Summer Lovin' Blog Hop: First Kisses

It's time for the Crescent Moon Press Summer Lovin' Blog Hop and I want to welcome everyone who's hopping along on this ride! There are uber-cool prizes to be won - including a Kindle Paperwhite! (Want!) Don't forget to fill out the Rafflecopter! And be sure to visit as many of the blogs as possible for some great stories about summer love... mine is about first kisses...

First kisses and summertime so often go hand-in-hand. The weather heats up, school's out of session, and suddenly the world seems full of endless possibilities.Even after you graduate from college, there's still something about summertime that heats things up.

Do you remember your very first kiss? Or the first kiss you had that you knew - you just knew - would change your life? Sometimes first kisses are planned, strategized with friends and dreamed of for long before they occur.

Sometimes they just happen, and it's like lightning out of the blue.

I remember my first kiss with that special guy who I ended up marrying... It was the beginning of summer, and my friends from college had talked me into going to an alumni night at a local bar in Boston. His friends had dragged him along as well. When he walked into the bar, the girl I was chatting with saw him and said, "See that guy over there? My mother always wanted me to marry him."

I turned to look. It was a guy I kinda knew from college, although he'd graduated a year ahead of me. We had a couple mutual friends. I knew he worked in Boston and had seen him at gatherings and parties, but never thought of him as "boyfriend material" before. I had to ask my friend, "Why? Why him?"

She shrugged. I definitely remember the shrug, although I don't remember her exact answer to my question. I decided to find out for myself. Before the night was over, we had that first kiss, and I knew I'd found something special. Someone special. Twenty years and three kids later, I still love kissing him.

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My new YA novel is about mermaids on Cape Cod, and a fifteen-year-old boy named Shea MacNamara who discovers both his roots and his destiny lie far below the waves. He falls in love with a mermaid... and experiences his first kiss. Here's the scene where she just explained to him who and what he really is, and the complex political manueverings taking place below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

Shea knows that he has feelings for this girl, but the kiss isn't planned, it just kind of happens...

Excerpt from Son of a Mermaid, Crescent Moon Press 2013

“Kae,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “We can’t let this Demyan guy win. There must be something we can do.” Her body shivered under his touch, and he remembered why they’d come upstairs in the first place. “Are you still cold?” he asked as he put his arm around her and hugged her against him. She felt warm against him, her body radiating heat like a bonfire. Her hair smelled of salt air and sunshine.

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“I’m not cold,” she whispered as she shivered again. “Just scared.”

He cupped her cheek with his hand and tipped her face upward, looking down into her wide eyes. “Don’t be,” he whispered back, and kissed her lightly. Her lips were soft and tasted of salt and sweetness, like the saltwater taffy they sold in the center of town. He wound his fingers through her golden locks, her hair silky and fine to his touch like spun sunshine, as he locked his lips more firmly to hers. His heart hammered within his chest, the blood pounding in his ears drowning out the world around them, he felt as though he were tumbling through space…until a sharp bark brought him back to the present and he opened his eyes. Lucky was standing next to the bed, prodding Kae with his black muzzle.

Kae drew away suddenly, her cheeks flaming red once again. “Oh,” she said, jumping to her feet. “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

“Sorry?” Shea stood slowly, his brow knotting with confusion. “What is there to be sorry about?”

“I… I… Maybe we’d better get going. My father will know what to do to help your mother.” She turned abruptly and walked into the hallway. He felt like all the heat had left the room with her, his heart still beat with a rapid, steady sharpness. Sorry? Why would she say that?

Lucky still stood next to Shea. He looked down at the dog and frowned. “Way to go, dog,” he muttered. “Rule number one? Never interrupt a first kiss.”

Lucky gave another sharp bark and wagged his tail.

“Stay here,” Shea commanded as he started to follow Kae. Lucky whined. “No, boy. You’ve done enough.” Shea shut the bedroom door behind him. He heard the dog jump against the door and start to bark, but ignored the sounds. Instead, he followed Kae down the stairs.

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Leave a comment below, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter, and don't forget to hop along to the next blog!

Happy Summer Reading!

Shawna Romkey Author blog
 Constance Phillips, A Writer's Musings
 Katie O'Sullivan Summer Lovin' - On Olympus...
 Kate's Blog
 Kary Rader
 Lindsey R. Loucks
 Summer Lovin', postcards, and maybe bookmarks
 Jody A Kessler Summer Lovin' Mountain Style
  Official Website of Maer Wilson
  Author Jean Murray ~ Wicked Romance Blog
  Summer Lovin' Heat
  Hildie McQueen's Author Site
  Loni Lynne's Blog Site
  Author Avery Olive Blog
  Wendy S. Russo Cindy Young-Turner
  Michelle Clay - The Darkside of Romance
 the Marvelous Misadventures of Mrs. t
 Shannon Eckrich

  a Rafflecopter giveaway