Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving

Dear friends,

I want to take a moment to wish you a safe and blessed Thanksgiving.  Even if you aren't in the US and don't celebrate the holiday, as we do, it's a wonderful reminder to reflect on what you are thankful for.

I am thankful to each and every one of you here, that shows your support by staying here, reading my posts, sharing your comments and liking my posts.  You are very much appreciated.

I am thankful to my family for being the wonderful people they are and loving me.  I love you all.

I am thankful to my 'real life' and online friends who support me in my writing.

I am thankful to the  men and women who defend our country and to those who gave their lives for our freedom.  To those not at home this Thanksgiving, you are not forgotten.  My prayer is that you make it home, safe and sound and will be with your family soon.

Everyday, there is much to be thankful for.  We take one day to honor and celebrate, but by no means is that the only time to show our gratitude.  It's an every day kind of thing.  You wake up...be thankful.  You have eyes to see, ears to hear, a healthy & whole body...be grateful.

I know I am.

<3

~J~

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Excerpt from Four Weeks Til Christmas






Excerpt from Four Weeks 'til Christmas, now available!  Kindle:  http://amzn.com/B00GSPUCTA


By six a.m. Noelle was beginning to fall apart.  Her feet hurt, her eyes stung and her holiday cheer had walked out the back door.  She only had two more hours to go and she picked up another cup of coffee to boost her energy. When she heard her name called over the loud speaker, she bolted out of the break room with her cup of coffee and barreled in to a wall.  A human wall.

“Shit.”

“Oh my gosh.  I am so sorry.”  Embarrassment and exhaustion took over and as she stared at the huge brown spot on the white shirt in front of her, tears began to slide down her cheeks.

“Hey.  Don’t worry, it’s okay.”  A deep voice vibrated through her.

“I just…it’s…sorry.”  Noelle glanced up at the victim of her clumsiness and gasped.  The man, whom she had just spilled her coffee all over his white shirt, was beautiful.  He was probably over six feet tall, though with his head ducked down to look at her, she couldn’t be sure.  His dark blue eyes were fixed on her face.  He was frowning, but whether it was out of concern or annoyance, she wasn’t sure.  

Noelle hadn’t noticed the strong hands that held her up until now.  Warmth flooded through her and for the first time, in a long time, she felt safe.  Noelle glanced down at the large hands that gently held her forearms and the man suddenly let her go, leaving her feeling bereft.  She wondered what it would be like to feel those gentle hands on other places of her body.  How it would feel to tuck herself in to those strong arms?  She sniffed, wiping her hand over her eyes, and an intoxicating scent drifted to her nose, assaulting her senses.

“Sir.  Please forgive me.  It’s been a long night.  If you send me the cleaning bill I will reimburse you.”

“What?”  Oh he was well over six foot and built like a linebacker.  His face was scrunched with confusion.  Then, a smile crept on his face as a light flickered in those beautiful eyes.

“Don’t worry about the shirt, sweets.  I have plenty more.”

Noelle would normally bristle at the endearment, but something about the gentleness in his voice comforted her, instead.  To make matters worse, the warmth that had flowed through her body was now probably displayed by the blush in her cheeks.  Which, he was gazing at, that moment.

“I am so sorry.  I have to go.”  She turned to head back to the break room.

“Before you go, Noelle…” Her head snapped back and she couldn’t help but glare at him.  He pointed at her Samson’s name tag then flashed a beautiful, wide bright smile at her, stealing her breath away.  He was gorgeous.  Sinfully gorgeous.  Noelle felt her knees weaken as the thought invaded her mind.  “Do you have any more of those singing dolls?  Sammy or Stacey?  I was given the duty of stopping by and getting one for my niece, but I don’t see them any where.”

“Singing Suzy?”

“Ah, Suzy, yes that’s the one.”

“Let me check for you.”  Noelle high-tailed it away from him and once again headed to the store room.  She dug in to a new box that had been delivered at five a.m. and found the doll. 

“Here you go sir.”

“Zane. Noelle, please call me Zane.”

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Released Today Four Weeks 'til Christmas

Four Weeks 'til Christmas is LIVE!  Wooooo hooooo!!


It's available on Amazon/Kindle here -->  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GSPUCTA

After you get your copy, I would LOVE to hear from you.  Please leave a review so others will be interested in to reading it as well.  Thank you!!!

Cover Reveal Four Weeks 'til Christmas Woo Hoo

I am pleased to reveal the cover for my latest romantic short story, Four Weeks 'til Christmas.

cover by: Samantha Holt

And here's a blurb about the story:
The four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be hectic for some, while festive for others.  Noelle Tanner, 25, once enjoyed that time with her family as they celebrated her birthday and Christmas.    But an accident changed all that for Noelle.  Now, she simply goes through the motions every day full of guilt and pain.

Zane Williams is wealthy and sinfully handsome. At 30, he must take over the reins of his father's large corporation.  He has little time to enjoy life. His family is scattered and the end of the year means he must devote all of his time to work.  He has yet to understand the meaning of the season.

A chance meeting brings these two wounded souls together.  Will the guilt and pain of their lives outweigh the love and blessings the four weeks 'til Christmas can hold?  Or, will they be able to heal each other and make new memories to last a lifetime? 

Monday, November 18, 2013

Four Weeks First Draft

The first draft of my short story "Four Week 'til Christmas" is DONE!  I've sent it over to my friend Sam for her feedback and more than likely, a ton of edits.  I am horrible with grammar, but am hoping she doesn't find too many mistakes.  Sam is also going to craft a beautiful cover for me, which I will reveal here.

Anyway, I still have to work on an official blurb, but I wanted to share a snippet with you.  This is how our couple met...

By six a.m. Noelle was beginning to fall apart.  Her feet hurt, her eyes stung and her holiday cheer had walked out the back door.  She only had two more hours to go and she picked up another cup of coffee to boost her energy. When she heard her name called over the loud speaker, she bolted out of the break room with her cup of coffee and barreled in to a wall.  A human wall.

“Shit.”

“Oh my gosh.  I am so sorry.”  Embarrassment and exhaustion took over and as she stared at the huge brown spot on the white shirt in front of her, tears began to slide down her cheeks.

“Hey.  Don’t worry, it’s okay.”  A deep voice vibrated through her.

“I just…it’s…sorry.”  Noelle glanced up at the victim of her clumsiness and gasped.  The man, whom she had just spilled her coffee all over his white shirt, was beautiful.  He was probably over six feet tall, though with his head ducked down to look at her, she couldn’t be sure.  His dark blue eyes were fixed on her face.  He was frowning, but whether it be out of concern or annoyance, she wasn’t sure.  

Noelle hadn’t noticed the strong hands that held her up until now.  Warmth flooded through her and for the first time, in a long time, she felt safe.  Noelle glanced down at the large hands that gently hold her forearms and the man suddenly let her go, leaving her feeling suddenly bereft.  She wondered what it would be like to feel those gentle hands on other places of her body.  How it would feel to tuck herself in to those strong arms.  She sniffed, wiping her hand over her eyes, and an intoxicating scent drifted to her nose, assaulting her senses.

“Sir.  Please forgive me.  It’s been a long night.  If you send me the cleaning bill I will reimburse you.”

“What?”  Oh he was well over six foot and build like a linebacker.  His face was scrunched with confusion.  Then, a smile crept on his face as a light flickered in those beautiful eyes.

“Don’t worry about the shirt sweets.  I have plenty more.”

Noelle would normally bristle at the endearment, but something about the gentleness in his voice comforted her, instead.  To make matters worse, the warmth that had flowed through her body was now displayed by the blush in her cheeks.  Which, he was gazing at, that moment.

“I am so sorry.  I have to go.”  She turned to head back to the break room.

So, anyway, that is how Noelle and Zane met.  I hope that this love story will touch my readers.  It grabbed me and forced me to write it.  I couldn't sleep without the storyline ringing through my head.  Every time I had five minutes, I was at the laptop typing.  I didn't even close the document because I couldn't waste a moment waiting for it to re-open.  So, I left it open after each session of 'type and save'.  I hope to have the finished product up on Kindle by Thanskgiving. 

It has been SUPER exciting to get back to writing.  Back to story-telling.  Back to romance.  =)  I think what broke through my block was sitting down and writing a few pages in a notebook each day.  After two days, I w as back to typing.  I had another story that I was working on, just a few days ago.  Then, as I was bombarded with Christmas commercials, Noelle's story came to mind.  I was off to the laptop and within two days had typed out almost 16k on a story that had a 15k goal.  AND, depending on what my friend Sam thinks, I may add an Epilogue too.

A huge THANK YOU to Samantha Holt, my friend and greatest supporter.  Thank you to my hubby and kids who put up with me running to the laptop throughout the weekend.  Thank you to all my readers.  I love every one of you.

xx MUAH xx

~J~

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Christmas Story

I've been considering writing a Christmas story. Perhaps a short story or novella. A little holiday magic, romance and perhaps a bit of danger mixed in as well. The thought has popped in my head here and there over the past few weeks. Funny thing about time...it keeps moving. So, if I am going to do it, I'd better whip it up fast, get edits done and get it out there, right? I mean, after all, Christmas isn't very far off.

So I am starting the story today and hoping for the best. It will start on Black Friday and be set in the retail environment. Anyone who has ever shopped, in person, during the holiday season knows that it is a wicked time. Some people are aggressive and edgy. Some people are so wrapped up (pun...hee hee) in the holiday season that they wear perpetual smiles and hum Christmas tunes throughout the day. I tend to fall somewhere in between. I love the season, hate the cold and dread shopping. I love to give gifts, especially the 'unexpected'. The kids may want today's latest game system, but my mind works overtime to recall all those 'little things' they love, want and enjoy. I don't buy the trendy stuff, but focus on the lasting items that show I pay attention to the recipient's interests.

Anyway, the heroine will be a retail clerk. She will be surrounded by co-workers and customers that try to stifle her enjoyment of the holidays. An optimist at heart, and a romantic through-and-through, the heroine will find that this holiday season, the best gift she could ever hope for will come from a complete stranger (our hero). But, in order for her to be happy, she must deal with the ghosts of Christmas past. And, her hero must be willing to deal with his ghosts of Christmas present.

Very excited to put these thoughts in to a story that will hopefully touch the hearts of others.

Working title: "Four Week 'til Christmas"

Stay tuned!!

~J~