ACCIDENTAL FATE is released today!

Celebrate the release of Accidental Fate with me...

An excerpt:


Green light. Let’s go, people. The traffic in the Liberty Tunnel inched forward. Almost there. She had to finish the interview and get to her mom’s biopsy in time.

Mia Simon had just taken her foot off the brake when a loud thud at the rear of her car propelled her forward with a jolt, slammed her body forward against the seat belt, and echoed off the concrete walls of the tunnel. She raised her eyes to the mirror to see the car behind her up against her back bumper. Lovely.

Her jaw clenched, but she accepted the situation for what it was. My car frame had better not be bent.

Because there was no shoulder in the tunnel, she waited until she exited to find a place to pull over.

She stopped in the maintenance crew area and checked to make sure the car behind her followed. It did. The heavy Lincoln halted beside her. No wonder the hit had been solid. His car outweighed hers by a landslide.

She ignored him as he exited his car and checked the damage at the rear of her Toyota. Three holes that matched the pattern of the bolts from his front license plate gaped in her bumper, but she couldn’t detect any other obvious damage. Irritation raced neck and neck with nobility and won by a photo finish. There was one little problem—she didn’t want three holes in her bumper.
Her brow creased.

Even so, she was seriously considering just living with it. She’d appreciate it if someone did the same for her if, God forbid, she was ever in this situation. Her car wasn’t brand new anymore. It would be a shame if his insurance rate went up because of some teeny little marks. She’d like to be forgiving, but Mia wasn’t even sure if her frame could have been bent when he hit her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. His deep voice sent a tiny thrill of excitement racing up her spine.

"I’m fine."

They stood looking at each other for a moment. He towered over her by at least six inches. An angular jaw sported twin clefts underneath strong cheekbones, and a neatly trimmed goatee enhanced dark eyes that mirrored her surprise.

Mia broke eye contact and turned her gaze to hide her reaction to his voice. She bent down slightly to inspect the damage again. He squatted next to her. There were no scratches or dents—only three round holes.

"I’m sorry. Those are from my car."

Had she been less annoyed, she may have taken a bit more time to appreciate the deep timbre of his masculine tone. Instead her irritation level rose. Do I look like a moron?

Mia bit back the words just before they escaped and straightened from her car. After she reminded herself that she was more than a little stressed with being late for an interview, worrying about her mother, and now getting rear-ended, she faced the man who’d added insult to injury by talking to her as if she were an idiot. The alternate retort she’d planned died on her lips when she looked into his deep brown eyes. A warning signal flared at the back of her mind, apprehension settled in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t need physical attraction complicating the situation.

His tight smile didn’t hide the fullness of his lips, and narrowed eyes indicated the tension lurking within him. The fact that his handsome features creased with concern did nothing to detract from his magnetism. Goose bumps raised on the back of her neck, her pulse quickened.

She sighed mentally and pulled her thoughts away from him. It wouldn’t do to become infatuated with the man who had smacked into the back of her car. In fact, at thirty-seven, it wouldn’t do for her to be infatuated with any man.

Mia forced herself to remain levelheaded and walked to the other side of her car to clear her thoughts. That’s when she noticed that the weight of his car had been enough to push her bumper forward into the right, rear quarter-panel by a good two inches. Well, that answered the question of what to do. She couldn’t afford to eat those kinds of damages.

"This will need to be repaired. I’ll need your information," she said.

Without a word, he joined her and looked at where she pointed. While he examined the bumper, she checked her watch. Yep, she was going to be late all right. Joe Detective was taking his good old time perusing the damages. She was sure he hadn’t noticed the extent of them until then either.

He stood looking at the damage for a moment. Her heart turned over in her chest when she saw fear and anguish in the depths of his eyes. His shoulders dropped almost imperceptibly. He bent to survey the damage and then walked back to her. She could tell from the chiseled set of his jaw that he accepted his guilt, but there was something else there too. Was it fear that tightened his lips? She wanted to reassure him that she wasn’t looking for quick cash. She just wanted her car fixed.

Easy now. You don’t even know him.

"I’ll get my information," he said. "And I’ll take yours, too." He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but instead he walked to his car with a somber expression.

Of course, he’d take her information. A flash of uneasiness ran along Mia’s spine. It was the sensible thing to do, yet something about the process bothered her. What was wrong with her? Of course, she’d have to give him her information. For someone who’d tried to cultivate an embittered heart as hard as she had, a maddening soft spot still lurked and surfaced at the most inopportune moments. Moments such as this one. She’d work on it.

He came back from his car carrying a small plastic folder the size of a billfold.
He drew in a breath and studied her as he approached. His mouth opened but before he could say anything Mia’s cell phone vibrated. She checked the number and confirmed it was her boss. Not now, Walter. She punched the silence button.

Joe Detective closed in on her. "I’d like to ask if you would consider one thing."

Mia mentally rolled her eyes.

He handed the folder to her. As she began to write the necessary information on her notepad, he spoke in that deep sexy voice. "I would like to ask if you would consider allowing me to be billed directly for the repairs. I know of several body shops around the city. You could pick any of them and check them out to your satisfaction."

Mia raised her eyes to meet his and awareness hit her square in the gut. She really didn’t need this. They looked at each other, and the world stood still. The traffic noises faded, and Mia only heard the voice of his body chemistry speaking to her on a much deeper level. Much deeper.

"They’re all reputable places that I’ve dealt with through the business I own."

His words broke the spell.

With a slight tremor in her hand, she finished writing his name and address—he lived in nice neighborhood. The name of the company was in bold print on the insurance card. South Hills Limousine Company. Austin Turner, Owner/Operator. He owns a limousine company? No wonder he wanted to keep his insurance out of the picture.

Double damn for her.

It wasn’t going to be easy to stay tough when she was feeling sorry for him. He probably had his share of dealing with people who would just as soon take advantage of him than to give him a fair shake. He probably thought she was going to milk him for whatever she could get. She calmed her conflicting thoughts and reminded herself she actually had no idea what he was thinking, or what the motivation behind his actions included.

Her pencil paused above her notepad. She propped her elbow on the car and leaned her head into her other hand. She just wanted her car fixed.

"They do excellent work, and your car would be repaired with all new parts—"

She heard the words, but empathy shoved suspicion aside and she saw a different story with her heart. In his eyes sorrow mixed with concern and a trace of fear. He looked sickened over the situation.

"—and completely to your satisfaction. All I ask is that you take it to someone I trust not to take advantage of the repairs," he concluded.

A little voice of doubt screamed in the back of her mind. What if he didn’t pay? What if the auto body person is no good?

She needed time to think. Mia knew what it felt like to be taken advantage of, and she’d never do that to anyone. But why did being fair mean she had to take a chance with her own financial security? She struggled to keep the plastic on the folder from closing. There were still details she needed to copy. She pressed the folder flat onto the trunk of her car. Concentration eluded her, and the words blurred. Mia felt as though her world had been turned upside down.

A large hand passed by her peripheral vision.

"I’ll hold it for you," he offered gently.



Accidental Fate is available now at The Wild Rose Press.

Stop by later this week to check out the story behind the scenes. I'll share some interesting facts and talk a little about the way Accidental Fate became a story.

I'll even share a little about who inspired my Hero in Accidental Fate. :) Hint: He owns a limousine company in Pittsburgh...

Until then, I hope you enjoy my latest release!

Lee

Btw, don't forget to stop by The Wild Rose Press blog and check out the latest buzz from the authors!

Why do songs get stuck in our head?

You can't stop it. You wish you could. You want to. And yet...it just keeps playing. Over and over and over again. The same repetitive song.

Ever wonder why that jingle won't stop replaying? I had a really neat class called Sensation and Perception at Pitt last spring that got me thinking about a few questions like this and more.

It seems research shows that the repetitive part has a lot to do with it in more ways than one.

Our brains naturally gravitate to patterns. In fact, our brains tend to fill in missing pieces of patterns, and glean comfort from repeating familiar jingles over, and over, and over again. In fact, advertisers and musicians sometimes take advantage of this knowledge by deliberately creating songs with distinctive patterns.

This technique can backfire though. How many times have you just plain become sick and tired of a song? Or worse, how often do you remember the jingle, but have no idea what the advertisement was for? For example, how many of us really remember which restaurant that "I want my baby back ribs" tune plugged? And yet the tune lives on. Hint: Is it cold in here? Answer at the end of this post, lol.

Just call those annoying jingles "Comfort food for our brains", lol.

James Kellaris, a consumer psychologist at the University of Cincinnati says,

"Having a song, tune, or commercial jingle stuck in one's head is a phenomenon known as having an earworm. Most people have had an earworm at one time. The experience is harmless and unrelated to both obsessive-compulsive disorder and endomusia, the hearing of music that is not really there. Certain songs—simple, repetitive, or oddly incongruous—have properties that act as mental mosquito bites in that they produce a cognitive "itch." The condition also arises when people struggle to remember forgotten lyrics or how a song ends. To scratch a cognitive itch, the brain repeats the song, which then traps the hapless victim in a repeated cycle of itching and scratching. Everyone has his or her own list of demon tunes that haunt. Earworms occur more often among women, musicians, and individuals who tend to worry. Earworms also vary across situations, striking when people are tired or under stress. How can you make an earworm go away? Thinking of something else or actually listening to the song in question are thought to help, but there is presently no research evidence showing what works best. Fortunately, most episodes eventually dissipate on their own."

Personally, I've found that bringing the jingle to the front of my thoughts, or in other words, placing it deliberately in my conscious thoughts, can help. Once I bring the song to a conscious level in my thoughts and actively think about it, letting it play out naturally, I give the tune an ending. I literally add a definite musical ending to the version in my head, whether it's a drum beat, or whatever, it's a definite musical end to the song. I focus on the ending, and then listen to the momentary silence in my head, noting consciously that the song has indeed ended. I then pull my thoughts to other topics that I want to focus on, and move forward, consciously giving closure to jingle now laying peacefully at rest, and focusing on new thoughts.

This isn't always easy. Once in a while, when I'm rushed, or distracted, it will take me a couple of tries, but when I focus and get it right, it works beautifully for me.

Take control of your brain, lol. You can do it.

For more information on this subject and others, check out Discover magazine. It's a really cool place to explore and learn.

Have a great day!

Lee


Question of the day: Which restaurant did the jingle "I want my baby back ribs" jingle plug?
Answer: Chili's

From Wikipedia:
The song was written by Guy Bommarito and produced by Tom Faulkner for GSD&M Advertising of Austin, Texas.

Advertising Age magazine named the song first on its list of "10 songs most likely to get stuck in your head" in 2004.[4]

Summer events

It's hard to believe it's July already. I'm busier this summer than I'd planned, but I'm getting a lot accomplished.

I tackled a summer class at Pitt in May and June hoping to knock out a few more credits and finish up early. It worked out well because most of it was when my son was still in school and I was able to get precious study time in during the day. (Evenings can be tough on my concentration level when my little tornado is home.)

The workload was intense, as those type of condensed classes tend to be, but after working hard and putting in the hours of study time, guess what?

I got an A!

And boy did it feel great. Onward...

I was going to knock out another class in the second six-week session, but I had an unexpected loss of funds that nearly left me unable to pay for even the first class (and summer classes at Pitt sure aren't cheap). Thank goodness for family and friends. I ate light for a bit, but I guess I needed to lose a few pounds anyway.

Everything worked out okay though. As a friend pointed out, I'd be studying right now if I'd taken that second class. The second six-week session is currently in progress, but now that I'm truly on summer break, I'm enjoying some quality time with my son, and with family and friends.

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Pittsburgh. We're heading to the pool.

ACCIDENTAL FATE will be released in just under three weeks now!

Have a great day,
Lee