Romantic

Fourteen years ago in September, I met Bry. Things moved very quickly in our relationship, and we were happy. In the spring after we met, he took me up to the lake that he and his friends went camping and boating at. As we drove higher and higher into the mountains, the air chilled and the snow started falling. We pulled up to the boat dock and I was worried that we would become stuck in the snow that was still lying on the ground. Bry was more concerned about the water level in the lake. 

The snow was still melting, and falling, but the lake was very low. The waterline didn't even reach the boat dock. He told me stories of his camping adventures, and how much fun they had in the summers on the boat and drinking. I couldn't wait to hang out with them all, camping, fishing, and having fun in the water. I loved the water and was thrilled to finally be able to go on a boat and swim. 

We jumped back into his car, drove up to the place they camped, and got out to look around. He showed me the camp site, snuggled, and let me look at the beauty of the lake surrounded by snow covered mountains. When I turned around to go back to the car, he was leaning against a table, carving our names into the already covered surface. I smiled, my heart melting a bit - no one had ever done that before. 

Fourteen years later, we drove up to that same lake.

The water line was even lower than it had been the first time we were there. It reinforced my worries about a drought season, and had me praying for snow, something I never did.

It was freezing, just as it had been the first time we were there, and both of us were in tee-shirts. He wanted to see the boat dock, and I secretly wanted to see if our carving was still there. The water didn't even come close to the dock. It was almost a football field away, forcing people to drive their boats and trucks through the dried-up lake to get to the water. We were horrified at how low the water line was. 

However, it provided perfect access to the table where our names were carved. So, in the comfort of our heated truck, Bry drove us through the dirt-that-should-be-water lake and over toward the campsite. There, in the chilly evening, with snow threatening to fall, we found our carving.

I couldn't believe it! After all these years, the table with our names on it was still there, with the declaration of us still marked into its surface. Bry wasn't satisfied, so he renewed our carving. 

"Now it will be there for sure, for another thirteen years," he said to me with chattering teeth.

I smiled up at him, shivering too much to talk. Hand-in-hand we ran back to the truck with the heat blasting. 

"I can't believe it was still there," I said as my body started warming. "I can't believe that table has never moved, or that someone didn't carve over it. How many people do you think have carved their names somewhere and are still together, thirteen years later?"

I didn't really expect an answer, and didn't get one. I just watched the snow fall outside my window as we drove off the mountain and home to our kitties, my heart warming with renewed love for my husband.

Reprisal by Christa Lynn

A Dark Erotic Thriller 

Mature Adult 18+ Only 

This novel is a work of fiction and contains strong sexual situations and violence that may be disturbing to some readers. 

Read at your own risk. 

Sydney DeCarlo has a dark past, one she prefers to keep in the past. She’s a survivor and has made her living counselling kids who have also survived the same nightmare. When the FBI and NYPD call her in to assist on a case, her past comes roaring back. 

Enter Detective Gabriel Torres. 

Gabe is talk, dark and handsome and immediately feels a connection with Sydney. Sydney's been called in to assist in the investigation of raped and murdered young women and he’s not sure she’s the right person for the job. 

But Sydney’s connection to this case is more than anyone could ever imagine. Can Gabe save her from her past? Or will her nightmare be the death of her?

Amazon Barnes and Noble

I am married and have a teenage son. I live in the Atlanta, GA area and I enjoy reading and writing. I went to bed one night after reading a book that wasn't very good and thought to myself, " I can do better than that." So the next morning I got up and started pounding away at the keyboard. My first book hides in the bowels of my laptop collecting dust. My first published novel, Running from Destiny, released in October of 2013. The sequel, Accepting Destiny just released in January 2014. My newest release is Reprisal - A Dark, Erotic Thriller.  All books are Mature adult and recommended for ages 18 and up only.

Other Books by Christa Lynn

Running from Destiny

Accepting Destiny

Cats

As you may or may not be aware of yet, I have 9 cats. I've only actually met one other person who has more cats than I, and she has 17. I couldn't even fathom that many cats. I actually think that 9 is bordering on insanity.
Lately, my lovely children have started this incessant fighting thing. It feels like every time I turn around, I'm cleaning someone up from a fight, or breaking one up. It's driving me mad.
Then they turn around and snuggle with me, making me feel like a pile of dung for getting mad earlier at them. Yesterday, Princess tried to kill Orion. She was then hunted by mommy, squirted, and tossed into the bathroom for time-out. She mostly avoided me for the remainder of the evening. Today, she's lying on my arms as I attempt to write, purring and enjoying the occasional petting and ear scratching. I have a picture of her looking oh-so-sweet and innocent below.

Graduation

Today I celebrated my sibling's graduations. As the oldest of five, I am the only one who doesn't have their Bachelor's Degree - or any college degree for that matter. I feel oddly about this.
Growing up, I was the nerd in the family. I graduated high school with honors, took some of the most advanced classes in Science, English, and Math, and even received an academic scholarship. I started college, but half-way through the first semester, I moved across the country. This move cost me my scholarship, strained my relationship with my family, and allowed me to eventually meet my husband.
I've thought about going back to school, getting a degree in something, but I can't figure out what. What in the world would help me with my dream of being a successful writer? Also, what defines a successful writer? That would depend on whom you ask, I think. Most people would consider me highly successful. In three years, I've written nine books, been in three anthologies, and have been asked to mentor others. While I'm beyond thrilled, amazed, and quite frankly, shocked daily by this, I still don't feel like a success. I still work and struggle with the daily grind. I'm not where I pictured myself to be, nor where I want to be in life.
But would a degree change any of that? I don't think so. I guess I could take a few marketing classes, or perhaps something for photoshop, or even some creative writing classes to hone my skills. But I'm not sure I want to do any of that.
I'm very proud of my siblings. They have all worked hard to achieve their goals, and while only one is actually using her degree, they all have that achievement to be proud of. I just can't seem to escape that nagging, internal feeling of being less, of being a failure.
The really stupid thing is (not that this whole thing isn't silly), I absolutely don't feel that a degree is that big of a deal. Many people who get them, don't even use them. There are many people with degrees that aren't working in the field their education was achieved in, and if they are, they're looking for something else, or going back to school for something else. I also know of many people who are successful without a degree.
So, knowing that I don't want to go back to school, knowing that it (probably) won't help me with what I want to achieve in life, why do I feel so inadequate?

Reprisal by Christa Lynn

A Dark Erotic Thriller 

Mature Adult 18+ Only 

This novel is a work of fiction and contains strong sexual situations and violence that may be disturbing to some readers. 

Read at your own risk. 

Sydney DeCarlo has a dark past, one she prefers to keep in the past. She’s a survivor and has made her living counselling kids who have also survived the same nightmare. When the FBI and NYPD call her in to assist on a case, her past comes roaring back. 

Enter Detective Gabriel Torres. 

Gabe is talk, dark and handsome and immediately feels a connection with Sydney. Sydney's been called in to assist in the investigation of raped and murdered young women and he’s not sure she’s the right person for the job. 

But Sydney’s connection to this case is more than anyone could ever imagine. Can Gabe save her from her past? Or will her nightmare be the death of her? 

Amazon Barnes and Noble