Powering into 2025

I love when the calendar flips from one year to the next because it feels like a fresh start. In order to power forward though, it's good to reflect on how the previous year had gone.

2024 was a year of firsts: 

That's us crossing the finish line!

Hubby and I took part in four 5k run-walks. We mostly walked, but we also ran a little so we could say we ran in the 5k. In one particular race, I won my first medal ever!! To be honest, there were only 2 of us in my age group. I was bound to win a medal regardless. Still, it made me grin to walk up and accept it. 

I published my first non-fiction book. Ignite Your Creativity. It's a quick guide to stirring your talent, with 99 writing prompts. I have to admit it was a fun and easy book to write. (They all don't have to be difficult. Right?)

Another exciting project was to dust off a story I'd written eons ago - a historical romantic fiction set in the 1800's. It was a challenge to get Love's Intuition in ship-shape since I'd originally composed the story when I knew very little about story structure. I loved doing research for the time period.

Writing Christmas stories wasn't new for me, but writing one with a royal flair took me down a whole different path. I enjoy watching Hallmark movies and thought I'd try my own version of a royal Christmas story. Voila! I put Prince Frederik Ian Vincent of Waltingham and Ayvri Scott together in The Prince's Christmas Wish.

So what lies ahead for 2025?

First and foremost, giving thanks to God for another year! 

More 5k run-walks? Absolutely. Hopefully even a 10k. 

Another non-fiction book? I have the kernel of an idea for one. I'll have to give it more thought, but it's a strong possibility. 

I'm already working on book 4 in my Coffee & Dessert in Key West Series. This is Rhianne's story. My hope is to publish it either late March or early April. 

I also have 11 pages written so far for a friends-to-lover's story, which I hope to publish in the summer. 

In March I'll be taking part in an author meet and greet with other authors at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, OH.

I'll be speaking to a fine group of women in September about my books and the writing process.

Reading is always a big part of my life. I hope to enjoy lots of downtime with my nose buried in a book.

  

A river cruise with friends in the southeast part of the U.S. will happen in the spring.    

Hopefully we'll be visiting our daughter and her family in Nebraska a few times this year and explore the Corn Husker State with them.

My greatest wish for 2025 is to stay focused on what's important:  faith, family, friends, and country, everything else is just a bonus. 

Much love to all of you!

~ Jan

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

 

 

  

 

Yep...I'm a foodie! Cherry-chocolate-walnut muffins!

It's been a while since I've put together a post and I thought I'd rectify that by sharing a recipe I recently made for cherry, chocolate, walnut muffins.

Did I mention I not only write humorous romance and women's fiction, but I'm also a foodie who likes to experiment with recipes? (The characters in my stories sometimes share my passion for food as well. Danna in my Coffee & Dessert in Key West Series is a foodie and the man she falls for loves to cook. It's a win-win for them). 

I'm not even close to being classified as a good cook, but I give it my best effort. And the things I make seldom turn out the same way twice because I'm a recipe modifier. I use what I have on hand at the time, that's how the cherry-chocolate-walnuts came to be. Sometimes the food turns out fantastic, sometimes not. On the more-than-rare occasion where the concoction didn't turn out the way I thought it would, we eat it anyway. At the end of the meal, my husband and I almost simultaneously say, "Yeah, that's not happening again." 😂 This recipe, however, wasn't a flub. 

I modified the recipe I use for banana nut muffins (which I believe I originally got from Pinterest, although not for certain since it's been a few years). 

1 10 ounce bag of frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed. (I put them in my Magic Bullet to chop them up, but not liquify them)

1/3 cup melted butter 

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup of chopped walnuts 

1 cup of chocolate chips 

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 22 minutes. *Every oven seems to be different. Keep an eye on them. At the 20-minute mark, they may be perfect for you or they may need a few more minutes. Adjust accordingly.* 

The mixture resembles mud! 😆 

And the finished product.... Voila! 

If you prefer to make banana-walnut muffins instead of these, in place of the cherries use 3 to 4 ripe mashed bananas.

Until next time, fellow foodies, take good care! Happy creating!

~ Jan

Side note -- if you'd like to check out my Coffee & Dessert in Key West Series, you can find it on Amazon. (Books 1 & 2 are available. Book 3 should be finished in June)

 

Craving absolute silence...

This is my first blog post of 2023. I've missed compiling posts, yet I didn't have anything specific to say. Today, I thought about the hiatus I'm currently taking (and not doing so great at staying away) from social media and decided to write a few thoughts on the subject.

Recently, I found myself craving absolute silence - no news programs, internet usage, cell phones, computer screens, ear buds, headphones, nothing technology related. I decided a break from all of it was in order. I envisioned a lot of amazing quiet. 

Ha! That lasted about three hours and I found myself scrolling through my Twitter timeline and then popped into Facebook to see if anyone had left me any private messages. I also have an Instagram account and one for LinkedIn, so I checked out both of them.

I thought working on my current book (ERIN, book 3 in my Coffee & Dessert in Key West Series) would be enough of a distraction to help me disconnect from the outside world, at least for a few days. Again...ha! What is it about the social media climate that is so powerfully addictive? I've tried to understand the effect it has on me. Is it the political viewpoints from all over the world that keeps me coming back for more? Or is it the multitude of witty personalities that draw me in? I'd say it all plays a part, as well as my interaction with other writers, entertainers, photographers, painters, jewelry makers, foodies, chefs, and so many other talented people that I enjoy following. Honestly, social media has opened my world and changed my perspectives on some things. There are days it drives me absolutely crazy, and I want to back away. Other days I'm inspired by it and want to chat everybody up.  

How does social media affect you? Are you also overwhelmed some days and all-in other days? Tell me it's not just me. 

Thanks for stopping by to read my ramblings!

All the best to you and yours,

Jan

www.authorjanromes.com

P.S. Now that I've broken through the drought of no ideas to post, I'll bug you with a lot more. 

  

 

The Great Mistletoe Project: Getting to know Garrett

I love writing Christmas stories! Each one I've written has a special place in my heart. The setting for THE GREAT MISTLETOE PROJECT is Ohio (my stomping grounds).  

Today I'm doing a segment about hunky, millionaire Garrett Levi Turner, the male character in the story.

 

GETTING TO KNOW GARRETT...

"It's time to get to know you, Garrett Levi Turner." The multi-millionaire had lived in Starlight Shores for a handful of years. In that time, Julie had only caught a glimpse of him and it had been from behind as he'd entered a restaurant. 

While his photos had been splashed everywhere, she never paid much attention to his looks or the fine details of his life. Tonight, her curiosity ran amok. She wanted to learn everything she could before meeting him face to face in the morning. The click of the mouse opened a digital information bank that would take days to sort through. Julie homed in on a slew of pictures taken by professional photographers, journalists, and stalking novices that tried to catch Garrett unaware. "Jet black hair. Dark brown eyes. Thick eyebrows. A crooked smile. You don't look so frightening." She read aloud from one of the hundreds of articles involving the magnate. "In his twenties, Garrett L. Turner bought crumbling apartment complexes, renovated the dwellings, and sold them for three times his initial investment. At thirty, he made the list of the youngest millionaires in the world. Blah. Blah. Blah. Wait. A millionaire at thirty? Who does that unless they're from old money?" Julie downed another mouthful of coffee. "Parents: August and Marianne Turner. Middle child of nine. Sisters: Karen, Layla, CiCi, and Lori. Brothers: Brodey, Rusty, Stan, and James. He grew up on a farm in northwest Ohio." She sat back and considered the specifics. "I was wrong. You're not from old money. You're from back breaking work and sweat." Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine him dressed in a flannel shirt and torn blue jeans, with a hay hook in his hand, instead of exquisitely decked out in an expensive suit, crisp white shirt, and a tie that probably cost as much as her monthly rent. Stretching her neck from side to side, she opened her eyes and went on to the next article. "After achieving financial success with his real estate dealings, Garrett Turner took another huge risk and bought a minor league hockey team. Two seasons later, an interested party made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and voila, another sizeable profit." Some people had the Midas touch. Garrett Turner was one of them.

Julie pushed her glasses higher on her nose and studied the high school photo of Garrett in a football jersey. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a can-do look in his eyes, he appeared to be a formidable foe on the football field. According to what she'd read thus far, he was also a force to be reckoned with in business. A whiz with numbers, he received a college scholarship to pursue a career in finance. "And you've never looked back, have you?

* If you'd like to read more about Garrett and Julie's journey to happily ever after, you can find it on Amazon. Just click the link below:

The Great Mistletoe Project on Amazon