Excerpt Monday - From Matchmaking Amusement in the BeMused Anthology

Isolde turned to look and discovered a tall, male muse with an upturned nose and shamrock green eyes -- a pixie muse! He had long, soft brown hair with chestnut highlights and his skin tone was a little darker than most muses, bordering on olive. He had such a rich, inviting smile it warmed her to her bones. She nibbled on her lower lip for a second, realizing he must also recognize her as a pixie muse, took a breath, and flashed him a smile.

"Ah, no."

"You looked a little overwhelmed. Want some help?"

"Sure."

He offered his hand, palm up, in the traditional muse greeting. "I'm Tristan."

She put her hand on his and a zip of warm tingles pulsed up her arm. "I'm Isolde."

He chuckled. "Uncanny. What namesakes we have -- ancient lovers with a passionate story."

Scarlett Johansson, inspiration for "Isolde."
She felt her cheeks prickle. "It was a passionate story."

"Well, you have a lovely name."

"Thank you," said Isolde.

"Ah, so, do you have a hotel?"

"The Wittelsbach."

"I'm there, too." He paused, his lips curving into a sweet smile. "Want to share a cab?"

Isolde loved his friendly demeanor, and his classical pixie looks warmed her to her toes. She wiggled them to make sure they were still tingling.

He pointed to the cab platform and Isolde fell in step beside him. "Are you here on vacation?" he asked.

"Yes."

"How did you hear about this place?"

"Well, my human wrote about it in her last book so I thought I'd check it out," replied Isolde.

They stepped out into the crisp German air. The scent of fresh cut grass made Isolde's wings hum with excitement under her clothes. The sky was cerulean blue without a cloud in the sky, and the sun was as warm as an apple tart pulled right out of the oven. What a lovely place Berchtesgaden was.

They stepped up to the platform and Tristan flagged down a cab.

Isolde helped him load the bags in the back while the cab driver waited in the front seat.

Chace Crawford, inspiration for "Tristan"
"So, you've never been?" he asked.

"Nope."

"I was here once when my writer was in the military. It's lovely. If you want, I can show you around."

"You hardly know me," said Isolde.

He shut the trunk and looked directly at her. His warm, penetrating gaze shot through her heart like an arrow on fire. "But I'd like to get to know you."

Except Monday - from the Be Mused Anthology, "Matchmaking Amusements"

Be Mused is available now through Desert Breeze Publishing.

Muses are fickle creates, sprinkling inspiration on their wards as they see fit.

They live in a world just right of center from ours, and to them, we're just the day job. Muses need lives too, you know.

Enjoy this collection of stories compiled by several authors at Desert Breeze Publishing that will give you some insight into the world of the ethereal creatures who inspire the arts.

Contributing authors:
J. Morgan
Katie Charles
Stephanie Burkhart
Nicole Zoltack
Sandra Sookoo

Excerpt from my story, "Matchmaking Amusement."


Isolde jumped on top of the monitor, her wings beating fast. "Alexi slides off the cliff. John offers his hand. Alexi spits on him and lets go, falling to his death."
"Perfect!" cried Jane. Isolde grinned with pride. Jane's fingers typed so fast, Isolde thought she was watching a NASCAR race. Jane dramatically paused and then typed the last two words slowly. "The end."
Isolde jumped off the monitor and did a happy dance on the maps. "You did it!"
"I'm going to send it off to Gus and wait for his edits."
Isolde stopped dancing, pointed a finger at her human and winked. "While you edit, I’m taking a vacation."
"A vacation? You can't leave now!"
"Why not? There's a difference between editing and writing."
"But—"
"No buts. I've spent eleven months on this project. I need a vacation."
"Where will you go?" asked Jane.
"Ah, I think I'll check out this Berchtesgaden where the book ends at."
Jane pouted. "You can't wait until I’m done with these edits?"
Isolde touched her shoulders with her fingers. "My job is done."
Jane wrinkled her nose. "I guess. Have fun. Send me a postcard. When are you going to leave?"
"Tomorrow."
Jane sighed and leaned forward, smelling the lilacs.

****

Here's a link to Matchmaking Amusements Book Teaser on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxZASQSddfM

Here's a Buy link to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Be-Mused-Muse-ing-Anthology-ebook/dp/B003EV5SWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1271079794&sr=1-1

Here's a Buy link to Desert Breeze:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-73/Be-Mused--dsh--%3Ci%3EAn/Detail.bok

Promo Wednesday - Be Mused

I'm very excited. The Be Mused anthology releases tomorrow with Desert Breeze. Here's an excerpt from my Story, "Matchmaking Amusements." Jane meets Antonio. Enjoy!

*****

"So, Ms. Ryan, would you like to go out to lunch?"

Jane glanced at her wristwatch and groaned. "I'm ten minutes late for a meeting with my editor."

He raised a curious eyebrow. "You're a writer?"

"Yes."
Sandra Bullock, my inspiration for Jane


"So am I."

Jane's smile broadened. Adonis was a writer! "Well, ah, I'd like to have lunch with you, but I – oh, heck. Let me call Gus and reschedule."

"Your editor won't be mad?"

"I'm sure he'll be upset, but he'll reschedule." She paused. "I scare him."

"You do?"
David Ponce, my inspiration for Antonio


"He's 5'6," said Jane. Thank God Adonis was taller than her.

"Ah, that explains it," said Antonio, grinning.

Jane reached into her purse and dialed a number on her cell phone, rescheduling her meeting for tomorrow. Then she spied Isolde sitting on the flower cart next to a male muse. They were holding hands and grinning from ear to ear. A male muse? Antonio's muse, perhaps? Holding hands? What was Isolde up to? Jane flashed her muse a disapproving grin. Isolde looked like a cat caught in the middle of a flower garden.








***
Be Mused will be available at the Desert Breeze Publishing website, The Amazon Kindle store, and All Romance Books - tomorrow!

*Isolde does the happy dance!*
Smiles
Steph

Excerpt Monday - Jane & Antonio from "Be Mused" Available 1 APR

The Be Mused Anthology is a collection of 5 lighthearted short stories about muses, their writers, and love. My story in the anthology is called, "Matchmaking Amusement."


The Set up:
In this scene, Isolde, Jane's muse, made Jane sneeze. Jane tripped and fell - right into Antonio's arms.

*********


Jane fell into the strong arms of the man walking behind her. Then she looked into his soft hazel eyes and smiled. "Ah, hi."

"Hi," he replied, his voice deep and rich.

Sandra Bullock, my inspiration for "Jane Ryan."


Her handsome stranger helped her to her feet. She tried to stand up, but only had on one pump and stumbled again – right into Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome. He wrapped his arms around her again. Their eyes caught. Jane's breath hitched. He was Adonis brought to life. He nipped at his lower lip with his teeth as he drank her in.

The urge to kiss those pouty red lips washed over her like a river current. Someone slap her silly. She'd just made a fool out of herself! Slowly, she disengaged from his muscular arms and stepped out of her good pump so she stood flat footed on the ground. "I'm sorry, I seem to have lost my shoe when I sneezed."

He playfully nodded his head as he smiled at her. She knew that type of smile. He was admiring her from head to toe. It had been a while since a man admired her. Two years? Three? Longer?

David Ponce, my inspiration for "Antonio."


"That sounds lame, doesn't it?" she asked.

"A little. I’m Antonio Martinez."

"Jane Ryan."

"It's nice to meet you, Jane," he said.

Jane took a deep breath as she ran her eyes over him. Again. He was older, late thirties, early forties maybe, and he had a grin that could light up a moonless night. She wasn't quite sure what to do next, but she knew she wanted to redeem herself. She didn't want Adonis thinking she was a ditz.

*******

Be Mused will be avail on 1 APR 2010 through Desert Breeze Publishing; http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com, at the Amazon Kindle store, and at all Romance Books