On My Kindle - Her Hasty Betrothal by Jessica Nelson

Lady Elizabeth Wayland loves to read and is more interested in her books than finding a suitable match. She would consider someone who loved her rather than her family fortune, but has little hope that will ever happen.

Miles Hawthorne, a widower and owner of cotton mills, vowed never to marry again. When his childhood friend, Elizabeth, faces a scandal, he steps forward and offers a marriage of convenience.

This Love Inspired Historical entertained me for hours. Jessica Nelson's storytelling always takes some delightful twists and turns. I've read a couple of her books, and have never been disappointed. I'm giving it 5 Stars.

Disclaimer: I purchased this book. Neither the author nor the publisher paid me to review it. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Writers:  Have you considered putting your talents to use with a straight romance? Please share.

Readers:  Love Inspired books will soon be a thing of the past. Have you read many of them? Please share

P.S. Isn't this cover cute? I think her impish expression captured the heroine's sassy personality.

Action Scenes/Sequelphobia/Headlines/Pray/Jessica Nelson Cover

1.  Jessie Rita Hoffman guest posts at Writer Unboxed. Writing an action scene can make or break a novel. She gives some excellent instruction on how to make your scene effective.

2.  Barbara Hartzler guest posted at Elaine Stock's blog a few weeks ago. The title grabbed me:  Do You Suffer From Sequelphobia? Every writer who has a successful first book wonders whether or not they can do it again.

3.  Christian Headlines presented an article on the targeting of Christian colleges for their gender views. When are we going to stand up to the bullies, who want to take our religious freedoms away?

4.  Canadian blogger, Lynn Simpson, posts on the devastating fires in her region. She comes to the conclusion there are no words to express what's happening. Only pray.

5.  Readers - Watch for the release of Jessica Nelson's novel, "A Hasty Betrothal," coming out in August 2016. I've read a couple of her books, and they're wonderful stories.

Writers:  What problems do you run into when writing action scenes?

Readers:  When reading a series, are you often disappointed by the second book? Please share.

On My Nightstand - Forever Love by Jessica Nelson

Maggie McCormick loves her job as a sky-diving instructor. After living on the wild side, she's turned a corner and makes some changes. She has a dream to open a home for young mothers.

Pastor Joe O'Reilly is impressed by her vision but has no intention of selling her the land that's been in his family for many years. He sees the changes in her life and is attracted, but will the terrible secrets she hides be a deal breaker?

I've read a couple of Jessica's books and was impressed by the interesting plots. The characters had me cheering for a happy ending, and kept me thoroughly engaged.

If you're stocking up for beach reads, this is a good pick. I'm giving Forever Love 4 Stars and looking forward to more books from this author.

Disclaimer:  Neither the author nor the publisher requested a review. I did not receive any payment for it, and all opinions are mine.

 

Writers:     Jessica's character is a sky-diving instructor. Have you chosen any unusual occupations for your characters? Please share.

Readers:    What types of books do you select for your summer reading enjoyment?

Friday Round-Up - #232

Blogging Buddy, Jessica Nelson, did an interesting post over at BookingIt. What happens when "should" and "want" collide?

I'm saving this one for future reference.

Writers: How do you ramp up the tension in your writing?

Readers: In real life we're often faced with inner conflict between what we want and what we should do. How do you resolve those type of issues?

Have a blessed weekend!

On My Nightstand - Love on the Range by Jessica Nelson

Gracelyn Riley's obsession with finding and interviewing Striker, a man who rescues young women from kidnappers, is all part of a plan. If she can make a name for herself in publishing, she can avoid an arranged marriage and be an independent woman.

When the influenza outbreak occurs, her parents ship her to her uncle in Texas. Coincidentally, newspaper accounts put Striker in that area.

Her uncle's partner, Trevor Cruz, doesn't know how to handle this new threat to his secret identity. He worries that Gracie will get herself into a heap of trouble. He vows to protect her, which means they'll be spending a lot of time together.

Author Jessica Nelson's debut book delighted me. She's a natural storyteller and held my interest every step of the way. I'm looking forward to her future books. Way to go, Jess!

If At First You Don't Succeed...Guest Post by Jessica Nelson

This is not a post recommending we writers never put a manuscript under the bed. Rather, it’s to encourage writers to objectively look at their work, and if it has promise, to never give up on it.

Last month I became a debut published author. Love On The Range was released by Harlequin’s Love Inspired Historical line. So exciting! This story was my first finished manuscript. I penned it in 2007. I submitted it to Love Inspired Historical in 2007.

And it was rejected.

Publisher rejection is the point where a writer decides if he will continue submitting a particular manuscript, or hide it away for good. I considered hiding mine simply because the word count didn’t make it viable for any other publishers (at the time), and I was in the midst of writing my second manuscript.

After the rejection, I sent the story to Harlequin’s critique service and continued writing new works. When the critique came back, there was a seed in it that planted in my heart. At the end of the story, the critiquer wrote, “…you have written a beautiful and intriguing novel.”

How could I not explore that in my manuscript? Three years and many revisions later, I resubmitted to LIH, and you know the rest of the story.

What seeds are planted in your heart today? Was there ever something you didn’t feel you could give up on?




In keeping with her romantic inclinations, Jessica Nelson married two days after she graduated high school.

She believes romance happens every day, and thinks the greatest, most intense romance comes from a God who woos people to himself with passionate tenderness.

When Jessica is not chasing her three beautiful, wild little boys around the living room, she can be found staring into space as she plots her next story. Or she might be daydreaming about a raspberry mocha from Starbucks. Or thinking about what kind of chocolate she should have for dinner that night. She could be thinking of any number of things, really. One thing is for certain, she is blessed with a wonderful family and a lovely life.

Jessica loves to talk books and writing and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads and her blog, BookingIt.

http://www.jessicanelson.net
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJessicaNelson.com/

Happiness Is...

My Blogger Buddy, Maria Morgan, of Life Lessons, gave me this lovely award. She draws spiritual insights from daily life.

I'm supposed to bestow this award on ten other bloggers, but I'm whittling it down to five.

1) Sandra Heska King combines amazing  photos with her daily thoughts.

2) Jean Fischer, at the Walrus & The Carpenter, talks about writing and life. Check out her other blog, The Compost Pile, as well.

3) Carla Gade, at Writing to Distraction, is a newly contracted author. She's been doing a series on Colonial custumes. If you're a historical writer, zip over there and check out these posts.

4) Jessica Nelson, at Booking It, posts on Wednesday about her writing journey. Romance is her genre.

5) Diane Estrella often tickles my funny bone with videos and posts about her everyday life. She also does giveaways.

All of these ladies are regulars on my personal blog tour. You can always find them on my blogroll, along with many other awesome bloggers. Congratulations! Thank you for providing so many delightful hours of reading.