Today we have a
special guest, Sylvia McDaniel, and she is here to tease us with a little
excerpt from her new release Reluctant Santa.
Take it away Sylvia….
The Reluctant
Santa
“His soul is mine,” Devon, the devil's angel, said. He watched
the humans, who were oblivious to his presence, gathered in the sales office.
One of the best things about being an angel was his ability to pop into just
about anywhere and spy on his subjects without their knowledge. He could
observe the humans as if were watching a play and even occasionally act as
director.
A chill wind howled outside the downtown Denver office,
heralding the arrival of winter and the holiday season. The perfect time of
year to increase his soul count. Devon studied his next soul, a brown-haired
young man with expressive brows and a quirky grin. Unbeknownst to him, the
salesman's life meter was about to expire unless he made drastic changes.
“Devon," a voice echoed into the atmosphere before the
being that irritated him the most shimmered into his vision. “Doing a soul
count before he's yours?”
Slowly, an angel materialized, clad from head to toe in a
white leather jacket and white knee-high boots fit snug over white leather pants.
A gold belt around her waist, held a cross that signified sergeant, angel,
first class. Her halo was tilted at a rakish angle. In earth terms, Gabriella
looked hot.
“Whoever is in charge of your wardrobe, I like the changes
they’ve made,” Devon said, letting his eyes rake her until a searing heat
reminded him he was crossing boundaries. "Please tell me they ditched the
boring robes."
With a toss of her blonde hair, her blue eyes flashed,
glinting silver as her brows rose.
“My robes are hardly boring, but no, one of my cases is a
motorcyclist. I'm riding shotgun today, trying to keep him from splattering all
over the highway. The robes kept blowing up in my face, so I found a solution.”
"Nice!" Devon shook his head and forced his eyes
back to the human whose life he'd soon influence. “I thought your promotion at
Easter took you out of the saving souls division.”
Gabriella smiled as the air around her shimmered. Why didn’t
the angels from purgatory patrol get that shimmery essence?
“Devon, we work so…well together” she said, drawing out the
word until he wanted to snap at her. He held onto his temper.
“We're all looking for ways to make quota this time of year.
Only the strongest stay out of the pit, and every time I come up against you, I
lose. But not this time. This one belongs to me,” he announced, staring at the
man whose only interest in life was making money. No family, no girlfriends, no
friends— just work and money.
Gabriella tsked. “Now why would you want to send this poor
man to hell for eternity? He just needs a little coaxing to choose the right
path.”
Devon sighed. “His time is about to expire. I'm here to
collect his soul.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Unless, I can give him some guidance and
save him from evil.”
“Not this time. Heavenly angels may not be able to play
dirty, but I can,” he said, smiling at Gabriella. “And I intend to win this
one.” Gabriella laughed.
"Always so arrogant, Devon." She glanced at their
human. “His case is challenging, but I'm certain I can help him.”
She turned toward Devon, her brows rising. “Playing dirty
landed you where you are now. Why should I expect anything less?”
“How I got here doesn’t matter.
I need this soul,” he snapped. "You make your soul count or the big man
sends you back to the pit to fight and claw your way back for another
chance."
“And Colin McDermott needs to be saved,” Gabriella said,
swirling back to their subject. “I mean, look at the poor man. He has no idea
his priorities are in the wrong place. He's a selfish, greedy man because he's
unloved."
“Love!" Devon exclaimed. "You heavenly angels
think loving someone solves everything.”
Gabriella shook her head at Devon, her blue eyes darkening
with some sort of power. “Even you deserved love, Devon. In fact, if I had been
your angel, I would found someone to show you love. Hopefully, you'd have been
smart enough to grab the lifeline."
“Well, you weren't my angel, and now I'm the big man's soul
catcher.”
“It's simple, Devon. Why would you want to lure more men
into the darkness you already face?” she asked.
Devon clenched his fist, struggling to control the
frustration that spiraled through him. Hell was not a place anyone planned on
going. “The pit!" he said. "Let’s just concentrate on the human.”
"I already was." She contemplated Colin McDermott.
“He's quite handsome with those long, sandy lashes and sparkling honey eyes. If
I were human, one look and he’d melt my heart.”
“Women on earth know he's not a good risk. I could wrap this
case up before Christmas, if you weren't here."
“Too bad. I'm here to keep you from destroying him,” she
said, giving him a stern frown. “The poor soul has no idea of what he's about
to face. I'm sure you’ve got some nasty surprises in store for him, some hard
to resist temptations. But hopefully, with my guidance, he'll make the changes
his life needs.”
Devon shook his
head. “No, by Christmas he’ll be mine. Count on it."
About the author:
Sylvia McDaniel and the love of her life, Don, live in Texas
with son Shane, Putz the klutzy dachshund and Ashley our shy dachshund. During
the day, she works for a small insurance agency, helping clients with their
commercial insurance coverage.
The weekends are spent working out in the garden until the
temperature climbs above ninety degrees. Recently, with the help of her husband,
she learned to make homemade blueberry and blackberry jam. Cooking is not her favorite
past-time and she prefers Don’s cooking any day of the week.
Currently, she’s written fourteen novels. Her novel, A Hero's Heart, was a 1996 Romance
Writers of America Golden Heart finalist. Sylvia is President Elect of Dallas
Area Romance Authors.
She can be reached by email at Sylvia.McDaniel@verizon.net.
Website http://www.sylviamcdaniel.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/writersylvia
Amazon Version
Sylvia
McDaniel and her very supportive husband Don, the love of her life, live in
Texas with son Shane, Putz the klutzy dachshund and Ashley our shy dachshund.
During the day, she works for a small insurance agency, helping clients with
their commercial insurance coverage. The weekends are spent working out in the
garden until the temperature climbs above ninety degrees. Currently, she's
written fourteen novels. Her novel, A Hero's Heart, was a 1996 Golden Heart
Finalist. Sylvia is the President Elect of Dallas Area Romance Authors.Contest:
Sylvia is giving one lucky person an ebook copy of Reluctant Santa. Just leave a comment along with your email address to be entered. Contest ends December 23rd. Remember no email address your entry will not be counted.
I enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteSylvia