Mary E. Thompson's Blog, page 59

Fight For It

Fight For It is coming soon! I can’t tell you how happy I am to share this story with you. I’ve been thinking of it and planning it for months and am thrilled that it’s almost ready for you to read. Of course I wanted to share a little bit with you first. Jenny and Logan meet on a deserted highway at 3 am when Jenny gets a flat tire. Sparks fly and they spend the night together, but Jenny runs out afterward because she technically still has a boyfriend.

Whoops!

But they don’t seem to be able to stay away from each other. The scene below helps you understand exactly why!

Jenny narrowed her eyes at Erika, “Are you jealous?”

“What? No! Why would I be jealous? He can flirt with whoever he wants. And speaking of flirting. I see a hottie over there that I just have to go introduce myself to. He’s easily the best dressed guy here and he keeps looking over at us.”

Jenny followed Erika’s nod to the guy in the opposite corner. His eyes bore into her and she felt her heartbeat speed up as her body heated instantaneously. She gripped Erika’s arm before she turned away.

When Erika looked at Jenny she knew something was wrong. “Jenny, what the hell? Are you okay?”

“It’s him,” Jenny forced through her clenched teeth.

“Him who? Oh, wait a minute. You can’t possibly mean that’s the hot mechanic? Oh, fuck this is awesome! Ha! Okay, you have to go talk to him. You saw him first so I’ll back off. Besides, I’m not really into sloppy seconds, even if he is seriously sexy.”

“Gee, thanks, Erika.”

Jenny swallowed the rest of her beer and headed toward Logan. He was standing near the kitchen and Jenny knew she could pretend to be going for another drink when she went over to him. “Hi,” she said when she got closer. Mentally Jenny slapped her forehead and wondered if she could be any more dull.

“Hi Jenny. You look stunning.” Logan leaned in and kissed Jenny’s cheek. She inhaled his neck as she reached up to hug him then struggled to let go. When she pulled back she thought she saw something in his eyes, but he quickly masked it.

“It’s nice to see you Logan. Are you a friend of Jared’s?”

Logan nodded and took a sip of his drink. “We went to high school together. He’s a good guy. Have you known him long?”

“Uh, no. I just met him tonight. He works with my friend Erika, the one with the colorful hair.”

Logan nodded, “He has a crazy crush on her. He talks about her all the time but won’t actually admit he likes her.”

Jenny smiled, “I think she likes him too, but she won’t admit it either. She won’t even admit he might like her even though he tells her he does.”

“He what?” Logan choked on his drink. “He tells her he does?”

Jenny laughed. She brought her cup up to take a sip and lowered it again when she realized it was empty. “Yeah, he just told her she needed to save them both time and admit they were perfect for each other. She brushed it off though and said he’s just joking because he’s always flirting.”

Logan reached out for Jenny’s cup and ducked into the kitchen to refill it. When he handed it back to her their fingers brushed and Jenny felt a bolt of awareness run through her arm and settle between her legs. ‘Down, girl,’ she told herself, but knew it wouldn’t do any good.

“I didn’t know the guy had enough guts to tell her, even if he is saying it as a joke.” Logan held out his hand and nodded toward one of the couches. Jenny walked ahead of him and they sat down at the edge of the dance floor. “Did you just come here with Erika?”

“Yeah. I didn’t have any plans and she invited me along, but I don’t know anyone else. She’s got Jared and Molly plus Molly’s sister here but I’m on my own.”

“Well, you can hang out with me. I know most of the people here, but I haven’t seen any of them in a while.”

“It’s hard to jump back into a world you’re not really a part of anymore. When I moved back here from Syracuse a year ago I found I’d lost touch with a lot of people and the ones I still talked to were so different than high school. A few of my old friends are married with kids or settled in their lives and just so different than me. I’m still floundering so much that it’s hard for me to connect with people. I guess that’s why I get along with Erika so well. Of course we went to college together, but I feel like I’ve known her forever.”

“Yeah, it’s funny how some people you connect with immediately and others you never feel like you really get to know,” Logan leaned into Jenny as he spoke. It was obvious he was talking about them and how quickly they’d connected. Jenny wondered if he was going to kiss her and leaned slightly toward him. Their eyes locked and Jenny bit her lip between her teeth. Logan’s eyes flashed to her lips and widened. His gaze darkened and she saw a the edge of his mouth turn up.

Their lips were almost touching when Jenny heard, “Logan Campbell! Is that really you?”

Jenny jerked away from Logan at the woman’s voice. She looked up to see a stunning blonde woman standing over them. She was thin, but not sickly. She had perky breasts dangling out of a tight red sweater. Her narrow waist barely held up her flirty black skirt that stopped inches above her black leather thigh high boots.

She was stunning. Instantly Jenny hated her.

Logan glanced at Jenny then stood to embrace the woman before them. He talked to her, clearly an old friend, or maybe an old girlfriend, while Jenny sat there staring up at them.

After a few minutes Jenny got up to get another beer. She didn’t say anything to Logan but could feel him watching her.

Jenny quickly pumped another beer for herself from the keg, keeping an eye out for Logan and the blonde. She sucked down her drink before filling her cup again. She turned toward the game room instead of going back to watch Logan get woman-handled by the would-be model.

Fight For It will be available on Tuesday April 29 on all platforms!

The post Fight For It appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

Introducing Jenny Owens!

Fight For It, the third installment in the Better In Bed series, will be available April 29. I’ve been thinking about this book for months and I’m so excited to share it with you. As I do the final edits on the book, I thought it would be cool to meet Jenny, the star of the book.

Jenny is Lizzy’s (from Work For It) sister. You met Jenny in Work for It, but now she’s got her own storyline. Jenny is young and fun but feels a little lost. She’s been out of college for a year but is working in the same job she had before she went to college, as a waitress at Cat’s restaurant.

Jenny dreams of doing something bigger, something more with her life. But she’s trapped waiting for her boyfriend, Matt, to finish grad school. Until he’s done and they can be together Jenny thinks she has to put her life on hold in case Matt doesn’t move to River Pointe.

But one night everything changes.

Logan Campbell is sex personified. He’s gorgeous, friendly, and supportive. When he stops to help Jenny after her car breaks down in the middle of the night, Jenny can’t stop picturing him naked. When her wish comes true, Jenny freaks out and leaves, after mind-blowing sex, of course.

Thinking she’ll never see Logan again she slips back into her boring life, only to find Logan occupies every space in her brain, and maybe even her heart.

Jenny has to decide if Matt is really the right man for her or if the passion she shared with Logan is enough to build a relationship on.

But enough about the book, let’s meet Jenny!

MET: Hi Jenny, welcome to the blog. Let’s jump right in and you can tell us a little about yourself.

JO: It’s great to be here. This is so much fun! Unlike me… I’m afraid I’m sort of boring. I’m 23, work as a waitress at Thomas’s, have a boyfriend that lives three hours away, and live with my parents. It’s pretty much the picture of boring and pathetic.

MET: I’m sure there’s more to you than that. Why don’t you tell us what you would change about your life if you were given a magic wand.

JO: Ooh, a magic wand? I like that idea. Let’s see, the first thing I would change is I would have a boyfriend that lives closer. Then I would get myself a job in the tourism industry since that’s what I went to school for. Third I would find a great place to live, probably with my local boyfriend.

MET: That doesn’t sound too bad. I think we all have dreams like that at one time or another. So tell me about your boyfriend.

JO: Matt is a nice guy, but he’s sort of wrapped up in his friends. He focuses his time on partying and hanging out with them which leaves me alone most of the time. I haven’t seen him in months and quite honestly it’s getting old. I shouldn’t complain because I know he’s working hard too, but sometimes it feels like he’s never going to leave college and live in the real world.

MET: It’s hard being alone. Do you have friends that you hang out with? People from your job?

JO: My best friend, Erika, is local so I get together with her when I can. Most of the people I work with have families or I just don’t know well so I don’t really spend time with them. If I’m not with Erika I’m either with my sister, Lizzy, and her family or I’m by myself.

MET: What about your job is it you don’t like? You mentioned you job isn’t in your field but some would argue a restaurant is tourism.

JO: I guess technically it could be considered tourism, but since I was a waitress before I went to college, I feel like my degree didn’t help me. I’ve applied for jobs all over town to work at a hotel, but I haven’t gotten anything, and I’ve been out of college for a year. I’ve thought about starting my own business and developing an app to help tourists, but I don’t know much about app development. It’s a good idea, but I just don’t think I’m smart enough.

MET: I think you can do anything you want. Plus, there are companies that can write the app for you if you don’t know how to write it yourself. The third thing you wanted to change is your living situation. Tell me about your ideal place.

JO: My ideal place… I love River Pointe so I don’t really want to leave. If Matt stays in Syracuse I guess I’ll have to, but hopefully I can talk him into coming here. Honestly, I would love a place on the water, or close enough to walk. Living at my parents’ house isn’t too bad because the neighborhood is nice and I can walk around, but the waterfront would be awesome. I think I’d also like a more contemporary space, something with big windows that let in a lot of light. I like big comfy couches and oversized TV’s, and of course a king sized bed with soft fluffy covers. It would be nice to have two bedrooms, or more. One for me and one for an office, especially if I ever do develop my app, then maybe a guest room for the night Erika and I go out and she can’t drive home. I like bright colors so I know I’d paint the whole place fun and cheery colors. I don’t know, maybe it all sounds silly.

MET: Absolutely not. No one else is ever going to make your dreams come true. You have to work at them yourself. I think your place sounds great. But tell me, what’s stopping you from having all the things you want?

JO: Well, Matt is still in Syracuse and until he’s done with grad school he will be. The house, well, I housesit for my parents when they’re in Florida and feel like I should be here for them. As for the job, I’ve tried to get another job. There’s just not much around.

MET: What about your app? You could read up on app development and slowly work through that.

JO: I guess I could, but I don’t have any idea where to start with owning a business.

MET: Find someone who owns one and ask them. You’d be surprised what people are willing to share.

JO: Yeah, you’re right. I think I’ll do that. I just need to find someone I can trust.

 

I see Jenny as a typical woman. She’s in a job she isn’t happy with, a relationship she isn’t happy with, and doesn’t know where to go for help or to change it. She’s stuck and ready for her life to move forward the way she imagines it.

Her story is a little about self-discovery. Finding out who you are and what you want and having the courage to fight for it. I really think you’ll like Jenny and I can’t wait for you to meet her on April 29!

The post Introducing Jenny Owens! appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

I Want To Be Like Taylor Swift When I Grow Up

I am in awe of Taylor Swift. She’s one of my favorite famous people. And yes, I hope to be like her when I grow up.

I know, she’s younger than me. By almost ten years. But that has nothing to do with it.

I was watching the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night. Taylor was up for two awards on her own and three for Highway Don’t Care (Tim McGraw’s song that she was a guest singer for). Highway Don’t Care won one award but Taylor didn’t win any on her own. She performed, but wasn’t on stage to give a thank you speech at any point.

I was disappointed. Honestly. I think she’s very talented. But that’s not why I want to be like her when I grow up.

Taylor Swift is (outwardly since I’ve never actually met her) an amazing person. She’s talented, driven, focused, generous, and true to herself. But it’s that last one that I admire so much. She knows who she is and she’s not afraid to share it with the world.

We should all be so brave.

During Miranda Lambert’s acceptance speech for Female Vocalist of the Year she didn’t say anything about Taylor. She mentioned what an honor it was to win over the other women and how much she admired them, but Taylor’s name was conspicuously absent. It may have been an oversight, but in my mind it said Taylor isn’t called up for slumber parties with the other women.

Another part of the show Darius Rucker sang Wagon Wheel. I don’t know what it is about that song but it’s catchy and makes you want to dance. The entire crowd was on their feet singing along. It was awesome. But when the camera flashed to Taylor, she was dancing. In the aisle. By herself. She was carefree, singing along and dancing without a care in the world. It was awesome. (The picture above is one taken when she was dancing.)

I wouldn’t have had her guts. Would you?

Taylor is not someone I admire because she’s popular. She’s someone I admire because she’s living the life she wants to live. She’s had shitty luck in relationships, her songs attest to that, but she’s her own person. Yeah, I’d love to see her find someone that suits her, but only if that’s what she wants. If she’s happy alone, good for her.

No matter what, she’s strong, kind, and unique. And I respect the hell out of that.

It’s important to have someone to look up to. Yeah, it’d be cool if I could call her up and get some inspiration or advice from her. But that’ll never happen. Still, watching her live her life and be exactly who she is inspires me enough.

You don’t have to have hundreds of close friends to be popular.
You don’t have to have awards lining your shelves to be successful.
You don’t have to have a husband to be happy.
You don’t have to have a ton of money to be generous.
But…
You have to know who you are and be willing to share that person with the world.
You have to be true to yourself and not bend because of anyone else.
You have to be willing to go against everyone else to do what’s right for you.

It’s hard. I struggle all the time with it. In some ways we all do. But I’m learning every day. It’s what I’m teaching my kids and try to show them. But it’s easier to sit back and watch someone like Taylor Swift be herself. It’s easy to think she’s perfect and she has it all so it’s not that big of a deal. But I think she has more struggles than we realize. Her music tells us what’s in her heart, but for someone who sings so much about love and loss, she’s alone. My heart breaks for her. They say it’s lonely at the top and unfortunately she’s finding that to be true.

But I have no doubt Taylor will come out ahead. She’s a focused, determined, beautiful woman and one day she’ll find the person who appreciates all that.

I just hope her music is as good…

Who makes you push just a little harder to be yourself?

The post I Want To Be Like Taylor Swift When I Grow Up appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

Being Brave

We reached a huge milestone in our family this week. My daughter decided to get her ears pierced!

New Pierced Ears!

Hubby and I told princess when she turned five (last August) that it was up to her when she was ready to get her ears pierced. It was a process thanks to our decision to take her to a piercing studio instead of the mall because of this article. We knew we were doing the right thing for her, but it was also a bit of a hassle. Not only did we have to get a signed letter from her doctor (state law requires physician approval) but we also had to do one ear at a time – not easy with a nervous five year old.

But she did it. It was scary and it hurt, but she did awesome. I was a very proud mommy.

And yeah, I learned something from her about bravery.

For years I loved reading and writing, but never saw anything with it as a potential career. I know a part of me was scared, just like my daughter sitting in that chair on Tuesday afternoon.

Over the last few months I’ve been writing like crazy. I’ve felt called to be a writer. It might sound strange to think God was telling me I should write romance novels, but I really do feel that way. It’s odd and a little uncomfortable to imagine him reading over my shoulder, but hey, why not!

Bravery is something we all have to have at some point in our lives. For my daughter bravery came when she sat in that chair and not once, but twice, had to be ready for her ear to be pierced. For me bravery comes every time I hit publish. I love writing and think I’m good (let’s face it, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t believe in myself), but it’s easier to believe in your talents when you’re getting justification in the way of sales!

Being brave is hard. Matt, the man who pierced princess’s ears, said, “Bravery is not not being scared. Bravery is being scared but doing it anyway.” I know I’ve heard that before, but it rang true with me this week.

Playing By The Rules finally went free last week on Amazon. I was excited, but also terrified. I was really putting my work out there. I knew it would get in more hands and I would be opening myself up to bigger rewards but also bigger let downs. Still, it had to be done if I was going to move forward.

As I write this Rules has been downloaded hundreds of times. It is top 1000 on Amazon’s free books and top 50 in two women’s fiction categories. I’m thrilled by that. But it has one review on Amazon and  one on Smashwords (both are five star reviews so that made me incredibly happy).

I sit back and worry that hundreds of people now have my book in their library and only two of them decided to write anything about it. Does that mean it sucked? Does that mean no one else had anything nice to say about it? Or does that mean nothing?

I have no idea.

What I do know is I have to be brave.

So I sit down at my computer day after day and I keep writing. I’m working on my next book. I’m planning out the ones that will come after that. I develop ideas and social media posts and blog posts and push forward.

Because maybe, just maybe, of those hundreds of people who have my newest book, there are some who loved it and just don’t like leaving reviews. Maybe they’re thrilled with what I’ve written but don’t realize how important reviews are for a writer.

Who knows?

But being brave is my only option. If I love my work (which I do) I need to keep writing and believe in myself. I’ve gotten lots of great feedback from readers and it keeps me going. I have no reason to doubt it.

I might sound like a spoiled child looking for her parents’ approval. In a way I guess I am! Honestly, I crave positive feedback, just like everyone else. One of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin, writes all the time that she wants “gold stars” for the things she does. We all do. We want to know that what we say and what we do has made a difference to someone.

So I sit back and I think about the people who’ve downloaded my books and I thank them for taking a chance on me. Then I think about the people who leave a review for me and thank them for their kind words and their belief in me. Then I think about the people who’ve signed up to be on my mailing list and thank them for liking my work enough to want to follow me.

And I know I’m on the right path.

But I still have fears. I worry about the first negative review (because I know I’ll get some). I worry I won’t be able to focus on the great words I’ve gotten and will instead focus on the bad ones. But the truth is, if someone doesn’t like my work, they are just not my ideal client. And that’s okay. I still need to push forward.

So I’m going to be brave, just like my princess.

What inspires you to be brave?

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Ten Facts About Me

My Family Christmas 2013

It’s time to get personal. If you’ve read my about page, you know a bit about me, but I know there’s still things you don’t know. I figured if you’re reading this, you might want to get to know me a little better. If not, that’s cool.

So I’m going to tell you ten things about me that you may or may not know. Then I want you to tell me something about yourself. I love getting to know my readers. You are so important to me because without you, I wouldn’t be able to do this. So share!

1. I’ve been married for ten years and a mom for almost six and still feel like I’m not old enough for that kind of responsibility. I’ll be 34 in a few weeks, but I’m still fakin’ it! I told my hubby that I’m finally getting used to being married so maybe in four more years I’ll be used to being a mom. Who knows!

2. I listen almost exclusively to country music. In middle school one of my best friends had two older cousins that listened to country music and got me into it. It helped that I thought they were cute! Even in New York, I always listened to country music, but being in South Carolina, it’s everywhere, and I love it!

3. I’m a cat person. I have two cats, Abigail and Zada, and begged my parents to get me a cat when I was seven. I love dogs, but I can’t handle the responsibility of a dog. Cats are easy, especially with how much we get out to visit family.

4. I’m a Cock! That’s a Gamecock. I graduated from the University of South Carolina, just like Paige, Brooke, and Tiffany in my Love On Deck series. In college sports USC usually refers to Southern California, but for us Gamecocks it’s an insult because our USC was a college in 1801, 49 years before California was even a state and 79 years before University of Southern California was founded.

5. I was adopted. You know this if you’ve read More Than Adopted (available for free to my subscribers), but if you haven’t read it, it might be a surprise. My parents took me home from the hospital when I was four days old and I’ve always lived with them. I don’t know my birth parents, but they wrote me letters when I was born. They loved me very much and were willing to give me a chance at a life they couldn’t provide when I was born (they were 20 and 24 but both in college).

6. I have an older sister and a younger brother, neither of whom were adopted. Yep, it’s weird. After my sister, my parents were told they couldn’t have more kids. When they adopted me, four years after my sister was born, they figured we were it. But my brother was a surprise. He’s 17 months younger than me.

7. I have 2.5 kids, just like the typical American family. Huh? I can hear it. I have two kids that live with me and one baby that I lost in my first trimester. I know he’s growing up in heaven and waiting for when we can meet, but I hope it’s not for a while. I have a lot I want to do here.

8. Writing romance novels is my fourth career. I went to college to be a chemical engineer and had that as my paid job for almost twelve years. I wasn’t ever happy so I started a business as a wedding planner then as a working mom’s advocate before going after my true passion and writing romance novels. If I have my say, this will be my last career!

9. When my husband and I started dating we agreed he would be a stay at home dad. He’d always wanted to do it and I was set on working. Unfortunately too many poor money choices left us in too much debt for it to happen, but maybe one day. We’re still hopeful he’ll get to live his dream!

10. The day I met my husband I knew he was someone special. If someone had told me we would get married that day, I would have believed it. But, it took three weeks before I knew his name, four months before I knew he wasn’t dating our classmate, six months before we started flirting heavily, and nine months until our first date. And yep, I asked him out, three times before he said yes.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about me. I really do want to learn about you. Leave a comment below if there’s something you’d love to share!

The post Ten Facts About Me appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

Are You A Rule Breaker?

I’m so excited that Playing By The Rules is finally available. I’ve been thinking about this book for months and couldn’t get Amber and Caleb out of my head. They teased me a bit, not telling me what was going to happen at first, and they even changed things at the very end, but I’m so happy their story is written.

I wanted to give you a little sneak peak of the two of them. These two lit up the pages for me. It was a lot of fun to write someone a little snarky, like Amber, and a little alpha, like Caleb. To watch them dance around each other and eventually fall for each other was fun. When things fall apart for these two (because they always do for some reason), I wanted to shake them. Yep, I was in control, I knew what was going to happen, but I still wanted to reach through the pages and shake some sense into them.

I hope you like this little snip of them. It was a fun scene to write. Make sure you pick up your free copy (if it’s not free, it will be soon) at your favorite online retailer!

When most of the crowd had died down Amber decided to go. She turned the key and nothing happened. She tried again. And again. She dropped her head to the steering wheel and tried to figure out what to do.

Amber reached behind her to find an umbrella but only came up with a snow scraper. “Fat lot of good that’ll do me,” she mumbled. She climbed back from her car and lifted the hood, hoping inspiration would strike.

She pushed her wet hair from her eyes and looked around. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. But then again Amber rarely lifted the hood on her 2004 Honda Civic. She let the guys who changed her oil every three months do that.

As Amber leaned against the open hood she closed her eyes and tried to come up with something. She was going to have to call Emily to get picked up. And hopefully whatever was wrong wouldn’t cost too much to fix. Amber’s brain raced with all the things she needed the money for besides her now broken car.

“Shit,” she swore. The rain drenched her. Amber turned her face up to the rain, welcoming the refreshing feeling. She was supposed to hate the rain. But at that moment it felt good.

“Do you need help?” she heard from behind her. She knew who it was before she turned around. Her body knew before he spoke. She felt her nipples trying to make a run for it, straight to his mouth if they had their way. Heat pooled in her gut and she knew she was in trouble. Deep trouble.

“No,” Amber called without turning around.

“Well, it looks like you need help. Are you a mechanic?” Caleb asked. Amber heard the door slam closed on his truck and knew he was coming to her. She held her breath against the power of his presence.

“No,” she said again without facing him.

“Then maybe I can help.”

“You know how to fix cars?” Amber asked. She dared to look into his deep brown eyes. Chocolate. No, coffee. They reminded her of coffee. Deep and rich. And hotter than hell.

“Yeah,” his eyes sparkled at her with his amusement. “I know a little about cars. Do you want me to take a look?”

“No,” Amber said glancing toward his truck. “You don’t need to keep your family waiting.”

“No worries. Becky took the girls home. We drove separately today.” He wanted to tell her that Becky encouraged him to talk to her, but he could tell she didn’t trust him. She wouldn’t be open to getting to know him without trusting him.

“Oh,” Amber mumbled. She felt deflated. She had the guy, literally the guy of her dreams, right there in front of her. And she couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Obeying the rules sucked sometimes.

“Why don’t you let me look at it? If I can fix it, I will. If not I’ll give you a ride home.”

“Absolutely not,” Amber nearly shouted. She could barely stand next to him. Being confined in a car might push her over the edge.

“Why not? Is your boyfriend the jealous type?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend. But I don’t think your wife would appreciate it.”

Caleb turned and stared at her. Becky was right. He was shocked. And a little taken aback by the venom in her voice as she said ‘wife.’ He ran a hand through his dripping wet hair and said, “I’m not married.”

Amber scoffed at him, “Yeah, okay. Then who’s the woman you’re always with? With the two cute girls, one who looks just like you?”

“I’ll tell you if you let me help you.”

Caleb and Amber are fun. They felt like friends, and I love that.

This series will continue! I’m working on Becky’s story, Back In The Game. The first chapter is in the back of Playing By The Rules. You’ll get to meet some more great residents of Paradise Park and read their stories too.

Thanks for reading today and make sure you sign up for my mailing list – right below!

The post Are You A Rule Breaker? appeared first on Mary E Thompson.

Meet Amber Wilds

I’m so excited to introduce you to Amber Wilds. Amber is the star of my latest novel, Playing By The Rules, which will be available next week. The best news is it will be FREE on all platforms so you can get your copy without spending a cent!

A little background on Amber…

Amber grew up with two great parents and a little sister, Gabby. They were close growing up, but Amber and her dad had a special connection. She was a tomboy and her dad taught her to play softball and love it. She went to college on a softball scholarship.

Just before the start of her spring semester of her senior year, Amber was out drinking with friends and got arrested. Her arrest wasn’t okay with the team and she was kicked off the team, lost her scholarship, and had to drop out of college because her parents couldn’t afford to pay for her college.

The story begins five years later when Amber is trying to put her life in order. She is sick of working crappy jobs to make ends meet and is ready to go back to college and finish her degree.

Here’s my “interview” with Amber so you can get to know her. And make sure you pick up her story next week! Stay tuned to Facebook and Twitter for updates on the release.

MET: What are you doing with your life?

AW: Nothing right now, but I want to make more of my life than just being a drain on society. I don’t take handouts, but I know I’m not contributing to the world.

MET: What is standing in your way?

AW: I don’t have the money to go back to school and without a degree I can’t do much other than what I’m doing.

MET: What do you do for a living? Are you any good at it?

AW: I work because I have to. I’m sort of attached to eating. And having a place to live. And clothes. I work at the Y because they let me keep a set schedule so I can work my other jobs around my Y hours, Delta Sonic is cool because I get to be outside which I like, even in the cold. My ump job is new but I took that because the money was good and I needed some extra for my bff’s wedding. I also figured it would be a good way to figure out if I can handle that world again, the one that cast me aside after I got arrested.

MET: What is your secret dream?

AW: I’d love to meet that cop again and kick him in the shins. Or maybe the nuts. He ruined my life and I wish I could share an inkling of my pain with him.

MET: Where do you live?

AW: Emily and I share an apartment in Paradise Park, NY, about thirty miles south of Buffalo along Lake Erie (and totally fictional). Our apartment isn’t in a great area of town, but it’s all I could afford and Emily was saving money for her wedding so it worked for her too. The place is small but we each have our own room and bathroom. The kitchen and living room are tiny, but it works for us.

MET: What are your hobbies?

AW: I don’t have time for hobbies. I work constantly so I can eat. Does eating count as a hobby?

MET: I don’t think so. It’s more of a necessity. What is your biggest fear?

AW: Seeing that cop again. I joke about wanting to kick him, but I’m not sure I could control myself if I ever met him.

MET: What do you avoid more than anything else?

AW: Breaking rules. The last time I broke a rule was when I got arrested. I haven’t done anything ‘bad’ since then. I don’t drink anymore, and I always make sure I’m in line with the rules. I can’t risk going through the same thing I went through before.

MET: What is your biggest strength?

AW: I guess working hard. I’ve been killing myself for so long just to survive I guess I’ve gotten good at it.

MET: What do people like most about you?

AW: Hell if I know. I think I’m a bit bitchy most of the time.

MET: What do you wish you could do?

AW: I wish I could go back and get a ride home with my friends that night. I try to imagine how different my life would be if I’d never been arrested, but everything about my life that sucks goes back to that one night, one stupid decision.

MET: What talents do you have?

AW: I guess I have a unique was of looking at things. I wanted to become an architect because I’ve always loved creating things, but I’m a good artist. I can listen to someone talk about something and draw it for them. Architecture seemed like a good fit. I just hope I can get enough scholarships and financial aid to make it happen.

MET: Who do you have a crush on?

AW: Does Channing Tatum count? Coach Caleb intrigues me. He didn’t back away when we met, but he’s married which means he’s totally off limits.

MET: What do you believe matters?

AW: Truth and obedience. I learned the hard way that if you aren’t obedient you will get punished for it, even if you didn’t really do anything. I’ve always believed in truth. Too bad some people don’t want to know the truth.

MET: What’s your favorite expression?

AW: Go suck an egg because it’s a nice way of telling someone to fuck off.

 

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Amber a little. She was a fun one to write about. I can’t wait for you to read her story.

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Happy and Inspired

Hubby and I have been talking a lot lately about what we want. We’re trying to move to Buffalo, NY where I grew up to be around my family. We aren’t really happy where we live now and want to be in a different situation, so we’re working on changing it.

I know how lucky I am. I love my job. Writing is what I feel like I’m called to do. In my engineering career I felt like I was going through the motions but never really into it. When I finally started writing, I knew it was what I was meant to do. But it scared me.

Finding your true calling is hard. I searched for a long time. A lot of people do. I see my husband struggling now. He comes home tired and frustrated and doesn’t enjoy the evenings with our family because he’s so wrapped up in his day. I hate seeing him like that.

But with freedom comes happiness. And I’ve found that with happiness comes inspiration. It’s amazing how many ideas I have for books. Every day I feel like a new idea pops into my head. If I could write faster I’d have published twice as many books, at least. I wouldn’t change a second of it.

We’re still not where we want to be, physically and financially. We have struggles. I spend my days at my computer writing love stories and dreaming about more. My career and my life help me to stay focused on what really matters. What matters to me is my family and friends, my work, my life, and my health. I want different things than I have now, but I still love my life.

As a Catholic, this week I celebrated Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Lent is a time for sacrifice and reflection for Catholics. It’s a time to remember the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert before he was crucified. Thankfully, I hope, my end is not coming in a few weeks, but I still use this time to reflect on my life.

Every year we are asked to give something up. Many people choose candy, alcohol, even sex or swearing. I know how hard those choices can be. But I like to try to do something that makes me a better person. So this Lent, I’m giving up negative thinking. I’m going to look at every situation I’m in as a good one, and see the bright side of everything.

I know I’ll have my slip ups, but I’m hoping by Easter I’ll be a more positive person. I have a lot to be thankful for. My life is not nearly as bad as I tell myself at times. And I’m happy. And inspired. I know if I wasn’t meant to be a writer, God wouldn’t be inspiring me every day with new and fabulous ideas. He has my muse on overdrive. And I love it!

Even if you aren’t Catholic, or Christian, think today about how you can make your life just a little better. Maybe you want to focus on polishing your resume so you can get a new job. Or you’re writing a book and want to publish it. Maybe you want to take the leap with your heart and fall in love. Or it could be getting up and exercising a few times each week. Whatever you’re struggling with, make a commitment to yourself to change that this Lent. Tell yourself you can do it. Then do it!

We all have it in us to change and live the life we crave. Don’t settle for a life you’re not happy with, you only have one, so go live it!

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How Dare They?

I discovered this week one of my books, Breathing For The First Time, was stolen and published on another site. I’m not going to tell you which site because it doesn’t matter. They took it down within hours of me finding it and reporting it to them. But I am going to tell you why I did it.

Hubby said it was a compliment that someone uploaded my file to a file sharing site. I was annoyed. I still am a little bit. Okay a lot.

Here’s the thing. I work hard on my books. I write for days, weeks, months, to create something I’m proud of. And it’s my job. I take it very seriously because I love it and I want to do well.

To have someone take my hard work and publish it for anyone who wanted to go read, without my permission, is effectively stealing from me. It hurt my feelings to think someone who (I’m assuming) bought my book thought it was okay to share it.

I don’t encrypt my books. That means when you buy my book there’s nothing in there to stop you from doing this. I TRUST that people will be honest. I’d love for you to share my books with your friends. Amazon has a great sharing program that controls sharing (I’m assuming so one person doesn’t buy books for a book club or organization then give them to everyone – it’s their rule, not mine so I can only speculate). I’m great with sharing. But I’m not happy about stealing.

Why am I sharing this with you? I don’t know. A part of my feels like a whiny kid whose sibling just stole her favorite toy. But a part of me feels violated. I think that’s why I’m sharing. The best news about all this is that companies that support file sharing and publishing are great at cracking down on thieves. The site my book was on had it removed within hours (instead of a day or two like their website said). I’ve read Amazon is very aggressive with it as well. I just wish people didn’t do things like this.

I don’t know who published my book. I didn’t look at their profile. Maybe s/he didn’t realize it wasn’t okay. Maybe they thought they were doing me a favor. I hope that’s the case. But the reality is I price my books low so they are accessible for everyone. I want you to be able to buy my books without it being a hardship. I love to read and I know how expensive it gets. I don’t want my readers to feel like it’s a burden to buy my books.

All this is why my next book is going to be free. Completely. For Everyone.

But I’ll still report it if I find it on a site I didn’t publish it on.

Thanks for reading my rant today. Tell me, do you think I’m overreacting? What would you have done in my shoes?

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Get To Know Lizzy Greenwood

Work For It is finally available online (Amazon or B&N) and I had to share more about the main character with you.

Lizzy spoke to me. I had this idea in my head for months of a married woman trying to get her life straight. I struggled to figure her out, just like her husband Aaron struggles. But once we got to know each other a little better, she came to life for me.

I wanted to share part of the “interview” I do with my characters before I write them. It helps me figure out who they are and what they stand for. Lizzy is a complex woman, but totally fascinating. Don’t you agree?

MET: What is your secret dream? 

LG: To have my own identity. I love my family and friends, but I don’t really know who I am. 

MET: What are you embarrassed by?

LG: My flabby belly. Arg. After Sam it was easier to get back in shape, but with Mikey life has gotten busier and I’m older and didn’t rebound as well. 

MET: What do you avoid more than anything else? 

LG: These days, my husband. It’s not fair to Aaron, but sex feels like a chore instead of something fun and even being around him reminds me of how much of a failure I am. When I look into Aaron’s eyes I see the disappointment that I’m not helping bring in any money for the family, I don’t have everything perfect at home, and that I’m not the woman I used to be.

MET: What do you wish you could do?

LG: Be happy. I feel like happiness is elusive for me. When I sit down I think of ten different things I need to do and get back up again. I’m always on the go and doing things for everyone around me. It would be nice to take care of myself and be happy once in a while.

MET: Who Do you have a crush on?

LG: No one. I struggle to like my husband enough for a crush on him. I think if someone showed me any attention I’d probably fall all over myself for him.

MET: Sorry to hear that! Last question… What do you believe matters?

LG: Love matters. Nothing else matters if you don’t have love in your life. And not just love from your kids or your parents, but love from someone who makes you feel like you’re the most important person on the planet, someone who exists only to make you smile.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little about Lizzy. Be sure to pick up your copy of her story at Amazon or B&N!

 

Disclaimer: Links are affiliate links. That means I will get paid if you choose to buy something using the links provided in this post.

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