Shawna Lang returns to the enchanting mountains of Asheville. Away from Asheville for nearly 20 years, Shawna starts out on her trip with a deep longing for romance and adventure. Though coming back gives her heart an intoxicating excitement she’d longed to experience, the danger linked with her return may bring her a perilous adventure that she couldn’t expect. Upon meeting the handsome Gerard Rutherford, Shawna is thrust into a whirlwind of excitement as an enthralling mystery begins to unfurl around her. Shawna must take caution for there are those around her whose dark secrets have the potential to cause her certain harm. And only when she comes face-to-face with the true nemesis will the dark secrets be revealed. Shawna may find the perilous adventure she’d wished for one that she may never escape.
Maura Burd is an author of suspense romance, paranormal romance and poetry.
Her publications include her books; a paranormal romance collection White Light Parallel - 8 Stories of Love, a romantic poetry collection A Lover’s Whisper, a passionate poetry collection A Lover’s Rapture, a paranormal romance novelette Deity of Darkness, its sequel Deity of Darkness – Risen, and a suspense romance novella Wild Mountain Desire.
Previous poetry publications as part of an anthology include Touch in Poetic Voices and Of Being a Dreamer in Treasured Poems of America; Sparrowgrass Poetry Forum. She received the Golden Poet award for her poetry from World of Poetry.
Maura resides in Pennsylvania with her husband Randell. For more information on Maura, visit her website at WWW.MAURABURD.COM.
WILD MOUNTAIN DESIRE
(Excerpt from book)
Chapter One
Present Day
Shawna Lang stood alone at the railing overlooking the valley below the cliffs of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath of the clean mountain air. The scent of freshly fallen maple leaves brought a comforting smile to her lips. And as the sea of rolling hills throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains showcased their spectacular fall colors, Shawna wondered why she’d waited nearly twenty years to come back to North Carolina.
The natural landscape was indeed a visual enchantment. Shawna stood still and listened to the wind as it blew through the mountains. The stiff, rustling sound of dry oak leaves dancing on the branches and the soft, rousing sound of swaying hemlocks throughout the mountains seemed to be whispering its wondrous secret that it was a magical place.
Shawna’s hazel eyes gazed languidly towards the west as the sun began to disappear behind the majestic mountain terrain. It had been so long since she’d taken time out to appreciate the tremendous beauty of nature. She’d wasted so much of her adult life rushing to do something or hurrying to get somewhere that such awe-inspiring moments like this was a rare occasion.
Somehow, middle age was catching up with her and she didn’t have even one serious love affair to either rejoice in or to regret. From the beginning, her life was set into high gear, thrusting her into adulthood at an early age. This was the main reason Shawna chose to get away for a while. Her spirit was hungry for a change. She thought if this trip couldn’t breathe inspiration into her soul, perhaps nothing could stimulate excitement back into her life.
© 2009 Maura Burd. All Rights Reserved.