First Kiss
By
Bernadette Marie
Genre:
Romance/Contemporary
Release
Date: October 2012
Purchase
link : www.5princebooks.com/buy.htm
First
Kiss
Promises
made as children have a funny way of working themselves into reality when fate
is orchestrated for them as adults.
Olivia
Baker wants the best life for her young son, and that meant raising him in the
small town she grew up in, but where her past still haunts her and rumors drip
from the tongues of the local gossips.
Cade
Carter moved away from Aspen Creek the moment they handed him his high school
diploma. Now a washed up ex-professional football player he’s headed back after
his father’s death to settle the estate of the man he’d left and forgotten
about.
The
friendship Cade and Olivia shared so many years ago is just now a haunting
memory. People changed and moved on. Secrets were kept and loved ones around
them buried with them. But when they are thrown back together to face the reasons
their friendship faltered, and forces greater than them are in charge, anything
can happen with the person whom they shared their First Kiss with.
About the author:
Bernadette
Marie has been an avid writer since the early age of 13, when she’d fill
notebook after notebook with stories that she’d share with her friends.
Her journey into novel writing started the summer before eighth grade when her
father gave her an old typewriter. At all times of the day and night you
would find her on the back porch penning her first work, which she would
continue to write for the next 22 years.
In
2007 – after marriage, filling her chronic entrepreneurial needs, and having
five children – Bernadette began to write seriously with the goal of being
published. That year she wrote 12 books. In 2009 she was
contracted for her first trilogy and the published author was born. In
2011 she (being the entrepreneur that she is) opened her own publishing house,
5 Prince Publishing, and has released contemporary titles and began the process
of taking on other authors in other genres.
In
2012 Bernadette Marie found herself on the bestsellers lists of iTunes and
Amazon to name a few. Her office wall is lined with colorful PostIt notes
with the titles of books she will be releasing in the very near future, with
hope that they too will grace the bestsellers lists.
Bernadette
spends most of her free time driving her kids to their many events. She
is also an accomplished martial artist who will earn her conditional second
degree black belt in Tang Soo Do in October 2012. An avid reader, she
enjoys most, the works of Nora Roberts, Karen White, Megan Hart, to name a few.
She loves to meet readers who enjoy reading contemporary romances and she
always promises Happily Ever After.
Author
Contact Info:
@writesromance
on Twitter
Excerpt
from First Kiss:
There
was a chill in the air, even in June. Cade Carter rolled the windows up on his
Porsche as he began his decent into the valley. The mountains of Colorado could
deliver any unprepared traveler an array of weather to cope with, and it could
change without warning in a matter of moments.
Though
the higher peaks still boasted snow, he’d found the entire, long and boring
trip from Green Bay, Wisconsin, to be fairly dry. Cade had considered driving
his Bronco to Aspen Creek, but he’d needed the speed of the sports car and
Ashley had needed it to move.
He
glanced at his Rolex for the sixth time in the past half hour. He was going to
be late.
Who
was he kidding. He’d had no intentions
of getting to his own father’s funeral on time.
Had it not been for Ashley, he’d have blown it off all together. But no.
The words still rang in his ears.
“You have to go. He was your
father. He loved you. You owe
him…”
Cade
gripped the steering wheel tighter. He
did owe him the decency to be at his funeral, because Cade Carter had been the
worst son, and he knew it.
The
first sign that would alert drivers to the small town of Aspen Creek was coming
up on his right. A left would take him over
the next hill to the elite ski resort town of Aspen Hills. The road he veered down would drop him into
small town hell.
As
the deep groves of Aspen trees thinned he could see the small town at the
bottom of the valley. Each street was
visible, the cars looked small, and the town stood there as if someone had
taken a picture of it fifty years earlier, not one thing had changed. He did see a 7-11 sign peeking above the
buildings. Corporate America had moved
in. That was new. At least he’d know what the coffee tasted like.
He
could see City Park in the center of town.
The grass was green. Green’s
Market had the most cars in the parking lot and Sloan’s Diner must have just
finished with their lunch crowd.
Aspen
Creek rolled along the sides of town and under the Rose Bridge. It was fast,
unforgiving, and cold all year long.
He’d had his share of dunks in that water, some on purpose, some not.
Beyond the bridge and the white rapids of the river that rushed through town
with its new melt off he could see the street where he’d grown up, where his
father had lived, and where he’d fallen in love as a young boy.
Cade
pulled the car to the shoulder of the narrow road and slammed it into
park. He lifted his sunglasses from his
eyes and rubbed them. He hadn’t been
back to Aspen Creek in twelve years.
Long had been forgotten the sentiments of home, like people knowing your
name, and not because you were some famous football player, but because you
were Austin Carter’s son. High school football games, swimming in Aspen Creek,
and the girl next door were things a man forgot about when he was an M.V.P.
He
blew out a long, ragged breath. The comforts of a sports car were limited to
the power of the engine on a man Cade’s size.
He tried to stretch his legs, but to no avail. If he didn’t get out and walk around soon
he’d be paralyzed in the car seat. Just
another thing he deserved he supposed.
Career killing injuries were just another daily reminder that he was
lucky to be alive, even if he now stood on the sidelines and basked in the
glory of what used to be.
It
was easy for the team to cut him loose when he was no longer able to perform.
The position needed to be filled by someone younger and able to play. He was
just a washed up has-been now who’d collected his payout.
Adjusting
his sunglasses back on his face, he put the car back into drive. He had demons to face and he’d better just
get it over with. Ashley was
housesitting in Green Bay and Cade was expected back in three days. He couldn’t imagine closing out his father’s
life could take longer than that.
Olivia
Baker sat in the cemetery alone, next to the new grave and sobbed. The funeral had been small, but Austin had
kept to himself for the past two years.
She wasn’t sure everyone had even heard he’d passed. She wiped her eyes. No, they all knew he’d died. He’d died right in her arms and that had
gotten the attention of the local gossips.
The
casket had been lowered, the chairs had been collected, and now the only man
she’d ever cherished lay beneath the mound of red Colorado soil with a spray of
wilting flowers atop it. It didn’t seem
dignified enough.
Her
jaw clenched when she looked at the few bouquets and sprays that still lingered
near the grave. Not one of them had
Cade’s name on it.
Damn
him anyway.
What
kind of son didn’t even make it to the funeral of the man who raised him? The kind like Cade Carter.
The
arrogant, self-centered bastard probably had some pressing football engagement
and couldn’t be bothered with his father’s passing. Some dry-cleaners probably needed him to cut
their big obnoxious grand-opening ribbon with an oversized pair of scissors,
and to Cade that would have always been more important than respecting his
father.
Olivia
noticed she’d twisted the head off a carnation at her fingertips. She unclasped her hands and looked beyond the
new grave to the one next to it.
CONNER
CARTER.
Looking
at the name written in stone sent chills up her spine. She looked away. She wondered if anyone at all had come to
that funeral. She hadn’t. She’d been tucked away safely in Grand
Junction, again, when Conner had died.
She was sure Austin had paid to bury him and had splurged for the
headstone too. And she couldn’t help but
wonder if guilt over Conner’s death had in some way contributed to Austin’s
death.
Just
beyond the gate to the cemetery she could hear the sound of tires on the
gravel. It didn’t phase her. Neither did her responsibilities at the bank. Her boss Parker Woods had told her to take
her time and that was what she was doing.
She was in no condition to head back to town and act professional.
Tears
streaked down her face from under her dark sunglasses, and she let them fall.
The
hole in her heart from Austin’s absence ached and she wondered if she’d get
over her loss. Her son Gabe would never
remember the man she adored and loved.
He’d never know how much Austin Carter cherished him and loved him.
Olivia
squeezed her eyes shut tight. Would she
miss Austin everyday when she looked into Gabe’s eyes and saw the resemblance?
She
wiped away the tears and then noticed that the driver of the car, which had
parked in the lot had walked across the gravel and stood only a few feet from
her. She did what she could to compose
herself. After all, she owed it to Austin
to be gracious and welcoming to his mourners.
Olivia
pushed herself up from the ground, brushed off her black skirt, and turned
toward the person standing behind her.
There
was an uneasiness that settled in Cade’s gut when he saw the mound of dirt before
him. Could guilt kill a man of his
stature?
The
woman who had been sitting at his father’s grave stood before him, her elegant
black dress covered in dust, but she didn’t seem to mind.
He
swallowed hard. “Is this Austin Carter’s grave?”
The
woman shook her head more in an effort to convey disgust than to signal that he
was in the wrong place. “Why did you
even bother?”
“I
beg your pardon.”
“Why
show up now, Cade? You couldn’t even
give him the decency of being here on time?”
“I…”
he had no answers. Besides who was she
to be criticizing him?
Cade
examined the lean, yet curvy woman in the well-worn dress who stood before him.
Her hair was pulled back and dark glasses covered her eyes. Little gold bands adorned each of her ring
fingers, so she could have been someone’s wife.
Hell, he’d grown up in the town, maybe he did know her. But still, what he did to get the funeral on
time, or not, was not her concern.
“I
guess you know me. Who might you be?”
The
woman opened her mouth, and then shut it again.
Instead of answering she picked her purse up off the ground and searched
inside. She pulled out a business card
and handed it to him. “I’m the one in
charge of closing out your father’s estate.”
With
that, she started off to the parking lot and he watched. Back in town five minutes and he was already
pissing off the women there.
He
ran his hand over the back of his neck and looked at the card as the woman sped
away down the hill toward town.
Olivia
Baker, Vice President Aspen Creek Bank.
His
head shot back up and the air in his lungs escaped him.
A
man could drive into town, and the girl next door, whom he’d fallen in love
with as a child, could hand him a card with her name on it and he didn’t even
recognize her.
Suddenly
the aches and pains in his leg, from his brush with death, didn’t hurt as bad
when he was faced with a woman scorned and a week in small town hell.
What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
Creating! I love the whole process of building characters in
my mind and portraying them, hopefully correctly, on the pages as their stories
are told.
What genre(s) do you write?
I love to write Contemporary Romance. However, I do have some paranormal in my
future.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Not falling asleep at the keyboard. I’m blessed with constant flow in my mind…but
my eyes won’t always stay open for me.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Total pantser! Nothing
is planned when I sit down.
Why do you think people should choose your books over
another author?
I think my voice is very natural. I don’t try too hard. My
characters talk normal and their situations aren’t out of the ordinary.
What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of
your stories?
I hope they have a sense of I NEED MORE! But aside from that
I promise happily ever after and I deliver on that. I want to walk away from a
book and feel good for days.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to
grasp?
I suppose it would be, if you look around you you’ll notice
exactly what you need.
How long have you been a writer?
I have been a writer since I was 13, but have been published
since 2010
How much time did it take from writing your first book to
having it published?
My very first book is not published…it’s hidden. However, the book that was first pubbed was
penned with 12 others in 2007. I was on fire. So it didn’t take long to write.
I received my first contract in December 2009 and the book was launched in
April 2010.
What other careers have you had?
I never give up a good career. SO I’m still doing data entry,
I still run a salon—only now it is in my basement. I teach anyone anything they
want to know from writing to karate.
Do you write under more than one name? Why?
I only write under Bernadette Marie, which is my given name.
Are any of your characters based on real people or events?
After a while I found that my characters took on traits of
other people. As for events, they are
modern day, so that keeps the events current.
What’s something fans would find fascinating about you?
As of October 2012 I will be a 2nd degree black
belt momma! I have 5 sons (2 of them are 2nd degree black belts, 2
are conditional black belts and one is a high red.) We kick butt in this house!
What else would you like readers to know about you or your
work?
That I put my heart into every story I write. Sure I have
been accused of being predictable, but with happily ever after that part is predictable…but
the journey is the fun part.
What books or authors have most influenced your life?
By far Nora Roberts has influenced me the most. Next would be
Karen White, she was the one that took me out of the box of 3rd
person always. And Megan Hart…well, I didn’t know an erotic story could change
your life! She’s amazing and none of these ladies are a waste of time or money
to read. BUT early on it was Sidney
Sheldon that got me reading and made me want to write. When I knew it was
romance that I enjoyed the most then it was Danielle Steel
How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or
writing venture in general?
There isn’t one family member or friend who isn’t 100%
supportive of my adventure into writing! They are all amazing supports!
Where are you from?
Born and raised in colorful Colorado!
How do you come up with the titles?
This is a blessing to me…they are just there in my head!
Has your life changed significantly since becoming a
published writer?
I’ve certainly had to learn to take personal compliments! As
a writer you can change people’s lives with your words. It’s powerful. Other
than that I’m still doing what I love and in the middle of that I’m driving my
kids around, trying to clean the house, and kicking butt in karate. That’s the best part about being an
author. The book is out there now doing
the work.
Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?
Multi-task to a fault!
When not writing, how do you relax?
I’m always writing…so I must be sleeping if I’m relaxing!
3 comments:
Yay, Bernadette! I'm so happy for you! Woman, I don't know how you manage to wear so many hats! I am in constant awe of your accomplishments and ability to keep churning out stories. I wish much more continued success with this series!
Thank you Ann for having me today!
You're very welcome =)
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