Showing posts with label #.99cents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #.99cents. Show all posts

Saturday, May 7, 2022

CHILD OF MINE #onsale for #99cents on Amazon!

 CHILD OF MINE, book one in the Masonville Small Town Romance series, is on sale for .99 cents at Amazon from May 6 - 20! Pick up your ecopy today!


Lauren didn't intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband's funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she's not sorry. Cole's given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He's been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she's afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn't his. 

Cole's been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother's. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren's heart ever be his?

Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Child-Mine-Masonville-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07MBVK9LY

Saturday, January 16, 2021

#OnSale for #99Cents: THE GIRL MOST LIKELY

 My contemporary romance, THE GIRL MOST LIKELY, is on sale for .99 cents until January 22. Pick up your e-copy of this May/December romance with a twist!

Cara McLeod, the girl most likely to have the perfect marriage, is now divorced and, in her own words, “fat, frumpy, and over forty.” The thought of facing former classmates—and the ex-husband who dumped her—at her high school reunion terrifies her. Cajoled into attending by her kids and her best friend, Cara enlists help at the gym to lose weight and look great for the reunion. Personal Trainer Finn Cooper is more than willing to help—but does he have to be so to-die-for gorgeous?

Finn thinks Cara is perfect just the way she is. She’s everything he wants in a woman, except for one thing—she can’t get past the fact that he's eight years younger. To Finn, age and weight are just numbers. But can he convince Cara the numbers she worries about add up to only one thing for him—love?

Excerpt:

“I think you’re beautiful. You know that, don’t you?”

No, she really didn’t know that, but she nodded anyway. What happened when he woke up one morning and realized that she had a few more lines on her face? Would he still think she was beautiful or would he tire of her, just as Peter had? 

“Are you sorry about last night?” 

Her head rose sharply. He looked away, not meeting her gaze. However mixed up she felt this morning, she couldn’t let Finn believe he’d somehow failed her. Setting her mug on the night table on her side of the bed, she caressed his unshaven cheek.

“Of course I’m not sorry. I loved our night together. Don’t mind me, Finn. I’m in a mood this morning.”

He tugged at her sheet once more. “Then let go of the sheet and let me hold you before I have to go.”

Cara held her sheet tighter. It was one thing to get undressed in the dark and another to let him see her body in the cruel light of day. “No, please. I’d rather not.”

Would he look at her in the cold morning light and see all her imperfections, her scars, her forty-three years of living? Would he look at her and want to trade her in for a newer model?

Buys Links:

Amazon  ~  Barnes and Noble  ~  iBooks 

Sunday, October 25, 2020

THE CAT'S OUT OF THE BAG #onsale!

Australian romance writer Cynthia Terelst is having a .99 cent sale on THE CAT'S OUT OF THE BAG until October 30. Check it out!


She started a new life …

…he’s escaping his.

Can two tortured souls find a future together?


Evie’s a survivor. After rebuilding herself and her life, she’s feeling the one thing she never thought she would – happy.

Until Jesse...

When she meets Jesse while volunteering at a cat shelter, dark memories of her past return. She is stronger now and wants to trust him, but after all she’s been through, is trust even possible?

Jesse’s a self-made billionaire yearning to get away from his empty life and the money-hungry parasites who inhabit it.

The plan?

Go to sunny Australia, leaving his old life behind, to find himself. But instead of finding just himself, he finds Evie, who is everything anyone should aspire to be. Now, what he aspires to be, is hers.

But to be hers, he needs to tell her everything. The only thing holding him back is his fear of finding out she’s just another parasite.

The quest to find a cat a forever home leads them to travel across the country together. Will they find the strength to confide in each other? Or will the close quarters drive them apart?

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Cats-out-Bag-billionaire-international-ebook/dp/B07ZC2Y2PG/

Sunday, September 20, 2020

LIES AND SOLACE ON SALE!

 


LIES AND SOLACE, book one in my Love at Solace Lake series, is on sale for .99 cents! Get your copy while it's hot. The sale price is in effect only until September 23.

Blurb: 

She can’t live with one more lie. He can’t tell the truth.

Harper Lindquist is convinced she’s found the answer to her financial prayers. Unless she pours cash into crumbling Solace Lake Lodge, she’ll lose her family’s legacy. Her would-be savior arrives in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard and she’s determined to prove to her reluctant, and trapped, financier the lodge is a sound investment. But Harper isn’t completely honest with him. And she has no idea the lake is hiding secrets of its own. 

Ethan James is a liar, but his money is very real. He isn’t convinced a broken-down inn is a smart investment opportunity. But the more he understands Harper’s dreams and desires, the more he wants to be the man to make them come true. The trauma in both their pasts means neither can fully trust the other. They must find the courage to love, to trust, and to accept, or yesterday’s sorrows will keep them apart.

Buy Links:

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

MY HEART WEEPS - #NewRelease and #Giveaway from Pamela Thibodeaux!

Author Pamela Thibodeaux is my guest today. Funny story: Pam and I discovered we'd given the male hero in our latest releases the same name - Garrett Saunders! I've never had that happen before! Neither of us knew until after the books were published. Great minds think alike, I guess! Make sure to comment to be entered into Pam's giveaway, and check the other stops on her blog tour listed below. Welcome Pam!


Thank you so much, Jana, for having me on your blog today with my new book, My Heart Weeps!

Blurb: 

After thirty years married to the man of her dreams, Melena Rhyker is devastated by her husband's death. Relief comes in the form of an artist's retreat at the Crossed Penn ranch in Utopia, TX. She rediscovers a forgotten dream as her artistic talent flourishes into that of a gallery-worthy artist. Will she have the courage to follow the path she was destined to travel?

Garrett Saunders has been on the run most of his life. Abused and abandoned as a child, he escapes the clutches of a past filled with pain and shame, and hides from his calling as a Native American healer. His years as a CIA agent aid in overcoming his childhood and honing his talent and skill as a fine art photographer. 

Follow their journey as two people who come from totally different backgrounds, but share gifts of gigantic proportions, find meaning and purpose in the Texas Hill Country.

Excerpt: 

At 6 p.m., she pulled into the carport, turned off the engine and laid her head on the steering wheel.

“Well, I'm home again. Made it through another agonizing eight hours or so, now to get through another night.”

Gathering every ounce of courage she could summon, she disembarked from her vehicle, retrieved the mail from the box beside the door, and entered the house. She thumbed through the envelopes and advertisements, then laid them on the table and poured a glass of juice. She reached for the bottle of over-the-counter pain reliever and froze. 

It would be so easy to end this pain.

Oh, what an enticing thought. Just take a handful of pills and end it all. Would she wake up in heaven? Would Jesus meet her there? Would Jonathan? What about the kids or Mama—would they understand? Or would she destroy them? Where was the faith she claimed to have? Why was it failing her now?

My Heart Weeps is on sale for a limited time @ 99cents and FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

Purchase Link: https://bit.ly/MyHeartWeeps


Let's Play "Quick Five" with Pamela Thibodeaux:

- Favorite color? Hhmmmm that’s a little difficult as I love colors of almost every hue but if I had to pick I’d say Peach and Purple (not necessarily together LOL!)

- Favorite author? This one is EASY – without a doubt Nora Roberts! I love to read and I’ll try different authors on a regular basis. However, when I’m pressed for time and want to read something, I’ll reach for one of Nora’s books because I know I’ll be entertained, sometimes challenged and always satisfied. 

- What song would best describe your life? On the Road Again…  Although I hate to drag the roads (run errands) I LOVE to travel. So far (besides my home state of Louisiana) I’ve been to 22 states and not just passing through either. I’ve visited National Parks in TX, NM, AZ, CA, WA, MT, MN, ME, OR, FL, NC, and MI. I lived the dream of a lifetime touring Churchill Downs in KY & Boonsboro, MD (Nora Roberts’ town!). I’ve experienced the joy of hop on/off trolley tours exploring Boston MA and Savannah, GA, and visited Vicksburg, MS. I’ve also visited family or friends in OK, AK, TN, NY, SC and DE. Whew! I think I’ve listed them all so far LOL! 

- Country life or city life? – Oh, definitely country! I’ve always been a country girl. I used to say I wanted to own 20 acres of woods with my house on the center five (cleared out of course). I love to fish and horseback ride and I walks in nature. I might enjoy a few nights on the town (in the city) but I r-e-a-l-l-y dislike traffic and noise and smog. Give me a meadow of wildflowers, a mountain view or a trickling stream and I’m one happy girl

- I love pizza with ... mushroom, pineapple and meat.

Author bio: 

Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.” Sign up to receive Pam’s newsletter and get a FREE short story!

Social Media Links:

Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com

Blog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/psthibnewsletter

Face Book: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeaux

https://www.facebook.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pamelasthibodea/

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1jUVcdU

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pamela-s-thibodeaux

Instagram: https://instagram.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor


Giveaway!

Pam is giving away 1 Ebook, 1 Autographed Print Book, 1 Audio Book, a $15 Amazon Gift Card, a 1-month Audible membership and a SURPRISE Giftpack to 6 lucky people! (1 prize per winner) Names will be collected throughout the tour which ends Sept. 30th. Winners will be notified, and prizes awarded by October 10th so be sure to leave your EMAIL Address!

Blog Tour Dates/Stops:

8/11 Gail Pallotta’s Peering Through Life’s Window

8/13 Liz Flaherty’ Word Wranglers Blog

8/15 Clare Revell’s The Word Can Wait Blog

8/18 Southern Writers Suite T Blog

8/18 Alina K Field’s Simply Romance Blog

8/20 Penelope Marzec’s Bookish Thoughts Blog

8/25 Jana Richards’ Romance Story Board Blog

8/27 Beverly Bateman’s BLOG

9/1 Valarie Goree’s Facebook Page

9/5 D. V. Stone’s Campfire Blog

9/9 Jacqueline Seewald’s BLOG

9/11 Linda Rondeau’s Snark & Sensibility Blog

9/14 Patricia Kioyno’s Four Foxes, One Hound Blog

9/18 Diane Burton’s BLOG

9/22 Alicia Dean’s BLOG

9/25 Jeny Hickman’s BLOG

9/30 Linda Nightingale’s Author…Musings Blog


Wednesday, August 5, 2020

LIES AND SOLACE on Sale Now for .99 cents!



LIES AND SOLACE, book one in my Love at Solace Lake series, is on sale for .99 cents! Get your copy while it's hot. The sale price is in effect only until Friday, August 7.

Blurb: 

She can’t live with one more lie. He can’t tell the truth.

Harper Lindquist is convinced she’s found the answer to her financial prayers. Unless she pours cash into crumbling Solace Lake Lodge, she’ll lose her family’s legacy. Her would-be savior arrives in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard and she’s determined to prove to her reluctant, and trapped, financier the lodge is a sound investment. But Harper isn’t completely honest with him. And she has no idea the lake is hiding secrets of its own. 

Ethan James is a liar, but his money is very real. He isn’t convinced a broken-down inn is a smart investment opportunity. But the more he understands Harper’s dreams and desires, the more he wants to be the man to make them come true. The trauma in both their pasts means neither can fully trust the other. They must find the courage to love, to trust, and to accept, or yesterday’s sorrows will keep them apart.

Buy Links:

Friday, July 31, 2020

A New Sexy Short from Nancy Fraser - TRUST ME

Nancy Fraser's hot new release, TRUST ME, book 2 in the Lusty Liaisons series, released on July 20, 2020. I love the premise of this series - a dating service for fixing people up with their sexual matches. If they find a life partner, that's simply a bonus! Book 1 in the series is TOUCH ME, and both short, erotic romances are offered for the enticing price of .99 cents. Welcome Nancy!



Blurb:

Will this mis-matched couple discover they have more in common than just a single night of steaming-hot sex?

Tax consultant Katherine Weller isn't ready for a relationship after a divorce that left her empty. But when her best friend suggests she set up a sex-only date through Lusty Liaisons, a unique and exclusive dating service, she's uncertain but intrigued.

Maybe a hot romp with a sexy, younger man is exactly what she needs to take that confident first step into her new life as a single woman.



Excerpt:

Monday came and went. Tuesday...nothing. By Wednesday, Katherine wanted nothing more than to bury herself beneath a mound of blankets and stay there until her death. Or her eightieth birthday, whichever came first. By then, she’d be over the embarrassment of not being chosen for a night of uncomplicated, albeit hot, sex.

Lillie’s daily request for a progress report wasn’t helping matters.

Katherine’s cell dinged—a sure sign Lillie was sending her another message of encouragement. After pouring herself a second glass of Cakebread Chardonnay, Katherine picked up her phone, ran her fingertips across the lock screen, and stabbed the blinking icon.

You have a request.

Katherine double checked the sender’s name. Lusty Liaisons.

Damn! Hands shaking, she opened the email.

You’ve made a sexy match!

A request for contact was received from Aaron Blake. Mr. Blake is offering a fun-filled night at the Hudson Inn, Somerville, for this coming Saturday beginning at eight in the evening. If you decide to accept, please respond to this email. We will make the arrangements and confirm within twenty-four hours.

Click the link below to read Aaron’s profile.

She re-read the email twice before finally clicking on the profile link.

Aaron Blake, age thirty-two. Six-foot-two, two-hundred ten pounds. Occupation: government contractor. Sexual preferences: almost anything goes, although not into bondage.

Her gaze shot back to the top of the profile as it had at least a dozen times. Aaron Blake’s  photo stared back at her. His crooked smile taunted her, as if daring her to ignore him. A thin scar ran from the corner of his right eye and down the side of his face, yet it wasn’t disfiguring in the least. If anything, it drew her attention to his deep-set, brown eyes and long lashes. His dark hair was peppered with a touch of gray. A hint of stubble shadowed his square jaw.

All-in-all, he was gorgeous. And no doubt able to get any woman he wanted. What could he possibly want with a woman ten years his senior?

Before she could lose her nerve, she pressed the reply key, checked the box that said “accept,” and hit the send button.

Buy Links:

Amazon/Kindle | B&N/Nook | Apple/iBooks

Jigsaw Puzzle:

https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=221bb8dd5e10

Author Bio:


NANCY FRASERJumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.


Like most authors, Nancy began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.


Published in multiple genres, Nancy currently writes for three publishers and has recently dipped her toe into the self-publishing market. She has published over thirty books in full-length, novella, and short format.


When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five energetic grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.


Author Links:


Website: www.nancyfraser.ca 

Facebook: http://facebook.com/nancyfraserauthor 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor  @nfraserauthor 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7206382.Nancy_Fraser 
BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/search/authors?search=Nancy%20Fraser 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3gC68iMStwKCr4v_S6fMIA/

Newsletter Sign-Up: http://eepurl.com/bxkKvD

Thursday, April 16, 2020

April #99cent Book Sale Event!


Enter to win an e-book bundle of all 41 books featured in the 99 cents Book Sale Event:


Open Internationally.

Runs April 16 – 19, 2020.

Winner will be drawn on April 27, 2020.

View all the books in the sale here:




I'm featuring LIES AND SOLACE, book 1 in my Love at Solace Lake series, in the book sale event. It will be on sale for .99 cents from April 16 - 19, 2020.


Available at:





Free on KU!

To sweeten the pot, the other two books in the series are also on sale for .99 cents 
between April 16 - 19, 2020!


Available for .99cents from April 16 - 19 at:





Free on KU!


Available for .99cents from April 16 - 19 at:





Free on KU!

Friday, October 11, 2019

New Release from Vicky Burkholder

I'm pleased to welcome Vicky Burkholder to Journeys with Jana. Vicky is here to talk about her new release from The Wild Rose Press, REVENGE AMONG THE STARS, a sci-fi romance. Thanks for telling us about your new book, Vicky!



Blurb: 

Aleksia Matthews is left for dead, after space pirates attack her ship and kill her brother. She swears to avenge his death but knows she can't do the job alone. After taking out an ad for a bounty hunter, she weeds out the bad from the good, and one man stands out. He could be the perfect partner—and that scares Ali more than the pirates do.

Special agent Jason Cole is tracking the pirates who killed his family, but he's always one step behind. There have never been any survivors—until now. He needs Ali to identify the attackers, but she proves to be stubborn. She plans to go with him on the hunt, and he's determined to keep her safe.

While Cole and Ali seek revenge, someone at headquarters would like to see them fail. Together they battle explosions, their emotions, and danger from one of their own.

Links: https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Among-Stars-Vicky-Burkholder-ebook/dp/B07X1N3VV3/

Excerpt:

She risked a glance at Jason and the other man. They were both out cold. “That’s it, then. We go by water.”

“Ali, it’s too dangerous,” Sami protested as a laser flare lit up the area in front of the rocks. “The sled’s been damaged.”

“I don’t have much of a choice, Sami. They haven’t seen me yet, but they will soon, and I don’t
think this baby can take too many of those crystal hits, can it?”

A very reluctant “no” issued from the speaker.

“Keep a fix on me, Sami. I’m going to be busy, and I’m going to need your help. Activate night vision.”

“Ali, you can’t be serious. The odds of you surviving in such turbulence are beyond my capabilities to compute.”

“Sami, either help me or shut up.” She lifted the sled out of the rocks and took a perpendicular line to the river. A minute after she left the safety of the rocks, a flare lit them up, and she blinked against the sudden glare—momentarily blinded. The sled bounced as she scraped against a low rise, staying on course by instinct alone. As she reached the river, another flare burst, lighting her for the pirates to see.

“I’ve been spotted, Sami.” Ali killed the night vision and turned on her running lights as a beam
whizzed by her port side. She gulped at the sight of the raging torrent but headed into the dubious safety of the water. Hopefully, the roiling water would dissipate some of the power of the beams.

“Baby, I sure hope you’re watertight.” Ali crossed her fingers as she dropped the sled into the water.

Author Bio:


Vicky has been married forever to the one person who accepts that she lives in a fantasy world most of the time. She's even been seen at the beach building worlds for her stories. In addition to creating fun characters, fantasy worlds, and suspenseful situations, she also enjoys and is very good at things like writing policy and procedures manuals and setting up continuity and organizational spreadsheets, both of which she has actually earned money doing. She has a master's degree in library science so likes things organized. Okay, so her family thinks having the spice rack alphabetized it a bit much, but she has no trouble finding what she needs when she needs it. And just because her extensive library is cataloged and organized, that doesn't mean she's obsessive. Honest. When not writing, Vicky can be found in the kitchen whipping up gluten-free, lactose-free, other allergy-free meals. Or watching the world go by from her front porch swing.


Author Links:



Friday, June 14, 2019

BURNING LOVE #OnSale for .99 cents!

The ebook version of BURNING LOVE, my paranormal/contemporary sweet romance, is on sale for .99 cents from June 14 to 28!

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | B and N | Bookstrand | Google Play | Kobo | iBooks | Walmart


Blurb:


After causing three cooking fires in her apartment, Iris Jensen finds herself evicted and homeless. She lands on Riley Benson's doorstep, looking to rent a room in the beautiful old home he's restoring. It's only for six weeks until Iris leaves Portland, Oregon for her new job on a cruise ship. Firefighter Riley knows firsthand what a bad tenant she can be. But he needs money to finish the work on the house he loves. And something about Iris pulls at his heart…

Meanwhile, in Heaven, two angels watch over the young lovers. Angelica and Hildegard work in Heaven's Relationship Division, where angels match mortals with their soul mates. The angels believe so strongly in Iris and Riley’s love that they break Heaven's rules to help them. Can the angels convince them their love will last a lifetime?

Excerpt:

Riley looked into her beautiful blue eyes and her smiling face and did the only thing he was capable of doing at the moment.

He kissed her.

Maybe later, he told himself, when sanity returned, he’d think of a hundred reasons why pulling Iris into his arms, holding her snug against his body, and plundering her soft, sweet mouth was not a good idea. But for now, right now, as she wound her arms around his neck and made tiny sounds of excitement deep in her throat, it felt exactly right.

Heaven. Having Iris in his corner made him believe everything was possible.

He stepped backward toward the stairs, pulling Iris with him, intent on taking her upstairs to his room. He suddenly tripped, nearly losing his balance. He glanced behind him and saw the object he’d stumbled over. A set of luggage sat next to the stairs, still bearing tags from the retailer.

“What the hell is this?”

Iris kissed his neck. “I’m sorry. I should have taken them up to my room.”

Iris had bought new luggage for her trip. Her plans hadn’t changed.

She’s leaving me.

The thought acted as effectively as a bucket of cold water tossed over his head. What was he doing? She was leaving in three weeks and didn’t plan to return. The calendar in the kitchen reminded him of that every day. Why start something that would only lead to heartache?

He’d already lost too many people in his life.

And Riley instinctively knew that if he let himself get close to Iris, let himself love her, a part of him would not survive when she left.


Wednesday, February 20, 2019

CHILD OF MINE releases today AND LIES & SOLACE Free!

Today is the day! CHILD OF MINE releases into the world and I couldn't be more excited. I'm especially excited because this is the first book in a new series for me. The Masonville series is set in the fictional small town of Masonville, North Dakota and tells the stories of the people who live and love there. I love small town romances and I hope you'll like this series, too!


Lauren didn't intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband's funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she's not sorry. Cole's given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He's been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she's afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn't his. 

Cole's been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother's. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren's heart ever be his?

Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

Buy Links:









Ibooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/child-of-mine/id1449022684?mt=11



LOVE AT SOLACE LAKE SERIES ON SALE!



LIES AND SOLACE is FREE from February 20 to 24!

Buy Links:





Read the blurb and an excerpt on my website.


Books two and three in the Love at Solace Lake, SECRETS AND SOLACE and TRUTH AND SOLACE, are on sale for .99 cents for today only!


Buy Links, SECRETS AND SOLACE:














Buy Links, TRUTH AND SOLACE:




AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B079WFZXV2

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

#.99cent #sale Cj Fosdick and The Accidental Stranger

Fellow Wild Rose Press author Cj Fosdick is with me once again to talk about her Accidental series; The Accidental Wife and The Accidental Stranger. Today I'm featuring a blurb and excerpt from book 2 in the series,The Accidental Stranger. Both books in the series are on sale for .99 cents until July 1. Please welcome Cj Fosdick!


CLIPPED  in CONFERENCE by Cj Fosdick                                                             

     Thirty years ago I attended my first Writer’s Conference in Rochester, MN. It was a weekend mecca for hopeful writers flocking together to learn from two famous Minnesota authors.
Frederick Manfred and Jon Hassler are both deceased now but their writing was alive in 1986, and they actually read and evaluated the excerpts that were turned in. Mine was one of them. I had already won a short story contest and been published in a few magazines and anthologies, but I was a novel novice. I was also a novice coffee drinker, nervous enough to slosh the WC agenda.

     Tall and formidable, the 6 ft. 9 in. Manfred pulled my excerpt first and read his comments in the margin. “Condense…use simple liquid words…polysyllabics diffuse meaning.” My wings were clipped.  Jon Hassler’s critique restored flight. The college professor/novelist announced one graphic piece reminded him of Giants in the Earth, an acclaimed novel by Minnesota’s most famous Norwegian immigrant, Ole Rolvaag. “Powerful stuff,” Hassler announced, “from C.J. Fosdick.”

     Subsequently, that first novel was rejected, and its thin-skinned author iced it for decades in a garage freezer. Life, meanwhile, continued with occasional freelance work sandwiched in time slots between four children and thirty animals, including 20 horses. Horse shows, training and rescuing animals clipped my writing agenda.

     Five years ago, I visited a friend in Las Vegas and attended another Writer Conference while there. WC’s had drastically changed, along with the Publishing Industry. Only 5% of published manuscripts were first novels in 1986. With the internet and eBooks, new novelists were storming the castle gates of traditional publishing. Pitching a novel at Conferences was then a new substitute for query letters that often ended up in slush piles. Like speed dating, a writer had 10 minutes to convince an agent or publisher they were traditionally “publishable.”

     I tested the climate by joining three National Writing Groups and attended numerous Writer Conferences all over the U.S. and one in London after a bucket-list tour. But it was at a Kansas City Conference with Women Writing the West that I won a Laura award for a short story. The judge suggested it begged to become a novel. I  managed to dine beside the publisher of an acclaimed small press that evening.“Send me the finished novel,” Rhonda Penders suggested. Motivated fingers pounded laptop keys, and a year later my first published novel was released by The Wild Rose Press.

      I’m still flying high. With an empty nest…and barn, I’ve had two other stories published, one in a British anthology and an audible in the candy heart series of WRP. I’m also working on my third novel in the Accidental Series, and write humor for a local Woman’s magazine. The freezer novel Jon Hassler deemed “publishable” is still in the hanger, but my debut novel, along with its sequel is flying high. Both were named Golden Quill finalists and “Stranger” is also a RONE finalist. Both are also on sale in June for the first time at .99.

Blurb for THE ACCIDENTAL STRANGER:

Jessica Brewster is being watched…and things go missing from the remote Wyoming home she shares with her toddler. In a freak accident, she shoots the bearded thief stalking her before she recognizes the mesmerizing green eyes that belong to the only man she ever loved.

Has Mitch bridged time to find her? In a race to save his life and change hers forever, she takes him into her home and heart. But his memory loss and puzzling clues curry doubt and expose mystery and danger. Is he truly her son’s father or an irresistible stranger in her arms?

Excerpt:

I screamed as the gun exploded in my hand and fell to the ground. The bear moving toward Scout dropped, and I raced to scoop up my son before he toppled into the cold stream. Cradling my whimpering child, I ventured closer and could see at once that it was no bear I shot. A man in a bearskin poncho lay on his side. A mass of dark matted hair covered the side of his face that wasn’t blooming with blood, running down his cheek, pooling in his ear and staining his thick beard.

 “Is he, is he dead?” I whispered.

Chuck fumbled for a pulse and we all started when the man groaned and his eyes fluttered open.

Green! His eyes were green. The fear in them registered with me as he searched our faces. When his eyes met mine, his jaw twitched. A flash of memories washed over me and my heart began to thump wildly. I set Scout down when my knees began to buckle and I thought I was going to be sick. My legs crumpled beneath me as I sagged in the snow and my bare fingers reached out to staunch the warm dripping blood.

So red against the white snow. His eyes, so…green. Every shade in a spectrum of emotion raced through my memory; joy, frustration, anger…love. I knew only one man who owned those eyes. He had come back to me. I shot the only man I ever loved.



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JUNE SALE: Both Golden Quill eBooks selling for .99 this month only.                              

Cj Fosdick Buy Links

Amazon   ~   Barnes and Noble  ~   The Wild Rose Press    ~   iBooks        
                        

5 things to know about Cj Fosdick:

1.  Favorite author: Diana Gabaldon. (Meeting my inspiration at 2 Writer Conferences was magical). 

2.  Favorite Movie: Never saw a historical I didn’t like—in theater or on TV!  Last of the Mohicans, Dances With Wolves, Pride and Prejudice, Gone With the Wind, and TV series like The Thorn Birds, Outlander, Poldark top my list. There is always a memorable take-away from beautifully filmed, character-driven epics with great scenery, actors and scores. Themes and series always pull me in.

3.  Favorite Music: Movie scores, anything by Enya or light classical. Music without lyrics always tunes up the muse when I’m in a writing zone or need to chill. 

4. City or Country: City girl found her writing sanctuary on 12 country acres, surrounded by woods and wildlife!  The move also enabled her other big dream--30 wonderful years of horses--in and out of the saddle, showing and teaching every summer.

5. Favorite Aspect of Writing:  For me, it is the armchair time travel. When I am in a “zone” I AM the redheaded heroine. My “boots on the ground” research has also doubled as a bucket list vacation. I also LOVE presenting my “Novel Journey” power point to book clubs, etc. at my home. We usually have tea and one of the sweet recipes my heroine makes-or craves-in the books.

Author Bio:



As a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, now living on a country hilltop in Rochester, Minnesota, Cj nourished two major dreams: Riding and Writing. Thirty years training and teaching children to ride her horses satisfied the first—with time squeezed out to write fiction and non-fiction published in magazines, newspapers and anthologies. It was a jump-start to a novel agenda that produced Cj’s first books. The Accidental Wife and The Accidental Stranger became serial award-winners out of the gate. With an empty nest after 4 children and an empty horse barn, Cj lives with her computer wrangler hub, a white schnauzer and a long list of incubating novels and stories that tap into her favorite genres: Romance, Suspense, Historicals and Time Travel. Follow her adventures in a monthly newsletter, facebook, twitter, and cjfosdick.com

Social Media Links:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cjfosdickauthor/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/falorac13

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13660760.C_J_Fosdick


Website - https://sites.google.com/site/cjfosdickauthor/