Thirteen stories up. Two broken hearts. One last chance…
Surgeon Grant Sullivan’s once-perfect life lies in ruins. His daughter is gone—lost in a tragic accident he dare not allow himself to remember—and his beautiful wife now stares at him from across a legal table, insisting she wants nothing from him.
Julia Sullivan lost everything, especially her illusions about her marriage, after the accident. Her grief only seemed to drive Grant further into his emotional shell—except for the nights he turned to her in silent, furious passion. Unable to live like a ghost in her old life, she’s packed up what’s left of her broken heart and is ready to move on. Alone.
Determined to break their stalemate, Grant follows Julia onto the elevator just in time for an earthquake. Trapped for hours in a building pressure cooker of unspoken pain, he’ll do anything to remind her what she’s leaving behind, as deliciously as he can. But giving her what she needs to save their marriage is the one thing that could destroy his soul.
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As a romance writer, we have to really ponder the question of what makes a romance work and what makes it fail. If we can’t make a reader believe in the relationship, the book is for naught. In the case of my newest short novella, “Shaken”, this question was paramount because my characters, Grant & Julia, were on the cusp of divorce. Something significant had to have happened to tear them apart despite the fact that they loved each other desperately. But what could possibly be stronger than love?
I realized fairly quickly what that could be. Grief.
Saying goodbye to a loved one is perhaps the hardest, most difficult thing we can do in our lives. It’s not a single moment, one day thing. A funeral is a ceremonial step, but it’s only a start. It would be so much easier if that was all a heart needed to recover. But grief is a twisting blade of love, pain, guilt and lost expectations. You cherish the memories of the one who is gone, but the second you remember those good times, the pain and the grief sneak in to steal the goodness and leave you wracked with loss. With fear. Fear that the things you cherish still could also disappear just as quickly. Sometimes you hold on too tight, desperate to keep it close. Others push the people they love away, unable to bear the thought of losing them—if they’re gone, you can almost believe you never cared.
It seems almost a sick irony that the love that hurts so bad…is also the only true salve for grief.
Of course, life is often a little sick. Our lives are a series of ups and downs, gains and losses. All the more reason for us to love our very hardest while we can, right? That’s a lesson I wanted to teach my characters (and lets be honest, myself too.). Love is a wonderful thing, and while it doesn’t always feel like it’s conquering all, it does manage to outlast everything.
One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments to receive a copy of “Shaken” to celebrate it’s release!Dee Tenorio has a few reality issues. After much therapy for the problem—if one can call being awakened in the night by visions of hot able-bodied men a problem—she has proved incurable. It turns out she enjoys tormenting herself by writing sizzling, steamy romances of various genres spanning paranormal mystery dramas, contemporaries and romantic comedies. Preferably starring the sexy, somewhat grumpy heroes described above and smart-mouthed heroines who have much better hair than she does.
The best part is, no more therapy bills!
Well, not for Dee, anyway. Her husband and kids, on the other hand…
If you would like to learn more about Dee and her work, please visit her website at www.deetenorio.com or her blog at
http://www.deetenorio.com/Blog/
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A big thank you to Dee for joining us today! Don’t forget to leave a comment below for a chance to win SHAKEN. Good luck! 
Honorary Mention of Book Sluts 'R' Us Blogger Awards by 
I loved my soul mate then lost him 12 years later. I’ve often thought the only thing worse than losing your spouse would be a child. I have to agree that grief is a very strong emotion. I’m coming up on 4 years and it’s been a slow process coming back to life, a little more each day. This book sounds like it will be very emotionally charged. Would love to win it.
I would think that losing a child would be devistating. It sounds like they are forced to deal with the resulting emotions. I would like to read the book, it sounds good.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
i have 4 little girls and i would be lost without them.
this book sounds very good and i would love to read it.
This sounds so good ~~ I added it to my TBB list yesterday. I read a blog you did yesterday on HEA’s, and you really got me thinking. I DO like the walk off into the sunset, happy, happy joy joy thing, but I so appreciate it more I FEEL how they got there, the obstacles they’ve had to fight around, over and through and are still dealing with. I hate when issues are brushed aside or left hanging it’s like our hero/heroine doesn’t smell reality. I read Jessica Bird’s The Billionaire Next Door this morning ~~ and I do mean this morning. I work all night, started reading at like 3 a.m. and couldn NOT quit until I was finished. It was SO emotional, and so fitting to your post w/ the issues the hero had to face, and the out come w/ the hero/heroine…anyway, can’t wait to read Shaken!!
Jill—many, MANY hugs on the loss of your mate. My sister has been gone almost 2 years now and I still feel whole pieces of myself missing without her. My brother also passed away thirteen years ago now, which leaves an empty spot in my heart as well. Not a day goes by that I don’t randomly grab my kids and either hug them or try to memorize that one special moment, that look in their eyes, that hint of a smile. I take no moments for granted. I hope that if you do read “Shaken”, you’ll enjoy it.
debp—I think it would be devastating too. I hope you enjoy the book, should you read it.
Regina—My kids make me crazy, but I wouldn’t last five minutes without them either.
Melissa—Oh, Melissa, that’s it EXACTLY. I’ll take any ending an author gives me as long as I can FEEL it, experience it. Also…3am, lol. You so bad-ass! LOL!
Hugs to everyone and I hope to hear more!
Dee
Losing my grandmother was the most painful thing I have had to go through… many years later, I still feel her loss.
Congrats on your latest release!
Dee, I do love my family, as much as they sometimes drive me to insanity
I can’t imagine the pain of losing one of them.
Shaken sounds like an incredible story–I love how you really reveal emotions in your writing. Can’t wait to read this one!
Losing my Mother was a very painful time for me.
Shaken sounds like a great read.
Like Colleen, I lost my grandmother, too…over 20 years ago. Some days, I feel like I lost her just yesterday.
Now, I love sharing my memories of her with others.
You know what makes me smile most about my memories of my grandmother? My babies inherited some of her expressions, lol. It’s like a special gift only I know about.
I’m also the only one in my house who can hear how much my voice is starting to sound like hers, lol.
Guess it’s proof that loved ones really do stay with us.
Many hugs and cherished memories to you all,
Dee
I have no children yet, but I know that if I were to loose someone in my family I am not sure I would be able to recover. What a dramatic story about life. This book looks very moving, I would love to win it!
My mother. She died when I was 13. I often wonder how my life would have been if she had been around in my teens and 20s. I’m a grandmother now; she never had the opportunity to enjoy her grandchildren and I know she’d absolutely adore her great grandchildren.
I like the premise of Shaken. Marriage is a work in progress – it needs to be constantly worked on and reworked. Looking forward to reading this.
This looks like a really good book that i would love to read I dont have any children yet but losing a child would be soo painful for any parent to go through i couldnt imagine ever getting over something like that
Congrats on your latest release Dee!!
When I was five years old, my brothers and I asked mum for a german shepherd. She brought us home a chihuahua crossed with god knows what, but she looked like a mutated rat on stilts. She was also around five at the time, she lived til 21.
It may sound a bit silly, but I loved that dog like nobodies, she got me through some really rough times.
As a kid, we had two dogs in my family – a mutt who followed me home when I was 5 or 6 and a Golden Retriever from my father’s coworker who was allergic. I tell people I was raised by dogs.
The first dog saved me and my sister and the second dog was such an integral part of the family that my mother would refer to him as her “doggy son”. The entire family was devastated when we lost the dogs. There’s just something about all that unconditional love (well, for some dog food and biscuits) that we wouldn’t get otherwise.
Hi Everyone!
Becky-Jean—If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my losses, it’s that you’d be surprised what you can survive. But I send you all my good wishes that you continue to have your family close and happy as well as healthy.
Marelou—It seems as though you’re enjoying your grandchildren for the both of you.
I try to keep my life full for the siblings I’ve lost. It can’t give to them, but somewhere in my heart I feel like I’m sharing my experiences with them. Many hugs to you. 
Edie & Corie5—Absolutely not silly. Our pets snuggle right into our hearts. I’ve had three pets that were huge parts of my life and I cried when losing them all. They most definitely have our love and devotion.
I want to thank everyone for taking part, We’ll have the winner up for you tomorrow!
Dee
Sounds like a fine read indeed, all the best for its release!
First off would be my husband. I believe he is my soulmate and couldn’t imagine where I would be in life If I never met him. My kids. I never would of thought how much love a child brings into your heart. They have made me a better person