♥♥Author Spotlight With Jackie Weger ♥♥

First, let me thank Mommy’s Book Up for having me. I love your blog. You have some great fans and followers.

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~The House on Persimmon Road~

 ~Synopsis~

 Need Help? Hire a Ghost! 

Lottie Roberts is restless and lonely. She’s been sitting on her bones for decades, waiting for her ticket to heaven until… Justine Hale and her family take up residence in Lottie’s two-hundred-year-old plantation house. Lottie senses in Justine a kindred spirit—filled with heartache and in reduced circumstances—which Lottie considers mirrors her own situation exactly. Yet Justine is trying to do the right thing. Else why is she burdened with a bankrupt mother without an ounce of common sense? Or an ex mother-in-law who looks like a pickled beet with a tongue sharper than a hatchet? And where is the father of the recalcitrant eleven year-old boy and the eight-year-old afraid of her own shadow? 
Justine needs help and Lottie is of a mind to provide it. But before Lottie can say squat and Justine even unlocks the front door, Tucker Highsmith shows up to steal her thunder. His dark eyes, lazy grin, and sexy Alabama drawl coupled with the dern braggart’s Mr. Fix-it talents just might be the answer to all of Justine’s problems. Or maybe not…

Amazon UK 

~Eye of the Beholder~

~Synopsis~

Twenty-four year old Phoebe Hawley is on a quest to find a place for her homeless family. Phoebe is Alabama tough, country smart and sapling thin. On the road with two siblings, twelve year-old Maydean and five year-old Willie-Boy, Phoebe is out of money, out of gas and out of patience. Now the only things she owns in abundance are Hawley backbone and Hawley pride--neither of which she can trade for food or gas.

A collision with Gage Morgan puts Phoebe's mission in even worse jeopardy--until Phoebe discovers Gage Morgan owns the perfect place for the Hawley clan.

But Gage Morgan has a bruised ego, a tight fist on his wallet and an iron fist on his heart. Once Phoebe discovers Gage is too wily to succumb to her schemes to pilfer his wallet and claim his home, she has to try something different to win his heart.

But will Hawley backbone and Hawley pride step aside to let her do it?

Amazon UK

~Beyond Fate~

~Synopsis~

Overcoming the demons of the past is never easy, but when fate comes a’calling and love works its magic, two lives may be changed forever. Lust and love burn hot in this sweet, classic romance.

Fletcher Maitland, perennial bachelor, falls in lust and love with the beautiful new arrival in Big Mama’s fish camp. All he asks for is a cup of coffee. What he gets is more … much more.

Cleo Anderson lives her life in the shadow of her mother’s sin. As Cleo begins to fall in love with Fletcher Maitland, the demons in her past rise to taunt her, and she must choose between a life lived in guilt and shame or a future beyond fate.

~On a Wing and a Prayer~

~Synopsis~

A 22 carat gem…. Even better than Eye of the Beholder… BOOKBOT99… The Tryanny of Reading 
Parnell Stillman, ace pilot, is man to the bone in a lackadaisical kind of way. He has the ability to fly through anything except solid mountain. He lives alone because people are not to be trusted—especially women. Flying is his high road until one sleet-filled morning--it isn’t. Mischance forces his plane down in a frozen wilderness. He can survive, but his live cargo is another matter--an annoying social worker and five orphans--the most irksome freight he’s ever hauled in his life. 
Rebecca Hollis is distraught. The orphans have missed their chance for parents. They can't miss Christmas. She determines to force the obnoxious, disagreeable, self-centered pilot to do what is necessary to insure the survival and rescue of the orphans by Christmas Eve… Even if it means making the noble gesture of keeping her mouth shut—or other womanly things. 
But the pilot isn’t having it. No way. No how. He’d rather dance with a grizzly or wrestle a puma than give his heart over to a sly, conniving, wily do-gooder. He has no intention of playing the hero.
Rebecca has other ideas—lots of them! All artful and disingenuous—one of which is bound to work…she hopes.

Amazon UK 

~Count The Roses~

~Synopsis~

Jackie Weger weaves a stunning love story of hope as two battered souls overcome the forces determined to tear them apart. Passion, desire, and intrigue will keep you turning the pages as you travel from the edge of the deep Louisiana swamps to New York and New Orleans. Rich in history and flaming with passion, Count the Roses is the story of one woman’s desire to meet her destiny head-on.

Spurned by the man in her life, Jennifer DeWitt determines to bury her heart, curb her desire, and preserve her dignity by forging her own success on her own terms. The place to do it: New Orleans—that humid, high-stepping city of music and magic on the Mississippi River where she could stare down the defeats in her love life and hoist herself above it all. Falling in love with a sexy Cajun, or even entering into a lustful liaison with the man was not…NOT…going to happen.

But Adrien Merril’s attraction to Jennifer is instant and electric. He’s determined to have her as chatelaine on his secluded backcountry plantation, lover in his bed, and mistress of his life…and more--until he learns love is not a thing to possess—and betrayals are not what they seem…

A sweeping classic romance for the ages, Count the Roses was first published in March 1984 by Harlequin American Romances. This unforgettable love story, now available in digital format, is sure to become a favorite you’ll read time and time again.

~No Perfect Secret~

~Synopsis~

Anna’s well-ordered world is about to come crashing down. A missing husband, a federal investigation, and Caburn, the investigating officer who needs to gain her trust, one disaster after another drops into Anna’s life. Struggling to understand and remain strong, can Anna overcome her growing desire for Caburn as she learns what fate has in store for her?

Anna Nesmith had it all—enchanting looks, a great job, an exquisite home, a husband she adores. Then Frank Caburn arrived at her door in the midst of a winter storm. He was hatless, dripping wet and exuding testosterone so thick it could’ve been churned into butter. An internal investigator, Caburn insists the questions he has for Anna about her husband, her finances, and her personal life are merely routine. Anna suspects differently.

What she learns over the coming hours, days and weeks shatters every facet of her well-ordered life. Her confidence plunges, her husband doesn’t come home, her dream job has to be put on hold, and her mother-in-law comes unhinged. All she wants to do is indulge in her misery, but Frank Caburn won’t have it. He has a droll and infuriating sense of humor. He forces laughter from her lips when all she wants is to indulge her misery.

Man to the bone, Caburn’s smile could take him from a cocktail hour to a bedroom, but he finds Anna endurant, unassailable, and far too intelligent to be swayed by mere charisma. He wants off the investigation. But his boss is a rock and his colleague is a hard place, and both have their own agendas. Caburn is on his honor to do the right thing. He knows the secret and is forbidden to reveal it. Yet, he’s promised Anna he will always tell her the truth. He realizes he will have to tread very carefully to gain her trust—and her bed.

Coping with one disaster after another, Anna longs to lean on Caburn, absorb his strength, and yes—she wanted to release her pent up passion. She felt like some mad god was urging her to go to bed with the man, enjoy it and then get on with her life. 
But that isn’t what the Fates have in mind . . 

~A Strong and Tender Thread~

~Synopsis~

Jackie Weger’s A Strong and Tender Thread is the first in LSbooks’ new line - Liquid Gold Classic Romances. Join Gabrielle as she builds a new life and discovers a new passion in the arms of Micah Davidson. This compelling love story will warm your heart as two people find the thread that will bind them together forever! A wonderful, classic romance is given new life in digital format! 

She was the toast of London! But a twist of fate has thrust premiere danseuse Gabrielle Hensley into a future she could not imagine in a lifetime of daydreams. 

Searching for work she hopes will keep her sane and pad her empty purse while her broken body mends, Gabrielle accepts a job that takes her far from home and reminders of her beloved dance. 

The last thing she wants or needs is a sexy, overbearing, egotistical man to make her tropical escape a nightmare. But Micah Davidson is captivated with his newest employee and determined to keep her on her toes, or at the very least … in his bed. 

A Strong and Tender Thread by Jackie Weger is a stunning love story from beginning to end. Passion explodes as Gabrielle and Micah dance between uncontrolled lust and the forces fighting to keep them apart. A man and a woman, each needing to let go of their individual hopes, desires, and fears, find a tender thread strong enough to unite them in a love destined to last forever. 

Originally published by Harlequin American Romance in 1983,  A Strong and Tender Thread was the first black character category romance published by Harlequin, or any category publisher. Purchased as the first book for their new American line, Harlequin actually held the book and released it as #7. Rereleased in digital format, Liquid Gold Classic Romances presents A Strong and Tender Thread – the original, timeless, classic romance. Rediscover joy and passion as you fall in love with the magical writing of romance author Jackie Weger. 

~Interview with Jackie!~

Thank you Jackie so much for taking the time to do this interview with me. I read House on Persimmon Road and I absolutely LOVED it!!

When you were a little girl, what did you dream of being when you grew up? Did you always aspire to be a writer?

When I was little I dreamed of growing up. I had three annoying brothers and boy! Did I want out of their reach. I had an entire life before I sat down to write novel. Writing fiction was not on my radar until I was in my forties. I had to write non-fiction in my work. i.e. proposals, sales brochures, promotion pieces for trade magazines, but the transition was not easy. 

How long did it take you to write your first book?  Or have you written other stories which you did not publish?

When I composed my first novel I was living in a tiny house in the country, a typewriter on the kitchen table and pounding away. I finished the book, copied it on quality paper at a Kinkos, sent it to an editor on a Tuesday and she called on Friday to say she was buying the book. I thought: Okay. That’s done. I sat down at the kitchen table and started a new book. That’s how I thought the industry worked.

It wasn’t until I joined writer’s groups and associations that I learned about rejections and writer’s block and all the angst writers suffer. That scared me witless. 

If House on Persimmon Road was made into a movie, who would be your ideal cast?

I never think about my books being made into movies. What I try to achieve is a layering of words on a page that creates pictures in a reader’s mind. If I manage that, I’m good. 

What is the one book you could read over and over again without ever growing tired of it?

The single book I read at least twice a year and have done for thirty-five years is The African Queen by C.S. Forester. I read across the spectrum—fiction, non–fiction, biographies, horror, too when it’s by a couple of my long-time friends, Billie Sue Mosiman and Franklin E. Wales. I love finding new authors. I won a copy of A Home for Wayward Husbands and fell madly in love with Johnee Cherry’s voice. 

If you get “writers block”, what do you do to help yourself break free from it?

As for my own writing, I don’t think I get writer’s block. Life gets in the way of my books often at times—but once at my keyboard I usually manage to get a few lines on page. I get stumped at times and wonder what comes next, but I’ve learned to review what I’ve written and find the bit of dialogue or scene that turned the book off track. 

When reading a romance novel (or erotica), do you prefer a HOT, sexy bad boy… or a sweet & romantic good guy?

I really don’t prefer a hot, sexy bad boy. I’ve known a few in my life and have not found them good husband material for HEAs. The muscle I most admire about a man is between his ears. The other attractive muscle one can only use at the odd moment. Then he turns over and goes to sleep. But a good conversation can go on for hours. 

If you could give just ONE piece of advice for aspiring authors, what would it be?

Actually, I don’t have any advice for aspiring authors. There aren’t any. They all self-publish. However, once on the indie track, I’d recommend following Indies Unlimited and reading Let’s Get Visible by David Gaughran and How I sold 30,000 ebooks by Martin Crosbie. 

I bet you have been working very hard on your next projects.  Can you tell us a little about it, and what we can expect from these upcoming books? How did you come up with the idea for them?

Right this minute, I’m putting my back list into digital and learning the indie ropes, and trying not to hang myself with the dang things.  I have a new work in progress that I’m anxious to get back into and raft of notes for another book. As anxious as I am, I had to put them aside while I’m learning how to function in the Cyberworld of digital publishing. Just learning who to go to for services such as formatting, cover art and webpage building is a monumental chore for me, not to mention blogging, tweeting, and creating a presence on Facebook.

I know that sounds odd in this modern age, but for years I lived in tiny jungle villages and off islands in Central America. I had electricity for a couple hours a day and  one electrical outlet that took me two weeks to decide what to buy to plug into it. I finally chose a miniscule, Korean made plastic freezer—because I missed ice cubes something awful. I had no television, no cell phone, no internet, cooked with wood on a native stove, washed clothes in the river. I had books, a hammock and fresh fruits everyday plucked from my trees, an egg when I could find the nest of a feral hen and meat when a native butchered a hog or cow. That was my good life! I had no idea  the internet was exploding with so many innovations until my kids lured me home Christmas 2011 and gifted me with Kindle. I didn’t have a clue what the gadget was, but once I learned, it changed my life. And here I am getting interviewed on a blog that serves up magical and entertaining reads to fans and followers. I love it. 

~Giveaway~

2 copies of On a Wing and a Prayer: The Christmas Orphans

2 copies of Count The Roses

2 copies of No Perfect Secret

2 copies of Eye of the Beholder

FACEBOOK IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS GIVEAWAY!!

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