Hello everyone! I hope this blog post finds you and your loved ones both safe and healthy. Those of you who've read my posts in the past know that my husband is a firefighter in our hometown and is on the front lines of this crazy virus. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone as we are all being touched by this pandemic in some way. Hang in there and we will get through this.
My faithful readers also know I started this blog months ago to share and chronicle my journey to becoming a published author. I've written a cozy mystery/romance called Murder By The Books, just the first in a series I'm planning (Book 2 is already half finished). If this is your first visit to my blog, WELCOME and I hope you'll go back and read previous posts. I hope they will convince you to keep coming back!
I sit here today listening to the rain pound against the windows and the roof. It made me think of the expression,"When it rains, it pours." That phrase seems to sum up my life at the moment. I"m a third grade teacher trying to master this whole remote learning thing. Some days are better than others; but some days just stink. I have learned that technology is not my friend. I was in the middle of my first Google Hangout meeting with my kiddos and my screen froze 3 times!!!! I had to get help from a first year administrator to help me create a Google folder, upload it to the drive, and make 16 copies of progress reports to put in it. I had to attempt to send a link for a Zoom meeting no less than 3 times before all the participants could finally join in. This old dog is having trouble learning all these new tricks. When it rains, it pours.
In the past week, I've had my car to the mechanic ($500 water pump), had the plumber to the house to fix a leaky shower ($228), taken the dog to the vet twice (money owed still to be determined), and had the bug guy to my house to spray for those pesky ants that appear every spring ($50). Oh and I just noticed we have a leak in the ceiling, so a phone call to the roofer is in order. When it rains, it pours- literally down my wall.
In my novel, the main character Jillian is no stranger to having a rough week like mine. She is confronted by a creepy stranger before her store even opens. One of her friends is run down in the street and killed the night of her grand opening gala. Jillian becomes involved in the investigation when clues keep falling into her lap. She is almost run over by a car, has a knife held to her throat, and her two sweet schnauzer pups (who make appearances throughout the novel) are poisoned so they can't protect their mama! All of this in one week; so yes, when it rains, it pours.
Here's the next teaser from my book. I'm certain after you read it, you will know why I chose this particular excerpt this week.
On her way to Becca’s house, she decided to stop in at Sugar & Spice and pick up breakfast for her friends. Parking her car in front of the bakery, Jillian had just stepped out of the car when a man shouted, “Jillian! Look out!”
Out of nowhere, a silver sedan came careening around the corner headed right towards her. Jillian slammed the car door and bolted for the sidewalk behind her car. The sedan sideswiped Jillian’s car, knocking the side mirror off and leaving long scratches down the driver’s side of the car. Without even slowing down, the car took off down Maple Avenue.
Jillian’s heart was racing as she stood on the sidewalk outside her sister’s bakery. If someone hadn’t shouted out to her, Jillian could have been run over by that car. That thought made her feel lightheaded and sick to her stomach. Her hands felt clammy, the sounds around her seemed far away, and her vision began to blur. Knowing she was about to faint , Jillian reached out a hand to grab something to keep her from falling.
Someone, not something stopped her fall. A strong, muscled arm grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her tightly against a rock hard body. Jillian leaned into the safety offered by her rescuer. Those arms continued to hold her close giving her time to stop trembling. Her hearing was beginning to return to normal, and she again heard someone calling her name.
Jillian followed the sound of the voice and saw her sister, Cate, bearing down on her. “Jilly,” Cate gasped, “Oh my God! Are you ok?” Cate grabbed Jillian from the strong arms currently holding her and wrapped her up in a sisterly hug of her own. Jillian thought Cate was never going to let go.
“I’m fine, Cate. Really, I’m ok,” Jillian managed to mutter as she was being crushed in her sister’s arms. “Cate, you can let go now. I’m all right. Please let go,” Jillian insisted. Reluctantly, Cate released Jillian and stepped back to look her over.
Satisfied that her baby sister was all in one piece, Cate turned and began speaking to someone standing next to Jillian. She was thanking them for saving her sister. Jillian turned to see who her rescuer was, and there stood Travis. Just seeing him there made her weepy, and her eyes filled up with tears.
“Hey, hey, what’s with the tears?” Travis asked. “It’s all over. You’re ok. Your car can be fixed. No permanent damage.” Travis was trying to make light of a really bad situation to stem the flow of tears.
He used those strong arms to pull her in close, and he held on like he was never letting go. And Jillian let him. It felt so good to let him hold her, and it made her feel safe.
After a couple of minutes, Jillian pulled back only slightly so she could look directly at Travis. He smiled down at her and gave her a squeeze. She smiled back and said, “ You saved me. If you hadn’t shouted out, I would have stepped right into the path of that car.” She choked up a little, so she took a deep breath to calm herself and then continued. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. “No thanks are necessary. I’m just glad you’re all right.“
Ah, at least in Jillian's world a little sun does shine in the form of a handsome, heroic fireman.
That's it for today. The vet just called and it's time to go pick up my sweet Abbey.
Please feel free to leave comments, ask questions, and by all means feel free to share my post with friends ~ the more, the merrier!
Until next time,
Jodi