Vanilla with a Twist - COVER REVEAL! By Peggy Jaeger

Looking for a summer series to read? What about sweet, decadent ice cream? (or frozen yogurt…gelato…) Look no further. The Wild Rose Press is releasing a new short story/novella series this summer 2020 and summer 2021.

Stay tuned on release date - summer 2020. But how about a peek at the cover and blurb?

Tandy Blakemore spends her days running her New England ice cream parlor, single-parenting her teenage son, and trying to keep her head above financial water. No easy feat when the shop's machinery is aging and her son is thinking about college. Tandy hasn't had a day off in a decade and wonders if she'll ever be able to live a worry-free life.

Engineer Deacon Withers is on an enforced vacation in the tiny seaside town of Beacher's Cove. Overworked, stressed, and lonely, he walks into Tandy's shop for a midday ice cream cone and gets embroiled in helping her fix a broken piece of equipment.

Can the budding friendship that follows lead to something everlasting?

“There’s never a wrong time for ice cream.” - Tandy Blakemore, owner of Vanilla with a Twist

Celebrating my birthday month with a 99c sale!

What better way to celebrate February—the month of love & my birthday? A book sale! (oh yes, and cake…that will come). Will Rise from Ashes, a mother and son’s story of heartache, healing, and hope is on sale for $0.99 [ebook]. Grab a copy now!

Find the sale on AMAZON, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble NOOK.

What is this book about?

Young widow AJ Sinclair has persevered through much heartache. Has she met her match when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, leaving her separated from her youngest son and her brother? Tens of thousands are dead or missing in a swath of massive destruction. She and her nine-year-old autistic son, Will, embark on a risky road trip from Maine to the epicenter to find her family. She can't lose another loved one.

Along the way, they meet Reid Gregory, who travels his own road to perdition looking for his sister. Drawn together by AJ's fear of driving and Reid's military and local expertise, their journey to Colorado is fraught with the chaotic aftermath of the eruption. AJ's anxiety and faith in humanity are put to the test as she heals her past, accepts her family's present, and embraces uncertainty as Will and Reid show her a world she had almost forgotten.

Excerpt:

AMAZON, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble NOOK.

He slid closer and placed a hand on mine and squeezed. “I see a strong woman who has been hurt deeply. I see a resilient mother who would journey through hell for her children. I see somebody who has become jaded and has trouble trusting, unable to sort through friend and enemy. I see a woman with hope.” He held my gaze. “And I’d like to be your friend, Audrey Jane.”

My jaw may have dropped. I wasn’t sure. I recovered quickly. Or at least I tried. “You’ve been talking with my therapist, haven’t you?” God, I was teasing him. I was joking. I was like Will. Will always got goofy with his peers in social situations when he didn’t know the expectations, or how to behave.

Either way, Reid didn’t laugh. Thin lips pressed into a frown that I couldn’t decipher.

I didn’t prod any further. I broke the gaze and released my hand from his, then stoked the fire for the tenth time, sleep luring me with sweet abandon. I tossed the stick into the fire. “I should turn in.”

“I’ll stay awake,” he offered. “Until the fire goes.” “Okay.” I nodded, though the fire could have been quickly snuffed.

I paused in my opening of the tent flap, turned around, and peered at him. My arms dropped to my side, my hands still. “I’m sorry about the hotel. I was sick and wasn’t thinking straight. Thank you for your help today.” A part of me couldn’t disclose the unvarnished truth. Part of it had been crazy withdrawal symptoms AJ. The other part—I’d been paranoid he’d been drinking. Harrison’s death remained a ghostly echo in my mind, perhaps clouding my judgment. The scent had been on his clothes though. I was sure of it. The more I pondered, I believed his story. Perhaps I had been triggered. Perhaps I really did have trauma or PTSD. I shook my head. I didn’t know.

Firelight glistened off the growing beard hairs on Reid’s chin and spots of amber danced in his dark, round eyes. Speaking of soulful eyes… “You were looking out for Will. I understand. I had been gone far too long.”

“You had a legitimate reason. Shit happens,” I countered.

His lips curved into a resigned smile. “Yeah. Rest, Audrey Jane.”

“You, too, Reid,” I whispered. I added in a deep exhalation, “And yes, yes, I’d like to be your friend.”

As I stepped into my tent, I observed Reid’s normally straight shoulders slouch a hair. Perhaps he, like all of us, was on his own road of atonement. Searching for meaning, searching for answers…searching for absolution.

I had treated him poorly. I didn’t know what the hell had just happened between us, but I tucked it away into a corner of my brain to contemplate upon another time when I was lucid. My remorse had lifted somewhat.

Ignoring my exhaustion for at least a few minutes, I clicked on my headlamp and pulled out my journal. It was time to unburden my heart.

Inspiration for the book. Yellowstone National Park.

Psst…if you’ve made it this far in reading the blog post, I have exciting news. Will Rise from Ashes will be released on AUDIBLE this spring. I am astounded by the performance of the book producers and narrators. Stay tuned on release date. Want a FREE AUDIBLE CODE? Drop me a message via my contact form. Happy listening!

It's Okay

The old adage goes: Do you see the glass as half-full or half-empty?

It’s a simple, yet loaded philosophical question. I tend to be a half-empty person who tries (so badly) to be half-full person.

When roadblocks continue to hit (and isn’t that life?), I find myself trying to search for meaning in the madness, hope in the hurdle, and optimism in the outlook. I am by no means a power-of-positive-thinking person (though I read the book decades ago), I try. I do try. It’s okay.

What can I glean from the situation, no matter how frustrating or hurting it may be? Sometimes there is not much to glean, and all we can do is ride the wave. And that’s okay, too.

It’s okay.

Many advise to find the good in the bad. Sometimes, our minds or efforts are so deeply entrenched in the battle, we can’t locate that morsel or breadcrumb. It’s okay.

My computer is on the fritz - my lifeblood for work. It at least works while docked. But I may need to replace it to fix this issue. It’s okay.

My son’s secondary insurance continues to give us the red-tape runaround, five years into the journey of autism. We at least have the primary insurance to help. It’s okay.

My son’s yearly IEP meeting is coming up, his 3-year re-evaluation (it’s called a re-evaulation meeting after lots of testing by the school). In some cases, the schools take away the IEP, strip accommodations, and downgrade the plan because my child “is doing so well,” regardless of the IEP helping him access curriculum and succeed. I have a back-up plan in place (not an easy one and it deals with more money and more red-tape/headaches — any many of my friends are riding this hellish journey). It’s okay.

We are no longer utilizing ABA therapy (insert more insurance headache here), but my son has seemed to outgrow it. We’ll roll with this new transition. It’s okay.

Braces. Times two. Ugh. (and insurance circus — see a trend here?). It’s okay.

I had to swap producers for an upcoming audio book, and although amazingly talented, it means more ouch on the checkbook. They are going to make this book shine though. It’s okay.

Uncle Sam might consider my full-time author employment a “hobby” this tax season and I will need to justify it. It’s okay.

We need to travel to visit family during a very expensive school break. But hey, it’s Florida and my sons love manatees. It’s okay.

I’ve had weird heart flutters and tightness and pain, and the doctor ran tests. A mystery, but he is not worried. It’s okay.

I switched to half decaf coffee. The apocalypse has not arrived. It’s okay.

I swapped out my car sooner than I liked because the old one was making yet more noises. Got a new-used car. It’s okay.

I’m trying so badly to lose weight for personal wellness, and I’d finally hit my groove before the holidays, and now I’ve plateaued for 4 weeks. Ugh. I’m hangry as I write this. It’s okay if this is where my body wants to be right now.

My husband recently changed jobs (we think for the better). It’s okay.

I still miss a really good friend who I’ve parted ways with. It’s okay.

It’s okay.

Wherever I am in this life-journey, and I’ve had some really bumpy years — big big big stuff, and I’ve had some less bumpy ones — it is going to be okay. So I suppose that’s my attempt at the partially full outlook? Wherever you are in your life-journey, I am sending hugs that you too, find hope in the heartache and opportunity in the failure…even if it is from viewing through a rear view mirror.

Exiting the Decade: 2019 Year-End Summary

As not only 2019 comes to a close but so does a decade, it causes one to reflect. Wow, a decade! With the holidays settling, and an overabundance of food consumed, it’s time to share my year in pictures. It’s always hard to choose as I take an excessive number of photos and I’m a nature buff — it’s my muse after all. This year my phone and camera are clogged with photos of mountains & lakes (and anything nature), excursions, coffee shops/bookshelves, flowers and gardens, my cat, books, my children, and garden harvests.

Here is my 2019 summary, month by month in photos:

TOP TEN of 2019:

I broke it down to 5 author-related achievements and 5 personal favorites of the year. Though every year has its hiccups and rocky moments (and 2019 was no exception), I decided to highlight my favorites of the year.

What’s up for 2020?

I have a growing to-do list for work…logistical things I won’t bore you with. What else do I have to look forward to? The final book in the “hundred” series will release in Spring/Summer 2020! Will Rise from Ashes will also be out as an audio book by mid-year.

I’ve also been working on a contemporary romance. I’ll be speaking at a Worcester Author Book Fair in April and at the Maine RWA chapter in October. You can also find me visiting local bookshops and cafes.

That’s it from here as I wrap up an exciting 2019 and end to a decade. How was your year and decade? What is in store for you in 2020?

November's Reading Round Up

I sit here wondering what to write for my November blog post. A plethora of gratitude and “ten year” then and now posts abound on the ‘net…yup, we are wrapping up a decade! Yikes! Thanks for the reminder of how time flies! That just hit me last week when I saw all these 2009/2019 comparison photos.

I decided to share what I’m reading this month. People ask writers what they write, but also what they read (and gosh, WHEN do we read? That’s another topic). Something I am grateful for this year has been the reciprocated support of other authors. Boosts, cheer-leading, reading, reviewing, likes, retweets, emails, and big heartfelt hugs proliferate in the circle of author love. Two years ago, I knew a handful of authors and writers. Enter the publication of my first book in 2017 and I jumped deep into the pool of author support. What a pool it is, too. So much love.

The perfect gift for an author: a review!

That said, I read. You can’t take the reader out of a writer. I do admittedly read with a different eye now. I’m more critical, harder to please. Once you learn the ways of the craft (and honestly, you are always learning…), it’s hard to undo the inner critic. Reviews are gold to budding authors so when I read, I review. It really only takes two minutes, two sentences to support an author. How do I read? E-book, print, and audio. I love all three channels of consuming books. What do I read? All genres. Romance is my go-to, but I love suspense, mystery, women’s fiction, YA, and just about anything.

What am I reading? The answer always is: several books.

First up, audio books.

What’s in my Audible account? I must preface that I usually read/listen to my audio books from the library in CD format because I used to commute to work and reading in the car was perfect. But enter a few audio codes and great Audible deals, and this new little app has blown me away. Portable! Easy! I am currently halfway through Christine Grabowski’s MG/YA fantasy, Dickensen Academy and just began Julie Howard’s Crime and Paradise (darker/suspense/women’s fiction). I am LOVING the narration in both and the talent of these two authors. Voice artists are amazing people.

On to paperback.

I always have a few sitting around for me to on the couch, in the car for school pick up line, or when I rode the commuter rail into Boston for an author event at the state house. I heard about Barbara' O’Neal’s book in the Women’s Fiction Writing Association community on Facebook. I’m not a big fan of present tense, but I find more and more talented authors sucking me in. Ms. O’Neal is no exception. Her talent and wordsmith-ing is enviable! I read a sentence and sigh at the beauty. What a story!

I’m also reading Sharon Healy-Yang’s mystery, Bait and Switch. I love the amount of research that must have gone into this 1940’s whodunit. I met Sharon at a local author’s event and we swapped books. What a find!

Lastly, but never least, e-books.

I’m wrapping up reading with an advanced reader copy of Ciara’s Homecoming Christmas in the Deerbourne Inn series. I’ve just finished reading the last few books, too and a couple more romances, bringing up my total to over a dozen in this new Wild Rose Press series. If you are looking for a shorter novella (my new fascination), this is a good series to dip into.

I’d love to hear from you. What’s in your reading queue this month?

Back to this then and now thing…I don’t share family photos too often on here (if I do, it’s usually under my Magazine Rack section detailing our travel adventures). Here is my 2009 vs. 2019 - ten years, the then and now. My, how we’ve grown. My, how time has flown by in a blink.

SPEAKING OF READING…

A final teaser for those of you who follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or in my newsletter. I have a few FREE deals and exciting reading adventures coming up in December. Stay tuned. Subscribe to my quarterly newsletter and you’ll be the first to hear about and score some freebies.