe she was the sole person crazy enough to want to swim in this weather.

Erica slipped the CD in the stereo and pressed play. When the music pounded on the deck, Erica stood up and nailed Trevor with a look. A little thrill of satisfaction shot through her when his head snapped her way. She had his full attention. She saw the crestfallen look on his companion's face, and vowed to feel bad about the interruption later. She did her walk on in time to the music.

Erica hoisted herself up on the side of the pool, holding Trevor's puzzled gaze the entire way. She could feel that other people were watching her little performance, too. Let them watch. She was prepared to be amazing in four feet of water. Trevor would be floored and hire her on the spot. She would put a stop to the threats on his life in record time, and they'd both go their separate ways. All without him being any the wiser, of course.

Trevor hopped up from his seat and raised a hand. Erica smiled at him, confident she had him hooked and slid into the pool. It took just a second for her to realize that there was no water in it. Erica's smile morphed into shock when she saw that the pool was even deeper than she'd figured. The bottom was about seven feet down, and she hit it with a less than graceful thump. The wind whooshed out of her. She landed in a tangled sprawl. She lay there for a moment trying to gather her wits.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Trevor hurried to the side of the pool and looked at the woman who'd captured his attention from the dock. What in the world had she been trying to do?

"Are you hurt? Can you move?" he called to her. More guests gathered around the sides of the pool, giggling at her expense.

"Yeah. I think." The last part of her answer was a mere whisper while she experimented with moving each limb. She looked up at the laughing guests and flushed crimson over her entire body. And what a body it was. The woman was a knock out. Long legs attached to full hips. He watched, fascinated, while each muscle flexed during her inventory. She arched her back emphasizing her tempting bosom that barely remained tucked inside the fanciest swimming suit he'd ever seen in his life.

He drew his eyes up to her face and was dismayed to note that she'd caught him checking out her boobs. He fought his own embarrassed flush. "Do you need a hand?"

My passion is ...

A toss up between writing and synchronized swimming.

I know too much about ...

There's nothing you can ever know too much about.

My parents always told me ...

I don't know. I wasn't all that good at listening.

My childhood ambition ...

Become President of the United States and be an international attorney just so I could drive on the wrong side of the road every once in a while.

My favorite memory ...

Was the time I was trying out some new choreography with my trio partners. It must not have gone well because the lifeguard was poised to save us the whole time.

Why I write ...

I love it.

My first job ...

Was cutting appliques to be pressed on sweatshirts.

Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Family memories

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Worst Family Reunion Ever!

I'm sure we've all had our share of bad family reunions. I thought I'd tell you about mine.

The day started innocently enough. And well, I might add. Earlier in the year, my mom had just been told she was in remission from the cancer that was trying to claim her life. Ecstatic that she finally could kick the hospital habit for a while, she went in for one final check up. And fell and broke her hip. I'll save that story for another time, so long story short, my dad and I had just gotten her out of the nursing home. It had been rough on her to say the least, but s...

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