This is Stormy. He was given the name because when he first came into our lives it was rainy and cold and—stormy.
He was one of five kittens born to a stray. The mother cat had been eating with our outdoor cats for a few months, and we hadn’t been able to catch her. One day I looked out and there were kittens peeking up from under the garage door.
It soon became evident that Stormy wasn’t afraid of anyone. He came out and let the kids play with and hold him. When we talked about finding homes for the kittens, my son asked if he could keep Stormy. We already had several indoor cats, but it had been a long time since he’d had a kitten to call his, so I agreed.
Stormy moved into the house with us. Later, we brought the other four in to tame them and try and find homes, but that is a story for another day. Stormy easily became part of our household.
Stormy reminds me of a prince who is set apart from everyone else. He “keeps his own counsel.” He enjoys cuddling up to the other cats, but he also likes to be by himself most of the time. When I see him, I think of the word, “majestic” to describe him.
Stormy may be one of several rescued cats, but he is very special to us.
Today I am highlighting an Inspirational YA thriller by Rosie Somers: Murder Board.
About the Book
Being abducted from her home, given a new code name, and drafted into an elite black-ops training program isn’t Infinity’s ideal way to start the week—or the next six weeks, as it turns out. Yet, here she is, competing against twenty-five other recruits in a cutthroat competition, known only as The Program, for one of five spots on a super-secret intelligence and counter-terrorism team. And she might actually have a shot at making it. Until someone starts killing off the top performers.
Now, the only way to stay in The Program—and alive—is to find the sweet spot between scoring too high and falling too low on the murder board. She can’t do it alone, though. So, she forms an alliance with a recruit code-named Ghost, who proves knowledgeable and capable, not to mention charming. But Infinity is increasingly drawn to another, more enigmatic recruit, Maverick. Despite his loner vibe, he’s all heart, spiritually strong, and reliable—saving Infinity when she needs it most. But can she really trust them? Relying on her faith and instincts, Infinity needs to find out who’s snuffing out the competition, or she could be next.
Excerpt from Murder Board
Chapter 1:
A COLD AND UNSETTLED FEELING takes up residence in my chest. I mute my TV and set my sketchpad and pencil on the bed next to me. Then I sit up straighter and strain my ears for sound. Any noise anywhere in this small house echoes in even the corners farthest from the source. Like the current scraping of metal slipping into the lock in the kitchen door, not a key… something clumsier, something that wasn’t made as an exact fit for those specific tumblers. I try to attribute it to my imagination, but I can’t deny the truth.
Someone is trying to get into my house.
Panic swirls in my chest like a tempest. What am I supposed to do? Staying home alone when my mother is out of town for work has never been a problem before, never been a threat to my well-being. We live in a safe neighborhood. All my neighbors have known me since I was born; they’re supposed to be keeping an eye on things here. It’s what they do. I have no contingency plan for a break in. Nothing beyond panic and pray.
“Dear God, protect me,” I whisper as I visually scan my room for something, anything, that I can use to defend myself. I come up empty. I change tacks and reach for my phone. I dial 911 with shaky fingers, hit send. The call drops with a cheery, three-note chime. My hope drops with the call. I try again with the same result, then check my service. Zero bars. The walls of my house are paper thin. I’ve never had less than full bars anywhere on the property. My stomach tightens into a solid lump in my throat, threatening to cut off my air supply.
Rosie Somers is a beach-going book addict who’s been crafting stories since before she learned her ABCs. When she’s not busy trying to bring the characters in her head to life on paper, she can be found volunteering with local animal rescues, crocheting funky hats for her friends, or eating herself into the poorhouse at Chipotle. Her fondest dream is to one day own a goat.
I’m starting a new series on this blog featuring a book every Friday. I’ll tell you about the book, share an excerpt and introduce you to the author. Since we are on the downward stretch towards the holidays, throughout the next few months I will be featuring Christmas novellas.
Last summer, Anaiah Press contracted with me for the publication of my first novella, Angelica’s Christmas Wish. It was released in November 2019. Since this is the book that started me on the path of traditional publishing, I am featuring it first in this new blog series.
About the book:
When Serena Cole sees a car careening toward a little girl, she jumps in to save the child with no thought for her own safety. Later, Serena wakes up in the hospital with amnesia. Everyone calls her a hero, but she doesn’t recall anything–not even her own name.
Mark Harper, the child’s widowed father, isn’t looking for romance, but the beautiful stranger who saved his daughter’s life captures his interest. When no one steps up to identify her, he brings her home with him. He doesn’t realize that his decision may make his daughter’s Christmas wish come true.
Excerpt from Angelica’s Christmas Wish:
Mark walked down the hall toward the patient’s room. Perspiration dampened his palms. He rubbed them on his jeans, then took a deep breath before entering the room.
She’d been crying, and her eyes were puffy. Her gently sloped nose was red. Yet she was even prettier than he remembered.
“I’m sorry I bothered you.”
“You aren’t bothering me. I’m glad you called. I’ve been worried about you.”
“I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I thought someone would come by now.”
“Maybe they don’t know where to look.”
She brushed away her tears.
Mark handed her a tissue. “You have an accent. Did you know that?”
“What kind of accent?”
“A southern accent. You’re not originally from Chicago.”
Her brow furrowed. “What am I doing here, then?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m sure someone is looking for you.”
“Are you sure?”
At the hope in her voice, he wanted to be sure. Instead, he squeezed her hand. With his other hand, he brushed her hair back from her forehead. She flinched as he touched her bruise. “Sorry. It looks very painful.” He dropped his hands to his sides. “I saw videos of the accident on the news last night. What you did was very brave.”
She dipped her chin and blushed, as if she wasn’t used to receiving compliments. “I don’t feel like I’m a very brave person.”
“Maybe it was an adrenaline rush. I’ve heard that people can be very heroic in desperate circumstances. You saw a child in danger and responded. You didn’t even think about the fact that you were putting yourself in danger.” The fact that it was his child she had risked her life for made him admire her more.
Head lowered, she focused on a snag in the thermal blanket. She stuck her finger through the looped thread and toyed with it.
Mark sat in the vinyl recliner. It looked like he might be here awhile. He should be home in bed, sound asleep. Instead, he was keeping a frightened stranger company.
About the Author:
Carol Underhill lives in a small village in rural Michigan. She is mom to three adult children and a spoiled Lab. Her household also includes several rescued cats. She likes flavored coffee, finding new authors and binge-reading their books. She enjoys music and has a playlist for every mood.
This cat has an official name, Misty, but around our house she is known as Momma Kittty. She was our first in a long line of rescues. Six years ago, she was a young mother cat with two half-grown kittens. They showed up in our neighborhood during the summer. She was friendly and let the kids hold her.
I didn’t think too much about her until one cold fall day. I was walking over to the store next door and heard a pitiful meow. I thought, someone needs to feed their cat. As I was walking home, I looked into the garage, and there they were, Momma Kitty and her two kittens.
Realizing they were taking shelter in our garage, I bought some cat food and started feeding them.
After a few weeks, I took her to a clinic to be spayed. I also took one of the kittens. The other one escaped, and I’ll tell you about his journey in a later post. The kitten who stayed, we named Boots. He was friendly.
After one cold season of feeding them in the garage, the following winter we started letting Momma Kitty come in the house to get out of the cold. At first, she was in and out. Then one bitterly cold day, she refused to go back outside. I bought a litterbox, and she became a house cat.
Now Momma Kitty is the grand old lady among our rescued housecats. She doesn’t tolerate the other cats well and prefers to be by herself.
She still likes to be held, though. She jumps up on our laps whenever she can. When I’m lying down, she’s right beside me. It’s nice to have her warm snuggles.
Yes, she just showed up, but she found a place in our home and in our hearts.
Today I’m interviewing Jenn Pierce, author of the Christian romantic suspense series, Small Town Guardians. Jenn is here today to talk about Deadly Connections, the third book in her series. Jenn, thank you for joining me. Let’s start by telling us a little bit about yourself.
I live in Arkansas with my husband and two children. I’ve been an avid reader my entire life and an author since 2015.
What is Deadly Connections about?
Quinn Matthews and her son JJ are plunged into a deadly situation connected to Joe Lockhart, her ex and JJ’s father. When he dies trying to keep them safe, she must turn to Reid Lucas for help. Reid answered a request to meet fellow private investigator Joe about a job only to be charged with keeping Quinn and JJ safe while trying to figure out who is after them and why.
Do you have a day job? If so, how do you find time in your day to write?
I do have a fulltime job. I work as a paralegal. I do my writing on my lunch break, in the evening, and on the weekends.
Are you a night owl or morning person?
Night owl. The night is so quiet and peaceful. I also love to sleep, so once I get to sleep, I want to stay that way as long as I can. Lol
How did you come up with the names of your hero and/or heroine?
I don’t have a set way to come up with names. Sometimes the characters tell me their names and sometimes they don’t. For Quinn, I was playing on Facebook and saw the name Quinn and was like that’s her name. Reid told me his name was Reid. JJ was the same. Funny thing though, I had Reid’s last name as Matthews first but then decided it sounded better as Quinn’s last name.
Are you a plotter or a panster?
100% pantster. I start with a scene in mind and the book writes itself from there. I figure things out as I go. Example: In Hidden Danger, I didn’t even know who the bad guy was until I was halfway done writing it. Sometimes, my characters throw snags at me and I have to go back and edit what I’ve already written. Example: In Expecting Danger, I was a third of the way into the book when Jake told me he his pregnant wife died several years prior.
What does your family think of your writing?
My family is very supportive of my writing. They’re my biggest fans and supporters.
Do you experience writer’s block? What do you do to get through it?
I do experience it. A lot. Getting through it is not always the same. Sometimes I’m able to sit down and push through. Sometimes I need to sit down and brainstorm with other people. Then there are times I just have to put it up for a period of time and focus on something else, like making a dent in my tbr (to be read) pile.
Excerpt from Deadly Connection:
Reid’s phone vibrated on the tabletop. He didn’t recognize the number. He contemplated ignoring it but decided against it. He swiped the screen and put it to his ear. “Reid.”
“Are you at the meet?” Joe’s voice boomed from the other side.“Where are you? I’ve been waiting over an hour.” Reid let his annoyance be evident in his voice. “I’m not coming.” The answer was clipped.
“You had me sit in this hole-in-the-wall for an hour and didn’t even bother to call and tell me you weren’t going to make it?” Annoyance turned to anger as he clenched his fist.
“Do you see the waitress behind the counter and the little red-haired boy that just ran in? Quinn Matthews and her son, JJ.”
Joe must be close by and watching if he knew the boy had just shown up.
“Yes, I see them. Along with the druggie busboy, thieving cashier, and ogling cook. What about them?”
“You have five minutes to get them out of there before men come in and try to kidnap them.”
“Five minutes! What is this? What’s going on, Joe?” His pulse pounded as adrenaline coursed through his veins. Joe couldn’t have called to have him get her out sooner. Now, the window of time was dwindling.
“There’s no time to explain. They’re here now. I’ll stall them as long as I can. Get those two out now!” The line went dead.
Great. Just great. He had mere minutes to convince that woman to grab her son and leave with him—a complete stranger. He wasn’t sure his rusty powers of persuasion would work this time, but he’d give it a shot. Joe had saved him several times, and he’d returned the favor on occasion. This was serious business, and Joe trusted him. Reid wouldn’t let him down.
Inspirational Author 