Harkham's Case (Harkam's #1) (50 page)

He
was
, but still . . .

“Your dad remembers what it was like to be a horny young guy. He’s gonna say no without even considering it.” She moved his hand off her head and pushed herself up to sitting.

“How do you know?” He sat up, too.

She straightened out her clothes and hair.

“Because, I wouldn’t allow it if you were my kid—not under my roof if you weren’t married. He has standards and expects you to uphold them.” She stood up. They were gonna be late to school.

“That’s an ancient way of thinking. We’re living in today’s world where people have sex without being married.” He paused, and his shoulders sagged. “And I wanna be part of them. Either that or we head back to Vegas. No turning around this time until it’s done.”

“We’ve discussed this. Vegas isn’t an option.”

He grinned. “Fine by me. I don’t need to be married to have sex.”

She smirked back. “Oh, you plan to be promiscuous, huh? I’m sure that’ll make Daddy proud.”

Adam looked up at her and scowled. “It’s not funny. Do you know how much it hurts me that I can’t have you when we both want it? It’s one hundred times worse than being denied soda! What the hell are we waiting for?”

Afterword:

Harkham’s Case to date has been my most popular fan fiction story I’ve written. It garnered over 2700 reviews, and that was quite a shock to me. It was received very well from the start—also surprising to me, since I was only writing it for fun as a way to blow off steam when my personal life was less than fabulous.

I was also blown away by how many of my readers actually asked me if Adam’s condition was real. Wow. I must’ve made it sound pretty convincing because some of them had autistic family members and a few even tried to look this disorder up online…

That’s when I knew that I must’ve hit a chord with people—that they were feeling something so strong for this character, that Adam felt real to them. And that’s the best compliment any writer can ever receive, so I was very humbled and honored by that.

After all the love it received, I have to say, it was a difficult decision to publish this story. I agonized over it long and hard. I’ve always remained neutral on the debate on whether or not pull to publish is ethical and should be done. I understand both sides of the debate. And I love my readers. I don’t ever want them to feel like they’re being abused or manipulated. I try to give out free ebooks of my published works to people all the time—especially fan fiction fans. But at the end of the day, when it all comes down to it, I had to do what I needed to in order to take care of my family.

They need me to provide for them, and if I can do that better by sharing this story I created and love so much, then that’s what I’ll do. My family always comes first. I care about my readers and their feelings too, but my hope is that we can all be understanding of each other’s situation. It’s hard to be a newly single mom and support children, which is where I now find myself. Those of us in this situation do the best we can. We try to make ends meet any way possible. I’m no exception to this rule.

I love writing. I love publishing. I usually try to stick to publishing new works, rather than pulling down stories I’ve published for free on fan fiction. Now that I’m returning to school to pursue my BA in creative writing, along with other training so I can return to the work world and provide better for my kids, my time is more limited. So writing new works is going to be more complicated. That factored in to my decision to publish the Harkham’s series as well. I also felt this story was unique enough that I wanted to share it with a broader audience—with those who aren’t fan fiction readers.

Adam has a story to tell, and I’m excited to share it with more people. I’m hoping that others will want to hear what he has to say, because he loves to share. Consequently, so do I! Enjoy the Harkham’s trilogy. Books two and three will follow shortly… Adam’s not known for his patience, but he is known for his impulsive Vegas road trips. Oh, how I love that man. *sigh* Mari’s not the only one that has a hard time saying no to him. I find it downright impossible. When he speaks, I write. Period.

That’s how amazing he is… I’m hoping others who read his story will agree.

I will also note here, I have never been to Alta. I don’t know a whole lot about it, other than the few things I mentioned in the story about it being a skiing town. I meant no disrespect to anyone from that area or that town. I just needed a small town with those exact qualifications. I’m sure it’s a lovely place and not at all as Mari describes it in the story. She has a jaded response to it for very good reasons.

I would also like to mention that no disrespect is intended toward anyone with autism in this story as well. I have nothing but respect for people who deal with it. I actually became friends with a man with a severe case of autism in his late fifties a few years ago, and I was constantly impressed with his brilliance, his sharp mind, cleverness, sense of humor, sweet attitude and zest for life. He was one of the happiest people I’ve ever met. His mother absolutely adored him, and consequently, so did I. He’ll always be remembered by me. He touched my heart and soul, and he changed my perception about what it means to deal with various handicaps. I learned from him—we all have handicaps in some shape or form. Some are just more obvious than others. It’s up to us if we allow it to hinder us as individuals or to make us stronger and more courageous. Adam doesn’t let his stop him, and I admire that about him very much. Mari, too. She has a different set of disadvantages, but they cause her issues all the same. They are survivors and warriors in my mind. And those are the types of people I gravitate to most, because they truly know how to live life to the fullest. They are what inspired me to write this story, because these were characters I could get behind and wanted to know.

Current novels:

Sleeves
(scifi erotica)
http://bit.ly/SleevesErotica

Kel isn't at all the animal locked in a cage that he appears to be. Secrets keep him there, hidden from those who hunt him. But what does a man do when he needs physical contact to survive, but can't stand the burning pain that comes with another's touch? He’s found a way to get a small fraction of his needs met at the nightclub, Sleeves. What happens when he lets in an unknown woman with a healing hand? Casey can see past the vulgar mouth to the affection-starved man hiding inside. When she does, all hell breaks loose, and the past finds him. Will he be able to avoid the agency, or will they add Casey to their twisted experiments? She entered the cage with him, and now it seems there's no way out.

Slick as Ides
(scifi erotica)
http://bit.ly/SlickAsIdes

What happens when a germophobe, elusive computer hacking genius has to stop to fuel up her car and it’s stolen right from under her nose by a handsome vagrant? Revenge of course. Only he’s no vagrant. He’s a computer hacking genius, too, and her competition. Curses along with inhibitions—fly out the window and through the phone when he calls repeatedly to harasses her. Who will win the upper-hand, if there is such a thing, between these two stubborn, obnoxious people?

*
Slick as Ides
continues on Valentine’s Day, 2014 with the sequel,
Catching Vapor.
Check out the author’s blog for upcoming news and teasers*

Knots
(BDSM contemporary romance)
http://bit.ly/KnotsNovel

Jeanie's life has been turned upside down. She's lost her husband at an early age and with him, her way. An offer from a man she's avoided, a man that was her husband’s best friend, may be the only thing that can bring light back into her life. Mark isn't like most men. His dominant nature helps him see a different side of Jeanie—a submissive woman with a deep capacity to love and please a man. But having a relationship with him so soon after her husband’s death causes strife with her in-laws—the only family she knows. Can Mark set her free, or will she walk away, missing out on the chance for an all-encompassing love?

Seducing Anne: A SHROAG Novel
(scifi and historical erotica)
http://bit.ly/SeducingAnne

Symptoms of time travel are never fun—ask Guy Moore. He just returned, and now he's being thrown back in time. His assignment? To impregnate Anne Boleyn. As an agent of SHROAG, he's completed more assignments than any other agent, and is ready to retire. Too bad Elizabeth I needs to be born to preserve history, and his DNA is the only one to do it. How will Guy seduce Anne, the woman who kept Henry VIII at arm's length for over seven years? And how will he keep from falling for her in his efforts?

Coming Winter 2013

Catching Vapor: Slick as Ides Novel 2
(scifi erotica)

Nick, or Vapor, as he’s known by his computer friends, never thought he’d get caught. Why would he? He’s been hacking into computers and stealing items for years without even a hint of being suspected. As a lawyer, he knows how to bend the law as far as it will go. When he steals back his motorcycle Ides had sold to protect their identity and whereabouts, his thieving ways finally catch up to him. How will his germophobe, pregnant wife, Ides, cope with him being behind bars? What can he do if Rick comes after his wife and family while he’s helplessly imprisoned, and is his father behind any of this? What about his ex-roommate, Jason? Will he be able to help, or is he an enemy? Lucky for Vapor, his wife is a genius, and she’s not one to stand by when someone’s harming her husband. She has a few inventions that can bring him home. That is, if he’ll allow it and she can keep her phobias in check.

Coming late 2014

Book of Asa
(scifi, post-apocalyptic erotica)

When the world ends, three things will continue to exist—fear, chaos and love. The order isn’t as important as how to make them work in a survival situation. Azure has no idea how to do that. He only knows he’s being hunted and sought after by two very different and equally terrifying groups—SALV and Legion. They both have an agenda, forcing Azure to hide his identity. He’s been declared the Savior of the world. Bombs have dropped and cities have been virtually flattened, leaving him with one one thing to do—run and hide. That is, until he runs into Brina. She has no idea who she is or why she’s there and has even less knowledge of the prophecy and the part she’ll play. The Book of Asa foretold their meeting and her purpose—to climb her way out of the ashes like a Phoenix being reborn with the sole purpose of protecting this Savior and restart the world at his side. Can she trust him and in this prophet’s prediction? Or will she turn him away, her survival instincts and training kicking in, to ensure her own survival? Azure’s the only one that can see who she really is, and he is soon obsessed with her. Brina’s obliviousness of the status the world has given him when they first meet, allows her to see things in him as well that no one else ever has—and that means the world to him. It makes her worth more than sacrificing himself if that’s what it requires to have her.

Scrapping Tin
(scifi erotica)

Combat isn't easy, sacrifices are made. When Allie wakes up in a hospital after an attack and being shot, she's shocked by the doctor overseeing her. He's too good to be true, and maybe he is. Tins look just like humans, after all, and are the dregs of society. Is Mitch Seaward more robot than man, or is he really that perfect? Allie's father, a military commander, seems to have something up his sleeve. With Mitch, she dives in to uncover the truth, but will she be able to handle the heartache of the truth?

Coming Soon...
 

Harkham's Choice
book 2 from the Harkham’s series
 
-- September 15, 2014

Harkham's Corner
 book 3 from the Harkham’s series -- October 15, 2014

Catching Vapor
 book 2 from the Slick as Ides series -- end of December, 2014

Sparing Amy
  book 2 from the SHROAG series --  April 2015

Book of Asa
 -- June 2015

Scrapping Tin
 -- fall of 2015

Harkhham’s Choice: Harkham’s series, Novel 2 (contemporary erotica)

Adam Latham knows one thing, and one thing only—he simply has to have Marissa Cole as his own. Not as his school mate, or his girlfriend who lives in his family’s house with him. 
Her.
He needs her to be his wife, and he’ll find a way to make that happen, whether or not his medical condition as Harkham’s unresolved case has improved.

His overwhelming need for Mari’s touch continues unabated. Even as her life grows more complicated—dealing with her father’s issues in another state—Adam becomes more determined that they’ll have a life together after they graduate high school in a few short months.

What will he do when he finds out exactly what past abuse Mari’s suffered? How will he handle it when she falls apart in front of his very eyes? He can only hope to contain the numbers that try to consume him and the violet anxiety attacks that follow, on his own.

How will he deal with his unsupportive family members that rally against his relationship with this damaged girl? Is Dr. Harkham the answer to his questions?