Tina, thank you for having me. This is my favorite time of the year for many reasons including that Halloween is my favorite holiday and every October I host my Mask Giveaway everywhere I can, including here. Yes, at the end of this post will be the chance to win a hand-decorated Venetian mask made in Italy!
Another reason I like this time of the year is I like to talk about the sexy paranormal romances I’ve written specifically with Halloween in mind, like PASSION OF SLEEPY HOLLOW.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The Headless Horseman. However, we remember this spooky tale, it brings up images of dark forests, ghosts and Jack-o’-lanterns…or rather that’s what it used to invoke. Today after the production of the Sleepy Hollow movie and the television show, it may bring to mind axes, windmills, and headless victims. But since I write sensuous romance inspired by the classics, I returned to the original Sleepy Hollow to write my story.
It wasn’t hard to be inspired by Washington Irving’s story. I mean, even the citizens near Tarrytown, NY, decided they needed to change the name of their town to Sleepy Hollow, and yes, the actual graveyard and church from Irving’s story can be found there.
I simply took the original Katrina Van Tassel, the original village (church, graveyard and all), the original horses, and even the original ghost, and paired them with a descendent of Brom Bones (the real headless horseman), a descendent of Ichabod (the anti-hero in the original story) and then I added a curse, a time twist, another ghost, and some sexual tension that had to wait a year to be satisfied 😉 I guess you could say I have an active imagination. Good thing I’m a romance writer.
If you are wondering how all these ingredients could possibly make for a sexy romance then please read on as I’ve brought an excerpt with me. If you would like more, you’ll have to check out PASSION OF SLEEPY HOLLOW. Just sayin’ 😉
Oh yes, and don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win this exquisite Red and Black Venetian mask. I’m actually giving away 2! I hope you enjoy my Sleepy Hollow.
Always, Lexi
Recluse Braeden Van Brunt is not happy to be the Headless Horseman…until he meets Katrina Van Tassel, owner of the Sleepy Hollow Inn, whose allure bewitches him from the front desk into the bedroom. When he discovers Kat and the village of Sleepy Hollow are cursed to exist only in the present day for one weekend a year, he realizes the sacrifice he must make if he wants to keep her.
Katrina Van Tassel lives between slivers of time. She thought she was through grieving her betrothed’s death, but her dreams flare to life when his mirror-image arrives requesting a room. Drawn to Braeden, she is taken to greater heights of intimacy than she ever imagined, but she can’t be sure if her heart is with him or with the love from her past.
Knowing he must conquer both time and ghosts to keep the only woman he’s ever loved, Braeden must put the past to rest. But the dead won’t rest in Sleepy Hollow.
Excerpt from Passion of Sleepy Hollow
Kat closed the door to her room and leaned against it. Her heart raced so fast it could beat a squirrel up a tree. Licking her lips, she closed her eyes. Braeden’s kiss brought back all those wonderful feelings she used to have with Brom. The ones where her toes curled inside her buckle shoes and her body quivered.
She crossed her arms over her stomach. She hadn’t had those with anyone else since. Not even slightly. What was she going to do? She’d been desperate to get away, and now he would be staying the night. She opened her eyes. Staying in her room. Oh Lord.
Moving to her chest at the end of the bed, she pulled out a pillow and threw it on the floor. She’d already changed the sheets because he was supposed to leave. It had been so hard not to bury her face in his unique scent. It reminded her of the forest after a rainstorm, musky, comforting, making her want to snuggle in for a winter hibernation.
Ugh, what was she thinking? He was Stephen’s brother, a Newtimer, and he would leave tomorrow.
Oh no. The village would be long gone by then. What would happen to Braeden then? She glanced toward the door, listening to the floorboards creak under his weight. Quickly, she pulled her quilt from the chest and grabbed the pillow.
Too late.
The door opened and he ducked inside, obliterating the opening from her sight. He stood stock-still, studying her once again. The lantern light softened his features, proving how different he really appeared from Brom.
Straightening her shoulders, she stepped toward him. “Your room is all set. I’ll just make my bed in the parlor.”
He didn’t move, and she couldn’t go through the door unless he did.
“Braeden? You need to step aside for me to leave.”
“And what if I don’t want you to leave?”
Her breath caught in her throat as tingling sped from her head to her toes. She swallowed hard. “What do you mean?” She turned away to give herself a moment without looking at his handsome visage. “Did I forget something?”
The floor creaked behind her and she stepped forward to inspect the water pitcher. If he touched her again, she’d be lost. She turned to review the bed. “I assure you these are clean sheets.”
The door closed.
She spun and the quilt knocked the pitcher off the table onto the floor with a crash. “Oh no.” She knelt, suddenly wanting to cry, though the pitcher wasn’t anything special. In fact, it had a crack along the handle and was bound to break soon anyway.
“Come. It’s okay.” Braeden’s hands on her arms helped her to stand and sent fire through her already taut nerves.
Gently, he enveloped her in his arms. Her heart slowed as a feeling of rightness settled through her. With her face against his chest, she could hear his strong heartbeat.
“Kat.” The soft-spoken word came from deep within him and she met his gaze. “Don’t be mad at me.”
The loneliness she glimpsed in his eyes undid her. Before she could think about what she did, she hooked her hand around his neck and pulled him forward for a kiss.
Thank you for having me, Tina. I hope everyone has a passionate Halloween 😉