Hi everyone! The end of the year is in sight and with it comes such a time crunch for most of us. In the publishing world, things begin to gear up toward the end of August and don’t grind to a slow-down until Christmas. Holiday stories must be gotten out in a timely manner for readers, and there are many contests that deadline at Dec. 31, as well.
In the midst of all that, I managed to finally get one of my own short novels out, and what a joy! THE DEVIL AND MISS JULIA JACKSON started out as a short story for our Prairie Rose Publications anthology, Sweet Texas Christmas. BUT, sometimes stories take on a life of their own, and this one did just that. It soon became obvious that it was not going to be eligible to include in the anthology when the word count topped 20K and I was only about halfway finished. These characters needed a longer story! Here’s the “short” version:
Beautiful Southern belle Julia Jackson has just been informed she and her niece must find a new home immediately—or else. With no family to turn to in Georgia, Julia takes a mighty gamble and answers an advertisement for a nursemaid in wild Indian Territory—for the child of a man she knows nothing about. Together, she and five-year-old Lauralee waste no time as they flee to the safety of the new position Julia has accepted. She can only hope this move will be the start of a bright future for them away from Lauralee’s dangerous much older half-brother.
A rancher with no heart…
The death of Devlin Campbell’s young daughter has ripped the light from his life. Though the birth of his son, little Jamie, should have been a source of happiness, the subsequent loss of his wife forces Dev to ignore his emotions and trudge through life’s joyless responsibilities. But all that changes with the arrival of Miss Julia Jackson from Atlanta! Not at all what Dev is expecting in response to his ad, his resentment boils over at her failure to mention her tag-along niece—a painful reminder of the loss of his own little girl just two years earlier. Yet, how can he deny the sunshine Julie brings into his drab existence with her very presence?
Can love find a way?
In the depths of Dev’s boundless sorrow and his accompanying anger, is there room in his life for anyone else as Christmas approaches? Can Julie convince him that love is the cure for a broken heart, and hope is the only recipe for a new beginning between THE DEVIL AND MISS JULIA JACKSON…
THE DEVIL AND MISS JULIA JACKSON is available now for pre-order for KINDLE, and will release on October 26 in both digital and paperback. It’s full of action, suspense, and of course, Christmas magic!
Here's the link to order THE DEVIL AND MISS JULIA JACKSON for your very own! It will also be available in paperback on October 26.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SJX8SL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506003195&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Devil+and+Miss+Julia+Jackson
Fall is definitely here, and it’s time to settle down with a good book in a comfy chair with a favorite beverage (and maybe some chocolate!) and read, read, read!
Hmmmmmmmmm. Don't know if I'm old enough to read this one. But I bet the writing is good.
ReplyDeleteLOL Charlie! I promise there is nothing you can't read about in this one! Thanks for the kind words!
DeleteYou have a great set up and I can see why it became a longer novella. Isn't it fun how your characters can take over a story and go in a direction you never planned for them, yet it all works out happily in the end. Wishing you lots of sales with this tale. The cover alone will lure readers to stop and read the blurb.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth. Yes, I knew as I was writing that this was going to be "one of those"--I started on a new story for the anthology and it threatened to do the same thing, but I've been holding those people in check! LOL
DeleteWooHoo!!! Doris
ReplyDeleteIt's gonna be a good one, Doris! LOL
DeleteYippee!!! A new book to read. Looks interesting Cheryl.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carole! I hope you enjoy it. It's been so long since I had a new release I'm just giddy over this one. LOL
ReplyDeleteYay for you doing some of your own stuff... and yay for us readers, too :-)
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks Troy. I'm so excited to have something out there after so long. All of a sudden there are a lot of projects coming out after a long wait! LOL It's a relief, for sure.
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