The Weakness in Me Prologue

​“It’s been two years since you walked away from Jason, and you’ve only dated like two guys since then,” Jessica said, matter-of-fact. “Aren’t your girl parts aching for action?” she whined.

​Samantha did a double take at her baby sister’s words. “What do you know about aching girl parts? You’re still a zygote!”

​“I’m almost 19!” her sister screeched. “And don’t act all appalled and horrified,” she continued, flipping her chocolate brown hair over her shoulder. “We all know you and Jason were going at it like rabbits when you were my age!” Jessica’s green eyes glowed with knowledge. Two things all of the Castle girls had in common: thick chocolate brown hair courtesy of their father and beautiful emerald green eyes from their mother.

​Samantha sighed at her sister’s proclamation and rolled her eyes, not because it wasn’t true- it totally was- but Jessica was a baby! She didn’t need Jessica in her relationship business like their other sister, Sara, was!

“So, because I’ve only had two boyfriends since Jason, you think my body is begging for attention, and I need to go out with you to get it?” Samantha summarized, not wanting to reveal that two boyfriends didn’t mean she’d only been with two guys since she and Jason split. “You do realize you aren’t old enough to drink, yes?”

​“I can, too!” she said, holding up an ID.

​“You know this is my old ID, right? It might work when you go out with your friends or Sara, but the bouncer isn’t stupid, he isn’t going to buy two Samantha Castle’s going to the club together.”

​“I know that! But they see so many people in a night, I can go in first, and you can come in twenty or thirty minutes later!” Jessica offered. “Scratch that, you go in, then I’ll follow, otherwise, you won’t show,” she changed her mind.

​ Samantha scrunched her nose at her sister and rolled her eyes, even though Jessica was completely right to scrap her original plan.

“Fine! But I’m not letting you drink!” She stormed to her room with the possibility of a small victory over Jessica as she found something acceptable to wear.


​The pulse of the music rocketed through Samantha as she sat at the end of the crowded bar. She wanted nothing more than to go back to her apartment and curl up with a good book, because she was sick of having to fend of cheesy guys that were trying to hit on her or get closer to her sister.

Jessica’s silver halter was so blinding under the flashing lights that she couldn’t look directly at her. Yet, it was the reason they were attracting so much attention. Samantha could be grateful for the fact that they hadn’t had to buy a drink all night. She was much more subdued, though, in her basic little black dress, even if it fit like a second skin and revealed more of her cleavage than it concealed.

​“Pardon me,” a smooth voice said from beside her, “But I believe you have my rib,” he finished making her smile at the originality of and obvious cheesiness implied by the pickup line.

​“Wow! I haven’t heard that one before. But, I’m not convinced that I have anything that belongs to you,” she said, moving her gaze over his soft, short brown hair to his green flecked hazel eyes to his beautiful smile. Why did a guy this attractive have to resort to such an obvious line? He was so far out of her league, with his custom-tailored suit and $500 haircut, that she knew nothing would come of their flirting. Her mind spun with the thoughts all of the trouble they could get into together until he realized that he was too good for her.

​ "I’ll have to think of something else then,” his eyes sparkled as he looking into hers,

“I’m Caleb, Caleb McKenzie,” he said, offering her his hand.

​ “Samantha…” she hesitated to give him her last name, “…Castle,” she finished, putting her hand in his.

​“I’m happy to meet you, Samantha,” he said. “Samantha?” he said again, as if her name didn’t fit in his mouth. “You don’t seem like a Samantha,” he shook his head.

​“No?” she crinkled her brow in amusement, wondering if this was going to be another line, but wanting to see if he was really as smooth as he thought he was.

​“What’s your middle name?” he asked, taking the stool beside her and leaning in to her.

​“Um, Rose?” she offered, confused at the direction of the conversation. It was going differently than she’d grown used to over the years.

​ “Yes!” his face lit up, as if he’d just won the lottery. “Rosie!”

​“Rosie?”

​“Yes, you are definitely a Rosie,” he laughed, patting her hand resting on the bar. Samantha tried to ignore the sparks racing through her body at the small touch.

​“Okay,” she agreed with a smile. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and shook her head before, finally, saying, “I’m surprised.”

​“Surprised?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.

​“Most men focus on my last name,” she shrugged, telling him that she knew he was different.

​“Castle? Why?”

​“Really?” she chuckled in disbelief before offering the explanation of the pickup lines she usually had to suffer through. “I’d like to storm your Castle? Is the fire burning in your Castle? My dragon wants to live in your Castle? Is the carpet thick in your Castle? ...I’d like to swim your moat?” she imitated a chorus of cheesy guys she’d sorted through over the last two years.

​“I’d like to swim your moat?! How is that even remotely a sexy come on? It’s muddy, predator filled water!” he howled with laughter at her confession, endearing her even more.

​“I have absolutely no idea, but he was quite serious about it. There was a whole scenario he had worked out before I told him no,” she turned to face him fully.

​“He must’ve been devastated!” Caleb said after calming his laughter, wiping a tear from the side of one of his captivatingly beautiful eyes. “So when we get married, you’ll take my name.” he said, completely serious, taking Samantha off-guard.

Another milestone

I've sold over 1000 copies of 'Love, but Never' in the last 6 weeks and the thought of that is very surreal to me. The fact that it spans several countries is something else I can't quite wrap my head around.

I'm nearly finished with my second book and am still looking for betas. I need them! My critique partner has been unavailable lately and I'm feeling a bit lost.

Please comment or otherwise contact me if you are interested!!

Thank you!!!

Excuse me while I dance a little!

I just broke 50k words on 'the weakness in me!' That makes me, at least, 2/3rds of the way through the story! After I'm finished with this book, I get to start on one that's code named 'Cockblocking'.

After that, I'm starting Lucian's story. I never intended for Love, but Never to be part of a series, but Lucian has been sending me little notes, asking me to tell his story. And far be it for me to ignore someone so tortured and sexy!

Finally getting there!

I wrote like crazy today!  I've set a daily record in writing nearly 5000 words of The Weakness in Me.  I feel like it's finally shaping to what I envisioned.  I've got about 20k words to go, so I'm looking at it being in editing by the new year.  YAY!