Since the Brava contest is in full swing, and since you are all out there working on your contest submissions…right?… I thought this might be a good time to post my novella finalist from the last Lori Foster Brava Novella Contest.
Disclaimer: Kate Duffy did not buy this novella. However, it was chosen as a finalist by the then-Brava authors who judged and by Lori Foster. Kate liked the writing but the workplace romance and potential for sexual harassment ickiness that comes with that sort of thing (as I had written the novella) made it a no-go for her. But, I do think I can someday move this around and make it work. Just haven’t found the time yet. I am determined to sell a single author anthology centered on a workplace to Kate Duffy day. Just not today since I’m on deadline on a single title, but one day.
Further Disclaimer: I have not edited this entry…though I was really, really tempted. I wanted to be fair and show you what sort of entry landed a finalist spot two years ago and the condition it was in at the time.
Further Further Disclaimer: The finalists in the last contest were all very different so this is just an example.
Excerpt from MANN TROUBLE copyrighted by HelenKay Dimon (more chit chat from me following the excerpt):
This had to be a joke.
Duncan Mann glanced down at his appointment book, trying to decipher the scribble. The handwritten note should have said something about a one o’clock with the new employment counselor. He didn’t see any reference to an afternoon meeting with a hot brunette who could double as a lingerie model.
He expected matronly. A long, shapeless floral skirt. Hair in a tight bun. Sensible shoes. Even a slight mustache, but not the scary kind. The faint can-barely-see-it kind.
What he got was a walking wet dream.
A pencil-thin black skirt, a form fitting white shirt that showcased every inch of her c-cup breasts and a delectable pair of strappy black heels. Not to mention wavy honey-colored hair that grazed slim shoulders and eyes the color of melting chocolate.
“Mr. Mann?”
The vision spoke. The way she said his name, all formal and proper, made him wonder if she had a whip and leather thigh-high boots hidden under her clipboard. Not his thing but he’d give it a try for her.
He choked down the lust clogging his throat. “Yes?”
“Are you listening to me?”
Not one damn word. “Of course.”
Those lovely eyes narrowed. “What did I just say?”
In the R-rated version in his head, she mentioned something about peeling off her pastel panties and wrapping her long legs around his waist. Better to opt for the made-for-television version. The one that wouldn’t get his ass kicked by those pointy two-inch heels.
“You were explaining your role here.” He hoped that was close.
“Your company hired me to get your equal opportunity program up and running.”
Whatever that was. “Not to be dumb, but do I have an equal opportunity program now?”
She pursed those full lips together in a severe frown. A man didn’t have to be a Nobel Prize winner to know that wasn’t a good sign.
“That is precisely my point, Mr. Mann. You should.”
“Please call me Duncan.”
“No.” She started blathering on about equal something or other. He decided to stop her before he drifted into a coma.
“Wait a second. Did you just say no?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, you said no?” Duncan had the sudden urge to run for cover. Marisa Carter was a scary woman and right now he was her prime target.
“Mr. Mann, let’s get something straight.”
The temperature in the room dropped thirty degrees in less than five seconds. She didn’t notice but his back teeth started chattering.
“I am here because your business is in trouble.”
“It is? As the owner and president of said business, you’d think I’d know that sort of thing.”
“You managed to establish a highly profitable computer consulting firm without having any women on staff.”
She certainly made that sound bad. “What about my sister?”
“I hardly consider her an employee. She’s family.”
He made a mental note to disown Jenna since this entire employment counselor thing was her stupid idea.
“My point is, Mr. Mann, you need professional help.”
###
Now, the first novella Kate did buy from me appears in the ’06 anthology WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD BOYS with novellas by Lori Foster and Erin McCarthy. I wrote that novella specifically for Kate after we discussed the strengths and weaknesses of MANN TROUBLE.
Tell me your thoughts on novellas in general – like ‘em or no – and your favorite (if you have one). I’ll pick someone at random from those commenting to win a copy of WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD BOYS.
In the meantime, get back to writing and polishing those contest submissions.
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