Welcome to The Mystique Deanna Lynn Sletten as she presents to us her book Memories.
By Deanna Lynn Sletten
Genre: Romance/Women’s Fiction
Book Description:
Michael DeCara came home from the Vietnam War a wounded man,
both physically and emotionally. He
tried putting his life back together, but found civilian life difficult after
all he’d experienced in Nam. Raising his young daughter, Vanessa, by himself
after his wife left, he found it difficult to commit to one job or one woman
for any length of time. Then he met a young woman who made him feel good about
himself again and who fell in love with Vanessa as well.
But a life-changing
event occurred and he had to choose between his past and the present. He chose
to leave without a word to the young woman, believing he was doing what was
best for her. Now, years later, she has walked back into his life and he
believes they may have a second chance at love–except she hates him and he
doesn’t understand why.
Danielle Westerly fell in love when she was only eighteen
and her heart was broken when he left her without a word. Her heartache was
increased when she made a fateful decision that would alter her future, and she
blamed him for her loss. Years later, she is single and has built up a
successful career when she accidently runs into the man who was responsible for
her past pain. Yet, their chemistry is undeniable. Can Dani give up her anger
and let go of the pain of the past and fall in love again with the man she has
hated all these years?
Dani and Michael share a journey of heartache, loss and
painful memories that threaten to keep them apart. Can they break past these
and finally find love again?
Memories Excerpt
Miguel sat at the bar of a small, crowded saloon in Saigon.
He was on a three-day pass and spent it trying to forget why he was in this
country to begin with.
He ordered another drink and turned a quick glance at his
friend Billy, who was sitting at a table near the door with a young Vietnamese
girl. Billy was an oversized, clumsy farm boy from the Midwest who thought
himself a charmer with the ladies. But he was also tough, honest and brave,
good qualities a man needed in this place and a friend needed in a buddy.
Miguel and he had stuck close since being sent to the same unit in Nam.
Smiling and shaking his head at his friend, Miguel turned
back to his fresh drink and took a swig. Something brushed against his leg and
he looked down from the tall barstool to see a small beggar boy, one arm
missing, his face grotesquely disfigured, carrying a small bag looking up at
him. Miguel just turned away from the boy and he continued on his way looking
for handouts. Young children, deformed and missing limbs, were all over Saigon;
one of the cruelties of this damn war. Miguel, like everyone else who had been
there too long, had learned to look through them and past them since he was
unable to help them all.
Once again Miguel glanced at his friend, now leaning forward
head-to-head with the girl. He noticed the beggar boy stopping only a second at
Billy's table, then being brushed away by Billy, the boy headed out the door
into the daylight. Through the light from the door opening, Miguel noticed that
the bag the boy had been carrying lay under Billy's table and it took him only
a second to realize what was in it.
"Billy, bomb!" Miguel yelled as he jumped over the
bar for protection in one smooth motion. Other military men in the bar took cover
under tables and behind the bar. So engrossed in his new lady friend, Billy
only looked up, confused by all the commotion before the realization of what
was happening crossed his face. He pushed the girl away from the table, but
before he could move an inch, the plastic, homemade bomb below him exploded.
Miguel screamed his name as he watched his friend tear into pieces before his
eyes.
"Billy,
no!"
Dani shot up in bed
at the sound of a man screaming. Not even awake yet, she instinctively jumped
out of bed and ran through the darkened apartment to the open sofa bed where
Miguel was sleeping.
"Billy!" he
screamed again, loud and anguished, and in the moonlight through the patio
doors Dani could see the horror in Miguel's face.
Quickly she crawled
into bed and held him tight, softly cooing, "Miguel, it's okay. You're
home. You're safe. I'm here Miguel, I'm here." Over and over she said this
until he finally stopped struggling and grew quiet in her arms.
Dani cradled his head
on her chest, rocking him back and forth like a frightened child. Still
assuring him he was okay, she was there for him. She ran her fingers through
his damp hair, brushing it away from his face, rocking him gently, assuring him
he was home and safe. And even as he came to his senses, Michael continued to
let her hold him. She was the only woman who could soothe his pain of
remembering. It felt warm and comforting to be in her arms, so easy to allow
her to soothe and comfort him.
After a time, still
holding him, Dani softly asked Miguel, "It was the bar dream again, wasn't
it?" She knew all his bad dreams, the jungle dream, the bar dream, the
body bag one, each in detail from when he had told her about them years ago.
She was the only one he'd ever told them to, because she had been the only one
who had ever cared to listen.
Miguel nodded his
head in her arms. "I should have done something," he said hoarsely.
"I should have saved Billy."
"You did the
best you could," Dani said softly. "No one could control who lived
and who died. You have nothing to blame yourself for."
Dani sat quietly for
a while longer, still holding Miguel close. She thought of his pain, of her
pain and of the pain they had caused each other. "We make a great pair,
you and I," she whispered, shaking her head. And then, slowly, she lay
down under the covers beside him, all the time holding him close, both finally
falling asleep from exhaustion. And for the first time in years, Michael slept
soundly and dreamlessly, feeling safe in Dani's arms.
Sunlight streamed through the patio doors across the
sleeping bodies of Michael and Dani. He stirred slowly and carefully sat up,
not wanting to disturb her sleep, and was surprised to see the clock on the
opposite wall read 11:00 A.M. He hadn't slept this late on a Saturday morning
in a very long time, and a smile played across his lips when he remembered the
last time he had slept this late. And he had woken up with the same sweet woman
beside him then, only a younger version. It was like they'd never parted.
As Michael studied
Dani's sleeping face, he liked what he saw. In sleep she had the softness he
remembered, not the look of bitterness she had shown him last night. He thought
of last night and how she'd stroked his hair and soothed away his nightmare so
tenderly. She was still the same sweet person he had known so many years ago,
no matter how hard she'd tried to convince him otherwise. And she must still
have some feelings for him other than hatred.
"Good
morning," Dani interrupted his thoughts and looked up at him through
sleepy eyes. "What are you staring at?"
"The past, the
present, all rolled into one," he told her, smiling.
About the Author:
Deanna Lynn Sletten is a novelist who writes women's fiction
and has also written one middle-grade fiction action/adventure novel. Her
novels include Memories, Widow, Virgin, Whore and Outlaw Heroes. She started
her writing career as a freelance writer for parenting publications in the
early 1990s and transitioned to writing for blogs and websites until she made
the jump to novelist. Deanna is
currently working on her next novel which will be released in December 2012.
Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, Deanna enjoys
walking the trails around her northern Minnesota home with her beautiful
Australian Shepherd.
Website/Blog: http://www.deannalynnsletten.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeannaLSletten
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2 comments:
Thank you so much for hosting the first day of my blog book tour for Memories. It looks wonderful!
Thank you Deanna! I wish you great success with your tour and book!!
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