Wednesday, April 25: J.R. Lindermuth
Friday, April 27: Rachel Leigh
Only two more weekends to visit with the amazing Bonnie J. Doerr, TBR's April Featured Author. Don't miss out!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Coming up on TBR this week
Two wonderful authors are confirmed for this week:
Wednesday, April 25: J.R. Lindermuth
Friday, April 27: Rachel Leigh
Only two more weekends to visit with the amazing Bonnie J. Doerr, TBR's April Featured Author. Don't miss out!
This weekend's the Western Blurb Fest! Round up your Western blurbs to post Saturday and Sunday.
Wednesday, April 25: J.R. Lindermuth
Friday, April 27: Rachel Leigh
Only two more weekends to visit with the amazing Bonnie J. Doerr, TBR's April Featured Author. Don't miss out!
Friday, April 20, 2012
TBR welcomes S.G. Rogers
Oh, Woden’s Me
I had a concept in my head…a story of a young woman who is kidnapped to another world and must find her way home. Ordinarily, I enjoy fantasy world building. After rummaging through the closet in my mind, however, I longed for something different. Why not use a mythological world as my setting this time?
Why not indeed?
The first world that popped into my head was Asgard, of Norse mythology. When I dug into Norse mythology a little further, however, the less appealing it became. The stories and legends were around for two centuries before anybody wrote any of them down, so a lot of details were sketchy. In addition, much of Norse mythology is…um…bizarre. To gain wisdom, for example, Odin plucks out one of his eyes to trade for a drink from the Well of Knowledge. Odin’s son, Baldur, is killed with a sprig of mistletoe. And the creation myth itself involves a giant named Ymir who breeds a man and woman from his armpits.
Not exactly a great setting for a light-hearted romantic fantasy.
I was about to chuck the whole idea when I came across something that stirred my imagination. Of the nine worlds in Norse mythology, a rainbow bridge (Bifrost) connects Asgard and Midgard (Earth). Bifrost is frequently depicted as a rainbow…but what if the rainbow bridge was actually a metaphor? Hmm, I began to see the possibilities…but what would I do with the stuff I didn’t like?
There’s a line in Tootsie where a TV director tries to make actor Dustin Hoffman, disguised as a woman, look more attractive on camera. “How far can you pull back?” the director asks the cameraman. “How do you feel about Cleveland?” he replies.
Using the same concept, I approached the Norse mythology framework by pulling back (WAY back) and utilizing it in the broadest possible sense. I chose what I liked, discarded what didn’t work and massaged the rest. The result is The Druid – An Asgard Adventure, Book One.
Any resemblance to actual Norse mythology is wholly accidental.
~ S.G. Rogers
Excerpt:
The inside of the building proved to be as awesome as the outside. Valhalla was dedicated to All Things Odin, and filled with a variety of statuary, friezes, paintings, and exhibits. Overhead, the vaulted ceiling shone with gold shields, similar to the one zipped in Dani’s pocket. Except for the ghostly tourists, Valhalla might be mistaken for a regular museum.
She tagged along behind one of the tour groups for a few minutes so she could hear the human spirit guide talk about the exhibits. The guide began the tour at the entrance, with the statue of Odin. At twenty feet high, the fierce-looking immortal was sporting an impressive six-pack underneath his open robe. Dani wondered if the rendering was accurate or flattery, but the spirit guide inadvertently answered her question.
“Odin, our most prominent immortal here in Asgard, posed for this magnificent likeness,” she said. “Although he’s well-known as an intellectual, Odin spends much of his free time working out. In fact, he frequently enjoys entering and winning triathlons.”
Dani raised her hand to ask a question. “Didn’t Odin give up one of his eyes in order to drink from the well of wisdom or something like that?”
The spirits turned to give her a dead stare, but the perky spirit guide was unfazed.
“That’s a common ‘myth-perception’ on Midgard,” she replied with a giggle. “You have to admit it has drama. Actually, Odin drank from the well only to the point he needed glasses. With the advent of laser eye surgery, though, he doesn’t even wear glasses any more. Good question!”
There is mischief afoot in Asgard, but Odin is not there to stop it. A powerful immortal bent on revenge devises a plot that accidentally ensnares a mortal on Earth. It’s a good thing Dani Avery enjoys fantasy and fairy tales because she’s about to find out the truth behind the legends. Norse mythology gets a modern twist in The Druid, the story of an ordinary mortal who meets a hero from the pages of a book–bigger than life and twice as Elvish.
Coming April 20, 2012 from Musa Publishing
To follow S.G. Rogers, go to: http://www.childofyden.com
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
TBR welcomes Sherri Fulmer Moorer
TBR: Welcome to TBR, Sherri. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Sherri: By day, I’m a program assistant working in professional licensing. By night, I’m an independent author. I started out as a Christian writer and drifted to writing mysteries when real life started to inspire me in way that were too strange for truth.
Sherri: By day, I’m a program assistant working in professional licensing. By night, I’m an independent author. I started out as a Christian writer and drifted to writing mysteries when real life started to inspire me in way that were too strange for truth.
TBR: Tell us about Anywhere But Here and where it's available.
Sherri: Anywhere But Here is about a young woman named Jana Lanning that finds her life plans derailed a week after graduation when her boyfriend breaks up with her, her best friend gets married and moves out of town, and she’s forced to settle for a job she’s clearly overqualified for. As she struggles to settle for a life that is much less than she expected, she receives a mysterious music box from a friend. At first it’s melody gives her comfort, but soon she finds herself having strange visions of an alternate reality where she’s the queen of a perfect world that’s threatened by people and events eerily similar to her real life experiences. She finds herself torn between these worlds and must choose which reality she prefers –and what price she’ll keep to live in it.
Sherri: Anywhere But Here is about a young woman named Jana Lanning that finds her life plans derailed a week after graduation when her boyfriend breaks up with her, her best friend gets married and moves out of town, and she’s forced to settle for a job she’s clearly overqualified for. As she struggles to settle for a life that is much less than she expected, she receives a mysterious music box from a friend. At first it’s melody gives her comfort, but soon she finds herself having strange visions of an alternate reality where she’s the queen of a perfect world that’s threatened by people and events eerily similar to her real life experiences. She finds herself torn between these worlds and must choose which reality she prefers –and what price she’ll keep to live in it.
TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Sherri: Meet Jana Lanning: A recent college graduate who can't seem to get a grip on life. All of her plans for the future have fallen apart within two weeks of graduation. The only comfort she finds is in a mysterious music box sent to her by a friend. At first she looks to it for comforting memories of her past, but soon she's having strange dreams of a life where she's the queen of a world where everything she desires comes to pass. It seems ideal until elements of reality and her dream world start to merge, leaving her ill and confused. When she's confronted by attacks in both worlds, she must face her demons and choose which reality she prefers; and what price she'll pay to keep it.
Sherri: Meet Jana Lanning: A recent college graduate who can't seem to get a grip on life. All of her plans for the future have fallen apart within two weeks of graduation. The only comfort she finds is in a mysterious music box sent to her by a friend. At first she looks to it for comforting memories of her past, but soon she's having strange dreams of a life where she's the queen of a world where everything she desires comes to pass. It seems ideal until elements of reality and her dream world start to merge, leaving her ill and confused. When she's confronted by attacks in both worlds, she must face her demons and choose which reality she prefers; and what price she'll pay to keep it.
TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Sherri: I’ve known so many people that struggle with depression and one thing they all complain about is feeling like they’re alone in their battles. Depression really is a demon that cuts people off from the world and leaves them isolated. There are many non-fiction and reference books on the topic of depression, but I noticed it’s a topic that isn’t covered in fiction much at all. When I got the idea for Anywhere But Here, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to bring this topic into a new forum. I hope that, by sharing Jana Lanning’s story, people will relate to her struggles and see that depression is a battle that can be won, if they can find strength within themselves to fight the battle.
Sherri: I’ve known so many people that struggle with depression and one thing they all complain about is feeling like they’re alone in their battles. Depression really is a demon that cuts people off from the world and leaves them isolated. There are many non-fiction and reference books on the topic of depression, but I noticed it’s a topic that isn’t covered in fiction much at all. When I got the idea for Anywhere But Here, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to bring this topic into a new forum. I hope that, by sharing Jana Lanning’s story, people will relate to her struggles and see that depression is a battle that can be won, if they can find strength within themselves to fight the battle.
TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Sherri: I’m a plotter. I have to know at least where the story is starting and ending before I can even start writing.
Sherri: I’m a plotter. I have to know at least where the story is starting and ending before I can even start writing.
TBR: Did any music inspire your book? Do you have a playlist?
Sherri: I listen to a wide variety of music, so it really depends on the mood I’m in. However, I usually find that rock inspires me when I write. I believe it’s the combination of the energy of the music and the fact that rock musicians have a special knack of tapping into human struggling and pain in a unique way that speaks to us all. My top 3 bands that inspire my writing are Cold, Lacuna Coil, and Korn.
Sherri: I listen to a wide variety of music, so it really depends on the mood I’m in. However, I usually find that rock inspires me when I write. I believe it’s the combination of the energy of the music and the fact that rock musicians have a special knack of tapping into human struggling and pain in a unique way that speaks to us all. My top 3 bands that inspire my writing are Cold, Lacuna Coil, and Korn.
TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Sherri: I never stick to an outline, because the characters always seems to take over the story and lead it their own way. This really puzzled me when I started out because I believed a writer had to have the entire plot planned in order to write a book. Not so, at least for me. My outlines usually meet the “delete” key before I get to the middle of the manuscript. I finally learned that, while I need to know the beginning and ending to write the book, I best off leaving the middle open so the characters can take me through the story the way they choose.
Sherri: I never stick to an outline, because the characters always seems to take over the story and lead it their own way. This really puzzled me when I started out because I believed a writer had to have the entire plot planned in order to write a book. Not so, at least for me. My outlines usually meet the “delete” key before I get to the middle of the manuscript. I finally learned that, while I need to know the beginning and ending to write the book, I best off leaving the middle open so the characters can take me through the story the way they choose.
TBR: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Sherri: It’s more akin to urban fantasy. Although my fictional worlds are always based on reality, it seems that elements of the strange, weird, or supernatural always seem to seep into my world!
Sherri: It’s more akin to urban fantasy. Although my fictional worlds are always based on reality, it seems that elements of the strange, weird, or supernatural always seem to seep into my world!
TBR: What's next for you?
Sherri: I’m working on a science-fiction apocalyptic thriller that’s tentatively titled Splinter. It takes place over a thousand years in the future and is about how humanity’s final 1,000 survivors cope with the end of the world, especially when they discover that the end might have been brought about by their own hand.
Sherri: I’m working on a science-fiction apocalyptic thriller that’s tentatively titled Splinter. It takes place over a thousand years in the future and is about how humanity’s final 1,000 survivors cope with the end of the world, especially when they discover that the end might have been brought about by their own hand.
TBR: Any other published works?
Sherri: I published a Christian self-help book titled Battleground Earth – Living by Faith in a Pagan World through PublishAmerica in 2004. After that book, I switched to writing fiction and published Blurry, a young adult mystery novel, through Wings ePress in August 2011. I self published a mystery novelette titled Quarantine through Smashwords in September 2011.
Sherri: I published a Christian self-help book titled Battleground Earth – Living by Faith in a Pagan World through PublishAmerica in 2004. After that book, I switched to writing fiction and published Blurry, a young adult mystery novel, through Wings ePress in August 2011. I self published a mystery novelette titled Quarantine through Smashwords in September 2011.
TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Sherri: For me, the most challenging aspect of writing is finding time to do it. I love to write, but with a home and full time job it’s tough to carve time out of my schedule to write. Even with the support of my husband and family, it seems the “to do” list is endless and seriously jeopardizes my writing efforts! I’ve had to make some tough decisions to make time for my writing. I don’t watch much TV, for example, and I really don’t have any other hobbies besides reading (which is pretty much mandatory if you’re a writer). But I believe it’s worth it. As I said, I love to write and I want to share my stories with people that can enjoy and relate to them. It’s so rewarding to hear from a reader that says “I loved it!” I know the strong positive effect a good book has on me, and I hope my writing is speaking to others in the same way.
Sherri: For me, the most challenging aspect of writing is finding time to do it. I love to write, but with a home and full time job it’s tough to carve time out of my schedule to write. Even with the support of my husband and family, it seems the “to do” list is endless and seriously jeopardizes my writing efforts! I’ve had to make some tough decisions to make time for my writing. I don’t watch much TV, for example, and I really don’t have any other hobbies besides reading (which is pretty much mandatory if you’re a writer). But I believe it’s worth it. As I said, I love to write and I want to share my stories with people that can enjoy and relate to them. It’s so rewarding to hear from a reader that says “I loved it!” I know the strong positive effect a good book has on me, and I hope my writing is speaking to others in the same way.
TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Sherri: I’m creeping around all over the Internet! My website is located at http://www.sherrithewriter.com . I’m also on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/author/sherrimoorer , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sherrithewriter , on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SherritheWriter , and on Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1099515.Sherri_Fulmer_Moorer
TBR: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Sherri: I’d like to ask you to give ebooks and independent authors a chance. There’s so much talent out there that’s passed up by mainstream media and big publishers that won’t give new talent a chance. E-publishing is giving rise to great new talent, and I encourage you to look beyond the bookstores for great reads that can surprise and delight you!
Sherri: I’d like to ask you to give ebooks and independent authors a chance. There’s so much talent out there that’s passed up by mainstream media and big publishers that won’t give new talent a chance. E-publishing is giving rise to great new talent, and I encourage you to look beyond the bookstores for great reads that can surprise and delight you!
TBR: Thanks so much for visiting, Sherri. Best of luck to you.
Monday, April 16, 2012
TBR welcomes Arlene Webb
TBR: Welcome to TBR, Arlene Webb. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Arlene: Sweet to spicy, I love writing stories with an edge or bite to them.
Arlene: Sweet to spicy, I love writing stories with an edge or bite to them.
TBR: Tell us about Rebel and where it's available.
Arlene: Rebel is a short novella that’s been branded as unique. It’s the story of a plant who’ll do anything to protect her offspring.
99 cents on amazon.
TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Arlene:
Eighty-one nights until December 24th, and Settia planned to impress upon Vinesun that she should be his one and only during every minute of every dark hour. She shivered with happiness. If dreams went well, he’d place binding tendrils round her stem while the lilies sang. The pompous palm, eldest plant in the ten acres, would call out his-her blessing. She-he’d oversee a vine and an ornamental pronouncing the sacred oath—two plants promise to stand as one until death do them mulch.
Then every marigold, petunia, rose…really, the grass even? Vinesun’s past would no longer matter. If he popped the question—not if, but when he asked to dew Settia and her alone, the multitudes Vinesun had relations with would learn he’d been bonded tight, forever hers.
She’d make him so happy. He’d laugh, weeping fat drops of sap she’d lick from his, you know, while her cuttings slumbered and paid his groans of joy no mind. Come daybreak, he’d tell them stories of his wanderings before he glued to one plant—me! They’d swallow Vinesun’s words along with the sun, and grow strong and straight.
Settia’s vine would never hire a scum-toad lawyer to chew him free, strangle her dead, or creep off in pursuit of petunia. She’d make him forget the cheap, double-blossomed plants ever existed. She’d mold her little branches into his thickest one, as wide as she could reach, big, swollen hunk that he is. Bonded in eternal bliss, they’d watch Hell-day dawn together. Without a biped alive, there’d be no one left to torture plants for some obscure, human holiday again.
A horrid noise, footsteps heavy and familiar, shattered Settia from her happy place. With a poof, her fantasy exploded into tiny fragments of get it together, or she’d never see Vinesun down on one tendril in front of her.
TBR: How do you develop your characters?
Arlene: Take psychological defects and expand the flaws.
Arlene: Take psychological defects and expand the flaws.
TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Arlene: Hard to pick favorites, so here’s opening line of Rebel: “It hurts, having your head cut off.” Settia
Arlene: Hard to pick favorites, so here’s opening line of Rebel: “It hurts, having your head cut off.” Settia
Thousands of years have shown that cannibalistic seagulls, tool using crows, parrots counting for a cracker, there’s not a feathered being as self-centered as the non-feathered—or as violent.’
Thousands of years have shown that cannibalistic seagulls, tool using crows, parrots counting for a cracker, there’s not a feathered being as self-centered as the non-feathered—or as violent.’
TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Arlene: I’d like to have any of them from this story. Especially if I was in the mood for salad.
Arlene: I’d like to have any of them from this story. Especially if I was in the mood for salad.
TBR: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Arlene: Writing from different point of views makes them stand out.
Arlene: Writing from different point of views makes them stand out.
TBR: What's next for you?
Arlene: The final book in my sci-fi-romance series is scheduled for release in May.
Check out the left hand column on this blog page, scroll down to click on my name and send me an email…arleneann1 at gmail dot com…TBR in the subject line, if you’d like a free e-copy of book one in the color series, Splintered Energy.
Arlene: The final book in my sci-fi-romance series is scheduled for release in May.
Check out the left hand column on this blog page, scroll down to click on my name and send me an email…arleneann1 at gmail dot com…TBR in the subject line, if you’d like a free e-copy of book one in the color series, Splintered Energy.
TBR: Any other published works?
Arlene: More than once with MuseitUp, Decadent Publishing, and Inde.
Arlene: More than once with MuseitUp, Decadent Publishing, and Inde.
TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Arlene: Finding the time of course. Holding a hard copy or a kindle/nook with your stories in it.
Arlene: Finding the time of course. Holding a hard copy or a kindle/nook with your stories in it.
TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Arlene: Original. Wonderfully weird.
TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Arlene:
Arlene:
Thank you, Cate, for hosting me. I seriously appreciate your friendship.
TBR: Likewise, Arlene! You are a gifted writer and good friend, a wonderful combination. :) Thanks for visiting TBR!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Coming up on TBR
Three wonderful authors will visit TBR this week:
Wow, we're already in the latter half of April! Which means you have a limited time to check out the April Featured Author, Bonnie J. Doerr. Believe me, she'll hook you. :)
And thanks to all those who posted blurbs, or came to read them for the Mystery Blurb Fest. TBR had 35 visitors, so many were lurking. :)
Monday, April 16 - Arlene Webb
Wednesday, April 18 - Sherri Fulmer Moorer
Friday, April 20 - S.G. Rogers
Wow, we're already in the latter half of April! Which means you have a limited time to check out the April Featured Author, Bonnie J. Doerr. Believe me, she'll hook you. :)
And thanks to all those who posted blurbs, or came to read them for the Mystery Blurb Fest. TBR had 35 visitors, so many were lurking. :)
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Mystery blurb fest today!
Today is Mystery Blurb Fest! If you've never participated before, it's very easy. Just post:
- Book title
- by (author name)
- book blurb
- buy link
See? Easy peasy. Post one blurb per author, please, throughout the weekend.
Post away!
Cate
Friday, April 13, 2012
TBR welcomes Marilyn Meredith
The Importance of Keeping Track of Time and Days in Your Story
Though The DaVinci Code was a major bestseller, I had a big problem with all that went on. Certainly it was exciting, with one peril escalating into another, but I kept shaking my head and thinking, “This is impossible. All of this couldn’t have happened to the hero in this short a period of time.”
When writing, though a lot of action should take place, it’s important that what does happen is possible in the amount of time depicted.
Some authors do a whole story board with each scene depicted, what’s going to happen, and when it’s going to happen.
I’ve never done that, nor do I outline the whole story. My process always begins with the characters. Because I write a series, I already know many of the characters, the new ones will have something to do with the main plot, in most cases a murder victim and the suspects. I do keep 3 X 5 cards with important information about ongoing characters including what kind of cars they drive. (Though I still seem to have trouble keeping track of what colors the cars are—thank goodness for editors and a publisher who pay attention.)
Sometimes I’ll just do a simple calendar with the days of the week at the top and the major occurrences during each day at the time they will happen.
The one time I didn’t do that, the editor from the publishing house sent me a note that Friday was missing. She was right. I jumped from Thursday to Saturday, which meant I had to do some major rewriting.
Because my Rocky Bluff P.D. series always tells the story from multiple points of view, keeping track of the days and what time things are happening is even more important. For the latest one, No Bells, I used a notebook to keep track of my days and times.
I’d already written some notes about the way I expected the plot to go, but it doesn’t always happen the way I think it will, as the characters tend to take over once I really get moving on the writing.As I write the book on the computer, I keep short notes on the pages of the notebook under headings like Monday, a.m. It also helped me keep track of the clues and other happenings while the plot unfolded. When I couldn’t remember if I’d already told about something, or a new name I’d come up with, I could easily find it in the notebook.
Of course there’s no set way to do this, but the point is to figure out a way to keep track of your timeline so you don’t cram too much into one day, or like I did, lose a day completely.
My latest, No Bells, takes place over about a little more than a week’s time. A short period of time, but a lot happens. Officer Gordon Butler takes center stage as the woman he’s in love with becomes the major suspect in the murder of her best friend.
No Bells Official Blurb:
Officer Gordon Butler has finally found the love he’s been seeking for a long time, but there’s one big problem, she’s the major suspect in a murder case.
Bio
F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of over thirty published novels—and a few that will never see print. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is No Bells. F. M. (Marilyn) is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and serves as the program chair for the Public Safety Writers of America’s writing conference. She’s been an instructor at many writing conferences.
Website: http://fictionforyou.com/
CONTEST: The person who comments on the most blogs on my tour will win three books in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series: No Sanctuary, An Axe to Grind, and Angel Lost. Be sure and leave your email too, so I can contact you.
TBR: Thanks for visiting TBR, Marilyn. Best of luck to you.
Monday, April 9, 2012
TBR welcomes Jennifer Shirk
TBR: Welcome to TBR, Jennifer. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Jennifer: Well, I’m married and have a pharmacy degree, but once I had my first child, I decided to become a stay-at-home mom. I would read a lot during naptimes and slowly but surely that developed into writing my own books. Now I write sweet lighthearted romances for Samhain Publishing and Avalon Books.
Jennifer: Well, I’m married and have a pharmacy degree, but once I had my first child, I decided to become a stay-at-home mom. I would read a lot during naptimes and slowly but surely that developed into writing my own books. Now I write sweet lighthearted romances for Samhain Publishing and Avalon Books.
TBR: Tell us about SUNNY DAYS FOR SAM and where it's available.
Jennifer: I think of it as Mary Poppins meets Mr. Rochester. J I have a really sweet (almost too sweet) heroine who is a down-on-her-luck-ex theme-park princess. She lands a job as a nanny to a handsome yet brooding Internet guru’s two children. It’s a contemporary romance but there’s definitely a bit of a Cinderella theme woven in there too.
Jennifer: I think of it as Mary Poppins meets Mr. Rochester. J I have a really sweet (almost too sweet) heroine who is a down-on-her-luck-ex theme-park princess. She lands a job as a nanny to a handsome yet brooding Internet guru’s two children. It’s a contemporary romance but there’s definitely a bit of a Cinderella theme woven in there too.
TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Jennifer: Sure!! Here’s the back cover blurb:
Jennifer: Sure!! Here’s the back cover blurb:
Sunnyva “Sunny” Fletcher is a firm believer in fairy tales. With the recent debt she’s acquired, the hope of something magical happening in her life is the only thing keeping her going. She needs a job fast. So when Sunny learns the sexy new vacationer in town is looking for a nanny, she starts to believe she just may have a fairy godmother after all!
Internet guru Sam Calloway is only in town for the summer and needs a nanny for his two small children. However, the beautiful and inexperienced Sunny is not exactly the kind of caregiver Sam has in mind. It doesn’t take long for Sunny’s tenderhearted and bubble-blowing ways to soon have the children—and Sam—enamored with her. She’s a dream come true. But after what Sam’s been through, he’s stopped believing in fairy tales long ago.
Sunny manages to work her way into Sam’s closed-off heart, but at the end of the summer, will the workaholic dad go back to his life in New York City, or will he decide his days are much sunnier here with Sunny?
TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Jennifer: I was in—of all places—Disney World! I saw all those Disney princesses walking around and knew I had to give my heroine a similar job. Even though she loses that job and is hired by Sam to be a nanny, I still kept the Cinderella theme in play.
Jennifer: I was in—of all places—Disney World! I saw all those Disney princesses walking around and knew I had to give my heroine a similar job. Even though she loses that job and is hired by Sam to be a nanny, I still kept the Cinderella theme in play.
TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Jennifer: A plotter—to a fault, I think. I can’t really begin writing until I’ve mapped up a thorough plan-of-attack. J
Jennifer: A plotter—to a fault, I think. I can’t really begin writing until I’ve mapped up a thorough plan-of-attack. J
TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Jennifer: Yes, actually! From SUNNY DAYS FOR SAM:
Jennifer: Yes, actually! From SUNNY DAYS FOR SAM:
Sunny laughed. "It's okay. You're right, Emma. My name is unusual, but I like to think of it as... special also."
Special?
Sam cocked his head as he studied Sunny. Almost all of her hair had escaped out of her ponytail now. She wore a baggy pink sweatshirt and had on the kind of drawstring plaid pants that would've set Bozo the Clown's heart pitter-pattering with envy. Her yellow tennis shoes were covered with dog hair.
Yeah, special was one word for her.
Special?
Sam cocked his head as he studied Sunny. Almost all of her hair had escaped out of her ponytail now. She wore a baggy pink sweatshirt and had on the kind of drawstring plaid pants that would've set Bozo the Clown's heart pitter-pattering with envy. Her yellow tennis shoes were covered with dog hair.
Yeah, special was one word for her.
TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Jennifer: This was the very first time I had a character totally deviate from how I wanted him to be. Sam was such a strong character in my head and his “issues” ran so deep that I really had to tone him down in the second draft to make him likeable.
Jennifer: This was the very first time I had a character totally deviate from how I wanted him to be. Sam was such a strong character in my head and his “issues” ran so deep that I really had to tone him down in the second draft to make him likeable.
TBR: What's next for you?
Jennifer: I just submitted a new story to my editor called Kissing Kendall. It’s sort of a sequel to my prior release Georgie on His Mind. And right now, I’m working on a new romance where my hero is—of all things—a romance writer! J
Jennifer: I just submitted a new story to my editor called Kissing Kendall. It’s sort of a sequel to my prior release Georgie on His Mind. And right now, I’m working on a new romance where my hero is—of all things—a romance writer! J
TBR: Any other published works?
Jennifer: Yes, I have a romantic comedy called THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME from Samhain Publishing and an Avalon romance called GEORGIE ON HIS MIND.
TBR: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Jennifer: I am a HUGE Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan. She hasn’t written a book yet that I haven’t loved. Right now, I’m on a YA kick and am reading SPELL BOUND by Rachel Hawkins.
Jennifer: I am a HUGE Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan. She hasn’t written a book yet that I haven’t loved. Right now, I’m on a YA kick and am reading SPELL BOUND by Rachel Hawkins.
TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Jennifer: LOTS of places!
Jennifer: LOTS of places!
TBR: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Jennifer: Yes! I write sweet romances, so that’s what I love to read.
Jennifer: Yes! I write sweet romances, so that’s what I love to read.
What heat level do YOU like to read in romances?
TBR: Thanks for visiting TBR, Jennifer! Best of luck to you.
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