Lynsay Sands and The Rogue Hunter

Prologue

The Rogue Hunter

Warm summer air swam over Tanya as she stepped out into the night. It was cooler than it had been earlier in the day, but still hot compared to the air-conditioned coffee shop. She sucked in the humid air as she started across the pavement, her eyes moving around the nearly empty parking lot, noting the van now parked beside her eighteen-wheeler. Hers had been the only vehicle when she’d stopped here for a coffee break after her long haul. She’d also been the only patron in the coffee shop until a few minutes ago when the owner of that van had entered. His arrival was why she’d left. Tall, lean and dark-haired, there’d been something about his pale features and the hungry way he’d watched her that made her decide she’d taken a long enough break.

She’d nearly reached the driver’s side of her truck when a scuffle drew Tanya’s head around. Her gaze turned wary as she recognized the man from the coffee shop. His dark hair and clothes blended with the night around them, but his pale face and silver eyes couldn’t be missed.

“I wanted to show you something in my van,” he announced as he crossed the short distance separating them.

Tanya’s upper lip curled in a sneer. She’d just bet he had something he wanted to show her. Men! Find out she was a trucker and they seemed to immediately think that was slang for slut.

“I don’t--” The words died in her throat, the “want to see anything you’ve got” seeming to evaporate from her head.

“It’s all right. You’ll like this.” His tone was soothing, almost crooning and Tanya felt herself relax, the warning bell in her head fading to a distant chime.

“I’ll like this,” she echoed in a whisper.

“Yes, you will,” he assured her and gestured for her to move forward as he opened the back door of the van.

Tanya found herself climbing in. She watched him close the door, shutting out the world. When he turned toward her, the silver of his eyes was afire, almost seeming to bubble in his irises, she thought as he caught her arms and drew her closer. Her gaze dropped to his mouth as his lips parted and she saw the fangs slipping out.

Tanya stared at those fangs as he lowered his head toward her. She followed them right up until his face moved to her throat and she could no longer see them anymore. She felt a quick pinch as they sank into her neck and then a wave of pleasure rolled over her, sinking any other emotion.

I told you you’d like this, Tanya heard him say, though the words were in her head not her ears.

“Yes. Oh yes,” she moaned with ecstasy, her arms rising to clutch at his shoulders as he drained her life blood away.

The Rogue Hunter

Chapter 1

Coming Tomorrow

Hi everyone. I get to be guest blogger today which means I get to ramble on about any old thing I want. The problem is I haven’t a clue what to yip about. When I asked for suggestions on subject matter I was told to write about my latest release so I’m going to tell you the ending to save you the trouble of reading it . . . Just kidding. Couldn’t resist.

Really, there isn’t much to say about The Rogue Hunter. Or is there? Hmmm . . . Maybe there is.

I came up with the idea for The Rogue Hunter while a little pickled (two glasses of wine on an empty stomach do me in. I am such a lightweight about some things. Sigh.) I was also on the dock of a cottage on a lake up north with my two sisters.

Now anyone who has already gotten and read the first couple of chapters of The Rogue Hunter is going WWWWHAT? LOL. But it’s true. My dear sisters dragged my exhausted behind up north to the cottage for a week in a desperate bid to keep me from working myself to death. They were both very worried about me and rather tyrannical about the trip. There was to be no internet, no computers, and definitely no work. At least that was the plan, and they did manage to surgically detach my fingers from the keyboard so there was no computer, and there simply is no internet up there (at least not at the cottage,) but there was a lot of research. And boy was it fun, lol.

As we sat on the dock the first night, looking up at the star-studded sky I thought, “This is absolutely gorgeous. I should set a story here.”

“You’re not supposed to be working,” my sisters squawked in stereo, letting me know I’d thought aloud.

“I’m not,” I assured them, and then added, “I was just thinking I could base a story here. Maybe make it three sisters at the family cottage. Two of them dragging one up because she’s been overworking herself . . . drop some rogue hunters in the cottage next door . . .” I could feel them both scowling at me and asked innocently, “What names do you two want?”

The scowls disappeared at once and both started shouting out names. Alex and Joe were the chosen ones. So you see, those sisters were based on my sisters and they are very similar to them in personality, though not completely. Some of the scenes are even based on real events; the lawn mowing incident for instance (though that was my sisters and I stood watching from the deck laughing at their antics), the hip bump on the dock, the first night star-gazing, and others. However, I am not the heroine, Sam. I simply cannot write myself into books. It makes it too stiff and awkward for me to write the story. But I do often dip into my own experiences for characters and their behaviors.

I should say I often get letters from readers stating that the characters seemed so real, etc. And now you know why they do. They are based on real people; loving, caring, klutzy, smart, sweet, bitchy, people with beautiful spirits and common flaws and a basic sense of family and values.

Now you’re going to go through the books wondering which scenes are based on real events and which aren’t (yes, a bit of real life creeps into every book.) But don’t spoil your enjoyment of the story doing so. Just know that if you’re connecting to the characters, it’s because they’re often based on real people. People just like you.

I hope you enjoy the sample of The Rogue Hunter and the whole book itself if you get the chance to read it.

Lynsay

http://www.lynsaysands.net/

P.S. They dragged me off to the cottage again this summer too--still worried about my tendency to over-work myself--and I got a ton more ideas. So don’t be surprised if there’s a return to cottage country in a future book.

P.P.S. I’m giving away an autographed copy to one of you brave souls who post a comment so be sure to post if only to say hi, cause Terra will draw a name from the posters and I’ll be sending you a book. Take care!