I’m partnering with a bunch of fabulous #Kindlevella authors for a May sweeps promo to get people excited about the Vella platform.
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If you read on Vella, please consider taking a peek at the stories I’ve there. And remember: the first 3 chapters/episodes are ALWAYS FREE TO READ!
I’m not going to lie. This has been the hardest day of my life to date.
In 62 years I’ve lived through a lot.
A lot.
So that’s saying something about the agony of today.
Chronic pain; numerous surgeries; life-changing accidents; rejection; multiple types of skin cancer with subsequent disfiguring surgeries.
It’s a lot.
But it’s all paled in comparison to the unstoppable ache in my soul today.
This is the first Mother’s Day I’ve ever had without my mother.
The sadness surrounding me is like a cloak made of a heavy black depression that weighs more than anyone should bear.
Even during the times our relationship wasn’t perfect, Mother’s Day was always something I never forgot. Cards, small tokens, even just a phone call was all she ever wanted, just a reminder from me that she was my mother and I loved her.
My mother wasn’t one of those moms who demanded and expected hearts, flowers, and expensive gifts.
She was a simple woman with simple tastes and desires.
One of her favorite gifts, and the one she commented on every year on Mother’s Day, was a ceramic house I made her in third-grade arts and crafts class in school. I’ve looked at this item over the years and have always wondered, why the hell did she love it so much?
I know the answer now. At least, I think I do.
We lived in apartments from the time I was born until I was in the sixth grade. That year, my mother and stepfather bought their first home. It was a tiny one-bedroom bungalow in a beach community on Staten Island. Low rent district, because it was in a flood zone, but a real house nonetheless.
And yes, I said one bedroom. They slept in it, I slept in the living room on an old Castro convertible – remember them?
The entire house couldn’t have been more than 750 square feet. It had a small fenced-in backyard that abutted a wooded area. The houses were separated from each other by three feet ( 1.5 feet on either side), which meant you could hear and see everything going on in the next house. Railroad track houses they were called. One room falling into the next.
I don’t know how much the house cost in 1971 but they had a sizable mortgage for the time. That, I do remember because money was really tight during those years. Those were the times when we didn’t eat vegetables because we couldn’t afford them, powdered milk was the only kind they could buy because of the cheap price, and we ate boiled potatoes five times a week and plain macaroni as our main meal on the weekends.
My mother loved that house.
Why? I think because it was the first real one she ever lived in. Her entire life until that moment had been spent in apartments. First as a child, then as an adult.
This was the first home that was truly hers and not owned by someone else.
I’m not gonna lie and say everything was honky dory in that house. It wasn’t.
The water pressure was practically nil, which meant taking a shower and actually getting soap and shampoo off you took five times longer than it should have. And the water was never really…hot.
The stove was an old burner flame one and the pilot light went out routinely 3-4 times a week. I learned how to light an oven at an age no child should. And with matches, not an electric lighter.
The walls were paper thin which mean no privacy. In the bathroom…in the bedroom.
You get the idea.
There was one thermostat to control the heat and it was in the living room so that meant in order for heat to register in the bedroom the temp had to be turned up high. I never went to bed without sweating.
And forget air conditioning. They couldn’t afford one. Summers were…difficult.
But my mother loved that house, despite all the issues.
And I think that’s why she loved that ceramic house I made her so much.
At the time I made it, we were still living in apartments where roaches were our roommates, junkies looking for a fix roamed outside the front doors, and crime lived in the lobbies.
That little ceramic house was my mother’s hope for the future; her dream where we would live one day. Safe, sound, and far from crime and urban squalor.
The funny thing is, that very first home in the beach looked an awful lot like the ceramic one.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, moms-to-be, aunties, sisters, and step-moms. If you’ve still got your mom with you, call her, give her a hug, tell her you love her.
Oh, and have I mentioned the book is a RONE NOMINEE ( LOL) If you’d like to vote for it, and haven’t already- despite all my begging!- here’s the link and the instructions:
The countdown is starting!!! In just 7 days, SABLE ( ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID) releases into the romance reading world. This pediatrician is sick and tired of always being a bridesmaid. She’s determined that the next wedding she attends will be her own.
Pediatrician Sable Miller is sick and tired of being the go-to, dependable bridesmaid in all her family and friends’ weddings. But her demanding job, the ridiculous hours, and endless family commitments keep her from finding the perfect man. A matchmaking service? Sounds like too much work. Swipe right dating? Not her thing. The bar scene? When was the last time she even had an evening free to go to a bar?
And forget about dating the myriad of on-the-make doctors and residents in her hospital. Besides, workplace romances never work out.
Sable’s options to meet the man of her dreams and start a family are dwindling and time is running out, because she promised herself the next wedding she would attend would be her own.
Kristopher Lee, the Physician’s Assistant assigned to Sable has a crush on his new mentor. But she’s got a hands-off rule when it comes to dating someone she works with. Kris is nothing if not persistent, though. After all, he didn’t survive three tours in the Army without focusing on a goal. And making Sable Miller fall in love with him is his best goal yet.
Did you preorder your copy yet? I’m still running a little giveaway if you haven’t – the rules are in the graphic below. Click on this link to my FB page. Preorder, let me know, and you’ll be in the running to win a $10.00 amazon gift card. I’m giving away 5 on the day Sable releases!
Today’s tease is from my currently nominated Rone Award book THE HAUNTING OF WILTON JUNE( you just knew I was gonna get that award in there, didn’t”cha? LOL)
Hotshot movie director Wilton June is in pre-production for a new movie. The moment he sees Maison Toussaint he decides it’s the perfect setting for the film and wants to rent it. The one stumbling block? The owner isn’t sure she can let her ancestral home be used in a movie.
Botanist Jerica Toussaint needs cash – a lot of it – to keep her home up to code and her herbal healing business alive. June’s financial offer is oh-so-tempting, as is the director himself. But the house has a secret Jerica’s guarded her entire life. Can she, in good conscience, rent it to a man who may expose it?
Convincing Jerica to trust him with her home – and her secret – is no easy feat and after a time Will realizes he needs to convince her to trust him with one more thing: her heart.
“I understand you want to film a movie in the house.”
He nodded.
“That’s an unusual request. Don’t you usually film one in a studio or on a soundstage?”
“I could, but I’d have to construct a prop house. Your home is absolutely perfect for the storyline of the film
12
and it’s already standing. It would be cheaper in the long run to use an already standing structure.”
“What about my house makes it absolutely perfect, to use your words? Ms. Gordon told me you looked at six other properties similar to mine. Surely any one of them would suit your . . . needs.”
Will couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a grown woman blush. Her cheeks turned apple-red as she spoke and he’d be damned if it weren’t the most alluring thing he’d ever seen.
“True, but when I saw your house it spoke to me. Screamed at me, in fact,” he said, grinning.
“Sc-screamed?” Jerica swallowed and a fine tremor started in her folded hands. “What do you mean . . . screamed?”
Will grinned and leaned back in his chair. “The movie I’m set to make is a modern-day love story about two people who try to solve a one-hundred-year-old murder which occurred in the house where the heroine lives. Your house is perfect for the time period, aside from being huge, which is another plus, because of the size of my film equipment. After I walked through it with Ms. Gordon yesterday and got the lay of the land and the room sizes, I’m more convinced than ever it’s the house I need for my film to come alive.”
Her shoulders dropped down from where they’d been hugging her ears. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out why his explanation calmed her nerves, but the response encouraged him. Leaning forward, he told her, “I know it’s a huge imposition to have people and equipment in your home, but I can assure you, we’re all professional. And my crew is only ten people plus me. And the actors, of course. I have an extremely well-oiled machine of people I trust and who are tops in their fields. I promise nothing will get broken or damaged, and we won’t move a thing unless we ask first.”
She tossed a quick glance at the lawyer who caught the move and nodded.
“Should Miss Toussaint agree to your filming in the house—and that’s still a big if—we would ask you to sign a separate waiver stating you’ll take full responsibility for the costs of any damage.”
“Not a problem,” Will said.
“Now, about the use-of-location rider,” Gavin said, taking a stack of papers from a briefcase at his feet. “The fee mentioned seems a little low since the house will not only be inhabited by you as a resident but your film crew as well—”
“The crew stays off-site. I’ll be the only one actually living in the house at the time of filming.”
“Even so, the recompense paid to Ms. Toussaint, we feel, should be higher. After all, the film will be seen, potentially, by a large audience.”
“That’s always the hope.” Will grinned.
“People may actually want to come and visit where the movie was filmed. You can see where this may pose a problem with security for Ms. Toussaint. A higher fee would enable her to employ security if needed. This is, after all, her home. We want to ensure her safety.”
Will’s gaze raked over Jerica Toussaint’s face. “Of course. What price were you thinking?”
When Gavin named an amount twenty-five percent higher than the offer, Will hid his surprise, then did a quick mental math shuffle. He could swing the payment increase if he cut the budget a bit somewhere else.
“Okay. Consider it done.”
Surprise galloped around the table, but it was Jerica Toussaint’s wide-eyed face Will settled on.
“Anything else?” he asked after noting the glances between lawyer and client.
Genevieve spoke up for the first time. “The sixth-month rent clause is ironclad. If you decide to leave, for whatever reason, before the lease expires, you won’t be issued a refund.”
“Understood. And I’m prepared to write you a check for the full amount today, as soon as you agree to sign the lease,” he told Jerica.
When she took a corner of her mouth between her teeth, the sexy little dent in her chin winked at him. In a hot second, the lower half of his body went on high alert, and he was thankful the desk hid him from the waist down.
Her indecision was obvious in her body language and once again he wondered why. The payments were high—higher now since he’d agreed to the use-fee increase. She should be overjoyed at the income, especially since the place had stood empty for the past two years.
But she wasn’t, and if he had to guess, she was conflicted about accepting his offer.
Will wanted the house, now more than ever, so he pulled out all the Wilton June charm tactics he could muster, the ones his mother accused him of only using to his advantage.
She wasn’t wrong.
If you like the snippet I hope you’ll read the book, and if you have already, please consider voting for me in the RONES!! Voting ends at midnight this friday!.
I loved this book for so many reasons, and if you read it, I hope you enjoyed it, too, and are willing to cast your vote for it to become a finalist in this prestigious contest. Voting starts today and goes until midnight EST Friday may 15th. You can only vote once in each category so that makes it fair for everyone – no stuffing the ballot box!
The rules, as I’ve said before, are easy and are in the graphic above. If you’ve voted in the awards before all you have to do is sign in and click on the Rone Award link:
If you haven’t voted before, here are the easy instructions:
SIGN IN to your IND’TALE ACCOUNT or Register at InD’tale magazine: www.indtale.com if you don’t have one. They will send you an email to confirm your registration. Click on that!
Go to the drop-down that says RONES/CONTESTS in the upper right corner of the main page.
A graphic will pop up with all the nominees. Locate the PARANORMAL: SHORT category and toggle down to THE HAUNTING OF WILTON JUNE by PEGGY JAEGER.
click VOTE next to it and submit.
You’re done!!!!
Bless you to all who’ve put up with me for this voting cycle.
Here’s a copy of the review that garnered me a nomination:
I know, I know. Two weeks ago I bombarded and begged you for votes for a book that’s been nominated for a RONE AWARD. But I’ve actually got another one that’s been nominated, this time in the PARANORMAL SHORT category.
Will wants to rent Jerica’s house to film a movie based on his brother-in-law’s book about a ghost.
Jerica is reluctant to rent because she has her own ghost story to tell about her house.
The Rules for voting are easy – especially if you’ve already voted for my other book. It means you’re already registered so you just go to the website and click on PARANORMAL: SHORT
If you’ve never voted before, these are the rules:
SIGN IN to your IND’TALE ACCOUNT or Register at InD’tale magazine: www.indtale.com if you don’t have one. They will send you an email to confirm your registration. Click on that!
Go to the drop-down that says RONES/CONTESTS in the upper right corner of the main page.
A graphic will pop up with all the nominees. Locate the PARANORMAL: SHORT category and toggle down to THE HAUNTING OF WILTON JUNE by PEGGY JAEGER.
click VOTE next to it and submit.
You’re done!!!!
This is the review that got me to nominee status. Now I need your vote to advance to finalist!
Peggy Jaeger, Author 