DILEMMA OF THE HEART by Cindy K. Green
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Cassandra Huddleston has a dilemma. Her heart still resides with her sweetheart, Frederick Adair, reported as killed in action at the close of the Civil War. Now she has a new suitor, Emerson Bryce, powerful, attractive, and dominant; he usually gets what he wants. Cassandra must decide if she can forget the man of her heart and learn to love the man offering her a future.
As she struggles with her feelings, Cassandra is faced with the possibility that Frederick’s death might have been greatly exaggerated. If that is true, will Emerson be willing to let her go?
Cindy was born in California but now resides in North Carolina with her husband and two young sons. Growing up, she loved reading and writing, but her heart always lay in teaching. After graduating from college with a degree in history, Cindy taught Jr. High for four years in just about every subject. After the birth of her second child, she was able to stay home and focus on her writing as well as homeschool her children. In her spare time, she loves reading, photography, scrapbooking, Period Dramas, and spending time with family. Cindy writes Inspirational, Contemporary, Suspense, Young Adult, Fantasy and Historical.
Excerpt from DILEMMA OF THE HEART:
"Cass, what are you doing here?" Frederick said quite casually, breaking the silence between them. He set the comb in his hand down on a bench and then tousled a hand through his sun-lightened brown hair. Though his eyes revealed no displeasure at her sudden appearance, he seemed unsure of her intent. At this point, she wasn't sure what she was doing there either. Her stalwart resolutions back at home seemed to be disappearing into the inky dark night. If he had come home hoping to marry her as they had promised, then he sure wasn't trying very hard to see that come to fruition.
"I...I'm not sure why I'm here."
A slight smile curved in the corner of his mouth, the type of playful expression which commonly appeared on his features when they were younger. "It's not like you to be indecisive, Miss Huddleston." He said her name with a smirk as he leaned against a stall and crossed his arms.
Cassandra closed her eyes and tightly grasped the sides of her dress, trying to maintain her temper. "Will you please cease with the Miss Huddleston. It is becoming quite tedious, Mr. Adair." She uttered his proper name with as much derision as she could muster.
He began to move toward her, his strides determined and sleek. "And how shall I address you when you’re married?" His voice drawled into a low and provocative tone, making her heart give a little leap.
She made the mistake of gazing into those deep, wonderful eyes of his and forgot to breathe as his eyes, no longer playful, seared into her, down to her beating heart. When she was finally able to gulp some air, her lungs began to pump again. "You may call me Cassandra as you always have...I hope." Her voice came out breathy and weak.
"Oh, no, I don’t believe that would be proper." He stepped right in front of her face and touched his forehead to hers. In that moment, it felt as if a dozen butterflies had been released inside her stomach. He grabbed her around the waist, but before he had the chance to kiss her, she returned to her senses. Pushing off from his chest, she moved down toward the stalls, keeping her back to him as she held a hand over her galloping heart.
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Ready to compete for a free copy of DILEMMA OF THE HEART?? Answer the following question and wow Cindy. If you just want to hang out and chat, that's cool too!
What is the most embarrassing manner in which your death has been greatly exaggerated?
41 comments:
Hello Book Roast! I'm excited to be back and roasting over my historical Dilemma. ;)
What a wonderful premise! I do hope those crazy kids get together (grinning)!
Hey Kimber--Never fear. ;)
Ack!! I couldn't get to a computer! Sorry I'm late!!
Welcome, Cindy. We've got some glorious weather here, and tomorrow we have off, so it's a great day for a roast. :) Let's get rolling!
Ooh, I like the pretty colors on your cover, Cindy!
I believe the Roast has gone vegan--they are roasting a lot of Roses! =)
Recently a rumor spread like wildfire that Lainey Bancroft had eaten herself to death by consuming four thousand Cadbury Easter Cream Eggs.
This was a gross exaggeration. Wile she did indeed consume four thousand eggs and fall into a
chocolate-induced coma, she was nowhere near dead.
How embarrassing. ;-)
LOL Lainey! That was great. What a way to go. ;)
Hi Jason! The weather is pretty good here today in NC as well. We've had a couple cold days and I am sooo ready for spring.
Book Trailer---
I made a book trailer for Dilemma if anyone wants to see it. It's posted on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A5rQYLD1V0
Roasting roses...I kind of like the ring of that.
North Carolina sounds lovely to us pathetic northerners, Cindy. :)
I have a question. What were your favorite aspects to each of these characters?
I really enjoyed writing them all--even my antagonist. but I'll get to him later.
A bit about the heroine--Cassandra
Cassandra has a sweet spirit. She’s caring and spends a lot of her time assisting the poor and ailing. She also longs to do what is right and obey her parents, but she finds that perhaps she must follow her heart in this instance. I’m sure I relate to Cassandra on so many levels. She gives her heart whole-heartedly and once given she is forever a part of Frederick. Loyal. That’s Cassandra.
Hi Cindy!!I just stopped by to give you a ((hug))
The Hero Frederick:
He was a 16 y/o boy when he left his sweetheart to fight and now he's returned to find Cassandra engaged to another man. He has a quiet spirit and pride. No, not the typical alpha male--more the Gamma. Because when the time comes to thwart his enemy he steps up to the plate.
Hi Joyce--thanks for the hugs. :) I appreciate it.
Coming home from a tour of duty overseas with the military in a live fire zone he got lost. Around ten o'clock at night I got a call from a commander asking me if my husband was there. No, I explained, he was still overseas and not due back for another week.
Was I sure?
Yes, husbands are not something I regularly misplace. I was positive he wasn't home.
Really?
Yes!
Oh....
And suddenly I worry. Where was Dear Husband of mine?
Apparently the military mislaid him. And for about twenty-four hours no one had a clue where he was. MIA in a combat zone. He was finally found sitting on a plane with about 20 other soldiers. They'd been sent to the wrong plane and told to wait. So they did.
Not dead. Not MIA. Not even having fun! And he swears he knew where he was the whole time.
Hey Cindy! Just another wild rose--back from the dead to roast you! Did you hear the one about me getting stuck with a poisonous thorn when out picking roses in my rose garden? The way I heard it, they found me belly up with the rose clutched to my heart!
Hey Just Me & Sharon! Great stories.
Research for Dilemma--
I have a degree in history and have done special research on this time period so I’d always wanted to write a historical novel/story set at this time.
My hero in Dilemma is thought dead at the Battle of Bentonville in North Carolina. I was able to visit the site and learn a lot about the place and battle. And it helped in coming up with the backstory of what happened to Frederick. I also did a lot of research on clothing and buggies of the era. Those little details that make a story seem real.
Hey Cindy. Great to see you surviving the "Roast." lol Dilemma of the Heart sounds like a must-read book. Hmmm! How has the story of my death been exaggerated?
*I strolled into the ballroom alone, expecting a warm welcome after six months on assignment in the jungles of Brazil. The gasps of disbelief; the screams of horror; the collapse of one elderly woman stopped me in the middle of the room.
"Sandra," Eric said, "you're supposed to be dead."*
Or something like that--off the top of my head. ;D
Great Sandra! LOL! Dilemma is the story of loss and making a decision that could affect the rest of your life. It is poignant, moving and yes I threw in some sass as well. There is a full-length sequel in the works.
I can just imagine what she will go through before she realizes he is the one!
Sounds great Cindy! A must read for me.
Are you cooked yet?
Not quite yet. LOL! Thanks Mary. :)
Hey Book Roast and Cindy,
I'm new to this game. Hope I don't make a complete rose of myself.
Some said I'd died. Some were sure I deserved it. Truthfully, I meant to rest my rear against the side of the changing room after wiggling out of another pair of jeans but my feet slid out from under me and I banged my head on the shrunken seat. Concussion the paramedics said. The doctors agreed, delaying my return home and adding gist to the rumor mill. Yep, I'm still alive. Just no longer size 8 apparently.
LOL Maggie! Perfect. Thanks for coming over to my roast. Things are still toasty over here.
Poor Charlotte, found at her keyboard. On the screen before her, her latest novel, aptly entitled "The Death of a Bestseller!"
Ah,well, I tried! Lurrrve that video, y'know!
Sizzle, sizzle
Sheryl my friend! Welcome, welcome. I'd hate to hear of your actual demise. ;)
***New Buy Link***
Dilemma of the Heart was published with The Wild Rose Press but we have recently split off our Inspy titles in a new publishing company called White Rose Publishing. Here is the new Buy Link http://whiterosepublishing.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=146&products_id=1140
As you say, the roses have come in for a roasting lately, Cindy, and I understand there are more blooms waiting to be sizzled!
I love the sound of 'Dilema', and I really enjoyed the trailer. Great pictures and the music really suits!
A little while ago, my dear sweet mare saw a sabre tooth butterfly zip past her ear and went into orbit. Vertical take off six foot in the air, bucking and twisting like a bronco. She landed back on the earth and stood stock still. She seemed to have lost something. I lay motionless. She nudged me with her muzzle. 'Sorry mum, we seem to have parted company. Are you dead'.
'No,' I gasped weakly, trying to focus as several loony mares blured into one. I was just having a little rest - rumours of my death have been somewhat exagerated!'
Excellent, Lyn. Are you a writer or something? ;)
I fixed the purchase link. Thanks for that, Cindy! And I love hearing what's behind your characters and their motivations.
welcome cindy... nice excerpt, jason :)
the most embarrassing way my death was exaggerated: when she kissed me, i swooned like some kinda wuss and dropped to the floor, dead to the world... seconds later i heard, "you know it's true what they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall!"
at 5'16", but stretched out at their feet, i had no comeback...
Thanks Jason! It's been great today.
Hey Laughingwolf. Ah, what a way to go. ;)
Cindy, how common are unlikable romantic heros. I'm thinking of Heathcliff, for example, in Wuthering Heights. Does every romantic hero need to be widely likable?
Cindy, I'm very late as the White Rabbit said, but I just wanted to bring the marshmallows for your roast. :)
Cindy, thanks for a wonderful day!! I enjoyed the Q&A and the great responses. :) It's time to close the contest portion. Please go ahead and choose your winner!!
lol... thx cindy ;)
You don't want to know what first popped into my head as an answer to that question. you really don't want to know.
Sorry I didn't make it in here last night to announce the winner. I got pulled away by distractions in the household.
So I've done a random drawing of all the entrants because really...how could I choose. ;)
The winner is...Really Me.
Email me at cindy@cindykgreen.com and I will send that story out to you. Thanks to everyone who came by for my roast!
Jason--to answer your last question--
I believe the likability of a hero these days is imperative. He needs to have some redeeming quality and heroism about him. (There is something more important than his own self interests.)
It's funny you mention Heathcliffe because I was discussing the subject recently with some other authors--the marketability in a book like Wuthering Heights today and we agreed it would never sell by today's standards. As a classic though it is still going strong.
Take care All!
Cindy, thank you! You were great roastee! And also thanks for you final insights. That's a fascinating point. Art that boosts emotions always seems to do better than darker, more troubled messages. It's courageous to go the later route, but in doing so, you are probably leaving the reader a bit unsatisfied, and I do respect the reasons why someone picks up a book. You're asking them to invest a lot of their time. In a way, you do owe them an experience.
grats rm... and thx cindy :)
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