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Monday, August 10, 2020

The Heroes We Love by Sarah J. McNeal #PrairieRosePub #TheWildingsSeries

 

The Heroes We Love by Sarah J. McNeal

#PrairieRosePub #TheWildingsSeries

 

One of my favorite heroes is Robin Pierpont in the story, FLY AWAY HEART. He loves airplanes, his friends, family, animals, and the beautiful red haired girl he’s known since childhood, Lilith Wilding. There is nothing he wouldn’t do for those he loves…even something not quite legal.

Robin was born in England. At age ten he lost his father when he and his parents took the doomed Titanic to find a better life in America. His mother worked in a factory in New York City, but lost her job when the factory burned. Banjo Wilding sent Robin and Jane to Hazard, Wyoming to give them an opportunity to improve their lives. In Hazard, Jane fell in love with the Lakota Shaman, gas station owner, and uncle to Banjo Wilding, Teekonka Red Sky. (Their story is in my Christmas story, A HUSBAND FOR CHRISTMAS). 


It was in the town of Hazard Robin first met the adventurous, willful, and charming Lilith Wilding. His childhood affection for Lilith grew into a deep abiding love over the years. But there are obstacles standing between Robin and his happiness with Lilith…and one of those obstacles may prove fatal.




FLY AWAY HEART

By Sarah J. McNeal

Prairie Rose Publications/ Imprint: Painted Pony Press

Buy Links:

Amazon Trade Paperback Link

Amazon Kindle

 

Excerpt:

Lilith pushed back from Robin enough to see his eyes.  “I know you’re dying to ask Juliet for a dance.  You could go over and break in, if you like.  She doesn’t care much for Paul Witherspoon any way.”

His eyes grew wide and his mouth pulled to one side.  “Are you trying to get rid of me, Lilith?”  He quirked a crooked smile at her.  “Do I have grease under my fingernails or something?  I swear I took a bath before I came.”

Lilith laughed as he dipped her low over his thigh then bent over her as if he would kiss her.  “Don’t you dare drop me.  I’ll scream bloody murder.”  Underneath her words, her heart thumped against her ribs and her breath quickened.

Robin laughed, deep and unconfined.  Pulling her up, he brought her close to his chest and peered at her with a sparkle of mischief in his eyes.  “Now I want to drop you just to see if you’ll hold good on that threat.”

Her heart thudded in her chest like a mad thing.  She couldn’t breathe with his mouth so close to hers.  If she could have a wish at that moment, it would be for Robin to dip his head just a little more and touch his lips to hers.  A tide of heat ran up her neck into her face just thinking about Robin kissing her with his hands on her bare back.

He lifted a brow and chuckled.  “Are you thinking something naughty, Miss Wilding?  I swear you’re blushing.”

 

Excerpt:

 

The dog drew his attention when it whined pitifully. Its brown eyes seemed to plead with him. Somehow, he just couldn’t bring himself to walk away from the suffering creature. If he couldn’t get to Lilith, at least he could get this dog to safety. He knew, if he left the poor thing here, it would die a slow death for certain.

He made his way to the shaking pile of bones that resembled a dog and removed the clamp on the heavy chain. The dog could barely walk, and it made Rob sick to see the bones protruding from the animal’s ribs and hips. What kind of human beings were these two men? Did they eat babies for breakfast? He hoisted the dog into his arms, walked back to the car, opened the back door and placed the dog on his jacket on the back seat. Something in its brown eyes looked like gratitude, mixed with fear. Rob felt his heart crack.

“Don’t you worry, little girl, I’m going to see to you now. You don’t need to be scared or hungry anymore.” Thoughts of Lilith drummed through his mind. Please, please God, look after my Lilith and don’t let them hurt her.

 

Excerpt:

There was no choice left. The roaring river was her only hope. To escape these vile men she would have to take her chances and plunge into the deadly current of the white water. With a deep breath to gather her courage, she dived into the rapids. The icy water took her breath. She never imagined it that cold. Helpless to navigate, the current took her down its dangerous path. The weight of her dress drug on her as she attempted to nudge her body toward the rocky island in the middle of the river. Lilith gulped water and fought against the pull of the current. If she could just get to the rocks, she could keep from going over the falls. Certain death would take her if she went over, but there was no turning back now.

Shots rang out and a bullet whizzed past her ear. As she bobbed for an instant above the water, she saw that Edgar had a pistol in his hand aimed at her. He mouthed something at her, but the noise of the rushing water drown out his words. Just as well. She couldn’t get back to the shore if she tried. The current swept her in its cold embrace. Sometimes it rolled her under. She took on water. Her lungs hurt for want of air and the water burned them. Please God, don’t let me die this way.

The river dragged her along, pushed her under, and turned her over and over in a mad rush for the falls and she couldn’t stop it. A picture of Robin came to her. His voice seemed to command her. Don’t give up. Don’t give up. Don’t give up.

For Readers and Authors:

Who are some of your favorite story heroes from the books you’ve read? Have you ever fallen in love with a character you created in one of your own stories?  What did you like best about your favorite hero?

Until next time, y’all stay  safe and happy!

 

Sarah J. McNeal

Diverse stories filled with heart

 

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14 comments:

  1. Powerful excerpts, Sarah! Espec love the connection between Lilith and Rob, the care and empathy. I admire how they both strive and keep going - don't give up.
    Thanks so much for sharing.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Lindsay. A compliment from you means so much to me.

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  2. Very powerful and evocative excerpts. You capture the essence of a hero so well.

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    1. Christine, thank you so much for your comment. I think we all try with all our might to capture the deep character of our heroes so, not only our readers, but we the writers as well, can fall in love with them.

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  3. I like the complex, layered background of your hero. Your excerpts are strong and engaging. Thanks for your post.

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    1. You are so kind, Ann. Than you so much for coming.

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  4. Sarah, you know I've always loved all your stories, and when you write an excerpt, you grab the reader in a tight grip and don't them loose. Loved reading this today. You are one talented lady when it comes to setting up the stage for readers. Well done. And, by the way I think I fall in love with most characters in the many stories I read or write. Wishing you the best.

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    1. Beverly, you are so kind. I believe your comment has made my week. We all try to improve our work and present the very best story we can. When another writer compliments our work, well, it doesn't really get better than that.
      Thank you so very much for coming by today.

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  5. Oh my, Sarah, you've taken us on a tumultuous ride with your excerpts. I loved the chemistry between Lilith and Rob and thought this would be a fun light read. Well, then it started getting serious with the maltreated dog, but you didn't stop there. The heroine's in peril and then you leave us tumbling along with her in the water. Great job, Sarah. I have fallen in love with quite a few heroes in books. I think Rhett tops the list simply because no one can hold a candle to Clark in that movie. I also loved Leopold in Kate and Leopold played by a very princely proper Hugh Jackman. And in my trilogy, although I love all three of my heroes, it's Mike who truly stole my heart. I guess I love a good helping of humor in my romantic reads. Love your blog, Sarah.

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    1. Elizabeth, as you know, it's difficult to decide what excerpts to post that best give a peek into the story line without giving away any spoilers. Conflict is our friend. If the story doesn't have any obstacles, well, is it really a story?
      I agree, Elizabeth, humor is a great device to lessen the tension. I especially love it when heroes can make fun of their own flaws.
      Hugh Jackman is a favorite of mine. He never fails to make his character rich with personality. And I just love him as a person. He loves his wife and kids and I respect that about him. His wife is not a glamor queen, just ordinary like most of us, and yet, he thinks she's the most beautiful woman in the world. Who wouldn't love a man like that?
      You should have mentioned the name of your trilogy.
      Thank you for always being a constant support, Elizabeth. I appreciate all your remarks and your steadfast friendship.

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  6. Sarah, I've enjoyed your Wildings. I've wondered about how you've kept track of their 'world'. What is your organizational strategy? For instance, on my larger works, I keep the details in an Excel spreadsheet.

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    1. Kaye, you are such a computer expert. I wish I could be one, too, but I grew up in a time when there were no personal computers--not even calculators. Hard to imagine a world without them now. I hand write in a notebook my characters and their relationships with one another. I've even drawn a family tree for the Wildings (It ain't pretty, but it helps me. LOL) I also put their personality traits, flaws, and unique abilities in the notebook. The last thing I want is for one Wilding hero to be the same as another. YIKES! I also kept a list of the books in order of publication, because even though each book can be read as a stand alone, I am occasionally asked in what order they are written.
      I have never used Excel Spreadsheet. You should write a blog about how to do that for those of us who aren't too computer savvy...the way you told us about promo on twitter and what hashtags were all about. That was a big boost of info for me. Until you did that, I hardly ever used Twitter to promote.
      I so appreciate you coming by and commenting on my blog. It's always so good to hear from you.

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    2. Sarah, I grew up without computers, too. I have notebooks filled with, well, notes. lololol You can't go wrong with handwriting in a notebook. There's just something so satisfying when you put pencil to paper. I don't think my spreadsheet strategy is necessary better than keeping a notebook, because with a notebook, you can organize by tabs and thumb through to find what you want. In Excel, there's really only room for quick notations as reference, otherwise the spreadsheet becomes entirely too cumbersome.

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    3. My mind is eased, Kaye, but I am going to take a look at excel just to see what it's all about. You seemed to have grown comfortable with technology. I'm just insecure about all of it.

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