Good morning, all! Please help me welcome, Stephen Dawson, the editor with those kisses! Let's find out more about him...
Tell me about yourself?
My name is
Stephen Dawson, and I’m the owner and editor of my hometown’s newspaper, The
Weekly Times. As a young boy, I always hungered for information about the
world, and I collected newspapers from all over. This interest turned in to a
profession, so I saved up for several years to buy a printing press and start
my own paper.
What’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect
you now?
For most of my childhood, my family suffered under the neglect of my
mother and her distaste for my father. I often tried to be whatever my mother
wanted in hopes that she would become the person our family needed. It didn’t
work. However, despite that, my brothers and I managed to form a bond as strong
as hickory. We also have a close relationship with our father and step-mother.
Family is important to me, and I use my paper to support the needs of others.
No sensationalism.
What tangible object would symbolize you?
You might think it
would be a newspaper, but it’s really a fishing pole. If I’m not writing, I’m
fishing with my brothers and father.
How did you meet Constance? What was your first impression
of her?
Constance and I grew up together and attended school together. The
first day I met her, she won the class spelling bee. She didn’t gloat about it,
either. She gets the job done without fuss. No nonsense -- that was my first
impression of her.
What do you like about Constance?
Her tenacity. She is also
bright, loving and loyal.
What is it that you want out of life?
To spend the rest of
it with Constance. To raise our children to be happy, successful and caring
adults. To leave a mark on the world that helps others in the future.
Has life handed you any major disappointments?
Yes. My
mother passed away when I was seventeen. Despite her neglect, I loved her very
much. We all did. She made amends before she died, which helped some. But there
isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her and wish for a second
chance.
If you had an unexpected free day, what would you do with
it?
I’d go fishing.
Aside from Constance, tell me about your best friend.
I have
two. They are my brothers, Frank and Carl. Frank is older than me, and he’s the
person I go to for advice. He’s calm, steady. He’s probably the backbone of our
family. Carl is younger, and he’s the one who helps me lay down my burdens and
enjoy life. I need both of them.
Thanks so much for joining us Stephen and Kara! Let's find out more about THE EDITOR'S KISSES...
Blurb
~
One kiss changes the whole
game…
Constance Forrester is a suffragette determined to
change society. When Stephen Dawson, her school chum, starts a newspaper, she
asks Stephen to take a risk and employ her as a journalist.
Stephen immediately turns her down. But his interactions with Constance have made
the town princess, Madeline Talbut, curious. Stephen has loved Madeline for
years, and he concocts a plan: enter into a fake courtship with Constance, and
in return, Constance can be a journalist for his newspaper.
It’s a chance Constance can't pass up. So what if she has to attend parties and
withstand Stephen's heart-melting kisses? A suffragette must forge through
barriers, but when Stephen changes the game, Constance finds herself the object
of the editor's desire…
I am a huge fan of Kara's and I think
after reading this excerpt you'll understand why.
A budding suffragette agrees to a fake
courtship with the editor for a job…not love.
Excerpt ~
Setting:
The Talbut Parlor
The
Problem: An annoying parlor game
Madeline’s
spinning of Constance was a little rough, but Stephen held his tongue. When
their hostess let go, Constance fumbled for a moment before Stephen raised
himself up and yanked her into his lap.
The
shouts of excitement and delight that went around the room nearly deafened him.
People playfully called out “cheater”, but Stephen didn’t care, especially when
Constance whisked off her mask and looked immensely relieved to see he’d
successfully caught her.
They
headed to the closet without fuss. Constance almost looked as if she was dying
to climb inside. She probably wanted to get the farce over with.
Once
they were squeezed into the confining space, with their chests pressed together
in a way Stephen had only fantasized about, she said, “Thank you. I don’t know
what I would have done—”
He
covered her mouth with his hand, having dislodged it from his side. Then he
leaned near her ear. “They might be able to hear us,” he whispered.
She
flinched.
He
lowered his arm, and she let out a slow breath. He wished he could see her
face. For more reasons than to satisfy his worry she was all right.
He
did everything he could to ignore the touch of her body along his front. He
tried not to remember how she looked, how her eyes lit up, how her expression
sharpened when she was interested in something. Why had he watched her all
night?
But
he knew. He knew very well. She was captivating. Intriguing. And so damned
lovely.
Why
was he having feelings for her? Wasn’t his love for Madeline strong enough to
withstand attraction for another woman? But if it was, he would be in the
closet with his hostess and not the lady he pretended to the world held his
fancy.
He
had to kiss her. He had to discover if this attachment was real. Besides, if he
didn’t kiss her, everyone would wonder why. And for some strange reason, he
needed every fellow out there to understand Constance Forrester was his. He
closed his eyes and realized his attitude was no better than a caveman’s. But
the need to possess and brand raced through him without pause, and he couldn’t
fathom how to check it. Except to kiss her and get her out of his system once
and for all.
“Constance,”
he uttered. “I’m gonna kiss you.”
She
flinched again.
“I
won’t hurt you, I swear it. But if I don’t kiss you…they’ll all question us and
our…attachment.” He was an ass. He was using their agreement to coax her into
acquiescence, and while he knew it, and was ashamed of it, he continued. “It
will only be for a second. I’ll just brush my lips with yours.”
In
the darkness, he felt her slight nod against his chin. His heart pounded at her
quiet surrender.
When
she pulled back as far as the space would allow and lifted her head to his,
heat slashed through him. He’d never needed a kiss as much as he needed hers.
Madeline had kissed him. Once. Behind the
schoolhouse when they were sixteen. And that moment hadn’t caused nearly the
anticipation this one did.
He
lowered his head and swallowed her gasp. It wasn’t a brush, even though he only
set his lips on hers. It was a fire. A shot of whiskey that whipped through him
and pooled in his gut. He deepened the connection, and she let him, sighing and
sinking into him despite already being as close to him as he could get her.
He
melted. He needed to move to the ground and cover her, press her down and make
her his. He used his tongue, tasting her. She capitulated instantly and opened
her mouth under his. He took what she allowed without hesitation as his free
hand came up to grip her waist.
The
damn closet was too small. His left hand was wedged between her side and the
slender door. But though he couldn’t get his arms around her, he didn’t stop
the kiss. It went on and on, stealing his breath, tightening his chest and
making him doubt everything he’d ever known about his heart.
Rapid
footsteps had him surging backward, and he knocked his head on the wall.
The
door flew open, and cool air blasted his cheeks. He and Constance fell out of
the space, their limbs tangling as they tried to right themselves.
Peals
of laughter rung around them as Stephen reached out a hand to balance her. She
latched on as if she didn’t want to let go, and his muscles vibrated with hope
she had enjoyed the moment as he had.
It
had taken less than a few seconds for him to realize kissing her had been the
wrong thing to do. But also the most right, most perfect, most sound judgement
he’d ever made in his life.
As
those who’d crowded around the entrance to the kitchen went roaring with
laughter back into the parlor, he gazed at Constance. And his world tilted.
Her
flushed cheeks and bright eyes made his heart constrict with an emotion he was
too afraid to name at the moment. But he knew what it was. He knew.
How
in the devil had it happened? Was he a fool? A fickle man?
He
swallowed. “Do you want to leave?”
And
before his eyes, he witnessed a transformation that set his blood on fire.
Determination changed her expression, and she lifted her chin.
“Certainly
not. I’m quite all right, I assure you.” She gave a shake to her skirts. “We’ve
a job to do, Stephen Dawson, and I’ll not let you down.”
She
exited the kitchen with a swirl of satin, and he followed with less sure steps.
She wouldn’t let him down, he knew it. But he feared he might disappoint her,
for if she knew the direction of his thoughts, she would never forgive him.
Constance Forrester had no time for any man. She had plans. Plans that didn’t
include caring for the heart of the newspaper editor.
Beautifully written and compelling! Thank you for sharing this, Kara!
To purchase THE EDITOR'S KISSES:
https://books2read.com/u/31Y1ya
Bio~
Born and raised in
Texas, I had to make the state the setting for my first series. From the food
to the fun, like floating the rivers, it is the fire in my blood that inspires
me. My family and friends take center stage in my books. My sisters and best
friends are my heroines, and my husband created my favorite hero. Love and
family are the point of my stories, and I seek to entertain, relieve stress,
and inspire people. Books can take one on a journey that one can relive over
and over. I am extremely grateful to those authors who did that very thing for
me. I learned and I fell in love with their words and characters. From the
bottom of my heart, thank you.
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