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Nancy Straight's Blog

September 17, 2017

Centaur Magic Available Now

I thought a few of you may want a peek at Centaur Magic (Touched Series Book 5). It is available electronically from all bookstores now. Happy Reading!

Chapter 1: A New Day

Jessica Baker

“Truth or dare?� Daniel asked with a devilish grin. Daniel always found ways to pass the time. There were few, if any, lulls in conversation as we hiked over the countryside. It had been almost two weeks since the Centaur Council meeting finished. The two of us were doing exactly what the centaur laws forbade � two unmarried centaurs traveling without an escort. I had originally planned to stay with Katherine, but everyone had coupled off. Katherine and Brent accompanied Cami and Drake back to Charleston. I wanted to stay as far away from the United States and my awaiting family as possible.
When Daniel asked if I’d ever been to Argentina, it had taken less than three seconds for me to agree to go with him. At first, I was secretive about our plans, embarrassed that someone might find out that we were running off together. Daniel told Cami, and pretty soon everyone in her circle seemed to know � none were even slightly put off by our plans. It was liberating.
Cami’s family accepted her decree without hesitation: she said Daniel was a centaur, so he was a centaur. It didn’t matter that his blood did not run pure. Had any of her family chastised us, I might have buckled under the pressure � I’m glad no one did, because we were having the time of our life. Time with Daniel, regardless of where we were, always turned into a grand adventure. When I awoke this morning, Daniel suggested we spend our last day in the countryside. We would travel to Vietnam tomorrow, but today we chose to enjoy our last full day in Argentina away from the hustle of the city.
Without so much as a map or a plan, we drove out of the city, left our car along the side of a quiet road, and set out on a trail I was sure had been forged by sheep. The Centaur Council meeting replayed in my mind often. Despite Cami’s decree that every centaur or centauride could love whoever they wanted, centaurides were still outnumbered eight to one by centaurs. I enjoyed spending time with Daniel, but I knew one day I would be forced to return to the life I had run away from. For now, I tucked that fear away, savoring my time with Daniel. “Truth,� I finally answered.
Dejectedly, he accused, “You always pick truth.�
“Yeah, because you have too active of an imagination for me to accept one of your dares. Truth.�
Daniel shot me an exasperated look. “Fine. Alive or dead, who do you admire most in the world?�
That was an easy one: Daniel was a free spirit with an immense heart. He never worried about the future, or begrudged the past � Daniel lived in the moment. I wished I could say the same about myself. I was crippled by my past and had nothing but fear of my future. But if I told him that he was who I admired most, I’d never hear the end of it. “Male or Female?�
“Doesn’t matter.�
“Centaur or human?�
Daniel rolled his eyes, “Either.�
“Politician, entertainer or good Samaritan?�
Frustrated, Daniel reminded me, “Are you forgetting that I asked you the question? Political.�
“There are lots of people I admire.� I started scrolling through people in my head. I loved Mother Teresa, but she wasn’t necessarily political. I had done a paper in high school on Condoleezza Rice; she was amazing, but she didn’t seem to be as active as she was then. Who did I admire most? Then it hit me, “Sonia Sotomayor.�
“I’ve heard her name. She’s a senator, right?�
“Supreme Court,� I corrected. “She always seems to find in favor of the underdog, whether it’s a convicted criminal, a child unfairly singled out, or a disabled person requesting special accommodations. I’d like to think that if I were ever a justice on the Supreme Court, I’d be like her.�
“Right.� Daniel nodded, “Note to self,� he pulled out an imaginary note pad, “we need to start looking at law schools.� I gave him a rueful stare, “Hey, I’m just sayin� if you want to defend the underdogs on the Supreme Court, you’re going to need to find a law school. Your turn. I pick dare.�
“Of course you’d pick a dare.�
“I like to keep things lively.�
I was confident no matter what I dared him to do, he’d do it. It took a couple minutes before I finally came up with, “I dare you to act out a scene from a movie.�
“Any movie?� he clarified.
“It has to be a scene I’ll recognize.�
Daniel’s devilish grin returned. He began scrolling through songs stored on his phone, but pulled the device out of my view before demanding, “No peeking!� After a few seconds he tossed his phone on a clump of grass in the pasture where we stood, walked toward me wolfishly, took my left hand in his, and then rested his right hand at the small of my back. “I’ve Had the Time of My Life,� by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes played so loudly that a flock of birds resting in a nearby tree took flight.
Daniel twirled me away from him, then pulled me back close and went into exactly the dance moves that Patrick Swayze had done in Dirty Dancing. Luckily, no one was within miles of us to see his suave moves and my stumbling attempt to keep up with him � I was sure I looked like a rhythm-challenged orangutan. Before the song was half over, his twirls and lustful stares had me laughing so hard that I had to let go of him, “Okay, okay, Dirty Dancing. You won.�
Instead of stopping, he kept dancing by himself while I stood there giggling. Daniel was twenty feet away as he stood nodding at me like I was supposed to do a mid-air swan dive and he’d catch me. I shook my head. “You already won, and I’m not going to do the jump. I never said anything about being a prop while you acted out the scene.�
Daniel wouldn’t take “no� for an answer, and before I could protest, he closed the distance between us, lifted me off my feet and above his head. I was not as graceful as the actress in the movie, and my fledgling arms and legs toppled us both to the ground. I lay beside him as Daniel warned, “Never ask a California boy to act out a scene from a movie.� He stood and held his hand out to help me off the grass. “You’re lucky I didn’t pick Fifty Shades.�
His response caught me off guard, I stumbled, and nearly face planted back into the lush ground. Before I kissed the dirt, Daniel’s arm caught my waist and kept me upright. “Did you trip, or were you doing a random gravity check?�
I smacked him on the chest, but his playfulness diminished as we both found ourselves holding each other in the beautiful meadow, with no one around for miles. Daniel leaned to me and brushed his lips over mine. It was gentle, barely more than a whisper of a kiss. I opened my eyes to see the chestnut-brown of his irises boring into mine. Daniel had the longest lashes I had ever seen on a man. His jaw was chiseled and his face symmetrical, in a word � he was perfect. Heat poured from his stare, my senses went on high alert, longing for him to kiss me again.
Daniel’s fingers slid under the back of my blouse, his touch raining sparks across my skin. My eyes closed as I savored the tingly sensation he created; one of his hands slid from the small of my back to the back of my neck. His fingers threaded through my hair as he pulled my lips more firmly to his. I knew what I felt for him was wrong. No matter how attracted I was to him, or how often he made me laugh, Daniel wasn’t a possibility for the future. The sensible part of my brain argued that I needed to end things before both of us got too attached. Despite my best efforts to think logically, the irrational part of my brain won out each time when it came to Daniel.
The two of us stood, wrapped up in each other’s arms, living in a moment I believed would stay with me for the rest of my life. Dirty dancing in a pasture outside of Cordoba, Argentina had never been on my bucket list, but had just entered the top ten moments of my life.
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Published on September 17, 2017 05:34 Tags: centaur-magic, mythology, nancy-straight, touched-series

May 16, 2015

UTopYA Nominee!

This post is VERY overdue. I wish I had a better excuse, but there are truly not enough hours in the day!

I am humbled and grateful to be in the company with such talented authors and bloggers! His Frozen Heart was nominated as Contemporary Book of the Year AND the Brewer Brothers Series was nominated as the Contemporary Series of the Year.

Voting is open to the public and I would be very grateful if you would be willing to vote for me. Voting goes until 5/27/2015. Here is the link:

His Frozen Heart (Brewer Brothers, #1) by Nancy Straight

Hope to see some of you there!

Happy Reading,
Nancy
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Published on May 16, 2015 21:23 Tags: audible, audiobook, hisfrozenheart, nancy-straight, utopya

April 4, 2015

Audio Sample: His Frozen Heart

Hi Everybody,

Not enough time to read, but miss getting lost in fictional worlds? Why not try an audiobook?

Audiobooks have changed. You can get the Audible app on your smartphone and listen to books anywhere without the hassle of CD(s). Amazon owns Audible, so you can keep an audiobook synched with the ebook on your kindle. Have I convinced you yet?

Okay, one more try: Check out a sample of His Frozen Heart here:

Happy Listening!
Nancy
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Published on April 04, 2015 21:45 Tags: audible, audiobook, hisfrozenheart, nancy-straight

December 23, 2014

Random Questions I have received.

Hi Everybody!

Something you may not know about me: I answer every email, tweet, message or note I receive. I thought it may be fun to compile some of the questions I've received lately and share the answers with you.

1. What was the first thing you wrote as an author?

Meeting Destiny � published 4 years ago.

2. Is there another field of work you saw yourself doing?

I have a great career that I love as a Business Development Manager for a US Manufacturer � writing is what I do with my “me� time. Although I'm thrilled with the success I have achieved, writing is my secondary career. I'm pretty lucky to have two careers which do not collide that both give me a great deal of joy.

3. What guilty pleasure or quirky ritual do you have to have while you are writing?

I like to have my dog, Flash, curled up with me on my recliner with a can of Sour Cream and Onion flavored Pringles. Although I’m not opposed to a handful of bite sized snickers bars, either.


4. Who is your biggest inspiration?

My inspiration changes each time I open my laptop, but one of the authors who inspires me is Amber Garr. She has an amazing career as a scientist, yet writes for the same reason I do � because she loves creating worlds to share with others. Meeting her in person in Nashville earlier this year was awesome � I followed that meeting up with reading her Touching Evil novel and was hooked!

5. What Is your favorite place and time to write?

My living room either after everyone goes to bed or before they wake up.

6. Has anyone made you so mad you wanted to write them into the next book just to off them?

LoL � I have a pretty long fuse, so, no. I can only think of one person ever in my life who I wished bad things on, but I have not written him into any of my books.

7. Do your Characters ever argue with you and who wins?

Once the characters find their voice, I always let them tell the story. I start every book with an outline, but by chapter 2 it is usually out the window.

8. What is the oddest place or time that a book idea has come to you and you just had to stop and write it down?

Driving � it happens all the time. I find myself buzzing into gas stations way more often than my car needs fuel. Thank goodness for texts, because I text ideas to myself a lot!

9. What Genre do you typically write in and why?

I have three books that are Paranormal Romance, four books that are Mythological Romance, and one Suspenseful Romance. I think the common theme is Romance � because everyone wants to be loved, we can all relate to the stories even if the circumstances are a little “out there.�

10. What are you currently working on?

His Frozen Heart released on 11/9/2014. Although it was written as a stand-alone (no cliff hanger), there will be three books in this series. The second book, Fractured Karma, should be published around March 2015.


11. Do you ever put personal experiences into your work?

Yes! All the time!! Funny phrases I hear often make it into books, too. One of my favorites was in Centaur Redemption: "Talking to you is like trying to shove a pig through a python." I still giggle every time I think of that one.

12. Where is the one place in the world you would love to go?

I spent ten years traveling the world while I was in the Marine Corps. While active duty I lived in Hawaii, Orange County CA, San Diego CA, and Virginia Beach VA. I traveled to Japan, Korea, Thailand, Australia, Alaska and a ton of other places. My husband and I have traveled all over the world together for vacations - I wouldn’t mind returning to Thailand, but I’m equally happy to keep my feet planted firmly in South Carolina.

13. What is your favorite food and beverage?

Mountain Dew is BY FAR my drink of choice (shhhh, don’t tell my dentist � he’s convinced I am purposely sabotaging the enamel on my teeth). As far as food goes, I LOVE Vanilla Ice Cream with a warm brownie.

14. We all have Pet Peeves, what is yours?

I’m not big fan of drama. Luckily, there is very little in my life. Every now and again I’ll see a “drama queen� on FB � those are the posts I tend to ignore.

15. What do you like to do to relax?

*Scrambles for the dictionary* Relax? Do people do that? I’ve always thought it to be more theoretical. I have a full-time career, two fantastic sons, three rotten dogs and a husband who I love to spend time with. Relaxing for me is creating new worlds for others to enjoy, although between writing, editing, beta reads, blog tours, ebooks, paperbacks, audios, most days writing doesn't feel very relaxing, either.

If any of you have questions, feel free to type them in the comments or you can email me, too, at [email protected]

Happy Reading,
Nancy


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Published on December 23, 2014 19:06 Tags: nancy-straight, reader-questions

March 16, 2014

Sign up for Touched Series Tour

Hi Everybody!

The Touched Series will be on tour 9-14 Jun. We have room for about 15 more blogs to participate. You can choose to review any one or all of the books in the Touched Series.

If you are interested, please sign up here:

Many thanks!
Nancy
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February 2, 2014

Centaur Redemption Release

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to get word out to everyone that Centaur Redemption (Book 4 in the Touched Series) released!!!

It is available at Amazon:

Barnes and Noble:

and Smashwords:

Thank you to all of you who have made this series a success! I hope you enjoy the final book in Cami and Drake's story!


Happy Reading,
Nancy Twitter: @nancystraight
Blog:
Facebook Author Page:
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Published on February 02, 2014 04:47 Tags: centaur-redemption, nancy-straight, touched-series

July 27, 2013

Brand New Website

Hi Everybody!

I have exciting news!! As of today, I have a BRAND NEW Website! *SQUEEEE* I hope you'll stop by and check it out!!



Happy Reading!
Nancy
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Published on July 27, 2013 16:33 Tags: authors, blood-debt, books, centaur-legacy, entertainment, meeting-destiny, nancy-straight

May 5, 2013

Win a signed Paperback Set!

Hi Everybody,

To Celebrate Centaur Rivalry's release I'm giving away five paperback sets of Blood Debt, Centaur Legacy and Centaur Rivalry.

You can center the rafflecopter on here:



Good Luck!!

Happy Reading,
Nancy
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Published on May 05, 2013 03:18 Tags: blood-debt, centaur-legacy, centaur-rivalry, nancy-straight, newrelease, pnr, touched-series

April 14, 2013

Centaur Rivalry's First Chapter

I thought some of you might be interested in a sneak peek at Centaur Rivalry.

I've posted the first chapter on my blog at



I've decided to move the release date up!! It was supposed to release on May 15, you will now be able to find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords on MAY 1st!!!

Thank you to all of you who have sent me messages about being excited to read it. Your messages motivated me to press hard and get it out early!!

Happy Reading,
Nancy
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Published on April 14, 2013 18:10 Tags: centaur, kindle, newrelease, nook

April 4, 2013

Destiny Series on sale through 4/7/13!!!

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know the Destiny Series (Meeting Destiny, Destiny's Revenge and Destiny's Wrath) is on sale for $2.99 through Sunday (4/7/13)!!

I hope you're all having a great week!!



Amazon:

B&N:
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Published on April 04, 2013 04:43 Tags: destiny-series, kindle, nook