The Seduction of Esther
by Jennifer
Wilck
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Samara
Goldberg has a problem even the most beautiful singing voice can’t fix. She’s a
walking disaster, especially when she’s around handsome men. To make matters
worse, she’s in desperate need of someone to play the character of Mordecai for
the Purim spiel she’s producing and the new congregant, Nathaniel Abramson, is
a perfect fit. Nathaniel is a divorced dad who’s recovering from the biggest
public scandal of his life. The last thing he needs is a relationship with the
choir director at his new synagogue, who also happens to be playing the lead
female role of Esther in the very play he’s been coerced into joining.
Woven
around the Jewish holiday of Purim, The Seduction of Esther is a story of two
people whose lives mirror the plot of the Purim story. Like Esther, who had to
hide her Jewish identity from the King of Persia, Samara and Nathaniel are
hiding key pieces of themselves. Evil Haman wanted to destroy the Jews, and the
nasty Josh will do anything to keep Samara and Nathaniel apart. Will their love
survive, like the Jewish people in Shushan, Persia, or will their fear keep
them apart?
Excerpt One:
Joyce left the office and Samara hunched over her desk, arms
around her stomach. No, no, no, no, no. There was no way she could act on
Joyce’s suggestion. Every time she got near the man, she made a fool of
herself. She’d almost concussed the man a few minutes ago.
She rubbed her fingers together as she remembered the feel
of his hand in hers. So warm and rough and so unlike her own. He’d pulled her
up from the floor and she’d almost floated into his arms. Arms, she was sure,
would be strong and safe. Arms, she’d hoped, if she was honest, would pull her
into a kiss. She’d feel like gold in Fort Knox within his embrace.
His blue eyes had bored into hers, but this time, they
didn’t twinkle. They’d darkened and lost their focus. She’d watched his head
dip toward her own and stared at his lips, trying to imagine how they’d taste.
And in the blink of an eye, he’d pulled back. She pushed up out of her fetal curl and sat in her chair, her arms wrapped around her
waist. What she wouldn’t give to have his arms around her. Joyce was right, he
was luscious.
But like someone on a diet, she had to show restraint. He’d
been good-natured about her clumsiness, but sooner or later even the most
patient of men would reach their limit. Nathaniel would be able to take only so
much before it either became too much or she damaged him. She could tell he was
very self-conscious, concerned about what people thought. He didn’t want to be
made a spectacle of, and that’s exactly what would happen if she let her desire
get the best of her. She pounded the desk with her fist. She’d just have to be
content with seeing him in the spiel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
When I was a
little girl and couldn’t fall asleep, my mother would tell me to make up a
story. Pretty soon, my head was filled with these stories and the characters
that populated them. Each character had a specific personality, a list of likes
and dislikes, and sometimes, even a specific accent or dialect. Even as an
adult, I think about the characters and stories at night before I fall asleep,
or in the car on my way to or from one of my daughters’ numerous activities
(hey, anything that will drown out their music is a good thing).
One day, I
started writing them down (it was either that or checking into the local mental
hospital—the computer was way less scary) and five years later, I’ve gotten two
book contracts from Whiskey Creek Press. A Heart of Little Faith came out in
June; Skin Deep is coming out in November.
In the real
world, I’m the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest
men I know. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading,
traveling and watching TV. In between chauffeuring my daughters to after-school
activities that require an Excel spreadsheet to be kept straight, I serve on
our Temple Board, train the dog we adopted from a local shelter, and cook
dinners that fit the needs of four very different appetites. I also write
freelance articles for magazines, newspapers, and edit newsletters.
When all of
that gets overwhelming, I retreat to my computer, where I write stories that
let me escape from reality. In my made-up world, the heroines are always smart,
sassy and independent. The heroes are handsome and strong with just a touch of
vulnerability. If I don’t like a character, I can delete him or her; if
something doesn’t work, I can rewrite it. It’s very satisfying to be in control
of at least one part of my life. My inspiration comes from watching the people
around me and fantasizing about how I’d do things differently.
I can be
reached at www.jenniferwilck.com or
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Wilck/201342863240160. I tweet at
@JWilck, my blog (Fried Oreos) is www.jenniferwilck.wordpress.com and I
contribute to Heroines With Hearts at www.heroineswithhearts.blogspot.com.
Giveaway:
Jennifer will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card and chocolate to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (international giveaway).
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
