Showing posts with label Jen FitzGerald. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jen FitzGerald. Show all posts

3/15/2018

LONE STAR LOVE

Yesterday's post introduced you to the 17 short stories in the North Texas Romance Writers of America chapter's 35th anniversary anthology.

For today, I've asked all the authors three questions so you could get to know them a little better. 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!


Lone Star Love is a collection of short stories set in Dew Drop, Texas
during the annual sweet tea festival and the book is completely FREE


Linda Bolton: refreshing

Clover Autrey: That's it's sweet? 

Tammy Jo Burns: Please don’t stone me, but I don’t like sweet tea anymore. But I love unsweet tea and all the refreshing flavors it comes in, especially mint!

Amanda Byrd: Wow - sweet tea! What can one say? Erm… I don’t like sweet tea. I like the sharp bite of tea without the syrup-sweet.  Sweet in other ways, though, like chocolate, now you have my number!

Christine Crocker: Since I’m diabetic I only drink unsweet tea but a tall glass of iced tea is the best drink for a sweltering Texas summer day.

Gena Ellington: The way it cools and refreshes your body! Especially after 60 minutes of hard work at the gym!

Jen FitzGerald: The Sweet! I had a wicked sweet tooth as a kid and young adult, and sweet tea was a great way to quench my thirst and quell the sweet tooth at the same time, especially here in Texas where it gets super-hot and humid in the summer.

Fenley Grant: My favorite way to drink sweet tea is mixed with lemonade (an Arnold Palmer).

Eva Jameson: I’ve been a Southern gal long enough to enjoy sweet tea. But being originally from Central New York, where the only seasons are winter and the Fourth of July, I prefer my iced tea without the sweet. (Shhh, I’d rather put the sugar on my grits.)

Risa Leigh:  Sweet tea brings everyone together.

Gina Nelson: Um....not too sweet. Half and half, please.

Carolyn Rae: I like it with lots of lemon.

Marsha R. West: My mother made it this way.
Linda Bolton: I'd love to own the Bed & Breakfast or a Bookstore.

Clover Autrey: Antique Store--with lots of pretty teacups. 

Tammy Jo Burns: I think I definitely wrote "The Winning Bid” to what I would be — involved in the school whether it be librarian, teacher, counselor, or principal.

Amanda Byrd: I would own the antiques store. I am a freak for all things with a story.  I love wood. And the smell of age.  And crazy knowledge of how that odd piece of metal used to be cutting-edge technology!

Christine Crocker: I don’t believe I’d own a business but I’d have my favorite table with a couple of cronies at Sweetie’s Tea Cup Café. I would be that outrageous old lady (never mean-spirited or malicious) who knows everything about everybody and sticks her nose into everyone’s business -- for their own good of course.



Gena Ellington: The Brew House.
Jen FitzGerald: As a teen, I used to ponder owning and operating a little diner, so something like that, that serves delicious and filling soups and casseroles along with heavenly breads and rolls.

Fenley Grant: The business I’d own in Dew Drop is the antiques store. I love history and antiques.

Eva Jameson: In Dew Drop, I’d probably publish the town’s local website and newspaper and to keep everyone up to date on the Iced Tea Festival and the great things our Dragons out at Dew Drop High are up to.

Risa Leigh:  Olivia went home to care for her sick mother and revealed a need for home health care services in Dew Drop.  Great business opportunity!

Gina Nelson: Western wear.

Carolyn Rae: A bakery.

Marsha R. West: A book store.
Linda Bolton: In THE ANNIVERSARY, Maggie and Sean - despite their age difference - show love has conquered all.

Clover Autrey: In ALONE MALONE, the Plain Jane heroine realizes how beautiful she is seen by others. 

Tammy Jo Burns: In THE WINNING BID, the wounded warrior aspect, for sure and how he had to figure out he could be a man even without a leg before coming home to her.

Amanda Byrd: About THE PROMISE, the best thing is it was my first short story ever.  It’s amazing how hard to fit romance and a Happily-Ever-After in less than 3500 words. But the challenge stuck since I decided to write two more.

Amanda Byrd: For TRUST, Mina just blew me away!  I had no idea she’d take me in that direction, but I learned that sometimes you just have to trust the character and where she’s taking you.

Amanda Byrd: As for HOPE, I think I love that Lacey is all of us.  She’s that girl that sat in the corner alone because everyone else thought she was a freak. She learns to live with it and has the opportunity for that Happily Ever After. I’d love to pursue Lacey and Walker’s story in more detail.  I haven’t decided how it will play out, but a cozy mystery series about a West-Texas vet with clairvoyant visions may be in my future!

Christine Crocker: In THE LOVE CURSE, that the hero doesn’t give up on the heroine and fights for her.

Christine Crocker: In GIRL TROUBLE, I loved the two kids. I asked my 10 year old grandson, Ethan, what he would do if a girl came up to him and plastered his face with kisses – his answer was exactly what I used for A.J.’s reaction. And my grand-daughter, Emma, is a terrible flirt. Naturally I patterned Angela after her. Like the father in my story, my son-in-law is in for rough teen years with that one. LOL

Gena Ellington: While LIES ABOUT COFFEE is a love story, my favorite part is the dedication to friendship.

Gena Ellington: In MYSTERY MARINE, the effort to "court" someone in a truly honest manner seems so lost these days. It was nice to give it a small tribute.  

Jen FitzGerald: My favorite thing about A BID FOR LOVE, huh? This took some thought, 'cause there are a lot of things I like about my own story, lol. :0) After my two heroes--because what's not to love about two nice, good looking men??--I really like the relationship between Wyatt and his daughter Shelby.

Fenley Grant: My favorite thing about WARRIOR is my main character is a veteran. I’m an Army brat, so the military is close to my heart.

Eva Jameson:  I love stories where love can heal the past and promise tomorrow. In CONQUERING HIS ELEPHANTS, Jazz is caught in his past and not ready to embrace his future. Until Suzie shows up. He chooses to fight for her and to hope for a future sweeter than pecan pie.

Risa Leigh:  You make your own luck, some say. The same could be said about finding love. When you take a step in the direction of your dreams, the most extraordinary things can happen in the most ordinary places.

Gina Nelson: In MAN OF STEEL, I highlight the vulnerability of the hero. What would it be like to return home from a tour of duty damaged both physically and mentally? Who is the woman who could make you believe you're still worthy of love? My favorite thing about my story is when the hero realizes he still has something to offer those he loves.

Carolyn Rae: The hero in A HOT TIME IN DEW DROP. A hunky fireman and a tenderhearted paramedic.

Marsha R. West: In THE COLONEL AND HER MAJOR, I love that it’s a seasoned romance and shows it’s never too late for love.

WHERE DO YOU READ SHORT STORIES?
Get Lost on Facebook   @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories
AND OUR Facebook Group: The Readers’ Spot

UP NEXT ON GLIAS:  Amanda McIntyre's having a St. Paddy's release party!

3/14/2018

Lone Star Love

Celebrating 35 years 
as a Romance Writers of America chapter
NORTH TEXAS RWA
presents
a collection of short stories
set in Dew Drop, Texas
during the annual sweet tea festival
and the book is completely FREE



HAVE A GLASS OF
SWEET TEA & 

MEET THE AUTHORS




THE ANNIVERSARY
Age is no boundary when it comes to love. 

Maggie and Sean are celebrating their twelfth anniversary and stop into Dewdrop to enjoy fireworks and the bed and breakfast. They share a bit of their story and show their age difference doesn't dampen their love for one another.

Linda Bolton 
@lindalou42

ALONE MALONE
When soap star Ty Harrington returns home, everyone believes he's there to win back the Homecoming Queen, not mousy awkward Malone. Did they even know each other in high school beyond geek tutoring the football hero? 

Clover Autrey


THE WINNING BID
When the winning bid isn’t enough, can love find a way?

The only man she ever loved rejected her when they needed each other most. Now that he’s back, can she set aside the betrayal for the promise of a future together?

Tammy Jo Burns 

THE PROMISE
Some promises are just meant to be.

Cace left without a word then shows up four years later. Can Sunny forgive him long enough to understand why?

Amanda Byrd

TRUST
For Mina and Garrett, love was never the problem.

Love is hard enough to keep fresh and alive in a marriage. But when there’s no trust…someone has to find a way.

Amanda Byrd

HOPE
When everyone thinks you’re crazy… You don’t hope to find love.

Lacy Flannigan followed disaster to thwart catastrophe. People around her thought she was crazy. It took a stranger to see the truth.

Amanda Byrd 


THE LOVE CURSE
Sometimes the dead keep on killing.

Small town girl, Merilee Porter, and cosmopolitan Englishman, Nigel Lawson are in love; until they run afoul of a vengeful spirit. 

Christine Crocker

GIRL TROUBLE
Kisses, dares and memories reclaimed.

Sugar and spice and everything nice that’s what little girls are made of.’ But to ten year old A.J., girls like Angela are YUCK! Worse luck, his Mom and her Dad used to be an item.

Christine Crocker

LIES ABOUT COFFEE
Actions speak louder than words...or do they?

Dr. Henderickson of Dew Drop swings by the Brew House every morning for coffee from the owner, Allie Myers. When her friend, and top barista, has a medical  emergency, she steps in to help, but Dr. H has a different solution in mind.

Gena Ellington

MYSTERY MARINE
Who needs online dating when there are romance books at the library!

Josie Kincaid thinks she found the man of her dreams... at the library. They've been leaving letters to each other, hidden in books, but will he say yes when she pushes to meet face to face?

Gena Ellington

A BID FOR LOVE
How much would you pay for a chance at love?

My dad and Mr. Mateo like each other. A lot. For some reason, Dad thinks he and Mr. Mateo can't be boyfriends. I think it's because of me. But Dad deserves someone who cares about him and makes him smile, and Mr. Mateo does that. I did what had to be done.

Jen FitzGerald

WARRIOR
Does pie really fix everything?

Katrina Stone lost a lot in Afghanistan, but not her soul…or her mate. Finding her way home has been a long journey, but the final segment doesn’t have to be alone.

Fenley Grant 

CONQUERING HIS ELEPHANTS
Trust love to heal yesterday and promise tomorrow.

Former Navy SEAL Jasper “Jazz” DeGroot is evading his memories by escaping to an abandoned pecan farm outside of Dew Drop, Texas. But he’s also eluding the woman who made him feel too much. Then Suzie Quinn shows up on the anniversary of his losing his best friend in the Sandbox, and he’s overwhelmed with one emotion in particular – hope.

Eva Jameson

BREAKFAST AT SWEETIE'S
Moving on starts with one step.

Who knew finding love was as easy as going to breakfast? Dad, of course!

Risa Leigh 


MAN OF STEEL
Will their love stand the test of war?

Home from war, a tattered soldier finds a love that heals.

Gina Lee Nelson

Lose a bakery…gain a hot fireman.

When Diedra’s bakery burns to the ground and her life should be over…will the search for the arsonist bring love to her door?

Carolyn Rae 

THE COLONEL AND HER MAJOR
Love finds a way at any age.

Can two retired military find love in Dew Drop?

Marsha R. West

Download from Smashwords for FREE
 Rafflecopter Drawing will be on Monday (3/19) Morning
DO YOU ENJOY READING SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS?

1/31/2018

Ten Rigs Texas Tale

COMING TO GRIPS
a Ten Rigs Texas Tale book #5

Hunky ranch hand Kyle Adams has been in love with his best friend for longer than he cares to admit even though Chase has never looked sideways at another man. 

Gorgeous wrangler Chase Lewis has just come out of a four-year relationship with a crazy woman

When Chase is injured by a spooked horse and temporarily loses the use of a hand, Kyle's right there to offer his support.

The two are already best friends and roommates... Will Kyle confess his feelings and take a chance on becoming more?
READ A LITTLE, BUY THE BOOK

JEN FITZGERALD has loved romance since her Winnie the Pooh days. Christopher Robin and Piglet have always been platonic soulmates. As a teen, Jen cut her romance teeth on Silhouette’s teen romance line and Danielle Steele books concurrently. She’s still an avid reader, but these days, Jen has added writing romances of her own to her list of fun things to do.

Jen lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband and dog. Their three children are now adults and out terrorizing the world at large instead of them. When not working her day job, Jen spends a lot of time reading, writing, watching sports, and perusing her social media platforms of preference. She also enjoys music, cross stitching, and chatting online with writer friends.

SOCIAL MEDIA

THE Q&A
ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?
JEN: Every day, pretty much. I can’t not read on a daily basis. For sure, before I go to bed because it helps me wind down and be ready to fall asleep when I shut off the light. Sometimes I start the day reading as well; it also helps kill time at the gym on the treadmill & stationary bike. If I need a break during the day, I’ll pull up whatever I’m currently reading on my phone and get a much-needed time out.

ANGI: What’s your favorite thing about your book’s hero?
JEN: My favorite thing about Kyle is his passion. He loves sci-fi a lot and reads those serialized Star Wars novels. He also loves baseball and knows a ton of baseball trivia. Kyle and Chase watch a ton of baseball. Kyle also loves Chase an awful lot-- Enough to brave a hospital. Enough to cancel his trip to his first ever sci-fi con. Enough to plan their first date at a baseball game.

ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
JEN: Oh, the tough questions. The one that comes to mind immediately is the first Star Trek reboot movie. I just loved it to death and have seen it close to 200 times. I think I killed my DVD player.

ANGI: Salad or soup?
JEN: Both?? If I had to choose one, though, I’d pick a rich delicious soup because I’m always fighting being cold, even in the summer in Texas. Homemade chicken soup, veggie beef, lentil… Mm, mm good!!

ANGI: Would you put yourself in a Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?
JEN: I don’t even know, because some fairy tales have plenty of action & adventure, which, I’m so not that action/adventure girl. And fairy tales usually have an evil element to them, and I’m all about the sunshine, roses, unicorns and butterflies. What if we do a mashup--maybe something like the movie Penelope I could handle. (my second favorite movie!)

ANGI: Favorite TV rerun you watch every time you channel surf? 
JEN: I don’t channel surf as a rule. I turn on the TV / Netflix with the intent to actually watch something specific, but if I just want background noise while I’m crafting, I’ll pick either Star Trek Voyager or Star Trek Deep Space Nine.

ANGI: Champagne or Soda?
Jen's Favorite Place to Write
JEN: If I choose to drink something other than water, it’s usually unsweet tea, but if forced (lol) to choose soda, I’ll pick root beer every time.

ANGI: Geek or Jock?
JEN: At this point in my life I’m ALL ABOUT the (hockey) jocks. Sidney Crosby makes my teeth sweat.

NGI’s GOTTA ASK: Show me your shoes! What’s your favorite pair of shoes & why? 
JEN’S GOTTA ANSWER: My favorite pair of shoes are actually slippers. I wear shoes only when necessary. I have about four pair of identical slippers, save the color, that I wear every day, even to work. Well, I don’t wear all four pair each day, but I you know what I mean. :0)

ANGI: The most daring thing you’ve ever done… Care to share?
JEN: A few years ago, I traveled *alone* to attend a Sherlock Holmes fan-run con in Atlanta. The flying part was okay, but navigating across the city of Atlanta, where I’d never been before,*alone* and attending a con *alone* when so many people know each other from attending other cons was a bit daunting for an introverted home-body. But I did it and had a blast.
  



UP NEXT for JEN:

a Ten Rigs Texas Tale book #6

Book six is written and ready to go save a NEW title and updated cover. The original title is a bit misleading in terms of what’s between the covers (not as much fun as one would think), so I have to figure something else out and do it soon. While I have a lovely cover, it has the original title still. But I’ve included the link to an excerpt nonetheless. If the excerpt is intriguing and you want to know when it’s finally out in the world, you can sign up for notifications (not a newsletter).


PREVIOUS RELEASES by JEN:
FOR THE LOVE OF SCOTT
a Ten Rigs Texas Tale book #1

LOVE ON DECK
a Ten Rigs Texas Tale book #2

ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE
a Ten Rigs Texas Tale book #3


JEN is giving away:  As you mentioned, book one is a free download, so I’m happy to offer coupons for a free download via Smashwords for books 2 through 5 to three random commenters. (any or all books) And listen, I get that LGBTQ romance isn’t everyone’s cuppa, so, you know, I’d love to have folks comment even if they’re not interested in the books. (and feel free to decline being in the drawing, if that’s the case; no hard feelings!)
UP NEXT ON GLIAS:  Karilyn Bentley
Angi Morgan
Get Lost on Facebook   @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories
AND OUR NEW Facebook Group: The Readers’ Spot 

JEN WANTS TO KNOW: I wish I had some fans! I’ll have to borrow the GLIAS fans for now to ask: who’s your biggest celebrity crush. After Sidney Crosby, whom I mentioned above, Benedict Cumberbatch makes me swoon pretty dang hard.