Janice Thompson's Blog, page 15

Opposites Attract

Sweet Harmony

I’ve always believed that opposites attract, but after marrying off four daughters in four years, I’m convinced. In every case, my daughters married young men who were their polar opposites. Well, maybe not “polar” opposites, but close! In every single case, they found their perfect complement! (Ah, love! How sweet it is. . .even when you’re married to someone with a completely different personality/makeup!)

As I said, I’ve always believed that opposites attract, and that’s why I set out to make my hero and heroine SO different in SWEET HARMONY, part of the JERSEY SWEETS collection from Barbour publishing. Here’s a little blurb about the story:

Tangie Carini–an out-of-the-box kind of girl–had her sights set on a lead in a Broadway play. But her career flounders, she decides to forego the big city for the little town of Harmony, New Jersey, where her grandparents’ church has hired her as the new drama director. There she meets a very in-the-box music director, bent on making her life difficult. Will Tangie find the role of a lifetime where she least expects it?

 

Exciting News!

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Goodreads Book Giveaway







The Director’s Cut



by Janice Thompson

Giveaway ends June 23, 2012.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Catering Tales

My first-ever wedding catering gig wasn’t an official one. My daughter’s best friend was getting married and the family needed someone to step in and put together some foods for the guests. Because I was known in our circle for my themed birthday parties (Hey, who doesn’t like a 50′s Soda Shop Sweet 16?) they asked me to take the job. Talk about green! I didn’t have a clue how many people would attend or what to serve. I came up with a list of foods and the wedding came off (mostly) without a hitch.

Okay, okay. . .so there was that one little problem with the chicken nuggets. We’d ordered a couple of large trays of the yummy goodies from Chick-fil-a (a local favorite). How was I to know the two trays wouldn’t feed 300+ people? They disappeared in a flash and people came back begging for more. And more. And more. But there were no more. Poor, sad guests! (Poor, sad caterer!)

The Perfect Match

There’s a funny scene in THE PERFECT MATCH (the fourth Annie Peterson/Wedding Caper mystery) where the caterer is trying to get ready for the reception at the VERY moment the police are arresting the bad guy (in the kitchen). Talk about fun! (Again I say, “Poor, sad caterer!”) She’s clueless at first, but quickly catches on to the fact that her plans to feed the guests will have to be delayed. (Again I say, “Poor, sad guests!”) Thank goodness, all’s well that ends well. The bad guy goes to jail and the guests get their chicken nuggets. (Or, in this case, their Greek food!)

Here’s a tidbit from that scene: 

O’Henry had just slapped the handcuffs on Chris Brewster’s wrists when Janetta and Elio burst through the door into the kitchen, trays of food in hand. The pungent smell of Greek food filled the air. As they came through one way, Opal slipped out the other. I didn’t blame her. I was tempted to turn and run myself. Instead, I turned at once to face Janetta, unsure of what to say or do.

Fortuntately—or unfortunately—I never had a chance to speak a word.

“Oh, Annie!” Janetta wailed. “I was afraid I wouldn’t make it! My car had a flat tire and when Elio came to rescue me he got Nick’s truck stuck in the ditch outside my house. You know how bad the roads are out there, right?”

“Yes, but. . .”

“Oh, I knew you would be upset and I don’t blame you, but we can still pull this off, I promise. Louise won’t know a thing. It’s going to be great, just watch and see. We’ll get everything set up while the ceremony is going on.” She went off on a tangent about how great the food was going to be, but I couldn’t keep up with her. I just kept waiting for O’Henry to say or do something.

“Well, I. . .” I nodded my head toward Chris Brewster, trying to give her a hint, but she kept going.

“The cake is in the car. It turned out great, but I almost lost the top layer when the tire blew. It’s a miracle it hung on.”

“Janetta,” I said, “we need to you-”

I never got to finish. She set a tray on the counter and kept on talking. “We’re here now, but we’re gonna need some help getting things unloaded from my car. I’ve got the appetizers and the punch bowl and all sorts of things like napkins and decorative items. Can you guys give us some help?” She gave O’Henry and Chris a pleading look. For a moment. Then, just as quickly, her face paled. “For heaven’s sake. You’re. . .” She stared at the handcuffs on Brewster’s wrists and the scowl on his face, then slowly backed out of the room, dragging Elio with her.

“I love America!” Elio said as the door slammed behind them. “It’s just like television!”

“Only in this show, the bad guy goes to jail,” O’Henry muttered, holding a firm grip on our suspect.

Gone with the Groom!

Gone with the Groom

 

I’ve always been partial to my Annie Peterson/Wedding Caper mysteries, particularly GONE WITH THE GROOM, the second book in the series. In that story, the groom disappears two weeks before the big day. Annie (his future mother-in-law) has to figure out if someone has kidnapped him, or if he’s got cold feet. (You’ll have to read the book to find out what she discovers!)

In an interesting twist, I happened to be helping my third-oldest daughter (Megan) put together her wedding plans while writing that book. I told Kevin (my incoming son-in-law) that he’d better not go missing before the big day! Thank goodness, he showed up and the wedding went forward. Still, I couldn’t help but dedicate the book to him: “To Kevin. Thanks for staying put.” Ha!

Sweets for the Sweet!

Please allow me to start this post with a link to one of my favorite childhood songs, SUGAR, SUGAR. (Great! Now I have the lyrics and melody running through my mind!)

I’ve always been fascinated with candy. Heck, I’ve always been fascinated with sugar in any form. But I’m particularly fond of candy. That’s why, when my oldest daughter got married in ’04 I suggested setting up a candy bar. For the kids, you see. (That’s my story and I’m sticking with it!) I don’t remember how much money I spent on candy, but let me assure you, the kids went away happy that night!

Salt Water Taffie

A couple of years after the wedding, I was commissioned to write SALT WATER TAFFIE (released in print as part of the JERSEY SWEETS collection). Taffie is the oldest of three sisters whose parents run a Salt Water Taffy shop on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. Their world is filled with sugary delights! (Can you even imagine HER wedding? Yep! Loaded with sweets.)

Here’s a fun blurb about the story: Taffie Carini enjoys working in her family’s candy store on the Atlantic City boardwalk. But when her parents begin planning their retirement, Taffie’s not sure she has the moxie or the know-how to manage Carini’s Confections on her own.  When repairman Ryan Antonelli makes a service call at Carini’s, he’s irresistibly drawn to more than just the candy. Although his marketing degree has hardly prepared him to fix a taffy-making machine, Ryan will do anything to help Taffie, with the hopes of winning her heart. When a business mogul wants to buy Carini’s property to build a new casino, Taffie’s family’s future is threatened. Can Ryan help Taffie save Carini’s Confections? Will they find sweet love together in the process?

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! SALT WATER TAFFIE is now available in ebook form for the first time ever!

 

 

Second Chance Weddings

Think about all of the weddings you’ve attended. Most brides and grooms were probably in their twenties, right? Have you ever had the joy of attending a wedding for an older couple? (A really older couple, I mean?) It always makes me smile when I hear of a couple in their golden years finding love. Many have lost life partners after forty or fifty years of marriage. Then, (wonder of wonders) they find love again, late in life. I was blessed to witness a “second-chance romance” when my step-mom remarried several years after my father’s death. Attending her wedding was bittersweet, of course, but so precious!

Years before I attended my step-mom’s wedding, I wrote A CLASS OF HER OWN, (part of the TEXAS WEDDINGS collection). In that book, a middle-aged woman falls in love for a second time after grieving the death of her husband. Of course, I had no way of knowing I would witness this first-hand in my own family. Strangely ironic, I know. The Lord knew, of course, and obviously had a plan to minister to me through my own story.

Check out the blurb: 

When Laura Chapman’s husband of over twenty years passes away, she finds herself the sole provider for two teenage children, lonely and frightened, and determined to return to college to obtain a degree. Then she lands in the same history class with her daughter and finds herself offending the toughest professor on campus. Professor Andrew Dougherty, still a bachelor at forty-seven, has sworn off women. His heart was broken years earlier by a skittish fiancee. Just when Laura feels that she has no alternative but to drop out of school due to stress and finances, Andrew begins to realize that it is time for the battle to cease between them. He is beginning to discover that his feelings for Laura Chapman are not at all what he thought at first.

Friends, if you’re interested in reading A CLASS OF HER OWN, I ask you to do so through the lens of my life experience. Surely the Lord was preparing me for the journey I would take in my own life. What a blessing, to see it all in perspective now.

Flower Girls and Other Childish Tales

Texas Weddings

I love books with wedding themes, as we’ve already established. But I also love books that incorporate children. (Must have something to do with the fact that I’ve got six grand babies!) You can imagine that I’m particularly fond of books that have both weddings and children! SWEET CHARITY (from TEXAS WEDDINGS (VOLUME TWO) is one of my all-time favorites! In that story, (penned years before any of my grandchildren were born), a toddler named Charity serves as flower girl in her father’s wedding.

CHECK OUT THE BLURB: 

A vivacious, undisciplined two year old named Charity has Shauna Alexander seriously questioning her calling as a child care provider. The toddler seems to thrive on wrecking havoc wherever she goes. Pastor Kent Chapman’s heart is still raw from losing his wife. He knows he spoils his daughter, but he can’t help but see his wife in her. Then during a computer repair mix-up, Kent finds himself distracted by Shauna. But when Shauna’s and Kent’s worlds collide over the rebellious toddler’s behavior, both must learn to accept responsibility and work toward reconciliation. Will the Lord cause Kent to choose between his daughter and his heart? Or will love sweeten Charity and their future?

LIFE IMITATES ART…

Thinking of rambunctious Charity reminds me of a wedding story (of course)! When my youngest daughter got married in ’08, she asked her (then two and a half-year-old) niece, Maddy, to serve as flower girl. (Yep! Life imitates art!) Friends, you just ain’t lived ’till you’ve attended a wedding with a toddler as a flower girl. Poor Maddy was nervous. Not that I blamed her. From my seat in the front row, I turned and faced her as she came down the aisle. She took one look at me (grandma) and headed straight for me. Her walk down the aisle didn’t have anything to do with a wedding. She simply wanted to get to her Nina! To this day, I still smile when I think of that beautiful baby girl, headed my way, eyes sparkling! Ah, love! (Love between a grandmother and grandchild, that is!)

 

 

The Perfect Fit

Love Finds You in Poetry Texas

In spite of lifes many challenges I’m still a romantic at heart. I truly believe in happily ever afters. I also believe that God knows our perfect fit, whether it’s in a mate, a good friend, or something as seemingly minute (in the grand scheme of things) as a wedding dress. In my novel, LOVE FINDS YOU IN POETRY TEXAS, I had the blissful job of finding the perfect fit for my heroine, Belinda Bauer. I knew who it would be from the beginning, of course, but convincing Belinda took some doing!

CHECK OUT THE BLURB:

Belinda Bauer in her ivory tower…. In the German community of Poetry, Texas, Belinda spies an opportunity. The tiny town is filled with loggers and railroad men in need of wives, so she sets herself up as a marriage broker. She writes little poems to be printed in newspapers all over the country and one by one, women begin to arrive in Poetry. There’s only one problem: Belinda doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing and all the brides marry the wrong men! One client is particularly unhappy. Georg Kaufman, the local barber, has lost more than one prospective wife to Belinda’s fumbled attempts. For some reason, she just can’t seem to find Georg’s “perfect match,” though it’s not for lack of trying. Is there a poetic ending in store for Georg— and for Belinda herself?

The Perfect Fit

Speaking of the perfect fit, I just have to say a word or two about that moment, eight years ago, when I saw my oldest daughter in her wedding dress for the first time. Heavens to Betsy! I now know why the mother of the bride cries when her daughter gets married. Seeing her in that dress–all grown up, looking like a princess–is almost too much to take. If you don’t believe it, check out the picture. It’ll offer all the proof you’ll ever need!

Check out the LOVE FINDS YOU IN POETRY TEXAS VIDEO, and while you’re at it, why not share a story about a daughter, friend, cousin, etc. in her “perfect fit” gown.

Wedding Roles

To Be. . .or Not to Be. . .

So many times, life gives us the opportunity to star in a new “role.” Take, for instance, the time I was asked to play the role of bridesmaid for the first time. I happened to be 45 years old at the time. Yep. My first-ever bridesmaid experience came in my middle years. Still, I took to the role with ease (and joy)!

Stars Collide

We are often offered roles that take us out of our comfort zone. While writing STARS COLLIDE (the first book in the BACKSTAGE PASS series), I decided to make my heroine a sitcom actress. She has a starring role in one of television’s most popular situational comedies, Stars Collide. But she’s also got a very real “role” going on as the would-be girlfriend of the show’s male star. Only one problem: they don’t want the other cast members to figure it out!

Here’s a blurb about STARS COLLIDE: Happily-ever-afters abound in the opening act in Thompson’s new Backstage Pass series. Kat Jennings and Scott Murphy are the stars of the hit TV sitcom Stars Collide when they realize that their own real-life pathways have begun to sweetly entwine. Couple this burgeoning romance with the on-screen marriage of their fictional television characters and with the escapades of Kat’s somewhat confused grandmother, and hilarity ensues. Surrounded by well-intentioned friends and relatives who sometimes seem only to make matters worse, Kat must somehow manage to uphold her chaste reputation, keep the paparazzi at bay, and hold on to the man whom she has begun to fall in love with. An eclectic mix of the sort of zany characters Thompson is known for adds levity to this modern, star-studded romance. Glimpses into a Hollywood television studio and a series of lively comedic events make for a contemporary low-key inspirational romance that will appeal to readers who enjoyed the setting and humor of Rene Gutteridge’s Occupational Hazards series. --Elizabeth Ponder/Booklist

The next time I’m asked to play a role (or bridesmaid or otherwise) I’ll think of Kat Jennings! She would know what to do and would surely offer sage advice!

A Cinderella Wedding

Allegheny Hopes

One of my favorite books to write was RED LIKE CRIMSON (book one in the ALLEGHENY HOPES series). I plotted the story in my head while vacationing and had a blast coming up with the characters. My heroine has a bit of a hard time with her shoes going missing. (Anyone else go through this, or am I the only one?) On her wedding day, there’s a play on the old Cinderella bit (with the prince/husband-to-be delivering the shoe).

Whenever I think about Cinderella, my mind goes to my second-oldest daughter, Courtney. She got married in ’04, just four and a half months after my older daughter (Randi) got married. We decided to have a Cinderella theme at her wedding shower. Wowza! I wish I had the photos of the little carriages that we made out of silver pipe cleaners. I think you would be impressed! And the cake! (This was my first attempt at baking/decorating a tiered cake, by the way.) We made it to look like a castle. Fabulous! We even had little glass slippers on all of the tables.

Every little girl wants to find her Prince Charming. I hope, in reading some of my stories, you see the potential for some good, old-fashioned happily-ever-afters. And, as you read RED LIKE CRIMSON, may you be reminded that the REAL Prince Charming, (the Lord, Himself), is always the best fit for your life.

Book Blurb: When Adrianne found out she was pregnant eight years ago, she made the decision to leave Bible school and raise her child alone. Staying would have prevented her boyfriend from fulfilling his God-appointed mission in life. But every day since, she has regretted her decision. Chris-rejected, confused, and heartbroken-finished school and soon found himself in Nicaragua, loving life as a missionary. But the void left by Adrianne’s unexplained departure remains. When Chris returns to the States for a friend’s wedding, is his unexpected meeting with Adrianne a coincidence or a “”God incidence?”" Can they put aside the past and embrace a future together as a family?