Friday, December 16, 2016

#MistletoeHop Naughty or Nice?


Welcome to my blog! The theme of this year’s hop is naughty or nice – which kind of author am I? And which is more fun?

If we’re talking about my personality, of course I’m nice! If we’re talking about my books, I’d say they’re mostly nice, too. Heroes to fall in love with and heroines to cheer for. But I haven’t forgotten the naughtiness!

Take my heroine Meg from A LONG WAY FROM EDEN; she’s definitely a heroine to cheer for. She’s had it tough. After an unplanned teenage pregnancy and an abusive marriage, she runs for her life with her young son. She works hard to make a good life for them. For seventeen years, her only goal is to keep her son safe. To protect him, she makes up an elaborate story about how his father, his parents and her parents all died in a plane crash. But the lie starts to unravel when her son Tom and his girlfriend Erin discover they’re having a baby and Tom decides he wants to learn more about his own past. Meg faces another crisis when she finds herself falling in love with Zane, Erin’s father. She hasn’t had good experiences with love and sex and it takes a strong, loving man to help her find her way. I love Meg because she’s a survivor and a warrior, and though she’s had some tough times in her life, she hasn’t lost her compassion or her ability to love.


My books have a little naughtiness, and enough spice to give them some heat. And like I said, my heroes are men to fall in love with. Finn Cooper from THE GIRL MOST LIKELY knows Cara is the one for him as soon as he meets her. But Cara is hung up on numbers – the one on her scale and the one on her calendar. She thinks she’s too fat, and at eight years his senior, she believes she’s too old for him, too. But none of that matters to Finn; he thinks she’s perfect the way she is. Finn’s persistence and his ability to look beneath the surface to the person inside has always made him a favorite of mine. That, and as Cara says, his “to die for” good looks!


Alex McKenzie from ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is another swoon-worthy hero. He’s a dedicated doctor who’s working on contract in a small town in order to pay off his medical school debt. His plan is to fulfill his contract and then go back to his real life in San Diego. He doesn’t count on falling in love with the high school principal, Julia Stewart. Or her beautiful six-year-old daughter Ava. He’s even falling in love with the small town and the kind of medicine he does there. But Julia’s marriage taught her that men don’t stay. Alex has to work hard for her to give him, and love, a second chance. But he does because he knows she’s worth it. I love the compassion Alex shows his patients, and the way little Ava wraps him around her finger. There’s nothing sexier than a man who loves children.


These are a few of my nice characters. Sometimes they're a little (or a lot) naughty, but they're always fun. I think you’ll love the books because they’re good stories. As for me, sometimes it's fun to put the nice girl on the sidelines and bring out my naughty side! Merry Christmas!

Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win some great prizes. The Mistletop Hop ends on December 20, and I'll be picking the winners sometime after that and posting their names here by December 23. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

17 comments:

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  2. HI Jana, merry Christmas, my favorite Christmas food is prime rib roast and walnut or pecan tassies. Thank you

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    1. Okay, I've got to ask, what are pecan tassies? It's not a term I'm familiar with. Is that like candied nuts? Someone enlighten me!

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  3. My favorite Christmas food memory has to be the family tradition of putting nuts (in shells) in the toes of Christmas stockings. We have been doing this for generations. The nutcrackers get a good work out.

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    1. Oh yes! I remember this, or at least a version of this. Every year at the church Christmas concert we kids got a goody bag with nuts in the shell, a mandarin orange and some candy. Back then, in my small town, you could only get the mandarin oranges and the nuts at that time of year. I still remember how I looked forward to that goody bag!

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  4. My favorite holiday treat is chocolate oranges! I can only find these around Christmas, and I've looked forward to them every year since I was a kid! Thanks for the giveaway! :)

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    1. I love those things! I buy them every Christmas for my daughters' stockings, a tradition we've kept even though they are way past childhood! Thanks for commenting!

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  5. My favorite Christmas food would be candy that my Dad used to make. He has been gone for 34 years & I still miss his peanut brittle, fudge & divinity.

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    1. That's a lovely memory, Neesie. I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

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  6. My favourite Christmas food is Chocolate Shortbread.

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    1. I've never had chocolate shortbread, just the regular kind, but that sounds amazing!

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  7. My favorite Christmas food would probably be stuffing -- and any dark chocolate dessert. But everybody's Christmas cookies would have to go on the list as well.

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    1. There are so many wonderful treats at Christmas it's hard to come up with just one favorite. It's all my favorite! Merry Christmas!

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  8. My favorite Christmas food is Ham and for dessert pumpkin pie

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  9. I love homemade shortbread, and this is the only time of year I let myself indulge.

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    1. Yes, I indulge quite a bit at this time of year. Maybe a little too much! Enjoy your Christmas, Sue.

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