In my newly released book, Stormy Weather, several pivotal storms wreak havoc in the lives of the main characters, Rae, Luke, and Mac, both literally and figuratively.  Stormy Weather is a romance, so it will come as no surprise that it has a happy ending – the sunshine and joy after the rain, to quote the words of an old song, or if you prefer, the rainbow after the storm.

Anyone who saw “The Wizard of Oz” knows that “somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue.”  Had it not been for the tornado that hit Dorothy’s drab, Kansas world, she never would have traveled to the wonderful land of Oz, nor learned to appreciate her precious Auntie Em’s love, or that there’s “no place like home.”

Like everyone, my life has had many bittersweet moments. The very day my first book, Night and Day, was released, I had surgery to remove a recurrence of skin cancer and ended up with a 4″ scar on my neck that left my head cocked to one side for about three weeks. One of the proudest and most exciting moments of my life; and I looked and felt so terrible that I wasn’t able to celebrate or promote the book until some time later. On top of that, the recession had finally come to the Midwest, and I was tense and worried about the repercussions to my business and those of friends and family.

Two other times in my life come to mind as well… on my wedding day, almost 6 years ago, my back was out, and I was so stiff and sore that my friend had to lift my feet into the car to drive me to the church. Due to another medical condition, I was in excruciating pain during much of our dream vacation to Scotland 3 years ago. The term “grin and bear” it took on a whole new meaning.

These incidents are nothing compared to the heartbreak many of you have endured or are going though right now.

Yet, much as these temporary storms may have marred or impeded my enjoyment of some of the most precious and pleasurable days of my life, as always, clouds do dissipate, sunshine reappears, and joy is to be found on the other side of the rainbow. My husband, the pastor, is quick to add that a house built of the solid rock of Jesus Christ will withstand the worst of storms.

Is there a time in your life that you’ve experience joy in the midst of a storm? Sunshine after the rain? A rainbow so unexpected and lovely that you find yourself thinking the fray was almost worth it just to have experience that one blessed moment in time?

You’ll have to read Stormy Weather to experience the moment when Rae’s worst nightmare coincides with an event so profound that it will change her entire life.

I hope, as you read about what happens to Rae, that your faith will be restored – that you will be able to see through the wind and rain and sleet and snow that’s pommeling you to the blue skies on the other side of the rainbow, to experience the sunshine and joy awaiting you there.

Thanksgiving can be taken so many ways:

 1)                  A day to be truly thankful for the blessings you have received;

2)                  A day off work, before a second day off work (a/k/a Black Friday), which leads into a weekend – thus a 4 day weekend;

3)                  A day to eat as much as you want and worry about the calories tomorrow;

4)                  Football;

5)                  Family and friends. A day to get together and enjoy the company of your loved ones;

6)                  Parades;

7)                  A day of rest before waking at 3:00 a.m. to participate in Black Friday shopping.

 So, what will I be doing this Thanksgiving? Well, I will cook a few things and then head to my mother’s where the rest of my family will eventually gather.  What I won’t be doing is writing. It is a day off to be with my loved ones and a day to be thankful and a day to eat. That would be 1, 3 and 5 of the above. 

This year I have a ton of things to be thankful for.  Always at the top of my list is my family. I have a wonderful husband and three terrific kids. I was blessed with awesome parents, and the best brother and sister anyone could ask for. Then, there are their children and so forth. I have a fantastic family and I hope you are blessed with any equally wonderful family.

I have roof over my head, food in my kitchen, and some really great friends.  My first book was published this year, Loving Lydia, with a second one due out soon, Pure is the Heart.

I am sure I have a lot more to be thankful for but they are not coming to me at the moment.  What about you? What does Thanksgiving mean to you? Is it one of the seven above, or something else entirely different?

If you are around tomorrow, join me at http://amydetrempe.blogspot.com where I will be interviewing Mike Simpson, owner and founder of Second Wind Publishing.

By J.B. Kohl

So a year ago . . . October 22, 2008 to be exact, Eric and I crossed the last ‘t’ and dotted the last ‘i’ of One Too Many Blows To The Head and began sending it out into the world to make friends and maybe find a home.

Publishers tended to shy away from such an unusual collaboration– a book written in two first person narratives by two people who have never met? Would it work? Would people read it?

I’m thankful and proud to say that Second Wind took a chance on us. And One Too Many Blows To The Head isn’t the only book being sent out into the world right now. We are honored to share the spotlight with JJ Dare and Pat Bertram.

JJ Dare is the author of False World, the second title of the Joe Daniels trilogy. Dare is sponsoring a contest for a book giveaway. Scare her real bad in fifty words or less and you could win a free book.

Pat Bertram’s new release is Daughter Am I, a story about a girl, her inheritance, and the danger she finds herself in when she starts poking around in the past.  Bertram is sponsoring a treasure hunt on her blog. The prize: the one and only proof copy of Daughter Am I.

Eric Beetner, soon to be proud father of not one, but two beautiful daughters, is also hosting a contest. Prizes: newest thrillers from Second Wind.  Answer a question based on the central theme of each book, wow him, and you win.

And since I love a good contest and a great story, I want you to try to wow me as well. Give me a story about a flawed character, any flawed character who is in need of a second chance or a “do over”. Click here for full information.

Rules for my contest were posted earlier, but here they are again:

1. 500 words or less (I already said that but I’m saying it again)
2. Prose should be lighthearted and humorous. It’s the holiday season and I don’t want to get all suicidal.
3. Material needs to be original (That goes without saying, of course.)
4. Deadline is December 15.
5. Send story to jbkohl@jbkohl.com

First Place gets a signed copy of One Too Many Blows To The Head and a signed copy of The Deputy’s Widow. Second Place gets a signed copy of One To Many Blows To The Head.

Both winners will have their material posted on my blog, “Toeing and Typing the Line.”

But wait, there’s more! I love meeting writers. I love hearing about other writer’s methods for work. Winners will be presented with a guest appearance on my blog to give us the lowdown about writing habits, methods of success, opinions on writing, aspirations, etc.

So do you think you’ve got what it takes? Huh? Do ya? Do ya?

That’s all I’ve got. I’m heading back to my bowl of Chex Mix and dreaming of pie. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving folks!

J.B.

Time to celebrate, people. Our book, One Too Many Blows To The Head, is out and burning up the Amazon charts. We also share the spotlight with two other excellent Second Wind thrillers, False World by JJ Dare and Daughter Am I by Pat Bertram. Below you read all about the myriad of ways to win a free copy of each of these books. Why would an independent publisher just give away books? Because we’re that confident you will be back for more.

For our book, it is at the stage where people are getting through it and I’ve gotten some very kind emails and personal comments calling it “very engrossing” and a “page turner”. Yes, I know people who speak like book reviewers apparently. Jennifer and I just did our third interview this month. The train is rolling down the tracks.

And yet in the middle of this momentum I am hopping off the train and catching a plane to China. We got our travel dates and consulate appointments to complete the adoption of our second daughter. Exciting news but it is hard to leave my new “baby” back here in the states all alone. Oh, we’re taking our first daughter – I’m talking about the book.

Good thing I have a co-parent across the country ready and able to care for the little one while I’m gone for three weeks. Jennifer will have to hold down the fort and keep the hype building on the book.

Once I’m back though – look out 2010! One Too Many Blows To The Head is only going to get bigger.

Here’s how to win free books:

I am having a Free ebook giveaway of the latest thrillers! Tell us an experience based on one of the new releases, and you might win that ebook. Click here for information.

J.B. Kohl invites you to “Tell Me About it. Maybe I’ll Give You A Book.” Write a 500 word short story about a flawed character. Click here for information.

JJ Dare is sponsoring a “False World” Story contest. All you have to come up with is 50 words. Click here for information.

If writing isn’t your thing, Pat Bertram is having a Treasure Hunt! Click here for information.

In her Introduction to Bird by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott writes that seeing oneself in print “provides some sort of primal verification: you are in print; therefore you exist.” How nice to know I’m not the only writer seeking verification.

I’ve learned, over the past few years, to enjoy more the process of writing, even if I still look for “verification” or approval for my work. Part of the creative process is validation for one’s work―even God seeks approval of his creation. If a publisher offers to publish me, they are saying they see merit in my work, even it that merit, from their perspective, is monetary.

If a writer wins an award for his or her work, he or she is receiving approval―not so different than a ballplayer who receives a standing ovation from the home crowd for hitting a walk-off homerun. More than one ballplayer has said they’d play for nothing for the chance to stand in Yankee Stadium, baseball’s biggest stage. If a ballplayer doesn’t aspire to the major leagues, he will settle for the minors or find another career. If a writer doesn’t write for publication, chances are they will never see their work in print, or they will settle for self-publication.

When I finished Backstop: A Baseball Love Story in Nine Innings, I embarked on a journey to find a home for it. When I commenced this project in June 2007, I never considered that I’d have a third draft of a 75,000 word novel in eight months. But here I am, 20 months later, looking forward to launching this new work (my best to date) with Second Wind Publishing, even as I continue laying down words for my current novel―perhaps my most ambitious to date. I’m enjoying the creative process of this new endeavor―but I never forgot Backstop. He agreed to tell me his story only after I promised him I’d do my best to see his story in print. So I continued to submit, even continued to revise from time to time the result of feedback I’d gotten from a variety of sources.

Writers fall into two categories: artists and mercenaries. The latter write with the idea of profit, and indeed, the publishing industry (yes, it’s a serious business, but so is baseball when you look at the bottom line―and fiction, like sports, is but entertainment) seems to reward the mundane formulaic while eschewing literary art.

Science fiction writer Piers Anthony won’t start a project unless it has first been sold by proposal (he can afford to―most publishers and agents won’t accept a proposal from an unknown; they usually require a completed manuscript). Romance writers know their formula and write as if by rote.

Writing magazines abound and tomes have been written to help writers achieve publication; most advise “know your audience.” In other words, identify a market and write to it. But what about those of us who read a novel to learn something of the author, not just to learn what he knows about us as part of a demographic?

And what of the art of writing?

Former major leaguer and sports journalist Red Smith once said, “Writing is easy. I just open a vein and bleed.” In If You Want to Write, Brenda Ueland writes of author authenticity: the type of book that rarely graces the bookshelves of bookstores today because the writer listens to the experts, and so they’re put off, defeated before they even start, by the fear that no one will publish it. How dismal the literary world would be today had Tolstoy considered that his audience might be put off by all those Russian names.

My own work has been lauded by more than one critic for having a distinctive voice as well as for richness of language. It has also been turned down by more than one publisher and agent for those very same reasons. Still, I wish to hold onto that “voice.” I will never write formula just to see my name in print. I don’t write for an audience; I write with the hope an audience may find me. I may never be a best seller or receive great acclaim; I may never win a Pulitzer or a Nebula, or any other award, but I take great pleasure in Second Wind’s recognition of my work, enjoying (as Anne Lamott writes) the primal verification, or approval.

What I am (DNA) never changes. Who I am (a writer) never stops changing. Therefore, at the end of my life I want to look back at my body of work and recognize who I was at individual moments in my life. To write any other way would be to write merely for publication, which in a sense is, I suppose, approval of a different kind. Call me maudlin, but that’s not who I am.

―J. Conrad Guest, author of Backstop: A Baseball Love Story In Nine Innings

SecondWind Publishing is pleased to announce the release of three new thrillers: One Too Many Blows To The Head, by J.B. Kohl and Eric Beetner, False World by JJ Dare, and Daughter Am I by Pat Bertram.

What is more exciting than three new releases from Second Wind Publishing, LLC? Four new contests!

Eric Beetner is having a Free ebook giveaway of the latest thrillers! Tell us an experience based on one of the new releases, and you might win that ebook. Click here for information.

J.B. Kohl invites you to “Tell Me About it. Maybe I’ll Give You A Book.” Write a 500 word short story about a flawed character. Click here for information.

JJ Dare is sponsoring a “False World” Story contest. All you have to come up with is 50 words. Click here for information.

If writing isn’t your thing, Pat Bertram is having a Treasure Hunt! Click here for information.

What is more exciting than four new contests or three new releases? Two great games to play! Click on the photo to find the game.

And what is more exciting than four new contests, three new releases, two great games to play? One free download! Click here to get a free download of the Second Wind Publishing Mystery Sampler ebook.

If you prefer to read online, click on one of the covers above to read the first chapter of the novel.

In One Too Many Blows To The Head, Detective Dean Fokoli is trying to start a new life as an honest man. It’s tough for him to do. Although he wants to forget the past, others can’t.

I love a flawed character. I love the “realness” of it. Rather than making me lose interest, flawed characters who try to improve endear themselves to me.

So here’s the deal: send me a story – 500 words or less – about a character looking for redemption, seeking a second chance, trying to start over – you get the idea.

Rules:

1. 500 words or less (I already said that but I’m saying it again)
2. Prose should be lighthearted and humorous. It’s the holiday season and I don’t want to get all suicidal.
3. Material needs to be original (That goes without saying, of course.)
4. Deadline is December 15.
5. Send story to jbkohl@jbkohl.com

First Place gets a signed copy of One Too Many Blows To The Head and a signed copy of The Deputy’s Widow. Second Place gets a signed copy of One To Many Blows To The Head.

Both winners will have their material posted on my blog, “Toeing and Typing the Line.”

But wait, there’s more! I love meeting writers. I love hearing about other writer’s methods for work. Winners will be presented with a guest appearance on my blog to give us the lowdown about writing habits, methods of success, opinions on writing, aspirations, etc.

So get to it! I wanna hear from you. –J.B. Kohl

To mark the release of three of Second Wind’s newest thrillers – Daughter Am I by Pat Bertram, False World by JJ Dare and One Too Many Blows To The Head by JB Kohl and Eric Beetner – we’d like to know your experiences with the theme laid out in each book.

Choose the book that sounds interesting to you and answer a question based on a central theme in that book. If your response is chosen you win a free ebook download of that novel! You can enter for all three if you like and have a better shot at getting a free download.

First is One Too Many Blows To The Head by JB Kohl and Eric Beetner:

Kansas City, 1939.
In a world of fixed fights and mob influence Ray Ward and his brother Rex are two of the only clean fighters in town. With Ray in the corner and Rex in the ring they are headed for the big time. Until that fateful night. Now Ray has a score to settle using a lifetime of lessons in how to fight back.

Dean Fokoli is a detective with a new partner, an alcoholic wife and a guilty conscience. At least the boxer on the radio who just got beat to a pulp won’t end up in his homicide file. But when the dregs of the crooked fight world start turning up dead, Fokoli is on the hunt for the killer. The chase will take him to the underbelly of the Kansas City night and hopefully keep him one step ahead of his past.

The question is…have you ever been in a fight? A bloody knuckle brawl? A verbal smackdown? Tell us your story of when it got out of hand.

Next up is Daughter Am I by Pat Bertram

When twenty-five-year-old Mary Stuart learns she inherited a farm from her recently murdered grandparents – grandparents her father claimed had died before she was born – she becomes obsessed with finding out who they were and why someone wanted them dead. Along the way she accumulates a crew of feisty octogenarians – former gangsters and friends of her grandfather. She meets and falls in love with Tim Olson, whose grandfather shared a deady secret with her great-grandfather. Now Mary and Tim need to stay one step ahead of the killer who is desperate to dig up that secret.

The question is…have you ever learned something shocking about your past? Maybe not murder but what rocked your world once you found out?

Finally is False World by JJ Dare.

The second book in the Joe Daniels’ trilogy continues where False Positive ends as Joe 
continues his mission to destroy those who have destroyed his life. As the world changes, Joe’s search for justice takes on a global urgency and he races to find answers before deadly answers find him.  In this second installment of the Joe Daniels’ stories, the mystery and thrills are non-stop. Beginning in a secluded town in the middle of nowhere, it is not long before Joe is traveling across the country and, ultimately, across a collapsing world on his quest for vengeance.  

The world is not what you see.  And neither is Joe.

The question is…have you ever sought revenge or retribution? In a small way, a big way? What made you seek justice?

We look forward to hearing your real world experiences with these themes that make all three books page turning thrillers to leave you breathless at the finish.

Just post your story in the comments section below.

http://www.jacketblind.com/contest.html

I’m hosting a 50-word story contest on my site, for the debut of “False World,” the second book in the Joe Daniel’s trilogy.

Contest starts on November 22, 2009, and ends on December 28, 2009.

How to enter: Email contest@jacketblind.com your name (or your alias), your age (or the age you wish you were), and a 50-word count mystery, thriller, or suspense story. OR you can post it as a comment on this blog. Enter here or there.

Rules: Write a tight 50-word count story around an everyday object in the mystery, thriller, or suspense genre. 50 words, no more, no less. Has to be exactly 50 words. Did I mention the story needs to be 50 words, and only 50 words?

More rules: Entries are unlimited, just like your creativity. Must be 18 years or older. Prizes will be shipped within 6 weeks of contest’s end.

Even more rules: All authors agree to have their stories showcased in a special section on my website UNLESS story is picked up for publication elsewhere. If it is, I’ll celebrate with you.

Judging: Make us go, “Did I lock the door behind me?” Look at the examples at the end to get an idea of what we like.

Prizes: The winner will receive a signed copy of False World and a surprise gift.

Email your entry to contest@jacketblind.com, visit my website (listed at the beginning), OR post in comments here.

EXAMPLES:

Air Freshener

One night, I decided to get on with my life.

I had been sad for decades.

I wanted to be happy again.

A week after my decision, I ran out of air freshener.

My neighbor complained about the stench.

She joined my husband’s cheating corpse.

I need more air freshener.

Garden Hose

Turning on the hose, water hit the flower bed with full force.

Fresh dirt went everywhere.

She plucked a pale stick from the upturned earth.

It was smooth.

It looked odd and disturbing.

This isn’t a stick, she thought a second before

a shovel hit the back of her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FALSE WORLD
Published by Second Wind Publishing http://www.secondwindpublishing.com/FalseWorld.html

With Turkey Day just a few days away, I’m compelled to write about gratitude today. Many people wait until this time of year to think or talk about what they’re grateful for, and I used to be one of them. But a couple of years ago, I learned the secret to happiness was through constant gratitude, both for things I already had as well as for things I wanted to have. Boy, what a difference that has made in my life.

Ya know that feeling you get around the holidays when you’re thinking about what you’re thankful for? Well, I embrace that feeing year-round. Every day, I carve out time to reflect on, and say aloud, all the things I’m grateful for. I start with myself, and then circle out to friends, family, and things. And if there is something I want from my life, I express thanks for that as if I already have it. It’s quite astounding how things have manifested in my life as a result of this practice.

So what are you thankful for? I’ll get the ball rolling…

1) I’m thankful for my husband…he’s so wonderful and loving…and he’s my very best friend!

2) Our soon-to-be-born little girl…even though she has me blogging at 5 o’clock in the morning!

3) Our fur baby Dr. Snuggle, who is keeping me company at 5 o’clock in the morning. He is so sweet and precious, and I will always think of him as my first born

4) Second Wind for taking a chance on me and my manuscript!

5) My critique partners. They are more than just crit partners…they are my friends. They are there for me during writing crises and life crises alike. I’m not sure what I would do without them

There are, of course, so many other things to be thankful for, but there’s no need for me to ramble on I’d love to hear what’s got you grateful this Thanksgiving season!

Jerrica Knight-Catania is the author of A Gentleman Never Tells, soon to be published by Second Wind Publishing.