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Judith Sterling

~ Award-winning Author

Judith Sterling

Monthly Archives: April 2021

A RECKLESS HEART by Jennifer Wilck

06 Tuesday Apr 2021

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

A Reckless Heart, beach setting, billionaire, brooding hero, celebrity crush, contemporary romance, Jennifer Wilck, Judith Sterling, new release, Scarred Hearts, The Wild Rose Press

I’m excited to welcome Jennifer Wilck, a sister Rose (published by The Wild Rose Press) today! She’s here to talk about her new release, A Reckless Heart, and celebrity crushes. Take it away, Jennifer!

Do you have a favorite celebrity? One who will make you watch whatever they star in, regardless of genre?

As a teenager, it was Tom Selleck. I’d watch him in Magnum, PI and giggle every time he showed up on screen. Considering he was the star of the show, it was frequent.

As an adult, it’s George Clooney. While I don’t giggle over him, I love watching him and listening to him. For my husband, it’s Natalie Portman. He and I have an agreement that if we ever have the opportunity to “be” with either of them, we get a free pass. 🙂 Kidding. Sort of.

And of course, there are celebrities I think of in passing and when I see them on screen I think about how much I enjoy them and whether or not they’d be good inspiration for the heroes of my books—celebrities such as Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch (yes, we are big Marvel fans in my house).

When it comes to the inspiration for my heroines, I’m less clear. For whatever reason, I don’t typically associate the heroine I create with a celebrity who already exists.

However, that wasn’t completely the case for Meg in A Reckless Heart. I’ve joked with friends that the book is a cross between the Kardashians and Beauty & The Beast (I’ve even pitched it that way on Twitter). No, Meg is NOT one of the Kardashians. Nor is she modeled on them. However, as a former society “It-Girl,” she’s been exposed to people like that. She reaped the benefits and suffered the consequences. So when I created her, I imagined what it would be like to be in that world and suddenly thrown out of it.

I think that’s why, ultimately, I like to dream about my celebrity crushes, but when I do, I place them in much more realistic scenarios. I can’t imagine myself living in their stratosphere. Bringing them down to earth is much more manageable.

So tell me, who is your celebrity crush and why? Would you want to inhabit their world, or welcome them into yours?

A little more about A Reckless Heart:

Meg Thurgood, former society girl, took the blame for her friend and paid a steep price. Now all she wants is solitude and a chance to rebuild her life. She thinks she’s found that in an isolated house she rents from a mysterious stranger.

Simon McAlter has hidden in his house on the coast of Maine since a fire left him scarred. A successful landscape architect who conducts his business and teaches his classes remotely, he’s lost his inspiration and is trying to pretend he’s not lonely. 

Simon’s new neighbor is more than he bargained for. When he learns Meg’s secret, will he retreat into the shadows or will he learn to see past the surface and trust in Meg’s love? 

A peek between the pages:

“Let’s watch a horror movie.” Meg flopped on the couch and wiggled into the soft cushions.

There was a beat of silence before Simon turned away from her and poked at the logs in the fireplace, sending sparks up the chimney. “I’m not a big fan of horror movies.”

She liked horror movies because the monsters were obviously fake. You didn’t have to dig deep, to wonder about anything. It was black and white. Meg’s heart constricted. She hadn’t thought about it from Simon’s perspective. Did he consider himself a monster? Could this amazing man see himself in those movies? Her throat thickened. She wanted to run away and cry. But he’d think she ran from him. With a deep breath, she sorted through the list of her favorites in her mind and threw away several until she thought of the perfect one.

“How about Dracula?” Her voice rasped past the emotion, but she forged ahead. “The old one. It’s totally cheesy, which makes it funny. ‘I vant to suck your blood!’ ” she said with a fake accent.

“Do you?” he asked.

Returning the poker to the rack, he walked toward her, and held out his arm, wrist up. She took it in her hand. His skin was warm beneath her fingers, his pulse steady, and the hair on the other side of his arm was wiry. She stroked her thumb along the inside of his wrist. His breath stuttered. She wondered what he’d do if she kissed him. Desire flooded through her. Never mind him, what would she do?

“Next time,” she said. She was brave, but maybe not that brave, at least not yet.

Slowly, he lowered his arm to his side, but remained close enough his knees brushed hers. His skin was flushed, his eyes ablaze. Heat pulsed between them. After a moment, he stepped away, as if he wasn’t brave enough either. “Do you want popcorn?”

Buy the book:

Amazon | B & N | Apple | Kobo | Goodreads | BookBub

More about Jennifer:

Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.

In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. When she’s not writing, she loves to laugh with her family and friends, is a pro at finding whatever her kids lost in plain sight, and spends way too much time closing doors that should never have been left open in the first place. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.

She writes contemporary romance, some of which are mainstream and some of which involve Jewish characters. She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Where to find her:

Website | Facebook | Newsletter | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub

Thanks so much for joining us today, Jennifer. Wishing you great success with the book! 🙂

Spring Break Bookapalooza ~ RETURN OF THE RAVEN

06 Tuesday Apr 2021

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

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Amazon gift card, giveaway, Judith Sterling, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, Return of the Raven, Spring Break Book-a-Palooza, The Novels of Ravenwood, time travel romance

Good morning! The spring break event over at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven continues, and today, the spotlight is on Return of the Raven. Check it out here!

Remember to enter the giveaway. Maybe you’ll be one of the Amazon gift card winners on May 3rd!

Have a beautiful day! 🙂

Medieval Monday ~ THE LADY OF THE FOREST

05 Monday Apr 2021

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

≈ 12 Comments

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#MedMonSpring21, Barbara Bettis, excerpt, first kiss, Judith Sterling, Knights of Destiny, Medieval Monday, Medieval Romance Lovers, medieval romance series, The Lady of the Forest

Welcome back to Medieval Monday! Our “First Kiss” theme continues, and this week, I’m excited to have Barbara Bettis here! We’re featuring a book from her Knights of Destiny series: The Lady of the Forest. I loved this story, and if you like medieval romance, you will too.

For anyone following my excerpt from Return of the Raven, you’ll find Snippet #9 on Barbara’s blog. Remember, there are links to all the participating authors’ snippets at Medieval Romance Lovers on Facebook. (#MedMonSpring21)

Now, let’s enjoy Barbara’s ninth snippet:

Kate froze at Henry’s words and felt the hard shape of his desire wane. Then she realized: She must have landed on his old wounds. She didn’t know whether to feel guilt for lingering on his warm, solid muscles, or offense at his outrageous behavior. Just as he grasped her arms to relieve the pressure of her elbows, she felt him tremble.

I’ve truly hurt him. Her residual desire evaporated, and heat shot through her cheeks, twin brands of shame. She’s acted the wanton, responding to his brief kiss with a hunger that shocked her, and now she’d caused him pain.

Humiliation seared a path in her nose. Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she made to move—and realized just what that rumble meant. He was laughing, the beast.

A little more about The Lady of the Forest:

When her elderly husband dies, Lady Katherine fakes her own death and disappears into the forest with others escaping the brutish new lord. Determined to protect her people, she knocks the wrong man senseless. But Lord Henry isn’t an enemy, he’s the brother of her childhood friend. Although his tender confidence tempts her, she’s bound by duty.

Henry of Chauvere has found the one lady he wants for his own, never mind she’s tied him hand and foot. When he learns the king has ordered her to wed Stonehill’s ruthless new master, he insists Kate seek haven with his sister. But she won’t desert her friends. Henry vows to solve her problem, provided he catches a traitor before the threat from Kate’s past catches her.

When a daring rescue compels Henry and Kate to join forces, their attraction grows into love. If only duty didn’t drive them apart.

Buy the book on Amazon!

That’s all for this Medieval Monday. See you next week!  🙂

Spring into Freebies Giveaway ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

02 Friday Apr 2021

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

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Amazon gift card, Flight of the Raven, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, spring fever, Spring into Freebies Giveaway, The Novels of Ravenwood

N. N. Light has spring fever! It could be all the flowers in bloom or the birds singing in the trees, but whatever the cause, you can enter to win amazing prizes, including a few new releases, autographed print books by bestselling and award-winning authors, audiobook codes plus e-books galore and a couple of Amazon gift cards. I’m one of the authors participating, so you could win an e-copy of Flight of the Raven, the first book in my medieval/time travel romance series, The Novels of Ravenwood.

Go here to see all of the prizes available. Then enter the giveaway here. If there’s a particular prize you’d like to win, be sure to say which one.

Wishing you the best of luck and a beautiful day! 🙂

Spring Break Bookapalooza ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

01 Thursday Apr 2021

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Amazon gift card, giveaway, Judith Sterling, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, Return of the Raven, Spring Break Bookapalooza

Calling all readers! Spring has sprung and you’re all invited to N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Spring Break Bookapalooza. 28 books featured plus a chance to win one of the following:

~ $50 Amazon (US) Gift Card (2)

~ $25 Amazon (US) Gift Card

~ $15 Amazon (US) Gift Card

~ $10 Amazon (US) Gift Card

I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My recent release, Return of the Raven, will be featured on April 6th. I even talk about where I’d go on spring break if money were no option and there wasn’t a pandemic sweeping the world. You won’t want to miss it.

Bookmark this get-together and tell your friends:

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/spring-break-bookapalooza

Enter the giveaway here!

Open internationally.

Runs April 1 – 30.

Drawing will be held on May 3.

Good luck! 🙂

Recent Posts

  • A RECKLESS HEART by Jennifer Wilck
  • Spring Break Bookapalooza ~ RETURN OF THE RAVEN
  • Medieval Monday ~ THE LADY OF THE FOREST
  • Spring into Freebies Giveaway ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven
  • Spring Break Bookapalooza ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

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