New Victory Island Release

 

Well, it's here! Book number two of my Victory Island Series, The Warrior's B & B. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did to write it!  It is the story of Derick and Sage, two characters in the first book of the Victory Island Series, Moonlight Cowboy (shown below).

The premise of the story is:  Is it possible for a man to fall in love with two different women and never suspect they are the same person? 

The Warrior's B & B is on sale now until October 31, 2024!

Amazon Kindle $1.99

All other eBooks available here

Paperback $9.99

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A busker's job has its risks, like a kick in the shins from an unruly child. But the moonlighting cowboy soon discovers he needs to protect his heart.

Moonlight Cowboy is on sale as well until October 31, 2024!

Amazon Kindle $1.99

All other eBooks available here

Paperback $9.99

The Warrior's B & B

Well, it's here! Book number two of my Victory Island Series, The Warrior's B & B. This has been so much fun to write!  The premise of the story is:  Is it possible for a man to fall in love with two different women and never suspect they are the same person?

What do you think?

Sage Johnson decided whom she intended to marry at the ripe old age of eight years old. Too bad, the groom, and her dearest childhood friend, Derick Rogers, didn’t have a clue.

Twenty years later, Derick is halfway around the world fighting for his country and Sage is a physical therapist and the new owner of her grandparent’s bed-and-breakfast—not the life she’d envisioned.

Especially when Derick appears at her B & B blinded and bruised by an IED explosion and needing her help. In a panic, she lies about who she is and introduces herself as Abbi Johnson. 

She could get away with it, right? He can’t see her and because of a horrific accident, her voice resembles that of a lifelong, three-pack-a-day smoker.

What could go wrong?

They soon find out . . . Everything!

The Warrior's B & B is on presale now! It, along with the paperback, releases October 14th, 2024!

 

Little Libraries

 

Have you seen a Little Library in your neighborhood? 

Do you even know what they are?

Little Libraries are one of the coolest (and fun) trends for those of us who can’t resist another good book. And, to pass on our love of reading to others. We all have books we'd love to share with others--or we don't have the space to keep. Here's your chance to pass them on to others. 

They come in many shapes and sizes as shown here. I love the creative touches their owners have done to make the experience fun.

And did you know the trend has expanded worldwide?

The Little Free Library is a “take a book, share a book” free book exchange. 

These libraries function on the honor system. If you take a book or two from a little library, try to bring some to share to that same library, or another in your area, when you can. Anyone may take a book. Or bring a book to share…talk about free advertising for authors! (I’m going to try it…I’ll keep you posted.)

Are you interested in creating your own Little Library? Check out the website for more information: https://littlefreelibrary.org/. 

There you will find mobile app that shows where Little Libraries are near you. Are you interested in starting one of your own? There are instructions for doing so there as well.

I wish I could say I have one of my own, but living on the cusp of nowhere has its disadvantages. :-(

Please leave a comment below or email me at jbooks@jennieatkins.com. Do you have a Little Library near you? What has been your experience? Are you an author who has used it for free advertising? I'd love to hear from you all!  

Happy Reading!!

A Blast from the Past

 

Yes, this is me, busy pounding away at my first epic novel. NOT.

This is a story about my father’s love of photography. He took pictures of weddings, entered contests (and won several awards), and practiced his photography skills on our family. Sometimes it was agony, and I say that is an affectionate way. Because as a result of his love for picture taking, I have a plethora of pictures from my childhood and fond memories of seeing my dad from the opposite side of his camera lens.

Dad was an avid . . . err . . . passionate . . . err . . . okay, I’ll just say it. My dad was an obsessive photographer. Everywhere we went, he had several cameras hanging around his neck. One for close-ups, one because the camera was easier to use, even a movie camera (which sometimes he used for still shots . . . go figure). There was no quick snapshot of the family. It was a process we endured. (And fondly remember). It was never one or two images either, just in case the first one didn’t come out—from the occasional blink at the bright flash of light, or the sleight of hand that blurred the picture. Selfies today are nothing compared to my father’s behind-the-camera determination to get the right picture.

Christmas morning could be agonizing as a child in my home. Imagine my sister and me, eager to rip into the colorful packages under the tree. Our Christmas morning started with us making our way down the twelve steps from our second-story bedrooms, posing on every step. Mind you, we couldn’t see the tree yet, (As Jean Shepherd author of A Christmas Story calls it, “The cornucopia, quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice.”) But still, we had to feign surprise, excitement, and joy over the anticipated bliss awaiting us. Say nothing of nine shots taken of every gift (three for every camera), and the constant glare of floodlights and flashbulbs. I’m amazed I still have my sight! LOL.

There was one other thing Dad loved to do, and that was to fish, but as the pictures shown here attest to, he carried a camera along with him on every expedition hoping to get a picture of one of us catching the elusive granddaddy of all fishdom.

As to the picture at the top of the page, Dad had me posing in front of the camera again. This time pretending to be his personal secretary. I ran across it while going through the bazillion (well, it felt that way) pictures he took, and it has earned an honored spot on the header of my newsletter. (Which you can sign up for in the sidebar.) Funny, that’s where I am now, hovering over the modern-day typewriter. Who would believe Dad’s pictures were a prediction of future events?

So why no picture of me now? I did NOT inherit my father’s love of photography. Actually, no one in the family did. It became the family joke that he took enough pictures for all of us.

What were your parent's hobbies that created memorable moments in your childhood?

Who is The Cowboy?

 

In a previous blog I explained how I came up with the idea of secondary characters I affectionately called "The Hens."

One of the other characters in Moonlight Cowboy is called The Cowboy--his real name currently unknown. He is a busker which Webster describes as a person who performs music and other entertainment in the street or public places.

While in Scottsdale, AZ visiting friends, I watched a man dressed as a wrangler straight out of the wild west--only he was covered in bronze colored paint from head to toe! When sitting still, he resembled a bronze statue and more often than not that's what unsuspecting passerby's thought he was...until he moved and scared them out of several years off their life.

While my friends shopped, I plopped onto a nearby bench watching this man work the crowd.

At that point I knew his character needed to be in one of my books. So that's how a cowboy made it onto the island of Victory.

But what else is he doing there? Who is he? You'll have to read the story to find out.

Moonlight Cowboy can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/moonlight-cowboy/B0CWTZF7FC

Daffodils, Memories, and Rebirth…

Nothing screams “spring” to me more than sunny yellow daffodils. Although they aren’t the first flower of spring, they are one of the early contenders brave enough to reach for the sun’s anemic rays and dance in the wind.

Our daffodils have long since bloomed. (Picture shown here.) But some of our northern states are just now enjoying a splash of yellow in their gardens.

My father loved to garden—a trait I inherited. (The word “trait” is a misnomer, considering several of my friends call my love of gardening borderline obsession.) Growing up, in our yard the size of a postage stamp, my father’s garden yielded an abundance of spring flowers: tulips in every color, hyacinths with a scent so heavenly it would stop you in your tracks, and daffodils of every variety. I gave bouquets to my teachers. Neighbors received bunches of springtime delight. And there was always a vase filled with flowers on our dining room table. 

Although I have planted these spring favorites in the past, my efforts have failed to rival the number of flowers erupting from my father’s garden in the spring. 

But it’s not about the springtime flowers. Or the heavily scented bouquets. It’s about renewal. Rebirth. Spring is a symbol of God’s never ending love for us. 

This week we celebrate the blessed event of Easter. It’s not about the bunny, the egg hunts, or the flowers. It’s about Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection! He rose from His grave so we can be assured of an eternity with Him. 

All we have to do is give our heart and our lives to Jesus. Knowing about God or knowing about Jesus will NOT get us into heaven. But knowing them will.

My prayer is that whoever reads this blog will take His message, His hope of eternal life to heart.

God Bless you all and Happy Easter.

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Daffodil facts you may not know:

-    Daffodil is the common name for any plant that falls under the genus Narcissus. Others are jonquils, paper whites, and other flowers that have trumpet-shaped springtime blooms. There are at least 25 different species of daffs.

-    If you hear the term Lent Lilies—it is the English name for daffodils!

-    Daffodils could flower for anywhere from six weeks to six months, depending on growing conditions.

-    They are a perennial bloomer, too! Let the plant rebuild its bulb and cut the leaves off only when they yellow.

-    Squirrels won't eat daffodils because they contain poisonous crystals.  Therefore, deer avoid them too. (Which makes them a good flower to plant if you have an abundance of those four-legged creatures, as I do.) On a side note: be careful to keep away from dogs for that very reason.

One daffodil is worth a thousand pleasures, but then one is too few.  William Wadsworth.

Blogs, Websites, and Newsletters

 

It was only seven days ago that Moonlight Cowboy hit the stands and the ink is still drying on the pages! It has been the journey of a lifetime getting “my baby” out the door. And it hasn’t stopped yet.

One of the aspects of publishing that most authors must do, even those who get their books distributed by the big publishing houses, is marketing. Promotions begin long before the book is out the door. I know you've seen them...LOL.  Now, I've been concentrating on updating my Blog, my website, and preparing for a monthly newsletter.

For those of you who aren’t sure you want to take a chance on an unknown author self-publishing her debut novel, here’s your chance to get a preview.

Sign up for my monthly newsletter in the contact boxes in the sidebar here or visit my website and I’ll send you the first two chapters of Moonlight Cowboy.  FREE.

Now that’s a deal!

 

 

Mark Your Calendars for the Release of Moonlight Cowboy

 

Hey Everyone!

The day we've all been looking forward to is only one week away!

Mark your calendars now for the upcoming release of Moonlight Cowboy in paperback on March 14th!

Paperback books will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Until then, Moonlight Cowboy is available on Kindle for the low pre-sale price of $1.99. If you haven't preordered it yet, you'll want to click over to Amazon to get your copy now! (For other e-readers, click here.)  Sale ends 3/14/24.

I’m so looking forward to introducing you to the characters in my book.

Daniel Gallagher is an art teacher and a world-famous artist. After the death of his wife, his well-meaning brother-in-law asks him to play private eye and monitor the spending habits of Victory Island resident Emma Wagner.

Emma Wagner is trying desperately to pull her life together after her father’s poor business dealings have turned her world upside down and sent her politician-bound fiancé running from the bad press it caused.  

The Hens are a group of women who secretly do good for people down on their luck. See their story here.

And The Cowboy roaming the island? Well, he’s still a mystery to everyone.

Who are "The Hens"? And what do they have to do with Moonlight Cowboy?

 Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

Over the years of working on my writing craft, people have often asked me that very question. I wish I could say the ideas for my stories materialize in my brain and flow directly to my fingertips in captivating prose.

Hint: If anyone tells you that happened—Drop the book and run!

I’m not saying God doesn’t plant an idea into an author’s head—because He can. But mostly, writing is hard work. Long before the paragraphs come close to resembling the finished product, the author outlines the main plot and adds layers of detail to make the story more interesting.

One layer I added to Moonlight Cowboy is the story of the women I affectionately call “The Hens.”

One day I stumbled onto an article about nine women who started a mail-order bakery and kept it a secret for three decades. Their mission statement? To create happiness.

How much more interesting would it be to place them on an island as matchmakers and “mother hens” to the younger generation of Victory Island residents I asked myself.

As the real-life story has it, the woman’s routine started at 4 a.m. and in the space of a few hours, they had baked hundreds of pound cakes and prepared them for shipment. Then they’d slip into their normal lives with no one the wiser—including their husbands.

So, did they create happiness in real life? They sure did. The article explained that thirty-five years and nearly a million dollars later, they had helped many people in need.

You can find out more about their lives online if you search for “NineNanas.” And you can see their tale woven into the lines of Moonlight Cowboy, which is on pre-sale in Kindle and Nook form until March 14th. And the release of the paperback scheduled for the same date.

I Can't Believe It!

 

I can't believe this day has arrived!! I am so excited to finally be able to share with you the antics of a street performer dressed as a bronze cowboy in the artsy town of Victory.

Moonlight Cowboy is available today in e-book format! ***ON SALE*** for $1.99 until 3/14/24.

Available for Kindle readers at AMAZON 

Click here for other e-book readers.

Moonlight Cowboy is a sweet romance set in a small island town where everyone knows your name. Except for the bronze cowboy roaming the streets of Victory Island.

 Wounded Hearts

 Secret Identity Romance

 Lakeside Island Setting

 Love, betrayal, and Healing

 First in Victory Island Series

 On Sale Now! 

For everyone who prefers a printed book...stay tuned!

E-book Pre-Sale of Moonlight Cowboy

 Just as I was about to hit the button to announce the upcoming pre-sale of Moonlight Cowboy, this quote popped up on the app I was using. 

God must have heard the pounding of my pulse because stepping out on my own to self-publish my first book has been an adventure. I've learned so much about being a graphic artist (and artist is a stretch at this point), and have probably haven't learned enough about marketing, but here I am jumping into the pool feet first. 

But it's been an exciting adventure, and I am so looking forward to taking you on a journey to Victory Island to meet Daniel and Emma. 

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Widower Daniel Gallagher is an art teacher by day and moonlights as a world-renowned artist by night. Eager to lift Daniel from his slump after his wife’s death, his private-investigator friend asks him to blend into the artsy community on Victory Island as a part-time gumshoe. His assignment is to monitor the spending habits of art gallery employee, Emma Wagner.

Emma wants a man who is honest to a fault and Daniel Gallagher has all the qualities. However, when he witnesses her taking money from the gallery's cash drawer, he assumes she is a petty thief. The truth is, as part of her position, she engages in secret missions of mercy for her employer.

Following the young woman’s generous escapades has proven to be entertaining, but Daniel soon admits Emma is incapable of stealing anything—except his heart. Falling in love with Emma is not in his job description, of that, he is certain.

But when Daniel stumbles onto Emma’s family secrets, sparks fly!

I hope you stay tuned for more updates later in the week. 

Love is in the Air

 

Love is in the air on Victory Island . . .

So where is Victory Island you ask? When I first began planning Moonlight Cowboy, I knew its setting even before I’d determined the plot—a fictitious place called Victory Island in the middle of Lake Erie.

For most of my life, I lived less than a mile from the Lake Erie shoreline. I spent hours on its beaches as a kid digging in the sand. I visited the lighthouse in Fairport Harbor and Marblehead Lighthouse State Park, which is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes. When I was younger, I rode every roller coaster at Cedar Point Amusement Park getting a prenominal view of the lake from the top of each hill. I enjoyed the islands (Kelley and South Bass) with friends. And took long bike rides on the trails of Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula jutting out into the lake north of Erie, PA. I guess you could say the history, nostalgia, and heritage of the Great Lakes are in my blood.

Victory Island is a combination of those places and a culmination of my many heartfelt memories of digging my toes into the sand, learning the history of the lake, and just enjoying all the lakes offered. 

But it’s more than that. It’s a place where hearts mend, where cherished memories are created, and island adventures are even more magical when shared with the one you love.

Moonlight Cowboy is the first in the Victory Island series, and soon to be released. Stay tuned!

Cover Reveal!

 

Ready, set, go!!!

Here it is!  What do you think? Click on the Read More button below to see.

Cover Reveal Tomorrow!

 

As a kid, I loved Christmas Eve and the anticipation of what the next morning would bring. I still do!

Today is the eve of presenting the cover of my debut novel. There are no glittering lights or fancy wrapping paper, but my excitement is just as genuine.

I began writing over a decade ago. I attended writer’s conferences and workshops, networked with seasoned authors, tried to soak in as much as my brain could hold. Tomorrow you’ll get to see the cover of my upcoming novel Moonlight Cowboy.  I hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am!

Cover Reveal Countdown!

 

Oooohhh, how I’d love to show you the whole cover, but it’s undergoing its final touches.

I am so excited about the upcoming release of Moonlight Cowboy. All the details are coming together, like the cover which will be revealed on Saturday!! 

I’ve also been heads down preparing digital books for Kindle and Nook readers and a paperback version for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Stay tuned for more information!!

Title Reveal!

 

Well, I’ve done it now! I’ve stepped off the proverbial ledge of self-publishing. I wish I could tell you my knees aren’t knocking together under my desk, but they are.

I am so excited to announce the upcoming release of my debut novel called Moonlight Cowboy.