Journal Jots – Blog

Welcome to the 

❤️ IT’S TIME TO FALL IN LOVE ❤️

Treasure Hunt! 

 

Ready for today’s treasure hunt? Good!

Just read the blog below and answer the question

in the Rafflecopter box at the end of this post.  

New to the hunt? No worries!

Details on what you can win and how

can be found HERE. 

 

Welcome to my Journal Jots Blog!

Today, you get a quick glimpse into my good friend MaryLu Tyndall’s brand-new release, Charity’s Cross, and I have to tell you that I have this book on my Kindle, and it’s KILLING me not to be able to read it since I am reading Rita books on deadline. But as soon as I am done, MaryLu’s is next up and trust me when I say, this woman is on my auto-buy list, so if you like my writing — I promise you will like hers too!!

❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️

 

Here’s the book blurb for Charity’s Cross:

Suspected of killing her husband, Charity Westcott flees on the first ship leaving England. Loathing all men after her abusive marriage, she hopes to reunite with her family in Charles Towne, but the ship ends up in Nassau. Chased by her husband’s brother, who is intent on seeing her hang, Charity is forced to accept the help of a missionary, Elias Dutton. But Elias is on a mission to rescue his sister in Barbados, one he cannot fail. Pirates, storms, shipwreck, and betrayal threaten to delay the couple in their journey even as they fight their growing attraction. Elias believes he has finally found a woman with a pure heart. Until he discovers she is a murderer and is now faced with two choices: letting her go or turning her in to the authorities. 

 

MaryLu’s Bio:

Christy Award nominee and best-selling author MaryLu Tyndall describes herself as an introvert, patriot, the neighborhood cat-lady, tall ship enthusiast, friend of pirates and mermaids, obsessive compulsive control freak, history lover, hopeless romantic, and a sword wielding princess-warrior of the King of Kings. Her books are filled with adventure and romance guaranteed to touch your heart! She has published over seventeen novels and currently lives in California with her husband, six kids, 3 grandkids and several stray cats.

 

MaryLu’s Post and Question:

MaryLu Tyndall here! Today we are playing a fan-favorite game of mine called “Guess what the character will say next?”  I usually do this for every new release and it ends up being a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it too.  Below I have posted a small excerpt from my new release, Charity’s Cross. It contains a brief dialogue between the hero and heroine. At the end I give you a multiple choice question in which you get to choose what you think the character will say next.  It’s just a fun way to get to know the characters.  If you didn’t read my post on the hero and heroine of this story, click HERE to go read up on them so you’ll be able to choose wisely.

So here we go:  Elias the hero is speaking first:

“Which are you then, mermaid vixen? Foolish, mad, or desperate?”

She grabbed a tangle of hair and tugged on it, eyes narrow and defensive as if she feared he’d assault her any moment. “I‘ll admit to all three, Sir.” Her gaze lowered to the knife sheathed at his belt. “In truth, because you rescued me from the bay, I assumed you might be a decent man.”

“You certainly didn’t treat me as such in town.”

“I am sorry for that.”

Feet pounded above as shouts echoed over the ship.

Elias leaned back against the bulkhead and crossed arms over his chest. “You mean you don’t always jump over the railings of perfectly good ships? And you don’t always pretend to be married to a man so he’ll pay for your passage?”

She gave a sarcastic huff, a slight tilt to her lips. “Only on Sundays.”

He wanted to smile but didn’t. “You’ve nothing to fear from me, Miss.”

“Then why agree to my charade? There must be something you want.”

He shrugged. “You seemed terrified, in need of help.”

“Nobody helps someone for nothing.”

Her hopeless, defeated tone saddened him. Yet, if she truly believed that, then why put herself in harm’s way?

The creak and groan of wood filled the silence as water purled against the hull.

She picked at the lace drooping at her cuff. “My father has land in Charles Towne. He’s an admiral in the Royal navy. He will pay you for your help.”

“Hmm. You are aware that you boarded a ship to Barbados?”

She made no reply.

Elias pushed from the bulkhead. “I have no desire nor need of your money, mermaid.”

“Stop calling me that.” She wrapped arms around her belly, her eyes aflame. “’Tis all I have to give you, Mr. Dutton.” Her gaze traveled to the knife at his hip again, and he wondered if she intended to stab him with it. Ludicrous. This frightened mermaid wouldn’t be so daring. Though she was plenty foolish. Elias had seen enough foolish women to last a lifetime—trusting women, naïve women who threw themselves into dangerous situations. Two of his sisters still paid for such careless behavior.

The deck canted. She gripped the edge of the cot and seemed about to fall. Elias headed toward her, but she jumped to her feet and backed away, glancing around the room as if just noticing where they were. “You can’t stay in here with me.”

“Miss, if I do not stay in here, our ruse will be forfeit, and the crew will assume you are ripe for the plucking.”

“Surely not!”

“You don’t know sailors, Miss.”

“And you do?”

He did. More than she realized. “I know men,” he responded.

She looked away, her cheeks reddening. “Well, you needn’t worry, Mr. Dutton. I can take care of myself.”

“Apparently not or we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

She frowned and narrowed her eyes.

Elias sighed. Surely, God must be testing him—testing his patience, his resolve to control his urges, to do the right thing, to help a woman in need and protect her from whomever or whatever she was running from.

He took another step toward her, hands raised. “I call a truce, Miss Mermaid. Why don’t we—”

 

What is Charity’s response? (This is your RAFFLECOPTER Question of the day)

A. “Both stop talking and you leave this cabin at once!” 

B. She plucked the knife from his belt and held the sharp tip to his chest. “Touch me and I’ll gut you.”

C. She grabbed his knife and waved it before his face. “I will only agree to a truce if you allow me to keep this knife.”

D. Charity touched his arm and nodded. “I agree. Forgive me. You’ve been most kind.”

 ❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️
 

OKAY … to enter my contest for a $50 GIFT CARD, A COPY OF A GLIMMER OF HOPE,  A COPY OF ISLE OF HOPE, AND A CHARACTER NAMED AFTER YOU IN MY NEXT BOOK, just answer the question for February 26 in the Rafflecopter box below.

NEXT … before you go, make sure you WRITE DOWN THE FOLLOWING  WORD CLUE in our 15-word sentence that you’ll need to enter the Kindle giveaway Feb. 29–March 3.

WORD CLUE #11:  AND

THEN HEAD ON OVER TO DEBBIE’S AND MARYLU’S BLOGS FOR MORE CLUES AND PRIZES.

Happy Treasure Hunting & Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PLEASE NOTE: ENTRY FOR THE FOLLOWING KINDLE GIVEAWAY

DOESN’T BEGIN UNTIL FEBRUARY 29 AFTER ALL BLOGS HAVE BEEN

VIEWED AND WORD CLUES COLLECTED.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to the 

❤️ IT’S TIME TO FALL IN LOVE ❤️

Treasure Hunt! 

Ready for today’s treasure hunt? Good!

Just read the blog below and answer the question

in the Rafflecopter box at the end of this post.  

New to the hunt? No worries!

Details on what you can win and how

can be found HERE. 

Welcome to my Journal Jots Blog!

Today, you get a quick glimpse into Debbie Lynne Costello’s brand-new release, Shattered Memories, and I DARE you not to be intrigued!! I planned on reading Debbie’s book anyway because I love her work, but this blurb just hooked me in like nobody’s business, so I hope it does the same for you! Here it is:

Shattered Memories

by Debbie Lynne Costello

Olivia Macqueen wakes in a makeshift hospital, recovering from a head injury. With amnesia stealing a year of her memories, she has trouble discerning between lies and truth. When her memories start returning in bits and pieces, she must keep up the charade of amnesia until she can find out the truth behind the embezzlement of her family’s business while evading the danger lurking around her.

Doctor Drew Warwick frantically searches through the rubble left by the Charleston earthquake for the lady who owns his heart. He finds her injured and lifeless. When she regains consciousness, the doctor’s hopes are dashed as he realizes she doesn’t remember him. But things only get worse after he discovers she believes she’s still engaged to the abusive scoundrel, Lloyd Pratt. Now Drew is on a race with the wedding clock to either help her remember or win her heart again before she marries the wrong man.

I don’t know about you, but both the picture of Drew and the blurb above make me want to get to know him better, so Debbie provided an interview — which contains the answer to today’s question — to help you do that!

❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️

Debbie Lynne Costello’s Interview with Drew

I’m happy to have Drew Warwick from Shattered Memories with us today. Drew, thank you for coming.

Glad to be here today.

So let’s get started and let these readers get to know you a little better.

What impression do you make on people when they first meet you? I think when people first meet me, and I’m talking out of my medical job, they first see me as perhaps a stick in the mud or perhaps even someone who is a bit stuck on themselves. I don’t mean to come across that way. It’s hard to step out of my roll as a doctor and to just relax. And that’s one of the things I love about Olivia. She helps to bring that part of me out.

How about after they’ve known you for a while? After people have known me for a bit they get to know the real me and I can’t really say why but when I’m able to relax with people I become the less up-tight Drew.

What’s your idea of a good marriage?

A marriage like my parents. My father is definitely the leader in their marriage, but my mother’s opinion and thoughts weigh heavily on all of his decisions. They take time out of their busy weeks to spend together— just the two of them. They do a lot of laughing, hugging and giving each other knowing looks that say ‘I love you’. I know that’s a lot to ask for in a marriage because my parent’s marriage seems nearly perfect.

Do you think that’ll happen in your life? I do if I can ever get Olivia to remember what we once had.

Do you think you’ve turned out the way your parents expected?

Sometimes I think I disappoint my father. I have a more difficult time than him in turning all my problems over to the Lord. Even as a doctor I sometimes disappoint him because I do let my emotions get involved. It’s hard because I respect my father so much. He’s been a huge influence in my life. My mother looks through rose colored glasses when it comes to her children, or most people. She sees the best in people so I think for her yes, I turned out how she had hoped and expected.

Tell me about your best friend.

My best friend is Simon. I won’t think of him in the past until I have proof of his death even though I know the chances of him still being here with us are slim. Simon and I have been friends since we were kids. I’m not sure if he got me into trouble or I got him into trouble or if it was just the combination of the two of us but we were always doing something. I loved to pick on his little sister and he was always happy to be a part of that. He makes me laugh, although since we’ve gotten older he also can aggravate me at times because now he likes to pick at me since I’ve fallen in love with ‘that little sister’ of his.

What would you like it to say on your tombstone?

As a doctor, I think: Absent from the body, present with the Lord. No more sickness no more pain.

What do you see as your greatest flaw?

I want to fix everything. I have a hard time not being in charge and in control of situation.

What influence do your ancestors have on your life/attitude/faith?

I am assuming you are talking about Royce and Brithwin. I’d love to have a story that would pass down through history like theirs did—a love for the Lord that each generation would strive to reach and love for my wife that would bring out the romantic in everyone.

What’s the most important thing in your life? What do you value most?

My relationship with the Lord and Savior is the most precious thing in my life and I value the most. But if we are talking about earthly things, it would be Olivia. She brings me so much joy and fulfillment in my life.

Thanks for coming on today and giving us a deeper glimpse of who you are.

It was nice visiting with you. I hope your readers will come see me in Shattered Memories.

❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️

 

OKAY … to enter my contest for a $50 GIFT CARD, A COPY OF A GLIMMER OF HOPE,  A COPY OF ISLE OF HOPE, AND A CHARACTER NAMED AFTER YOU IN MY NEXT BOOK, just answer the question for February 19 in the Rafflecopter box below.

NEXT … before you go, make sure you WRITE DOWN THE FOLLOWING  WORD CLUE in our 15-word sentence that you’ll need to enter the Kindle giveaway Feb. 29–March 3.

WORD CLUE #8 — EDIFY

THEN HEAD ON OVER TO DEBBIE’S AND MARYLU’S BLOGS FOR MORE CLUES AND PRIZES.

Happy Treasure Hunting & Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PLEASE NOTE: ENTRY FOR THE FOLLOWING KINDLE GIVEAWAY DOESN’T BEGIN UNTIL

FEBRUARY 29 AFTER ALL BLOGS HAVE BEEN VIEWED AND WORD CLUES COLLECTED.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to the 

❤️ IT’S TIME TO FALL IN LOVE ❤️

Treasure Hunt! 

 

Ready for today’s treasure hunt? Good!

Just read the blog below and answer the question

in the Rafflecopter box at the end of this post.  

New to the hunt? No worries!

Details on what you can win and how

can be found HERE. 

 

Welcome to my Journal Jots Blog!

My latest novel release — Isle of Hope — is not only my first contemporary novel (I am primarily known as a historical author in the CBA), but it’s somewhat biographical as well because it is loosely based on my own estranged relationship with my father after he kicked me out of the house when I was 21.

Isle of Hope is the story of a woman who has recently come to Christ and the first thing God tells her to do is to heal her relationship with her father, who kicked her out eight years earlier. At that time she was a good girl gone wild, engaged to a pastor’s son who planned to be a minister. But when the hero’s minister father has an affair with the heroine’s mother, the tragedy tears both families apart as well as the heroine’s relationship with her boyfriend.

So … eight years later, she’s back to make amends to the father she defied, the boyfriend she deserted, and the best friend she betrayed. Only this time the tables are turned because now she’s the Christian and he’s the bad boy who wants nothing to do with God.

I’m excited to say that not only did Isle of Hope hit Amazon’s Bestseller List, but it currently has a 5-star rating on Amazon as well, with 108 reviews. So, without further ado, here is part of the first chapter in which you’ll find the answer needed to today’s Rafflecopter question.

 

Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him.

—Psalm 32:10

Chapter One

Isle of Hope, Georgia, Early Summer

When it comes to burning bridges, I am the Queen of Kerosene.

Puffing out a wispy sigh, Lacey Carmichael squinted into the rearview mirror to make sure the coast was clear, then dragged her bulging purse onto the seat with an unladylike grunt. The action caused her dusty blue Honda to swerve on Skidaway Road—along with her stomach.

Oh, crud! She straightened the wheel with a jerk, body rattling more than her 2008 Honda after a cross-country trip. Her gaze flicked to the mirror, and relief coursed like high tide. The road behind revealed nothing but palms and Georgia pines, silent sentinels ushering her home.

Home. Where full moons rose over the marsh and the scent of wisteria embraced summer nights. Where the lazy lull of river grasses swayed in the breeze, soothing a sleepy coastal community that burrowed into one’s memory like a long-lost friend. A haven where tidy cottages nestled next to lush antebellum homes, evoking a postcard setting that harkened back to a simpler time.

A simpler time?

Lacey sucked in a deep draw of the rich and humid low-country air that was pungent with the salty smell of the marsh, and instantly zipped back eight years to a time that had been anything but simple. Memories of an eighteen-year-old wild child constricted her throat. A rebel daughter who’d bolted from the hometown that had been anything but a home. Her shoulders slumped as she passed the Piggly Wiggly.

What am I doing here?

She cut loose with another gust of ragged air while her eyes focused straight ahead. Returning to the scene of the crime. The charred debris of all the mistakes that I’ve made. One hand welded to the steering wheel, she rifled through her studded leather purse with the other, fingers fumbling on a tube of lip-gloss. With amazing dexterity, she untwirled the screw-on cap and applied “Ooh La La,” then puckered her lips. Now if she could only gloss over her past as easily …

The BP loomed ahead and she slapped on her blinker, veering in to park at the closest empty pump. Her car squealed to a stop at the exact moment the contents of her purse careened to the floor. Lacey, you lead foot—when are you going to learn? Mumbling under her breath, she turned the car off and leaned to pick up the spilled items. A woman’s high-pitched laughter suddenly riddled the air, desecrating the sacred strains of Justin Timberlake from a radio nearby.

“Jack, you bad boy,” a woman’s sultry voice said, drifting from the other side of the pump, “what am I going to do with you?”

“Well, I know a few things that come to mind.”

Lacey shot up. Her head slammed against the glove compartment. She blinked through a haze of stars at the car on the other side of the pump, too dazed to feel the pain.

That voice. The same voice that had once uttered a proposal of marriage and swore to love her forever. Goose bumps popped as her breathing shallowed. A second onslaught of female laughter grated in her ears, and when she inched up to peer out the window of her Honda, her stomach immediately took a dive.

Whenever she allowed herself to think of Jack O’Bryen—which wasn’t often—she convinced herself that memories made people and things far better than they’d actually been.

 Yeah, right. Hands propped to the driver’s door of a brand-new cherry-red BMW Z4, Jack O’Bryen appeared every bit the hottie he’d been when they’d first started dating over ten years ago. Only now he was taller, his previously lanky frame more filled out, and his physique tighter. Once shaggy chestnut hair, a byproduct of college days, was now trimmed neat and clean at the nape of his neck. He casually scratched the back of his head with a bulge of a bicep that made her mouth go dry, then slacked a narrow hip to the door. “The nozzle leaked, so I’m going in to wash my hands—need anything?” he asked the blonde.

Lacey moaned inwardly. Yeah. Distance—lots and lots of distance. She’d expected to run into Jack eventually, but now? Her first two minutes in town? She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Really? Heaven knows she wasn’t ready. Not even after eight years. She caught a glimpse of his tight, faded jeans and swallowed hard.

God help me, will I ever be?

The blonde shook her head, letting fly with another nauseating giggle that was sheer blasphemy against the strains of Never Again, a song that fit perfectly with the theme of Lacey’s homecoming. 

Never again would she turn her back on the people she loved.

Never again would she seek her will over God’s.

Never again would she give her all to Jack O’Bryen.

The man in question disappeared into the station, and Lacey dove for her keys. She cranked the ignition and groaned. The gas needle lay prostrate; so far beyond “E” it was on “F” for fumes. She shot a glance at the Barbie Doll applying hot-pink shimmer to Angelina Jolie lips and then at the station where Jack was nowhere to be seen, and decided to chance it. If memory served, the ladies’ room was on the opposite side of the building from the men’s—the perfect place to hide.

She could do this.

Jerking the handle, she flung the door wide and slammed it too hard, obviously distracting the blonde from her makeover as she looked up. Lacey offered a nervous smile and made a beeline for the station door, purse clutched to her chest while her gaze darted across the store. Ignoring the curious looks of bystanders, she sprinted to the ladies’ room, rib cage heaving as she gripped the knob and turned. Thank you, Lord, home free!

“Lacey? Lacey Carmichael?”

Her eyelids sank closed as her stomach contracted, hand now grafted to the door. Warding off a wave of dizziness, she willed herself to turn around, but her smile felt as cardboard as the Timberwolf Chewing Tobacco display over Jack’s shoulder.

“Hello, Jack.” Her voice was little more than a squeak as she peered up at “Bridge #1,” the man whose heart she’d stomped on eight years prior without ever looking back.

❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️

 

OKAY … to enter my contest for a $50 GIFT CARD, A COPY OF A GLIMMER OF HOPE,  A COPY OF ISLE OF HOPE, AND A CHARACTER NAMED AFTER YOU IN MY NEXT BOOK, just answer the question for February 12 in the Rafflecopter box at the bottom of this page.

NEXT … before you go, make sure you WRITE DOWN THE FOLLOWING  WORD CLUE in our 15-word sentence that you’ll need to enter the Kindle giveaway Feb. 29–March 3.

WORD CLUE #5 — STORIES

THEN HEAD ON OVER TO DEBBIE’S AND MARYLU’S BLOGS FOR MORE CLUES AND PRIZES.

Happy Treasure Hunting & Good Luck!

PLEASE NOTE: ENTRY FOR THE FOLLOWING KINDLE GIVEAWAY DOESN’T BEGIN

UNTIL FEBRUARY 29 AFTER ALL BLOGS HAVE BEEN VIEWED AND WORD CLUES COLLECTED.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway