Hello and welcome to “At First Sight Saturday.” Today’s guest is author Jude Knight, who gives us a ‘first sight’ scene from her novella, A Dream Come True, one of the stories in Storm & Shelter A Bluestocking Belles with Friends Collection, available now for 99 cent pre-order. A Dream Come True, introduces us to hero, Barnabas Somerville, and heroine, Theodora Conroy. Be sure to leave a comment to let Jude know what you think of her excerpt and characters.

Excerpt: Daniel darted ahead to help hold the prow of the skiff steady as it rode a wave up onto the first line of pebbles at the half-tide mark, and men spilled over the side. Barney had been right about the women; two of them. One was a splash of color in the rain, her hooded cape a fur-trimmed piece of practical frivolity in a rich cherry red. The other, huddled in a black cloak that was possibly blue when dry, broke away from the cherry-red lady to lean toward the side of the boat, heaving as if to be sick, but managing to produce nothing.

One of the men held out his arms to the dark-clad female. “Here, Theo. You’ll be better on dry land.” Sea sick, then. Barney recognized the pallor, the sunken eyes. She’d had a bad run of it, poor thing.

“Get them both ashore, my lord,” commanded one of the sailors, whose voice identified him as an officer though his shapeless coat didn’t. Barney met the peer on the beach and reached for the sick woman. “Is she hurt?”

“Mal de mer.” The peer’s reply was curt. “She’ll be fine now we’re on land.”

“I’ll take her up to the fire,” Barney said. The young man transferred his burden and turned back for Miss Cherry-Red, who was looking at the water as if contemplating wading ashore herself.

Barney crossed the beach toward the fire someone had managed to start under a makeshift shelter of canvas and driftwood. The woman lying inert in his arms weighed next to nothing. Her eyelids quivered as the rain struck her face. It was all he could see of her—a face too slim for beauty. He hunched over her to keep as much rain from her as he could.

Daniel skipped sideways beside him. “Is she going to be all right?”

Barney looked down and met the woman’s wide eyes; green-flecked hazel and slightly out of focus. She blinked. “Yes, Daniel,” he said, his words meant to reassure his patient more than his nephew. “She will.”

His patient’s lips curved in a tired smile. “Travel-sickness,” she murmured, so softly that he had to bend his head closer to her lips to catch the words. “So foolish. Laughable.”

Nothing amusing about severe travel sickness. From her sunken eyes and the way her voice rasped, she was severely in need of water, and soon. She confirmed his assessment by darting out a tongue to lick at the rain that dripped off Barney’s hood.

He settled her by the fire under the shelter and called for water. Someone gave him a flask, and he checked to find it contained cold tea rather than spirits. He pressed it into her hand. “Drink,” he told her. “A few mouthfuls at a time, and rest between.”

He watched for a moment as she obediently sipped from the flask, pausing to gift him with another curve of the lips. “Thank you, sir.”

Barney returned the smile. Had he thought her plain? Not with those fine eyes and that sweet smile.

About A Dream Come True: The tempest that batters Barnaby Somerville’s village is the latest but not the least of his challenges.

Vicar to a remote parish, he stretches his tiny stipend to adopt his orphaned niece and nephew and his time to offer medical care as well as spiritual. A wife is a dream he cannot afford. But the storm sweeps into his life a surprising temptation—a charming young woman who lavishes her gentle care upon his wards—and him. God knows, he will forever be richer for having known her, even if he must let her go.

About Storm & Shelter: When a storm blows off the North Sea and slams into the village of Fenwick on Sea, the villagers prepare for the inevitable: shipwreck, flood, land slips, and stranded travelers. The Queen’s Barque Inn quickly fills with the injured, the devious, and the lonely—lords, ladies, and simple folk; spies, pirates, and smugglers all trapped together. Intrigue crackles through the village, and passion lights up the hotel.

One storm, eight authors, eight heartwarming novellas. Find Storm & Shelter here.

About Jude: Have you ever wanted something so much you were afraid to even try? That was Jude ten years ago.

For as long as she can remember, she’s wanted to be a novelist. She even started dozens of stories, over the years.

But life kept getting in the way. A seriously ill child who required years of therapy; a rising mortgage that led to a full-time job; six children, her own chronic illness… the writing took a back seat.

As the years passed, the fear grew. If she didn’t put her stories out there in the market, she wouldn’t risk making a fool of herself. She could keep the dream alive if she never put it to the test.

Then her mother died. That great lady had waited her whole life to read a novel of Jude’s, and now it would never happen.

So Jude faced her fear and changed it–told everyone she knew she was writing a novel. Now she’d make a fool of herself for certain if she didn’t finish.

Her first book came out to excellent reviews in December 2014, and the rest is history. Many books, lots of positive reviews, and a few awards later, she plans to keep publishing until she runs out of years.

Website and blog: http://judeknightauthor.com/

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