MUST THE SHOES ALSO BE CAUGHT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE?
No man will ever understand the pain of childbirth (unless medical science advances beyond what he should wish); a scuffed favorite shoe (okay, maybe); or nail polish remover making contact with an exposed cuticle (owowowowowowie!). That’s just how it is. Biology and eons of socializing. Sucks for us as women. But we can make it suck worse for them *eg*.
Okay, seriously, and perhaps less feloniously, let’s talk shoes. Not my shoes. Not your shoes. Daphne’s shoes. Daphne is fictional, but I like Daphne and I hope others like Daphne, too. She’s the heroine in my latest release, BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE (Dorchester Love Spell ~ Feb. 24, 2009), and life really sucks for her in a way that most just cannot understand. You see, she has a plan that’s been in the making for as long as she can remember. Freedom. The woman just wants to take control of her life at last.
As an only child of feuding and exiled Druids—the dethroned king and queen of the weirdo cult, in her opinion—all she wants is to start a life far away. She wants to work and live among normal people who live in blissful ignorance of the existence of magic-wielding Druids, shape-shifting pucas, and temperamental faeries. And guess what? At long last, she has that new accounting job, that sleek new apartment, that new and utterly normal life lined up and waiting for her all the way on the other side of the continent. And she bought herself a new pair of shoes to go with her new life. Now, the 
woman’s no spendthrift or name-brand fashionista. She’s just an ordinary girl who usually wears sensible, low-heeled pumps to her sensible job in her sensible life. But these…well, these were those red-hot, patent leather, nosebleed-high heels that encourage even a mild-mannered woman to cop an attitude and live a life worthy of wearing them.
Dream shoes. More importantly, freedom shoes. And now—right now—she’s wearing them…
I guess I don’t need to tell you that all of this was destined to blow up in her face—and all over her beautifully shod feet. A stray thunk with no ordinary cornerstone and suddenly Daphne’s a non-practicing but hereditary Druid wielding puca powers and trying to suppress a lifetime’s worth of rage. Life gets a little messy. Not only do the Druids not let her leave town now that she’s wielding undisciplined shape-shifting and mind control powers—a virtual powder keg just waiting for a stray spark to incite flaming chaos—but now those precious shoes are ruined, just like her plans are. Can’t you feel it? The frustrated rage? Well, Daphne feels it and she’s going to make darn sure that enigmatic nature spirit Tremayne pays at least a little for it as well. You see, he’s the guy charged with helping her learn how to control her powers or, failing that, destroying her in order to protect everyone else.
Tremayne, however, understands on a soul-deep level her need for freedom. That, plus growing feelings for her—and a little thing like her being the key to his own future—might save her hide as well as his. Those shoes, however, are another matter.
So tell me. Do you have anything like Daphne’s freedom shoes? Or just a favorite pair? How have you celebrated a new direction or milestone in your life? I’m easy. Leave a comment. In celebration of my recent release, I’m giving away to one lucky commenter a free copy of either PANDORA’S BOX (Dorchester Love Spell, Feb. 2008) or THE DRUID MADE ME DO IT (Dorchester Love Spell, August 2008). Both are prequels to BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE. Winner gets to pick.
(Thanks for having me here today, Cindy!)
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You’re welcome! You heard the lady, folks. Leave a comment to enter to win one of Natale’s prequels to BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE. Entries accepted until midnight Pacific Standard time.
To read Natale’s bio, plus the back cover copy and a fantastic 4.5 Star review from Romantic Times for BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE, please see yesterday’s post (arranged, quite cleverly, right below this one).
To learn more about Natale and her books, please visit her website.