Jamie Farrell's Blog, page 7
January 14, 2015
Whack-a-Doo Wednesday – The Brad Pitt Edition
Welcome back to Whack-a-Doo Wednesday, my weekly foray into giving you all way too much insight into the inner workings of my brains by sharing bits of my dream diary. This week is devoted to Brad Pitt. Because apparently I’ve dreamt about him a time or two.
My first recorded dream about Brad, which happened in 2009 (AFTER he split from Jen, for the record):
I spent the better part of this morning with Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt, which was only slightly awkward, and then I went diving off a boat for treasure with Brad, who wanted to play a prank on George. Then I wanted to ninja-chop the Detroit airport, because it was so confusing I couldn’t find my plane to get to Europe to visit SuperHubby.
I don’t think SuperHubby was in Europe then. Just in case you were wondering.
Last night I dreamed my military/undergrad dentist was Brad Pitt. Not the best dentist I ever had, but I got to spend an hour or so talking to Brad Pitt.
Um… yeah.
I dreamed about Brad Pitt again last night. Jennifer Aniston had a yard sale to get rid of their stuff. I was thinking about buying some of it while I sat next to Brad in the theater, and when they announced making out was okay while we waited for the movie to start, SuperHubby and I got excited. Then Brad turned into Jack Nicholson.
I really don’t entirely understand the Brad Pitt thing, because in all honesty, I was on Team Jen. Which might explain the Jack Nicholson transformation. But not why I keep dreaming about Brad.
In last night’s dream, Chris O’Donnell was my boyfriend and we were on a road trip with LL Cool J. Um, you think maybe I’ve been watching too much NCIS LA? :). In my dream, they were both published authors and I was trying to be cool about Chris’s pen name being Brad Pitt.
More about my dreams about Chris O’Donnell to follow at a later date. I’m still on Team Chris.
In last night’s dream I was a secret agent with a Brad Pitt look-alike partner. I was so super-secret, I wasn’t allowed to know my own assignments, and one of them was to eliminate a fellow secret agent by breaking a vial of evaporating death potion in front of her. (No, I don’t know how I knew that.) Then I was on a train. Then SuperHubby and I had to break a green card fraud bank ring.
One day I’ll figure out why I dream about trains so much.
I had a weird Alice in wonderland sort of dream. It involved running through arches, hiding from the bad guys, and a red wooden pineapple with the power to transform me from a mouse back to my normal form. Also, I was married to Brad Pitt, and everyone kept asking him to marry them.
Of course, right?
And I think we can all agree that’s enough of a look into my subconscious for one day. Have a great one, y’all!
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January 12, 2015
Munchkin Monday
Hey, y’all! Jamie here with a few blasts from the past from my little ones to brighten your day, as first reported on my Facebook page. Today, we’re taking a trip back to the days when Munchkin was three and Squeaker was but a wee little baby who hadn’t yet learned the art of speaking or defending himself.
“Munchkin, we don’t crack eggs on our brother’s head.”
Four years later, and he still hasn’t learned…
“Mommy, you can’t grind coffee because you can only grind coffee to be a boy.”
I’m waiting for him to say this to Buttercup.
Munchkin wants waffles for breakfast.
Me: “How do you cook them, Munchkin?”
Munchkin: “You don’t cook waffles. You put them in the thingy-my-bobble and put the lid down and then POP!” (Munchkin jumps up in the air.) “The waffles are done.”
And now I want waffles. Popping waffles, for the record.
Munchkin just started his birthday morning by slamming his orange juice cup down and cussing in french. Thanks, SuperHubby.
Now they’re all conspiring to learn to cuss in Spanish and Chinese too.
And my favorite of the day…
SuperHubby: “Here, take my plate to the sink, woman.” I give him one of those “very funny,” looks, but start reaching for his plate. Then Munchkin jumps in. “Take my plate to the sink, woman.” I’m now hiding in my bedroom, laughing my rear off while SuperHubby explains to Munchkin that Daddy was wrong.
Need more smiles? Visit the Munchkin archives HERE!
Hope y’all have a great week!
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January 11, 2015
Winner Winner and a Sunday Snippet!
Congratulations to Phillip An Destiny Jackson for winning this week’s Feel Good Friday Giveaway! Phillip An Destiny, drop me an email at jamie @ jamiefarrellbooks . com (no spaces) to claim your copy of Megan Erickson‘s Make It Count!
Everyone else – make sure you’re following the blog, and stop back on Friday for another Feel Good Friday Giveaway!! Also, if y’all haven’t checked out Megan’s stories, you should! They’ll make you smile, they’ll warm your heart, and they’re all $1.99 or less!! Can’t pass up that kind of a bargain. 
Find Megan at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play | Avon Romance
And now, just for fun, a little snippet from my first book, Southern Fried Blues:
Jackson stiffened. “I’m not him, Anna.”
“No, you’re not,” she agreed. “But you don’t believe in forever either.”
“I believe in you.”
He reached for her. She backed away and grabbed the door handle. “Please stop making this worse. I have to take care of myself. You can’t do it for me.”
He ducked his head. “More to life than work and school, Anna Grace.”
“I have friends and I have family. That’s enough.”
“Never pegged you for an enough type of woman.”
Her tears threatened to spill over. It wasn’t enough.
Not by a long shot.
“You’re a good man,” she whispered, “but I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry.”
Southern Fried Blues at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play | Smashwords
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January 9, 2015
Feel Good Friday Giveaway with Megan Erickson!
Welcome to Feel Good Friday, where we’re celebrating happy contemporary romances all year long!
For our first Feel Good Friday giveaway, I’d like to introduce you to Megan Erickson.
Here’s what you need to know about Megan:
1. Her favorite movie is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
2. Her favorite make-me-smile authors are Jill Shalvis and Kristen Ashley.
3. Her favorite snack is cheese and crackers.
And her latest book, Make It Last, came out this week! It’s the third book in Megan’s Bowler University series. I was lucky enough to get to read an early version of Make It Count, book one in the Bowler University series, and y’all, it is AWESOME! If you’re not reading the Bowler University books yet, you need to! So today, I’m giving one of you an e-copy of Make It Count! Just comment below and tell me about your favorite feel-good read!
About Make It Count:
Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new college math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?
Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends–both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.
Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…
But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.
Check out all of Megan’s books at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play | Avon Romance
Winner announced this weekend! Have a great day, y’all!
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January 7, 2015
Whack-a-Doo Wednesdays
Hey, friends! If you’ve been following my Facebook page for any amount of time, you know I have weird dreams. And if you’ve read The Husband Games, today’s post will probably make you think of Kimmie.
As you might’ve figured out on Monday, I recently went through my Facebook history. And when I did, I found more than just fun posts about my kids. I also found a diary of all my crazy dreams. So for as long as it entertains y’all without weirding you out or making you run away screaming, on Wednesdays, I’ll post a few of my favorites from my dream files. And if any of you are skilled in dream psychoanalysis, please have at it. 
It would be lovely to know what was wrong with me back then. And thus I present to you…
The only remaining 2009 dream files. (Don’t worry. I have all of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, plus a few gems from an old blog I used to keep.)
Last night’s dream: I had to save my baby sister from the bad guy. She escaped and hid in a book store while giggling maniacally, then called in our grandma for a ride home. Grandma drove an army-issue roller coaster tank, and gave the NCIS crew a hard time about letting them drive it. And then the grocery store didn’t open until 3AM.
The nerve of some grocery stores, right? 
I had another weird dream – this one involved either giant balance balls or sawhorses, a Harry Potter-like Superman, and the hacky sack champion of the world being determined by social security number.
SuperHubby informed me at the time that I’m not right.
Last night’s dream involved catching mating salmon (which were about the size of sharks) and getting kidnapped by the hero of my book, at which point I called the police only to be told they didn’t believe me.
Note: In 2009, I believe that hero would’ve been West from Stealing Gran’s Booty.*
Last night I got to save the world in my dreams. Well, maybe not the world. More like a bunch of billiard balls that were somebody’s fortune. They gave me their house and a pass for the London Tube for rescuing their balls.
And on that note, have a wonderful Wednesday, y’all!
*Stealing Gran’s Booty is available exclusively to newsletter subscribers! Sign up HERE for download directions.
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January 5, 2015
Munchkin Mondays!
Welcome to Munchkin Mondays! In an effort to bring a smile to the beginning of the work week, I’m dedicating Mondays in 2015 to stories of my children’s antics. This week, we’re going way, way back to the days when Munchkin was one, an only child, and re-visiting some of my favorite Facebook posts about him. Enjoy!
Munchkin just taught himself why it’s a bad idea to push the button on the carbon monoxide detector.
Today’s phrase: “Honey, we don’t eat with clothespins.”
Me: “I love you.”
Munchkin: “Yep.”
Me: “Do you love me?”
Munchkin: “Nope.”
I went to get Munchkin out of timeout, where he was screaming his lungs out. I walked in, he stopped crying. I asked if maybe, just maybe, we could put on our happy faces for the rest of the afternoon. He nodded and said, “Yep!” So I said, “Where’s your happy face?” and he pointed at his door and said, “Out there.”
And from our first summer in Florida:
“A bath will be a great way to keep him occupied,” she thought. “No sunscreen necessary. Maybe I can sit in the bathroom with him and read for a while.”
And then he handed me his turd.
Hope y’all have a great week!
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Southern Fried Blues at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play | Smashwords
Mr. Good Enough at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks |Google Play | Kobo
The Husband Games at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play
Smittened as part of the Snowy Days, Steamy Nights Anthology at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
January 1, 2015
Happy 2015!
Woot!! It’s a new year! Time for new goals and resolutions (although, really, anytime is a great time for new goals and resolutions).
This year, my goals are simple.
1. Eat more vegetables. In March 2014, I hit my goal weight at Weight Watchers. Then we moved, and… I’ve slacked off. (And indulged in dessert after every meal. Including breakfast.) So I want to bring the healthy back to my diet (and to see my pants fit a little better again).
2. Make less noise. Sometimes I feel as though everyone is shouting into the infinite space of the Interwebs about their products and their causes and their beliefs, and no one is listening. It’s hard to connect as people anymore. I don’t want to shout. I want to sit in my little corner of the virtual world and connect with people. To listen and to simply talk and be. When I post a blog or a status update on social media, I want it to make you smile or think or connect with something. I want it to have value to you as well as to me. But don’t worry – my updates on my kids aren’t going anywhere.
3. Sell more books. Truth: Self-publishing quality books is expensive. More truth: I haven’t yet sold enough books to recoup my investment in my books. The biggest truth: I adore my job anyway. And this year, I’m determined to grow my audience and hopefully give myself (and my accountant) some better numbers. I love each and every one of you who have bought and read and reviewed my books. Y’all rock!! And I hope to keep being able to write more books for you (and the audience I haven’t met yet) for a long, long time!
4. Write more. I just made a writing schedule for myself. Some books come easy (I’m looking at you, Southern Fried Blues and Smittened), and some book are hard (ahem, The Husband Games), and my real-life schedule is very much out of my hands at least until September. But I will get up at 4 AM every day, and I will write or edit until my kids get up, and I will get the books written. I might miss a deadline here or there, but I’ll be working on writing the best books I can possible write.
5. Hug more. My last baby is two. She’s still all kinds of huggable and kissable, and so I’ve noticed I hug her and kiss her more than I hug and kiss my boys. I’m going to work on that, because this year, my first baby will be seven, and the last seven years have gone by entirely too fast.
6. Shut off the Internet. It’s entirely too easy to get sucked into reading emails that don’t matter and scrolling through social media to see if anybody I know is getting married, having a baby, or posting a really funny quiz. So I’m going to disconnect (meep!!) from the Interwebs, consciously, on a daily basis, so I can hug and write more.
7. Be social. I’ve turned into a bit of a hermit. So much so that I’ve realized if my kids didn’t have to be places, and if I didn’t have to do the grocery shopping, I would probably only leave my house maybe twice a month. The silly part is that I live in a place where I’m within 45 minutes of dozens of friends that SuperHubby and I have made during his time in the service. I could have lunch dates every day for a month, and never see the same person twice. And yet there are still dozens of friends I haven’t seen. And so, 2015 will be the year of being friendly and social.
And there you have it. My goals in a nutshell. How about you? What are your goals or resolutions? What are you most looking forward to in 2015?
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December 31, 2014
Jamie’s Top Ten Moments of 2014
Once again, I find myself uttering the phrase, “Where has this year gone?!” And so once again, I’m mulling over the highlights of the last year. And so I’ve come up with a few that stood out. Hope you enjoy!
My
10. I drove two children and two cats 600 miles by myself, spent a month “homeless,” and then another month with my parents, and then drove three children another 600 miles all by myself, as we moved from Alabama to DC and visited a lot of family in the meantime. And my kids were really funny. Oh, and I launched a book in there too.
9. I wrote this post for Jeannie Moon‘s blog about my love of bacon.
8. Southern Fried Blues hit the top 100 overall lists on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
7. SuperHubby got me a grain mill for our anniversary. While this might sound weird, it really was a super huge highlight. Especially since I’ve now mastered the art of chocolate chip cookies made with fresh pastry flour.
6. I accidentally posted the shadow of a penis on Facebook.
(My friendship with Wendy S. Marcus was solidified that day.)
5. I wrote a novella in 19 days. (It comes out in two days!!)
4. I was with my mom when she lost her shoe off a cable car.
3. Southern Fried Blues was named a finalist for both the National Readers’ Choice Awards and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards.
2. The Husband Games got a starred review in Publishers Weekly.
1. I got my Feliz Navidad on with my pals Selena Laurence, Sharla Lovelace, and Shauna Allen. (And three cheers for new friends in 2014!)
And there were many, many more wonderful moments in 2014, but these are just a few of my favorites. I hope you’ve had a wonderful year too, and that 2015 is even better!
November 21, 2014
Snowy Days, Steamy Nights!!
It’s cover reveal day!! And you can pre-order the Snowy Days, Steamy Nights anthology today at Amazon!
SNOWY DAYS, STEAMY NIGHTS
available 1.2.15
Steam up your snowy nights with this new anthology of six deliciously sexy romances by the following bestselling and award-winning romance authors:
FROSTED, by Katy Regnery
GROUNDED, by Kate Forest
MELTED, by Jennie Marts
REKINDLED, by Susan Scott Shelley
SMITTENED, by Jamie Farrell
SNOWED, by Veronica Forand
FROSTED (Katy Regnery) – When Grace Luff’s children send her to a Silver Wings weekend at a luxury resort, they are hoping that the 56-years-young widow will meet a man to lift the loneliness she’s endured since the passing of her husband over three years before. Grace, who barely remembers how to date, doesn’t expect to meet anyone special, so she’s surprised that the owner of a local ski rental shop, Tray Bradshaw, makes her heart leap with interest and attraction. When a rogue snowstorm traps the pair in an abandoned cabin, they’ll get to know each other, and discover that it’s never too late to change…or fall in love.
GROUNDED (Kate Forest) – Biologist Julia won’t tolerate another frigid Chicago winter studying the frozen Great Lakes. But with every hour of her flight delay, her chance on a research voyage in Florida slips further away. Jeremy must get to Florida to sever the noose-like obligations of his family’s boating business so he can become curator of a Chicago museum. Stuck in an airport, waiting out the snowstorm of the century, can two travelers headed for opposite paths find love while trapped in Concourse B?
MELTED (Jennie Marts) – Painful memories from long ago resurface when Emily Wells travels to Colorado to clean out her family’s vacation cabin for its new owner. Strongest among them? Her recollections of Logan Chase, Emily’s first love, to whom she gave her heart one magical summer, only to have it broken when she never heard from him again. Logan had never forgotten that summer romance and can’t believe it when he finds Emily packing up the little cabin that he has recently purchased for renovation. Despite the passage of years and their stormy history, Emily and Logan can’t deny the fierce attraction that still sizzles between them…Will one snowy night together be enough to melt her frozen heart and give them both a second chance at love?
REKINDLED (Susan Scott Shelley) – Actress Gemma Norwood and carpenter Adam Hudson are thrown together four years after a gut-wrenching break-up. Both are looking to make major changes in their lives, but after one kiss, rekindling their relationship is all that matters. When family obligations and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities threaten to tear them apart again, the warm glow of a happily-ever-after seems as impossible as starting a fire in a snowstorm.
SMITTENED (Jamie Farrell) – Dahlia Mallard is determined save her ice cream shop by getting country music superstar Billy Brenton to attend her risqué flavor-tasting event. But the closest she can get to Billy is his drummer, the womanizing Mikey Diamond. The more she gets to know Mikey, the more she wants to save him from his bad boy ways. When he discovers she’s using him to get to Billy, will she still be able to have her ice cream and eat it too?
SNOWED (Veronica Forand) – Lorena Rubio’s life is turned upside down when she’s kidnapped by Andrés “Con” Conesa, right hand man for the drug lord who murdered her sister. Con, who is deep undercover for the FBI, must keep her at a cabin in the snowy Sierra Nevada Mountains until the rumor that she’s provided specifics about his drug cartel to the police is confirmed or denied. Their attraction ignites in the middle of this frozen hideaway, but Lorena is unwilling to offer her heart to a criminal. When the cartel boss arrives and wants Lorena put on ice for snitching, Con must decide whether or not to blow his cover for the woman he craves beyond reason.
*All stories included in Snowy Days, Steamy Nights are either short-story or novella length, giving readers the perfect opportunity to “meet” a new author or enjoy a sweet treat from a present favorite.*
My novella, Smittened, is a Misfit Brides of Bliss story! It stands alone, but is a companion novella to The Battle of The Boyfriends, coming in 2015! The first book in the Misfit Brides of Bliss series, The Husband Games, recently got a starred Publishers Weekly review. Try it out today!
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Buy Jamie’s books:
Southern Fried Blues at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play | Smashwords
Mr. Good Enough at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks |Google Play | Kobo
The Husband Games at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play
Snowy Days, Steamy Nights Anthology at Amazon (preorder)
November 5, 2014
Munchkin vs. The Toothpaste
SuperHubby was out of town a couple nights last week, and on one of them, he called home to ask how things were going.
“Umm…” I said.
“Yes?” he sighed.
“The kids are in bed,” I told him, “but it was an… interesting night. I just caught Munchkin using his toothbrush to paint his own chest with toothpaste bubbles.”
There was silence on the other end. And then–
“You just sit around thinking of crazy things to tell me when I call, don’t you?” he said.
“And that was after I came up from checking the laundry and found all three kids parading naked in the upstairs hallway, yelling ‘Booty-butt’ and hitting their own rear ends and quacking like ducks,” I said.**
Just in case he didn’t miss us enough already.
** It should be noted that I didn’t reference how many times and in different ways the children worked the word “fart” into conversations. You’re welcome, SuperHubby.
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Sign up for Jamie’s newsletter: Click here.
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Buy Jamie’s books:
Southern Fried Blues at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play | Smashwords
Mr. Good Enough at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks |Google Play | Kobo
The Husband Games at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play
