Bea's Book Nook: Excerpt from The Seduction of Esther by Jennifer Wilck

Friday, June 21, 2013

Excerpt from The Seduction of Esther by Jennifer Wilck

Hello! Another day, another excerpt. I do love excerpts. :D "The Seduction of Esther" is a romance centered around the Jewish holiday of Purim. The blurb and the cover caught my eye and I eagerly signed up.

Author Bio:

When I was a little girl and couldn’t fall asleep, my mother would tell me to make up a story. Pretty soon, my head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Each character had a specific personality, a list of likes and dislikes, and sometimes, even a specific accent or dialect. Even as an adult, I think about the characters and stories at night before I fall asleep, or in the car on my way to or from one of my daughters’ numerous activities (hey, anything that will drown out their music is a good thing).

One day, I started writing them down (it was either that or checking into the local mental hospital—the computer was way less scary) and five years later, I’ve gotten two book contracts from Whiskey Creek Press. A Heart of Little Faith came out in June; Skin Deep is coming out in November.

In the real world, I’m the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men I know. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, traveling and watching TV. In between chauffeuring my daughters to after-school activities that require an Excel spreadsheet to be kept straight, I serve on our Temple Board, train the dog we adopted from a local shelter, and cook dinners that fit the needs of four very different appetites. I also write freelance articles for magazines, newspapers, and edit newsletters.

When all of that gets overwhelming, I retreat to my computer, where I write stories that let me escape from reality. In my made-up world, the heroines are always smart, sassy and independent. The heroes are handsome and strong with just a touch of vulnerability. If I don’t like a character, I can delete him or her; if something doesn’t work, I can rewrite it. It’s very satisfying to be in control of at least one part of my life. My inspiration comes from watching the people around me and fantasizing about how I’d do things differently.

I can be reached at www.jenniferwilck.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Wilck/201342863240160. I tweet as @JWilck, my blog (Fried Oreos) is www.jenniferwilck.wordpress.com and I contribute to Heroines With Hearts at www.heroineswithhearts.blogspot.com.

My books can be purchased through Rebel Ink Press http://rebelinkpress.com/our-titles.html,

Whiskey Creek Press www.whiskeycreekpress.com, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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EXCERPT

The entire time, though, he kept an eye out for Samara. He’d catch a splash of purple out of the corner of his eye, a flounce of a skirt as she moved to a different group, but never more than a glimpse before someone else grabbed his attention. After a lull in his current conversation, he excused himself and walked up to her.

“Hello, I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Samara turned and her face brightened. “Hi, I see the guest of honor has arrived.”

“Is that what I am?” Nathaniel’s gut tightened and his fingers gripped the bottle of beer he’d snagged on his way over.

“I wouldn’t worry too much. They usually save the spotlight and belly-dancing requirement for the second hour. You have plenty of time to eat before you should try to make your escape.”

He chuckled, loosened his grip on the bottle and took a drink. The cool, amber liquid slid down his throat and gave him a chance to study Samara. There was something different about her, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. The scent of her jasmine perfume mixed with the grainy smell of the beer and the dinner aromas and his head swam. He stepped back and blinked.

“Are you okay?” Her forehead crinkled with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Not used to all the fuss.”

“Enjoy it. Besides, even though she can be a bit of a gossip, Joyce throws the best parties.”

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