Tag: published author

Romance Writer’s Weekly #lovechatwrite

On By jillhaymakerIn authors, baby boomer romance, contemporary romance, cowboys, happy endings, later in life romance, romance, second chance romance, small town romance, Uncategorized, western romanceLeave a comment

This week on our blog hop we were asked to compare the relationship with the characters in your book with real life relationships. How do they differ and how are they the same?

Tough question. I suppose in fiction or real life every relationship is unique in some ways.

The most glaring way they differ would be that I write romance so there has to be a happily-ever-after. No matter how bad things get, you know there is light at the end of the tunnel. In real life, I think we are often flying blind with no idea if any given relationship will last forever or end tomorrow. Oh, we build trust for someone over time and have a pretty good idea about the future, but things change. No one goes into a relationship expecting a bad ending. I used to be a divorce attorney and let me tell you I got to be an expert in shattered dreams. Also, being a female, I’m aware that my relationships are written from a female perspective. My heroes may not be the same as if they were written by a man. I try to be realistic, but let’s face it, I’ve never been a man.

But how are they the same? Both in my real life and books, characters experience ups and downs, good days and bad, times they are happy and times they just want to run and hide. Both types of relationships are filled with emotion and self-doubt and require work to make them succeed. Both also can be very rewarding. They say you write what you know so I suppose there is a little of me in every one of my heroines and probably my heroes, too. My own relationships pop into my stories, I’m sure. After all, we all just want to see those happy endings for characters and the people we care about. I believe love always wins 🙂

check out my Peakview Series for heartwarming stories filled with the power of love.

If you want to get another author’s take on this topic, hop on over to PG Forte’s blog at http://rhymeswithforeplay.blogspot.com to see what she has to say. And check out her book below at htttps://books2read.com/u/boaKy1

Romance Writer’s Weekly #lovechatwrite

On By jillhaymakerIn authors, contemporary romance, cowboys, happy endings, new release, romance, second chance romance, small town romance, Uncategorized, western romance, winter time, writing advise, writing lifeLeave a comment

Thus week on our Romance Writers’ Weekly blog hop our topic is: How did you get started in your career, how did you get to where you are today and what’s next for you?

I started writing novels almost by accident. I had been practicing law for many years when I became friends with another author in my office building. She had just started writing her first novel and was so excited. I spent a couple of years following her writing journey and sharing in her joy of writing. One day, when I was especially discouraged with the practice of law, she suggested I try to write a novel. I laughed. I knew nothing about writing fiction! But I sat down a couple of days later and started my very first romance. I loved it. It was so different from the formal legal writing I was used to. I guess you could say I never looked back. I split my time between writing and practicing law for about four years before I took the plunge and transitioned to writing full-time. I’ve never regretted the decision. Today, is the release day for my twenty-sixth novel. Writing romance and happily ever after is something I truly enjoy and hope to be able to continue to do for the rest of my life. I have found my calling 🙂

How did you get started in your career? leave a comment and then head over to Jenna’s blog at https://www.jennadasie.com to see how she got started, too 🙂

FREE E-BOOK

On By jillhaymakerIn 2021, authors, contemporary romance, cowboys, family, motherhood, love, free ebook, happy endings, life, small town romance, Uncategorized, western romanceLeave a comment

I wanted to let all of you know that book three in my Aspen Ridge Series, Come Home to Love, is free for your kindle today through Sunday.

Do you like secret baby stories? If so, this book is for you. When a one night stand results in Riley becoming a single parent, she soon realizes that the handsome stranger has given her the best gift of her life. She’s spent the last six years being the best parent she can be to her daughter, Ava. When cowboy and drifter, Justin Thorne, ends up back in Aspen Ridge, Colorado, memories of that one night with a special girl come racing back. He hadn’t thought about her in years. But when his attempts to rekindle their sparks are met with resistance, he soon discovers the reason why in the person of a beautiful six year old with his eyes. Will he try to take away the only thing that matters to Riley, or will the three of them find a way to make a home and family together? Rediscover Romance in Aspen Ridge, Colorado, a small town with an open heart. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T6B6M67

2021 Word of the Year-Patience

On By jillhaymakerIn 2020, 2021, authors, covid-19, happy endings, resolutions, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Each year for the past few years. I’ve come up with a word for the year. Something to motivate me to move forward. This year my word is patience. If you’ve been anywhere on social media the past couple weeks, you’ve seen lots of posts celebrating the end of 2020. Of course, we all want 2020 to be over. It’s now hard to imagine that just a year ago living through a pandemic was something we read about in some science fiction novel. Now it’s become reality—a seemingly endless reality.

It’s been a hard year for me, a true optimist, glass is always half full, kind of gal. There hasn’t been much of that this year. So I am optimistic about the vaccine and getting back to “normal” sometime this coming year, but I know I still have to be patient. Even in the group I’m in, it’s likely to be another three to six months before I’ll be able to get the vaccine, then there’s the 3-4 weeks wait between two doses, and then another wait until the vaccine is effective. And then, although I’ll feel safer venturing out of my home, the general population won’t be vaccinated, so masks will still likely be a requirement. And when will big events start again? Right now, I’d consider selling my first-born child to go to a concert, football game, or just to church on Sundays.

I live alone and I miss people. I miss book signings and meeting my readers, and I’m so tired of zoom meetings. Oh, and I’m a hugger. I MISS HUGS!

So anyway, my word this year is patience. The optimist in me believes we will overcome this and return to normal life, hopefully with a little more appreciation for the little things than we had before the pandemic, but I know it’s still going to take a while and in the meantime we will all need to be patient. 2021 isn’t magically going to change anything, but we’ll get there.

Happy New Year. What’s your word for this year?

March 17th

On By jillhaymakerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

cover_art_thanks to my momIf you are one of the 99.9% of my readers, you probably looked at the title and assumed I am going to talk about the green holiday of St. Patrick’s Day. I like St. Patrick’s Day, its a chance for normal people to consume alcoholic beverages mixed with green food coloring, and wear  shamrocks and bright green clothing with buttons that read “Kiss me I’m Irish!”  I’m not Irish, but my flaming red hair and green eyes might lead you to believe that I am, so I’ve been known to wear such a button a time or two. Its a fun and silly holiday.

But back to my point, I am not here to write about St. Patrick’s Day.  This year March 17th is also the release of the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul book entitled, Thanks to my Mom.  It is a wonderful book filled with 101 stories written by those of us that owe so much to our moms.  I am honored to be one of the writers in this collection.  Nine years after my mother passed away, it was a joy to be able to write something honoring her memory.

Please read this book. We all have mothers. And even if you didn’t have a great mother of your own, I’m sure you had one or more women in your life who played a mother role for you. Join me in honoring these great women by picking up a copy of the book.

I’m a published author!

On By jillhaymakerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

ImageExcited to let you all know that my first published story came out today in Chicken Soup for the Soul’s newest book, “Form Lemons to Lemonade!”  I am so excited to have something I wrote in print and hopefully help others through telling my story.  It is a great book about wonderful people overcoming adversity in their lives.  Check it out on Amazon and in book stores everywhere!