February - the Month of Love

Valentine’s Day is a poignant day for me.  A very special friend was killed in an avalanche in Telluride, Colorado, on February 14th 1989.  Gone but not forgotten...

Vaughn Shelly was a young man (25 years old when he was killed) who was the typical hero – a fabulous hero. He was tall, over six feet, beautiful, with thick black hair and warm chocolate brown eyes. He was not a muscle man, but he could definitely hold his own without his clothes on!

He was smart, having just graduated from university with a law degree. He was from a prominent family and he had all the makings of a playboy. He loved life and lived it to the full. He could make anyone feel special and he could always make you laugh.

So when my agent suggested releasing a novella for Valentine's Day, I immediately knew who'd I'd base my hero on.  Harlow Telford, the Duke of Dangerfield,  came to life based on my memories of Vaughn.

My hero, Harlow, was a pleasure to write because I thought of Vaughn and the ways he both annoyed me and made me laugh.  Harlow is a beautiful man who has the world at his feet. Just as Vaughn did.

I hope you’ll check out the novella and the excerpt on my website. Here is the blurb for To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield

Lady Caitlin Southall’s temper has finally got the better of her. She’s challenged Harlow Telford, the Duke of Dangerfield, the most notorious rake in all of England, to a wager. She wants her house back. The one her destitute father lost to Dangerfield in a card game. But if she doesn’t win their bet, she not only loses her home, she loses her dignity and pride and damn it all, maybe her heart... For the handsome Duke has decreed, whenhe wins, she must spend the night in his bed.

Harlow Telford is amused by his hellion neighbor, Caitlin, or Cate to her friends, who seem to encompass everyone on earth except him. When she bursts into one of his private gatherings, he mistakes her for the entertainment. Her slap across his face sets him straight and raises the absurd desire to seduce the unconventional beauty into his bed. When she issues her daft challenge to win back her father’s pile of rubble, the terms are set.  And he’ll do anything to win—except fall in love...

The world lost a very special person that day and here’s the full story if you’d like to read more – I was 25 at the time and it was devastating and I remember talking with Todd, the sole survivor, and admiring his courage.

To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield $2.99 at Amazon - more eBook stores to come....

For all of this, I love Valentine's Day. Tell me your favorite Valentine's Day surprise and be in to win a copy of eBook copy of Harlow and Caitlin's story.