Now that you've read part one and two of Deep Point of View it's time to look at some examples from my published novels.
Let's start with Law Breakers and Love Makers, my first release from Desert Breeze Publishing. The heroine, Zoe arrives to house sit her parents' unoccupied home.
Here's the opening hook:
Zoe Westmore glanced around the living room of her parents' new home. She'd have no problem obeying the first of her mother's house sitting rules. No sex in the living room.
Not in this sterile expanse of white on white.
Even if her mother hadn't put her foot down, Zoe had no plans for sex in the immediate future. Not while her parents were in Europe and she was responsible for the care of their exquisitely appointed home.
And later, in the house next door with Jon, the high school sweetheart who abandoned Zoe :
She liked the coziness of this house, the feeling gentle arms were wrapped close around her to keep her warm.
Jon's? Zoe backed away from the thought.
Turning abruptly, she came smack up against his broad chest.
"Uh... sorry," she said. Her cheeks on fire, she stepped around him and hurried down the hall.
"You okay?" Jon asked, joining her back in the kitchen.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Her fickle attraction tempted her to waltz right into his arms.
No way!
The reader knows she's fighting her attraction to him without the author telling us so.
Later still, at the Jacuzzi:
He had spread the lounge cushions around the bubbling pool.
Umm. Thoughtful man.
"Want to go in? I turned the heat on, hoping you would."
"I... My... suit is in my room.
"You won't need it for what I have in mind," he coaxed. "I'd only have to rip it off. Come here."
As if in a trance she took a step, then another, guided by the warm glow in Jon's eyes.
The reader knows exactly what Zoe is thinking and feeling without the author writing: She saw a warm glow in Jon's eyes.
Now let's look at Temp to Permanent, a different kind of romantic suspense I wrote for Desert Breeze.
The harried business owner is expecting a temp to arrive at any moment to fill in for her ailing secretary.
At the scrape of a leather shoe sole, Carina's concentration cracked.
"Hello, is anyone here?"
Startled, Carina hit a wrong key. Unless his face matches that heart-stopping voice, I'll throttle this salesman.
She abandoned the keyboard and swiveled around in her chair. Six feet of tanned muscles crossed her carpet. No way would she choke this hunk.
"There's no one at the desk out front," a husky male voice rasped.
Surrounded by masculine scent, Carina riveted her gaze on his business card, then glanced up. Devilish blue eyes locked with hers. She looked away to conceal her unprofessional, very unladylike reaction.
She lets him stay and they get down to work:
A yellow package lay on Greg's desk. She opened the envelope and slid out the contents. "You saved me a lot of heartburn, Greg. Thanks."
His blue eyes failed to reveal his thoughts. "These are your messages. You seemed preoccupied so I took the liberty of screening your calls."
Wise move. She could easily adjust to his thoughtful manner, but found it impossible to ignore his presence. Even at her desk behind closed doors his deep voice had disrupted her thoughts.
Weeks later, against Greg's will they make love. He feels office romance are ethically wrong.
Unbidden, his hand slid around her waist and he pulled her to him, burying his head in the spun web of her golden halo, in no shape to refuse her anything.
"Carina," he breathed.
She leaned back in his arms and tilted her chin up to look at him. Tiny fires burning in her eyes beckoned him. The warmth of her breath brushed his cheek. Her body heat, seeping through the layers of her caftan, scorched his legs.
With a groan of surrender he succumbed, dipping his head, needing to feel her soft mouth on his. The gentle brush of her lips will suffice, he thought. Just one.
The harmless meeting of their mouths for a tender moment was all he'd intended, but the brief touch in no way satisfied his need. He dove for her lips and pulled her hard against him, losing himself in the softness of her mouth. Her lips opened to his, letting him taste the sweetness she offered him.
All thought of hurrying the kiss evaporated. Her lips were soft, too soft, and warm, far too warm to abandon yet.
She moved a step closer. Pressing. Wanting. Needing. Need shook him, too. Without thought for the consequences, he swept one arm around Carina's waist, cradled her head with his other hand, and deepened the kiss. The taste of well-aged wine flavored her lips and he had a sudden deep-seated need for strong wine.
He had known he couldn't get his fill.
The reader is right there, in Greg's head.
And finally, let's look at Decisive Moments, a dark romance, and my latest release from Desert Breeze.
In this scene Charles has just refused Amy's request to photograph his boarded up house:
Strange, Charles thought, staring after the striking blonde who had interrupted his morning's work, the sudden burst of sunshine brightening his office seemed to have followed her out the door, making the office dreary again.
He ran a finger around his collar, which suddenly seemed tighter than it had when he'd dressed. He straightened in his chair and picked up a fine-tipped red marker, prepared to finish checking the blueprints on his desk.
For a long moment he studied the renderings of the formal entrance with thoughtful concern.
Cold stone and glass. She'd certainly been outspoken about his designs. Accurate, but far from complimentary.
Her disdain of his work stung.
Even in a dark novel, you need a little romance. Charles arranges a special dinner to thank Amy for the changes she's caused him to make in his life:
For a moment conversation ceased. So did her heartbeat.
She opened her eyes to gaze up at him, breathlessly waiting.
"Now," he added, "all my dreams include you."
Afraid to move, lest she break the sensual spell, she turned her head slightly, seeking his mouth. Their lips met and time stood still. With the tender kiss, sane thought ceased as well. His arms tightened around her as if he'd never let her go.
She wanted this, wanted Charles, with a desire far stronger than the circle of his arms. She threaded her fingers through his hair, smiled when he groaned. Drawing his head down, she deepened the kiss, and welcomed the sudden, sweet urgency throbbing through her veins.
His hands found the hollow of her spine, pressing, stroking, causing her heartbeat to race. Her breasts swelled, yearning for attention, and she swayed against his broad chest, the primal need to touch his bare skin making her brazen.
Aren't you right there feeling each heartbeat? That's Deep Point of View.
Buy Link: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-template/Toni%20Noel/Page.bok
Let's start with Law Breakers and Love Makers, my first release from Desert Breeze Publishing. The heroine, Zoe arrives to house sit her parents' unoccupied home.
Here's the opening hook:
Zoe Westmore glanced around the living room of her parents' new home. She'd have no problem obeying the first of her mother's house sitting rules. No sex in the living room.
Not in this sterile expanse of white on white.
Even if her mother hadn't put her foot down, Zoe had no plans for sex in the immediate future. Not while her parents were in Europe and she was responsible for the care of their exquisitely appointed home.
And later, in the house next door with Jon, the high school sweetheart who abandoned Zoe :
She liked the coziness of this house, the feeling gentle arms were wrapped close around her to keep her warm.
Jon's? Zoe backed away from the thought.
Turning abruptly, she came smack up against his broad chest.
"Uh... sorry," she said. Her cheeks on fire, she stepped around him and hurried down the hall.
"You okay?" Jon asked, joining her back in the kitchen.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Her fickle attraction tempted her to waltz right into his arms.
No way!
The reader knows she's fighting her attraction to him without the author telling us so.
Later still, at the Jacuzzi:
He had spread the lounge cushions around the bubbling pool.
Umm. Thoughtful man.
"Want to go in? I turned the heat on, hoping you would."
"I... My... suit is in my room.
"You won't need it for what I have in mind," he coaxed. "I'd only have to rip it off. Come here."
As if in a trance she took a step, then another, guided by the warm glow in Jon's eyes.
The reader knows exactly what Zoe is thinking and feeling without the author writing: She saw a warm glow in Jon's eyes.
Now let's look at Temp to Permanent, a different kind of romantic suspense I wrote for Desert Breeze.
The harried business owner is expecting a temp to arrive at any moment to fill in for her ailing secretary.
At the scrape of a leather shoe sole, Carina's concentration cracked.
"Hello, is anyone here?"
Startled, Carina hit a wrong key. Unless his face matches that heart-stopping voice, I'll throttle this salesman.
She abandoned the keyboard and swiveled around in her chair. Six feet of tanned muscles crossed her carpet. No way would she choke this hunk.
"There's no one at the desk out front," a husky male voice rasped.
Surrounded by masculine scent, Carina riveted her gaze on his business card, then glanced up. Devilish blue eyes locked with hers. She looked away to conceal her unprofessional, very unladylike reaction.
She lets him stay and they get down to work:
A yellow package lay on Greg's desk. She opened the envelope and slid out the contents. "You saved me a lot of heartburn, Greg. Thanks."
His blue eyes failed to reveal his thoughts. "These are your messages. You seemed preoccupied so I took the liberty of screening your calls."
Wise move. She could easily adjust to his thoughtful manner, but found it impossible to ignore his presence. Even at her desk behind closed doors his deep voice had disrupted her thoughts.
Weeks later, against Greg's will they make love. He feels office romance are ethically wrong.
Unbidden, his hand slid around her waist and he pulled her to him, burying his head in the spun web of her golden halo, in no shape to refuse her anything.
"Carina," he breathed.
She leaned back in his arms and tilted her chin up to look at him. Tiny fires burning in her eyes beckoned him. The warmth of her breath brushed his cheek. Her body heat, seeping through the layers of her caftan, scorched his legs.
With a groan of surrender he succumbed, dipping his head, needing to feel her soft mouth on his. The gentle brush of her lips will suffice, he thought. Just one.
The harmless meeting of their mouths for a tender moment was all he'd intended, but the brief touch in no way satisfied his need. He dove for her lips and pulled her hard against him, losing himself in the softness of her mouth. Her lips opened to his, letting him taste the sweetness she offered him.
All thought of hurrying the kiss evaporated. Her lips were soft, too soft, and warm, far too warm to abandon yet.
She moved a step closer. Pressing. Wanting. Needing. Need shook him, too. Without thought for the consequences, he swept one arm around Carina's waist, cradled her head with his other hand, and deepened the kiss. The taste of well-aged wine flavored her lips and he had a sudden deep-seated need for strong wine.
He had known he couldn't get his fill.
The reader is right there, in Greg's head.
And finally, let's look at Decisive Moments, a dark romance, and my latest release from Desert Breeze.
In this scene Charles has just refused Amy's request to photograph his boarded up house:
Strange, Charles thought, staring after the striking blonde who had interrupted his morning's work, the sudden burst of sunshine brightening his office seemed to have followed her out the door, making the office dreary again.
He ran a finger around his collar, which suddenly seemed tighter than it had when he'd dressed. He straightened in his chair and picked up a fine-tipped red marker, prepared to finish checking the blueprints on his desk.
For a long moment he studied the renderings of the formal entrance with thoughtful concern.
Cold stone and glass. She'd certainly been outspoken about his designs. Accurate, but far from complimentary.
Her disdain of his work stung.
Even in a dark novel, you need a little romance. Charles arranges a special dinner to thank Amy for the changes she's caused him to make in his life:
For a moment conversation ceased. So did her heartbeat.
She opened her eyes to gaze up at him, breathlessly waiting.
"Now," he added, "all my dreams include you."
Afraid to move, lest she break the sensual spell, she turned her head slightly, seeking his mouth. Their lips met and time stood still. With the tender kiss, sane thought ceased as well. His arms tightened around her as if he'd never let her go.
She wanted this, wanted Charles, with a desire far stronger than the circle of his arms. She threaded her fingers through his hair, smiled when he groaned. Drawing his head down, she deepened the kiss, and welcomed the sudden, sweet urgency throbbing through her veins.
His hands found the hollow of her spine, pressing, stroking, causing her heartbeat to race. Her breasts swelled, yearning for attention, and she swayed against his broad chest, the primal need to touch his bare skin making her brazen.
Aren't you right there feeling each heartbeat? That's Deep Point of View.
Buy Link: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-template/Toni%20Noel/Page.bok
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