Brenda S. Anderson's Blog, page 25
December 10, 2015
12 Days of Christmas – Book Giveaways!
Just in time for Christmas, I’ve joined with 23 authors for 12 days of book giveaways! You’ll find clean reads from all genres, so be sure to stop by the authors’ blogs for a chance to win!
The blog hop begins on Monday, December 14 and goes through Christmas day! Each day of the giveaway, I’ll post links to the giveaway host, so you can easily find them. Contributing authors are listed below:
December 14: Angela Carling & Tamara Passey
December 15: Jason Zandri & Britney Mills
December 16: Nicole Zoltack & Ava Mallory
December 17: James D & KJ Traynor
December 18: AJ Harred & Rachel Skatvold
December 19: Jennifer Kibble & Kari Trumbo
December 20: Lea Doue & Brenda Anderson
December 21: Emily Bates & Stacy Monson
December 22: Peggy Urry & Anna Del C.
December 23: Cassie Sheils & Valerie Gibson Ipson
December 24: Melanie Mason & Frances Hoelsema
December 25: Tara Ellis & Marianne Sciucco
December 9, 2015
Getting to Know Jerri Ledford! + Giveaway!
I met Jerri Ledford around six or seven years ago through the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) when we were assigned to the same critique team along with Lorna Seilstad and Shannon Taylor Vannatter. Can you say I struck authorial gold?
Jerri published Biloxi Sunrise back in 2011 as an ebook only, but now it’s also going to be available in print. Yeah! I can’t wait to add the paperback copy to my bookshelf! It’s a fabulous story, definitely not your cookie-cutter romantic suspense. Also, this December, Jerri has just released a Biloxi Series novella called A Biloxi Christmas that follows the heroine and hero from Biloxi Sunrise. It’s already downloaded on my Kindle, and I’m eager read it!
Jerri has graciously stopped by to answer a few questions, and she’s offered to give away a print copy of Biloxi Sunrise, which includes A Biloxi Christmas, plus two ebook bundles including both Biloxi Sunrise and A Biloxi Christmas! Wow! Thanks, Jerri!
Please welcome Jerri Ledford!
Thanks for visiting my blog today, Jerri! What are you working on right now?
I just finished writing and producing A Biloxi Christmas, a novella that comes between Biloxi Sunrise and Biloxi Blue, and I’m finalizing the print edition of Biloxi Sunrise. Over the next couple of months, I’m going to dig in and finish Biloxi Blue. I’ve struggled a little with this book. I think it’s because I was trying to force Jack and Kate into behaviors that just aren’t true to them. The novella really helped me tie together some points that I was missing. The sad part is, Biloxi Blue is about 2/3 of the way finished, and I suspect I’ll lose a pretty sizeable chunk of that work.
Immediately following Biloxi Blue, I’ll be diving into a new series, featuring Samantha Coffey, a native Kentuckian, that I hope readers will enjoy. Don’t worry, though. The Biloxi Series isn’t finished yet.
Whew! I was worried that Biloxi Blue would be the last! Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
I’m almost ashamed to admit that there is a little of me in every character that I write – both good and bad. In the protagonists, like Kate Giveans or Jack Roe, it might be a glancing blow off my background or a particular trait that I like or dislike. My antagonists are usually based on some element of my personality that I wish wasn’t there or some fear that I carry deep inside. It might only be miniscule part, but like all writers, I’m sure, it only takes a tiny germ of an idea and some nurturing to create an evil that keeps people up all night. If I’m being completely honest, I also really enjoy helping the good guys to find a way to defeat that evil.
You almost feel exposed as a writer, don’t you? I think one of the scariest things for a writer is putting your work out there and feeling like you’re naked in front of the world!
Can you tell my readers a little about yourself?
I’m sure the common response to this question is about background, experience, or schooling, but if your readers don’t mind, I’d like to share something a little different. The one thing I would say about myself is that I struggle. Every single day. I struggle with faith, love, hope, despair, money, self-esteem, body image. You name it, I struggle with it. I always feel like I need to be more, do more, or have more. But the truth is, those are all lies that I tell myself that have no basis in truth. If I had listened to those lies, I would never have attempted this career in writing or any of the other things that I’ve done. Life is a messy wrestling match and the options are to give up and get pinned or to fight through it. I’m the person that’s just not smart enough to know when to give up.
I appreciate your honesty, Jerri! I wish more Christians would be that open and show that we’re all human with human struggles. That honesty definitely comes through in your books! Hugs!
More about Jerri Ledford~
Growing up a military brat meant Jerri Ledford traveled a lot – and read a lot. It was only natural that her love of reading would eventually turn into a love of writing. From the first play that she wrote for neighborhood kids while her family was stationed on the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to her career writing fiction and non-fiction, Jerri has always had a love affair with words.
These days, Jerri spends much of her time as a Content Project Manager and fiction writer, but when she’s not pounding away at the keyboard, she spends as much time as possible with her grown children and the 80 lb. Bull Mastiff rescue she fell in love with – Sampson.
Connect with Jerri~
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Website | e-Mail
About Biloxi Sunrise~
He hadn’t protected them.
When Homicide Special Investigator Jack Roe’s daughter is killed in an auto accident and his wife dies from a drug overdose, he abandons a promising career as a Military Police Officer. If only he’d been there when they needed him, he could have saved them both.
He didn’t protect her.
Six years later, Jack is in Biloxi, Mississippi to be close to his sister and her daughter, Lisa. As long as he’s around, nothing can happen to them. But then he’s called to the hospital in the middle of the night and learns that Lisa has been abused by her mother’s boyfriend. Jack must confront old wounds that never healed, and a burning anger that’s been buried for far too long.
She can’t protect him.
The same night, a woman’s body turns up on the beach. A few days later, so does another one. Jack must deal with his past and his present while he and his partner, Kate Giveans, race to find a killer before another woman dies. But Kate harbors a secret that just might get Jack killed.
About A Biloxi Christmas~
Jack Roe and Kate Giveans are looking forward to spending their first Christmas together, but when they stumble onto a murder and possible human trafficking ring after the Christmas on the Water boat parade, everything changes. Personal differences come to light as Jack and Kate struggle to investigate the murder under a strict directive from the chief. Can they come together to find the murderer before someone else gets hurt? Will they be able to maintain and share their feeling for each other? Can they find a way to have a Biloxi Christmas?
Purchase Biloxi Sunrise
Purchase A Biloxi Christmas
eBook Giveaway<<<
Jerri has graciously offered to give away one paperback copy of Biloxi Sunrise which includes A Biloxi Christmas, plus she’s giving away (2) e-book bundles with
both Biloxi Sunrise and A Biloxi Christmas.
To enter, in the comments below, tell what your favorite Christmas tradition is.
This contest ends Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at 11:59 pm CST. I will post the winner on Wednesday, December 16, 2015. Winner will be chosen via Random.org.
December 8, 2015
A Bookish Christmas List, Part Two
For the romance and women’s fiction readers in your life, it’s no surprise that I have a plethora of recommendations! You can’t go wrong with any of the books listed below. If you’re looking for young adult, speculative, or mystery/suspense, check out yesterday’s post here.
Historical Romance
THE MISTRESS OF TALL ACRE
by Laura Frantz
The American Revolution is finally over, and Sophie Menzies is starved for good news. When her nearest neighbor, General Seamus Ogilvy, finally comes home to Tall Acre, she hopes it is a sign of better days to come. But the general is now a widower with a small daughter in desperate need of a mother. Nearly destitute, Sophie agrees to marry Seamus and become the mistress of Tall Acre in what seems a safe, sensible arrangement. But when a woman from the general’s past returns without warning, the ties that bind this fledgling family together will be strained to the utmost. When all is said and done, who will be the rightful mistress of Tall Acre?
Triumph and tragedy, loyalty and betrayal–readers find it all in the rich pages of this newest historical novel from the talented pen of Laura Frantz. Her careful historical details immerse the reader in the story world, and her emotional writing and finely tuned characters never cease to enchant fans both old and new.
One final cry…“God almighty, help us!” and suddenly her world shifted violently, until a blinding collision scattered her mind and shook her bones. Then, the pain. The freezing water. And as all sensation drifted away, a hand reached for hers, before all faded into darkness…
Now she has awakened as though from some strange, suffocating dream in a warm and welcoming room she has never seen before, and tended to by kind, unfamiliar faces. But not all has been swept away. She recalls fragments of the accident. She remembers a baby. And a ring on her finger reminds her of a lie.
But most of all, there is a secret. And in this house of strangers she can trust no one but herself to keep it.
AS LOVE BLOOMS
The Gregory Sisters, book #3
Lorna Seilstad
Tessa Gregory is nothing if not tenacious. Denied a position as a horticulturalist at prestigious Como Park in Saint Paul, she is not above a little benevolent deception in order to get the park superintendent to change his mind and hire her. She plans to infiltrate the world of wealthy and influential people in hopes of drumming up financial support for a world-class conservatory. But before she can put those plans into action, she meets Reese King, a handsome gardener at Como Park–and a major distraction. Still, Reese might be the key to achieving her dream. But is his goal to help her . . . or to capture her heart?
Against a lush backdrop of early twentieth century Saint Paul, Minnesota, Lorna Seilstad weaves a sweet and sassy story that is sure to please. Tessa’s young romance opens like a rose, stealing readers’ hearts and filling their senses with the intoxicating fragrance of dreams come true.
Contemporary Romance
SHATTERED IMAGE
Chain of Lakes Series #1
by Stacy Monson
Kiera Simmons’ career as a high-profile fashion model ends abruptly when a failed relationship nearly lands her in jail. Now she forges a quiet life helping teens understand their eternal value in a world saturated with the distorted messages of society.
Peter Theisen is on the fast track to everything the celebrity life promises with every step of his meteoric rise in the music world orchestrated by his ambitious manager.
Their sweet, unexpected romance is threatened by her past and his future, a life-changing diagnosis, and financial devastation. As they struggle to find their way back to each other, and to the One who matters most, the allure of wealth and fame may jeopardize everything.
DANCE OF GRACE
Chain of Lakes Series #2
by Stacy Monson
In one unexpected moment, dancer Vanessa Jordan lost her family, her career, and her future. She blames God for destroying everything that mattered.
Kurt Wagner, an ex-con with a second chance at life and faith, aches to shed his past and see his dream of helping teens become reality.
The former dancer and the ex-con form an unlikely alliance to build River House, a safe haven for kids on the street. But when Kurt’s past threatens his dreams and his life, Vanessa becomes a target as well.
It will take a stubborn love, the grace of God, and one courageous teen to keep the River House dream alive.
Women’s Fiction
As a fire archeologist, preserving Yosemite National Park’s natural and cultural resources is Jessica’s job. As a wife and mother, preserving her family’s legacy is her obsession. But when she discovers her husband’s infidelity, betrayal’s flames threaten her family and all she’s fought to protect.
Haley Weaver, a sophomore in high school, is a daddy’s girl. As she enters the throes of first love, timid yet intrigued, Haley also discovers her father’s affair. Stunned and broken, Haley flees into the wilds of Yosemite National Park. If she can’t trust her father, how can she trust her boyfriend—or even love itself?
When wildfire breaks out and Haley is missing, Jessica fears the worst. In a race against time, she searches for her daughter as she deals with the magnitude of what her husband’s affair may cost her family. How can she go on if she doesn’t find Haley in time?
And what will Jessica do to preserve the legacy that matters most?
WATER FROM MY HEART
by Charles Martin
Charlie Finn had to grow up fast, living alone by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami. Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter. Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible–and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could?
And of course, I can’t forget my books …
Debbie Verhoeven is not your typical woman:
*She sacrificed a counseling career to be a full-time mother
*She’d rather pound a nail than round steak
*Oprah? No way! Give her ESPN any day
*Nothing could be more stressful than scrapbooking
Nothing, except …
a distressing diagnosis,
a husband who is pulling away,
and two older brothers who refuse to get along
When the counselor is caught in the middle, when she needs to be strong for those around her, who is left to be strong for her?
Manhattan businessman Richard Brooks was at the top of the world, drunk with success, wealth, and women, and he proudly lived that prodigal lifestyle, until one disastrous evening, when that world came crashing down.
Richard flees to Minneapolis where he repairs ancient boilers instead of solving corporate problems, and he’s determined to live the solitary life he now deserves.
But Executive Sheila Peterson has other plans for the handsome custodian. Richard appears to be the perfect match for the no-strings-attached romance she’s after, but she soon discovers that he’s hiding more than the designer clothes in his closet.
Newlyweds Richard and Sheila Brooks have it all. Sheila is pregnant. Richard’s business is flourishing. Their formerly broken lives have been mended, and life couldn’t be better.
Or so they thought.
Just a few years ago, Richard had thrived in Manhattan’s fast-paced business world, yet that’s the very place he abandoned his faith. Now that his faith is restored, he never planned to return to that old life. But then the New York corporation that once rejected him calls, begging him to come back. Richard knows returning is unwise, but his gut is telling him to go.
Sheila yearns to have something from her childhood to pass on to her child, but when her parents abandoned her years ago, they took all remnants of her past with them. Then, out of the blue, her aging father calls, asking to be let back into her life. Her head screams “no”, but her traitorous heart is saying “yes.”
If Richard and Sheila answer these calls from their pasts, will they risk breaking what they’ve spent so much time mending?
After a troubling encounter with a pregnant teen, Sheila Peterson-Brooks hurries from the crisis pregnancy center into the frigid Minnesota winter where she is mugged and left for dead. After a frantic search, Richard, her husband, finds her, and the police quickly nab the mugger …
A hungry, homeless teen.
The brother of the pregnant girl Sheila had just counseled.
The girl pleads for her brother, and Sheila and Richard choose not to press charges. Instead, they open their home to the boy, a move that could cost them their possessions, and their hearts.
And, in the process, teach them the true meaning of home.
Coming Soon …
The Coming Home Series ebook Box Set
All four books in the Coming Home Series together in one ebook for a ridiculously low price! Stay tuned to my blog for updates!
December 7, 2015
A Bookish Christmas List, Part One
Books are The Best Christmas gift, wouldn’t you agree? But with the proliferation of titles available now, it can be difficult deciding which book(s) to purchase. I hope to make your choice a little bit easier by spotlighting a book (or two) from several categories. Today I offer suggestions for Young Adult, Mystery/Suspense, and Speculative fiction readers. Check back on Thursday for my Romance and Women’s Fiction recommendations.
Young Adult
THE LUNAR CHRONICLES SERIES
by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer was my surprise read this year. For over a year, my daughter had been trying to convince me to read this young-adult sci-fi series that’s a retelling of several fairy tale stories. Right. Why would I read that? Well, she finally succeeded when we took a nine-plus hour car ride to visit my sister, and my daughter found Cinder, book #1, on audiobook. Needless to say, once that book was finished, I rapidly read the remaining books in the series.
While not Christian fiction, I would definitely recommend the series for a Christian young adult audience. And I suggest you begin with Cinder, followed by Scarlet, Cress, and then Winter.
Mystery/Suspense
EVERY CROOKED PATH
The Bowers Files Series
by Steven James
A mysterious suicide and a series of abductions draw Patrick into a web of intrigue involving an international conspiracy where no one is who they appear to be and the stakes have never been higher.
Soon, Patrick discovers that the secret to stopping the Piper’s current crime spree lies in unlocking answers from an eight-year-old cold case—and the only way to do that is by entering the terrifying world of the conspirators himself.
Dark, probing, and chilling, Every Crooked Path takes an unflinching look at the world of today’s cybercrimes and delves into a parent’s worst nightmare as it launches a new chapter of Patrick Bowers thrillers.
CENTRALIA
Jed Patrick Series, book #1
by Mike Dellosso
Peter Ryan wakes up on a typical morning only to find his house empty, his wife and daughter nowhere to be found. His world is shattered after a phone call to a friend confirms the impossible: his wife and daughter died in a car accident he does not remember. Haunted by faint memories and flashes of details, Peter becomes convinced that something isn’t right and begins to question reality. When he discovers a note in his daughter’s handwriting, strange memories begin to surface that cause him to second-guess nearly everything he once believed. Suddenly armed men show up at Peter’s home, turning the mysterious puzzle of his past into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. On the run and unsure whom to trust, Peter has to discover what’s real and what isn’t . . . before he loses everything.
THE BONES WILL SPEAK
Gwen Marcey, book #2
by Carrie Stuart Parks
A killer with a penchant for torture has taken notice of forensic expert Gwen Marcey … and her daughter.
When Gwen Marcey’s dog comes home with a human skull and then leads her to a cabin in the woods near her Montana home, she realizes there’s a serial killer in her community. And when she finds a tortured young girl clinging to life on the cabin floor, she knows this killer is a lunatic.
Yet what unsettles Gwen most is that the victim looks uncannily like her daughter.
The search for the torturer leads back in time to a neo-Nazi bombing in Washington state—a bombing with only one connection to Montana: Gwen. The group has a race-not-grace model of salvation . . . and they’ve marked Gwen as a race traitor.
When it becomes clear that the killer has a score to settle, Gwen finds herself in a battle against time. She will have to use all of her forensic skills to find the killer before he can carry out his threat to destroy her—and the only family she has left.
Speculative
THE DELIVERER
The Sword of Lyric Series, book #4
by Sharon Hinck
A Lost Songkeeper Must Lead Her People to a Long Awaited Deliverer
Eager to serve the One, a young songkeeper travels to the dark and foreign nation of Hazor, but her confusing, rough-edged companion has lost his Restorer gifts. As danger rises against them both, she loses her freedom, her memories, and her hope. Now even the very music of her soul is threatened.
In our world, Susan Mitchell no longer feels at home in the carpool lane. Burdened by the unhealed scars from her trips through the portal, she fights to suppress her worry about her son, who remains out of contact in Lyric. But when a mysterious message hints Jake is in danger, she and her husband are swept away—to the place they least expect.
Clan rebellions. Lost Restorers. Has the One turned away, or will the face of the Deliverer bring light to the darkness?
ON THE RUN TO SAVE HER BABY
A pregnant cyborg and a teenage boy fight against intergalactic governments to protect the unborn in this novel from a Christy Award-nominated author.
Why is Zain pregnant? She belongs to the Hive, a collective of cyborgs who choose to live apart from the rest of human society. At times, the Hive rent out some of their females to produce tailor-made children for paying couples. But Zain is an engineer, not a breeder. When she finds herself separated from the Hive, she decides to find the person who she thinks ordered the baby. Surely they’ll help her find her way home.
Matthew “Scorn” Nelson has spent the better part of his teenage years cracking computer systems, causing mischief and havoc wherever he can. But the night of his greatest triumph turned into a painful memory, one he wants to erase. But that night was also his first step on a road to faith. When Zain arrives on his doorstep, Scorn is horrified. What’s he supposed to do with a pregnant teenage cyborg?
Unfortunately, he’ll have to answer that question on the run. Zain’s people want to reclaim her and terminate her pregnancy. And both the Ministrix and the Praesidium, two intergalactic governments in a constant state of cold war, want Zain’s baby for their own reasons. Will their enemies run them down? Or will Zain find a new Hive for both her and her child?
Coming Soon …
The Coming Home Series ebook box set!
Get Pieces of Granite, Chain of Mercy, Memory Box Secrets, and Hungry for Home in one ebook for a ridiculously low price!
And don’t you love this beautiful cover?! Another great one from George at Think-Cap Design Studios.
December 2, 2015
Hungry for Home’s Christmas Playlist
While my latest release, Hungry for Home, is not a Christmas story, it does take place at Christmastime, and therefore it’s filled with references to popular Christmas music. You’d likely find this music on my hero and heroine’s Christmas playlist, which is always a work-in-progress.
What’s on your Christmas playlist?
November 30, 2015
Novel Anticipation – December 2015
This month’s small selection emphasizes my diverse reading tastes. Story wise, the following two books couldn’t be further apart, but both authors are at the top of their genre and are master storytellers. I’m certain I’m in for hours of reading enjoyment!
EVERY CROOKED PATH
(The Bowers Files)
by Steven James
Signet
Who is the Piper? . . .
Special Agent Patrick Bowers returns in an electrifying prequel to the Bowers Chess series from critically acclaimed, national bestselling novelist Steven James.
A mysterious suicide and a series of abductions draw Patrick into a web of intrigue involving an international conspiracy where no one is who they appear to be and the stakes have never been higher.
Soon, Patrick discovers that the secret to stopping the Piper’s current crime spree lies in unlocking answers from an eight-year-old cold case—and the only way to do that is by entering the terrifying world of the conspirators himself.
THE PAINTER’S DAUGHTER
by Julie Klassen
Bethany House
Sophie Dupont, daughter of a portrait painter, assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. She often walks the cliffside path along the north Devon coast, popular with artists and poets. It’s where she met the handsome Wesley Overtree, the first man to tell her she’s beautiful.
Captain Stephen Overtree is accustomed to taking on his brother’s neglected duties. Home on leave, he’s sent to find Wesley. Knowing his brother rented a cottage from a fellow painter, he travels to Devonshire and meets Miss Dupont, the painter’s daughter. He’s startled to recognize her from a miniature portrait he carries with him–one of Wesley’s discarded works. But his happiness plummets when he realizes Wesley has left her with child and sailed away to Italy in search of a new muse.
Wanting to do something worthwhile with his life, Stephen proposes to Sophie. He does not offer love, or even a future together, but he can save her from scandal. If he dies in battle, as he believes he will, she’ll be a respectable widow with the protection of his family.
Desperate for a way to escape her predicament, Sophie agrees to marry a stranger and travel to his family’s estate. But at Overtree Hall, her problems are just beginning. Will she regret marrying Captain Overtree when a repentant Wesley returns? Or will she find herself torn between the father of her child and her growing affection for the husband she barely knows?
November 23, 2015
Give Thanks in ALL Things
So far it’s been a tough holiday season. My mom’s been ill for a few years, yet her decline has been very gradual until this past month when it’s worsened like a snowball rolling downhill. Every day she seems to grows weaker, less coherent. Needless to say, it’s not easy to be thankful right now.
Yet, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 directs to be thankful in ALL circumstances. Really? How can we possibly give thanks when bad things happen? When our loved ones are hurting?
Perhaps our focus is on the wrong word. Perhaps, rather than highlighting the word ALL, we should highlight that seemingly tiny, almost invisible preposition, IN. God’s not asking us to be thankful for all circumstances, but rather IN all circumstances. Big difference.
During these difficult times, I am still thankful for so much, at the top of the list being my very large, close family. Yes, this is a tough season for all of us, but we’re all banding together, supporting–loving–Mom and Dad. My parents aren’t alone as so many elderly are. No one’s been more grateful than my dad.
So no, I’m certainly not thankful for all circumstances, but within each trial there is hope, and for that we give thanks.
November 16, 2015
Na No Nope
I signed up for NaNoWriMo with the best of intentions …
Well, let me rephrase that. I signed up with NaNoWriMo because I need to rediscover the joy of writing. My total so far? 3,328 words. Ugly, I know! There’s always something more important to do. Pay bills. Visit my sister who lives eight-plus hours away. Write blog posts. Critique other manuscripts. Household chores and daily living stuff.
In addition, my mom’s health has taken a big hit these past thirty days, with her being in the hospital for half a week, then moved to a care center so she can regain her strength. (Prayers requested!)
But the truth is, if I really desired to write, I’d make the time. Part of my problem could be my story which is book three in my Where the Heart Is series. I’m just not passionate about it, but then I wasn’t passionate about Hearts at Risk either, and every word in that novel was painfully ground out. Yet that story was a 2012 ACFW Genesis Award finalist, and all my first readers have loved it. And they loved book number two, Capturing Beauty.
Then there’s the fact that NaNoWriMo is in November, one of the busiest months of the year! Seriously, who thought this month was a good month to write a novel??? But February in Minnesota? That could work. I vote we change NaNo to February, even if it lacks the alliteration of November. Who’s with me?
Another part of the problem is that my WIP–the series–is fully contemporary romance and lacks the gritty edginess of my Coming Home series. As you know, I’m passionate about gritty stories.
So why spend time on this series?
Well, I started writing it out of frustration because my Coming Home series wasn’t gaining traction. So, I told myself, “I’ll write a stupid romance instead!”
Romance sells. Readers love romance that takes them away from their world, where my gritty stories remind readers how tough this world really is.
This series caught the eye of editors and agents (even my romances were too gritty for the agents!) where my Coming Home series never went past the proposal requests.
Apparently I write romance well, so says my first readers and critique partners.
In other words, I’m making excuses. I will keep pressing on, and I will get this book written (just not this month, nor this year) if for no other reason than, once this series is completed, I’m going back to writing gritty stories. That should be incentive enough, right? I’ve already got 3,328 words written. Only 86,672 words to go!
November 12, 2015
Hungry for Home Playlist
In my latest release, Hungry for Home, one of the prominent themes is the importance of spending time with those you love. With three kids who have suddenly become adults, and with parents who are struggling with aging issues, recognizing that life “…happens in a blink” is ever present.
Make time to be with those you love, because in a blink, they will be changed.
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12
“Blink” by Revive
November 9, 2015
Getting to Know Author Jelsa Mepsey
I had the privilege of meeting Jelsa Mepsey a little over a year ago and have followed her author journey since then. I’m so excited to see that her debut novel, Picture Imperfect, is finally out! It’s so fun to see another youthful writer get their wings, and I’m thrilled to have Jelsa visit my blog. Please welcome her!
Hi Jelsa! Thanks for visiting today! Can you tell my readers a little about yourself?
I love jelly-filled donuts and colorful pens. I hate spicy food and bugs. In college, I double majored in psychology and child learning & development with a minor in music. Currently, I work at a daycare while juggling my writing-related activities.
Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
Some people who are close to me have mentioned that Melly Hewson and I are very similar, but not quite the same. We both act like extroverted introverts and are very artistic individuals, but our family backgrounds are quite different. Also, she is a very visual learner, while I am an auditory processor. Interestingly, we score very similarly on the Myers-Briggs test as ISFJs.
When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
I play the guitar, piano, and sing at church. For exercise, I try to rock climb once or twice a week, although it’s been difficult to do that since I started work. Recently, I’ve attempted to take up longboarding. In my spare time, I also love playing board games.
More About Jelsa ~
Jelsa Mepsey writes young adult contemporary romance fiction, drawing inspiration from daily life. With her work, she is dedicated to spurring people to think about what they have taken for granted and to shed light on the issues people avoid talking about. As an Asian-American in her 20s, she is excited to explore more of the human experience as she herself journeys through life. Writing, rock climbing 5.12 routes, and playing various instruments have resulted in the formation of many calluses on her hands over the years. When not engaging in her previously mentioned hobbies, Jelsa can be found at her local library with a stack of at least ten books, naming her various pens, or staring at her dog Waffles for inspiration.
Get in Touch With Jelsa ~
Amazon | Goodreads | Blog | Facebook | YouTube
About Picture Imperfect ~
Sixteen-year-old Max Prescott knows all too well the joys of cheating girlfriends and traitorous friends. He’s not eager to have his heart trampled again, but money and a fresh start can mean the difference between happiness and a dark path with his name on it.
So when Melly Hewson, a perky and enigmatic classmate, asks him to be her model for a year-long photography project, Max agrees. Melly is everything Max isn’t. She’s outgoing, witty, and always knows the right words to say. And despite his best efforts, Max finds himself drawn to her.
Still, he isn’t stupid. He knows a girl like Melly will only use him and then never speak to him again. Besides, he’s been to that rodeo. As long as he keeps his feelings off the market, he won’t make the same mistakes as last time.
Yet underneath Melly’s sweet smiles lies a secret she’d rather kept hidden. And as the year goes on and the photos pile up, Max and Melly will find themselves developing through the negatives, a story that when told could push them to opposite ends of their world. But the only thing worst than the truth is the facade that surrounds them.
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