Today I’m excited to feature Texan Celia Yeary! An accomplished author, Celia is sharing a blurb, excerpt and review of her book , “The Stars at Night” with us. Thank you for visiting, Celia, and welcome!

If you leave a comment on Celia’s post, your name will be entered to win an ebook. The winner gets to choose one of the following ebooks: Celia’s THE STARS AT NIGHT, Regina’s PRAISE OF THE HEART, OR K.Dawn’s THE SECRETS OF THE LOVE LETTERS. CONTEST ENDS: FEBRUARY 3rd!

Be sure to come back on Monday to learn more about another featured January author - Regina Andrews! It’s not too late to comment on K.Dawn Byrd’s post to increase your chances of winning!

THE STARS AT NIGHT BLURB:
Kate Norwood from New York arrives in Texas with her young motherless nephew, Nicky. She quickly decides the plan to relocate him with his grandmother is a mistake. With the help of Nicky’s uncle, Jesse McCoy, she learns the boy’s father is dead. Her boyfriend interferes with his own agenda for Kate, using lies, deceptions, and cruelty.

Jesse McCoy falls for Kate Norwood the minute he stops her on the outskirts of Sagewood, Texas for speeding. He soon learns they share a family connection and a common problem. His goals become finding the proper home for his nephew, saving Kate from a devious man, and loving her for the remainder of his life. But will she give up her New York lifestyle to live a simple life in Texas?

EXCERPT:

The officer appeared at her window and bent at the knees slightly to look through the dark glass. “Lower your window,” he said, his voice sounding muffled.

Lowering it four inches, she reached behind her and groped for her bag in the back seat. Finally getting a grip on it, she dragged it over the console and into her lap.

He straightened to his full height. “Ma’am, may I see your driver’s license, please?” he asked in a deep drawl, smooth and sexy as melted chocolate. “Also, I need to see your proof of insurance.”

Goose bumps skittered along her arms.

“Lower your window all the way, too,” he added.

Now, that didn’t sound like a request, and this time, no shivers.

“I prefer not to, if you don’t mind,” Kate said, as business-like as she could. “Here’s my license.” She held up her wallet to the small opening at the top of the glass so he could read the card through the little plastic window.

“Please remove your license and hand it to me along with your proof of insurance. And lower your window. I can’t see you through the tinted glass.”

Kate grimaced when she heard a hint of impatience in his voice, but she held her ground.

“I need to see your badge, please.”

“Now, ma’am, I’m going to ask you one more time. Do as I ask and you’ll be able to see my badge. Cut your engine while you’re at it, then hand over your license and proof of insurance.”

The officer’s voice had lost all traces of its easy-going rumble. He stood with a hand riding low on a hip, tapping the other leg with the ticket book, waiting for her to comply.

“Okay, okay. Here.” Kate shoved the both through the four inches of opened window. “This paper is from the lease company about their insurance. If you’ll step back a couple of feet, I’ll lower my window. Deal?”

The officer hesitated, and she’d bet he wasn’t accustomed to bending to the demands of anyone, let alone a speeder on his highway. She watched as he backed up one step.

A sense of empowerment made her smile, and she did as he requested.

He returned to his original position. “Remove your sunglasses, please,” he asked politely. “Before you say anything,” he held up a finger, “I’m required to match the color of your eyes with the information on your license.”

“I wasn’t going to,” she said in a voice a little higher than her usual tone.

Keeping his eyes on the license, he said, “You haven’t missed an opportunity yet.”

“I’m just cautious. You would be, too, if you weren’t certain of a man’s real identity. I read a lone driver out in the middle of nowhere should require some identification from the officer, and I also read about men posing as cops, while in truth–”

He interrupted and looked at her. “Ma’am? May I continue? Without the dialogue?”

“Go ahead. I’ll shut up. Except stop calling me ma’am.” She crossed her arms over her waist and looked straight ahead. She heard him make a slight sound in his throat that sounded almost like a chuckle.

“Just the two of you in the vehicle?”

“Yes.”

He read her license and then looked at her. “Okay, then, five nine, gray eyes,” he murmured to himself as he wrote.

Kate waited while he studied her face. She saw her image reflected in his mirrored sunglasses. Thinking longingly of the lipstick, she wished she hadn’t caught her hair up with a ragged scrunchy, either. It kept the auburn mass out of her face all right, but now it looked like it sprouted out of the top of her head, making her look like Pebbles.

“Thank you… miss. Here’s your license. From New York, are you?”

She looked at him. “Yes.”

“Well, ma’am, welcome to Texas.”
~~~~
REVIEW:
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Read
By J. Thomas “The Long and the Short Of It Reviews”

In The Stars at Night Ms. Yeary uproots her heroine, Kate Norwood, from all that is familiar and plunks her down in Texas. Kate is looking for Ray McCoy, her nephew’s father, but instead she meets his brother Jesse. From the first emotional sparks fly, and then with her usual skill Ms. Yeary weaves in misinformation, betrayals, blackmail, and substance abuse, to name but a few of the conflicts her hero and heroine face. Both are strong characters with responsible jobs, and yet when it matters most, their demons and uncertainties hold them back from expressing themselves. Both are caring and family orientated, even though the heroine denies this.

In The Stars at Night the author offers strong believable characters, a charming and yet complex story and a beautiful setting. Into this mix she throws in secondary characters, all of whom in their own ways, makes life difficult for Jesse and Kate, and Kate’s adorable nephew, Nicky. There were a couple of scene changes that lacked the author’s usual smooth touch and had me floundering for a couple of moments before picking up the new setting, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from moving forward. Ms. Yeary’s skilled word-smithing and vivid descriptions of her beloved Texas, paint an amazing picture of the scenery and environment.

The Stars at Night is a poignant, charming story that held my attention from start to finish, with a reluctant break for sleep.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 9:10 am and is filed under Books/Short Stories, Contests, Diane's Posts, Excerpts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.