Married to Maggie

Feeling nostalgic this morning, I thought about my book MARRIED TO MAGGIE and the characters I created -- Maggie Gray and Tysen Vincent. Something about those two clicked for me and so did the story that came together for them. My brain was on fire with the ton of conflict I threw at them. I smiled, laughed out loud, and admittedly gave into tears a time or two while writing their journey to happily-ever-after. 

Because of the emotion Maggie and Ty evoked from me, I believe it also did the same for my readers. MARRIED TO MAGGIE became a best-seller in the romance category for a short time. I received a lot of amazing feedback, which gave me the confidence and courage to give the secondary characters their own stories.  

Voila! My first series was born. 

Kylee Steele and Quinn Randel became book two - KEEPING KYLEE

Tori Caye and Jake Garrison became book three - TAMING TORI

Nancy Reeger and Trigg Sinclair became four - NOT WITHOUT NANCY

Some folks absolutely love book series, some do not. With that in mind, I wrote each book as if it was also a standalone.

While it's been some time since I breathed life into these characters, they're still special to me.

If you'd like to get to know them, pop into Amazon and read a sample of each of their stories.

 

Texas Boys Falling Fast Series on Amazon

Thank you for sharing this nostalgic moment with me! 

Have a great day!

Love,

Jan 

 

THREE DAYS WITH MOLLY. My goal when writing Finn Riley and Molly Williams journey to happily ever after was to take them out of their comfort zones, toss conflict their way to see how they handled it (including an undeniable attraction - which can conflict those not looking to be attracted to anyone at this point in their life), and put them in close quarters where they couldn't ignore one another when things didn't go as planned.

Did I mention Finn's a country music star about to embark on a summer concert tour? According to his agent (Cork Wallace), he should have a personal assistant to take care of his day-to-day needs as they travel from venue to venue. Molly is on a three-month job hiatus thanks to her boss deciding to hop on his boat and sail to the Caribbean. Finn's agent happens to be a childhood friend of Molly who talked her into taking the PA gig. 

Here's a short scene...

Cork made the introductions. "Finn Riley, Molly Williams. Molly, Finn."

Molly didn't move her feet but stretched to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you."

The corners of Finn's generous mouth dimpled. "It's nice to meet you too." He took her hand and held it longer than necessary. When he finally let go, Molly drew her hand back like he'd pricked her with a pin. The rash movement caused the satchel carrying her laptop to slide from her shoulder and clunk onto the table, against Finn's coffee cup. Coffee sloshed everywhere. The accordion window shade took a good dousing, so did Finn's brilliant white t-shirt that read -- Without Music My Day Would Suck. The instant creases in his forehead said he was ticked. Cork's loud wince behind her said he wasn't pleased either. 

Frantic, Molly looked for something to clean up the mess. Two red hand towels embroidered with black guitars were within reach. She yanked one from the handle of the oven and laid it across the mishap that was now dripping onto some very plush beige carpet. 

What possessed her to grab the second towel to blot Finn's t-shirt was beyond comprehension. The moment her hand landed against rock-hard pecs she realized the error and didn't have to look in a mirror to know she'd turned a deep shade of uh-oh. 

If you'd like to check out the rest of the story to find out all the amusing and serious interactions that take place, you can find it on Amazon for 99 cents. Just click the Amazon link below. 

Amazon

Thank you for stopping by to read a little bit about Finn and Molly. 

Love to all of you,

Jan

  

  

Life changes you!

This morning I read a profound meme on Facebook and it prompted this post. It was about change, mostly where grief is concerned and how you're never the same after losing someone you love. The post got my gears turning about how everything in our lives (good and bad) changes us in some way. 

Are you the same person you were ten years ago? Five years ago? Last week? Yesterday? 

I can say with complete certainty I'm not the same. Not only am I outwardly changed, also inwardly.

As with most folks, I've lost people I've loved. Loss is a biggie, but it isn't the only thing that alters us -- marriage, empty nest syndrome, health, age, worldly matters, friends who've stayed, friends who've left, your first kiss, voting, school, having children, not having children, jobs, and so much more plays a part in who we are, what we think, what we do, what we value, and who we want to keep close as we go through all those changes. 

The bulk of my work life was spent as a clerk-dispatcher for an electric utility. Change beckoned and now I'm a writer, mostly contemporary romance and women's fiction. 

Because change is constant, it led me to try something new -- nonfiction.

 

Now it's leading me toward the historical fiction genre. I'm currently working on a romance set in Montana in the mid-1800's. Stay tuned to see if I can actually pull it off. *grins* 

I've learned I can either embrace change or fight it. (It's normal to fight it, at first) Spoiler alert: change will happen regardless.  

If you haven't read romance or women's fiction for a while, maybe change things up and see how those genres make you feel now. 

www.authorjanromes.com

Thanks for tuning into my first blog post of the year!

Love,

Jan