Showing posts with label Nan Jacobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nan Jacobs. Show all posts

Saturday Book Excerpts

Make sure to read and comment today and you might win a copy of one of these books. And remember to come back tomorrow for the final day of the White Christmas Book Jubilee!


Blurb:
Railroad conductor Lee Donovan has struggled to raise his nine-year-old son Alex since the death of his wife and twin toddlers. He is fed up with the busybodies and school personnel who refuse to believe a single father can be a capable parent.

As the second anniversary of the Christmas Eve tragedy approaches, Alex grows increasingly agitated, insisting that his siblings' spirits want to take him to their mother. Lee grudgingly admits that he needs help and turns to Bethany Parks, the school librarian with whom Alex has developed a bond—and whose earlier offer of help Lee had curtly rebuffed.

What follows surprises them all, but brings wonderful gifts: the healing power of forgiveness and the promise of love.


Excerpts:

A burst of raucous music reached Lee's ears. Chuck Berry? A librarian and three maiden aunties listened to rock 'n roll? Lee followed the sound and drew up short when he found her.

Laughing, oblivious to her audience, the mousy Miss Parks flipped herself away from a sewing mannequin in a surprisingly good imitation of a jitterbug. As he watched, she bent at the waist, tossed her hair--her long, gloriously wavy and loose hair!--in a circle. The lamp behind her threw a burnished halo through the blur of hair as it whispered to a frothy halt all over her shoulders. She giggled and swung herself around the mannequin with a swoosh of her plaid skirt. Her eyes met his; her mouth formed an appalled 'O' and her joyous step out of character came to a dead stop. The mannequin did a few last happy circles before spinning helplessly onto its side.

Lee couldn't help it. He smiled at her. Without his permission, his hand reached toward her and his lips moved. "Need a real live partner, Bethany?"

Eyes wide, she clutched her skirt in bunches.

Hell. Good girls don't dance with bad boys. Lee lowered his hand just as Bethany breathed out, "Yes, please."

She looked as though she wanted to run. Lee almost turned and ran, himself, but he'd offered; she'd accepted.

Now he had to... no. He wanted to.



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Blurb:
As a child, Simone Littleton adores the European folktale that animals are given the gift of speech at midnight on Christmas Eve. She makes a wish to talk to animals “forever and ever” and, when her pet Dalmatian asks her for a biscuit, she discovers her wish has been granted. Now Simone is all grown up and she uses her unique gift to rehabilitate unwanted horses. When racehorse trainer Chet Wallace rolls into San Antonio, with chocolate eyes and dimples blazing beneath his black Stetson, romantic sparks fly. He is immediately drawn to the beautiful woman who has a mesmerizing affect on both his horses and his dog, but his less than enthusiastic response to Simone’s claims threatens their budding romance. It takes a scheming Jack Russell terrier and a dose of Christmas magic to convince Chet she just may be telling the truth.

Excerpts:

“So this is why all your animals are named after artists.” Her gentle voice washed over him, soothing his nerves.

He turned and there she was, hair full of hay like always. She looked particularly welcoming today, though, wearing a soft pink sweater that hugged her curves. Her hair was on top of her head in a ponytail rather than her usual braid. He had to press down the urge to loosen the fastener and let it tumble over her shoulders in thick, blonde waves.
He gulped. Hard. Just looking at her was almost enough to take his breath away. “Happy Thanksgiving, Simone.”

She came closer, ponytail swinging, and stood next to him. Close enough so he felt almost intoxicated by the orchid fragrance. “Happy Thanksgiving. I can’t believe you painted this. It’s breathtaking. When I close my eyes and picture Buttercup in my mind, she looks exactly like this.”

It was a nice compliment. The special gleam in Chet’s eye came not from her kind words, but from the fact Simone stood close to him and looked at him in the way Ted had observed in the kitchen the night before. Yes, there was something between them all right. He felt it in every nerve ending in his body. “Thanks. It’s just a hobby really.”

“You are quite the Renaissance Man, Chet.” She punched him playfully in the shoulder. “You’re just one surprise after another. What am I going to find out about you next?”

“Well, if I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise now, would it?” His gazed locked with hers and he winked.


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Saturday Book Interviews

Hi Nan. Tell us about your holiday release.

"Twilight Whispers" is a short story (36 pages), set in the early sixties, and takes place on a train and around a train station. The healing power of forgiveness and the gift of love are the heart of the story. Without giving too much away, I can say that it has a light paranormal element to it; nothing dark, scary, or hairy. Just underwear in the air.

I love titles. How did you come up with this one?

Much of the story takes place at twilight, and strange whispering noises make the hair on the back of Bethany's (heroine's) neck stand up. Plus… I like the way both words look in print! It still puzzles me, though, whether it refers to the whispers that occur at twilight time, or if the twilight itself is actually whispering. If anyone figures that out, please advise… hehe!

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

Only incidental research. My husband, son and I went into a coal mine once, which eventually popped out in the hero's back story, for instance. We took a ride on the New Hope-Ivyland Railroad to get a feel for the specific setting, and I had to consult Billboard's Top Ten charts for the '60s (because I was just a wee little girl at the time)!

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?


Almost ten years ago, my local RWA chapter, Bucks County Romance Writers, (http://buckscorw.org/) chose a topic and members wrote anything at all about it, to see how many different stories would come out of one subject. We decided to use the New Hope-Ivyland Railroad and Bucks County, PA. Several wonderful stories came out of that endeavor, and I hope to convince the others to submit their stories to The Wild Rose Press for consideration as an anthology.


Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

I loved them all, but found Lee, the hero, to be the most intriguing, maybe because he has the most compelling back story. In the 1960s, single fathers weren't common; in the event of separation or divorce or death, kids often either stayed with the mother or a female stay-at-home relative, or might be taken into foster care or a state home in the absence of a female caregiver. The notion that men are somehow lacking as a parent because they aren't as open with their emotions, and because they're perceived to be breadwinners, not homemakers, has always bothered me. This, fortunately, has changed in the years since Lee had to deal with being a single dad with no support system!

Where can we get in touch with you and purchase your book?

First, I'd like to thank Cindy for organizing this White Christmas Jubilee, and thank those who have taken part in it—both authors and readers!

I love to hear from people. You can reach me at my website, http://nanjacobs.com , or via my blog, Silver Fox Tales http://silverfoxtales.blogspot.com/. Contest #2 "It's In The Details" is still open on Silver Fox Tales, with a deadline of Dec 23rd 2008; winners announced on Dec 24th. Please do check it out. You could win a $15.00 gift certificate to amazon.com or thewildrosepress.com!

You can purchase Twilight Whispers at The Wild Rose Press . I wish you all a very happy holiday season. Party on!

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Hi Teri. I love this cover. Tell us about your holiday release.

My holiday release this year is the first book in a new series I have with The Wild Rose Press called Hoofbeats & Heartstrings. All the romance novels in the Hoofbeats & Heartstrings series celebrate love, miracles and the beauty of horses. Each book takes place on a horse rescue farm and a portion of all the proceeds from Hoofbeats & Heartstrings are donated directly to help horses in need at Saddlebred Rescue. Book One is called Do You Hear What I Hear?, and is based on a European folktale that says animals are given the gift of speech at midnight on Christmas Eve.

I love titles. How did you come up with this one?

I chose Do You Hear What I Hear as the title first and foremost because it is the title of a well known Christmas carol, but also because that particular carol involves animals talking to people. One of the lines of the song Do You Hear What I Hear says, “Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy…do you hear what I hear?”

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

I did need to do some horse research, as my hands-on experience with horses is somewhat limited. I took dressage lessons for a while, but apparently not long enough to know that straw and hay are most definitely not the same thing! A dear friend of mine who is a horse expert reads all my Hoofbeats & Heartstrings manuscripts and sometimes has a good laugh and my mistakes. Then she fixes them for me, bless her soul. As far as mischievous little dogs go, I have plenty of experience in that department.

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

I actually started this book as a short story I wanted to write and enter in the Thoroughbred Times short fiction contest. Simone and Chet were supposed to be enemies all throughout the story. But no matter how hard I tried, they wanted to fall in love. After struggling to write it purely as a horse story for a week or so, I gave up and re-started it as a full-fledged romance. I adored it!

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

Pollock was the most fun to write. He is a naughty little Jack Russell Terrier with a heart of gold who really just wants to see his human happy. It was fun coming up with ways that a dog could be a matchmaker.

Where can we get in touch with you and purchase your book?

I love to hear from readers, who can contact me at puppylove@satx.rr.com . They can also visit my website at www.teriwilson.net to learn more about Hoofbeats & Heartstrings and all my other writing projects. Do You Hear What I Hear is available now as an e-book at The Wild Rose Press and Fictionwise. It releases in print on February 13, 2009 at Amazon.com.

Saturday's Featured Authors

Welcome to the Weekend Edition of our White Christmas Book Jubilee. We have two more authors to introduce you to and two more books up for grabs. So, come on in and say hello. From the participants today, two names will be drawn so please speak up.


Nan Jacobs


Nan Jacobs is a native of Bucks County, PA (the setting of her book Twilight Whispers) with her husband, son, two sassy black cats, three l'il bunnies, a koi named Detmer and a herd of tow trucks.

Teri Wilson


Teri Wilson loves romance, dogs and wearing pink. Her stories are often filled with happy endings, splashes of humor and a loveable critter or two. After all, Cinderella never would have lived happily ever after without a little help from her animal friends! Teri is the winner of the 2008 Spaniel Journal Writing Contest, the 2006 Westminster Kennel Club Angel on a Leash Writing Award and the 3rd place winner of the 21st Annual American Kennel Club Short Fiction Contest. She lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband, son and three delightful dogs.