Book of the Month

This is a quick pop-in to say that The Fireman Who Loved Me got a great 5 star review at Long and Short Reviews, which means it's up for Book of the Month for March. The book isn't even out yet, but I'm still thrilled to bits. Here's a snippet from the review:

"In this contemporary romp, Ms. Bernard takes us on a wild ride of fun, laughter, and emotion. The Fireman Who Loved Me has many plot lines going on and introduces a cast of characters that are memorable and realistic....This is one of those lighthearted feel good books that can be reread over and over again...I am in love, and lust, with these firemen!"

 I love this review! Here's the link to the entire review.

And here's the link to vote.  Many thanks!

My Chocolate Challenge

Since I'm no good at New Year's resolutions, I'm making a "new knee" resolution. I just had surgery on my left knee (ACL reconstruction, for those of you familiar with knee issues.) The lead-up to the surgery and the aftermath have put a serious crimp in my blogging intentions. But now -- new knee, new attitude. I'm going to aim for a new post every Monday.

But I'm the kind of person who needs an incentive. I fall somewhere on the spectrum between procrastinator and slacker. So I'm issuing this challenge to myself and to you. If you catch me without a post up by 9am on a Monday -- Eastern standard time, to make it even harder for me since I'm 4 hours behind -- and you call me on it in the form of a comment or an email to JenniferBernard.author@gmail.com, I'll send you some chocolate.

(Yes dear, someone said chocolate.) This is no hardship for me because I love sending people chocolate. I do it so often that Vosges, my favorite chocolate maker, assigned me my own "chocolate concierge." Her name is Betty, and I simply email her when I want to send someone a gift of sweet, delicious heaven. In fact, I may just miss a post on purpose so I can send off some chocolate.

My latest chocolate obsession? Dark chocolate-covered blueberry and acai berries. I've never seen an acai berry in the wild, but they sure taste good dipped in chocolate. What's more, I choose to believe they have magical healing properties since I hear they're grown in the high Himalayas and harvested under the crescent moon by chanting Tibetan monks. (Please don't ruin my illusions with any inconvenient factual corrections.) Since chocolate cures most ills anyway (see above request re factual corrections), these wondrous little sweets must be twice as powerful. 

Think they might heal my left knee if I eat enough of them? I figure it's worth a try.

So there it is, my Chocolate Challenge! I'm in the clear for this week, but please try again next week. And be sure to follow the blog to qualify to win. Here are the rules again:

1. See that I haven't posted a new blog post by 9am EST on any given Monday.
2. Comment here on the blog or email me at JenniferBernard.author@gmail.com.
3. Follow this blog.
4. Prepare to receive chocolate.

In the meantime, what's your favorite kind of chocolate? Have you tried the chocolate covered acai berries?

Have a great week!

Jennifer

ARC Giveaway - The Fireman Who Loved Me

I'm giving away an ARC of THE FIREMAN WHO LOVED ME on my Facebook page! Here's the link. And just because I like people who "like" me, I'm also going to include an adorable toy. I hope to see you over there!

In case you're on the fence, here's a snippet from one of the reviews I've gotten in the past few days, this one from A Tasty Read.

So my recommendation is.....READ THIS BOOK!!  PREORDER THIS BOOK and READ IT THE SECOND IT COMES TO YOUR HOUSE!!  You won't be sorry, and you will be talking about Captain Brody for the next week!!

What she said! Here's the link to the whole review.

Come on by! And good luck.

Jennifer

The Perfect Hero

I've been asked many times why I chose to write about firemen. The short answer is:

Enough said, right? Firemen are hot. Any other questions?

But of course that's not the real story. I first got to know a few firemen when I went to dinner at a firehouse with a friend of mine; it was one of the most fun evenings of my life. Not because they were all hunky and handsome, though a couple of them were. But because they were genuinely good guys with all sorts of different backgrounds and many interesting stories to tell. They were wonderful hosts and quite humble considering their job involves risking their lives. They weren't shouting from the rooftops about what studs they were. But somehow that made them even sexier in my eyes.

These firefighters had a great sense of humor, verging on goofiness. They were kind and considerate, they combined adrenaline-fueled machismo with down-to-earth get-the-job-done practicality. Several had science degrees, and all had the smarts to handle the complex technical requirements of firefighting. They had a sense of purpose and team spirit and dedication, but it wasn't all serious. They played pranks and teased one another and generally let out steam.

Okay, so I left with stars in my eyes. Later, it occurred to me that writing a romance about firemen on their home turf, not only out on the firelines, might be a lot of fun. And so it was. I've now written three books starring firemen and I feel that I'm just scratching the surface. Their hotness, in the end, is only one part of their appeal. 

Not that it hurts, of course.

So what do you say .... are firefighters the perfect hero or what?