Happy sigh.
An Informal Introduction is here.
Lily and Caleb have run into a few problems along the way. Or their author did. I guess I can’t blame the characters for formatting issues, right? Or procrastination in editing. Or trouble making the cover. Or an overcommitted calendar that left me feeling like I needed to be committed…
Poor Lily and Caleb. They’ve had a lot to put up with getting stuck with me for an author! ^_^
Alas, their story is finally ready, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
* * * *
She saves lives. He protects them. And someone’s trying to stop them both.
Lily Ziminski is an ICU nurse near the nation’s capital where politics are a regular part of hospital policy. Assigned a series of high-profile patients, she finds herself an unwilling focus of the media. Lily would much rather do without all the attention…except where one cowboy-hat-wearing state trooper is concerned.
Caleb Graham runs into the same captivating nurse twice in one day, and he’s not a man who believes in coincidence. When problems at a local impound lot force him into the middle of a bizarre case that threatens Lily, Caleb will stop at nothing to protect her.
From a stranger in a parking garage to Secret Service agents, surprise chases Lily around every corner. In the midst of the chaos, she has two constants – her longtime faith in God, and her growing attraction for a silver-eyed trooper.
* * * *
And a sneak peek at Chapter One…
As if the flashing lights in her rearview mirror weren’t enough, the trooper turned on the siren, too. Lily cringed and slid down in her seat like a teenager hiding from prying eyes. Of course, her teen years were long behind her, and any eyes intent on prying would need night vision goggles to see her. The sun hadn’t yet kissed the eastern horizon.
She slowed and sought a place to pull over, no small feat on this narrow stretch of Lee Highway. Spotting a patch of grass to her right, she steered her silver two-door sedan as far over as she could and cut the engine. Her fingers drummed a rhythmless beat on the steering wheel as she waited for the trooper. He was probably busy checking with dispatch to make sure she wasn’t a mass murderer. Because, clearly, rampaging homicidal maniacs drove nondescript cars on the way to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning.
In all her years traversing this road, Lily had never seen a state trooper on this particular stretch. Until today. Good thing she’d left early for work.
Thank you, God, for getting me up and out the door when You did.
The trooper climbed out of his cruiser and approached her parked vehicle. She hit the button and listened to the almost imperceptible hum as her window slid down. The grey of his uniform would have blended into the night were it not for the illumination of his headlights and his car-mounted spotlight. As it happened, they blinded her enough that she couldn’t catch much more than the color of his clothes and a hint of his shape.
“License and registration, please.” The voice was impatient. Tired, too. He was probably at the end of his shift, which meant she had little chance of winning the argument, but she wouldn’t let that stop her from trying.
“I wasn’t speeding.”
“License and registration, please.”
So much for the serve part of public service.
“Can you at least tell me why you pulled me over?”
“Give me your license and registration, ma’am.”
Heat swept through Lily. It’s not like she’d asked a difficult question. “How do I even know you’re a state trooper and not some crazed rapist who’s trying to get my address so he can break into my home?”
The trooper’s shadowed mouth hinted at a smile, and his eyes morphed from intense pinpoints to… Hm. Eyes couldn’t be huggable, could they?
Who was she kidding? She couldn’t even see his eyes. Her imagination had to be on overdrive.
“Well, ma’am, most people consider those flashing red and blue lights as proof enough that I’m one of the good guys, but if it would make you feel better, I’d be happy to go turn the siren back on, too. I doubt crazed rapists announce themselves with police sirens.” Now that he was speaking in actual sentences, Lily picked up a hint of honeyed Southern drawl dancing along the edge of his words. She never could resist Southern charm — real or imagined.
“Here.” She handed him her driver’s license and the other paperwork from her glove compartment.
He examined both and called her license information in, using the small radio strapped to his left shoulder.
“For the record, I did nothing wrong.”
He stepped back from her car and listened carefully to whoever was on the other end of the radio. If it was even a real person. The garbled, static-like squawking left that in doubt.
Once the radio quieted, the trooper began entering information into a form held in place on his clipboard.
Fantastic. It was never good when they started writing. Not that she had enough experience to know…
Click to pre-order your copy of An Informal Introduction for 99cents!
You can also take a peek at Book 2 in the series (An Informal Arrangement) here. :-)
Heather Gray loves coffee, God, her family, and laughter – not necessarily in that order! She writes approachable characters who, through the highs and lows of life, find a way to love God, embrace each day, and laugh out loud right along with her. And, yeah, her books almost always have someone who's a coffee addict. Some things just can't be helped. Despite their different lives and situations, Heather’s characters have something in common. They're all flawed...but loved anyway.
Sounds interesting, cannot wait to read- at least it is out soon:)
Can’t wait, Heather! I have pre-ordered and am looking forward to getting that happy e-mail in my inbox telling me my new ebook has arrived. :)
Congratulations on getting Lily and Caleb’s story completed, despite all of the problems, Heather. I enjoyed the excerpt and I’ll look forward to reading more. I grew up outside of the nation’s capital…how cool that I know Lee Highway. :)
I’m with you on that! I know the super long preorder has its place in the world, but I’m a i-want-it-now kind of person, so I’d rather find out about a preorder right before the book releases. ^_^
Yay!! Thanks for stopping by today Narelle (and for wanting to read something I’ve written!!). ^_^ I hope you enjoy a fantastic weekend!
HI Jill! That IS cool! I moved to Virginia about seven years ago after having lived my entire life out west. The first thing I noticed (after the traffic) was the rich history that’s on nearly every street corner (or street name in this case!). Using Lee Highway was a nice little way to work some of that richness into the story without making people feel like they were reading a history textbook. ^_^
I am hooked. Ordered my copy and can’t wait to read your inspiring romance next week. When given the opportunity I enjoy visiting our nation’s capital and surrounding historical sights. Had several great family vacations there. Can’t wait to see how you weave details into your story. Have a great weekend. Can’t believe it is already the end of April? Time whizzes by!
Hi Renate! You’re so right – where did April go!? At this rate, I’m going to blink and it’ll be Christmas. ^_^ I remember one time standing in line outside the Air and Space museum. It hadn’t opened yet, and there were probably 50+ people in lining waiting for those doors to get unlocked. I looked around and listened to the people, and I realized we were the only family there speaking English. That’s the day I realized that the world comes to Washington, DC, and what a rich mission field that makes it. Enjoy your weekend! :)
Looking forward to reading this novel. Already preordered?
I loved An Informal Christmas, I have no idea how I missed An Informal Arrangement, but I know I’m looking forward to An Information Introduction. (The sneak peak reminds me of Home Is Where the Heart Is from Kimberly Rae Jordan–Dean also stops Violet, but in that scene she was indeed speeding.) I’m curious now about why Caleb stopped Lily… my mind is already wandering: was her car involved in some ordeal? was someone trying to mess up with her already and flagged her license? I know this is going to be a good one.
Your sneak peek really drew me in. I had already pre-ordered the book earlier this week since I have been enjoying the series.
The funny thing that caught my attention was the fact that Lily was pulled over but knew she hadn’t been speeding. The same thing happened to me when I wasn’t speeding but it was in a restaurant parking lot of all places. I thought that the WV state trooper wanted to pull in where I was stopped since he had stopped also. I thought he was waiting for me to come around to let him make the turn where I was stopped. To make a long story short, he was lining up where he was to back into a space. That made it look like I was trying to come around him which I was wasn’t.I was only trying to move out of his was so he could pull in where I was sitting. I was dumbfounded when he jumped out of his car and demanded my driver’s license and registration. He had the nerve to tell me I was a wreck less driver. He didn’t even have his signal on showing that he was going to back into the space. He also informed me that it is against the law to drive across parking space lines. Anyway…no ticket for me. My record was clear. I have been driving for almost 50 years with no tickets or accidents so I knew if I was in the wrong or not, which I wasn’t. Everyone I have told this to has mentioned that I should have reported him. I was so dumbfounded that I didn’t even get his name or badge number or trooper car number. My hubby and 15 year old grandson were with me and they also couldn’t believe how was I being talked to and treated. We have a running joke now and call him the super trooper. I was telling them that he was probably late for his dinner at the restaurant since I saw how fast he was driving into the parking lot.
I am also familiar with Lee Highway since I grew up in the DC area. We now live in the southern part of West Virginia and drive Lee Highway in the Southwestern area of Virginia.
I’m looking forward to your new release! We live in Burke, Virginia near where your story opens. That makes it fun.
Yay Colleen! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. He might just be my favorite hero yet… (Which I probably say with every book…and I always mean it!) ^_^
So glad you could stop by today Priscila! I’ll have to look up Home is Where the Heart Is. I recognize the title – but I’m not sure if it’s because I know the book or because it’s a phrase I’m familiar with. Hm. Will have to see… ^_^ As for why Caleb pulls Lily over…I hope it lives up to expectations! :)
Ha! I’ve been told you can’t be ticketed in a parking lot because it’s private property and the police don’t have authority to traffic you for any kind of a moving violation on private property – the “laws of the road” only apply on public land. I don’t have any plans to put that to the test, but that would have been the first thing I asked the trooper. I’m glad you didn’t get a ticket, though. You could have fought it in court (and won, I’m sure), but what a nuisance that would have been. When someone asks like that, I try to think of ways to explain their behavior so that I won’t be as offended by it. Maybe his wife had just called him and told him she was leaving him. Maybe there had been a string of violence against troopers and he was on edge. Maybe…
That IS fun! Isn’t it neat when you recognize something in a book? Whether it’s a town I lived in 30+ years ago or a mountain range I once passed while on vacation with a family – I love seeing places/things I can relate to in the books that I read. It somehow makes me more invested in the story. :)
What a fun introduction, Heather! Not the ticket so much.
Thanks, Heather! Your story sounds intriguing. I’ve got it preordered and can’t wait to read it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and talents!
Fun excerpt! I really enjoyed the other “informal” books!
Ha! Yeah, not the ticket so much. But were it not for Lily getting pulled over… ^_^
Thank you so much for stopping by today Winnie! I look forward to hearing what you think of the story. :)
I’m so glad you could stop by today Katy – and I’m doubly glad that you’re enjoying the Informal series!! Book #4 should be out in September. In that book, we’ll be running into Dr. Pratt again (the research doctor from An Informal Christmas). He’s single-minded and lacks people skills…I’m having so much fun introducing him to someone who is almost completely his opposite. ^_^
Oh, the traffic is dreadful, Heather. That’s part of the reason why we moved south. You’re right though, there’s so much history.
What a crazy start! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Thanks for stopping by Julie! Caleb and Lily DO get off to quite a start…and it only gets better! ^_^
Looking forward to reading Caleb and Lily’s story! I’m thankful for preorder so I don’t miss it.
So glad you could stop by Julianne, and I’m pleased you got to take advantage of the preorder! Happy reading!! :)
I have just started reading it last night. I was interested from the first paragraph….I’m looking forward to reading the rest! :)