Guestpost & Giveway with Nancy Lee Badger – Author of Love to the Rescue

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Book – The Home of the Romance Novel!

Today we are welcoming Nancy Lee Badger to the blog!  Nancy is the author of several books, but is here to talk about her latest release – Love To The Rescue.  She is also giving away a cool prize to one lucky commenter! The details for the giveaway are at the end of this post.   Just have a look at the cover of the book!  It must be a good book 🙂 Without further ado, here’s Nancy:

Women can be Firefighters, too

Thanks for having me today. I would like to share exciting moments in my life that manifested into a plot for my latest romantic suspense, LOVE TO THE RESCUE released by Red Rose Publishing. This book follows two people I introduced in DESTINY’S MOUNTAIN. Josie and Pete are firefighters in a small New England college town. Their main responsibility is running the town’s ambulance. They respond to medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, and all fires…just like I did after volunteering with my small town’s emergency services.

Once my youngest son turned ten years old, old enough to be left home alone, I took a course and became a First Responder, then sweated through a more difficult course to become an Emergency Medical Technician, or EMT. I joined the Rumney New Hampshire F.A.S.T. Squad. There were two other female members, and they quickly took me under their wings.

My first multi-car accident on a blustery, snowy day was a heart-stopper. I arrived quickly in my personal vehicle, and a senior firefighter pointed me toward a familiar black Jeep. The sole occupant was one of these women! I found myself in a role reversal, keeping her calm while firefighters used a HURST cutting tool to remove the steering wheel. She was gingerly placed on a backboard then removed from her totaled vehicle. During all this, I sat in the passenger seat beside her, heart pounding, with a forced smile and calming voice. After all the patients left on the ambulances and their vehicles had been towed away, the responders congregated back at the firehouse. I nearly wept.

I found myself, a year later, as the only woman on both the F.A.S.T. Squad and Fire Department. Yes, I wore bunker gear and carried a pack filled with gloves, bandages, and an oxygen tank. The large size of our rural community meant that many of us drove our personal vehicle, red light flashing, to the scene. Once in a while, my youngest son rode in the car with me when my pager blared. He has fond memories of arriving at accident scenes with me, riding in the rescue vehicle, and not-so-fond memories of when I said “Get out. Walk home.” Yes, that happened more than once, but he understood.

In my story, LOVE TO THE RESCUE, I wrote a particularly grueling scene where a small car tangled with a moose. I’d never responded to such a call even though moose hits were common, but I did respond to a call where a motorcyclist hit a deer. Believe me, the injuries were just as gruesome.

I also based Josie Miller on a female firefighter in a nearby town. Josie is more of a Tomboy and grew up with four older brothers (I have two younger sisters, so I had to make up that dynamic.) The woman who inspired my character was one of only a few women in the profession. She fought fires and responded to our small town in the area’s ambulance. I hope my competence working accident scenes, helping my neighbors with medical emergencies, and learning skills during training sessions were due to her influence.

House fires, chimney fires, and forest fires are some of the calls that stuck with me. These experiences have found their way into my book. My perspective gives the action and suspense a true-to-life feel that moves the underlying romance forward. No, I did not base the romance between my main characters on myself. I was already happily married to a man who often drove me to emergencies, especially late at night or during inclement weather (Trust me…northern New Hampshire has plenty of that!) The firefighters invited him to join our ranks since he was usually on the scene, and I felt better knowing from then on that he would wear his own set of flame-resistant and reflective protective clothing.

The forest fire that nearly takes the lives of my characters is also more or less a composite of calls that I have been a part of. Although I was never in real danger, the forest is a tricky place to work. Lightning strikes and careless campers kept us busy. Many times, we were required to wear hardhats and bright yellow fire-resistant shirts (the better to be seen) while we hiked up the side of a mountain to the fire site. Fun!

After my family moved to another town, I continued helping during emergencies by becoming a State of New Hampshire 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Dispatcher. Every call for help in the state came to our one room, and we handled the weirdest calls on the planet with professionalism and a bit of laughter (after we hung up, of course) It was different handling an emergency over the phone, but at least I did not have to respond during snowstorms any more.

I think back on those years as a volunteer EMT and firefighter and I am proud to say I gave my all to my neighbors in the only way I could, and I would do all over again if I was younger.  LOL! Instead, I will keep my readers entertained by allowing them to live life through the eyes and hearts of my characters.

BOOK BLURB

The clashing relationship between tomboy Josie Miller and fellow paramedic-firefighter, Pete Thayer, escalates after he realizes Joe is not just one-of-the-boys. Pete has a sketchy history and has earned a reputation for one-night stands in the small town of Parmenter, New Hampshire nestled between the Mercy River, the mountains, and the state college. Since he arrived a year ago, Josie suspects he is hiding something. Something too horrible to share, even with her. Working side by side, Joe loves her job, and Pete.

They respond to accident calls, medical emergencies, and fast-moving forest fires amid sparks of another kind. Joe’s clumsiness and baggy uniform work against her when she yearns to be the kind of woman Pete wants like the pretty blonde they must rescue after her car hits a moose.

Outside influences come to play when the sister of Pete’s alleged victim shows up and accuses him of something even worse…her sister’s recent death. Once on track to be a doctor, the sister’s betrayal and lies caused Pete to run far away and keep women at a distance unless they agreed to share his bed…and nothing more.

 

Pete plans to skip town while Josie worries she has given her heart to a monster. His boss and the local police back off and he professes his innocence to Joe. After kissing her senseless, she lets him into her bed until her bothers intervene. Both keep an eye on Pete. A suicide note, some well-landed fists, stolen moments of love, and a desire to listen to their hearts lead these two heroes toward a climax filled with tension, pain, bloodshed, and atonement.

EXCERPT

“Isn’t the bachelor party still going on?” Josie said. A ghostly image of the Pete she knew filled the space. A muscled shoulder pitched toward the doorjamb. His usually golden hair fell across his face in dirty, unruly waves. He stood hunched over and one arm grasped his ribs. Her sharp inhale brought his swollen eyes up.

With slow steps, she drew closer. Her fingertips ached to caress his cheek and shake the dirt from his hair. Her heart thumped and her skin prickled. Even filthy, her desire for this man rose up, stealing the breath from her lungs. Inhaling, the odor of cigarettes wafted up. Odd. Pete doesn’t smoke.

When she lifted a hand to brush wayward strands of hair off his face, she stared at the damage. His ragged breath broke the silence.

“Pete, are you okay?”

He still didn’t speak. She wanted to return to the bright interior of the firehouse kitchen. His head lowered and she avoided his mouth. He sniffed her skin then ran gentle kisses down her check to below her left ear. Hairs at the back of her neck prickled. Ill at ease, fearing he only came on to her while drunk, she wiggled out of his grip and resumed her chores. If she let him treat her like his last one–night–stand, she’d be a fool.

Now, if I can stop staring at his tight tank top and faded jeans before I melt into a puddle on the floor…

Even covered in filth, the man exuded a sexuality she fought to ignore. She felt like she stood at a buffet only to be told “Off limits.” Damn conscience. When a hand clasped her right shoulder, she squeaked.

“Joe, you are…”

Gazing expectantly at his face, she asked, “I’m what?” Don‘t clam up now, damn it. An irresistible urge to kiss him made her swallow. His fingers tightened, spurring new waves of molten heat to spread down her chest to between her thighs. A hot surge of something wicked formed deep inside her belly. She yearned for him to touch more than her shoulder.

“You’ve been in a fight.”

He stared as if he‘d never seen her before. His disheveled appearance shocked her, even though she’d heard the rumors. He shouldn’t drink to excess. That’s a given. But, fighting? Her insides flip–flopped under his steely gaze. He didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled her to him in the doorway’s shadows.

“Hey!”

More About the Author

Nancy grew up on New York’s Long Island then earned a Bachelor of Science degree at a small state college amid the mountains of New Hampshire. She met and married the man of her dreams then settled in a tiny rural town. Nancy served as an EMT and both she and her husband volunteered as firefighters while raising two sons. She now lives in North Carolina. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Celtic Heart Romance Writers, and the Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers. Nancy writes under her own name, Nancy Lee Badger, and she also writes under the name of Nancy Lennea. Check out her latest release, DRAGON IN THE MIST   ( Buy link: http://amzn.to/uEggj1 )

Title: LOVE TO THE RESCUE

Author: Nancy Lee Badger

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Length: 78,844 words e-book

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

ISBN-978-1-4543-0079-3

Red Rose Publishing Buy Link:

Amazon Buy Link: http://amzn.to/uowdvE

ARe Buy Link:

Nancy’s Website: http://www.nancylennea.com

Nancy’s Blog: http://www.nancylennea-inlove.blogspot.com

Twitter:  @NLBadger

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/v12gxG

CONTEST!

Nancy is giving away an assortment of goodies to celebrate the 2012 London Olympics. The package includes a bumper sticker, two static-cling window decals, and a warm hat sporting the Olympic rings. She invites you to also download her e-book SECRET LOVE MATCH, and read about her heroine who tries out for the American tennis team while a hot, sexy television star pursues a romance with her. Be sure to include your e-mail in the comment box, and check back soon. Good luck!
Buy links for Nancy’s other books

Secret Love Match http://amzn.to/AE07jW

Dragon’s Curse http://amzn.to/y3Ipw0

Destiny’s Mountain http://amzn.to/y38iMY

Unwrapping Chris http://amzn.to/zjmtXx

Dragon In The Mist http://amzn.to/s2taDb

I’d like to thank Nancy for dropping by and sharing about her books!  Don’t forget to leave a comment with your email address to be included in the giveaway!