M. Jean Pike's Blog, page 27

Four Tomatoes

It’s been a wild weather ride in SE Ohio the past couple of months. My plants got off to such a good start this spring. The weather was mid-seventies and sunny. For a minute. Then we had torrential rains for days, and recently, record breaking heat. Sadly, the impatiens in my planter boxes all died and an abundance of toad stools sprouted in their place. I’ve never had that happen before and needless to say, I dumped them. Two of my tomato plants are doing pretty much nothing. But…

The other two seem happy. I have several blossoms and four Big Boy tomatoes so far!

I hope they are the first of many. I’m dreaming of BLT’s, tomato soup, and hopefully a jar of salsa or two. I’ll keep you posted…

Aunt Clara

What is a story without surprises? Preorder your copy today!

Just some random chatter…

The last few weeks have been quite eventful in my normally quiet life. Firstly, I’ve had a lot going on in the yard. My Eastern Blue Birds successfully sent their first clutch of the year out into the world. Unfortunately, they fledged when I was not at home, so I didn’t get to see it this time.

Speaking of birds, I also had a robin build a nest in my gutter. I kind of questioned why she would build in a spot with no overhead shelter, but maybe she is a first-time mother and didn’t know better. She no sooner got her nest built than a torrential rain storm, complete with an EF-1tornado came through town. I guess that changed her mind about her choice of location because she has since moved on.

The rainy weather this spring has kind of done a number on my flowers, but I was excited to see that I have my first tomato!

Last weekend I had the joy of watching two of my granddaughters compete in a national pageant in Cincinnati. They did really well and headed back to Florida with tons of awards and prizes. It was so good to spend time with them and get some “grammy cuddles.”  Aren’t they the cutest?

I also recently signed a contract with Pelican Book Group for my Christmas novelette, The Key to Christmas, which will be part of this year’s Christmas Extravaganza.

 Add to that King of Hearts which releases this September, and it has been a very prolific writing year for me!

I’ll keep you posted about the Christmas story, but did I mention King of Hearts is available for preorder HERE?

Leave a comment and let me know what’s happening in your world!

Yet another video for King of Hearts

If you’ve never read my books, read this one!

Preorder today!

Sirens

Growing up as a child of privilege, Dalton Kingston wanted for nothing…except love. Then an unspeakable tragedy causes him to walk away from it all, pushing love as far away as possible. Until love pushes back in the form of a beautiful woman who desperately needs his help, and the God  he’s not sure he can forgive.

Coming this September! Preorder your copy today!

Amish Romance??

English women (in the Amish world, that would be any woman who is not Amish) seem to love to read Amish romances. But what do Amish girls like to read? Among other things, Christian Romances by M. Jean Pike!

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working in an Amish bakery in my small Ohio town. I made a lot of good friends there. You get to know someone pretty well, frying doughnuts together at four in the morning! I loved my Amish coworkers, loved learning about their ways and culture and over the years I appreciated many lessons in Dutch and many generous gifts from their gardens. I don’t work there anymore, but I’m still honored to call them my friends. Some of them have also become part of my fan base Cultural differences aside, women love romance novels and happily, as they say, there’s something for everyone!

*Out of respect for my readers’ culture and beliefs, I have not photographed her face. But believe me, she was smiling

Promises…

After keeping a secret promise to a friend, Harper Blessings’ s life is spiraling out of control. Her food truck barely pays the bills, she’ s raising her rebellious brother and caring for her forgetful aunt…and she’ s four months pregnant. The last thing she needs is a handsome drifter complicating her already problematic life. Or so she thinks.

KING OF HEARTS – COMING THIS SEPTEMBER!

Hop over to Amazon and preorder your copy today! https://www.amazon.com/King-Hearts-M-Jean-Pike-ebook/dp/B0D48XZH16/ref=monarch_sidesheet

King of Hearts — Coming Soon!

The carousel sat at the far edge of the park, where the row of shady maple trees ended, and the grass gave way to hard-packed clay. The Southern Ohio sun beat down on Dalton Kingston’s neck and shoulders as he pushed the button that brought the ride to a groaning halt. When all the passengers had safely exited, he returned to the entry gate to begin the process again.  He could have done his job blindfolded. It was a routine that never stopped and never varied.

Except for when it did

Cover Reveal!

It’s an exciting day for me, the day I finally reveal my cover for King of Hearts, my new Christian romance coming soon from Pelican Book Group!

Ready…

Set…

Reveal!

Drop me a comment and let me know what you think. It would mean a lot!

It’s Porch Season!

I love the month of May. The cool early mornings while I
drink my coffee to a symphony of bird song and the cuteness of baby bunnies
hopping around my yard. There’s quite a lot going on out there. My blue birds were busy last month getting their nest ready, and mama blue is already sitting on her first batch of eggs!

A couple of weeks ago a pair of robins set their sights on the
downspout and tried to build directly beside the blue bird house, which created
quite a bit of squabbling as mama blue tried to come and go. I had to remove
the start of the robin nest. Thankfully they relocated to the maple tree without much of a fuss.

May also marks the beginning of porch season. When The
Little Things came out last summer I decided this time I wouldn’t throw my
royalty checks into the household money pot. That’s what my day job is for.
This time, I will use that money for things that bring me joy, as my writing
does. So yesterday I went out and bought my impatiens for my planter boxes, a
fern, a new welcome mat, and a couple of cute throw pillows. It’s the little
things that bring me joy!

With no frost in the forecast as far as I can see, I
also got an early start on my porch tomatoes this year.

My porch is really more of a stoop than a porch, but I enjoy
every square inch of it. I’m looking forward to a lovely season of porch (stoop)
sitting this year. Good coffee, good books, flowers and birds. What more does a writer’s soul need?

Home. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like it.