Journal Jots – Blog

HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY … which, pardon the slam, is only “happy” for me if I’m NOT at a mall! Don’t get me wrong — I truly admire the die-hard shoppers who brave the crazy crowds, but I’m definitely not one of them. Uh, except for today, that is, when my “shopping” was both “happy” and “crazy” — uh, “crazy” expensive, that is, shopping for a wedding dress for my daughter.

But, OH, what joy for a mother — to see that precocious three-year-old go from twirling in a blue, lacey tutu … to a young woman of twenty-five, whirling in front of a bridal shop mirror! Just one more reason to give thanks to the Almighty the day after Thanksgiving … and the day after that … and after that …

So, after a wonderful afternoon shopping with my daughter following a fabulous Thanksgiving when we fixed two turkeys for 30 people, I find myself contented and happy, yes, but also a wee bit too tuckered out to write a Journal Jot. Which means you luck out — something else to be thankful for!! — because instead of me writing a book today, I will post an excerpt from a book instead.

And … since my Review Contest for my recent release A Love Surrendered ends November 30th (see details on my CONTEST tab where you can win having a character named after you in my next book Love at Any Cost, a signed copy of that book and a $50 gift card … or where even one review enters you into a random drawing of Love at Any Cost), I thought it might be appropriate to share one of my favorite scenes in A Love Surrendered instead.

To set the scene up, our hero Prohibition Agent Steven O’Connor is part of a speakeasy raid where he discovers our young and innocent heroine is a bit tipsy after her best friend’s older sister spiked her Dr. Pepper without her knowledge. He saves her from the police paddy wagons, of course … but not without giving her a piece of his mind first.

I hope you enjoy the excerpt and may your thanksgiving continue throughout the weekend and well beyond!

Hugs,

Julie

      The diner was empty except for a booth of teenagers at the far end horsing around and a couple with eyes only for each other. Bing Crosby’s velvet voice crooned from a jukebox in the corner, lending a cozy intimacy to a place that smelled of burgers and chicken fried steak.

      “What are we doing?” she asked, voice hoarse and husky as if she were a chain smoker.

      “Getting some coffee into you before I take you home. Trust me, you’re in no condition to face Aunt Eleanor right now.” He steered her into a brown padded booth before taking a seat on the other side, its polished maple table scarred and etched with initials and hearts.

      “Thank you,” she whispered again, hands and eyes fused to the purse in her lap.

      He leaned in with elbows flat, his voice softer than before. “Annie . . . look at me.”

      She shook her head, a shimmering curtain of silky blonde hair falling over one eye, making her appear both innocent and sexy all at the same time.

      Puffing out a sigh, he reached to lift her chin. “I need you to look at me, Annie, please?”

      A frail heave quivered through her and she slowly looked up, eyes spidered with red.

      “Why did you go there tonight?” he said quietly.

      Her throat shifted before she answered. “P-peggy said J-joanie and the others wanted to take me out for my b-birthday, but I thought they just meant d-dinner . . . at a nice restaurant.” Tears flooded her eyes. “I . . . didn’t know . . . it would be a speakeasy, Steven, I s-swear.”

      “I believe you,” he said, relief seeping out on a quiet sigh. He sat back and folded his arms, head cocked as he studied her through slatted eyes. “But why did you drink the booze?”

      “Hi, folks, what’ll it be tonight?” A waitress too perky for the way Steven felt pulled a pencil from behind her ear and a pad from her apron pocket, brows arched in question.

      “Two cups of coffee, please, as hot and strong as it comes.” He squinted at the menu, encased in a plastic holder on the wall of the booth, then glanced at Annie. “You hungry?”

      She shook her head and he ignored her response, ordering two hamburgers, two orders of French fried potatoes, a piece of peach pie, and a glass of milk. “Cream in your coffee?”

      “Please,” she said quietly, fingers fiddling with the leather fringe on the flap of her purse.

      He smiled at the waitress. “One black, one cream.”

      “Coming right up.” Miss Perky tucked the pencil back in her ear and disappeared.

      “So . . . ,” he said, a bit more bite in his tone, “I’m going to ask you again—why did you drink tonight? Was that whole spiel about you turning back to God just a put-on?”

      Her head shot up in a flash of green eyes. “No, of course not! I meant every word.”

      He planted arms on the table, hands loosely clasped and eyes pensive. “Then why?”

      Color burnished her cheeks and she shifted, clearly ill at ease as her hands shrank to her lap. “You won’t believe me.”

      “Try me,” he said, lips flat.

      She drew in a deep breath and peeked up, the color heightening in her face. “I think Erica may have spiked my drink, only I didn’t know it.”

      “You didn’t know it,” he repeated dully, his suspicion on the rise once again. His voice edged toward curt. “You didn’t taste it? Smell it? Feel woozy when the booze took effect?”

      “See? I knew you wouldn’t believe me,” she said with a jut of her chin, temper obviously prickled. “And no, I didn’t smell or taste it, and by the time I suspected anything, it was too late.”

      “What kind of drink was it?” He waited while she paused, his eyes narrowing a tad.

      She swallowed hard. “Dr Pepper.”

      “Did you see Erica or anyone pour anything in?”

      “No, of course not,” she said in a huff. “Do you really think I would drink it if I did?”

      “I don’t know, Annie,” he said leaning back against the booth with a fold of his arms. “You’re not exactly the most honest girl I know.”

      The green eyes blinked wide. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

      His smile went stiff as his anger resurged, every syllable as pointed as the look in his eyes. “I don’t know, you tell me . . . Susannah-Grace-Kennedy.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “And while you’re at it, why don’t you give me an update on how my old girlfriend’s doing?”

      “Here you go, two coffees—one cream, one black, both piping hot. The burgers are about up, so I’ll be back in a jiff.” The waitress set the coffees and utensils down before flitting away.

      Annie didn’t move or blink while she stared in her cup, crimson bleeding into her cheeks.

      His coffee spilled when he jerked up his mug, the liquid scalding his fingers like her deception scalded his temper. “You have nothing to say?”

      A knot jerked in her throat and she looked up, almost a square to her shoulders as she steeled her jaw. “I was wrong, Steven, I should have told you. But I never expected—” She lowered her gaze to blow on her coffee, obviously in an effort to stall.

      “Never expected what?” he asked sharply, glaring over the rim of his cup. She took a timid sip while a full range of emotions flickered across her beautiful face, from hesitation and worry, to vulnerability and shame. And something deeper that raced his pulse and tightened his gut all at the same time.

      She drew in a deep breath before forging on, her gaze finally rising to meet his. “I never expected to . . .” Her voice trailed off until it was barely audible. “Fall in love with you,” she said quietly, the truth hovering in the air like the steam from the coffee.

      She may as well have tossed it in his face—it burned all the same. His jaw went as firm as his will. “You’re not in love with me, Annie.”

      A frail sigh withered from her lips while a sheen of sadness welled in her eyes. “I wasn’t sure either,” she whispered, “until you kissed me that night when you took Glory and me home.”

      He bent forward, palms clutching the table and his tone so harsh and cutting, he saw her flinch. “That was a mistake.”

      “Yes,” she whispered, tears giving way to glints of anger, “it was, Steven, because that night you planted the seed of hope that someday you might feel for me what I feel for you.”

      He slammed his fist on the table, spilling his coffee. “Blast it, Annie, you’re too young.”

      “That’s just an excuse, and we both know it.”

      His mouth went slack. “For the love of all that’s decent—you’re Maggie’s kid sister! Do you really think I can do this with you?”

      She hoisted her chin, blinking back her tears. “I not only think you can, I think you do, but you’re too stubborn to admit it.”

      He gaped, shaking his head as he dropped back in the seat, arm draped over the top. His lips parted in a hard smile meant to convey his disbelief. “You’re out of your mind, kid, you know that? Drink your coffee,” he ordered, “the alcohol’s still muddling your brain.”

      She did what he said, eyes averted and manner calming as if every drink she took braced her for battle. When she finished, she carefully laid the mug down and folded her hands neatly on the table, looking for all her eighteen years and tear-splotched face as if she were the adult and he was the pie-eyed kid on a bender. “What are you afraid of, Steven?” she whispered.

      That did it. “You want to know what I’m afraid of?” he demanded. “I’m afraid of this—some kid still wet behind the ears thinking it’s smart to fool around with a guy like me.”

      “I have no intention of ‘fooling around’ with you,” she said quietly, the strength of her words belying the softness of her tone. “No matter how I feel about you.”

      He stared open-mouthed, heat scalding his neck at the audacity of her statement. His pride prickled. Who did she think she was? Women threw themselves at him all the time. For pity’s sake, her own sister threw herself at him! And she thought she’d be different? He folded arms on the table and leaned in. “Don’t be so sure, little sister,” he said, a trace of anger in a voice that was husky and low. “You Kennedys don’t have the best track record, you know.”

      He heard the sharp catch of her breath and took satisfaction in the blush that broiled her cheeks. And then she opened fire like one of Capone’s thugs, gunning him down with a flash of her eyes. “Well, this is a different Kennedy, Agent O’Connor, and a different sister, and you know what? I think you’re running scared. You can deny your feelings all you want, but the truth is, you kissed me—not once, but twice, not to mention interfering in my life at every turn—”

      “Interfering in your life?” His voice rose along with his blood pressure.

      She defied him with a hard thrust of her chin, eyes glittering. “Yes, first with Billy Brubaker, then Joe and Dale Brannock, and now Eddie tonight when you dragged me away.”

      “Dragged-you-away?” He blinked, barely able to believe he was wasting good breath arguing with a kid who was obviously as thick as she was tipsy. “I should have let them throw your carcass in jail, you brainless brat, and then you’d be Aunt Eleanor’s problem, not mine.”

      “Exactly,” she snapped, as if he’d just proven her point. “But you didn’t. You risked your job and your reputation to haul me out of there tonight, so if we’re going to talk ‘brainless,’ Agent O’Connor, then I suggest you look in the mirror, because unless I miss my guess, you are one dim-witted man with his head in the sand.”

      Miss Perky chose that moment to light on the booth, as welcome as a plague of locusts. “Here you go—two burgers, two orders of French fried potatoes, a slab of peach pie, and a glass of milk.” She dazzled them with a grin. “Anything else?”

      Steven forced a smile, jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached. “Just the check.”

      “Sure thing.” She placed the bill on the table and patted it for good measure. “Enjoy!”

      Grinding his jaw, he grabbed his burger and bit in hard, singeing Annie with a glare.

      She didn’t seem to notice, annoying him to no end. Lips pursed, she carefully cut her burger in half and took a dainty bite while perusing the menu with apparent fascination.

      Halfway through his sandwich, he expelled a noisy breath. “Why are we arguing?”

      She turned, chin elevated and brows raised. “Because you’re dim-witted and scared?”

      He hurled his half-eaten burger on the plate. “Don’t start with me, Annie.”

      “All right, Steven, how ’bout I finish with you instead? Just because I’m in love with you doesn’t mean you can bully me around like some . . . some snot-nosed kid fresh off the farm.”

      “You are some snot-nosed kid fresh off the farm,” he hissed.

      “Fine. Have it your way. There are plenty of guys who see me otherwise.”

      A harsh laugh erupted from his throat. “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen the kind of jokers you attract. Like that clown tonight with his hands all over you.”

      She pushed her burger away, the anger in her tone matching her eyes. “He-was-consoling-me, you dimwit, and at least he’s man enough to take a chance on a girl that he likes.”

      Her statement barbed, discharging his temper with another stony smile. “Sure, why not when he knows he can get what he wants?”

      Her breath hitched, and he regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, but it was too late. Her face sagged from anger into hurt. Chin trembling, she silently rose, hands shaking while she groped for her purse.

      “Annie, look, I’m sorry—”

      Taking a step forward, she hauled off and slapped him so fast he never saw it coming, bells clanging in his skull as loudly as those from the door when it slammed hard behind her.

 

“Just follow the string …”

— A Still Small Voice During my Devotional Time This Morning

 If I have to say so myself, last week was pretty amazing …

You see, we celebrated the end of my birthday week (yeah, we tend to milk it around here with ‘birthweeks’ instead of ‘birthdays’ …), then the beginning of my daughter’s birthday week, then the release of my Christmas e-book A Light in the Window and finally wrapped it all up with a pretty, little bow in the form of a marriage proposal.

Oh, and what a proposal it was! One day after her 25^th birthday, my daughter Amy was proposed to by her boyfriend Nate in true fairy-tail setting on a lush, rolling Architectural Digest-type horse farm. It was a joyous moment for all while Keith and I secretly watched along with Nate’s parents, one of Amy’s best friends, a St. Bernard named Olga and a donkey named Julio.

What more can I say? Well, being it’s me, the woman who writes 500-plus-page books, a lot, but I will spare you the Gone With the Wind version and get right to the heart of what God spoke to me this morning as I sat on my sofa and cried, pressured by deadlines and discouraged with the writing life.

“Follow the string, Julie, just follow the string …”

Amy’s fiancé is a very creative guy, a musician on the worship team at church and a man with a flare for drama (gotta love him already!), so it was no surprise when he masterminded a proposal that our daughter (and us) will always remember.

It all began with Amy being blindfolded and dropped off at a forested area by a country road, where the blindfold was removed so she could follow a piece of twine through the woods. Unbeknownst to her, all of us watched from a hidden loft area above the barn while she appeared at the top of a hill that led into a lush, rolling field. Excitement bubbled in our chests as she slowly followed the mile-long twine past horses and hand-painted signs with her and Nate’s favorite Scriptures interspersed throughout. Midway down the hill, a beautiful black horse slowly ambled over to nuzzle her hand, truly picture perfect before she made her way down the hill to a pristine barn where their favorite song was playing …

 This chest is full of memories of gold and silver tears,

I’ll give you more to own than all of this …

 I’ll give you more than years.

 —“Slow Your Breath Down” by Future of Forestry.

The string led through a long, open tunnel of the barn with horse stalls on either side to a massive treasure chest at one open end, backdropped by woods and a video camera that filmed Amy’s approach while we secretly watched from above. Amy knelt before the chest and cried—along with each of us—while she sifted through its contents … treasures and memories from their year and a half of dating.

Wiping her eyes, she rose and followed the string through a rustic, open greeting area that led to a circular cobblestone patio where a tall chair sat in the field beyond, fit for a queen. Meandering through the grass, the twine fed into a small, white satin box on top of an open Bible resting on the seat of the chair.

A cord of three strands is not easily broken …

— Ecclesiastes 4:12

And while Amy stood there and sobbed her heart out, Nate appeared from behind to take her in his arms and seat her in the chair before getting down on one knee to ask for hand.

Ah, happy tears … so much better than those we shed in our moments of malaise, and yet God warned us that tribulation would be part of the emotional mix, moments of fear or despair or weariness that threaten to take us down. Just like this morning when I cried out to God with tears in my eyes … for His strength, His hope, His peace in the midst of a storm of life overwhelmed.

“Follow the string, Julie, just follow the string …”

I closed my eyes then and suddenly I saw my daughter slowly but surely picking her way down that hill, her path riddled with any number of hazards—piles of manure, snakes, beggar’s lice, a twisted ankle. She couldn’t see that diamond ring from where she was standing, but she followed the string nonetheless, joyful and fully confident that at the end of the line, her heart’s desire rested … on God’s Word.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,”

declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity

to give you a future and a hope.”

—Jeremiah 29:11

You know, sometimes in life we can’t see the field for the forest or the forest for the trees, but God is faithful and true to steer us along the path He has for us—a good path, paved with blessings and hope that rest upon His Word. He may not lead us as quickly as we like nor the path we would opt to take, but He will usher us past all the heartbreak and manure of life with the assurance that if we just hold on and follow His lead, He will guide us both to His will and His pleasure … which, when we wipe away the blur of our tears … will look suspiciously like the desires of our heart.

 

WEEKEND CONTEST WINNER!!!

A HUGE thank you to all of you who entered my weekend contest—I wish each and every one of you could have won. But out of a Randomizer drawing of 321 entries, only one can and that special person is:

Carrie Turansky

SUPER CONGRATS to Carrie, who wins a Kindle or equivalent gift card, a signed copy of any of my books and her choice of five top CBA books from my personal library. I will have another Kindle giveaway next month, so be sure to check Journal Jots every Friday, okay?

BOOK GIVEAWAYS!!!

Don’t miss these opportunities to win your choice of any of my books including A Light in the Window:

TODAY ONLY … NOVEMBER 16, 2012:

Win your choice of any of my books including A Love Surrendered and my Christmas e-book A Light in the Window: An Irish Christmas Love Story blog at:

MARYLU TYNDALL’S BLOG

NOVEMBER 27, 2012:

Win your choice of any of my books including A Love Surrendered and my Christmas e-book A Light in the Window: An Irish Christmas Love Story at a giveaway on LENA NELSON DOOLEY’S blog at:

LENA NELSON DOOLEY’S BLOG

NOVEMBER 29, 2012:

Win your choice of any of my books including A Love Surrendered and my Christmas e-book A Light in the Window: An Irish Christmas Love Story at a giveaway on THE SWORD AND THE SPIRIT blog at:

DEBBIE LYNN COSTELLO’S BLOG

HAPPY FRIDAY AND GOD BLESS!!

Julie

 

WOW … talk about HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

It’s my precious daughter’s birthday, my Christmas e-book releases today, A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW: An Irish Christmas Love Story (and, yes, that’s my daughter on the cover!) plus I woke up to a pretty cool article in USA Today‘s Happy Ever After Blog — all in all, a pretty nice start to the weekend!!

So … to celebrate … I am holding a WEEKEND CONTEST for FRIDAY-SUNDAY ONLY!!!  And what do you win, you ask??? Well, one lucky person will win ALL of the following!

A KINDLE or EQUIVALENT GIFT CARD ($69 value)

CHOICE OF ANY OF MY BOOKS (even ALITW, ebook or signed manuscript)

CHOICE OF TEN-PAGE CRITIQUE FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS

OR

CHOICE OF FIVE OF THE FOLLOWING CBA BOOKS:

—A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber (hardback)

—Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury

—Redemption by Karen Kingsbury

—And the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers

—The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers

—Faith by Lori Copeland

—Mending Places by Denise Hunter

—Glamourous Illusions by Lisa Bergren

—Long Trail Home by Vickie McDonough

—Out of Control by Mary Connealy

—A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin

—House of Secrets by Tracie Peterson

—Breathe by Lisa Bergren

—Twice Promised by Maggie Brendan

—The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall

—Enduring Justice by Amy Wallace

—Faith by Lori Copeland

—Snow Angel by Jamie Carie

—The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers

—A Lady of Secret Devotion by Tracie Peterson

—The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian

So … HOW do you win?

You can enter this random drawing by accruing points for any of the following:

1.) AUTOMATIC ENTRY for leaving comment on USA Today Happy Ever After blog at:

USA TODAY’S Happy Ever After Blog

2.) TEN EXTRA POINTS in both this 3-day giveaway AND in my Kindle Fire Contest for every purchase of A Light in the Window: An Irish Christmas Love story over this weekend either by clicking here for AMAZON or BARNES AND NOBLE!! Buy for yourself or a loved one for Christmas. NOTE: If purchasing as a gift, you can order today and schedule delivery for Christmas!! Details at the end of this blog.

3.) TEN POINTS for signing up (or getting anyone else to sign up) for a FREE subscription to THE BOOK CLUB NETWORK BOOK FUN e-magazine and FIVE ADDITIONAL POINTS for clicking on my book!! When you sign up for this FREE subscription, you are AUTOMATICALLY entered into Book Fun Magazine’s Signature Library Contest where they are giving away 140 books by more than 100 authors of which I am one. The Signature Library Contest details can be found in the magazine, which features Liz Curtis Higgs on the cover PLUS 80 pages of great articles too!! One winner will get first choice of 30 books, the next person 20, 5 people will pick 10. REMEMBER — ADDITIONAL FIVE POINTS in this weekend contest if you click on my book cover for A LOVE SURRENDERED: 

BOOK FUN MAGAZINE’S SIGNATURE LIBRARY CONTEST

4.) ONE POINT EACH for sharing this on Facebook and Twitter.

 

TO MAKE THIS CONTEST EASY, simply copy this list below, indicating what you have done and e-mail it to me through my website contact tab CONTACT JULIE.

I HAVE DONE THE FOLLOWING FOR WEEKEND CONTEST (check appropriate slots/quantity if more than one):

 

_____ Left a comment on USA TODAY’S Happy Ever Blog (required to enter contest — 1 pt.).

_____ Signed up for BOOK FUN free subscription and Signature Library Contest (10 pts.).

_____ Clicked on A Love Surrendered in BOOK FUN’s Signature Library Contest (5 pts.).

_____ Purchased A Light in the Window (10 pts. in BOTH this Weekend Contest AND my Kindle Fire Contest).

_____ Shared Julie’s Weekend contest on Facebook and Twitter (max 2 pts.)

_____ TOTAL POINTS ACCRUED IN THIS WEEKEND CONTEST

 

WHOO-HOO … winners will be announced right here in next week’s Journal Jot, so GOOD LUCK and HAPPY FRIDAY!!

HUGS,

Julie

INFO ON AMAZON’S E-BOOK GIFT-GIVING FOR CHRISTMAS!!

When customers gift a Kindle book they have the option to have the gift delivered immediately or to specify a future delivery date. To give a gift, please visit the AMAZON page of the book you wish to buy and click on the “Give as a Gift” button located under the “Buy” button on the product detail page for the book you wish to gift.

By default delivery date is set to “now” and your gift notification will be delivered immediately to the recipient’s e-mail address. NOTE: If you choose a future delivery date, the e-mail confirmation of your gift will be sent to your recipient between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. Pacific Time on the date you selected.

You may also choose to instead send the gift notification to your own e-mail address, which you can then forward, or print out and deliver, whenever you choose.