Thirty-one years of wild requests, screwy questions, bizarre behavior, and outrageous demands have left me with a permanent twitch and an uncontrollable craving for chocolate. Don’t get me wrong. Working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher can be very rewarding. BUT – some days I felt like the whole world was nuts. I mean, c’mon who in their right mind calls 9-1-1 for the winning lottery numbers? Huh? On a normal day my calls ranged from this winner:

A hysterical woman yelled, “My bird is in a tree!” Sometimes I really can’t help myself, so I said, “Birds have a tendency to do that, ma’am.” The woman screeched, “No! You don’t understand. My pet parakeet is in the tree. I’ve just got to get him down.” Like I said, not a clue. “I’m sorry ma’am, but we don’t get birds out of trees.” The woman then cried, “But… But…what about my husband? He’s up there, too!” Okey-dokey. One rescue unit coming up.

To this champion: A man whispered, “Who won the Tommy Hearn fight?” I whispered back, “Sorry, don’t know.” “You don’t! I thought the police were supposed to know everything,” the caller exclaimed in disgust and hung up. Wonder where he got that idea?

My grin died a sudden death as an officer shouted for backup at a local fast-food restaurant. An instant later, he hit his officer’s alert button and yelled, “Step it up!” Okay, this was so not good. No one hurts my guys. I quickly relayed his location to other officers and started a supervisor. The officer keyed his radio again and shouted, “White male…” His radio stuck in the transmit position, the sounds of fists hitting flesh and the grunts of a no-holds-barred fight rang in my earpiece. And then to my utter disbelief in the background, I heard, “Welcome to Jack-In-The-Box. May I take your order?” I wanted to yell no, my officer is getting the crap kicked out of him in the drive-thru lane, but this guy was persistent, “Wanna try our new chicken fingers?” Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, I heard the wonderful sound of sirens. And the relentless Mr. Jack-In-the-Box tried again, “How about one of our special combo meals?” Later my bruised and battered sweetheart of an officer brought all of us a bunch of chicken fingers. Courtesy of Jack-In-The-Box, of course. The job does have its perks.

One of which is indigestion and heartbreak. Melody, a fellow dispatcher, answered a 9-1-1 line and heard a woman shout, “My ex-husband is banging on my door and I have a restraining order against him.” The crash of breaking glass was followed quickly by the woman screaming blue bloody murder. Shots rang out and the woman’s screams were abruptly replaced by children’s sobbing. The woman’s six-year-old daughter picked up the phone. “My mom said that if anything happened, I could call 9-1-1. Can you please hurry? I’m really scared.” A dispatcher can’t allow her rage and grief to affect her job. That kid needs help and it’s up to you to get it for her. So, you stuff all those feelings deep down inside you and do your job.

And Melody, a true professional, sucked it up and did a terrific job. Her voice was calm, soothing, “What happened to your mom?” The child cried, “A mean man broke all the glass and shooted a gun. My mom fell down. I don’t know where I live, can you find me?”  Melody quickly typed in the information. “Sure, I can. I’ve got police officers coming to help you. Who else is in the house with you, honey?” The little girl sobbed, “My brother and sister. She’s a baby. My mom got blood on her and she won’t wake up.” Melody’s fingers flew over the keyboard, “Okay, are any of you hurt?” The child answered, “No. Are the people coming really nice?” Melody reassured her, “Yes, honey, the police officers are very nice. They are gonna come and help you out, okay?”

A professional 9-1-1 dispatcher must be able to deal with rapidly changing situations and maintain her calm at all times. And some days that can be pretty darn hard. I was reaching for my stash of chocolate when my next call came in. Her voice low and worried, a woman announced, “There’s a strange woman in my bathroom taking a bubble bath.” A bubble bath? Are you kidding me? “You have no idea who she is, ma’am?” The woman said, “No. I really had to pee and when I opened the bathroom door this bitch yelled, ‘Close the damned door. I’m taking a bath here!’ So, I grabbed her clothes and called 9-1-1.” Our well-scrubbed burglar got whisked to jail. Some days catching the bad guys is too easy. Some days eating a handful of Tylenols is easy too.

My headache kicked up a notch when a belligerent man called and said, “I want to report my four-year-old son missing.” “Ok sir, how long has he been missing?” The man snapped, “Four years.” I have to admit I was a bit curious. “Is there a reason you haven’t called before now?” There was a slight hesitation, then he replied, “I’m starting to get concerned, ok?” Wow, four years and now he’s concerned? “Where was the last place you saw him?” “Panama,” he hissed. “Panama,” I parroted incredulously. “Have you made a report with the officials in Panama?” His hostility increased, “No.” “I’m sorry sir, but we can’t take a missing person report for someone in Panama.” He snarled, “Let me talk to someone who knows what they’re doing because you obviously don’t.”

Some citizens of our fair cities have absolutely no idea of what an officer can or cannot do. They aren’t plumbers, electricians, alligator wrestlers (don’t ask), or allowed to shoot down low flying aircraft. We have to educate them. I know. I know. It’s an unending task. But we can do it. No! Wait! Tearing out your hair leaves those funny bald spots. We. Can. Do. It. Really. Would I lie to you?

A career as a 9-1-1 dispatcher is demanding, exasperating, satisfying, and fun. Yeah, fun. Catching a burglar or bank robber rocks. A short happy dance is permitted. You’ve made a difference. Made the world a safer place for a short time. We don’t always win, but when we do, there’s nothing like it. Chocolate, anyone?

Gail Koger links:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1598719.Gail_Koger
https://twitter.com/Askole
https://www.facebook.com/Colettiwarlordbooks/
https://www.amazon.com/Gail-Koger/e/B001K838B

In my upcoming release for the anthology, Stay With Me, I revisited my first published work that was under my own name (I’d been ghostwriting before this). “A Stranger’s Kiss” first appeared in Delilah’s Boys Behaving Badly, Stranded anthology. It gave me a massive boost in confidence and helped me launch my author career. A quick, heartfelt THANK YOU to Delilah for that opportunity!

Has anybody experienced the magic of a fresh off-the-line HOT Krispy Kreme donut? When I was a paramedic in Atlanta, we routinely dropped in for one in the wee hours of the morning. Nothing helped get you through the night like a sticky, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth donut from the original Krispy Kreme store in downtown Atlanta. Side note- I just found out that this store was not the original store. The company actually started in the 1930s in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I also discovered that the building burned a few months ago.

When I first moved to Atlanta, I’d just turned 20 and had the world by the tail. I was also a country girl in the big city and walked around with my eyes bugging out and my mouth hanging open. I desperately wanted to experience all the city had to offer. I had big dreams and a head stuffed full of romantic nonsense—thanks to my obsessive reading of all things romance. Since I wasn’t 21, I couldn’t go clubbing with the crew from work, and after months in the city, I still hadn’t managed to have a night on the town. I was a little discouraged, but finally, a firefighter I met through work asked me out.

A tall, hunky guy with blue eyes and biceps that strained the limits of his uniform shirt, I had a serious crush on him. Due to my limited access to the adult world, we spent our evening at a taqueria that had an outdoor dance floor, and all my girlish fantasies of dancing into the night came true. Afterward, we ended swinging by Krispy Kreme and, over a dozen donuts, talked for hours. It didn’t end up going anywhere, but for a country girl with limited experience with men and the city, it was more than enough to make me feel like I had finally arrived.

That simple, sweet memory came to mind as I reinvigorated “A Stranger’s Kiss”. The story was initially an erotic short story. I wanted to use it for a romantic anthology, so I went back and focused on building the romance between the characters that includes bonding over hot donuts! I’m thrilled with how it turned out!

Here’s a tidbit from “A Stranger’s Kiss”. This story will be part of a charity anthology benefitting a good friend and Indie publisher, Sosha Ann, with BBB Publishing. Her mother is battling breast cancer, and we’re trying to support her as she takes care of her mom. The anthology, Stay With Me, is up for preorder and releases June 10^th!

Stay With Me

Steaming hot to sugary sweet and everything in between. Join these amazing authors as they delve into worlds of romance. This anthology will be filled with short stories, prequels, and maybe a few surprises along the way. Please beware there maybe cliffhangers and some stories may come with a trigger warning

https://books2read.com/stay-with-me-anthology
The anthology is only $1.99 and is FREE in KU!

Excerpt from “A Stranger’s Kiss”

“The hot sign is on!” Jordan suddenly came alive next to me.

Ahead of us, the Krispy Kreme Donut sign glowed with HOT NOW illuminated in red neon. Stuart laughed and made a quick turn into the parking lot. Jordan hopped out of the car before it even came to a stop and was at my door in a blink. He opened it and held his hand out for mine.

“Come on. There’s nothing better for a late-night snack than a Krispy Kreme hot off the line.” He grinned at me like an excited little boy.

The scent of hot fried dough filled the air. My mouth watered. I grabbed his hand and laughed as he practically ran to window to order. A few minutes later, after Jordan took Stuart a cup of coffee and a box of donuts, we sat on a concrete picnic table beneath the city lights with a dozen hot glazed donuts and two chocolate milks.

As we clogged our arteries and skyrocketed our glucose levels, we talked. Small discoveries, like our common love for chocolate and classic literature, revealed themselves quickly. By the time I was licking my sticky fingers clean, we moved past small talk, revealing bits about ourselves.

“So, if you’re not Batman, heir to the Wayne family fortune, what do you do?” I asked, sipping my chocolate milk, thinking I should have stopped at five donuts instead of splitting the dozen evenly. My mind buzzed with a pleasant sugar high as my tired body asked what it had ever done to deserve such abuse.

Jordan popped the last bit of his final donut in his mouth and chewed before answering my question. “I own several tech companies.” He shrugged and gathered up our trash.

I grinned, liking how he hadn’t taken the opportunity to launch into a dissertation on Jordan Campbell the man, the myth, the millionaire. I hated it when someone’s favorite subject was themselves.

“I thought you were going to say you were a YouTube sensation and donut critic.”

Jordan laughed and again offered his hand. “Are you up for a bit of a walk?”

I hesitated. Going for a walk in an un unknown city after dark with a stranger sounded like a great way to end up on the morning news, but even as I thought it, I put my hand in his. I couldn’t find the tiniest spark of fear for this man.

Jordan pulled my hand through the crook of his arm as we walked down the well-lit sidewalk. Stuart drove behind us, creeping along with his flashers on like a hovering dowager aunt chaperone. The stillness of the city felt odd. I assumed all big cities constantly buzzed with activity.

“Where is everybody?” I asked as we strolled along. I liked how he put himself between me and the street and matched his stride to mine.

“Atlanta’s a weird city. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people flood in from the suburbs and desert it eight hours later. They’ve done a lot of revitalization to help draw people live in the city, but it still feels like a ghost town after dark. What’s Kansas City like after dark?”

“I honestly don’t know. I avoid it at all costs. I live like a hermit in the middle of nowhere about an hour north of the city.”

Jordan stopped and faced me. “A writer. A recluse.” He tucked my hair behind my ear and studied me in the under the streetlight. “You’ve got too much to offer to hide away.”

I averted my gaze and looked up into the twinkling lights of the city. How did he know just what to say to disarm me? It was like he could see straight into me and flip whatever switch he wanted.

“Not everyone thinks so. Besides, you don’t even know me,” I said quietly, thinking of Dilan and what he said when he left me.

Kinsey, you just don’t do it for me anymore.

That short sentence shredded my heart and cut the moorings to my center. Over the last year, I tried to reconnect to my drive, my mojo. My editor forced me to go to this conference to get me out of the house in hopes it would jar me out of my funk. A few hours ago, I would have said it hadn’t worked, but now, I wasn’t so sure.

Jordan studied me for a moment before he continued our stroll. We walked the next block in silence until he stopped at the entrance of a high rise building that jutted up into the dark sky.

“This is where I live.” Jordan paused and looked over my shoulder into the night. Indecision played out on his face.

I jumped in. “I don’t know how to thank you. Seriously. Not just for saving me from sleeping in the airport, but everything.” He had no idea how much he had done for me in the last couple of hours.

“Stay with me,” he whispered.

*~*~*

With her author career in flames, all Kinsey wants to do is go home and nurse her wounds. When sparks fly between her and a hunky millionaire, will Kinsey grab a chance at rejuvenating her writing or will fear and self-doubt hold her back?

About the Author

https://linktr.ee/andycarley

A.C. Dawn is an active and enthusiastic author and reader of short stories, novellas, and novels. She enjoys bringing her characters to life and strives to stir the imagination of her readers. She believes the best writing touches the reader in ways they hadn’t expected and will never forget!

So, that’s the official bio…

Really, I’m a lover of chocolate, a strong jawline with a 5 o’clock shadow, and romances that make your heart pound and your middle get all squishy. I love quiet country living on my north Georgia farm with my family and fur babies of all shapes and sizes. I think the scariest things in life are how fast my daughter is growing and an empty coffee pot. I can’t stand slow drivers in the fast lane and wimpy handshakes.

I have endless stories rumbling around among the rocks in my head. I can’t wait to share them with you!

Readers, have you ever wondered what happens when an author doesn’t finish a book? Because sometimes we don’t, and it’s not because we don’t try. Maybe you’ve been waiting for a sequel to a beloved book but the author hasn’t completed it. Could be, the author is stuck like I was.

My book Surrender Love was a huge hit when it came out, and I told everyone I was writing a sequel, which I planned to call Surrender Trust. But it never materialized. Fans loved book one so much I got emails eleven years later asking me about it. One reader said she had reread her copy of Surrender Love multiple times and just had to know if the next story would ever come out.

I had been stymied by this story for years and had rewritten it nine times, but I got stuck every time. I didn’t know why the antagonist would do what he was doing. None of it made sense, but for the story to work, X had to happen. How could I write the story when there was no viable reason for the antagonist to do what he did?

Not having an answer frustrated readers and me, too. I had to find a solution.

So, I took a step back and tried writing about the antagonist himself. I called it Origin of Pietas. He’s the immortal king, and he’s a character in a ton of books. Pietas has always been a bit crazy to my way of thinking, but when I started writing his book, I got into his psyche and realized why I didn’t understand — because I was writing him doing things his deep sense of honor would never permit him to do.

After I wrote that book, its sequel, Forged in Fire, came quickly. I wrote a short story in the same series. Lights Out is free when you sign up for my newsletter. I see the possibility for at least two more books in the Bringer of Chaos series. I shifted to the Antonello Brothers series and wrote two others with Pietas in them. I began the Antonello Brothers: Immortal series to work up to the story that had stymied me.

First, I rewrote Surrender Love, and then added Ring of the Dragon to the series. When I was ready to start on Surrender Trust, I gave it a new name, Forever Love. What a great title for a book about immortals falling in love, right?

A full seven books after I started, I finally finished the book that had frustrated me. It has a gloriously happy ending and answered so many questions! I uploaded it to Amazon with a huge sense of accomplishment, and an equally big sigh of relief. It comes out May 13th.

To celebrate, on May 12th and 13th, Surrender Love is free on Amazon and it’s free on Kindle Unlimited every day. There is a not-to-be-missed book between these called Ring of the Dragon. Read that to soak up every single luscious detail. These books each come with a bonus story available only to readers of that book.

Here’s a short excerpt from the opening of Forever Love. The young hero is a newly made immortal named Izzorah, who’s a Kin, one of a feline-human race with catlike eyes and ears, fangs, claws, and the ability to purr. He and his soon-to-be spouse, Luc, are standing at the door, saying what I call a Southern goodbye. You know the type; someone’s leaving and you keep trying to let them go but then they say this and you say that… Luc and Izzorah do not want to part even for a minute.

Excerpt from Forever Love…

Luc braced one hand against the open door, body to body with his lover. “You look like you need one more kiss.”

“No, kahmay t’hahr, lord of my heart.” A purr rumbled in Izzorah’s chest, and he tilted his head. The late afternoon sun streamed through the door, lighting his glorious green eyes. His pupils altered, widening like a cat’s, until only a rim of emerald remained. Izzorah focused on Luc’s mouth, then shifted his gaze back up. “I need a lot of kisses.”

“I should have left an hour ago, but with you, I want one kiss after the other.” And instead of walking through the door, he captured Izzorah’s mouth once more.

His lover arched against him, arms around Luc’s neck. When the kiss ended, Izzorah drew back, sliding gentle claws through Luc’s hair, then down his chest.

Luc’s skin tingled from the erotic touch, the raging heat of his inner beast eager for release. He refused to allow his fiery nature the control it craved. As much as he desired another hour with Izzorah, duty called.

He caressed Izzorah’s face. “I love you, Rah. And your cute little cat ears.”

“You’re trying to distract me, calling me a cat. I’m not a…”

Luc stroked one of Izzorah’s ears between fingers and thumb.

“…um… I’m… Ooh, yes, like that…” Izzorah rubbed against Luc’s hand.

Continuing to play with Izzorah’s ear, he smiled. “Is it working?”

Izzorah arched his back, pushing that ear into Luc’s touch. “What?”

With a chuckle, Luc released him. “Distracting you.”

“No. I’m not a cat. I’m Kin.” Izzorah rubbed his head beneath Luc’s chin.

“Rah.” Luc pulled back. “You just marked me, didn’t you?”

Izzorah looked up at him through dark lashes. “I am yours, lord of my heart, but I want other Kin to know you are mine.”

*~*~*

Forever Love – Antonello Brothers: Immortal

For their love, forever isn’t long enough.

Izzorah has always been a Kin, part of a human-like race of fierce, rugged felines. Now he’s also a brand-new immortal.

When he learns the truth about his fiancé’s immortality–and his own–the familiar world he knew vanishes. He must pass a test designed by the immortal king to reveal his gifts and weaknesses.

Pass and he’s accepted into a warrior society he wants no part of. Fail and he’s cast out, away from the man he loves.

As if that’s not bad enough, his lover is also the king’s ex, and the king refuses to part with anything–or anyone–he loves.

Fair test? Not in this immortal lifetime…

Forever Love, a hot MM Sci-Fi romance, is third in the explosive Antonello Brothers: Immortal Science Fiction series.

Amazon worldwide / Kindle Unlimited https://books2read.com/forever-love-immortal

Full series, Surrender Love, Ring of the Dragon, Forever Love https://amzn.to/2N4d7lX

UPDATE: The winners are…Damaris Schuler and Colleen C!
*~*~*

Some months ago, my dd, who is NOT a romance reader, noted that a lot of authors have beautiful memes to advertise their books on Instagram and Facebook. She wondered why I didn’t have any or rather why I had so few and terrible-looking ones at that. In response, I got a little defensive. “Like I have time for that? I have books to write and edit!” She said, “Well, how hard can it be?” I challenged her to take up the task. Then we talked about the tools she needed. Inside a day, she had my first meme.

And strangely, she found she loved doing it. It’s something she can do in her spare time while she’s overseeing the kids doing their online schooling or late at night when she’s sitting with her hubby watching something boring on TV. Here’s a sampling of her work. It’s really not complicated, but she does spend time looking for artwork and playing with fonts and phrases. I’m thrilled with her help.

We’ve been working on putting up pics for books in my big ol’ backlist, just to remind readers there are likely series they’ve never seen before.

Here’s a meme she created yesterday for Bad to the Bone from my Night Fall vampire/werewolf series…

I thought this one was particularly cute because it hints at my heroine’s “Lady Godiva” motorcycle ride in the opening scene of Slow Rider…

Sometimes, it’s not art it’s an eye-popping color, and I do LOVE the melon orange she used for my latest release, Hot SEAL, In His Memory…

Here, she found the perfect picture to illustrate this very sexy Viking anthology, Conquests!

Contest

For a chance to win your choice of download of one of the books depicted here (or another, if you already own these!), offer a suggestion as to what you’d like to see in a book meme. What catches your eye?

Open Contests

Enter and claim your free books while you still can!

1. “Everything’s coming up roses…” (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. “You can go with this, you can go with that…” (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. What’s happening here…? (Puzzle-Contest) — Win a FREE book!
4. Desiree Holt: New Book and FREE book! — EVERYONE GETS A FREE BOOK!

Today Book #6, PROTECTING SUSAN, in The Protectors, my series in  Susan Stoker’s Special Forces World, is live! The book is dedicated to Susan who is such a genuine person and so supportive of authors as well as being an incredibly talented author herself. I hope you will join the fun and grab a copy.

What’s it about?

For Susan Stryker, the chance to start a new life with a new name, halfway across the country from her abusive ex, was like a miracle. Determined to give back, she opens a self defense school for women, reaching out especially to those in shelters. Although her ex destroyed any desire to connect with someone else, she can’t help what she feels for former SEAL Levi Hawke, a man with his own troubles. A man she met halfway through her journey on a rainy night who hooked her up with someone who could make that new life happen.

Two years later she’s about to spend two weeks on a farm where she will teach self defense and gun use to abused women who want to protect themselves. Tex Keegan, who helped her create her new life, insists she take a bodyguard with her, despite her objections. But when that bodyguard turns out to be Levi Hawke, all those buried emotions come raging to the surface. And then, just as the classes are going smoothly and the chemistry between Susan and Levi is taking them places they never thought they’d go, all hell breaks loose, from both the past and present.

For Levi this is a must-succeed mission, to save the woman he admits he loves. For Susan, it’s a chance to finally bury the past. But are two people, no matter who they are, enough to do it? Together?

https://desireeholt.com/books/protecting-susan/

Free Book

To celebrate, for a limited time only – May 8-12, Book #1 in the series, PROTECTING MADDIE is FREE! If you have not read any of the books yet, this is a great introduction and hopefully will lead you to the rest of the books.

When Maddie Winslow talked a student out of his gun in her classroom, she never figured it would set off a chain of events that put her life in grave danger, and the lives of her parents.

Hiding in WitSec for thirty years, her parents thought they had beaten the odds—until the image of Maddie, an identical replica of her mother—hits the television airwaves and the people who have been seeking revenge all these years find her. Intent on learning where her mother is hiding, they break into her home and then try to kidnap her. Frightened, she goes to her friend, Zee, who once dated someone in Delta Force. She calls him to explain her friend’s situation, but he’s prepping for a mission and can’t leave the base.

Hunter “Hawkeye” St. John, a Delta Force team member, is on medical leave recuperating in Tampa and chafing for some action. When he and Maddie meet, the sparks flying between them sizzle the air. But if Hawkeye wants to move forward with Maddie he first has to keep her safe and then eliminate the bad guys.

https://desireeholt.com/books/protecting-maddie/

And find the entire series here: https://desireeholt.com/the-protector-series/

Want more? Come join Desiree’s Darlings, where every day is a celebration. https://www.facebook.com/groups/DesireesDarlings

UPDATE: The winner is…Christine!
*~*~*

Puzzle-Contest

Solve the puzzle and tell me a little story about what’s happening here for a chance to win your choice of a FREE download from my backlist!
Have a happy Monday and have fun!

Here’s wishing all those mothers out there a very happy day! Mwah! XOXOXOXO ~DD

Open Contests

Enter while you can!

1. Happy May Day! (Puzzle-Contest) — Ends tomorrow! Win a FREE book!
2. Every Monday is a New Chance (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
3. “Everything’s coming up roses…” (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Michal Scott: African Americans and The Religious Society of Friends (Contest & Excerpt) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. “You can go with this, you can go with that…” (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!