Summer Postcard from Homer

Time for a postcard from beautiful Homer, Alaska, otherwise known as the "quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem." It's finally starting to warm up here and we've been inundated with RV's trundling through town. Homer is known as the "End of the Road," because, well, you can probably figure it out. Only one highway heads south from Anchorage -- we call it Highway 1 -- and it runs out of pavement when it gets to Homer. Tourists come for the halibut fishing, the stunning views of glaciers right across Kachemak Bay, and for glimpses of the Time Bandit, which you may know from The Deadliest Catch.

Many of the RV's wind up on the Homer Spit, a long finger of mud that stretches toward the majestic mountains across the bay. Here you can park your traveling home, camp, eat everything from pizza to king crab, and bask in the alpenglow. The Spit is kind of like the Atlantic City Boardwalk, Alaska style. Instead of fried clams, we have fried halibut. The Salty Dawg Saloon tends to be more popular than the ice cream shop, simply because there's often a knife-cold wind blowing in from the ocean. The "Better Sweater" shop is always busy. It's hard to foresee just how cold it's going to be when you're visiting from Nashville or Florida. A cruise ship docks in Homer every two weeks, spilling out passengers who hop onto shuttles when they want to venture into the rest of town. Homer goes out of its way to offer visitors a good experience. Even the extra-clean public bathrooms feature bald eagles scenically perched on the lampposts outside.

But just for you, here's a sight-seeing tip few tourists know: the best eagle viewing in town is at the dump. Best in terms of numbers, but maybe not photo ops. The same bird that looks so majestic soaring through the air can look pretty scraggly when its scoping out the landfill for food scraps. Our visiting cousins seemed to take this phenomenon very personally. Should the symbol of America really be poking around the dump competing with seagulls and crows? I guess a bird's got to do what a bird's got to do. In Alaska, no matter the season, it's all about survival.

Scavenger eagles aside, if you're looking from a respite from the sweltering heat in the rest of the country, you're welcome to bundle up, head into the wind, and bask in our twenty-hour a day, mildly warm sunshine. The days may not get very hot, but at least they last a long time. And make sure you stop by the dump on the way into town!

Have you been to Alaska? If not, is it on your bucket list?

Coming at you from the land of the midnight sun,

Jennifer

Wanted: Book Recs

Although I love to write contemporary romance, when I want to relax, I usually read historical. Maybe it's just different enough that I feel no obligation to analyze as I read. I can just sit back and be entertained, thank you very much. (Lazy? Moi? Perish the thought.) 

Lately I've been on a Mary Balogh kick. For some unfathomable reason I'd never read her until Eloisa James showed me an advance copy of her book "The Secret Mistress." I adore Eloisa James and really hope I can be reborn as her in a future lifetime. I figured, if Eloisa likes MB, I ought to give her a try.

Two series later, I'm in awe. First I tore through the "Slightly" series, which is all about the arrogant, wild Bedwyn family. "Slightly Sinful, Slightly Unforgettable," and so forth. There are five books in this series, and, since I do everything backwards, I just discovered the book that first introduced the family -- "A Summer to Remember." These books have intense characters, wonderful humor and delicious romance. They're sublime, from beginning to end. 

*Note: You will never find me saying a bad thing about a book. Not that all books are perfect (especially mine). But since I began writing, and know how difficult it is, I find I don't have it in me to be critical anymore. I leave the criticism to others, and I thank them for it. It needs to be done -- just not by me.

Related to the Slightly series is the Simply series, four books about the teachers at a girls school in Bath. I love that they're about women who aren't living the privileged life, but who are making their own way in a frequently treacherous world. The degree of emotion these stories inspire is amazing.

I know Mary Balogh is still writing stories linked to these series. I believe her next book is about the cousin of the heroine of "A Summer to Remember." Sometimes it's hard to keep all the relationships straight from one book to the next, but it doesn't matter unless you like keeping track of such things. So if you're looking for a wonderful author with a enormous backlist, who's still producing great books, give Mary Balogh a try.

So ... your turn. Do you have any recs for me? I'm looking for a historical series I can really lose myself in.

Thanks!

Fun with Firemen

I had tons of fireman fun this past week in California. Can't you tell?

That's a fireman at a station in Los Angeles posing with both my books. And his coworker is apparently reading THE FIREMAN WHO LOVED ME ... or at least hiding behind it.

And look at this photo ... see that sign? Where it says "San Gabriel"? Yep, this is the actual, real-life, non-Bachelor San Gabriel station.

My fictional San Gabriel is somewhere in the desert "Inland Empire" of California, but the real one is in the greater Los Angeles area, and I got to pay it a visit. I dropped off a box of books, which are presumably making their way into the hands of various wives and girlfriends. I met the Fire Chief, who is an extremely gracious man. He gave me a tour of the station, including the drool-worthy, state-of-the-art kitchen the crew built with their own hands.

Wow. Falling in love yet? He also showed me San Gabriel's lovely 9/11 memorial, which is especially meaningful considering the history of my hero in Book 3 (more to come on that.)

Last, but not least, I stopped by the Los Angeles station where my "fire consultant" works. Here he is, my favorite real-life Fire Captain! It was so great to meet him in person. And his crew had a lot of fun with the books. (See the photos above.)

Once again, I was blown away by how nice, humble, and down-to-earth these courageous real-life heroes are. Thanks to all for the lovely time in California.

Jennifer

Visit to Sunshine Books

It's me and the palm trees this week. I've been reunited with the Los Angeles smog, the crazy traffic, and the lovely jasmine-draped patio of my friend. I'm here for a variety of reasons, but while I'm in town I'm planning to visit a few bookstores. If you happen to live in the Southern California area, I hope you'll consider joining me at Sunshine Books in Cypress California on Tuesday, June 5 at 1:30. Here's the address:

Sunshine Books
4931 Lincoln Avenue
Cypress CA 90630

It's a wonderful, very romance-friendly bookstore and I can't wait to spend some time there. As an extra incentive, I'm bringing cupcakes!

I even rented a GPS so I don't get lost cruising around SoCal searching for bookstores. So far, so good. If I weren't already married, I'd be proposing to that thing.

Hoping to see you there!

Jennifer 

HOT FOR FIREMAN Release Day

HOT FOR FIREMAN has officially been released into the big wide world! My sweet baby, which started as a kernel of an idea during a long drive from Anchorage to Homer, has blossomed into a full-grown book and flown the nest.

Seriously, I'm not one of those people who think of my books as babies -- it's just a metaphor. But when you consider how much goes into developing an idea into a book, it fits. Creating the characters, devising a plot, fleshing it all out with side characters and fun scenes and sizzling scenes and bit and pieces of imagination and observation and inspiration. Then other people take a crack at it -- critiquers and agents and editors and copy editors and proofreaders. Cover artists work their magic. The publisher machine cranks into action. It takes a medium-sized town to produce a book! Thanks to everyone who has participated in the creation of HOT FOR FIREMAN: Liz, Rick, Maxine, Alexandra, Tessa, Scott, and many more whose names I don't even know!

Here's a little bit about the story, which is the second book in the Bachelor Fireman series, but can be read as a standalone:
 
Katie Dane knows better than to mix business and pleasure, but her new bartender, Ryan Blake, is simply irresistible... and besides, she doesn't plan on working there much longer. That's if things go according to plan. But they never do, do they?
Ryan, the sexy heartbreaker of Station 1, is determined to rejoin the force. Tending bar in the meantime seems like the perfect idea, especially when it means he can spend his nights working next to his sultry new boss... if only the bar didn't keep catching fire.
Throw in a grizzled career criminal, a luscious-bodied barfly, a Bachelor Fireman bachelorette party, a flash-fire romance, and a million-dollar money pot, and suddenly playing with fire never seemed so much like falling in love.

And here's a review from Romantic Times Magazine, which gave it 4 1/2 Stars and made it a Top Pick.

"Bernard thrills again with her fast-talking women and smooth-talking men. The second in her Bachelor Firemen series is a fast-paced, laugh-a-minute ride that will have readers turning the pages at lightning speed. With a series of fires pushing the characters together and a cast of characters that should be headed to the big screen, this is a great read."

You can read the first chapter of HOT FOR FIREMAN on the "Books" page. Or you can just .... 

CLICK TO PURCHASE

ENJOY!!!!

xoxoxox
Jennifer

Cover Secrets

When Avon decided to release the first two Bachelor Fireman books back to back, I was incredibly excited because, as a reader, I don't like having to wait for the next book in a series. I want it now! I want to know what happens next. I want to see my favorite characters again. Instant gratification, how I love thee.

I knew back-to-back releases would be a lot of work, but I didn't mind that. I jumped at the chance. I wrote my little fingers off, met my deadlines, and eagerly welcomed the dates of April 24 and May 29. What I didn't expect (because I didn't know anything) was that I'd have a double whammy dose of the jitters. HOT FOR FIREMAN is coming out in a little over a week, and I've still got release day nerves for THE FIREMAN WHO LOVED ME. But not to worry, those jitters are a good thing -- it's excitement, anticipation, the fluttery-belly breathlessness before you take a step into the unknown.

Here's a little piece of trivia about the covers of the first two Bachelor Fireman books. HOT FOR FIREMAN originally featured the image on the current THE FIREMAN WHO LOVED ME cover -- and vice versa.

The first cover I ever saw was this one, with the bare-chested hottie in the kitchen with the girl with the cute skirt. It had the title THE FIREMAN WHO LOVED ME. I absolutely adored it. But when they switched the two covers, so Mr. Hottie now graces the HOT FOR FIREMAN cover, I adored it even more. Because that cover is hot. (In my humble opinion.)

The other cover has a sweeter feel, which perfectly suits the title THE FIREMAN WHO LOVED ME (although both books are equally hot, content-wise.)

So I'm not sure who came up with the idea of switching the covers, but I'm very grateful. I think it worked out perfectly. 

The "Love Mother"

The little girl who calls me "mother" isn't related to me by blood. And my path to becoming her "mother" wasn't an easy one. It took several years of trying desperately to have my "own" child, one born from my own body. It took facing the possibility that it might never happen. It took a huge decision to leave the city and job I'd gotten used to. It took meeting and falling in love with a new man -- who just happened to be a single father of two children. It took the gracious and patient work of my husband and his ex to create an amicable relationship for the sake of that little girl. 

Although some steps on that path seemed mortally painful at the time, I'm so grateful for every one of them. That lovely little girl lives with us half of the week. She knows that technically I'm her "stepmother," but she's read enough fairy tales to reject the term since it usually has the word "evil" attached. Occasionally she calls me "Mama," but that's too confusing because that's what she calls her actual, blood mother, whom she loves like crazy. So she came up with her own term for me.

I'm her "love mother."

Being her love mother means more to me than I can ever express. The desire to love and take care of a child is so basic, but it can be expressed in a million different ways. Here's to everyone who offers love, time, protection, and attention to a child. Mothers, stepmothers, foster mothers, aunts, grandmothers, the list goes on. In the end, we're all "love mothers."

Happy "Love Mother" Day!