If Time's Of The Essence - An Emerald Heart May Be The Remedy

From  the  desk of Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy….

Time is in short supply for many people these days.  Whether we're working, playing, or just keeping busy, most of us don't seem to have enough time to do what we'd like or even what we must.  Part of it stems from the modern age of technology.  In addition to one on one involvement, we have phone calls - both landline and cell variety.  We've long had television, radio, and stereo in our homes to entertain or inform.  But now we have social networking, a different way of keeping in touch and knowing what's going on.  I've actually had various people contact me via Facebook because they know I'm more likely to see the message sooner than if they email me.  I had one friend phone the newspaper I write a column for each week, attempt to phone, and email me before she tried a Facebook message.  I got back in touch a few minutes later to her amazement.

When time is crunched, we have less time to do things we love - like read.  I love to read but I don't have the time I once did to enjoy a book.  Neither do a lot of people.  To accomodate all readers, I write in various lengths from full-blown novels and also in shorter lengths.  Several publishers have realized this and among these, Evernight Publishing (who publishes my Love Covenant series as well as several stand alone titles with my byline) came up with "Romance On The Go", a new series designed to be read in a short burst of time.  My first, Red In The Hood, came out a few months ago and this coming Thursday, my second, An Emerald Heart will be out.  I've also signed a contract for another, Movie Star Magic, planned for November.  As a little teaser hint, readers who like Des in An Emerald Heart, get ready - he'll have his own story and book soon!

Here's the lusicious cover for An Emerald Heart:

And the blurb:

Dr. Maya Sheppard adores her green-eyed lover, Irish history professor Ashton O'Neill and the sex is the best she's ever known. She's deep in lust with him and she adores his storybook house with amazing gardens but Maya isn't sure they have much a future anywhere except between the sheets. Ash, however, has become more than just her passion and when she arrives unannounced to find a stranger in his house, Maya soon realizes there's much more to the man than she ever imagined. Unexpected events draw the pair closer together and with any luck at all, Maya just might realize the kind of love she's dreamed about all her life.

 

Just for fun - here's the blurb for Movie Star Magic:

Dr. Maya Sheppard adores her green-eyed lover, Irish history professor Ashton O'Neill and the sex is the best she's ever known. She's deep in lust with him and she adores his storybook house with amazing gardens but Maya isn't sure they have much a future anywhere except between the sheets. Ash, however, has become more than just her passion and when she arrives unannounced to find a stranger in his house, Maya soon realizes there's much more to the man than she ever imagined. Unexpected events draw the pair closer together and with any luck at all, Maya just might realize the kind of love she's dreamed about all her life.

And here's a teaser excerpt from An Emerald Heart:

She never doubted they were fated to meet.  Maya often skipped such receptions out of boredom, but her department chair insisted she make an appearance.  Five minutes after arriving, she ended up in a corner with a cup of punch cradled in her hands.  The tropical concoction tasted too sweet, and at room temperature, Maya found it disgusting.  As she debated whether or not she should dump the liquid into a nearby ficus tree, she saw him on the other side of the room.

            Dark, unruly hair curled below his ears and over the nape of his neck.  Maya gawked, attracted by his curls, but she caught her breath at the way his lean body moved beneath his faded blue jeans and tweed blazer.  I don’t know who he is, but I want to take him home, she thought.  He turned to face her, as if he’d read her mind, and those amazing green eyes smote her with emerald fire.  She stared back, drowning in the depth of his gaze. As if compelled, she walked toward him.

He met her halfway there.  Along the way Maya put down her punch cup, and when she reached him, he took her hand and bent low to kiss it. “Enchante, pretty lady,” he said.  His voice caused shivers to ripple down her spine. “Let me introduce myself.  I’m Ashton O’Neill, the new history professor.”

Although her voice stuck somewhere in her throat, Maya managed to say, “I’m delighted to meet you, Professor O’Neill.  I’m Maya Sheppard, a literature professor here on campus.”

“Call me Ash, please,” he said. 

             His name suited him, Maya decided.  He ignited her fires and suffused her with such heat she could easily burn to ashes without even a single touch. “I will, Ash,” she said.

        “Would you like to go somewhere else?” Ash asked. “I find the conversation boring, the punch loathsome, and the company dull.  You are, of course, the exception, acushla.”

            Maya didn’t know then what the unfamiliar word meant, but she soon learned it was a Gaelic endearment, meaning something like ‘my heart’s blood’ or ‘darling’. She adored the sound of it. “I’d love to,” she told him.

             Ash offered her his arm and she accepted it. 

 

And if you like something short - stay tuned - I've also have Kosovo Tales: Two Hearts, One Love coming October 3 from Rebel Ink Press and Three Encounters of A Close Kind, also from Rebel Ink Press, November 3.  Longer? No problem - Devlin's Grace is released November 17 and then another short, The Home Fires of Christmas December 3.  And of course, another ROG  Movie Star Magic in November! And I'm already signing contracts for 2013!