Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Trying Something New



Buy Escape to My Arms HERE!
By Heather Thurmeier
I’m a contemporary romance writer. It’s what I do. Contemporary stories are what I love to read and therefore what I love to write. But lately, I’ve been expanding my horizons and trying new things. For example, I wrote an end of the world as we know it novella for Decadent’s new Prepper Romance Line.

Sure it takes place in contemporary times with contemporary characters, but it’s so much more than a contemporary story. Usually my books are very light and humorous and easy-going. They’re the kind of stories you can curl up with any time, anywhere and simply get lost for a few hours.

Not this bad boy! Oh no. Escape to My Arms is not your average contemporary romance. It does have some steamy scenes, don’t get me wrong. But there is also adventure, peril, dangerous situations, threat of personal injury, and even full on violence, with weapons and everything!! Whew! I don’t know how I put all that in this book, but I did. And let me just say, when my book got a rating of 3 from Decadent, I got a little thrill. I did.

I love that my heroine Sara is resourceful, bad-ass, and will dare to defend herself and Dane. She’s brave. She’s tougher than she thought. She just plain rocks!

Writing Escape to My Arms definitely pushed me to a place I hadn’t taken my writing before and I’m so glad it did. I love this new adventure-seeker side of myself and I can’t wait to write another story that triggers it again. I’m glad I took the risk and tried something completely new and different because the result was an experience that was fun and exciting for me and I hope it will be for my readers too!

So, have you ever tried something new and been surprised, thrilled or terrified by the experience? I want to hear about it in the comments!

Happy Reading! 
Heather Thurmeier

http://heatherthurmeier.com 
Twitter: @hthurmeier 
Facebook: Facebook.com/HeatherThurmeierAuthor 
Available at  Amazon||Decadent

Escape to My Arms Blurb: 
Sara’s been preparing for this moment her whole life—she just never believed it would actually happen. With her bug-out bag and emergency food already in her truck, her only goal is to get to her family’s hidden bunker and wait out the pandemic that’s hit every major cruise ship port in the US. But her plan quickly falls apart. She’s out of gas, her route to the bunker is now a two-lane parking lot with no alternative in sight, and her only weapon is a pocketknife. For an experienced prepper, she’s made every rookie mistake.

Dane believes he’s safe in his cabin, off the beaten path and in the woods with his own source for water, electricity and an endless supply of food to hunt. After finding Sara stranded and alone, he’s suddenly not only providing for and protecting himself, but also the girl who wandered out of the woods and into his life. When looters come looking to take what he has, Sara and Dane’s only option is to make a run for their last hope—the bunker.

Can Sara and Dane find safety in each other’s arms and will they survive long enough to escape to a future together?

Excerpt: 
Sara sipped her wine and nibbled on another square of chocolate. He was right. Again.
They didn’t know what would happen in the future. Hell, they didn’t even know if there was a future to look forward to at this point. So why shouldn’t they enjoy the moments like this one while they could? Moments when they were safe, warm, fed, and comfortable. They might not get many more nights like this if things kept getting worse, as they seemed to be. Best to savor the time while you had it instead of squandering it away with fights.
At this point, she didn’t even know what future awaited her at the bunker. Would she live with her family for the rest of their lives, never to interact with people from the outside world again? That’s sort of what they wanted, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that why they hadn’t told anyone about the bunker, because they couldn’t trust anyone?
What if this was her last night on her own? It might be her last night to live her life however she wanted to before she had to start making group decisions with her family.
“You’re right.” She polished off the last of her wine in a big gulp. Her head already swirled with the effects of the alcohol. She’d always been a lightweight when it came to getting drunk. Tonight would be no different. Good thing she’d planned to stop at one this evening. She had other plans for the rest of the night.
“Right about what exactly? I said a bunch of stuff.”
She put her wineglass on the floor and took his hand in hers. “You were right about enjoying this moment we have tonight since we don’t know what the future holds, or even if we have a future.”
“Does this mean I’m forgiven?” He smiled, squeezing her hand.
“Yes. And then some.”
Sara took the wineglass from his hand and set it down next to hers, then straddled his lap, resting her hands on his chest. She pressed her mouth to his, delighting in the surprise on his face.
She wasn’t a throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of girl, but for once she was going to do just that, since she didn’t know if she’d have wind to be cautious of later on. Tonight, she’d live by her feelings. Tomorrow she’d go back to surviving. 

8 comments:

Zee Monodee said...

As scary as it is to step out of the comfort zone, it's also a hugely awesome thrilling ride filled with fun and self-discovery.

I recently delved into PNR/fantasy on a project with my bestie, and this jolted me and opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.

Scary but thrilling! I think it was the same for you on this story. Awesome, innit? :)

Stephanie said...

Yay for you!!!!!

As for me, I have taken chances in life and did things that made me step out of my comfort zone, and I was happy I did them. They helped me grow. Mostly it's been public speaking type events...and the more I do them, the better I get. :)

But as far as my writing...maybe someday I'll start to step out of my comfort zone. I think I'd liek to find success right here before I start venturing out!! Good luck with the book!! It sounds awesome!!

Heather Thurmeier said...

Thanks Stephanie and Zee! It was exciting to try something new in my writing and I'm sure I will again, and probably in not too long. I'll always write contemporaries, but it is fun to stretch my wings a little and change things up!

Barbara Elsborg said...

Congrats on your release!!!
Something new - well not in my writing - every time I do, I end up walking away from it. In life - dyed my hair. Intended to go pink but chickened out but its' still a different colour.

Susan W said...

My biggest step out of my comfort zone was when I quit my 20 year lab tech job and started working with special education students. The hardest part is that I never had kids and was sure how to relate to them. Now they consider me just another kid who has the answers they want! LOL!

This books sounds so good that I picked it up before commenting!

Kathy Bosman said...

Ooh, your blurb gave me goosebumps. Your book sounds soo interesting.

Anonymous said...

This looks great, Heather!

Heather Thurmeier said...

Thanks everyone! And a huge thank you to those who've picked up a copy of Escape to My Arms already! Readers rock!

Barbara, you are braver than me for dyeing your hair! I always wonder about getting a couple of pink or purple streaks, but I'm way too chicken!

Susan, changing careers after 20 years is amazing! And probably terrifying too! Glad to hear it's worked out for you!!