Jen Gilroy's Blog, page 5

Celebrating Canadian Library Month: A new library card & “Heartwarming” find

October is Canadian Library Month, a time to celebrate the role libraries play in our lives and communities.

I’ve had a library card since childhood, and whenever I move to a new place, the local library is one of the first places I visit.

While I have a library card for my home library, the fantastic North Grenville Public Library, our new lake house means I’m eligible for membership in the nearby Rideau Lakes Public Library as well.

I recently joined the latter in Delta, Ontario where the cozy library is in a modern building next to the fire station. There, the librarian, Liz, welcomed me with the warmth and enthusiasm of someone who loves her library and community and is excited to share them with others.

My new library card is worthy of mention all on its own. While I had a choice of designs all featuring the “Library Loon” (a local water bird), this one, “Loon Storytime” won out.

Thank you to whoever in the Rideau Lakes is behind such fun designs and giving me yet another reason to “love libraries!”

And while I don’t usually “out” myself as an author at first meeting, on this occasion, I did.

Why? Because when librarian Liz showed me around the compact, well-organized space, I found myself in front of a separate box displaying Harlequin Heartwarming paperbacks, including some by author friends.

I’ve never seen any Harlequin category romance books showcased in a library, let alone Heartwarming, the line I write for.

Upon asking, I learned that the area is home to many keen sweet romance readers, and Heartwarming books are shared between the five Rideau Lakes branch libraries.

Since they already had a copy of Montana Reunion, on a subsequent visit I donated a paperback of A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy.

My donation was received with pleasure and, apart from differences in geography, I felt I’d ended up in High Valley, Montana or one of the other small, inter-connected towns I’ve created in my fiction.

Like the books they house, libraries bring people and communities together.

And maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that Harlequin Heartwarming stories, ones “where the bonds of friendship, family and community unite,” are popular in a place I also now call home.

The Rideau Lakes area is rural, dotted with small towns and villages and where a close-knit “small town way of life” predominates.

Although so far I’ve missed meeting the ninety-something reader who’s a big Harlequin Heartwarming fan, Liz the librarian put A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy on hold for her so she could read it first.

As in the communities I write about, that’s the small-town way.

 

Author friends and butter tarts

Welcome back to my blog! After a summer break, I’m returning to posting twice a month about my life, family and writing. I hope you had a good few months and, if you’re in the northern hemisphere like me, summer sun, fun and R&R.

One of the best parts of my author life is friendships with other writers. And while social media is wonderful, there’s nothing better than meeting up with an author friend in “real life.”

This month, I had that blessing twice with two dear friends—Anita Kushwaha and Sophie Claire.

Anita is an Ottawa, Canada women’s fiction author who I met on social media via the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA). However, despite our geographic proximity, the pandemic delayed an in-person meeting until a few weeks ago.

Just Keep Climbing: Inspirational Stories for Overcoming Challenges and Living Life is a new non-fiction book by multi-genre author Barry Finlay who I connected with through my small-town writing group.

I’m honoured and humbled to be featured in Just Keep Climbing and celebrated the book’s recent launch at a local library event which Anita also attended.

When Anita and I met, there were lots of hugs and much to talk about. We can’t wait to meet up again, and it’s this kind of trusted friendship that not only helps me write, but also keep writing—and “climbing”— through the ups and downs of publishing.

Similarly, I was delighted to see (and hug!) British romance author Sophie Claire when she and her husband, Mr C., were on holiday in my part of Canada.

Sophie and Mr. C. visited my home, and it was a special time catching up not only on writing but also our lives and families.

After meeting through the British Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA), Sophie has been part of my writing journey for many years. She’s another trusted friend who’s been there for me in writing and life in good times and bad, from before I was published and now beyond.

She brought me the British tea and chocolate I miss, and I introduced her to that iconic Canadian sweet pastry treat, the butter tart.

Friendship and community make life better and along with Barry’s inspirational book launch (here we’re pictured together), spending time with Anita and Sophie rounded off my summer in the best possible way.

Find out more about these authors via their websites and links to their latest books which I’m happy to recommend:

Sophie Claire: Romance with a French Connection (Latest release This Christmas in Paris).

Barry Finlay: Inspiration, Humor, Mystery & Thrills (Latest release Just Keep Climbing).

Anita Kushwaha writes about “the social and cultural pressures faced by South Asian girls and women, immigrant experiences, diaspora, intergenerational conflict, identity, belonging, place, and mental health explored through a cultural lens.” (Latest release Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters).

And for those interested, find out more about butter tarts (with recipes) here.

Cottage life summer (and a summer blogging break)

After a tough first half of 2023, I’m looking forward with hope (my word of the year) to what the next six months will bring.

As part of a mid-year reset, I’m taking July and August to recharge, regroup and refocus. I plan to spend most of my time at our new holiday home, a lakeside cottage in the beautiful Rideau Lakes area of Eastern Ontario, Canada.

Have you read my first book, The Cottage at Firefly Lake?

In that small-town contemporary second-chance romance, I celebrate cottage and ‘lake life’ in fiction.

Now, it’s a blessing to realize a long-time dream of cottage ownership in real life.

The ‘lake’

Growing up in a place where ‘going to the lake’ (nobody specified which one) was part of the lexicon, I’m lucky to now have a lake house of my own.

From the deck, we watch wildlife, boats, fish jumping and more.

And from sunrise to sunset, the ever-changing panorama is not only calming but inspires me in life and writing.

Small towns, rural life and barn quilts

At the lake, life in nearby villages is as I remember it from childhood small-town memories.

In a local shop, the proprietor knew about me and my family because she’s friends with the previous owners of our house which had been in their family for more than half a century.

As in the fictional communities I write about, people in the area have deep roots, close-knit ties and a strong sense of community.

It’s also more rural than ‘home’ and while Tech Guy notes the progress of local crops, I delight in spotting barn quilts. If this North American rural folk art is new to you, find out more here.

The gift of time

From swimming off the dock, relaxing with a book and paddling my kayak in tranquil water, the pace of cottage life is slower—happily so.

While writing this summer from my desk by a window overlooking the lake, I’m also looking forward to more time to ‘be’ in life and myself.

And on quiet days when the only sounds are birds calling and the soft lap of waves against the shore, I’ll think about life, living and writing in ways I need to.

As I continue to recover from my severe bout of Covid, I’m taking my usual summer blogging break a bit early so will be off for the rest of July as well as August.

Wishing you a safe and happy summer (for those in the northern hemisphere) with times to savour your own special places and joys.

My blog will return in September. Thank you for being part of my life and writing.

A writing update 

In case you missed it in my reader newsletter, publication of my next WW2 women’s fiction title, The Secrets of Grey Oaks Hall, is on hold.

I’m sorry not to be able to share this book with you this summer as anticipated and will let you know status when I can

Two weeks with Covid-19 (and a bikini body)

Are you, like Floppy Ears, wondering why there’s been an unexpected gap in my blog posts?

If you follow me on social media, you may have spotted that after escaping the Covid-19 virus for three years, Tech Guy, English Rose and I all came down with it at the end of May.

The family that’s sick together has no choice but to stay together. However, we’re fortunate to have a large enough house so we could be in different bedrooms and use different bathrooms.

Tech Guy had the mildest case of the virus and within a week he and English Rose, who had more severe, but still manageable cold-flu symptoms, were well on the road to recovery.

I drew the proverbial short straw and experienced every typical Covid-19 symptom, as well several more unusual ones.

After days when I could barely get out of bed, at the ten day mark, “progress” was making it downstairs to admire our garden irises.

Whilst others have been able to spend their Covid-19 quarantine catching up on books, movies and other hobbies, for possibly the first time in my life I was too unwell to read or look at a screen and the days slipped by in a foggy blur.

Now, two weeks from the day I tested positive, I still don’t have a lot of energy but I do have a great deal of gratitude.

As one of the unlucky people “flattened” by this virus, I appreciate how much worse I could have been if not for vaccines, boosters and, as an asthmatic with difficulty breathing, being prescribed anti-viral medication at a crucial time.

I’ve had excellent medical care via a doctor, nurses, respiratory therapist, pharmacist and dietician. They’re the real heroes and heroines as opposed to fictional ones I write about.

A friend made porch deliveries of groceries and many others offered help too. My small-town life is caring with a close-knit community and never have I been more grateful.

I’m slowly regaining my sense of taste and smell and, in the last few days, I’ve been strong enough to take Floppy Ears for gentle walks.

As for that bikini body?

While I don’t recommend the Covid-19 diet, English Rose says I now have a bikini body ready for lake life and beach season.

Since I didn’t even wear a bikini at her age, I’ll continue to pass.

But no matter what I wear, I’m most grateful of all to be here with my family to go to a lake and everywhere else—and still tell stories too.

Life is short, it’s precious and I’m thankful to savour its beauty and sweetness once more.

Three things making my life better

Between writing and family, the past few weeks have been more than a little chaotic here. However, amidst what’s felt like constant change and upheaval, I’m trying to focus on what makes my life better.

I hope “my three things” encourage you to think about good things in your life and, like me, celebrate small joys.

A new book and kind reviews 

My latest sweet western romance for Harlequin Heartwarming, A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy, has been out for almost a month and readers love it.

When a reviewer “gets” my story, I know I did my job well—for readers and myself too.

“Jen Gilroy never disappoints…Feel-good, entertaining and wonderfully romantic, this terrific tale of opposites attracting, second chances and falling in love is a joy from beginning to end.” –Bookish Jottings: The Romance, Saga and Women’s Fiction Blog

Friendship

I’m blessed to have friends who lift me up when I need it, celebrate with me when life is good and even one who “mothers” me when I miss my own mother’s wisdom.

I also have a dear friend who appears with “virtual tea” at just the right moment.

As she said in a recent email: “If you hear the chink of china, that’s me with the tea.”

I added biscuits (cookies) ready for a trans-Atlantic chat or, in British English, a “chinwag.”

Clearing the clutter

If, paraphrasing Einstein, “a messy office is the sign of a cluttered mind,” my mind has recently been very cluttered indeed.

However, after several weeks of sorting, cleaning, tidying and general catching up, both my office and mind are once again in a state of calmness and order.

Not only can I see my study carpet, but I’ve reorganized my books and reading nook to create a space that’s welcoming, comforting and refreshes my soul.

And as I see the various editions of my books on a shelf, I remind myself to focus on what I’ve achieved and look towards the future with hope, “my word” for 2023.

Or as my late mom said, “count the plusses,” and that’s what I’m trying to do.

What’s currently making your life better?

Get a copy of A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy (eBook or larger print paperback) here or request it at your library.

UK readers: Since Harlequin Heartwarming titles aren’t sold in the UK and the Book Depository has closed, you can now get a paperback from Blackwells Online (with free shipping) here.

Thrift shopping: Feel-good fun and vintage finds

Can I get that wholesale?

Growing up in a place nicknamed “wholesale city” where finding a “good deal” is a point of civic pride, thrift shopping has been part of my life since childhood.

As well as being a fun hobby, since I’m grateful for my own blessings and resources it’s also a way I can help others, along with practicing the 3Rs, reduce, reuse and recycle, to help the environment too.

I started with vintage out-of-print books, and my late mother and I spent many happy Saturday afternoons scouring flea markets and charity sales to add to my collection.

Oh, the thrill of discovering an early Louisa May Alcott story beneath old magazines, or beautifully bound Victorian and Edwardian hardbacks amongst dog-eared paperbacks.

Along with historical fiction, my love for the art and craft of book design began with spending my allowance (pocket money) on books still on my “keeper” shelf today.

Student life and beyond

At university on a student budget, “thrifting” was both necessity and way of life. From party dresses to kitchen items, buying used helped my money go further.

When I moved to England, I not only found a second home but a new world of charity shops too.

From more vintage books, many inscribed in gorgeous penmanship from a vanished age, to a Victorian tea set I use each Christmas, many memories of my British life have links with “charity.”

When I now return to the UK on holiday, the trip isn’t complete without visiting a favourite charity shop in the village I called home.

More than any tourist site, to me it’s integral to the “real” England I love and miss.

My small-town life

Nowadays, my small Canadian town’s thrift store is still a wonderful place to visit on Saturday afternoons, and I browse seasonal displays, chat with friends and nab a bargain—or two!

The vintage “Hollie Hobbie” mug I use as an organizer on my writing desk came from there as did my similarly vintage front porch rocking chair.

But perhaps the most special “find” is also the most recent.

This cake plate in Royal Albert’s long-discontinued Petit Point china pattern is one I remember my mother having.

When, after her sudden death, I had the sad job of readying my childhood home for sale, I searched for her plate without success.

So my new-old plate is a special reminder of my mom.

And when I use it, I like to think she’s with me in spirit and maybe still enjoying our shopping expeditions too.

 

 

There’s something about a cowboy…and that hat (My next book, “A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy,” is out soon)

My next sweet western romance for Harlequin Heartwarming, A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy, is out on April 25 (in paperback and Ebook) and I’m excited to share it with you.

It’s the second story in my Montana Carters miniseries, following Montana Reunion, although each book also stands alone.

Thanks to everyone who has pre-ordered A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy or read an advance copy to review. I’m grateful for your support.

Writing this book made me think about how cowboys and their hats have shaped my life.

When I was growing up in Manitoba Canada, in rural areas it wasn’t unusual to see men (and some women) wearing cowboy hats.

Although he had an office job, my dad donned a cowboy hat when we visited his hometown in ranch country. In summer, it also shaded him from the hot prairie sun.

In my twenties, I lived in Alberta, Canada where cowboy hats were even more part of everyday life. When I took line dancing classes or joined friends for an evening at a country bar, I was usually one of the few not wearing one.

The cowboy “mystique” 

To me the cowboy (or cowgirl) and their hat have always had a certain mystique and many readers feel the same.

As Glenda, who wrote an early review of A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy commented:

“Look at that Cowboy on the cover, what girl wouldn’t want him sitting on their desk?”

The cowboy hat is a symbol of western life but it’s also working headgear.

Shaped by mass media and popular culture, a cowboy hat gives the person wearing it an immediate air of strength, independence, courage and self-reliance.

In A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy, not only the hero and his brothers wear cowboy hats. Their mom does too and the heroine, an animal physical therapist from California, has Alberta ranching roots she rediscovers after settling in small-town High Valley, Montana.

She’s also not immune to the hero’s charms as they work together on a cowboy challenge, a charity fundraising event.

Real people like us

Beyond the mystique, there’s something about cowboys and cowgirls that resonates no matter where we live.

As Christy, another advance reader said:

“[A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy] is filled with wonderful, well-written characters. They’ve got hard issues they’ve either dealt with or are dealing with currently. They don’t always say the right things or make the right decisions. In other words, they’re like we are!”

My new book is a sweet western romance but cowboy hats or not, it has the same hope, feel-good charm and family and community relationships as everything else I write.

And although I might not have a cowboy hat in my wardrobe right now, it—and my childhood cowboy boots—are always in my heart.

A Family for the Rodeo Cowboy

Rodeo is his past… is she his future?

After an injury forces rodeo cowboy Cole Carter into early retirement and returning home, he’s drawn to the spunky new animal physical therapist.

But as much as he likes easy-going Mel McNeil, the divorcée and her young daughter need stability, not his footloose life.

When rodeo calls again, will Cole jump back in the saddle or finally become the man Mel deserves?

Get your copy in paperback or eBook from all online book vendors, including Amazon, here.

UK readers: Since Harlequin Heartwarming titles aren’t distributed in the UK, and although the Book Depository will honour paperback orders up to and including 26 April, you can also get a paperback (with free shipping) from Blackwell’s online bookshop here.

Happy trails & happy reading!

Easter & Passover greetings

To my dear blog subscribers…

For those of you who celebrate, I wish you a blessed and joyous Easter.

And for those currently celebrating Passover, Chag Pesach Sameach! (Happy Passover Holiday) to you.

After a severe and disruptive ice storm in Eastern Ontario and Québec, Canada, resulting in two and half days (and counting) of no and/or inconsistent power, Internet, heat, telephone service and more, Tech Guy and I have gone back to a more “basic” way of life.

Thanks to all the first responders, especially hydro employees, working around the clock this long weekend to help us return to normality soon.

Particularly heartfelt gratitude to my friend and neighbour who, with more power than we’ve had, saved our food perishables (and Easter meal), in her fridge and freezer so items didn’t spoil.

My regular blog schedule will resume in two weeks, but I didn’t want to miss sending holiday greetings.

I appreciate your support and friendship in writing and life and am grateful you follow my blog via email.

Hugs,

Jen

 

 

 

 

The Sweetheart Locket now available in paperback (as well as eBook & audio)

I appreciate many of you have waited patiently until The Sweetheart Locket, my WW2 historical women’s fiction novel, would be available in paperback.

I’m happy to say it’s now out in all countries and available from Amazon and several other vendors.

Cost varies between countries/currencies and vendors (beyond my control as my publisher sets book prices), and I understand it may be out of budget for some.

If that’s the case and/or you enjoyed reading the book in digital format, I’d appreciate it if you could please submit a request to your local library asking they consider adding a paperback copy of The Sweetheart Locket to their collection.

Having our books in libraries is a great help to authors as it enables us to reach new readers. In certain countries, authors also receive a small annual payment for library lending which is a nice income boost too.

If you haven’t yet read The Sweetheart Locket, it’s also available in eBook from all online vendors and audio (free with an Audible trial).

For UK booklovers, there’s a separate library audio edition too featuring this new and evocative cover.

All my books are special to me, but because it was inspired by a nugget of my family’s wartime history, The Sweetheart Locket has a unique place in my heart.

Writing it also reminded me the seemingly small choices each of us makes today can have repercussions far beyond our own lives.

Unlike my great-aunt who returned to Canada when war was declared in 1939, my historical heroine, Maggie, stays in England and her wartime life is filled with secrets, drama, espionage and love.

In 2019, Maggie’s granddaughter, forty-something Willow, learns about her grandmother but, ultimately, finds herself and a new start too.

‘Both women were strong and resilient and knew exactly what they wanted and went after it with gusto…The [dual] timeline is always a favorite but especially when it is done as well as this one is.’ —Books, Writing and More

Our past shapes our present and our future because, and as Maggie reflects in The Sweetheart Locket, no matter what we face whether in the past or today:  

‘Being brave [doesn’t] mean you [aren’t] afraid. You [do] what you [have] to despite the fear.’

Whatever your preferred book format, get a copy of The Sweetheart Locket here.

Gratitude for the little things

I’m currently dealing with several personal and professional challenges causing stress and worry.

So now more than ever, I’m digging into my metaphorical “coping toolbox” to find joy, practice self-care and remind myself to be grateful for the little things.

Smelling and hearing spring

Although there’s still lots of snow in my world, this week I sensed the first glorious signs of spring.

Sunlight sparkled on ice-free water in the creek.

The air had a new freshness as if throwing off winter’s heaviness.

And for the first time since the Canada Geese flew to warmer climes last autumn, I heard birdsong.

Small kindnesses

From a helpful and cheery staff member in a store, to a post office customer opening a door when I struggled to manage a stack of mail and rambunctious Floppy Ears, small kindness are everywhere.

When I arrived at my ballet class last Saturday, I discovered I’d lost an earring. While not a precious keepsake, it was still annoying and after class everyone searched to help me try to find it.

I later found the earring at home but that caring and concern, including from several people I don’t know well, meant so much.

And not least, after being gifted a beautiful lamp via my community’s “give and buy nothing group,” the previous owner delivered it to me since I “don’t live far away.” I’d have happily picked it up at her home but in addition to a lovely and generous gift, that extra bit of kindness truly made my day.

A happy surprise

This week, almost three months after the 2022 holiday season, I received a long-delayed Christmas present.

Tech Guy gave me a print subscription to Chatelaine, a Canadian women’s magazine I enjoy.

Owing to various delays, the first issue didn’t arrive in the mailbox until this week. It was perfect timing, though, as his wonderful gift gave me a positive boost on a day I needed one.

Simple joys

As she often does, sweet Floppy Ears also reminded me of the importance of little things.

And from the pleasure of a cozy blanket to loving canine cuddles, the excitement of spotting a squirrel, having fun in snowdrifts and more, Miss FE’s life is all about the “little things.”

It truly is things like these that matter, and I’m grateful for all of them and more.

I hope you find your own “little things” to celebrate and bring joy.