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It's week whatever - depending on when your state's quarantine started. How are you doing? Do you hate the idea of a "New Normal" as much as I do? I want the old normal back. One of my favorite moments last week was when Jayne Ann Krentz mentioned Irish Magic on her Facebook Page. Jayne Ann Krentz
Need a break? Want something warm and lighthearted to read? Like your romance spiked with a little magic? Try Susan B. Jame's IRISH MAGIC. (Now available on Audible.)
Life imitates art. 💔I wrote about a moment like that in Irish Magic when Kate's favorite author mentions Kate book on her blog.
An email from her agent emitted a
siren call. Congratulations, you made the top twenty bestsellers on Amazon.
I don’t know how you got her to do it, but she gave you a great review.
Who? Kate clicked on the link Rhoda
embedded and froze looking at her favorite author’s well-read Facebook page.
Andrea Saint Claire had posted a link to Miss Minerva takes a Dare and
told her readers to check it out.
Kate stared at the thumbnail of the Miss
Minerva cover—a glimpse of red curls and a wisp of dress and a hand holding out
a string of pearls. Andrea Saint Claire liked her book. Someone whose work she
adored liked her novel.
Kate floated to the fridge and got out
the Coke she’d bought. Flipping the top, she raised the can in the air. “Here’s
to me. I can do this.”
I am still in Michigan helping my son Jim with Ella.
Ella is eight and on the autism spectrum which in her case means mostly non verbal with many total meltdowns.She needs to be watched every waking moment and with the Kalamazoo Autism Center closed it's a hard job. I've been here since April 13th. I am proud of everything I have managed to get done and I forgive myself for not finishing the edit on Lord Byron's Daughter.
Did you know May was Mental Health Month among other things? If anyone has any to spare I will take some.
Here'a list of May Holidays from one of my favorite sites. https://www.brownielocks.com/may.html
This week includes Star Wars Day, Cinco De Mayo and Mother's Day. I am betting you celebrate at least one of these. I celebrate all three. I love celebrations. Yesterday was the 4th. (Star Wars Use the 4th)
Jim filmed a 10 second video to celebrate an obscure character reference in Star Wars
I bought the ingredients for a Mexican Feast for Cinco De Mayo today. An there is an outside chance we may get to watch a movie. Mother's Day I am leaving up to Jim. All of us had moms. I hope you celebrate all the wonderful memories you have of your mom this week. If you have bad meories, I hope you forgive them. I have both kinds of memories and I am happiest when I concentrate on the good ones. I hope my children do that for me
Mom and me. 1944
Mom Me and Alex 1949 Mom was divorced and came to Paris to leard to cook at Cordon Bleu
Jim and me 1979
I'd say this was 1984. I was exhausted. The seem happy. I wish you all beautiful celebrations, big and small. The best celebration is that we are here right this moment and brething. The world holds infinite possibilities and one day this Quarantine will be a distant memory. I look forward to that. What's your best memory this week?
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This week Walter and I made Unicorn Slime from a powder made by Jello.
May your life be as full of joy as we were.
It's the first week of March. St Patrick's day approaches.
Could I tempt you into reading a bit of humor and a love letter to Ireland? Available in eBook, Paperback and Audio
Review: From Rocking Book Reviews Irish Magic - Susan B. James This is such a wonderful story. I loved the history of Ireland throughout the book. Michael and Kate are awesome characters. I also really liked Brad. The fantasy characters are a lot of fun too. All of the characters are well-developed. It is easy to feel their emotions. The book cover and title of the book are a perfect match for the story. I highly recommend this book to others. It is a wonderful read. I give it a literary rating of 5/5
Blurb
A romantic comedy with a touch of magic.
What do you do when everything goes wrong?
Make
a wish on a four-leaf clover, right?
There’s no other logical way out of it!
But a clover wish is a heart
wish. Everyone knows that.
When part leprechaun, Bradley
Flynn is charged with finding Kate’s true love, he calls on retired
matchmaker, Essie O’Callaghan, who happens to have a mission of her own.
Dr Michael Walshe had a ring in
his pocket when he walked in on his girlfriend sleeping with her costar. He
wants no part of Essie’s plan to find him a wife.
Fate – or something more
leprechaun-shaped – has Kate and the doctor both heading to Cluhalaugh, home to
Ireland’s most famous matchmaking festival. And somehow their paths keep
crossing. The more they see of each other the harder it is to resist exploring
their reluctant attraction. Will Kate realize that Michael could be far
more than the cure to her writer’s block?
EXCERPT
Irish Magic
By Susan B.
James
Madison Square Park. New York City
Hanford House wants its advance back.
Kate’s author mind edited her agent’s
six-word text down to two. Panic now.
Blowing the last of her book advance
on a ticket to Ireland to do research might be her worst idea to date. If you
didn’t count getting engaged to Eric and using him as a model for her hero. Or
quitting her day job before turning in the revisions on her second book. Did
bad luck come in threes?
From her seat on the grass, she
focused on the barely visible triangular point of the Flatiron Building. She was
supposed to leave for Ireland next week. She was pretty sure her trip insurance
wouldn’t accept needing a new job as a reason for a refund. The brownie she’d
bought to celebrate her last day as a bookkeeper tasted like ashes. What was
she going to do now?
Batten Barton and Dunston had already
replaced her. Her savings would take her through the next two months, but she’d
been counting on the second part of the book advance to tide her over till she
finished her next book. And now they wanted the first part back?
She fisted a handful of grass for
comfort, praying for an answer to stop this disaster. None came.
Why did she have to be the kind of
writer who needed a real person to hang her fictional character on? Her
thoughts raced till they crashed into the wall blocking her creative mind.
Traveling to Ireland had seemed
reasonable when she bought the ticket. She’d kill two birds with one trip. Find
a new model for Lord Rotherham and research her next book, Perfect Match,
on the Bus Eireann tour she’d spent the last month planning. The plot had
already bloomed in her head. All she needed was the bus tour to nail down the
details.
Kate twiddled broken blades of grass
between her thumb and forefinger. One fell free. No. Not grass. It was a
four-leaf clover. Her first ever. In the middle of New York City?
Kate picked it up carefully. True love
might be a dead issue, but there was still the hope of magic. She closed her
eyes and made a wish. “Please. Send me the perfect hero.”
* * *
Bradley Flynn, CEO of Abbey Public
Relations propped his feet on the windowsill of his fortieth-floor office,
feeling lord of all he surveyed. He loved New York. In seven years, he’d
achieved more than he thought possible. The only thing he needed now was . . .
The intercom buzzed. “Brad, a Mr.
McPhee is on line two. He says he has a contract with you.”
Brad’s size-eight Ferragamo’s hit the
floor with a bang. He swiveled his chair to face the desk. Icicles clog-danced
on his spine. “Tell him I’m out.”
The Wearing of the Green blared from his cell phone. McPhee’s
signature ring with McPhee’s own lyrics meant to entice errant half-Leprechauns
back to the auld sod. Oh, there is a little island and our people love it
well. A place by Nature gifted with a most endearing spell— Brad switched
off the phone.
The picture on his monitor pixilated;
re-forming into the face he least wanted to see. Damn the Leprechaun Guild and
especially the Guild Master.
McPhee smirked at him. “You’re up.”
“I can’t be. It hasn’t been—”
“The woman used a clover.”
The monitor view reformed again,
revealing a woman with closed eyes speaking into her cupped hands. Her mass of
auburn hair was wound into a granny bun. She might have a nice figure.
Impossible to tell because of the oversized NYU hoodie she had on over . . . a
business suit? Seriously?
“She wants a real hero.”
“I suppose I could manage that.” At
least, he could teach her how to dress.
“You’re not what she has in mind. Find
her a hero.” McPhee’s
smirk got nastier. “And remember. No magic.”
“No magic? Why?”
“Because you’re dealing with a heart
wish. You can’t use magic to make someone fall in love. Find another way. And
remember, if you don’t succeed, you’re mine for the next seven years.” The
screen went dark.
Brad glared at the two pages his printer
spat out. Kate Carnahan. His wish client. Name, address, and pertinent history.
He scanned them rapidly. Hah. She was going to Ireland next week. Score one for
The McPhee.
Well, forcing him back to Ireland
wasn’t going to work. He’d find a way to accompany her, see to her wish and be
back in New York in a fortnight. But how in the name of Finn was he supposed to
provide her with a hero without magic?
Perhaps a bit of help? Asking a favor
didn’t count as magic. He scrolled through his contact list till he found the
name he wanted and punched in a call. The vibrant voice he remembered sounded
much older now. Humans aged so fast. “Essie, how would you feel about an
all-expenses-paid trip home to Ireland?”
Chapter 2 Michael
Parsonville, California
Dr. Michael Walshe looked at the golden leaves blowing past
his office window, wondering if he could get in a run before sunset. The
intercom buzzed. “Michael, you have a call from Mrs. O’Brian on line one.”
Michael picked up the phone. “Essie, what’s wrong?”
Essie’s voice had more spring in it than
he’d heard in months. “And can’t a body call you without being sick? I was
wondering if you could drop by today, Michael, I’ve got to go home to Ireland
and I’m not sure I can do it by myself.”
Couldn’t be a funeral. She sounded too perky. “Somebody
getting married?”
“More than one, dear boy. I’ve got a mission to fulfill.”
Not good. That sounded delusional. “Of course I’ll come.
How bout I make dinner. Spaghetti okay?”
“That will be grand.” Essie’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“It’s not just the trip. I don’t know what to do about Chloe.”
“Relax. We’ll
figure it out. See you soon.” He flicked the intercom. “Lynne, how many more
patients?”
His nurse poked her head through the door. “Prissy was the
last one. She told me she’s got a date with you for Saturday. Where was your
running pass formation?”
“I zoned out after about fifteen minutes and she slipped it
in sideways.”
“Doctor Adorable bites the dust again.” Lynne lounged
against the door frame, her rocker-punk hairstyle contrasting oddly with her
broad moon face. Her daughter must have been playing hairdresser again. “You
know they wouldn’t try so hard if you weren’t hot.”
“Stuff it, Lynne.”
“I’m serious. You look exactly like the new doctor on As
She Turns. Tall dark and dreamy.”
Michael turned on the faucets in the small office sink.
Lynne needed a new hobby. “Watching soaps will rot your brain.”
“That hint of beard on your strong, manly chin. And that
aloof but rumbly look in your eyes and . . .”
He took the last paper towel out of the dispenser. “We need
more towels.”
“Your only fault is you don’t have a romantic bone in your
body.” Lynne clasped her plump hands over her Hello Kitty scrub top. “I’m
having a fantasy here. Don’t ruin it.”
He would never understand women. “What do you need a
fantasy for? You’re in love with your husband.”
“So? Tom has fantasies too. Part of being happily married.
His is Tracy Jay.”
Michael winced. Growing up with a well-known actress for a
godmother meant he’d met lots of A-list stars, but his heart had been immune
until Lorena introduced him to Tracy Jay at the wrap party for Just the
Girls two years ago.
“Come on, Michael. Don’t you have fantasies?”
“None that I care to tell you about.” His relationship with
Tracy was classified. Tracy had wanted it that way. He exchanged his white coat
for the tan windbreaker he kept in the small closet. “I’m off to check on
Essie. We have a dinner date. I’m making her my secret-recipe spaghetti sauce.”
“Big deal. I know you use Ragu.”
“What is it with this town? You know my grocery list?”
Lynne patted his cheek. “I think there’s a town website
devoted to your every move.”
“Go home and annoy your children. We’re done for the day.”
Lynne blew him a kiss and shut the door behind her.
A quick stop at the market, and off to Essie’s. What kind
of secret mission could she be fantasizing? His phone buzzed. Another phone
call from Tracy. They’d been coming like clockwork all day. He pushed delete
without answering.
Lynne’s question echoed in his mind. Don’t you have
fantasies? His heart twisted, remembering his last sight of Tracy.
Susan writes
second chance romances with a touch of magic as Susan B. James and children’s
books as Susan J. Berger. She writes older heroines because she is
chronologically gifted and enjoys creating characters who remember that change
is only on the outside. Inside our older shells is a much younger psyche. Her
second book, Maybe This Time, won the
2019 Raven award for Best Contemporary, the 2019 Readers favorite Gold medal in
Time travel and was runner-up for the 2019 RONE Award for Audiobook-General.
The audiobook will be out in December 2019
Susan’s
other career is acting. On IMDB She is Susan Berger.
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In Irish Magic, I make reference to two film stars I thought would last forever. Spencer Tracy and John Wayne.
Last week I was sitting at the Macbeth rehearsal table at Warner Brothers listening to Denzel Washington talk with some of the younger actors in the cast. He was talking about how Spencer Tracy used to listen better than anyone in motion pictures. He stopped talking and looked at them. "You don't know who that is, do you?"
They shook their heads.
Denzel looked at me. "They don't know who Spencer Tracy is."
The sadness in his eyes was reflected in mine. "I know," I said."They probably don't know who John Wayne is either."
Cultural references fade from generation to generation. I knew this, but I thought some had built-in lastingness. Spencer Tracy and John Wayne for two. If you are under forty you, too, may be saying, "Who?
It never occurred to be those names would become lost. Despite my reference gaffes, I believe Irish Magic is a fun read. Do you need a little escapism?
I wrote it after I visited Ireland's famous matchmaking festival. It was charming, but I wanted a wee bit more magic.
What if there was a matchmaker who inherited the power to know your true love?
What if there was such a thing as leprechauns or half leprechauns - a bit more human-sized - who were under geas to fulfil wishes.
Irish Magic has 58 customer ratings on Amazon with a 4.5 average and 35 ratings and 27 reviews with a 4.23 average on Goodreads.
Quotes from reviews.
“A quirky tale of love where and when you least
expect it, but exactly when you need it most.”
TomeTender Book Blog
“A lovely cross of contemporary with a touch of
fantasy. I’d definitely pick up more books like this one from Ms. James.” Trish on Goodreads
Light and funny, Irish Magic is a feel good romance sprinkled with a bit of magic. The story follows Kate, a romance novelist whose muse (and boyfriend) turned out to be a dud. She’s feeling a little jaded about love and now finds herself struggling to finish her latest book. Michael is a sexy and newly single doctor whose girlfriend cheated. Neither one is in a good place emotionally, but as they travel to Ireland separately and continue bumping into each other, they have to question whether there is more than luck on their side. Throw in a part-leprechaun and some good old Irish magic, and this couple finds themselves fated to be together.
What do you get when to take a doctor, an author, a leprechaun/human and put them in Ireland? What first caught my attention was simply the title. I am part Irish. I believe that the idea of magic (to some degree) appeals to a lot of people.
I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. First of all, any book that mentions a possibility of a character going to Ireland already earns a star. When Kate makes a wish it’s just a question of how literal that wish will be taken. I was able to complete the book in two days.
Irish Magic is available now on Kindle for 3.99 and in March in paperback 14.99.
The audiobook is currently available on KoboGoogle PlayApple BooksScribed and a few other places for 8.95. I lowered the price hoping to give a break to readers. It should be available soon on Audible.
I Hope you will check it out.
I wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day.
#Giveaway
I have a free audio codes for anyone who can name their favorite Spencer Tracy or John Wayne Movie.
I found myself not wanting to put this book down and read it into the wee hours of the morning. This book is a lovely cross of contemporary with a touch of fantasy. I’d definitely pick up more books like this one from Ms. James.
Blurb
A romantic comedy with a
touch of magic.
What do
you do when everything goes wrong?
Make a wish on a four-leaf clover, right?
There’s no other logical way out of it!
But a clover wish is a heart wish. Everyone knows that.
When part leprechaun, Bradley Flynn, is charged with finding Kate’s true
love, he calls on retired matchmaker, Essie O’Callaghan, who happens to have a
mission of her own.
Dr. Michael Walshe had a ring in his pocket when he walked in on his
girlfriend sleeping with her costar. He wants no part of Essie’s plan to find
him a wife.
Fate – or something more leprechaun-shaped – has Kate and the doctor
both heading to Cluhalaugh, home to Ireland’s most famous matchmaking festival.
And somehow their paths keep crossing. The more they see of each other the
harder it is to resist exploring their reluctant attraction. Will Kate realize that Michael could be
far more than the cure to her writer’s block?
There really is an Irish Matchmaking Festival celebrated in the town of Lisdoonvarna. I visited Ireland in 2013 to research this book.
I changed the name of the town to protect the innocent.
If I interested you, I am celebrating by giving away three copies of the eBook.
I am also giving away a necklace which looks magic to me.
It's costume jewelry but very pretty.
Enter below. Happy Reading.
Side note:
Michael Walshe, the hero in Irish Magic, is Sherry's son from Time and Forever. He is a side character in Maybe This Time. Irish Magic could be called book three in the Second Chance series. But the other two involved time travel and this one doesn't. Should I go back and change that? What say you?
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Last Summer by Kerry Lonsdale was released July 9 and is currently #1 on Amazon in Women's Fiction, Thrillers, and in Mystery and Suspense. And I have a copy to give away.
It's an introspective and interesting read. Along with the protagonist, I was crazy curious to find out what happened to her and why. And the surprises keep coming. Right through the end. It's an excellent story
My only caveat? Most of this novel is written present tense, a style which makes my brain cross. I don't know why my brain has such difficulty with present tense, but it does. It feels like I am continually translating back to a style I am used to as I read.
Here's the blurb and there are tons of totally positive reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. So If you are interested, enter below.
Blurb
Lifestyle
journalist Ella Skye remembers every celebrity she interviewed, every
politician she charmed between the sheets, and every socialite who eyed her
with envy. The chance meeting with her husband, Damien; their rapid free fall
into love; and their low-key, intimate wedding are all locked in her memory.
But what she can’t remember is the tragic car accident that ripped her unborn
child from her. Ella can’t even recall being pregnant.
Hoping to find the
memories of a lost pregnancy that’s left her husband devastated and their home
empty, Ella begins delving into her past when she’s assigned an exclusive story
about Nathan Donovan, a retired celebrity adventurer who seems to know more
about her than she does him. To unravel the mystery of her selective memory
loss, Ella follows Nathan from the snowcapped Sierra Nevada to the frozen
slopes of southeast Alaska. There she discovers the people she trusts most
aren’t the only ones keeping secrets from her—she’s hiding them from herself.
Ella quickly learns that some truths are best left forgotten
About Kerry Lonsdale
Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon Kindle bestselling author Kerry Lonsdale writes standalone and series based emotionally charged domestic drama, family suspense, and women's fiction. Her books are sold worldwide in more than 28 countries and have currently been translated into 24 languages. Co-founder of the Women's Fiction Writers Association, an international organization that boasts over 1,000 writers, Kerry resides in Northern California with her husband, two children, two naughty kitties, and an aging Golden Retriever convinced she's still a puppy. Interested? Since the Last Summer ARC is paperback and therefore US eligible only, I am adding an eBook ARC of Irish magic to the Rafflecopter. Happy reading.
What do you do when everything goes wrong?
Make a wish to a four-leaf clover, right?
There’s no other logical way out of it!
A bitter end to her engagement turned novelist
Kate Carnahan’s hero into a snarky disaster. With a deadline looming, Kate’s
willing to try anything to find a new hero even wishing on a four-leaf clover
But
a clover wish is a heart wish. Everyone knows that!
When
part leprechaun, Bradley Flynn, is charged with finding Kate’s true love for
her, he calls on Essie O’Callaghan, the Hereditary Matchmaker of Cluhalaugh who
happens to have a mission of her own.
Dr. Michael Walshe had a ring in his pocket when he
walked in on his girlfriend sleeping with her costar. He wants no part of
Essie’s plan to find him a wife.
Fate
– or something more leprechaun shaped – has Kate and the doctor bumping into
each other wherever they go in Ireland. Will Kate realize that Michael could be
far more to her than the cure to her writer’s block?
An email from her agent emitted a
siren call. Congratulations, you made the top twenty bestsellers on Amazon.
I don’t know how you got her to do it, but she gave you a great review.
