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The Adventure of Writing a Novel When You're a Mom

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Since the title of my first novel is Confessions of a Wedding Musician Mom , you might not be too shocked to hear that I am a mom myself. (I also happen to be a wedding musician. But the book is a complete work of fiction. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.) Writing a novel when you have kids -- in my case, three homeschooled kids -- is a bit of an interesting challenge. I started writing the rough draft during swim team season. During the kids' morning practices, I sat off to the side and wrote beginning character sketches and a scene-by-scene outline. During the evening meets, when I wasn't volunteering, I was sitting on the bleachers scribbling into composition notebooks (yes, I wrote the rough draft by hand) in between munching on my concession stand pizza. When summer swim team season was over, I needed to figure out a new writing schedule. Fortunately, all three of my kids were in a musical that fall, and at evening rehearsals I would shoot over to P...

The Gift that Keeps Giving!

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Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a copy of Under a Maui Moon by Robin Jones Gunn.  I was given this copy in exchange for an honest review.  Who likes vacations?  I know I do.  I would also say cancer sufferers love vacations even morel.  What would be your favorite destination?  I know that I have been wanting to travel out west again. This time I plan to visit Maui.  So I invite you to come with us to Maui! Synopsis: Carissa is an office manager for a busy medical practice in Portland Oregon.  One morning she walks into work to find that a meeting has occurred.  What did the doctors meet about?  It does not take long for her to find out.  Dr. Walters comes to see her and lets her know that she is let go from her job.  He hands her a key and says that he will fill her in on what the key is for tomorrow after she finishes packing up her office.  Once home she is also having conflict with her husband Richard...

Can the Past Haunt Your Future?

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The next novel in our Pink Escape series is When Light Breaks by Patti Callahan Henry.   This story asks the question can the past change the future?   Is it worth investigating?  Follow along this story set in South Carolina. Synopsis:  Kara Larson is a manager for the country club.  She works with Pros on the golf tour.  She met her fiancé Peyton through her work with the PGA.  She feels that she has everything she ever wanted.  Then the benefit fundraiser comes along that will follow the tour stop of PGA.  Shelly needs a band for this event.  Then there is Mave's story of her first love.  Kara keeps up her visits to this lady to fulfill her Junior League committment.  One night her fiancé suggests this band that is very popular.  The main members of the band are Jack and his brother.  Shelly and Jack grew up together in her old neighborhood.  Will this band solve all her problems?...

Escape to the Reunion!

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Thank you to Faith Words for a copy of the Reunion by Lauraine Snelling.  This copy was given to me in exchange for an honest review. It is the time for the Sorenson family reunion.  They will get together to celebrate those who are still living and those who have departed.  What surprises could be in store for this family? Synopsis:  Keira and Leah are looking forward to the reunion that is coming soon plus the trip to Norway.  They make a trip to Keira and Marcus’s mother’s house.  Their mother was famous for hiding money and important papers in random places.  Keira and Leah, who is Marcus’s wife, are there to look for the birth certificates to get the passports.  When they find Keira’s birth certificate it is different from her brothers.  Her birth certificate makes no mention of their father Kenneth Sorenson.  Who is she if her father is not Kenneth Sorenson?  Leah and Marcus’s daughter has another secre...

Congrats to the winner of The Spice Box Letters!

Congratulations to Susan Roberts!  Please contact me at jenceyg@gmail.com to collect your prize.  Prize fulfillment is being done by St. Martin's Press.  You have 48 hours to contact me or I will pick another winner.

The Book that Started it All

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Today we are taking a trip to Sullivan’s Island. Dorothea Benton Frank will present her story.  But where did it begin? Let’s meet the family who resides in the Island Gamble.  She is also a big breast cancer awareness supporter. Synopsis: Susan is late for a meeting when she realizes that she has left a chart at the house for her presentation.  She quickly drives back to pick it up only to make a discovery.  Susan hears noises coming from the master bedroom.  She opens the door to find her husband in bed with another woman.  Susan and her husband Tom separate and she tries to put her life back together with their daughter Beth.  There is one aspect of life where questions still creep up.  What happened the night her daddy was murdered?   Will she be able to put the pieces together and find peace?  What other surprises could possibly be in store for Susan and her family? My Thoughts: I loved this novel!  ...

Saluting All Our Breast Cancer Survivors: Keep Fighting

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