It’s time for Snippet Sunday. It’s snowy and cold outside, so it’s a good time to snuggle up to a source of heat with a cuppa something good, and read.
So today I’m showcasing THE CONCRETE ANGEL, a cocky bikers holiday tale.
In this snippet, we’re in Flint’s POV (all in first person) and he’s taking Rochelle on a real date to a small Colorado Town in the mountains.
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“Why are we in Cripple Creek?” She held the to-go cup between her hands as she gazed at the well-lit main street. The sounds of the slot machines were muted because the cold made them shut the doors and windows, but light blazed from every opening.
“They have an Ice Festival every year.” I pointed beyond the buildings to the large county fairground field at the end of the brightly lit street. “Artists come from all over the country to construct the amazing and the fanciful. I thought it would be fun to see.”
She gaped at me as we walked toward the fairgrounds. “Are you serious? I’ve lived in Colorado all my life and I never knew about this.”
I gave her a smile. “It started when a local carpenter lost his wife and wanted to do something divert his kids from their loss. So he carved animals out of ice for them. He’d show his friends and neighbors his creations. For a while it was only locals who knew about it and he’d do it every year. When enough tourists found out, the city council invited more artists and set up a charity to help the man with his bills as he got older. After a while, it became such a big thing, they made it a competition with all the proceeds going to a fund to help people with loss and bereavement, mental health and substance abuse programs, and funeral costs. It’s now a big thing.”
“Wow. That’s amazing. I wish I’d known about it.”
She sounded so wistful, I shot her a look and signed, “What?”
“Oh, my mom died a few years back. I don’t have any siblings and Mom never told me who the sperm donor was, so it was just me to take everything on.”
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That puts a bit of a damper on the evening. 😉 There are several great authors on the Weekend Writer Warriors list, the Snippet Sunday Facebook group, and the Rainbow Snippets Facebook group. A few of my favorites are, P.T. Wyant, Karen Michelle Nutt, Veronica Scott, Jessica Subject, Karysa Faire, and Iris Blobel.
Here’s the blurb for THE CONCRETE ANGEL:
The weather outside is frightful, and so are the goons trying to toss me off a snowy cliff…
Rochelle Stone, Earth Witch
Speaking out against a local bigwig who’s terrified of witches when you actually are a witch attracts trouble. Only the timely intervention of a big, hot biker dude saves me from a modern-day execution. He says he’s security for the Concrete Angels Motorcycle Club, but I know he’s more than that. I’ve always had an affinity for stones, and my affinity for Flint is through the roof. He’s hard as a rock and my hands tingle when I touch him. He doesn’t speak aloud, but his talented hands tell me plenty… Now if I can just get the jackass trying to kill me off my back, it’ll be a golden holiday for sure.
Humans. They’re either gloriously happy or dismally miserable.
Flint, Concrete Angels’ Security
With the holidays just around the corner, I’ve been looking for a quiet place to collect my thoughts. But that’s when Earl Creighton’s goons try to throw a woman off my local cliff. I normally don’t get involved with human troubles, but something about this woman captivates me beyond reason. We share a one-night stand and I know she’s meant to be mine. But Rochelle is no one’s property and she might not sign Loki’s contract. If she refuses, I’ll have to let her go and that will crack the foundation of my soul. No pressure, right?
Havoc, hexes, and holidays: It’s the most wonderful time of year…
Sad – we authors are prone to have mcs with dead parents. But the unknown donor might mean problems in future.
Loved the snippet and the concept of the Ice Festival. True her comment was a bit sad but it’s nice she can share her feelings with him.
The Ice Festival is an interesting concept. Enjoyed the snippet.
I’ve also lived in Colorado most of my life and didn’t know about the ice festival. I’ve always been in either the Denver-Boulder area or in northern Colorado, though. I even looked the ice festival up online. It was canceled because of Covid this year.