Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Author Interview: Jill Kemerer, Author of Unexpected Family
Thank you for having me today!
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in farm country. We lived a few miles from Oakley, a small town in mid-Michigan. I spent a lot of time running around barefoot, playing with my sister and cousins and sitting around reading. We moved to Saginaw, Michigan when I was twelve, and I think I’ve been moving ever since!
When did you begin writing?
It was a cold January day. I was twenty years old. I’d finished my college homework, so I read a romance novel. Well, I didn’t like the book and figured I could do better than that! I grabbed a cheap spiral notebook and began writing. My characters would fall in love, and they wouldn’t have all those pesky problems the other fictional couples seemed to have. Twenty-two pages later, the book ended. Turned out the problems were the point! Yes, I had a lot to learn, but once I started writing romance, I never looked back. I’ve been writing them ever since.
Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?
I write my books during the day, but I write blog posts, short stories and other projects whenever I can sneak a few moments.
What is this book about?
Unexpected Family is about a single mom who finally gets the guts to tell her ex-husband they have a daughter. Here’s the back-copy:
His Surprise Daughter
After five years apart, Tom Sheffield is shocked to find his ex-wife, Stephanie, on his doorstep. The news that they share a child he's never met sends him reeling. Four-year-old Macy has his eyes, his mouth and, from their first encounter, his heart. Things with her mother are much more complicated. He doesn't understand what went wrong between them or why she kept their daughter a secret. And he's afraid of falling in love all over again. Yet he feels a glimmer of hope that somehow he can convince Macy and Stephanie to stay in Lake Endwell—and with him—for keeps.
What inspired you to write it?
Inspiration comes at the worst time! I was trying to fall asleep, and all of a sudden, I thought what if a guy got a call from the police saying, “Your wife and daughter were in an accident,” and the guy responded, “But I don’t have a wife or daughter”?
I got up and wrote it down. The idea would not go away, and the basis for Unexpected Family was born.
Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?
The road to publication was not only bumpy, it was steep! I wrote twelve novels and submitted nine before getting a contract. I’ve been writing for over twenty years, but I’ve only been writing full-time for eight. Last year, I finally got the call I’d been waiting for. My debut novel, Small-Town Bachelor, released in April. It, too, is set in Lake Endwell and features Tom Sheffield’s sister, Claire.
If you knew then, what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?
No. God used the time to draw me closer to him. I gained humility and confidence in my writing. I’m thankful for every step of my journey.
Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?
Readers can find purchase links to all major booksellers on my webpage for Unexpected Family. Paperbacks are available in stores such as Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Kmart and local grocery stores.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?
Never give up! And don’t let worries and doubts keep you from writing. Some authors get published with their first or second book. Some self-publish. But if you’re like me and want a traditional publisher, just keep trying. I’m living my dream, and you can too!
What is up next for you?
The third book in the Lake Endwell series will release sometime next spring, and I’m currently writing the fourth book. I love my job!
Thanks again for having me today!
Interview with Jill Kemerer, Author of Unexpected Family
Thank you for having me today!
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in farm country. We lived a few miles from Oakley, a small town in mid-Michigan. I spent a lot of time running around barefoot, playing with my sister and cousins and sitting around reading. We moved to Saginaw, Michigan when I was twelve, and I think I’ve been moving ever since!
When did you begin writing?
It was a cold January day. I was twenty years old. I’d finished my college homework, so I read a romance novel. Well, I didn’t like the book and figured I could do better than that! I grabbed a cheap spiral notebook and began writing. My characters would fall in love, and they wouldn’t have all those pesky problems the other fictional couples seemed to have. Twenty-two pages later, the book ended. Turned out the problems were the point! Yes, I had a lot to learn, but once I started writing romance, I never looked back. I’ve been writing them ever since.
Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?
I write my books during the day, but I write blog posts, short stories and other projects whenever I can sneak a few moments.
What is this book about?
Unexpected Family is about a single mom who finally gets the guts to tell her ex-husband they have a daughter. Here’s the back-copy:
His Surprise Daughter
After five years apart, Tom Sheffield is shocked to find his ex-wife, Stephanie, on his doorstep. The news that they share a child he's never met sends him reeling. Four-year-old Macy has his eyes, his mouth and, from their first encounter, his heart. Things with her mother are much more complicated. He doesn't understand what went wrong between them or why she kept their daughter a secret. And he's afraid of falling in love all over again. Yet he feels a glimmer of hope that somehow he can convince Macy and Stephanie to stay in Lake Endwell—and with him—for keeps.
What inspired you to write it?
Inspiration comes at the worst time! I was trying to fall asleep, and all of a sudden, I thought what if a guy got a call from the police saying, “Your wife and daughter were in an accident,” and the guy responded, “But I don’t have a wife or daughter”?
I got up and wrote it down. The idea would not go away, and the basis for Unexpected Family was born.
Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?
The road to publication was not only bumpy, it was steep! I wrote twelve novels and submitted nine before getting a contract. I’ve been writing for over twenty years, but I’ve only been writing full-time for eight. Last year, I finally got the call I’d been waiting for. My debut novel, Small-Town Bachelor, released in April. It, too, is set in Lake Endwell and features Tom Sheffield’s sister, Claire.
If you knew then, what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?
No. God used the time to draw me closer to him. I gained humility and confidence in my writing. I’m thankful for every step of my journey.
Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?
Readers can find purchase links to all major booksellers on my webpage for Unexpected Family. Paperbacks are available in stores such as Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Kmart and local grocery stores.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?
Never give up! And don’t let worries and doubts keep you from writing. Some authors get published with their first or second book. Some self-publish. But if you’re like me and want a traditional publisher, just keep trying. I’m living my dream, and you can too!
What is up next for you?
The third book in the Lake Endwell series will release sometime next spring, and I’m currently writing the fourth book. I love my job!
Thanks again for having me today!
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Back to School Tips for Busy Moms
I'm not sure how it is around your place, but this busy mom is balancing work and getting the kids ready to go back to school. Here are links to some back to school tips for all us busy moms.
Time management tips: http://lifeasmom.com/2012/08/5-time-management-tips-for-busy-moms-for-back-to-school-season.html
Great list of links for all kinds of good stuff: New School Year Resolutions, After-School Routine Checklist, Must-Have Apps for Moms, and more! http://life.familyeducation.com/parenting/organization/34428.html
Ways to avoid Back to School signup chaos: http://www.workingmother.com/content/4-ways-avoid-back-school-signup-chaos
Storage solutions: http://www.workingmother.com/content/11-back-school-storage-solutions
Monday, August 24, 2015
CFBA: Cold as Ice by M. K. Gilroy
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In early 2012 he put on a new hat as a fiction author. His debut novel, Cuts Like a Knife, was released in April 2012 and was met with rave reviews from USA Today, Fresh Fiction, Publishers Weekly, and other leading national reviewers. His second novel, Every Breath You Take, second in the Kristen Conner Mystery Series, released in Fall 2012 to similar acclaim. Kristen Conner returns in Cold As Ice, which releases in Fall 2014.
Gilroy has extensive writing credits. He scripted and served as creative consultant for a two-hour training video that was honored with the Award of Excellence by the International Television Association. He has compiled and written close to fifty books and penned hundreds articles and curriculum pieces for a variety of periodicals and publishers.
Gilroy and his wife Amy reside in Brentwood, Tennessee. Their six children are Lindsey, Merrick, Ashley, Caroline, Bo, and Zachary—the youngest has now headed off for college, so he and Amy are officially empty nesters.
ABOUT THE BOOK
He was a pillar in his Chicago neighborhood: popular school teacher, devoted father and husband, political activist on behalf of underprivileged children—and a master gardener who liked to plant flowers in his neighbor’s yards. What wasn’t to love about him? Who would want him dead?
When Detective Kristen Conner lands the case she knows from day one who the key suspect is. That’s simple. The person most likely to kill you is someone close that you know and love. But the wife? She was always at her husband’s side and just as passionate about his causes as he was. No way could this loving wife and mother of three be a killer. Right?
Mix in her on-again, off-again relationship with FBI Agent Austin Reynolds, a quick trip to New York City where Kristen helps her media-star sister for a new apartment—only to discover the body of a man who appears to have been executed by a professional killer on a run through Central Park—and Kristen Conner is once again swept into a world of danger, intrigue, and a confusing love life.
What she doesn’t know just might kill her.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Cold as Ice, go HERE.
Interview with Lisa Tillinger Johnsen, Author of STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF! at The Book Connection
I thought my readers would be interested in an interview posted today at The Book Connection with author Lisa Tillinger Johansen, MS, RD, author of STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF! You can find it at http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2015/08/interview-with-lisa-tillinger-johansen.html
Friday, August 21, 2015
As A Busy Mom Thinks: How I Embraced My Messy Bessy Side
I recall what a neatnik I used to be. That was long before the girls came along and way before I returned to work full time. Even when it was just John Boy and me or Paddy (what the girls call their dad), John Boy, and me things were fairly neat around here. As soon as the Lil' Diva and Lil' Princess arrived, my house exploded into a place filled with things, and lots of them too.
It wouldn't bother me so much if the girls would willingly part with the toys, games, and other kid stuff they outgrow or no longer play with; but they get their sentimental side from their dad, so they keep everything. And once I returned to working outside of the house, there was no way I could keep up the regular household chores, never mind bug them to donate some stuff.
So, for the time being, I am embracing my Messy Bessy side: keeping things just clean enough to be hygienic, but certainly not up to par with what the house used to be.
Now, if I could just reconcile myself to the garden full of weeds out in the back yard, I could be happy.
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