Please welcome Sharon Buchbinder to my blog today.
Eye of the Eagle is the third book in my Hotel LaBelle Series. Many would say it should have been easier than the first two, but in fact, it was my most challenging to write. The reason is that out of all my books, the heroine in this story is my most personal. Phoebe Wagner is based on my grandmother, Bessie T. Engelman, who gave me unconditional love when I needed it most. t the age of three years old, my mother put me on a plane in Washington, D.C., and sent me to Connecticut to live with my deaf grandmother, my aunt, uncle, cousin, two Chihuahuas, and a parakeet. At night, I would cry because I missed my family. As I sobbed, my grandmother would take me in her arms and hug me. I’d fall asleep to her wordless lullaby of love, wondering if I’d ever see my family again, not knowing that my parents were divorcing.
A year after being shipped north, I was reunited with my family. Another year later, we moved out of my aunt’s basement and into government subsidized housing. Now when we visited my aunt’s house, I had to share my grandmother with my siblings. On birthdays and graduations, she created scavenger hunts for us, leaving a trail of written clues. She must have spent hours planning the hints, writing them out in her beautiful calligraphy, and placing them throughout the house. As I grew older and wrestled with the demons of poverty and abuse, my desire to break away from my home life dwarfed my relationship with my grandmother. Opportunity arrived in the form of a large scholarship to a university in Texas, over a thousand miles away from my mother. During the first semester of my freshman year, my grandmother became ill and died at home at the age of eighty-nine. Claiming that she didn’t want to “disrupt” my studies, my mother withheld the knowledge until I came home months later. I was devastated. I never had the chance to say good-bye to the woman who loved me unconditionally.
A year after being shipped north, I was reunited with my family. Another year later, we moved out of my aunt’s basement and into government subsidized housing. Now when we visited my aunt’s house, I had to share my grandmother with my siblings. On birthdays and graduations, she created scavenger hunts for us, leaving a trail of written clues. She must have spent hours planning the hints, writing them out in her beautiful calligraphy, and placing them throughout the house. As I grew older and wrestled with the demons of poverty and abuse, my desire to break away from my home life dwarfed my relationship with my grandmother. Opportunity arrived in the form of a large scholarship to a university in Texas, over a thousand miles away from my mother. During the first semester of my freshman year, my grandmother became ill and died at home at the age of eighty-nine. Claiming that she didn’t want to “disrupt” my studies, my mother withheld the knowledge until I came home months later. I was devastated. I never had the chance to say good-bye to the woman who loved me unconditionally.
As I hit my fifth decade, I began to reflect on my life and lack of closure regarding her death. I felt compelled to research my family tree, beginning with my grandmother. My only clues were embedded in childhood memories of kitchen table conversations between my mother and aunt. The family legend, told and re-told, with hand-signed consultations for verification, was that my grandmother was born hearing and healthy to a wealthy family. My research gave me much more than I expected: it gave me a love story and insight into this feisty woman.
Born in 1881, my grandmother contracted spinal meningitis at sixteen months of age and lost her hearing. She was a resident at what is now the Kentucky School for the Deaf in Danville, Kentucky from age seven to twenty-one. An educated and strong woman, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for a Congressman addressing envelopes with her beautiful penmanship. She met my grandfather, Carl Rhodes, on a blind date. A wild man on a motorcycle, Carl was born deaf, became a ward of the Department of the Interior, and attended Kendall School which is housed on the campus of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Disobeying her wealthy Kentucky family, my grandmother married her “bad boy” and raised six hearing children in Washington, D.C. where my grandfather worked for the U.S. Botanical Gardens and the White House.
Every day I thank my grandmother for defying her parents, for marrying my grandfather, and for showing me the most important of all abilities: persistence, hope, compassion, and love. I know she is my guardian angel, always looking out for me and my family. Eye of the Eagleis my love story for my grandmother, inspired by her love for me.
One soars like an eagle. One strikes like a thunderbird. But for both hearts, revenge can be deadly when it's nourished.
Anomaly Defense Director and shapeshifter Bert Blackfeather doesn't need a boss with no experience. So what if she's beautiful or gives him a jolt when she shakes his hand? He never plans to get seriously involved with another woman—not in this lifetime.
Phoebe Wagner, an empath with psychometric abilities and an advocate for the deaf, gets more than she bargained for with Bert. One touch and she relives his IED injuries. So what if he's handsome and hot? She doesn't need to add his secrets to her own. Phoebe's are bad enough.
When his niece goes missing from Hotel LaBelle, Bert goes to Montana to help—and Phoebe insists on going with him. Can these two hard-headed people share their darkest secrets in order to work together? It may be the only way to save an endangered child—and their own hearts when Bert's past rears its ugly head.
His heart stuttered and heat flushed his face. “You sure you’re ready to see me—in the daylight?”
She frowned and pursed her lips. “Do I look like someone afraid of taking on a challenge?”
“No. You look like a kick ass heroine named Thunder Heart, and I would be honored and privileged to share your bed.”
“You promised me flying lessons.”
“And you shall have them. Now, where did we leave off?”
She stood, placed her hands on the sides of his chair and leaned in for a long passionate kiss. He closed his eyes and gave her a preview, taking her with him in his memories, soaring over the hotel, and then swirling and swooping down to the river to grab a fat flopping trout in his talons.
She pulled back, breaking the connection, blue eyes wide, her full red lips agape. “Amazing. I want more.”
“Advanced flying lessons require both of us to be naked—and in bed, as close as two people can get.”
Phoebe stood back. “What are you waiting for? Let’s get going.”
He chuckled. “Well, you are my boss. I don’t want anyone to say you coerced me or I forced you. Do we need to put this in writing?” She tilted her head and gave him a puzzled look. “A legal document perhaps? I, Phoebe Wagner, hereby enter into consensual sex freely and without coercion with one Bert Blackfeather…”
She stomped her foot. “Give me your phone.” He handed her his cell.
BUYLINKS:
The Wild Rose Press https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/6251-eye-of-the-eagle.html?search_query=eye+of+the+eagle&results=2
Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eye-of-the-eagle-sharon-buchbinder/1129689525?ean=2940161597996
Sharon Buchbinder has been writing fiction since middle school and has the rejection slips to prove it. An RN, she provided health care delivery, became a researcher, association executive, and obtained a PhD in Public Health. She is the author of the Hotel LaBelle Series, the Jinni Hunter Series, and the Obsession Series. When not attempting to make students and colleagues laugh or writing, she can be found fishing, walking her dogs, herding cats, or breaking bread and laughing with family and friends in Baltimore, MD and Punta Gorda, FL.
Author Links
Amazon Page https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001IODIE2
Facebook: Sharon Buchbinder Romance Author https://www.facebook.com/sharon.buchbinder.romanceauthor
TwitterID @sbuchbinder https://twitter.com/sbuchbinder
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharon_buchbinder/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sbuchbinder/
Thank you Sharon for sharing the story of your remarkable and loving Grandmother who was there for you when you needed her. Happy Thanksgiving. Wishing you continued success in your writing career.
ReplyDeleteHi Charlotte--Thanks for reading and commenting. She was awesome. :)
DeleteWow, Sharon! What an amazing story about your grandmother. My stepdaughter attended Gallaudet and they remain the fondest memories for her. All the best, Sharon!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary. My family thought my grandfather graduated from Gallaudet--until I did the research. Cannot say enough nice things about the helpful people at Gallaudet and Kenwood.
DeleteSuch an inspiring story about your grandmother! I enjoyed learning more about you and Eye of the Eagle.
ReplyDeleteThank you DK. Glad you enjoyed the story. Hope you enjoy the Eagle, too! :)
DeleteWelcome to the blog, Sharon, and I can't wait to read your book! Your grandmother sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jennifer! I had a lot of sensitivity readers (3) for the story. I was thrilled to have their help.
DeleteFascinating story, Sharon. Love hearing about your grandmother.
ReplyDeleteThanks CB. I think families inspire writers in many ways. “If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.” ― Catherine Aird
DeleteEnjoyed hearing your inspiration for Eye of the Eagle. Very interesting. I can see that it must have been difficult.
ReplyDeleteJust think how boring our writers would be if they all had GREAT childhoods! LOL!
DeleteThanks for sharing this story of your childhood and your wonderful grandmother. A true inspiration! The book sounds fascinating – very nice excerpt. All the best.
ReplyDeleteCat