Thursday 13 - Flirty Lines

 As a romance writer, I use flirty lines. Sometimes my characters are serious and sexy, but often they are simply ridiculous. Would you use any of their lines?

1. Come live in my heart and pay no rent.

2. I've had a really bad day, seeing a pretty girl smile always makes me feel better. So, would you smile for me?

3. Did the sun just come out or did you just smile?

4. I want to taste something sweet. Could I taste your lips?

5. Excuse me, I think you have something in your eye. Oh, wait. It's just a sparkle.

6. If you don't wanna have kids with me, then how about we just practice?

7. I know milk does a body good, but DAMN how much did you drink?

8. They say Disney World is the happiest place on earth, obviously they haven't been in your arms.

9. Your lips look so sweet, just one kiss and I swear I could give up sugar for life.

10. If you stood in front of a mirror holding 11 roses; you will see 12 of the most beautiful things in the world.

11. There's so much to say but your eyes keep interrupting me.

12. Damn, if being sexy was a crime, you'd be guilty as charged.

13. You're so beautiful, I forgot my pickup line.

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Inspiration for Jamie Hawke

 After Crow Magic, the first book in the Legend of the Spirit series, was published, my editor sent a photo of Martin Sensmeier to me. The handsome man is of Alaskan Native and European American descent who is famous for being an actor and model. 

This particular photo inspired the character of Jamie Hawke, a Native American hawk shifter.

If a face can launch a thousand ships, a photo can inspire a book.

However, my brain matched the photo with a military romance story I had been wanting to do. A friend in the USMC who was more confident than me that I could pull off writing a battle scene. I did it! Thanks, Whiskey Rick!

#Thursday13 - First Lines of Hawk's Honor

 In honor of Hawk's Honor, Legend of the Spirit series book #3, being completed and sent to the publisher, I'm posting the first 13 lines.

Jamie Hawke is a Native American Chippewa from Michigan who is with a USMC Special Ops shifter unit. His country, his team is everything. This strong warrior holds honor above all. Being a hawk shifter on a Special Ops team is dangerous but falling in love with his commanding officer is deadly. Jamie is honor bound by the corps and won’t touch Captain Andrea “Andy” Nelson. After being wounded, Hawke is told by his shaman to find his mate before the next tour through Madame Eve’s 1 Night Stand service. When his date turns out to be no other than Capt. Nelson, he’s a dead man.

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 “Corporal Hawke!”

Zipping his rucksack closed he slung it over his shoulder and stood. His Team Leader approached from across the moonlit yard while men in full battle rattle moved at a brisk pace around her. The Captain displayed the epitome of what every female marine should be…confidant, capable, with grace and style and a military bearing unmatched. Nevertheless, a female officer in special ops, much like shifters, in all reality didn’t exist.

 Native American shifters in MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Command) with security clearance such as his could select the battalion they wished to serve with. Hungry for adventure, he chose one of the riskiest regions and fell into a team who lost one of their Critical Skills Operators in battle. So deep in secrecy, only upper brass and the CIA knew of it, the group called Spirit Walkers contained several shifters.  They went into areas where the enemy had weeks to prepare, booby-trap, and plant enough explosives to eliminate a city block. Together with their fearless leaders, they out-smarted their opponent and completed whatever mission needed to be done.

 Sure, they lost a few to pay the price of war, but what blew his mind were the “routine” tasks completed without a single bullet fired. The teams moved like specters across landscapes and through villages. Night missions often included capturing or killing insurgents and recovering maps.  

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BUY NOW

Being a hawk shifter on a Marine Corp Special Ops team is dangerous but falling in love with his commanding officer is deadly. Honor bound by the corps; Jamie Hawke won’t touch Captain Andrea “Andi” Nelson. Hawke is told by a shaman to find his mate before the next tour through Madame Eve’s 1 Night Stand service. When his date turns out to be none other than Capt. Nelson, it’s love or duty. 

Thanks for reading!

Please enjoy other amazing #Thursday13 lists HERE

#Tuesday Teaser - Hawk's Honor

 

BUY NOW

Being a hawk shifter on a Marine Corp Special Ops team is dangerous but falling in love with his commanding officer is deadly. Honor bound by the corps; Jamie Hawke won’t touch Captain Andrea “Andi” Nelson. Hawke is told by a shaman to find his mate before the next tour through Madame Eve’s 1 Night Stand service. When his date turns out to be none other than Capt. Nelson, it’s love or duty. 

EXCERPT

As they lay in silence, tension thickened the air. With the cat out of the bag, there would be nothing technical stopping them from getting involved romantically. Maybe she misread the various ques from him, misunderstood the longing glances she would catch from him when they were in the desert. But then again, Madame Eve did match them. If he only considered her a friend, she would let go of the desire to be with him.

 

“Not my commanding officer.” His voice barely over a whisper as he spoke to himself with his eyes closed. “Out of the Corps.”

 

“I need to be honest with you, Jamie.” Gathering her courage, she needed to be fully honest with him. “I’ve been attracted to you for a long time. During our tours, I found myself caring for you in a way that went against code. At one point, I seriously considered asking for a reassignment. Now that I’m out of the Corps, I approached Madame Eve to see if we might be a match.”

 

She heard a sharp intake of breath next to her. Perhaps she said too much, and he didn’t see her as anything other than his commanding officer. She longed for his arms to wrap around her, even for a short time. Her life flipped upside down with her injury and her confidence took a hit. His silence fed her insecurities. A flush of embarrassment traveled up her chest and neck. Unshed tears burned her eyes. Hawke remained so quiet, she wondered if he was freaking out or if he fell asleep. She rolled to her side to check on him. He lay on his back with the heels of his hands pushing into his eyes. His lips formed a taut line.

“I’m being too pushy.” She groaned in apprehension and pushed to a kneeling position. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry if I made things weird. I’ve obviously made a mistake by admitting my crush on you. Look, maybe I’ll…”

 

“No.” With lightning speed, he grabbed her wrist to stop her from rising. “No mistake and don’t even think about leaving.”

 

Static electricity vibrated where their skin touched. His thumb caressed the inside of her wrist, sending a calming sensation throughout her entire body. He flipped to his side and lifted onto his forearm. He took a deep breath and released a sigh. Her eyes met his. Slivers of gold sprayed like fireworks in the dark orbs.

 

“I need to be honest with you.” He spoke with conviction as his eyes bore into hers. “I lied.”

Who Reads Romance?

 During any given period, women who read romance novels have a tendency to have twice as many lovers as those who don’t. People who read romance have sex 70% more often than those who don't.

The Romance Reader

Romance is the leading growth category in the print book market in 2025. Sales have grown consecutively for three years, with recent annual revenue exceeding $1.44 billion.

Who is the romance reader?

·        Female: 82%

·        Male: 18%

·        Average age of the romance reader: 35–39 years old

·        Ethnicity:

• 73% White/Caucasian
•  12% Black/African American
• 7% Latino/Hispanic
• 4% Asian/Asian American.

·        Sexual orientation:

• 86% heterosexual or straight
• 9%  bisexual, pansexual, or other bi+ identity
• 2% gay or lesbian.

Reading Habits

·        Most frequent readers are younger, aged 34 and below.

·        92% of survey respondents are print readers

·        64% are e-book readers

·        35% are audiobook users.

·        Tablets and smartphones are the most-used devices to read e-books.

·        Half of romance readers read romantic fantacy,

• followed by sports romance
• historical is still a popular genre

·        Younger readers read more Young Adult, Erotic, and

• Paranormal Romance and less Contemporary Romance than older readers.

Further Insights

The future of romance is the younger emerging readership.

These younger readers are:

·        diverse in sexual orientation and in ethnicity

·        more male

·        frequent readers

·        listening to audiobooks

·        reading e-books on smartphones

·        consuming YA, erotic, and paranormal romance

·        shopping at a greater number of online retailers

·        extremely engaged on social media and willing to experiment with new authors

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