Jennifer Probst's Blog, page 5

Want some heat for your July 4th?

Sometimes, it’s fun to mix things up and offer new pricing and promotions for my readers who haven’t dove into some of my other series.

I’m thrilled to announce the Steele Brothers has been released in a whole new boxed set – and it’s now available at ALL digital retailers!

Specially priced at $4.99 for the first THREE books – dive into the sinful BDSM series that feature Vegas as the backdrop and sexy, alpha men who will steal your heart! Please note these stories are edgier than my other works so if that is not your cup of tea, you may want to pass on these.

 

 

 

Have a wonderful holiday weekend and happy reading!

Jen

Night Owl Romance Summer Fun Giveaway

The Night Owl Romance Summer Fun online romance reader scavenger hunt event is here! Enter between June 23rd and July 7th.

I’ve teamed up with Night Owl Romance and other authors to bring you the chance to win a Waterproof Kindle Paperwhite, Redbubble Gift Card or Amazon.com gift card.

During this event I’m going to help you find some great new books. Make sure to check out my novel Love on Beach Avenue along the way.

Enter the giveaway at:

https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Blog/Articles/Summer-Fun-2020-by-Night-Owl-Romance

This giveaway is open to the world with some alternative prizes for those outside the USA. Void where prohibited. Open to those 18 and over.

Good luck!

A Day in the Life of my Muse…

My muse loves to play games with me. In the beginning, we have a firm word count in mind. And then we begin negotiations.

Muse: I don’t want to write this book. It was a mistake.

Me: It’s too late now, we have to make it work. It’s only a novella. We need 30K.

Muse: Fine, but we’re only doing the minimum. 30K and no more. I mean it. In fact, 28K is the longest I’ll go.

Me: Fine, there will be excerpts to bump it up. I’m in—I’m tired of long ass books that take forever anyway.

Halfway through the book.

Muse: I hate this book. I’m done. I want to end it now.

Me: No! We need 15K more – we can do that in two days if we work our asses off. We got this!

Muse: I hate when you get all cheerleady. Fine, but I’m not writing a word more.

At end of book:

Me: Yes! Only 2K more, let’s wrap this up!

Muse: We’re not done with the story. WE need more scenes.

Me: I don’t want more scenes – we’re good, let’s put a bow on it and type the end. We’ll just make deadline! It’s fine – it will work.

Muse: No, it won’t so just shut up and type. You think I’m going to put my name on a half assed book just because you’re lazy? I don’t think so. We’re skipping dinner tonight.

Me: I hate you so much. You promised.

Muse: Don’t be a whiner.

5K later…

Me: Please?

Muse: Almost done.

24 hours later…

Me: Finally, the end. We wrote 12K more than we said we would. I’m exhausted.

Muse: silent

Me: You there? Where’d you go? Did you disappear again? You better be back for the next book!

Muse: silent

And that’s a wrap, folks. Another book is completed – number 46 to be exact.

It’s a crazy, mad life but it’s my life.

And I love every moment.

Big News!

I’m thrilled to say I’ve been working hard on some brand-new surprises for my readers. This includes my Sunshine Sisters series, a new nonfiction writing book called, Write True, an updated holiday novella, and my first women’s fiction novel, Our Italian Summer.

New books sometimes call for other changes, so after careful consideration, I decided I needed a brand-new home to reflect an updated, fresh, and real feel to my website. Something with sass and warmth and positivity. A place readers will love to visit regularly for updated pictures, stories, extras, and a breath of beauty.

Welcome to my new website at www.jenniferprobst.com

It comes with an updated logo that makes me smile. There are book trailers, a special place for writers, info on my speaking engagements, and plenty more.

Please go take a peek, look around, and let me know what you think.

I truly hope you love it as much as I do.

2020 has been one of the hardest years for most, and I’m doing my best to try and bring as much new content and positivity to the world on a daily basis. Love to all of you!

The Top Five Ways to Transform During Hard Times

There’s been varied reactions by many regarding the quarantine. Lots of ups and downs. Struggling with home school. Dealing with disappointed kids who are missing some important life events they’ll never get to repeat. Some are out of work, and pivoting to find a way to make money, or find a new career.

Everyone has feelings, which evolve into actions, or even worse? No action. Just a loop of endless anxiety and fear that can gobble us up whole.

First, we need to recognize it. But I think we also need to know that isn’t the way to live day-to-day. For moments? Yes. We may need to cry and scream and whine. We may need to huddle in our bed to try and gather strength to crawl back out.

But with great struggle, comes the opportunity for growth. New ideas, and plans, and paths to explore. Sometimes, life is like a wrecking ball, and as we lay shaking in the corner, after the rubble is clear, we can emerge with a new vision for our life.

Can’t we try and take this opportunity and try to transform it? Or at least, change our mindset?

This isn’t about saying you can’t be a mess or grieve, or that you should be a happy Pollyanna who bounces around yelling at people to look at the glass half full.

I’m talking about taking you and doing the work to be better. For you and your family. And there are ways to do it, if you can just take the first step out of your comfort zone and start DOING all the things you always WANTED to do or dreamed about.

How?

Take a step.

I’ve listed a few suggestions here. If none resonate, that’s fine, but try and find your own. Create a plan and just do one step, even if you feel overwhelmed and overworked and full of messy emotion you don’t know what to do with anymore.

You need to implement some action, amidst your Netflix binging and home schooling and falling down the rabbit hole of news for hours.

1. Exercise.

Yes, I know so many of you are groaning and yelling. But this has transformed my life. I HATE exercise. I NEVER did it. And then I realized my anxiety and tiredness and general feeling of being overwhelmed all the time had to do with the fact I went from chair to chair every day. You have to walk. Dance to a few songs on the radio. Do some stretching. There are so many amazing platforms and apps right now giving away free trials—go download one right now, and don’t even think about it – just hit the button and do it now. Today. Not tomorrow. See if you feel any different. We need the buzz of endorphins right now so desperately.

2. Take a day away from social media.

ALL social media. I think we all need a detox. There’s too much info, both scary and educational and inflammatory, and our brains can only manage so much without freaking out. Just take one day this week and refuse to check Twitter, IG, Facebook, Tick Tock, Youtube, all of it. Just step away from the computer other than to do your work. Don’t do research. Take one day and if you have time, do anything that isn’t focused/geared toward social media. See how you feel the next day. Did it help balance you or clear your head a bit? We need re-grounding. This is a great way to do it.

3. Do something creative.

My husband has been struggling lately. His job is overwhelming, he dislikes working from home, and he’s one of the most social people I know. He thrives with people. Unlike me. I can be locked in the house happily for months and not recognize I haven’t seen anyone. I told him recently that he needs to get back to playing his guitar. It’s sitting in the case propped up against the wall, silent and dusty. He’s happy when he plays. It’s the creative part of him that gets sparked, and that releases good energy into our brains and body. It happens to me when I write something that I’m excited about. Whatever you love in the creative arts—GO DO IT. It doesn’t have to be long, either. You don’t need to carve away a few hours – a half hour is plenty. Write, paint, play music, daydream and journal, color in that cool adult coloring book that’s been untouched, DO SOMETHING CREATIVE.

4. Do something to make you better.

That’s right. This weekend I took the RISEXLIVE personal development course with Rachel Hollis and her team and it pumped me up. I literally felt changed and that I wanted to take on the world. Listening to top leaders speak and fill you with enthusiasm is something we need to be positive and transform for the good. Take a masterclass. Listen to a Ted Talk. Read a book. I read Perennial Bestseller by Ryan Holiday to get inspired as a writer. A friend recommended Digital Minimalism. Read about leadership, inspiration, or memoirs of people you admire. Why shouldn’t we emerge as better people? Better leaders? Better parents? Better in our career? If you hate your job, and always wanted to do something else, can you take an intro class online? Can you read books or watch stuff to help? Or research on the Internet? Isn’t it time we try and BE BETTER? Just make sure it’s something you are passionate about – this isn’t an exercise to make you feel miserable but empowered.

5. Find time for quiet.

I’m now practicing meditation and it’s been the backbone for me to get through these past few months. It can be saying the rosary or praying. Installing the CALM app. Signing up for a guided meditation. Or taking 5-15 minutes to just sit down comfortably, close your eyes, and concentrate on your breath. That’s it. Doesn’t matter what thoughts are going through your mind – your body recognizes stillness and will eventually help you calm. Even if you experience three perfect seconds of nothing but silence, it’s healing.

Those are some of my suggestions I hope you find hopeful. Every day, I re-commit myself to trying harder. If it’s a bad day, and I don’t accomplish much, I don’t beat myself up. I get a re-do every day. And isn’t that such a gift?

Are you doing any of the practices I mentioned or something specific?

Cover Reveal: Our Italian Summer

From  New York Times  bestselling author Jennifer Probst comes a new women’s fiction novel featuring three generations of Ferrari women who need to heal the broken pieces of their lives…and one trip of a lifetime through Italy.

Career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of life except one: family. She struggles to make time for her relationship with her teenaged daughter, Allegra, and the two have become practically strangers to each other. When Allegra hangs out with a new crowd and finds herself in police custody for drug possession, Francesca gives in to her mother’s wishes that they take one epic summer vacation to trace their family roots in Italy. She just never expected to be faced with the choice of a lifetime….

Allegra wants to make her beloved grandmother happy, but she hates the idea of forced time with her mother and vows to fight every step of the ridiculous tour—until a young man she meets begins to show her the power of acceptance and the heartbreaking complications of love.

Sophia knows her girls are in trouble. All three of them desperately need some quality time filled with the possibility for change. Among the ruins of ancient Rome, the small churches of Assisi, and the rolling hills of Tuscany, Sophia hopes to show her daughter and granddaughter that the bonds of family are everything—and to remind them they can always lean on one another, before it’s too late.

 

Available January 12, 2021

April Musings…

The days are passing in similar fashion with new routines now taking over.

In my house, the boys and I stay up late together, bonding over movies and taking breaks for them to play and me to read. They get up to be at their computers at various times in the morning while I sleep in.

My husband has been at his computer working steadily since 6:30am.

We do breakfast, I get my coffee, and the next few hours we work. Any new words I get done is a gift. Sometimes, I concentrate on news, social media, and others I’m overwhelmed with admin duties, promotions, copyedits and other various writing tasks that make up my business.

We break for lunch. I watch Bravo tv. Usually Cuomo on his livestream. This is when I check in with my mom, various friends, or anyone who’s been on my mind.

We plan dinner. Chat. Walk the dogs.

Then go back to work till late afternoon.

I exercise. Hubby cooks. Boys play. We eat. Play a variety of board games for the next hour or two.

Then congregate back in the family room for movies, tv, or Netflix.

Get up. Rinse. Repeat.

It is boring in its simplicity. It is humbling in the way it’s trying to keep us safe. It’s sad when I think of all the medical professionals and others out there on the front line, including my brother and sister-in-law and cousin who cannot be home safe like us. They can’t complain about home schooling, or boredom. They are fighting for our lives and theirs. Each day is a risk. They are suffering from anxiety and panic attacks and old-fashioned terror. I am grateful, but cannot pretend to know what they are truly going through. NO one can unless they are on the front lines.

I try to think positively. I pray. I meditate. I try desperately to keep my body somewhat healthy because it gives me strength I need. When I hit a pocket of creativity, I take advantage of it.

I’ve been reading a lot. I’ve signed up for Masterclass. I signed up for a strengths class with Write Better Faster. I do online meditation every Sunday night. I try and stay away from the Black hole of news in the morning and take it on after I’ve worked and feel a bit more focused and able to process.

We’re all doing the best we can, depending on the day and the news. I’m grabbing joy when I can, but I also know when a loved one is sick or passed due to this virus, there is little joy to find.

Eventually, we will crawl out of this like war veterans. We will be changed forever. We will need to get used to a new life and new world.

This is a time to discover the collateral beauty in heartbreaking pain. It’s a time to forgive, and go deep within ourselves, and re-assess our lives and priorities and goals.

It is a time to celebrate love in all its forms.

My thoughts are with everyone as we head through April where Easter and Springtime lurk around the corner.

And I hope.

Random Meanderings on a Tuesday…

Every day when I go to bed, I try to think over the day and come up with a few things that made me happy. I don’t count the BIG things like health, safety, shelter, etc. I’m always grateful for those and try to never take them for granted. I’m talking about the tiny moments that make up our existence which have been more in focus now that we are all…home. I figured I’d share them with you today!

Things that have made me happy today during the twelfth day of quarantine:

1. The creative, hysterical memes, graphics, and gifs being shared around. I skip the toxic posts and focus on these for a good laugh. Did you know laughing releases tension?

2. Connecting with one person per day on a deep personal level. More than one would freak me out. But when I concentrate on one person who I think about and communicate with, I feel good. Pick any person who enters your mind, and text, CALL, Facetime, send a note, or a surprise gift. It’s amazing what it does for you and the person who receives.

3. Online shopping. Sorry – this is a non-judgment zone. I am helping the economy BIG TIME. My latest purchase has been for my dogs. I bought a Sausage Dog ramp so they can get up and down off my very high bed without hurting themselves. While I was there, I also picked up a doggy booster seat so when we can actually leave the house, they can both be safe and cozy.

4. Introducing my boys to a new horror movie every night. Last night was Child’s Play 1 and 2. They loved it. Unfortunately, they hated The Amityville Horror and thought it was lame. Fallen with Denzel Washington got only one thumb’s up. Candyman was a huge hit. I am doing my job for the horror industry!

5. New release Tuesday! Some of my fave people have releases today! Go check them ALL out – I already bought three. Remember – supporting authors and the local economy for your escape and entertainment is needed!

What are some of your favorite parts of the day lately?

My Favorite Things During the Corona Virus Shut-In

Hello, my peeps. It’s been an interesting month so far. I feel everything was ramped up to the extreme, and now I find my boys home, my husband home, my dogs ecstatic, and me? Well, I’m kind of thriving in self-isolation.

I’m weird like that. It’s almost as if my Muse is so relaxed at knowing she never, ever has to leave the house –no more track picks up, errands, or schlepping. Everyone is home safe. Sure, being in a packed house is definitely a challenge, but I can retire to my sacred office space and work away. I’m ahead for the first time in years of my drafts, and allowing myself to play.

So, while we are all looking for new things to do to keep ourselves occupied without gorging too much on social media, I thought it would be fun to list my favorite things for the past month.

Here we go!

1. Love is Blind – This Netflix series is so bingeworthy it’s ridiculous. Every time I mention it to someone, they give me that snobby look and then hours later, text me to let me know they are already on episode six. It brings all the feels and drama and is perfect to watch while eating some snacks or sipping some wine under a cozy blanket. Email me after if you need a support group. I did.

2. Down Dog app and Online Meditation with Deborah – I mentioned last time I’m focused more on my health and making sure I do movement to keep my body strong, but now I’m working on my mind. Down Dog is offering a free membership if you want to try yoga – it’s such a great way to destress and quiet the mind. I’ve always been an advocate of meditation, and a guided one is the best way to try. Deborah Hanlon offers one online Sunday nights for only ten bucks and it’s well worth the price. I was floating for days afterward, and she sends you the link so you can do it over and over. Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://thecenterforbeingknowingdoing.com/event/virtual-guided-meditation-with-deborah-hanlon-4-8/

3. Mini cucumbers. Yep, that’s right. I’m obsessed with these crunchy, almost calorie free, water packed treat. I purchase a bag, grab one, and go, and it’s been a great addition to my new eating habits. Sometimes the simplest things are the best. And they may even be easily available in the supermarkets – so far I haven’t had an issue like I’ve had with the frozen food. Fingers crossed.

4. Books. Oh, yeah, I’ve been binge reading like mad, squeezing in a story whenever I can. Here are some of my highlights of books I’ve loved lately!

A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore – cannot say enough good things about the second installment in her series – it’s historical romance at its best.

Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday – a deep dive into what makes a book not only a bestseller, but one that people will always remember. I took notes on this. It changed the way I viewed many things in my career – if you’re a writer or artist, it’s a must read.

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow – A behind-the-scenes account of the Weinstein cover up. Seriously, I couldn’t put the book down, and unfortunately, couldn’t un-see all the corruption in this scandal. Read it.

5. Madison Reed hair root cover up – Sigh. Yeah, I hate gray roots. And constantly spending time to dye really pisses me off. I was using the spray stuff but it got flaky in my hair, and felt like I had hair spray – which I hate. I took a chance on this and love it! It’s a power, so you just use the brush like makeup, and then cover the roots that are cropping up. It’s not itchy, it stays put, and it does a great job. I have a feeling we’ll be needing more of these tips since I can’t get to my hair stylist for a while! Here’s the link if you want to peek: https://www.madison-reed.com/shopping/root-touch-up

That’s it! I’m sure I’ll be doing more of these as we stay the course during this difficult time. I’m sending you all the good thoughts and positivity!

The Stay series is on SALE!!