Happy Book Birthday to S.C. Stephens and her latest book, Under the Northern Lights! To help celebrate I have a guest piece from the author herself as well as a sneak peek from Under the Northern Lights, a Giveaway for her book and a $25 Amazon Giftcard!! Happy reading and good luck.
Author: S.C. Stephens
Release Date: April 30, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
Mallory Reynolds is a driven woman fueled by her passion for photographing wild animals in remote locations. Every year she makes a trek deep into Alaska, but this time the unthinkable happens: she crash-lands after her plane stalls out in a storm. Injured, vulnerable, and threatened by the very creatures she loves, Mallory fears the worst—until she’s rescued by Michael Bradley, a mysterious mountain man living in self-imposed exile. Mallory is grateful for Michael’s help but desperate to return home to let her family know she’s alive. Unfortunately, neither of them can leave Michael’s secluded cabin until spring. Mallory’s stuck with a stranger for months. As Mallory recovers, a deep bond begins to form between the pair. Mallory is convinced that fate brought them together, but Michael is buried in his past, unable to move forward. Undaunted, Mallory tends to Michael’s heart as tenderly as he cared for her wounds—but will her love be enough to heal him?
Guest Post: Cabin Fever - Finding Love in
the Wilderness
My latest book, Under the Northern
Lights, is about Mallory Reynolds, a driven, passionate woman who is
pursuing her dream of photographing wild animals in remote locations. On the
way to her favorite spot in the Alaskan wilderness, the unthinkable happens—the
engine on her plane stalls and she crashes. Mallory survives the crash only to
find herself injured with limited supplies and no hope of returning home. Just
when all seems lost, Michael Bradley, a mysterious mountain man, comes to her
rescue.
Planning on being in the wild for just a
couple of weeks, Mallory only brings a few important items with her into the
wilderness—a gun for protection, survival gear, a limited amount of food, her
cross necklace for her faith, and her most prized possession, her camera. After
realizing that she’s going to be spending the entire winter in a secluded cabin
with a stranger, she probably wishes she’d brought a few more items along with
her. Things like a high-powered rifle, a chainsaw, a snow mobile, a lot more
food, and even better—a satellite phone.
Excerpt: Under
the Northern Lights
We both heard a loud clatter outside.
Michael instantly snapped to his feet, his face intently focused as he listened
for further sounds of trouble; he had no human neighbors to speak of, so things
were generally silent here.
Fearful curiosity was killing me, and I was
dying to ask him if he knew what was out there, but I didn’t want to disrupt
his concentration. And it turned out I didn’t need to ask. Seconds later, I
heard the deep, resonant, unmistakable growl of a bear.
Michael turned my way, his expression
serious. “Stay here.”
He grabbed his high-powered hunting rifle,
and my heart started thudding. Was he nuts? If there was a hungry bear out
there, we should be barricading the cabin, not going out into the wilderness.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Lips twisted in a frown, he told me, “All
our food is out there, our meat. If I let the bear destroy it, we’ll have
nothing to get us through the winter.”
I knew he was right, but still, I was
terrified. “Okay … I’ll help.” I grabbed my gun and checked it for bullets. It
wasn’t as powerful a rifle as Michael’s, but it might hurt the bear enough that
it would change its mind about gorging on our food stash. Or it might just piss
it off.
Studying my gun, Michael shook his head.
“No, stay in here—guard the cabin.”
His answer made me frown. “The bulk of the
food isn’t in here. There’s nothing to guard.”
His eyes softened then. “Yes … there is
something to guard.”
My cheeks heated when I realized he meant
me. “Be careful,” I whispered.
“Always am,” he stated; then he darted out
the door.
Racing to the window, I peered outside,
searching in vain for some sign of Michael or the bear. The moonlight wasn’t
strong enough to illuminate much, and even though only candles were lit in the
cabin, it was enough to wreck my night vision; I couldn’t see a damn thing out
there. My nerves spiked, and my heart started racing. I felt like I was out
there in the woods, possibly about to get mauled, and following Michael’s
orders and staying put grew harder and harder with every second.
I strained my ears, listening for the bear
since I couldn’t see it. Sounds of lumbering steps crashing through brush met
my ear. Then I heard the dreadful sound of sharp claws raking down wood. With
no electricity, freezers weren’t an option here. Michael stored his food the
old-fashioned way, either drying it into jerky or curing it with salt. The
prepared food was kept in his enclosed workshop, and while Michael had bear
proofed the shop as much as possible, hungry bears were tenacious. With food
being so close to its reach, the grizzly might not stop until it had ripped the
door to shreds.
Knowing where the bear was outside calmed
my nerves somewhat. I fingered my rifle, debating whether running out there
would help Michael or hurt both of us. It was dark, and if Michael thought I
was inside, he could shoot me just as easily as the bear. And verbally warning
him would get the bear’s attention—attention I’d rather not have. No, it would
be best to stay put and let Michael handle it. But still … that was hard to do.
I heard Michael shout then, yelling at the
bear to leave. A gunshot rang through the night, startling small nocturnal
animals and rattling the windowpanes. Another one followed shortly after, and
fear trickled down my spine. Was that a warning shot? Or was the bear
attacking?
Michael wasn’t shouting anymore, and the
night was still, silent. Oh God, no … The ball of dread in my belly was too
great to ignore, and I nearly tripped in my haste to get to the door.
“Michael!” I screeched into the night as I flung the door wide.
A dark shape was suddenly right in front of
me, and as I stared in shock, a gaping mouth of thick, sharp teeth opened, and
a powerful roar pushed me back a step. I’d never been so close to a bear
before, and my legs felt like water. I couldn’t move them, couldn’t move
anything. My mind was trying to avoid the here and now by drifting off to
happier times with my family, my friends. Death was once again staring me in
the face, but even still, the part of me that was still cognizant of the
present was awed and amazed by the ferocious beauty of the beast before me.
There was a reason these creatures ruled the forest.
The bear rose up on its hind legs, visually
warning me that it was bigger, stronger, and most likely hungrier. My eyes
flashed to the various weapons it could use in an instant to end me—talonlike
claws, ice pick–like teeth, or just its massive weight. All I had was a gun.
Thinking of my own weapon jostled me from
my state of panic. Raising the barrel, I chambered a bullet and yelled at the
bear to back off. It seemed a poor tactic at this point, but I didn’t really
want to kill the animal. If I could scare it into submission, I’d take that as
a win.
The bear, however, was unimpressed by my
shouting. Landing heavily on its front feet, it began lumbering toward me. Damn
it, I was going to have to shoot. And hope my gun did more than anger it. With
shaking fingers, I lined up my shot. “Please go away,” I murmured, putting
light pressure on the trigger.
Like it heard me, the bear suddenly looked
to its left. It growled again and took a step back, away from the cabin. I
heard Michael’s voice, and then a gunshot rang out in the night. The bear
roared again, then seemed to realize it was outmatched. It turned and ran, its
winter bulk vibrating with each thundering step.
I was still shaking as Michael stepped into
view. Disengaging the gun, I dropped it on the ground and flew over to him.
Before I knew it, my arms were around his neck, and I was pulling his firm body
into mine. Thank God he was okay. Thank God I was okay.
“Oh my God, Michael,” I murmured into his
shoulder, inhaling his woodsy scent. “That was terrifying. I thought for sure…”
Once I fully comprehended that I was
squeezing the life out of him, I froze, every limb rigid with tension. I wasn’t
sure if Michael would push me away or not, but then he surprised me by wrapping
an arm around my waist and pulling me into him just as hard as I was holding
him, maybe harder. As we held each other, the anxiety and fear started easing,
and I was flooded with warmth; I’d never felt more at peace.
***
Author Bio:
S. C. Stephens is a
bestselling author who enjoys spending every free moment creating stories that
are packed with emotion and heavy on romance. Her debut novel, Thoughtless, an
angst-filled love story featuring insurmountable passion and the unforgettable
Kellan Kyle, took the world of romance by storm in 2009. Stephens has been
writing nonstop ever since. In addition to writing, Stephens enjoys spending
lazy afternoons in the sun reading fabulous novels, loading up her iPod with
writer’s block–reducing music, heading out to the movies, and spending quality
time with her friends and family. She currently resides in the beautiful
Pacific Northwest with her two equally beautiful children.
S.C. Stephen’s Social Media:
Website: https://authorscstephens.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SC_Stephens_
Giveaway Time!!!
Join the Addiction:
No comments:
Post a Comment