Countdown to

FORCE OF NATURE

8/8/07

6 days and counting to FORCE OF NATURE, in stores on August 14, 2007

Romance Novel TV

Remember to click the above link to see today's video clip from Romance Novel TV!  There'll be a new video clip over at Romance Novel TV for every day of the Countdown to FORCE OF NATURE!  

Note from Suz:  Your daily reminders:  

a) The FON virtual signing deadline is this Sunday, (yeah, yeah, I know you know.  That's why it's a reminder) and...

b) Friday, August 10th is BB visit day.  Registration is necessary to post questions to the board, so hop on over there soon unless you're happy just to lurk.  

Today on the FORCE OF NATURE Countdown, I'm sending you back to YouTube, where I've posted a seven-minute long video clip from my interview with Navy SEAL Tom Rancich, called "How Tom Met Himself."  

This is one of my favorites of Tom's stories -- I thought you would enjoying hearing it -- straight from the man himself!  

PLUS... There are two additional bonus clips:

Tom answers my question: "As a counterterrorism expert, what advice would you give to Americans?"

Plus...

Tom talks about the Newsweek article, my bulletin board, and how he and I met...

Just in case the links are glitchy, here are the URLs:

How Tom Met Himself -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv0TQ6O3Ejc 

Tom Rancich's Advice -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5Y-4Je5_xc 

and

Tom Talks -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo0RBKANpww 

(My apologies to those of you who don't have YouTube access.  Do try to visit a friend or drop by your local Kinko's to use their computers so you can see these video clips.  Tom rocks. )

Countdown Flashback of the Day:  
Sam Starrett & Jules Cassidy
From OVER THE EDGE:

          Jules Cassidy was walking toward Sam Starrett like a man on a mission.

          Okay. Perfect. Here we fucking go. The shittiest day in the world--round two.

          Sam didn't stop eating. He just sat there, at his special table. In his special seat. Shoveling pasta that tasted like crap into his mouth. Giving the world a great big go away message with his glower and his body language.

          But Jules didn't go anywhere. He stood there, obviously waiting for Sam to look up at him. Well, fuck it. Sam wasn't going to.

          So Jules sat down. Sam had to give him credit--the little fruit had balls.

          "This has got to stop," Jules said quietly. "Wasn't Washington enough for you?"

          Well now, wasn't that the ultimate in irony? Alyssa Locke had warned Sam not to tell anyone about the night they'd spent together in Washington , D.C. She'd nearly threatened him bodily harm over it. And he hadn't told a soul.

          But apparently, she'd turned around and spilled the whole sorry-assed tale to her swishy little partner.

          "Starrett, you can't play Neanderthal with me. I know that you care about her," Jules continued.

          Sam finally looked up. Two weeks after he'd seen Alyssa last, after Washington , D.C. , he'd called Jules. Just to make sure she was really all right. He'd made up some stupid reason why he was calling, but he knew that Jules had seen right through it. He hadn't asked him any questions then, not even when Sam had asked him not to tell Alyssa.

          "I never told her you called," Jules said softly.

          Sam couldn't hold his gaze. But he managed a nod, a gruff "Thanks."

          "You can't take advantage of her whenever you feel the urge," Jules told him gently. "She doesn't need this. She needs someone who's going to be there for her, someone willing to commit." He paused. "Someone who loves her."

          Sam laughed at that--a burst of disparaging air. "Who? You?"

          Jules just smiled. "Well, I do love her, but Adam might get a little upset if I tried to bring her home."

          Jules had a live-in lover named Adam. Now that was more information than Sam had wanted to know. Ever.

          Jules sighed. "I know you probably think I'm the last person to judge anyone in terms of what turns them on, but this sado-masochistic thing you've got going with Alyssa is killing her. Now, maybe that's part of the game to you, but--"

          Sam put down his fork. "You think I like it? Hooking up with her once every six months? Only to have her hate me again in the morning? Fuck you--she's the fucking masochist!"

          Jules was startled. "But she said..."

          Sam lowered his voice. "She gets drunk so she's got an excuse to get down with me. Then she comes to my door and it's my fault when I don't turn her away? Fuck you twice."

          Jules narrowed her eyes. "You know, the bad language might be part of the problem. I can see how that might be off-putting for some like--"

          "Yeah, how well do you know her anyway?" Sam said. "It makes her laugh, if you want to know the truth. Jesus, when she's drunk, she relaxes enough to let herself like me. It's the rest of the time that..." He shook his head. "Fuck."

          "What?" Jules persisted.

          "Just leave me the fuck alone."

          "It's the rest of the time that's what?" Jules asked.

          Sam tried to eat. Now it tasted like cold crap.

          "She likes you when she's drunk, but it's the rest of the time that what?" Jules would not let go of it. "The rest of the time, as in when she's sober?"

          Sam set down the fork very carefully, instead of throwing it across the room. Or at Jules, who simply would not let this rest. "Look, she sobers up, and it's like she... she... fuck! She instantly forgets who I am. Sobered up, she can't see past her own fucking expectations, all right? She thinks I'm some red-necked asshole, so, yeah, okay, I play the part. Jesus." He glared at Jules. "She thinks she knows me, but she doesn't have a clue. She's prejudged, prelabled and pre-rejected me. How the fuck do you fight that?"

          Jules laughed. "Well, gee, I couldn't possibly know what that's like."

          Sam realized what he'd just said, and who he'd just said it to.

          As a gay man, Jules had spent most of his life prejudged, prelabled and rejected by most of society.

          Including Sam.

          "Ah, fuck." He couldn't hold the other man's gaze.

          "Fuck is kind of like your aloha, right?" Jules said. "It means hello and good-bye and thank you and--in this case--I'm sorry?"

          Sam had to laugh at that. "I am sorry," he managed to say. "You're...okay."

          "Phew," Jules said. "I was worried about myself for a minute there."

          "Just don't get too close."

          Jules grinned. "Sweetie, you're hot, but my heart belongs to Adam." His smile faded. "And something tells me your heart belongs to Alyssa."

From the book OVER THE EDGE
By Suzanne Brockmann
Copyright 2001 by Suzanne Brockmann

That's all for now!  Be sure to come back for tomorrow's installment in the 
Countdown to FORCE OF NATURE!

Note from Suz:  I'm going to try to post each new day's countdown page before noon eastern time.  Please be patient if I'm a little late...

See you tomorrow!

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