Friday, July 29, 2022

                                                         



                                      
Happy Funday Friday!

A big slice of the cake for me as an author involves research. I undertake this in several ways: googling the internet, reading books, or reaching out to experts for help. A couple of weeks ago, I sent a long list of questions to a book club friend of mine, who just so happens to work as an advertising manager at the Eagle-Tribune, and she invited me for a behind-the-scenes tour!

How could I refuse?

I love field trips. Don’t you?

Getting the chance to nose around and chat with each department head about their role in the publication process was mind-boggling. There is a ton of work that goes into printing a daily newspaper. Walking through the cavernous building, we even managed to catch the editor in chief who was just arriving. She kindly gave me a few moments of her time to ask questions. Listening to her was fascinating.

I learned there is still a tremendous sense of loyalty and pride for the local paper and its work. When there’s a breaking story, the well-known media companies will swoop in, but once the interest wanes, they leave to cover the next big scoop. The local paper will follow the story until its completion. Recently, the Eagle Tribune sent one of their reporters to Alabama to cover a cold case story from over thirty years ago. The fact they could bring this sad story home and finally give it the closure that still held a space in people’s hearts, highlighted why we need to continue to support our local rag. https://www.eagletribune.com/news/alabama-man-arrested-for-salem-girls-1988-murder-in-lawrence/article_67b91e76-c640-11ec-a022-7fde78a705ed.html


I also learned, that just like readers continue to love holding a physical book, people, albeit mostly the older generation, love to read a real newspaper.

In writing, my addition to the Dicken’s Holiday romance, A Tale of Two Wishes, my main character Madeline St Vincent is the editor-in-chief at the Dicken’s Chronicle. She’s determined to keep this vital business from closing, her love interest and son of the owner, Dante Alessandro, wants to shut the paper down and turn the building into an Italian market and restaurant. Find out what happens in Dec 2022. Have a great weekend everyone, Jen. x



Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Fall Happenings!


 Have you swapped your summer wardrobe for your fall clothes yet? I just packed away my shorts, and today, the sun is out and it's a balmy 70 degrees. 

What do you enjoy most about the fall?

For me, I love the riot of color on the falling leaves. I love the cooler mornings and evenings-no bugs. Sipping on peppermint hot chocolate, and cozy evenings by the fire inside or out. This time of transformation from one season to another always heralds a change inside myself, a desire to reach higher, make more goals, be more organized, make more plans, and be more energized. Every shift in the seasons is a new start, a new beginning. And I love anything that brings us back to the earth and nature.  



My latest read!
So as we prepare to hunker down, as the days get shorter, it's the perfect time to get sucked into a new book. I have been indulging in my greatest pleasure and recently read, The Mother Road by Meghan Quinn, a romantic comedy that touches on one family dealing with the loss of their mother as they fulfill her wish to take a trip along Route 66. A 5-star read! Check it out.  The Mother Road

My news!
Finally, I have a new release coming out on October, 11th, 2020 called, An Unexpected Christmas, and I'm so excited to share this with you. It's a sweet and sentimental romance, and book 1 in The Sandy Bay Series. You can pre-order your copy here. An Unexpected Christmas  

    

  



 Blurb

Jenna Hartman is attending the movie premiere of her latest release when a breaking story emerges that destroys her image and threatens her career. Forced into hiding, and with Christmas looming, the only place to retreat is Seashell Cottage in Sandy Bay. But returning home is far from easy. It means fulfilling her mom’s final requests and facing the man who broke her heart.

Farmer by day and furniture maker by night, Ryan Cooper doesn’t have time for a serious relationship. As head of his family, he’s trying to keep the business afloat. But when Tinks—aka Jenna Hartman, the childhood sweetheart who slipped through his fingers—reappears, he can’t ignore the fiery sparks between them, even if he should.

Thrown together, they share an unexpected kiss, but is that all it is?

As they spend time together revisiting the past, will Jenna be able to forgive him? Will Ryan make her realize what’s missing in her glamorous life—a family and the chance of real love?

  
Happy reading, stay safe and warm my friends!

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Happy Valentine's Day!



Valentine's Day has different meanings to different people.
To some, it is a designated day of spending time with their loved one exchanging heart-shaped cards, romantic gifts of flowers, chocolate or jewelry, maybe going out for dinner. For others, it's another day on the calendar—one that means little, if anything at all.
This year, I planned ahead. I have bought my husband a small gift and some chocolate. It really is a gesture of appreciation because honestly, if I need anything, he's always there. He is my rock. And while we don't need a day set aside to show each other how we care, in an age where we are all so busy, it's great to make an effort every now and then for those we love.

 With that in mind, I have a special offer for you. My publisher has put Forgotten Love on sale from February 14th-18th. Check it out, and enjoy!


I’m an ex-Navy SEAL. A wounded warrior with a hard-ass exterior and a checkered past to match. All I care about is my outdoor survival business—teaching others the skills they need to survive in the face of danger.

But fate has a wicked sense of humor.

From out of nowhere this brunette-beauty with the easy smile and doe-eyes walks into my life…and it’s not the first time.

Summer doesn’t remember me. But she’s the one I can’t forget.

I know that she’s in danger, and I’ll gladly give in to every protective instinct I have when it comes to keeping her safe.

There’s a reason fate sent her my way for a second time.

Only, this time…I won’t fail her.

Not again

AMAZON


My Plans for the next 3 months!

2020 is a busy year for me.  I have several books slotted for release, and two author/reader conferences  that I am attending. I have become a committee member of the Fall in love With New England Conference in October responsible for the book signing portion, which I am super excited about.
My book club, Babes with Books, which I started last September is growing, and it's a lot of fun. If you want to stay in touch, find out more about me, my books, join my romance only book club, click on the link below and sign-up for my newsletter. If you do you'll receive a free ebook.  







Next time, I will be sharing some exciting new! Till then, keep reading.





































Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Summertime Sizzle




           

Giveaways

Because I know you love to read, I'm sharing details of some amazing summertime sales. If you enjoy contemporary, paranormal, fantasy or sci-fi books then click on the link below and grab these deals while they last.
https://artofthearcane.wordpress.com/July-Free-Love-Giveaway-Giveaway





Destiny of the Witch

 
In between running my youngest kid around this summer, I am finishing the final book in The Rise of Orion series, Destiny of the Witch. It has been the hardest book to write for a variety of reasons, but I will get there.

To wet your appetite, I am sharing the cover, which I hope you love as much as I do. 

Destiny of the Witch is the culmination of five years of work focusing on the rise and fall of soul-shifter Ella Masters. She is a beautiful, haunted creature that has never believed she deserved to be happy because in her previous lives she has been betrayed, tortured, and murdered. 

In this book, as Ella attempts to keep her family safe, she faces her nemesis,  the Morrigan, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, which they believe is her husband Marcus. A vision has predicted that Ella will fight the shadow queen in the Temple of the Gods, and they have hatched a plan to outwit the devious goddess. But at the wedding of Roman De'Luca and Isabella Lockhart everything changes. On the brink of war, Ella believes her destiny is to surrender to the Morrigan to save those she loves, but there is more at play that it seems, especially when the Devil gets involved.

This is the thrilling climax to The Rise of Orion series. 

  




Fall in Love with New England Conference.


I love any event which puts me in front of the readers. I get to chat about my work, the plots in my books, meet some wonderful people who still love to read, and sell books.

I just love it.

The next great /reader conference I am attending is called Fall in Love with New England. I will be there in Nashua, NH October 18-19, 2019.

There will be giveaways, Halloween trick or treat, readers costume party, and a book signing, which is free to the public on Saturday afternoon.

Click on the link below for more information, or again email me and I can answer any questions you have.

http://fallinlovewithnewengland.com/

Forgotten Love 

My contemporary romance is only 99cents grab a copy now and enjoy book 1 in the Bound by Love series...

Link to Amazon



Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Author Theresa Van Spankeren




I love to share other authors that I meet along my writing journey, and today, I'm introducing you to hardworking with two jobs, indie author, Theresa Van Spankeren. We have know each other on Facebook for a couple of years, and I have enjoyed reading her fantasy stories.




Here is a little bit about the lady herself...


Theresa Van Spankeren lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her fiancĂ© and pug. She enjoys hiking, exploring haunted places, playing Zelda, and swimming. She has been writing almost as long as she has been reading. Her first stories were based off of The Babysitters Club. She also tried to write mysteries at an early age because she loved Nancy Drew. While she learned she was a better mystery reader than writer, it didn’t stop her love for both.


   



In high school, she started writing X-Files fanfiction with recurring vampire characters. From these stories and characters evolved the idea for the War of Destiny series. Julia, once just a half-formed secondary character in this fanfiction, had her own story to tell. Hers is one of overcoming adversity and trauma, learning to love, and discovering her strength and power to embrace her destiny. Julia’s story spans three published novels, War of Destiny 1: Lost Soul, War of Destiny 2: Pursuit into Darkness, and War of Destiny 3: Between Darkness & Light. She is currently working on releasing a 2nd edition of the first book, as well as working on other additions to the series.



Keep up to date with her latest happenings at her webpage or Social Media:

http://tvanspankeren.wixsite.com/author-blog

https://www.goodreads.com/Theresa99

https://www.facebook.com/WarofDestiny/

https://www.instagram.com/warofdestinybooks/



Thank you, Theresa for giving us some insight into your life as an author, and thanks everyone for taking a peek at my blog. I will be attending the North Andover Sheep Shearing Festival on Sunday. 19TH May, and I hope to see you there!





Remember, I have a free book out right now. It's the prequel in The Rise of Orion series, it is a shocker and not for the faint of heart. Link below.


mybook.to/BecomingtheWitch








Tuesday, March 12, 2019

New release: Forgotten Love


Forgotten Love

                                         
đź’Ąđź’ś~~~Forgotten Love~~~đź’śđź’Ą


         My #newrelease, Forgotten Love is now LIVE.


It's the first book in the Bound by Love series, which centers around four military buddies who are rebuilding their lives after serving their country and the women who give them a reason to overcome their demons and find happiness.


                   It's #free on Kindleunlimited.... 

                   Universal link to Forgotten Love Kindle version
mybook.to/ForgottenLove                   


         


Blurb for Forgotten Love


I’m an ex-Navy SEAL. A wounded warrior with a hard-ass exterior and a checkered past to match. All I care about is my outdoor survival business—teaching others the skills they need to survive in the face of danger.

But fate has a wicked sense of humor.

From out of nowhere this brunette-beauty with the easy smile and doe-eyes walks into my life…and it’s not the first time.

Summer doesn’t remember me. But she’s the one I can’t forget.

I know that she’s in danger, and I’ll gladly give in to every protective instinct I have when it comes to keeping her safe.

There’s a reason fate sent her my way for a second time.

Only, this time…I won’t fail her.

Not again.



Enjoy and I hope if you read the book, you will let me know what you think!  

Monday, March 4, 2019

Writing in local coffee shops!





As a writer, I've become comfortable secluded away in my office tapping away and creating my stories. It's where I find, I am most productive. However, there are times I venture outside and meet my fellow authors to brainstorm the writing process. Many times, we end up inside a local coffee shop. This started me thinking about whether I could, once a month, actually write in a productive way in such a location, and of course, I wanted to write about this adventure.

I decided to choose local coffee shops within a maximum of a 20 mile radius from my home, because I do not want to spend all my time driving to get there.  I want to write!

This first place, I was frothing at the mouth and super eager to visit is right on my doorstep. A mere 15 minute drive.

                                           Battle Ground Coffee Co, Riverwalk, Lawrence.

I was excited to try this place after learning that it's run by a husband and wife team, namely Dana and Salvatore DeFranco. What also piqued my interest was the fact that Salvatore is an ex-Navy SEAL. This stirred my writers mind, especially because I am creating my Bound By Love series which centers around 4 ex-military buddies who rebuild their lives after serving their country.

I felt, I needed to touch base with this entrepreneurial couple, and not only explore my ability to write in their coffee shop, but to discuss their story, and learn more about the challenges they have faced.

Anyway, I visited Battle Grounds Coffee Co's new location which has only been open a few weeks. Their second cafe is a smaller site in Haverhill. The cafĂ© I visited in Lawrence is right on Washington street with ample free parking for up to 90mins. The inside offers a spacious seating area with plenty of tables and seats for customers. They offer a variety of drinks, snacks, and wraps.





I sat at one of the tall tables at the back of the cafe looking out at the front. There were plenty of power outlets on the wall and I powered up ready to write while sipping on my lovely hot chocolate. I had hoped to visit earlier in the day, because that's when I write the most, but I didn't get there until 3 p.m. It was quiet, although a few customers called in for take-out orders, and another table was occupied by a group of local businessmen, so the distractions were kept to a minimum. For the most part, I was happy to sit and attempt to write. But perhaps, because I'm starting a new writing project, or because writing in this environment is new to me, I didn't make much progress, which only served to make me feel frustrated.

                               


I'm thinking, it may be better to spend two hours promoting while I am in a coffee shop because that doesn't require me to switch off completely. I found myself people watching and staring around which doesn't aid my writing. The coffee-shop closed at 5p.m. as part of it's soft opening and by then I was ready to leave, having only jotted some notes about this blog, and not having accomplished my objective for that day, which was to start chapter 2 for Destiny of the Witch.

Next time, I will definitely bring my headphones. I think, however, this is going to take me some time before I feel comfortable.

For those of you that do write in public places, please, share any tips you have learned over time, or stories you're willing to share, I would love to hear them.


A few more facts about Battle Ground Coffee Co, "It's a little bit about serving coffee and a lot about serving your community," I love that even after serving his country, Mr. DeFranco is giving back and helping others making it very much a part of his business philosophy. The strong couple are involved in local initiatives to help battle homelessness among the veterans and host community events in their coffee shop. Needless to say, I will be back and hopefully, I will get the chance to chat with them about how they overcame their challenges together.

"The success of your mission depends on your skill, proficiency, and attention to detail. Start with the right tools."

I also love the fact that Mr. DeFranco acknowledges the important roles his wife and mother have played in his recovery and success. He carried the skills, he learned as a child through his Navy SEAL days and uses it today in his business, quoting mental toughness and resilience which helped him discover the man he has always been even after leaving a career he had hoped to pursue for many years to come.

I wish both Dana and Salvatore DeFranco much continued success and happiness. Please, check out their coffee shops and they have an on-line presence so you can order products from anywhere.   

https://battlecoffee.com/about-us/



          Till next month, when I will be visiting another local coffee place, Cafe Nero in Andover...