Moving up to 2007 ~ Jean C. Gordon

It's retrospective time again. Yes, there's a significant gap in my published books at this point. I was still writing for Avalon Books. But I was going through a difficult time. From early 2004 through fall 2005, my Mom and our dads were failing, and we were spending many of our weekends (my writing time, since I also had a full-time day job) driving 300 miles to Western NY to help care for them and relieve siblings. I didn't feel much like writing. Mom dies in early 2004 and the dads in August and September of 2005. As an aside, Dad would have been 100 years old today! Sometime in 2006, I picked up writing the rest of Candy Kisses, a fun story that came out in hardcover on April 1, 2007.

Inside Tidbits

To be truthful, I can't remember much about writing Candy Kisses, except that writing helped me deal with my grief. And my Avalon editor couldn't understand why the heroine would "out of the blue" come up with the candy contest that I thought was key to the story. She wanted to cut it. Somehow, I justified keeping it in. Not entirely sure how, except that I had my heroine see the game in a popular magazine. 

For those of you who've read it, tell me if you think the story would have fallen apart without the candy kisses contest.

Also, the hardcover book's cover is the first Avalon cover that was kept for the paper and ebook versions that were later republished by Montlake Publishing (in 2012) after it bought Avalon Books.

Candy Price is tired. Tired of her three older brothers talking her into blind dates with their friends; tired of living in Albany, New York; and tired of her overbearing boss. She'd love to break away and quit her job as a media assistant for a gubernatorial candidate. But that would only validate her brothers' view that she's flighty.

As a diversion, she decides to help her landlord---witty, gorgeous Mike Wheeler---find a new woman. Mike has a diversion of his own in mind: convincing Candy that there's more to life than out-succeeding her brothers. And if something develops between them, well, he certainly won't fight it.

The result? A contest to find the perfect kiss. The rules? Points per kiss are paid in candy kisses. And winner takes all as Candy and Mike begin to fall for each other in this sweet game of love.

You might be able to still find a hardcover copy available used somewhere or in a library, but because Montlake Publishing was owned by Amazon, the paperback and ebook are only available on Amazon. The ebook is also included in Kindle Unlimited.

GET YOUR COPY

Waxing Nostalgic

This past weekend, I gave a workshop at the Saratoga Romance Writers of America's annual retreat, which got me waxing nostalgic. I belonged to the Saratoga chapter when I made my first book sale. That prompted me to bring a couple copies of my first-sale book to the retreat book signing – I sold one – and to write this first-sale blog.

Sorry for the tilt and glare.
It's affixed to the wall.

In a land long ago and not so far away, there was a young mother who had fairly recently discovered and fallen in love with romance novels. So, what did she do? Being a writer – tax and financial news – by profession, she wrote one, finding that fiction writing is much different than news writing. I’m sure you’ve figured out that young mother was me. My romance author dream was to sell to Silhouette Romance, Harlequin’s old sweet romance line. I sent my story, Bachelor Father off to Silhouette and quickly received a form rejection letter. But a friend in my local writers group told me about another sweet romance publisher, Avalon Books, that provided hardcover books to libraries.

I submitted Bachelor Father to them and waited and waited and waited, meanwhile starting another sweet romance, Mandy and the Mayor. I submitted the first three chapters of that book to the New Jersey Romance Writers Put Your Heart in Book Contest and finaled in the contemporary romance category.

Off I went to the NJ Romance Writers conference, my first romance writers conference, with an appointment to meet with Erin Cartwright, the very new Editorial Director at Avalon Books. I wanted to find out what was going on with Bachelor Father. I won first place in the contest. At my editor appointment, Erin was very interested in Mandy and the Mayor and disappointed that I had only the first three chapters written. Then, I told her I had another submission at Avalon Books. She said she’d look at it as soon as she got back to the office on Monday.

True to her word, Erin called me at my day job Tuesday with an offer. I’d like to say I went home with my news and my family was jumping up and down excited for me. But we’re kind of low key. Their universal reaction was, “you said you were going to sell a romance novel, so we knew you would.”

I've since gotten the rights back for Bachelor Father and two of my other Avalon hardcovers and reissued them as eBooks. For anyone who hasn't read Bachelor Father yet, the eBook is 99 cents through March 20.

 

BUY: ALL VENDORS

A Marriage of Convenience

Brett Cahill is a typical bachelor. Someday he'll settle down with a wife and have kids--but just not yet. Then, his sister and her husband are killed in an accident, leaving him with Jake, the Korean toddler they were in the process of adopting. But in order for Brett's application to be approved he needs to be a married man and kiss his bachelor days good-bye.

Adoption caseworker Molly Hennessey is determined to place every child in her caseload in a happy home with two loving parents--the type of caring home she's always dreamed of having herself. Determined, that is, until Brett Cahill comes along and disproves her lifelong perceptions of single parents.Molly holds the power to give herself the home she's always longed for and to give Brett what he wants most--little Jake. But will she realize it in time?

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