Short Story Perks (Contest)

Thank you Delilah for having me guest post today about short story perks. I love discovering a fresh voice without the time commitment of reading a full length novel. These little nuggets, novelettes and novellas, brighten up my coffee time, keep me company during lunch, and supply the perfect antidote for a good night’s sleep.

This year, I’ve discovered several new-to-me authors like Elle James (love her voice and story in the Wild at Heart Anthology), Margery Scott’s The Morgan’s of Rocky Ridge (historical western, both Cade and Trey’s stories), Susan Hatler’s Better Date than Never Series (sweet contemporary), and Virna DePaul’s Arrested by Love anthology (super hot), and of course Delilah’s shorts! *fanning self*

I think my love of shorts is because of the variety.

This year, I released my debut light paranormal contemporary short (16 pages of happily-ever-after) titled A Promise Worth Keeping, which hit #1 in Free Kindle and is a top 100 paid Short Romance. In June, I released the second short (closer to 80 pages) titled A Promise Worth Remembering, which hit #3 in Free Kindle and just this week became available in book form—a first for me! Look for the third Promises Collection installment to be released in late fall 2013 titled A Promise Worth Sharing. All three stories are set in my fictional town of Safe Haven where Native American folklore plays cupid in reuniting first loves.

Do you enjoy short stories? If so, what author(s) have you discovered? Leave a comment for a chance to win an eBook of A Promise Worth Remembering.

SHE’S CLINGING TO THE PAST

After ten years, tiger preserve owner Bailey Yant never thought heart-breaker Tucker Pierce would return to Safe Haven. With a hundred-year-old feud between the Pierce and Yant families escalating, and despite a mystical lovers’ rock stirring memories of their forbidden love, she’s walled up her heart tighter than her sanctuary. When her prized tiger trespasses onto the Pierce’s hunting range, and poachers threaten not only her tiger’s safety but the livelihood of her preserve, will Bailey open her heart and trust Tucker in time to save her endangered Bengals?

HE’S OFFERING A FUTURE TOGETHER

At seventeen, Tucker Pierce fell in love with Bailey’s strength the day he’d pulled her from the river and promised to make her dreams come true. However, to keep Bailey safe from his abusive father, he risked everything—and in the process lost her to another man. For ten years, he’s kept his reason for leaving Safe Haven secret, but he can’t forget the promise he made to her or who his heart belongs to. After finding the widowed Bailey standing on their special rock, will he finally convince her to trust he’s a man of his word?

TO SEE HER DREAMS COME TRUE, WILL SHE RISK TRUSTING…A PROMISE WORTH REMEMBERING?

Excerpt:

Tucker’s gaze found Bailey’s and held.

Corkscrewed into her heart until her chest hurt. Smoothing her chin with her palm to quiet the quivers spidering across her face, she raised her brows and expected him to say more.

But he only stared.

She lifted a palm, a subtle wave before she dropped her arm to rest at her bare thigh. What could she say to him? Hello? How have you been? Too many questions riddled her mind to settle on a single syllable.

Pointing upstream, he repeated, “It’s important we talk…. I’ve seen…tiger.”

If what he needed to discuss caused him concern, why hadn’t he crossed the river or driven to the preserve? They were adults and she didn’t have any problems with Tucker, only his father.

No matter… Most likely he’d seen some of her tigers housed in the sanctuary. Because of their natural instincts to hunt large game, they slinked along the north side of the property to stalk deer that paused where the gentle slope led to the water’s edge. But bridging their past with small talk?

She didn’t want chit chat. She wanted answers, she wanted justice, she wanted the resolution she promised herself she’d never stir up, but couldn’t let go. Like their forbidden relationship, those feelings were better left undisturbed. Only seeing Tucker voided all warnings of caution she’d erected. She waved him over to her side. “We can talk over here.”

****

Want more shorts and anthologies? See Amazon’s top 100 lists of Short Romance and Anthologies paid and free here.

About the Author:

“Cyndi Faria writes with passion and her stories touch the heart.”
—Virna DePaul, Bestselling Author

Cyndi Faria is an engineer turned romance writer whose craving for structure is satisfied by plotting emotional and cozy paranormal romance stories about Native American folklore, cursed spirits, lost souls, harbingers, and even a haunted coastal town. If you love a tale with courageous heroes and heroines, where their unconditional love for each other gives them strength to defeat their inner demons, Cyndi Faria invites you to enter the pages of her stories.

On and off her sexy romance pages, this California country girl isn’t afraid to dirty her hands fighting for the underdog and caretaking rescued pets. Find her helping fellow writers and leading readers to happily-ever-after at www.cyndifaria.com