Please Welcome Dorothy Bell:)

Hi, everybody, Dorothy A. Bell here. I would like to thank my host for putting me up on her blog today. As an introduction, I thought I would give visitors a glimpse into my life so far.

I grew up in southern Iowa, moved to Oregon’s Willamette Valley at the age of eleven. I was in the sixth grade when I started school in Oregon. On my first day of school, I encountered the boy I would eventually marry. He kept pestering me, trying to kiss me. I held out until I turned sixteen, then I kind’a got the hang of the kissing thing. We’ve been married for forty-eight years, he’s still a pest, bless him.

I started out writing Regency Romances to entertain myself. I took writing courses, but I think I learned the most by submitting my work to publishers, editors and agents, and getting feedback. Laid low for nearly twenty-five years with arthritis, forced to use a battery-powered cart, I took up aquatic exercise and became an instructor. After two surgeries to replace my knees, I went to work on myself and lost eighty-five pounds, which I have kept off.

My husband and I live in Central Oregon with two West Highland White terriers, an energetic, longhaired Dachshund and one big, angora tuxedo cat. When I need a break from writing Oregon historical western romances, I work in the yard or my garden.

This year I am proud to announce the release of two Laura Creek romances “The Reprobate” and “The Cost of Revenge”, available on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks/b?ie=UTF8&node=154606011

 Barnes and Noble, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/NOOK-Book-eBook-store/379003094  Good Reads, https://www.goodreads.com/ and Freya’s Bower, http://freyasbower.com as e-books.

The Reprobate

A Laura Creek Western Romance

Fiddle playing, hard drinking Royce O’Bannon believes he’s worthless like his old man, no woman should have anything to do with him.

Music teacher Cleantha Arnaud, her virtue long spent, believes her life is over; crippled and barren, no man would want her. When these two outcasts become lovers, hopes and dreams blossom within their parched souls.

Royce’s vengeful daddy begins a campaign of retaliation against his traitorous sons and the town that gave them a second chance.

Driven by a fledgling sense of responsibility, Royce follows his daddy into the dark tunnels beneath Pendleton’s streets intent on putting a stop to the old man’s vengeful crusade. With a swift crack on the head, all of Royce’s newly found hopes and dreams could be shattered like candied glass. Who would miss a reprobate, a worthless man?

Excerpt from “The Cost of Revenge”

Quinn, turning his attention back to the lump of

hostility sitting on his step, put his hands on his hips,

steeling himself for battle. “All right, Miss McAdam….”

Her black eyes glittered and flashed, meeting his

challenging grin. Obvious loathing oozed from her

every pore. “Don’t you dare touch me.” she said, her

words reminding him of a snake’s hiss of warning

before it sank it’s fangs into flesh.

“Oh, I’m going to touch you,” Quinn assured her

with a wag of his head. “As a matter of fact, I’m going

to pick you up and carry you upstairs to my bed.”

 “I’ll bite your nose off. I’ll scratch your eyes out if

you try it.”

He leaned down, his face inches from her nose. “I

should leave you right where you sit. You can’t walk,”

he said, pointing out the obvious, his eyes traveling

the length of her, finally settling on the sight of her fat

foot and her bandaged ankle. Deliberately, raking

every inch of her body with his eyes, his gaze traveled

back up to her shoulder. “You’re right-handed, if I’m

not mistaken.” Recalling how she’d carried the baby on

her left hip, leaving her right arm free, he knew he had

it right. “I doubt you can feed yourself, not with that

sling on your arm and your wrist all bandaged up. No,

Miss McAdam, I don’t think you’ll give me too much

trouble. You see, I have what you hold most dear.”

“You have nothing.”

“Oh, but I do,” he said sweetly. “I have your

brothers and your sister. Ah, you see, I’ve lured them

into my lair with the promise of food and shelter. The

way I see it, you have no choice in the matter, and I

can and I will carry you inside. Your only alternative is

to sit here like a stubborn, broken-down mule. I can’t

let you stay out here, I’d have to sweep you off my step

in the morning.”

“Go to hell.” she said. When he picked her up, she

screeched and cursed him in a language he couldn’t

understand, but got the meaning behind every

utterance as he carried her around to the back

entrance of the mercantile.

* * * *

Tru tried to kick, but couldn’t, at least not without

inflicting a great deal of pain upon herself. He had her

good arm snugged up against his chest, and her other

arm was useless, swelling fast. She had a headache,

and she could feel a fever coming on—in more ways

than one.

The first time she’d seen him, she’d thought Quinn

O’Bannon too pretty. Up close this fact became

strikingly disturbing. He even smelled pretty—spicy

and clean like soap. He had tan skin, his features

almost perfect. Almost, except for that bump on the

bridge of his nose. But even that defect enhanced the

rakish, dangerous air he projected. To notice his nose,

she couldn’t very well avoid looking into his dark,

brown eyes. She regretted doing so, instantly. Those

laughing eyes mocked her indignation.

One thing they could probably agree on—she was a

fool. She had to be, to feel this emotion, cradled here

in his arms...heart racing...pulse pounding. She could

feel every muscle in his arms, and the warmth of his

hands through the fabric of her skirt, pressing against

her thigh. His touch sent ripples of aching desire

through her veins. They were so close she could feel

the heat of his chest against her side. Angry and in

pain, it thoroughly disgusted her that she could be so

affected by his nearness, by his touch. It wasn’t what

she wanted. She wanted to hate Quinn O’Bannon. She

wanted his touch to sicken her, not set her on fire with

longing.

Thank you for being with me today Dorothy!  Remember, you can buy her books at the following places:  

            Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks/b?ie=UTF8&node=154606011 

Barnes and Noble, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/NOOK-Book-eBook-store/379003094            

Good Reads, https://www.goodreads.com/  

Freya’s Bower, http://freyasbower.com as e-books.