A Chat with Author, Jennifer Wilck about In The Moment
Give a warm welcome to Jennifer Wilck, author of In The Moment released September 1, 2017!
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Jennifer Wilck and her new release In The Moment.
Tell us what inspired this particular story?
A few years ago, my daughters and I stopped by an open house in a neighboring town. The girls and I love to check out houses and dream about living in them, and this house was perfect for that. An 1860s Victorian mansion, it was three floors of exquisite molding, fireplaces and hardwood floors. The previous owners had renovated the two bottom floors, retaining the history although modernizing the kitchen and bathrooms. The uppermost floor, though, hadn’t been touched in a long time. In fact, in one of the bedrooms traditionally used by servants, you could still walk on the original wood beam flooring.
This house spoke to me. Not only because I would have given my left arm to live there—if only I had a spare couple of million dollars available—but because I could hear and feel the people from the past who had lived there before. I could see them descending the stairs, hands trailing on the polished bannisters. I could listen to them cozying up in the library by the fire. The house was calling to me.
Unfortunately, since I really don’t have that spare couple of million dollars, we couldn’t buy the house. But I wasn’t about to forget it, and since I’m a writer, I decided to write about it. It was going to be the star of my next book. Since I write romance, someone was going to live in it.
Enter my heroine, Cassie. She was a foster child, shuffled from home to home until she came to this house. It was the first place she felt like part of a family. When her foster mother died, the bank sold the house and Cassie, who had been encouraged to go to college and become successful by that very same foster mother, bought it and began to renovate it. Her dream was to live there and raise her very own family there, to fill it with the love and laughter she remembered and wanted for herself.
Then comes my hero, Rayne. He’s a war photographer emotionally scarred by what he’s seen and what he feels he’s caused. He wants nothing to do with permanence. He’s passing through the town on his way to deliver something to someone—to make good on a promise. Cassie offers him temporary shelter and a way to make some money and he accepts. And then he falls in love.
I won’t tell you anymore, because, you know, spoilers. But I hope the story speaks to you the way this house spoke to me!
A bit more About In The Moment.
Cassie Edwards, a former foster child, purchases an 1870s Victorian mansion, the one home from her childhood where she felt like part of a family. She’s spending her summer lovingly restoring it, with dreams of one day raising a family of her own here. Rayne Tucket, a photojournalist, is haunted by the death of his best friend in Afghanistan, a death he thinks is his fault. He survives day to day. Forever is not in his vocabulary. Swearing off photography, he answers an ad for a handyman—mindless, no emotion involved. As the two of them renovate her house, can Cassie show Rayne that love is strong enough to heal all wounds?
A peek between the pages of In The Moment:
The intimate closeness made her stomach flutter. The proximity of their bodies, the rush of the water, and his feathering touch on her lips made her dizzy. She gripped his arms for support. He grasped her waist, staring deep in her eyes.
He was going to kiss her. She knew it. His pupils dilated. Time slowed. The rushing water pounded around her. She opened her mouth, as much to drink in air as to get ready to kiss him back. His eyes narrowed, focused on her lips. She leaned toward him. Their wet bodies pressed against each other. Her breasts tingled, and her stomach heated at the contact. She wanted this to go on forever, but at the same time, she wanted him to hurry up and kiss her so their lips could finally meet. At the last possible second, he pushed away.
She stood there, confused and aching.
“I’m not the staying kind, Cassie.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“A woman like you needs a man who’ll stay forever. My time here has an expiration date.”
She ducked under the water. When she came up, she pushed her hair out of her face. “I know you’re leaving. You don’t have to, though.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a promise to keep.”
“What kind of promise?”
“The unbreakable kind.”
You can find In The Moment at The Wild Rose Press: Amazon:
About the Author!
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. 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 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. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and doesn’t share her chocolate.
She writes contemporary romance, some of which are mainstream and some of which involve Jewish characters.
Learn more about Jennifer at her social media haunts below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWilck
Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com
Blog: http://jenniferwilck.blogspot.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jenniferwilck/
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with In The Moment!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary, In The Moment, Jennifer Wilck, Romance, Women's Fiction by Tena Stetler with 16 comments.
Addicted to Love By Jennifer Wilck
Give a warm welcome to Jennifer, author of Addicted to Love, released July 21, 2017!
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Jennifer and her characters Dan Rothberg and Hannah Cohen from Addicted to Love.
Hello Dan, glad you could make it today! Tells us about the real you—
What event in your past has left the most indelible impression on you? Stiffens, then makes a visible effort to relax. “That would be the death of my wife and my injuries related to that car accident. I got lost for a while there, and didn’t do a very good job of taking care of my daughter. I’ve been trying to make up for it ever since.”
What do you most value?W Smiles. “My daughter, Tess. She is my compass—everything I do, I do for her and with her in mind.”
What is the type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with? Grins. “That’s easy. Hannah. She makes me a better person, lightens me up, makes me realize that life doesn’t have to be so grim and so serious. She’s smart and funny and is amazing with Tess, which is quite a feat considering Tess is a teenager. And of course, she’s beautiful.”
What do you consider most important in life? Taps his hand on his cane. “Finding a way to balance what you need and desire in life with what is good for you. Learning not to punish myself forever for one mistake I made. Learning to forgive myself. Sorry, that’s three things, but they’re all related.”
What is your biggest secret? Takes a deep breath. “I was addicted to pain killers and put Tess’ life in danger.”
Meet Hannah Cohen from Addicted To Love.
Who are you really?
Who were the biggest role models in your life? Leans back in her seat. “Bubbe, my grandma. She was such a huge part of my life growing up—teaching me to cook, letting me talk to her about anything, giving me unconditional love. We share an apartment now and I can’t imagine a day without talking to her.”
What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with? Blushes. “Dan. I never expected to fall for an older man—he’s older than me by about twelve years—much less one with a teenaged daughter. But there’s something about him that I can’t resist. He listens to me, he’s patient and caring. And oh my gosh, sexy as…I don’t even know what! Have you seen his eyes???”
What kind of man would you never choose? “I can’t say ‘never.’ If you’d asked me a few months ago, I’d say someone like my brother, who’s a drug addict. But months ago, I didn’t know how hard my brother worked to get clean. And months ago, I didn’t know Dan was also an addict. He’s clean now too. In fact, he went so far overboard to get clean on his own, he gave up anything he thought he liked because he was afraid of becoming addicted to it—including me. He’s found balance now, and I’ve realized that you can’t say ‘never’ to anything.”
What is most important to you in life? “Honesty and communication. And second chances.”
What is your biggest fear? “It used to be being around my brother. Now, we’ve fixed our relationship, so I don’t think I have one. I’m happy. And Dan helped me get there.”
Jennifer, tell us a little about writing this story. Was it fun or difficult? Do your characters always act as you expect? Are you a plotter, or fly (write) by the seat of your pants? I loved writing this story. I’m always drawn to “tortured” heroes of some sort and Dan was a doozy. He’s got layers and layers to him that were fascinating to peel away. And Hannah was a great counterpoint to him. Bubbe and Tess were so much fun to write—I laughed as I wrote (luckily no one saw me). I’m a pantser, so my characters always manage to surprise me a little bit along the way, and the characters in this book were no exception.
What is Addicted to Love about?
Dan Rothberg struggled after an accident killed his wife and he nearly lost custody of his daughter. He can no longer allow himself to get attached to anything or anyone. Until he meets Hannah.
Hannah Cohen is a young executive with a meddlesome grandmother and a troubled brother. She’d like nothing better than to find her own Mr. Right, after too many Mr. Wrongs. A sexy older man with a teenage daughter was never in her plans.
As they navigate their relationship through adolescent attitudes and grandmotherly interference, they realize age is just a number and love can be right in front of them. But when the terrible truth of Dan’s former struggles is exposed, Hannah must decide if she can get past his deception and allow love to conquer all.
A sneak peek between the pages of Addicted to Love.
“What are we looking at?” She whispered out of the side of her mouth, pursing her lips together and giving him an insane urge to kiss them.
“What?”
“I assumed since we’re standing here you must be looking at something, and I wanted to join in the fun. Or did you not realize we weren’t moving?”
Her nostrils flared and she bit her lip, and Dan realized she was trying not to laugh. Now he really wanted to kiss her, to capture her mouth with his, to make her his own. Before he could act on it, his stomach growled.
“Was that yours or mine?” She looked over at him, eyebrow raised.
His lips twitched. His breath hitched. He couldn’t keep his amusement to himself any longer. It bubbled in his chest and he let it out as he shook his head.
“Okay, while I am older than you, I’m not old enough to be senile. Yet. So yes, I did know we weren’t moving. But thanks for that. And yes, my stomach growled, because I’m hungry. Except I think I need to put eating on hold for a moment, because what I need, more than anything else right now, what I’ve needed all night long in fact, is to kiss you.”
Addicted to Love can be found at: Barnes & Nobel, Kobo, Amazon, and The Wild Rose Press.
About the Author:
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. 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 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. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and doesn’t share her chocolate.
She writes contemporary romance, some of which are mainstream and some of which involve Jewish characters. All are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWilck
Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com
Blog: http://jenniferwilck.blogspot.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jenniferwilck/
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Addicted To Love, Contemporary, Jennifer Wilck, Romance by Tena Stetler with 16 comments.
