Welcome Lynnette Bernard

Today I have Lynnette Bernard as a guest and she's telling us a little bit more about herself and her writing!

How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first novel when I was fourteen years old. It was a love story that was set in the late 1800s in Wyoming – strictly PG since I didn’t know a whole lot about sex at the time! Since I’m *mumble* years old, that was a looooong time ago.

What genres do you write?

 

I write love stories in many genres – paranormal, science fiction, contemporary, whatever genre the story seems to take hold of.

What inspired your main characters?

Well, Laurie’s Loves is basically my story. I was that person who came out the other side of domestic abuse with a bruised ego and little to no confidence. It took me about ten years to reclaim the person I was before I met my ex, but I am happy to say I’m now the person I once was.

Babies for Nikki is me now. Nikki is a lot of fun who helps everyone and has a wicked sense of humor. She also is strong, even though inside she’s a marshmallow. Just like me!

John’s Vision is my fantasy with cowboys. I have to admit, they make my heart flutter. I’ve never met an unkind cowboy. They’re such descent, hardworking people. And sexy as hell!!

 
Where do you write?

I either write in my living room, or in my bedroom, sitting on my bed. My ideal place to write is at the beach. The ocean sounds soothe me and bring me to a place where nothing exists except whatever world I’m creating.

What is the most you have written in one day?

There are days where I can’t pull myself away from the stresses of life to be able to write a single word no matter how long I stare at the computer screen. But, sometimes the words just fly and I can’t seem to type fast enough. The ideas rush from me and I have to make notes so I don’t forget what I want to add to my stories. I think the most I’ve written is about 10,000 words or so, but that’s not the norm. On the weekends or during the summer, I tend to get a lot written each day, but during a work week, I try to write between 2,000 and 5,000 words, depending on the content. Love scenes take longer.

So what’s next for you?

I just submitted the second book in the Cowboy Series, Psychic Connections. Its title is Touching Deuce. It’s Deuce and Gracie’s story. It made me cry and laugh when I was writing it. I love the strength of these characters. I also love the miracles and psychic abilities in this series. The BDSM in the series is pretty hot, too!! J

Are you writing anything now?

I’ve been working on the third book in the Beckett’s Wolf Pack, Triad Mates series. This one is Drew, Suzie and Carter’s story. I’m only a couple of chapters in so far, but I’m working diligently on it. I have the characters screaming in my head to tell their story.

Favorites:

Movie: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Food: Pizza

Color:  Red

Day of the Week:  Saturday

Time of Day:  Evening – definitely!

Guilty Pleasure: Taking a mental health day from work, ordering a sausage pizza and turning off my phone to write. It’s great to tell the world to go to hell once in a while.

John’s Vision, Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 1

Buy from Bookstrand

John knew the moment he saw Jamie that she was his mate. His vision had given him a glimpse of the woman who would fill his life with the love and acceptance that he craved. She had appeared to him completely naked, beautiful, and pregnant, but the sadness in her eyes had always haunted him.

Jamie’s life had been one of isolation. She had always taken care of everyone else and had learned the hard way that love would not be a part of her life. That horrible night so many years ago had shattered her hopes for the future. A future with her would hold only emptiness.

John knew better. Jamie was perfect for him. She would bring fun and caring into his life. She would accept him, his mixed heritage, and his need to dominate without reservation. She would be the mother of his children and the keeper of his heart.

 
 

Excerpt

As she walked toward John she saw that he had stepped down off the porch of his beautifully built log home and was striding toward her purposefully. Goodness, but he was tall! His long legs ate up the distance between them in no time. She reached out to him without hesitation, seeing the concern in his steel gray eyes.

She was grateful when his hands reached out for her and she latched onto his forearms to steady herself. Holy hell! His forearms bulged with muscles! Reining herself in immediately, she forced herself to push aside her wayward thoughts. This was not the time to allow her fantasies to take over. She had to put a lid on the intense desire that was rushing through her body.

Instead, she concentrated on the feel of his skin beneath her hands. His warmth and power soothed her immediately, and she knew that his strength would support her. He wouldn’t let her fall. How right it felt to touch him. How she wished she could surrender to his strength and, for once in her life, not be the one who had to take care of everything.

John’s surprise turned to complete joy as her hands gripped his forearms. Forcing himself to clamp down on his immediate feelings of want and need, he looked down at her with concern. She didn’t look well at all.

“Are you all right, Jamie?”

She shook her head, regretting the movement immediately. “John, would you mind if I used your bathroom?” she asked him softly, afraid to raise her voice and possibly push herself over the edge of the control that she was barely holding on to.

John took her left hand in his right one and placed his left arm around her back to cradle her body against his. He gripped her waist with a steady hand and led her slowly toward his home, realizing that she was leaning onto him for support. Although he wanted nothing more than to support her in every way, this was not good at all. His protective instincts kicked in immediately.

What the hell is wrong with her?

Entering his home, he took the bag from her shoulder and tossed it onto the couch in the spacious, open living room. He gently led her through his home, walking her into the master bathroom that was connected to his bedroom. They barely made it through the doorway when Jamie rushed forward, dropped to her knees in front of the toilet, and was sick to her stomach. John knelt down behind her, drew her hair away from her face, and held the softness of her dark tresses in a tight grip as he supported her head with his other hand at her forehead. She heaved two more times before leaning back weakly. She found his arms gently surrounding her waist as he slowly pulled her body to rest against him, and settled her back against his chest. Her body was covered in sweat and her face was wet with tears.

Still cradling her against his chest, John reached over, flushed the toilet, and grabbed the hand towel from the double sink to wipe her face gently. She had her eyes closed and allowed his ministrations, obviously weak from the exertion.

She sat between his thighs, leaning into his body. Despite her nausea, she couldn’t help but appreciate the strength of his body. She looked down at her hands as they were splayed across his spectacularly muscled thighs as he sat back on the heels of his boots. She closed her eyes and swallowed with difficulty.

“Do you think you can get me up to Deuce’s house?” she finally whispered, looking up slowly as she leaned back against his chest.

John’s arms tightened around her briefly before loosening his hold and stroking the side of her face gently with the back of his fingers. “If you want me to, I will,” he answered honestly.

Jamie nodded and leaned forward as if to get up, but gave up almost at once. She leaned back into his chest, grabbing at her temples immediately, a moan of pain escaping her.

“Never mind,” she whispered, groaning. “Just leave me here to die.”

John chuckled and reached under the soft curtain of her hair to massage the back of her neck gently. He closed his eyes and gave in to a full-fledged smile when she groaned against his chest and held onto his free arm.

“Are you pregnant?” he asked her quietly, holding his breath as he waited for her answer. Maybe that was what his vision had meant. Maybe she was pregnant by another man and needed his help. Maybe she wasn’t his mate after all.

Jamie’s snort and subsequent groan at the pain it caused her made him look down at her face to see her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth set in a grim line. She took a few deep breaths to ease the nausea that was building once again.

“Yeah, right,” she barely whispered, reaching up to cover her eyes with shaking hands.

John’s eyebrows went up in surprise. Did she not know how desirable she was? He fought his own desires as she lay against him, her womanly curves fitting within his embrace so perfectly. Leaning back, he allowed her head to roll back against him so that her face was tipped up toward his, and saw that her eyes were still closed. He carefully reached up, turned on the cold water in the sink beside them, and wet the towel he had used on her face. He slowly passed it across her forehead, down across her eyes, and then across her lips. Each touch of the cool towel soothed her more and more, but the tight lines of pain still remained across her brow.

“Then what’s wrong?” he asked her finally.

“Migraine,” she whispered, unable to say more.

John was silent for a moment, digesting the information. He had to be honest with himself. He was happy that it was a migraine and not a pregnancy—selfish shit that he was.

“I’ll get you up to Deuce’s,” he told her, steadying himself with his left hand on the bathtub. He pushed himself up, bringing her body up with him and turned her gently so that she could rest her face against his chest.

She groaned as her body swayed against his. Unable to do anything but hold on, she clutched the material of his red T-shirt at his chest with one hand and steadied herself with her other hand pressed against his lower back.

John closed his eyes to center himself. Her touch was pulling emotions from him he had long since hidden away. He wanted to carry her to his bed, not take her back to Deuce’s house. He wanted to take care of her, cherish her, and make love to her.

“Let’s go,” he said finally, his voice gruff.

He took her arm and gently turned her to lead her out of the bathroom to walk through his bedroom with the intention of guiding her out into the living room. They only made it to his bedroom when Jamie clutched at his waist and held on as her knees buckled beneath her. Without thought, John slipped his right arm under her knees and lifted her up, turning slowly to gently lower her onto his custom-made bed. He knelt down on the floor beside her, content to stay where he was while she held onto his shirt and tucked her head against his chest.

He smiled down at her as he eased her back onto his pillow. As he reluctantly released her from his arms, he stood and looked down at her tenderly. Reaching forward, he pulled her sneakers and socks from her body, lifting her legs slowly and placing them to lie straight on the bed before carefully covering her with the old, worn comforter that lay at the foot of his bed. He walked back into the bathroom and wet a washcloth with cold water, squeezing it out and returning with it to Jamie. As he looked down at her he felt an overwhelming sense of rightness at the sight of her lying in his bed. She belonged there with him. Before the night was over, he would share it with her. Just to hold her. For now.

Email Lynnette: lynnettebernard@gmail.com

 Website: http://lynnettebernard.com/ 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003723522004

Check out her other books:

Buy Link for Laurie’s Loves

http://www.bookstrand.com/lauries-loves

Buy Link for Babies for Nikki

http://www.bookstrand.com/babies-for-nikki