Long and Short Reviews welcomes Jackie North who is celebrating the recent release of her newest book Shoulder Season.
Thank you Long and Short Reviews for letting me post on your blog today!
Recently, I went to my favorite coffee shop, the one close to my house, to get myself a treat, sit outside in the beautiful weather, and get some work done. The young woman who served me was, as always, polite (everybody who works there is wonderful!), let me dither about what I wanted to order, and, in the end, gave me the coffee with room for cream and the “good looking” cheese Danish that I had my eye on.
Then she tells me she’d gotten a copy of my book and was looking forward to reading it.
A flare of joy welled inside of me, not because of the recognition, of maybe being a little famous for a second or two, but because of the anticipation of connection. That’s what I live for, what I write for, but I think I often forget that part.
When someone asks me, “What do you enjoy about being a writer?” I respond along the lines of “Because of the fun of creating a character,” or “Because I’ve been making up stories since I was a kid.” Those answers, and others like it, are indeed true. But the idea of connecting with another human being is even more true.
I’m a writer and an introvert, and I’d think a lot of writers would tell you the same: they gain energy when they are alone, and being in crowds drains them. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to connect with others, it just means I need to find a different way to do that. Writing is my way.
Being an introvert, I don’t always know how to connect – yet through my writing, I find a way. It’s something I feel comfortable talking about with someone else, especially if they’ve read my book. I feel as if they are already primed to like me, a little bit, and if the conversation runs dry, I can always talk about my next book.
Looking at it that way, it makes it sound as if all I think about, what I live for, is writing. I cannot lie, this is true. I’ve been on the earth for a while, long enough to sift through the detritus and distractions that living throws at you.
I’ve gone through phases of wanting to be a stewardess (which my Nana always referred to as “A glorified waitress in the sky, honey,” and didn’t want me to be one), or a hair dresser (which my mom said meant that I’d “spend the rest of my life giving little old ladies blue rinses,” and didn’t want me to be one, though she encouraged me to be a secretary). Oh my, there were so many choices about what I wanted to be, and I tried some of them out for a time. I even wanted to be a long distance trucker, driving those eighteen-wheelers across the country, if you can believe that.
I always came back to writing. I wrote fan fiction for years, since 1993, and still turn my hand to it from time to time. Now though, in addition to giving me a way to connect with other people, I want my writing to save me from the corporate world, so I’m focusing on that. I write, I revise, I work with cover artists and editors, I format, I market. It’s a lot of work, but one day it’ll save me from yet another corporate meeting in a room with no windows.
As Dreamspinner is kindly publishing my book Shoulder Season, they are helping me get one more step towards that dream. Though, as yet, I’m still working on my communication skills so that I don’t stand there open mouthed when someone tells me they want to read one of my books.
Also, I thought I’d share an excerpt from my upcoming book!
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Injuries, lifestyle and physical causes can lead to male dysfunction. super viagra uk robertrobb.com These days’ problems like sexual dysfunction, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, inhibited sexual desires, retrograde ejaculation, etc. are common among men all around the world. robertrobb.com pill viagra It increases the production of testosterone purchase cialis from india and eventually affects the erection functions. A Peace Circle where everyone gets together to process the problem is a method viagra cheap online of conflict resolution where rather than punishing the perpetrator, he participates in the resolution and is asked for suggestions on how to fix things. “What’s the sculpture called again?” asked Ben as he opened the door for Solvin. Solvin gave him a smile as he clambered in. When Ben was settled beside him, Solvin asked a question in Icelandic, and the taxi driver answered, and off they went, down the placid streets of Reykjavik.
“It’s called the Sun Voyager, the boat of dreams,” said Solvin, and he looked at Ben as he said it. “It represents hope and new beginnings.”
New beginnings seemed to be what Iceland had become for Ben, a country where he could start as he meant to go on and where every conversation didn’t end in an argument, and cups of coffee could be drunk in a casual way, with no need to rush off afterward. He settled back in his seat, and when his hand touched Solvin’s thigh, he left it in place and brushed the backs of his fingers along the material of Solvin’s jeans. Not only did Solvin not move away or push Ben’s hand off, he dipped his head and smiled at Ben as though they shared a secret the taxi driver didn’t need to know about.
All the way through town, Ben left his hand there, looked at the blush on Solvin’s cheeks, and thought about new beginnings.
Two young men from two different countries find a common language as they recover from broken hearts and broken bones. Can they rebuild their lives together?
Ben’s boyfriend has not only dumped him, he’s also cancelled their mutual travel plans. Since Ben has the time off and the money saved up, he decides to travel anyway, and based on a last-minute, very inexpensive red-eye airline fare, ends up in Reykjavik, Iceland.
He’s ill-prepared for the weather and knows nothing about the country, so he considers flying home the next day. Except his new neighbor, Solvin, a local Icelander who is currently on leave from work due to a car accident, shows up with a cane and shoulder sling and literally falls into Ben’s apartment. It’s the beginning of an adventure that might show Ben how good life can be… and that coming home sometimes means traveling halfway around the world.
About the Author: Jackie North has been writing stories since grade school and spent years absorbing the mainstream romances that she found at her local grocery store. Her dream was to someday leave her corporate day job behind and travel the world. She also wanted to put her English degree to good use and write romance novels, because for years she’s had a never-ending movie of made-up love stories in her head that simply wouldn’t leave her alone.
As fate would have it, she discovered m/m romance and decided that men falling in love with other men was exactly what she wanted to write books about. In this dazzling new world, she turned her grocery-store romance ideas around and is now putting them to paper as fast as her fingers can type. She creates characters who are a bit flawed and broken, who find themselves on the edge of society, and maybe a few who are a little bit lost, but who all deserve a happily ever after. (And she makes sure they get it!)
She likes long walks on the beach, the smell of lavender and rainstorms, and enjoys sleeping in on snowy mornings. She is especially fond of pizza and beer and, when time allows, long road trips with soda fountain drinks and rock and roll music. In her heart, there is peace to be found everywhere, but since in the real world this isn’t always true, Jackie writes for love.
Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press.
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