Wednesday, February 8, 2017

SVS Agent Round 2: LOVE INTERRUPTED, Adult Romance OwnVoices

Title: LOVE INTERRUPTED
Genre: Adult Romance #OwnVoices
Word Count: 75,000

Is Your Main Character hot or cold:

LOVE INTERRUPTED is a romance. There are two MCs.

Christine is hot. She's a woman working in a STEM field. She's had to fight to get where she is. She has no patience for stupidity or bullying.

Paul is cool under pressure. He needs steady nerves to take the kill shot when surrounded by smoke and gunfire. But, wow, he is also very HOT!


Query:

Dear Sun vs. Snow Agents,

Born with only three left fingers, Christine doubts any man will buy a diamond ring for her disfigured hand. She’s okay with that. She’s planning on finding a new job using her chemistry degree, buying a house, and adopting some kids. Then she meets Paul. Intelligent and gorgeous, he sees beyond her hand. She’s interested, but Paul comes across as a player, and she doesn't want to be just one of his many conquests.

Paul’s job in national security puts him in danger; he’s used to taking chances and succeeding when the odds are stacked against him. He’s intrigued when he meets Christine. She’s funny, smart, and has the most beautiful eyes. She’s also stubborn and self-protective. Paul puts his negotiation skills to work and persuades her to go out with him on five dates before she gives up on love. He’s psyched when she agrees.

As they take turns picking what they’ll do on their dates, they find themselves challenged to face their fears and learn to trust each other more with each encounter. When a beautiful woman attempts to seduce Paul, an incident Paul tries to hide from Christine. She walks out on him. She accepts a job out of state and renews her plans for buying a house and adopting children on her own. When Paul learns Christine’s new job fell through, he takes a chance and buys her a ring.

Paul seeks to regain Christine’s trust, but she refuses all his efforts until a drug cartel endangers Paul’s life. Christine realizes that without trust, she risks losing him forever.

Diversity is part of life and is part of this story. Christine is white; Paul is Blasian, black-Asian. Christine’s feelings about her disfigurement are based on my own experience with a disfiguring disease.

First 250:

The ambrosia of warming fragrances wafting from the Comfy Couch Coffee Shop and Bakery revitalized me. It had been another demoralizing night working at the lab. I needed chocolate and caffeine. Stat.

Looking up, I saw Captain America holding the door for me. My mood brightened at seeing his brilliant smile against his dark complexion. Scarlet, my best friend, and I gave all the regulars at the coffee shop nicknames. Captain America was so named because he always entered the coffee shop as if he considered everyone there under his protection. Scanning the room with what appeared to be practiced vigilance, his soulful eyes lingered on anyone who wasn't a regular.

He let me ahead of him in line to order my coffee. Crisply dressed, his tailored gray suit accentuated his lean athletic build. His self-assurance was daunting. Heat rose to my face as I mumbled my thanks. I sounded like I’d just come from the dentist with my lips and tongue numbed.

At the front of the line, not finding my credit card in its usual slot, heart-stopping panic gripped me. Then, I remembered dropping it in my car as I pulled away from the gas station. Rummaging through my purse, I hoped that under the receipt and gum wrapper debris, several dollars’ worth of change would appear. I shot an apologetic smile at the cashier and a "sorry" over my shoulder to the scowling eye-rollers behind me.

Cap handed his credit card to the cashier. “Here, put hers on this with mine.”

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