After years of being out of print– and totally unavailable because it wasn’t even an ebook– my first chick-lit/women’s fiction novel, The Frog Prince, is back…now…. at Amazon. It’s the same story my readers loved in 2005 but now, with a brand new cover. Even better is that for this weekend, The Frog Prince is just .99 instead of $4.99.
This is a favorite story with a twenty-five year old heroine from my hometown of Visalia, California, learning to make her way in ‘the big city’. It was my first book for Warner Books, and I sold it ten years ago Monday. It’s amazing to think I’m able to re-release it on it’s ten year anniversary.
For my readers who love print, next week you can order a print copy of The Frog Prince from Amazon. In the meantime, here’s the brand new ebook version: http://amzn.to/1dacZcf
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE FAIRY TALE IS OVER?
Once upon a time, a lovely maiden from Fresno married the man of her dreams. After the honeymoon, she waited for the “happily ever after” part…until her Prince Charming turned out to be a toad.
Now Holly Bishop is about to write a new chapter in her life. She moves to San Francisco to become an event planner—only to find she is dealing with a gorgeous fairy godmother for a boss and corporate witches wicked enough to sabotage her future. Not to mention the egomaniacal frogs Holly finds lurking at the bottom of the dating pool. With no one to save her, will Holly slay the dragons herself and stand on her own for the very first time? Will the man behind the mask at her costume ball make her believe in love again? And will she risk giving up her dreams to become the heroine of her own story?
And before I leave you to get back to writing (I’m wrapping up a Harlequin Presents and I’ve just signed a new contract with Penguin for another Berkley Trade novel), I think we need to celebrate this re-release with a great giveaway! Since the story is set in San Francisco, I’m making the prize be a San Francisco-Frog Prince terrific one, with a Starbucks San Francisco mug, a Starbucks City by the Bay gift card, a $10 Amazon gift card, Frog Prince reader treats and much more! For a chance to win, just let me know if you read ever The Frog Prince, and if so, how did you find it, and if you haven’t yet read it, just tell me that, too!
Contest ends Monday night so check back Tuesday morning to see if you won!
I had the pleasure of reading a wonderful new book, The Memory Child by the fabulous Steena Holmes some weeks before it was out. Then last month I had the pleasure of meeting Steena who also happens to be really good friends with my dear friend CJ Carmichael. Steena is even more wonderful in person and I’m thrilled to know her!
I really enjoyed The Memory Child and had to invite Steena to visit my blog to share more with about her book with all of you because I know you’ll love her book too!
Here’s Steena Holmes:
Finding friends with similar dreams, passions and cravings is rare and something I’m learning to hold on to with both hands. Jane, you are fast becoming one of those friends, someone I can connect with in regards to our goals for our present and future as well as we both share a similar craving.
Chocolate.
I tend to remember events by the chocolate memories associated with them. For The Memory Child – I celebrated completing it and handing it into my editor by taking a chocolate tour to Brugge, Belgium. It was exactly a year ago this month – and I started off in London to attend the London Book Fair before heading to Paris and then to Brugge, where I fell more in love with chocolate than I’ve ever been.
When Brian finds out that his wife, Diane, is pregnant, he is elated. He’s been patiently waiting for twelve years to become a father. But Diane has always been nervous about having children because of her family’s dark past. The timing of the pregnancy also isn’t ideal—Diane has just been promoted, and Brian is being called away to open a new London office for his company. Fast-forward one year: being a mother has brought Diane a sense of joy that she’d never imagined and she’s head over heels for her new baby, Grace. But things are far from perfect: Brian has still not returned from London, and Diane fears leaving the baby for even a moment. As unsettling changes in those around Diane began to emerge, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. A woman’s dark past collides head-on with her mysterious present in this surreal and gripping family drama.
In Paris, my goal was to amble the cobbled streets to find those out of the way little patisseries and chocolate shops. I armed myself with books and maps and knew exactly where I wanted to go…but once I got there, I forgot all about those maps and just got swept along the amazing tide of what is Paris in Spring. I still found those shops and I ate a lot of tempting treats and confirmed that a pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) and hot chocolate were the perfect pairing for a early morning stroll.
But it was in Brugge that I indulged and savored. From the moment I arrived until the moment I left I had one mission. To find the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted. And I succeeded. Over and over and over again. This small village held over 50 chocolate shops – can you believe that? Even though I was alone on this trip, I made sure to blog daily and posted pictures on my Facebook page so that my readers could come along for the ride – and I even brought home chocolate for them (see…I do share despite the rumors out there).
I add chocolate to all my books. There is always a scene (or two or three) where my character is eating, baking or savoring a chocolate moment. They say authors should write what they know – so trust me when I say, I know chocolate. But not only do I add chocolate to my books, I celebrate with chocolate.
Today, since The Memory Childis finally released (what a fabulous chocolate year it has been), I’m celebrating with the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted. But not only that … if you pop on over to my Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/SteenaHolmes.Author – I’m giving chocolate away too. But don’t think I’ve left you all out…as a special thank you to Jane for celebrating with me today – one lucky chocoholic reader of hers will get a sweet chocolate treat as well as a copy of my novel, The Memory Child!
Oh … and did you know, I just submitted my recent novel to my editor? Any guesses on how I am celebrating? Yep, you guessed it…another trip to Paris (amazing how writing conferences seem to happen just as I end a novel). And I’m headed on a ‘hidden’ chocolate tour of Paris on the day I arrive and then heading over to a chocolate festival in London the day before I leave. Yes, I really do love chocolate!
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Thank you, Steena for sharing with us! Everyone, please check out The Memory Child. I promise you’ll really love the story! And in keeping with Steena’s love for Chocolate, I’ve got a treat for you! I’m giving away some delicious special chocolate from San Clemente, a $20 Amazon gift card and other fun reader goodies! For a chance to win, leave a comment and tell me about your favorite kind of chocolate. Contest runs through Thursday night and I’ll announce the winner on Friday!
I’ve been focusing on family for the last couple months, needing to be available to one of my sons who needed medical care and lots of love and support. I missed several deadlines for my books but fortunately my wonderful agent and editors understood and allowed me to step back from work committments to do what I needed to do. But now I’m finally starting to write again–its never easy after a long break!–and I’m slowly finding the words, and hoping that I’ll be able to finish my novels and get them out to you, my readers, very soon.
Fortunately, there are wonderful novels out right now to read, and one of my favorite new romances is the powerful, emotional (wonderful!!) new story, Good Together, by one of my best friends, CJ Carmichael.
I asked CJ to join me on my blog and share with you a little bit about how she and I met, and our friendship, which I very much cherish.
So here’s CJ. I hope you’ll enjoy her guest post on my blog!
From CJ
Jane and I met at a conference in Victoria before either of us were published. Somehow she, Barbara Dunlop and I gravitated to one another. Within a year all three of us were published! (Maybe we were each other’s good luck charms…) I’ll always remember the nights we sat up late in our hotel rooms talking about our hopes and dreams. Just to have a book with our name on the cover seemed like the big goal then. We’ve all come a long way since that time. But we remain great, supportive friends, and try to get together, just the three of us every one or two years.
I think we just “clicked” – it’s hard to explain. We definitely respect each other’s talent and share a drive and passion for writing. But we also just enjoy spending time together. We feel safe talking about things that are most important to us. And having lots of laughs along the way.
Loyalty is big part of friendship for me. I know that if I need something, and ask Jane, she’ll be there for me. It works the other way, too. I also like friends who care about the world, appreciate nature and want to be around it. Jane’s love of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta is one of our bonds. I head to Banff and area regularly to go hiking, and this is one of Jane’s favorite places in the world, too.
Typically Jane and I will see each other at the RWA National Conference where we’re swimming in a sea of thousands. We generally carve out a little time to be alone and talk, but we have our best visits when we do our 3-5 day retreats with Barb. We’ve met in Banff, Kelowna and Salt Spring Island. We love going to quiet places, surrounded by beautiful scenery. One of my most memorable meetings with Jane was about ten years ago when she came to Banff for her fortieth birthday. She was traveling alone–a lot of crazy things were happening in her life at the time. The two of us went out for a celebratory dinner, but also spent time hiking to Bow Falls, talking and reflecting. The mountains are a great place to put your life in perspective.
I had already dabbled in the Indie publishing world by the time Jane told me about her idea for Tule Publishing. I felt boxed in at Harlequin and was ready to plunge right in. I love the immediacy, the creative freedom and the feeling of being closer to my readers that I get with e-publishing. Plus Jane’s vision allows me to work with other creative people without sacrificing control over my own career. Jane excels in areas that are my weakness–such as just about everything to do with marketing!
I love the fact that besides being empowered to write my stories, my way, I now get to spend a lot more time with Jane. Through her I’ve met other amazing writers, reconnected with old writing friends, and had a chance to really get to know Lilian Darcy and Megan Crane (awesome people, funny, smart and talented). The four of us, Jane, Lilian, Megan and I, wrote the inaugural Montana Born books (Copper Mountain Rodeo). It all began with a week we spent together in Montana last May. After that I knew this new venture was something I’d never regret!
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I asked CJ to join my Tule adventure because she’s not just my close friend, but one of the most talented writers I know. CJ (like fellow founding author friends Megan Crane and Lilian Darcy) has serious writing chops. She knows her craft and is constantly pushing herself to grow and deliver fresh, original and powerful stories that readers will love, and I think she’s written her best novel yet in Good Together, the first book in her Carrigans of Circle C Trilogy. I absolutely loved Good Together and so have all the readers at Amazon that have discovered it (there are 68 5 star reviews!) and best of all, right now, Good Together is just .99 for the next 5 days.
So if you’re looking for a great read, check out Good Together, and if you ask me what goes good together, well, it’s amazing, loyal friends like CJ Carmichael, who always have your back.
For a chance to be entered to in my Good Together contest, which has an awesome good together mystery prize that includes three gift cards and lots more fun things, tell me what you think goes good together and you could win! Contest runs through Thursday night with the winner announced on Friday morning so share with me now and then check back Friday to see if your name was drawn.
My long time readers know how much I love Valentine’s Day and the week surrounding it. I’ve a birthday just a few days after Valentine’s Day and so I’ve always liked to celebrate hearts and candy and all things pink and red all month long.
This year I’m having one of those ‘big’ birthdays and I’m surprisingly excited about turning 50. My forties were amazing and I think life is just going to keep getting better as I continue to take risks and embrace change and learn new things about me, life and love.
To celebrate my birthday and the one year anniversary of Tule being founded, Tule Publishing and I are teaming up to do a special giveaway for one lucky reader of a handmade heart quilt, print copies of The Sweetest Thing by Lilian Darcy and the Love Me, Cowboy anthology by Lilian, me, CJ Carmichael and Megan Crane, plus lots of chocolate for a cozy winter escape.
You can enter the Tule Anniversary Contest by commenting below and sharing either what you did for Valentine’s Day, or what you’re reading, or anything at all. The contest runs through midnight Feb 20th with the winner announced Friday morning, February 21st.
In meantime, if you’re looking for some great reads this long President’s Day weekend, pick up a ebook copy of both books, The Sweetest Thing and Love Me, Cowboy at Amazon for just .99 for the next two days. It’s Tule’s way of wishing you a very special Valentine’s Day.
I love the month of February for many many reasons and this week I’m especially loving it because my very close friend, Lilian Darcy‘s has a fantastic new release out, and it truly is ‘The Sweetest Thing‘! If you’ve not had a chance to pick it up yet, it’s on special right now for just $0.99 cents on Amazon.
Lilian is already working hard on her next book, the second novel in her River Bend trilogy set in Marietta, Montana, but I did get her to do a quick chat and Q&A with me about her books, career, and kufe as a writer.
Here’s what Lilian had to say!
What do you love most about being a writer?
Controlling the universe is always right up there. If I want it to rain in my book, it rains. If I want my heroine to wear pink, she obediently puts it on. My other favorites things are the writing friendships I’ve made – so warm and wonderful and precious.
Tully Morgan hasn’t been back to Marietta for more than a few brief visits since the night of the 1996 senior prom eighteen years ago, when the chance exposure of a long-held family secret sent her running to her uncle in California in shock. She stood up her date Ren Fletcher that night, and she hasn’t seen him since. Now she’s here for an extended stay, to help take care of her seriously ill mother. It’s an edgy reconciliation, the first time that Tully, Patty and Sugar Morgan have been together since that long ago prom night. Tully has had so much anger toward Sugar… can she ever forgive her? And Sugar still has one more secret that needs to be dealt with, one that needs Ren Fletcher’s help. Has he forgiven Tully for leaving him in the lurch on prom night? And is there any chance that he and Tully can rekindle what they might once have had, when he’s still tied to someone else?
What are you working on now?
I’m doing a kind of side-bar novella that tells readers more about Charlie, Sugar’s long-lost son from The Sweetest Thing. He’s a little moody and distracted when we meet him in The Sweetest Thing, even though he’s strongly affected by connecting with his birth mother and half-sister again. There’s a reason for the moodiness and distraction, and let’s just say it has something to do with a gorgeous Spanish girl he’s left behind in New York.
Name five items sitting on your desk right now.
A messy folder with papers spilling out of it. Another messy folder with papers spilling out of it. A messy pile of papers spilling onto one of the messy folders. You get the idea. Oh, that’s only three items? Okay, two more : my phone and a bottle of ant poison because we get plagues of tiny ants in the hot weather. You really don’t want to ever come to my office now, do you?
Title and author of the latest book you read?
Five minutes ago, literally, I finished C J Carmichael’s Good Together. Now, I know this is another story from Montana Born Books, so yes I’m a little biased, but I’m not just giving a shout-out to a friend. I absolutely adored this story. Often in romance and women’s fiction, the story starts when the heroine is just about over the bad stuff that happened with her ex in the past. In Good Together the bad stuff is just starting, and we follow Mattie’s journey through the dark times and into the light with page-turning eagerness. It’s such a real, gorgeous story, and for me very life-affirming. Yes, bad stuff happens in life, and even the ending of this book isn’t a perfect rosy miracle, but there’s such a celebration of love and life in it. You can tell how much I loved it.
What’s your astrological sign?
Aquarius. I have no idea what I’m supposed to be like as a person because of that. Watery?
Are you superstitious?
No, I’m conflicted. I don’t believe in superstitions, but act on them anyhow.
What does success mean to you?
The best thing is when people say they love my books. It’s the same feeling as when someone says something nice about my children. You just glow. And you believe it until you foolishly read the next one-star review on Amazon, which inevitably ends with the words, “…but at least I got it cheap/for free.”
Rock or country music?
Rock, mostly.
Last song you listened to?
Whatever was on the car radio, which is tuned to a rock mix station.
What do you enjoy doing other than writing in your spare time?
Going to horse trial competitions with my daughter, who is working toward being a professional equestrian. We sleep in the horse trailer, cook on a camp stove, get very dirty and seem to walk about a hundred miles in a weekend, and when she’s riding, my heart is in my mouth – sometimes out of fear of the danger, sometimes just because I know how disappointed she’ll be if she has a bad dressage test or jump round. And yet I always have such a good time.
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Thank you, Lilian! It’s always such a pleasure to chat with you and I’m loving your River Bend series so much, starting with your novella, Last Last Night and now, The Sweetest Thing.
Readers, if you haven’t taken advantage of this special $0.99 cents price, I urge you to do it today. The Sweetest Thing is so good, I have no doubt you’ll love it, too.
And to celebrate this exciting time with Lilian, I’ve got a fun giveaway for you. For a chance to win books, treats and all things sweet, leave a comment and tell me if you’ve read any of Lilian’s other books and if you have, which one(s) did you love most and why. But wait. There’s more fun in store! Besides this wonderful prize, I’m also going to give away 5 (FIVE) ebook downloads for The Sweetest Thing so there will be a total of six winners! So be sure you leave a comment and you could be one of the winners. 🙂 Contest will run until Monday night with winner announced on Tuesday. Good luck, and fingers crossed you will win!
It’s a beautiful day here in San Clemente today and I’m heading out to run a few errands soon but before I step away, I wanted to share another book with you. You may remember last April I introduced you to a wonderful, talented new author, Judy Walters who had just released her debut novel, Child of Mine. Well, Judy is back with another new release titled The Opposite of Normal and I invited her to tell us more here on my blog. So here’s a quick chat with Judy —
In a few sentences, can you tell us what The Opposite of Normal is about?
The Opposite of Normal is the story of a Rabbi, Mark, and his two teenaged children, Aaron and Hannah, who move to a small suburb from Manhattan to try to start over after the death of their wife and mother. Told from each main character’s own point of view, the book delves into their struggles: Mark attempting to hold onto his job at a failing synagogue while trying to be an effective single parent, Aaron’s senior year of high school, a devastating decision he makes, and the consequences of that decision affecting his future, and Hannah’s confusion over her heritage as a Chinese adoptee living in a Jewish American family.
When Rabbi Mark Friedlander moves his teenage children from Manhattan to a quiet town in Northwestern New Jersey after the death of their mother, he hopes for a fresh start, a place for him and his children to heal while he leads a vibrant synagogue that will embrace them. What he gets instead is just the opposite. His daughter, Hannah, twelve, struggles with grief, loneliness, and what it means to be Jewish as a Chinese adoptee. She wants to fit in, but that’s difficult in their new mostly white and Christian town–so she decides to secretly convert. His son, Aaron, a senior in high school, is applying to Ivy League schools and counting down to when he can leave the small town–until he discovers a shocking secret that threatens his entire future. Lurking in the shadows is a pastor who says he just wants to support the kids in his congregation, but is that all he really wants? The Opposite of Normal is about what it means to love and accept, what it means to do the right thing, and what it means to heal after loss.
Why did you want to write this book?
As the mother of two teenagers, I’ve been anxious to write in the teenage voice, which this book allowed me to do. I also believe strongly in “write what you know.” As a Jewish person who struggles with her faith a lot, I wanted to examine that, too.
What are you working on now?
A novel with an autistic character – a close friend has a severely autistic son and as I’ve watched his body grow to adulthood (he’s 22), and his mind remain in the toddler stage, I’ve wanted to explore what this is like.
Five things on your desk
Um…my 2013 taxes (yuck)…notes for The Opposite of Normal, bills, a calculator, and my old glasses.(In case I lose the new glasses and need to look for them, yes, this has happened to me before!)
What are your favorite things in life?
My husband and children, chocolate, reading, writing, and baking
Best thing about being a writer?
Wonderful emails from readers telling me my books touched them
Worst thing?
Revisions!
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Thank you, Judy, for sharing with us today! Readers do check out this new book from Judy and if you read it, do share your thoughts with her. We authors love to get feedback from our readers! 🙂
To celebrate this lovely February day, I’ve got a mystery prize for one of you! For a chance to win a fun prize pack with books, goodies and so much more, talk to me. Tell me how your week is going and what plans you’ve got for the next few days. You know I love to hear from you all! Contest will run until Friday night with winner announced on Saturday!
I am spending my Saturday running errands and grocery shopping and playing with my youngest boy, but I wanted to pop in quickly and share how thrilled I am that the awesome Kim Boykin’s first Montana Book Books release, Steal Me, Cowboy is now available at Amazon and guess what? It’s only $0.99 cents!!
If you’ve enjoyed Montana Born’s stories set in fictional Marietta, Montana, here’s your chance to read another one about a sassy Southern hair dresser named Rainey who goes search of her baseball player boyfriend, and ends up stuck in Marietta when her car breaks down.
I loved this story (but then, I have a special soft spot for Southern writers and Southern characters….as well as baseball players…and cowboys…!) and I know you’d enjoy it, too, especially now that it’s part of a .99 promo deal that only lasts six days total, so if you’re looking for a fun, fresh, charming read, try Kim’s Steal Me, Cowboy. The story stole my heart and it might just steal yours, too!
Unbeknownst to her boyfriend, Sassy South Carolina hairstylist, Rainey Brown, is headed to Missoula, dead set on giving her minor league baseball player boyfriend of four years an ultimatum. Either put a ring on it or let her go, preferably not the latter. When Rainey’s piece of crap car dies in the middle of Nowhere, Montana, she’s sure she’s a goner, until gorgeous restaurateur Beck Hartnett stops to help. Beck falls hard for Rainey, and knows she would admit she’s fallen for him too, if she wasn’t too stubborn to admit it. Beck has five days before the car is repaired to steal Rainey away from a boyfriend who doesn’t deserve her. Five days before she’s gone for good.
And to make sure everyone has a wonderful, sassy day I’m giving away a mystery prize box full of good, fun things. It’s a two day contest with the winner announced Monday morning so in the comment section below, tell me what you’re doing this weekend, and then do try to buy Kim Boykin’s wonderful story while it’s just .99 because I’d love to hear what you think!
I’ll be back on Monday to announce the winner of the Steal Me, Cowboy Mystery prize and until then, hugs and love to you!
My friend, gifted author Maggie Marr, is joining us today on the JaneBlog to chat about her brand new release. Maggie is so very busy but I begged her to sit down with me for a few minutes and share with us a little about the new book,Hard Glamour, and her publishing career. I hope you’ll enjoy this sneak peek into Maggie’s world. She really is an amazing girl!
Maggie, what do you love most about being a writer?
The stories. I love the voices in my head that tell me these stories. I’ve heard them since I was a little girl, it started when I was around 8 years old. I hear them in dialect and with male and female voices. I love writing down the words and then trying to make the story I’ve written be as great as the story I was told–that is the tough part–trying to get my craft to be good enough so that I can do service to these fabulous stories that I’m told.
What’s your favorite time of the day and place to write?
My favorite time to write when I am on a first draft is early in the morning. I like to start at 4 am. My mind is fresh and clear and while I still have lots to accomplish the needs of the day haven’t crept in quite yet. I write my first drafts at the kitchen table with a lovely cup of coffee.
Tell us what your current release is about, in 2 or 3 sentences.
Hard Glamour is the love story of Lane Channing and Dillon MacAvoy. Lane comes to Hollywood to pursue her dream to work in film as a producer and falls for bad-boy soon-to-be-star Dillon MacAvoy. Dillon would do anything to avoid falling in love, but he simply can’t avoid falling for Lane.
A promise to keep… Honoring her mother’s last wish, Lane Channing vows to follow her dreams. She takes the ‘big risk’ and leaves her small Kansas town behind and heads to LA, the city of dreams. She’s got a stellar job lined up, an old jeep, and 20 bucks to last her to her first paycheck. Her hopes shatter when she arrives to find her job’s been given to someone else. Now she’s broke and if she doesn’t do something fast will soon be living on the streets. Welcome to cutthroat — Lane is most certainly not in Kansas anymore. On the cusp of success… Dillon MacAvoy has one goal — to become a star — whatever it takes. Even if it means honing his bad-boy can’t-be-tamed-and-forever-single image. Besides the image isn’t far from the truth. Dillon cares only about his younger brother and his career. He’s on the brink of superstardom if he can just decide on the next right script. But for that, he needs a script reader he can trust. In a strange twist of fate… Lane Channing is Dillon’s last chance. If Lane lasts the summer without becoming MacAvoy’s latest conquest, she’s guaranteed a job in entertainment. No problem, as long as she can ignore the heat that pulses through her every time Dillon is in the room. After all, love and commitment with a sweet, hometown girl would only ruin the Dillon MacAvoy brand.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
Never, ever, ever, ever give up. You simply can’t give up. If you want something you must pursue it, you must go after it, you must never ever stop.
What’s your astrological sign?
Aries with Leo rising.
Is there anything that has surprised you about writing or publishing your books?
The work never ends! I am indy pubbing my books now and while I love the freedom there is a ton of work! I am lucky to be supported by NLA DLP which is my agent’s publishing arm as well as this amazing team of people that support me with this endeavor. Also the stories are up there in my head stacking up–they remind me of airplanes lined up for take off–and I just can’t seem to write fast enough! I wish I could write faster so I could get all the characters stories down on paper!
What’s are you working on now?
Right now I am working on Broken Glamour, book 2 in the Glamour Series. This story is about Amanda Sterling, Lane Channing’s best friend and how she finds love.
Favorite dessert?
The Local Peasant’s chocolate bread pudding. Love!
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So good to have you here, Maggie! Thanks for sharing with us, and for my readers, if you’re looking for a sexy and fun escape this weekend, Maggie’s stories will be perfect for you.
To celebrate Maggie’s new release, Hard Glamour, I’m giving away a I Adore Maggie prize full of gift cards, chocolates, books,and more great reader treats. To enter the I Adore Maggie giveaway, just chat with me in the comment section below, and that’s it! You’ll have a chance to win. The contest runs through Sunday night with the winner announced Monday morning!
I’ve been trying to play catch up in my inbox today and came across an email about a video interview I did with the lovely Diana Belchase. I met Diana last April at the conference in Maryland, and she was so gracious and easy to talk to during our interview. Here’s a snippet from the interview, where we talk about The Brennan Sisters, and what my husband, the surfer taught me about life. Hope you enjoy!
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And speaking of the Brennans, I’m still getting a lot of emails about my Brennan Sisters trilogy and I have to say how much I appreciate hearing your thoughts and getting your feedback. I love that so many of you loved the trilogy, and it means so much to me as a writer that there are readers out there who ‘get’ what I write and do. You all know how to make me smile and want to write another book!
As a thank you for your support, I’ve got wonderful Brennan Sisters giveaway for one of you! Here’s a chance to win a signed copy of all three Brennan books, two gift cards, and some reader treats and sweets. Just tell me what you’re reading now, or what book you’re looking forward to reading soon in the comment section below, and you’re entered to win the trilogy and fun stuff. That’s it! Just share with me and you’re entered. The Brennan Sister Giveaway ends Sunday night at midnight PST and winner will be announced on Monday.
It’s been a rough start to 2014 and I don’t say this so anyone emails me, or says, feel better, because honestly, I won’t ‘feel better’ until one of my chicks is better, and the only way he gets better is if he begins to want it, too.
A couple readers seeing my Facebook posts wanted me to cheer up and say more happy things and it made me growl a bit at my computer.
I’m not an actress. I’m not an entertainment personality. I’m a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, woman, writer, and now, publisher.
But mostly a mom, wife, woman. I’m that woman. I’ve got a four and a half year old that won’t sleep unless you go to bed with him (biggest mistake ever), and yet, having that time with him to snuggle and cuddle and just smell him is maybe my favorite time because its pure and still and I can feel it, and own the moment, and the love, as there is no one else asking for something, or telling me something, or wanting me to be or do something. It just is.
And I think life demands so much of us, that there is one thing I am holding dear….and its my definition of love.
It’s the biblical one folks love to read at weddings, but its the one that speaks so much to me, and my heart.
The first part that speaks is this: Love never fails.
Which means, I will keep loving no matter what, and I refuse to ever throw in the towel.
The second part that speaks to me is this: Love is patient. Love is kind.
Crabby love doesn’t feel much like love. Impatient, irritated love can hurt…at least hurt one’s feelings. Sharp responses, a shrug, a rolling of the eye…not loving. Not patient or kind.
And then lastly, the part of the verse I cling to is: Love always protects…love always hopes.
And so yes, I’m muddling about, dealing with real life, trying to be a mom, wife, woman first right now which means the writing is a distant fourth, but that’s okay. The writing will be there. The stories won’t go anywhere. And you, my readers, are also my friends and you know that sometimes we just have to do, what we have to do.
Patiently, kindly, protectively, hopefully….and with fierce resolve.
Love never fails.
Or quits.
Or keeps score.
Tell me about your new year. How have the last two weeks been? I have something fun for one of you…a January pick me up! Contest ends Friday night midnight PST, winner announced Saturday morning. Comment below and you’re entered, but if you comment, I really want the true. I’ll accept crabby, but true. 🙂
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