#AuthorSpotlight: Margo Hornstra

Hey, readers! I'm putting the spotlight on Margo Hoornstra and her new contemporary romance Only If You Dare! Margo is going to share a fab excerpt right after she tells us about dares!

Finally, Some Words of My Own

I spent many years working public relations. Though there was a lot of writing involved in the job, which I loved (the writing, not the job) everything I penned was for someone else. I would write scripts for an announcer to read on air, profiles of people so others could learn about their credentials, speeches for those who had a message to share, but weren’t quite sure how to explain it.

My all-time favorite, spinning a story or occurrence so that our side, no matter what, looked good. Not really my favorite, but that is public relations by definition. The professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company or other organization or a famous person.

I guess you could say that was good training for writing fiction. 

About Only If You Dare:

All the pleasures and none of the pain, that’s what Cynthia Buckingham wants in a relationship these days. A one-night stand with Jonah Colt seems to fit that bill perfectly. Newly divorced, she’s too busy planning her daughter’s wedding for any serious involvement. Besides, her true passion is helping victims of PTSD reclaim their lives.

Waking up after spending the night with a woman he barely knows, Jonah is stunned to realize sex for the sake of sex isn’t enough for him anymore. A veteran of more military battles than he cares to count, he wants to forget it all and focus on peaceful civilian life. Except flashbacks won’t allow it.

Falling for Cynthia makes Jonah regret his weakened state, but he’d rather hide the truth than face it. When she sets aside everything she believes in to help him heal, can he accept her help–and her love?

Excerpt:

“Jonah. I was wrong, and I’m so very sorry.”

His hand froze on the gear shift. “About picking up your car? I can just give you a ride home then.”

He obviously wasn’t going to make this easy for her, but who could blame him?

“You know, I always tell my patients they need to focus on reality, to believe in what is, and go from there.”

“I understand you care about your patients. I’m not one of them.”

What did he think? That she was creating notes for one of her counseling session? “I was wrong about—I should have admitted to myself how much you mean to me and let you know, too.”

“It might have been nice.” He didn’t respond with anything more, just put the car in gear and pulled away from the hospital.

The litany of confessions had already formed in her mind and, when she couldn’t contain them any longer, began to gush out. “I tried to pretend what we had together—” She paused when her voice cracked. “—wasn’t incredibly special. I wanted to believe I could enjoy a physical relationship and dismiss my emotions.” Her voice lowered. “As irrelevant.” She laid her hand on his arm, and a bicep muscle twitched then tensed. “And that was my biggest mistake of all.”

“You were only doing what was working for you, I suppose.”

Squaring up in her seat, she concentrated on the scenery passing by outside. He’d said very little as she went on and on. Because she hadn’t given him a chance to speak? Or because there was nothing he cared to share with her? Either way, she had to go for broke.

“I love you, Jonah.”

Buy the Book: Amazon

All About Margo:

Like many writers, it’s hard to determine exactly when my fiction writing career began. I remember composing a short story in grade school (I have no idea about what) which was chosen for publication in an all school anthology. A journalism class taken in junior high school led to a job on the school newspaper and a weekly column.

I always loved reading. I loved writing too. Someday, I thought, maybe when I grew up and received the right training, I could actually write a book. After all, I was often told, laughingly most times, I had an extremely vivid imagination.

Through the years, the desire to write was always there. I had so many ideas and characters roaming around in my head, so many stories. But the business of living—going to college, getting married then raising a family—took precedence over something as frivolous as writing a book.

Then one day out of the blue I was downsized—effective immediately—from a job I’d held for over thirty years. What seemed so unfair at the time, I now recognize the tremendous gift I was given that day. As I’m now able to spend more and more time doing what I love—writing romantic fiction—I find I really do have an abundance of stories to share.

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