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EXCERPT:
Destiny in a Day - Tess Woods
The lifesaver stood and watched them
for a while, and then walked back towards the small set-up he had, consisting
of a white plastic chair sunk low in the sand, a canary-yellow rescue board, a
large esky, and an A-frame blackboard sign on which he had written high and low
tide times and wind and surf conditions in white block letters.
Gemma followed his long strides with
her eyes. She’d been sneaking glances at him since she’d got here. She’d first
noticed him on Monday, the day she arrived. He’d been here every day since,
already set up by the time she wandered down mid-morning. She’d surprised
herself the day before by wondering whether he would be there as she’d walked
along the narrow roads that led from the cottage to Trevone Bay, enjoying the
feel of the warm sunshine on her bare arms.
Well, there you go, she’d thought as
her shoes crunched the gravel under them, I am still capable of lusty thoughts.
That’s nice to know!
Yesterday the lifesaver had rescued
an elderly man who’d been dragged out into the rough surf, desperately flailing
his arms in the air as his head bobbed in and out of the white water. Gemma,
the only other person at the beach, had watched the rescue with fascination and
a tight chest. Once the swimmer was safely brought into shore on the front of
the lifesaver’s board and was resting on the sand, she’d relaxed and then
discreetly watched with even greater fascination as the lifesaver had peeled
off the top half of his wetsuit, letting it drop around his waist as he shook
the sand out of his mop of wavy dusty-blond hair. He stood there puffing from
the effort of paddling, hands on hips, staring out to sea. Gemma found herself
peering over the top of her sunglasses at his ripped back and shoulders and his
big toned arms, and at the way that his taut six-pack of abdominal muscles
sucked in and out with each huge breath.
And now today here she was again,
making out as if she was looking at the lush cliffs, but really just having
another good long look at him.
Thank you, Lord, for providing a hot
lifesaver for me to gawk at five days in a row. Please bring him back every day
for my viewing pleasure.
Gemma smiled to herself and checked
her watch. Twelve-thirty. Had she already been here for three hours? Time
completely escaped her here. As she sat on the wide, flat rocks that were
surprisingly comfortable, day-dreaming with her feet dangling in the water, the
hours flew by. She pushed both fists into the small of her back and arched
backwards. Sitting here for this long made her stiff, and her knees creaked as
she stood up. Scooping up her stripy towel, thin pink cardigan, white canvas
sandshoes and the writing journal that had remained empty, Gemma jumped the
short distance off the rocks and onto the cool, wet sand. A seagull that had
been resting nearby startled and flew away.
‘Sorry, little guy,’ she laughed as
the bird flew high into the cloudless sky.
His seagull mates who’d been hanging
around with him followed him up and away, thus clearing the beach of any
sand-dwellers apart from the lifesaver. She stole one last glimpse of him now
as he sat on the chair with his legs sprawled out, hands behind his head, looking
out to sea, and then she stepped over the bunches of gathered driftwood where
the sand met shrub and walked up the wooden steps that led to the road.
Goodbye, sexy lifesaver.
When she reached the top of the
beach path, Gemma turned to take in the view and sighed — Trevone hadn’t let
her down. The cliffs surrounding the bay were illuminated by the noon sun to a
bright emerald and, with the tide out, the scattered shells glistened along the
shoreline. The deep blue water crashed into foam on the rocky break as the
waves rolled in rhythmically. It was breathtaking.
Gemma hummed to herself as she
walked the short distance home, turning into the narrow Cleeve Lane with its
row of twelve almost-identical white-stone houses, all with overcrowded
colourful cottage gardens. Even the weather was perfect here, with its mild
temperatures, soft breezes and none of the humidity of home in Brisbane which
caused her hair to frizz like one of The Supremes whenever she stepped outside.
Finding and then escaping to this quiet
slice of heaven only a few miles from the bustle of Padstow was the best
decision Gemma had made in months, perhaps years. She hoped this would be the
start of better decision-making to come, in contrast to the steady stream of
hopeless choices she’d made so far, marrying Ross being number one.
When she reached Sunny Cleeve
cottage, Gemma gently lifted the rusty latch and with a creak pushed open the
green picket gate. She walked along the cobbled path that weaved its way
through lavender and rose bushes to the stained-glass front door.
Author
Interview with Tess Woods:
What inspired you to write Destiny in a Day?
I
was inspired to write Destiny in a Day, which features in Hot Stuff: Surfing
Love after visiting the beautiful Cornish town of Trevone last year. It was a
long held dream to visit Cornwall after reading about it in Rosamunde Pilcher’s
many novels that were set there. Once in Cornwall, I was inspired by the
beautiful Cornish love story form the Dark Ages of the knightTristan and
princess Iseult and I wrote a modern love story in their honour.
When or at what age did you know you wanted
to be a writer?
Ever
since I could speak I was making up stories to tell my dolls and teddy bears, I
think it’s something I was born with.
What is the earliest age you remember reading
your first book?
I
was an early, early reader. Perhaps around three or four years old.
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
I
love women’s fiction where it’s a story that tugs at your heart strings and
takes unexpected turns. I wrote my novel Love at First Flight in this genre
because I am such a huge fan of these kinds of stories.
What is your favorite book?
The
Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller. The Romeo and Juliet tragic
love between Robert and Francesca took my breath away.
You know I think we all have a favorite
author. Who is your favorite author and why?
Hands
down Maeve Binchy. Her stories are full of warmth, wisdom and humour. I’ve read
every book ever written by her and that’s a lot of books! My favourite is
Circle of Friends.
If you could travel back in time here on
earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?
The
1950s for sure – the full skirts, Elvis Presley, the Golden Age of cinema,
hanging out at ice-cream shops on the weekend
– love it all!
When writing a book do you find that writing
comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?
It
falls out of me, I find it incredibly easy. Writing is what I born to do.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a
dog or a cat? Or any pets?
I
have a Golden Retriever called Hercules, he’s our dumb blonde! There is not a
lot going on upstairs for poor old Hercy but we love him to bits. And we have a
British Shorthaired cat called Meggy, she’s too smart for her own good that one
and is my personal alarm clock every morning at the crack of dawn.
What is your "to
die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
Rocky
Road is a red flag food for me. And pasta, I would do almost anything for
pasta.
Do you have any advice for anyone that would
like to be an author?
Write!
Sometimes we get so busy doing courses on writing, or building our author
profile or connecting with writers on social media, that we actually forget to
write. Make time to write EVERY DAY even if it’s half an hour.
AUTHOR BIO’S:
Carla Caruso is a freelance
journalist and former gossip columnist. Her books include the Astonvale rom-com
mystery series, STARCROSSED, and UNLUCKY FOR SOME
Maria Lewis is a Sydney-based
author, journalist and pop culture commentator. Her novel WHO'S AFRAID will be
released in 2016.
Alli Sinclair’s debut novel, LUNA
TANGO, was voted 2014 Book of the Year for the AusRom Today Readers Choice
Awards and 2014 Favourite New Author by the Australian Romance Readers
Association.
Tess Woods’s first novel, LOVE AT
FIRST FLIGHT, has received worldwide acclaim and been nominated in the Best
Books category of the AusRom Today Readers Choice Awards.
Author Bio:
Lightning Kissed
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