Welcome Birthday Guest Talia Carmichael!

Happy Birthday month to Amber! Thanks you Amber for letting me come and join the fun. Yay! Let’s party.

Here is what happens when I try not to throw myself a birthday party and well those pesky characters do what they want.

Sneaky Birthday…

An Interlude

By Talia Carmichael

 

Cautiously I opened the door and looked over my shoulder. Not seeing anyone I breathed out then turned and stepped inside my apartment. I closed the door behind me and pressed against it breathing out. A huge smile spread across my face.

“Yes.” I stepped forward and started to boggie. “I did it. I get to spend my birthday by myself. Blessed silence.” I laughed and kept dancing. Turning to face the door, I shimmied.

“I give her an eight.” A man said.

“I thought it was more of a ten.” Another man replied.

I screamed and turned glaring. “Gio and Brooks what are you doing here?”

“A ten really.” Brooks replied to Gio. “Her dance wasn’t that awesome. If she had done a split or some sort of pizzazz then maybe a ten.”

Gio shrugged elegantly. “No not the dance. The evasive technique she’s been doing for the last few months to make us forget when her birthday was.” Gio smirked. “Her being sneaky today too. We’re sneakier by the way. But I give her a ten for effort.”

“Way too much effort for something none of us would ever forget.” Gerald walked in holding a plate. He lifted his fork and took a bite of cake. “Without her we wouldn’t be here ie. her birthday is the most important thing to all of us.”

“Yep.” Bur walked in behind Gerald and snatched the plate with cake out of his hand.

“Hey.” Gerald scowled then pouted. “My cake.”

“My cake.” I replied. “You all are here for my birthday which I assume means there is cake. And you are eating my cake without me even being here or blowing out the candles or anything.”

I couldn’t believe these guys. It didn’t matter I had done everything possible to make sure they didn’t throw me a surprise party.

“Oh oh. She’s using that tone.” Gio rolled his eyes. “We’re not afraid of you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Really.”

“Yes.” They all answered and mimicked what I did.

“Why is Gerald eating my cake?”

“Technically it’s Bur who has the cake now.” Brooks said.

“Don’t be all reasonable with me.”

“You were taking too long to get here.” Bur scooped up a piece of cake with a finger and ate it licking his finger. “Good thing Kenton and the other bakers of the group made extra cakes. The real real birthday one with candles and that shit is waiting for you.” Bur looked at me and cocked his head to the side. “Why were you driving so weird? Taking routes you usually don’t then back tracking and so on.”

“I was being evasive in case I was being followed.” I stopped then. “Wait how did you even know that? You tagged my car.” I glared at Brooks and Gio.

“Wasn’t us.” Gio said. “One of the others did. I think it’s something a FBI would do or a cop.” Gio studied me and the gleam in his eye showed he was trying not to laugh.

“What?”

“They are wondering why you would be evasive to get to your own apartment.” Ralston walked in and came to my side. “You do know we all know where you live right. So, even if someone was tailing you, you couldn’t lose them since they could just come to your apartment. If you were trying to get away from these folks, you should have taken a trip. “ He studied me. “Then again knowing how determined some of us are they would have found you anyway. You ready for your birthday party.”

It wasn’t a question. He stood by my side then put his arm and I slid my hand into the crook of his arm. He led me back toward where they had come from. I heard the rest fall into step behind me. What Ralston had said was true but I hadn’t thought of they knew where I lived. I had been just too damn giddy I had gotten away.

“You’re thinking of the silliness of all this last few months.” Ralston stated.

“You know I’m really rethinking having written your story. All of you.” I lifted my voice so the others could hear me.

Variations of ‘You love us.’ ‘We love you.’ to “You couldn’t have lived without having seen my best feature’ – that was from Gerald – came from behind me. I ignored them. They laughed even Ralston who was escorting me.

“Screw all of you.”

They snickered.

“So who is at this shin—.“ Shock filled me as I looked into the room.

“Really you think anyone would have missed this.” Ralston said.

“It’s like the driving like you were a spy or something to get here.” Gio said.

They all chuckled. I didn’t reply caught up in seeing all the characters I had created – some stories already been told to the world and other still coming. Hell, some that no one knew of yet. They were all here. Even those inklings of ideas.

“I—“

“We left her speechless.” Gerald said. “Our job here is done.”

The men walked past me. Ralston left my side and joined the others. A few of the characters pushed a table with a huge cake on it toward me. They all broke out in signing Happy Birthday. I was in awe and so blown away. They stopped it before me. Niall stepped forward and held out an envelope. I took it.

“Awww…guys you didn’t need to get me a gift. “ I opened the envelope then stared before looking up at Niall. “A bill for this party. Why am I getting a bill for the cost of this party?”

“You are throwing it for yourself.” Niall rolled his eyes. “Duh.”

“The hell I am. You all did this and invited yourself I might add. So why am I getting a bill to pay for it?”

“To teach you to let us throw a party for you next time instead of doing all that stuff you did. That was a useless waste of time by the way, trying to distract from your birthday.” Niall shook his head. “So much energy wasted on what would obviously not happen. We wouldn’t forget your birthday. So you’re paying for this party since you wasted all our times.”

“You know I really want to deck you right now.”

“I know.” Niall winked.

“Where is my real gifts?”

“You already know what that is.” Niall said smugly.

Knowing how he thinks I did. “Let me hear you say it.”

“You just want him to so you can hit him.” Someone called.

“That’s why we sent him to give her the bill.” Someone else said. “He can take the licks for us.”

“I do think we’re all the gifts she needs.” Another person said.

I opened my mouth to refute that then found I could not. “Yeah you all are.” I paused. “Maybe.”

Laughter filled the room. A few more pushed another table heaped with gifts and put it next to the cake. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. I looked at the bill for a party I didn’t plan on having that I was paying for and then at the characters who I created. This was going to go into my memories as one of the best birthdays ever. Weird too.

Copyright © Talia Carmichael, 2018.

All Rights Reserved.

 

* * * * *

Here is a look at my latest book,

Amazon | Nook| iBooks | Kobo

After the Fall

By Talia Carmichael

Series: The Right Choice – Book 1

Blurb:

A renovation brings two men together who will find that unexpected meetings can bring about the most tempting of encounters.

Leigh Masters is concerned the renovation of Masters’ Pages—his bookstore—will not be completed in time. He’s losing his cool. A call to find the contractor he hired brings unexpected results. The man doing his project has run off. In his place Malcolm—his brother and the owner of the company—comes to see Leigh. The man makes Leigh feel off-kilter. He has his doubts about Malcolm’s assurances that the job will be done on time. As the renovation progresses he finds it hard to resist the temptation of the man who is now in charge of renovating his bookstore. Malcolm knows what he’s doing but Leigh wants to shake up his quiet, calm persona to see what he has hidden underneath.

Malcolm Snipes has worked alongside his brothers to build Snipes Construction, their family owned business. He strives to maintain their reputation of providing excellent work, on-time projects and being professional. He’s tired of picking up the messes of one of his irresponsible brothers. Except this time, the call he gets from an irate client brings him into the path of a man who is fascinating. This time, Malcolm won’t mind taking over the renovation, since it means he can keep an eye on sharp-tongued and sexy Leigh Masters.

This renovation is about to become very interesting as they each wonder what happens after the fall…

  * * * * *

 

Contest:  From the comments below, 1 winner will be selected at random from all the comments and the prize for winner will be an $10 Amazon egift card! (This is open to all. Note you will need to be able to get an egift card from Amazon)

The contest will go until 11:59 pm Eastern time on November 18, 2018, so you have time to enter. Please enter an email address when you post your comment below. Once I announce the winner your email is how I confirm I am sending the prize to the person who commented below for the contest.

I will post winner and instructions to claim the prize on November 19, 2018 on my blog here http://taliacarmichael.com/blog.

Good Luck!

 

* * * * *

Bio: Talia Carmichael is a romantic who believes that family, no matter if it is by blood or those you choose as family, is integral to who you are. She is an author who writes sexy stories in a variety of genres. She believes in creating stories that encompass all that falling in love or lust entails, from the highs of that first blush of attraction to the lows of not knowing if you can make your coming together as a couple work, and then finally to the acceptance of the reality of making a life together. It’s all about the journey.

Among her books you’ll find contemporary, futuristic, fantasy, and paranormal settings with M/M themes that will have a happily-ever-after. Her books are passionate, intense, and real… to fill the craving. Check out more about Talia at http://taliacarmichael.com  or  http://taliacarmichael.com/blog. Contact her at http://taliacarmichael.com/blog/contact

or check her out on facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TaliaCarmichaelAuthor. facebook group –  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TaliaCarmichaelBookNook

– Twitter:  @taliacarmichael Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/talia_carmichael

Want to join all my alter egos to chat, review or join my street team check more information – http://scribesunleashed.com.