Thursday's Twisted Links

Another week has passed and I have another linking episode staring me in the face. Gawd! Why do I do this to myself. Okay, here we go. Three things right off the top of my head....

Diamonds.      Life.     Love.

It's absolutely true, aside from her dog and hopefully her significant other, diamonds are a girl's best friend. And, diamonds are shiny and sparkly for those of us who have some raccoon in our gene pool. #:0) If you like diamonds, having one makes your life better. Receiving a diamond from someone you love is like proof that they value you enough to want to make you smile, despite the cost of that smile. So, at least to some of us, diamonds enhance our lives and show love.

That's the obvious link here. But I'd like to take it one level deeper. I think these three things are linked at another level. And that is...

They all have real worth. And embracing them will keep us sane during challenging times. 

Aside from their beauty, diamonds have real value. Unlike paper currency, they can't be devalued or manipulated by governments or individuals. They are limited and precious, which is why people use them to show love. 

Love is an emotion. It's true. But that doesn't make it any less real. We can't manufacture real love just because we want to. It has to be built on real experiences, formed from real discovery and genuine reasoning. Real love can last over a lifetime, changing and growing as we mature. It's a currency no less valuable than gold or diamonds. 

Life. Nothing is more real than life. Life isn't tied to creativity or faith, though our minds can determine how well we live. It's there whether we believe in it or not. The fascinating thing about life is that, even when it ends, physically, it still goes on. Our dead live on in our memories, in the things they accomplished and said and thought. Their lives extend beyond time, limited only by our memories and knowledge. 

In the current turbulent times, it's important to focus on real things. It's easy to get bogged down in the emotions and challenges around us, but when those all wash away, what you have left is the most important. Life is to be treasured, Love is the most important thing we have, and diamonds, well, survival may well come down to owning real wealth like diamonds, gold, and silver. It is the currency of the future, as economies struggle and fall. 

So hold your loved ones close. Embrace life. And base your future on real currencies. And you will not only survive the challenges ahead, but you'll most likely even thrive. 

Happy Reading!

Sam's Sunday Snippet

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of a Honeybun

This week's snippet comes from Book 2 of my fun romantic suspense series, Honeybun Hunks.

Five Star Reader Review on Amazon: "This book was awesome!!! It was the perfect mix of romance, action, damsel in distress and romance! I was hooked from line one until I closed the book! Sam Cheever definitely made it to my must read authors list with this one!"

Pleasance leaned down and glanced in the window. She gasped as she saw the familiar head of red hair and almost stepped away. Fighting the urge to run, Pleasance reached in and placed her hand in front of the man’s nose. Soft puffs of air fluttered against her hand.

“Still alive,” she muttered. Pleasance glanced longingly back to her car, which was idling quietly beside the road. She briefly considered leaving him where he was and getting the hell out of there. But the smell of gasoline worried her. She looked at the steam pouring out of the battered front end and bit her lip. It would only take one spark and the handsome man hanging upside down behind the wheel of the H2 would become a human toastie. 

“He wanted to hurt me.” Pleasance reminded herself. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she let him die a fiery death. 

Sighing, Pleasance reached for the handle of the door, expecting it to be wedged shut, and was surprised to find it unlocked and wedge-free. With a little muscle she was able to pull the door wide. She realized suddenly that she would have to reach over the seemingly unconscious man to release his seat belt.

She frowned, thinking, a killer who fastens his seat belt…very strange.

Pleasance forced back her misgivings and knelt beside the Hummer. She had to slide under him in order to reach the seatbelt latch. In that position she couldn’t help noticing how good he smelled.

Focus, Pleasance! She scolded herself. This man is a murderer! But her instincts, usually very acute, were screaming at her that there had been some misunderstanding. The man she was currently climbing underneath just didn’t seem like a stone cold killer. 

It might have had something to do with the thick arc of long, dark red lashes on his pale cheeks. Or the fact that he’d nearly killed himself to avoid hitting a couple of Coyotes for god sakes!

The man groaned and Pleasance gasped and jumped. When she looked up at his handsome face a slightly dazed pair of blue eyes were staring in her direction. 

She started to shift out from under him. “I am so outa here.”

But then the front end of the H2 burst into flame with a terrifying whoosh and Pleasance squealed, pressed the latch on the seatbelt, and then said “umph!” as he landed on her. 

She smacked him on the shoulder until he rolled himself out of the fire engulfed car and she scrambled out after him.

She leapt to her feet and took off but she didn’t get far. A large hand clasped her upper arm and she was jerked to a stop. She spun angrily to face him and found herself looking into the prettiest blue eyes she’d ever seen.

“You!” he said in a husky whisper. 

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