Please welcome Diane Wickles to The Roses of Prose!
Although
summer is my favorite, fall is a beautiful season with the changing leaves,
pumpkins and a nip in the air. The super bowl is barely over and my husband
begins talking about the next football season. I root for the Steelers, and now
the Panthers since we’ve moved to NC, but what I associate with football are a
pot roast or chili perfuming the house with tantalizing odors, a well-loved
afghan and a good book.
While
my husband “arm-chair quarterbacks” on the game, I snuggle beside him with my
current read. I will admit that when the Steelers play, I can’t snuggle as
close because he tends to fidget and jump up with either elation or
frustration, depending on how the game is going. But with some games I can even
close my eyes and snooze a bit if the mood hits me.
Even
though fall represents different things to my husband and me, it is a season of
togetherness, warmth and relaxation.
What
does fall represent to you?
Book
Blurb : Hong Kong Treasure by D. Dominik Wickles
Deshi
Han, a martial arts actor and director, thinks a serious relationship would
hamper his career. On a charity trip to the typhoon ravaged Philippines he
agrees to take a young American woman back to Hong Kong to rest and regain her
memory.
Once back in Hong Kong, Deshi
reluctantly allows the woman he names Annie, to accompany him on the movie sets
and on his trips across China. Despite his attempts to remain aloof with Annie,
a romance develops between them.
Meanwhile, Annie is troubled by
nightmares which allude to a danger lurking from her past and someone on
Deshi’s crew is trying to sabotage their budding romance. As Deshi is forced
repeatedly to disrupt his work schedule to protect Annie, it serves to confirm
his belief that careers and relationships don’t mix.
But when it looks like Deshi will
lose Annie, and he risks everything to save her, will it be too late?
Book
Excerpt:
Leyte Province in the
Philippines. Her running steps echoed from the walls. Would he catch her? It
meant white slavery if he did. Slamming open the kitchen door, she burst out of
the hotel despite the typhoon ravaging the eastern coast. The destructive winds
and rains were buffered in the alleyway behind the hotel, but she still had to
fight for each step away from the man she knew was just behind her.
Without warning, massive walls of water rushed into the
alley from both ends. The sixteen-foot wave scooped her up and battered her
against the buildings. When the storm surge receded, she lay bruised and
unconscious beneath a mass of water-logged debris.
*
“I’m told there are eleven buildings, besides this church, serving as
shelters,” Father Donovan said. “I haven’t left here since the typhoon hit four
days ago. Is the damage extensive?”
“Yes. Very. Many people with no homes, no
food,” Deshi Han replied.
Father Donovan put his hand on Deshi’s
shoulder. “You brought much-needed food and supplies. Your movies are loved but
your charity work is well-known here in the Philippines. I thank you. You are
truly doing God’s work, my son.”
Deshi watched as a volunteer passed out
the blankets he had brought, which would help to cushion the pews they were
using for beds. He shook his head. “I wish I do more.”
“Perhaps there is something …” Father
Donovan began.
“What, Father?” He followed the priest to
a courtyard. A young woman sat beside a storm-crushed rose bed. Deshi guessed
her to be American, in her early twenties. “Who she, Father?”
“No one knows, not even her.” Father
Donovan tilted his head to the side and sighed. “She has no memory of anything
before the typhoon. One of the doctors informed me that she just needs rest to
regain her memory.”
Deshi watched the girl slowly gather the
broken branches from around the few unharmed plants. A child about five years
old ran up and tapped her on the shoulder. The young woman’s solemn face broke
into a smile as the child led her away toward another section of the church.
Father Donovan turned to Deshi. “But she won’t
get that rest here. She has nightmares and cries for the orphaned and injured
children. I’ve prayed for someone to claim her and take her away from here.”
“We delivered the supplies to the
kitchen.” Jun Chew, Deshi’s assistant, spoke in Cantonese as she approached
them.
Deshi turned away from the doorway,
nodded at Jun then called to his business manager, “Where the next shelter,
Paul?”
Paul Wu shook his head then responded in
English. “We have distributed all the supplies we brought, Deshi. That is all
we can do today.”
“Besides,” Jun continued in Cantonese,
“we have to get back or you will be late for the senior citizen center
opening.”
The supplies had gone so fast. They had
only been to six of the eleven shelters and there were so many people still in
need. “Maybe one more thing I can do today,” Deshi said with a sigh. “Father?”
The priest’s right hand clutched the
large cross at his neck and he smiled. “Yes, my son?”
“I will take her.”
Buy
Links:
Bio:
D.
Dominik Wickles is the pseudonym for Romance author, Diane T. Wickles.
Diane has always been overly curious and loves to try new things. Some of her
interests have included studying martial arts, getting her degree in Criminal
Justice, ice skating, traveling and of course, writing stories. Her career path
has taken her from bank teller to probation officer to computer instructor to
library clerk to author.
She
has explored many genres including horror, humor and mystery publishing several
short pieces on various online magazines. Diane’s books always have a happy
ending but the road to that point is rife with mystery and danger. She is a
member of Pennwriters and is active in two local writing groups.
At
her home in northwestern Pennsylvania, she talks to her cat, reads 2-3
books at a time, constantly searches for new vegan recipes and creates her
characters. In her spare time, she loves camping and building dollhouses.
Contact
her at: ddominikwicklesATgmailDotcom
Social
Media Links:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/ddominikwickles
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ddominikwickles
Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/dianetwickles
7 comments:
Welcome to the Roses of Prose. Thanks for sharing your latest work. Best of luck!
Glad you joined us today, Diane. Great setting you've got going and interesting characters. With your degree in Criminal Justice and experience as a probation officer, you are way ahead of me in knowledge base. Good for you and good luck with your suspense novel!
For me, fall is about walks in the woods with beautiful colors, firing up the wood stove in the evenings, and writing...but then the writing happens no matter the season. Welcome to our blog, Diane!
Welcome, Diane! Really enjoyed your post and excerpt. Your home sounds about like mine, except we're tuned to the Redskins and Giants (when we can get them). I usually have my Kindle handy whenever the TV is on...which is why my husband insists we've seen all these movies that I read through! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Happy fall.
Welcome, Diane. I love a lot of aspects of fall--crisp days, the colors, etc. But it means winter is coming. Best wishes on your book.
Welcome! I enjoyed the post and the excerpt. Thanks for sharing. Fall represents cooler weather and fond memories and pumpkin and Halloween and these are a few of my favorite things. :)
Thank you so much everyone for your warm welcome and good wishes for my book's success. I feel honored to be included in The Roses of Prose :) Wishing everyone a winter full of books.
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