I’m pleased to have guest blogger Christina Cole here today. Christina and I connected after I read her novel, HAPPILY EVER AFTER. How can you resist a title like that? Well, I couldn’t, and I’m glad I didn’t. Immediately after reading it, I contacted Christina and invited her to guest on my blog. She has a new release coming up in August called SUMMERTIME, so the “timing” was perfect.
Please welcome author Christina Cole as she takes control of my pen for the day! 🙂
~ooOOoo~
Summertime is Coming!
Here in the midwest — I live in Missouri — it’s been a long and bitterly cold winter. I don’t like snow and ice, and unfortunately we had not inches of the cold stuff, but FEET of it this year.
We struggled through a horrible blizzard in December. Unfortunately I was away from home when it hit, and I had to drive forty miles in it. Truly, it was one of the worst experiences of my life. Visibility was no more than a foot, and I was gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles were whiter than the huge flakes coming down. As soon as I reached home, I burst into tears and collapsed in my husband’s arms, so shaken up I couldn’t do anything but cry. I cried for hours afterward. To say it was a nerve-wracking experience would be quite an understatement.
Then, in February, two more blizzards hit. When the first one came, we were both safely home, warm and cozy. We weren’t so lucky a few days later when the next one came. Yes, we knew bad weather was on the way, but due to a family emergency we had no choice but to get out, head for the hospital, and pray we’d be able to make it back home later. We did…but barely. We had to “abandon ship” — well, abandon vehicle — about a block from the house. Two days later, we finally got the car shoveled out and safely home again.
We went through another blast of winter the following week. Things got better for a little while…just an inch or two of snow, here and there, now and then. Lots of frigid temperatures though. Oh, how I looked forward to March and the arrival of spring!
March came…but spring didn’t. The snow and ice and cold lingered on, right into April. We had several inches more snow toward mid-month, and winter wasn’t over yet. Although we did have a few warm, sunny days at the first of May, incredibly, the snow returned for one final wintry blast.
Yep. Snow. The month of May. Even though I’ve lived my entire life in the midwest and have seen a lot of weather extremes, I couldn’t wrap my brain around those words — together. For the record, yes, it has snowed here in May before. The weathermen quickly dug through the archives and informed us all that snow had fallen in Missouri in May of 1935.
Was winter finished with us then? Almost…but not quite. On Mother’s Day, it didn’t snow, but it did frost. Temperatures fell down to the upper 20s Farenheit.
Brrrr! What a long and miserable winter it was!
Throughout those long, cold, snowy days, I kept my thoughts focused on summertime. I imagined hot days with the sun burning down upon the earth. I thought of brightly-colored sunflowers dancing in the breeze. I dreamed of fragrant summer nights with moonlight and stars, and I conjured up images of lush green fields, azure skies, and sunlight rippling over the surface of a lake.
All of these fanciful bits and pieces came together in my writing as I told a tale of love. Summertime became a season of hopes and dreams, a season of passion. Could it also be a season of forgiveness?
Here’s a quick little peek at the story of
SUMMERTIME
coming in August from
Secret Cravings Pubishing
Linn Sparks wanted all life had to offer. Fame, fortune, glamour and excitement. She found it as a star of the stage at the Crown Theater in San Francisco.
For Ed Ferguson, life was far less complicated. All he wanted was Linnie Mae, but she’d left him standing alone at the altar seven years before when she’d run off to pursue her dreams.
Now, it’s 1914, war is breaking out in Europe, and Linn Sparks has come home to Brookfield, Kansas.
But coming back means facing a lot of unpleasant realities: a strained relationship with a father who never wanted her, a mother whose grasp on sanity is slipping away, and the feelings she still has for the love she left behind.
Ed still wants Linnie Mae, but he knows she won’t stay. How can he spend the summer being near her and not get his heart broken again?
Between them, passions flare in the heat of SUMMERTIME.
~~~~
For more on Christina’s historical romances, please visit her at
Time for Love
Facebook: Christina Cole
Twitter: @KCChristinaCole
From the Pen of Mae Clair 
Hi, Mae! Thanks so much for the opportunity to be a guest on your blog today. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed “Happily Ever After”, and I hope I’ve intrigued you — and your readers — with my little “sneak peek” at the story of Summertime. 🙂
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Hi, Christina. I’m delighted to have you here today. Happily Ever After was a wonderful story, and I’m looking forward to Summertime. Congrats your upcoming release.
I have to say, you had a crazy horrible winter. And a long one too! I’m glad you got through all of those winter storms safely!
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There’s something about a hero who’s vulnerable that gets to me. What a tough spot he’s in!
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Hi, Kitt! I always love a hero with a vulnerable side as well. Thanks for checking out Christina’s release!
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I love vulnerable heroes. To me, it’s that sensitive side that really makes a man worth loving.
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I’m from Michigan and can’t believe how bad the spring was. I’m so glad that the temps have finally turned.
Summertime sounds wonderful! All the best!
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Hi, Melissa. Many thanks for visiting my blog and checking out Christina’s upcoming release! 🙂
Michigan sounds like it was hit with a hard winter and spring. I’m in PA and my husband keeps saying he wants to move south, LOL. At least warm weather has finally arrived for all of us!
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Thanks, Melissa. It was back down to about 40 degrees last night, and it’s supposed to be a rainy weekend, but winter is finally over. Hallelujah! Thanks so much for dropping by!
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Had to skip over to Amazon to check out Happily Ever After. The cover has a sultry, romantic tone.
We’ve never blizzards or snow like what you went through in Missouri.
Summertime sounds great.
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Beautiful cover on Happily Ever After. I can’t wait to see what Christina unveils for Summertime.
And I always think of rolling green hills when I think or Ireland, no matter the season. It’s just ingrained with the Emerald Isle for me, Emma!!
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I live in the city so I’m afraid no rolling greens here. 😦
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So now I’m thinking quaint pubs!
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Hi, Emma! Thanks for dropping by, and thinks for the compliments on the cover art for Happily Ever After. The publisher has a fantastic cover artist named Dawne Dominique…I swear she’s a mind reader. My cover art notes are always a jumbled mess, and somehow she always manages to come up with a perfect image. I can’t wait to see what she does for Summertime. As soon as I have it, I’ll be showing it off!
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Uh, that was supposed to say “thanks” not “thinks”…LOL. Still early here.
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I’m a sucker for beautiful book covers. Have fun with Summertime.
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You really did have some extrreme weather in the Midwest this year. We had Sandy on the East Coast. I love summer also and there are some years where it seems it’s never going to get here. Your book sounds wonderful. What unique premise.
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Hi, Cara. Many thanks for visiting my blog and checking out Christina’s book. Interesting that you should mention Sandy. I love East Coast summers at the shore, part of what makes the season special for me. It will be good to see NJ back to normal.
I know Christina will be pleased to know her book has you intrigued!
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So glad you dropped by, Cara! And yes, I’m thrilled that the story has you a bit intrigued. I’ll be hosting a New Release party in August…hope you’ll join us for the fun.
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Thanks again, Mae, for inviting me to be a guest on your blog. I’ve enjoyed reading the comments, and I’m looking forward to your upcoming appearance on my blog, Time for Love. I’ll have interview questions ready for you soon!
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It was lovely to have you as a guest, Christina. I look forward to visiting a Time for Love in June. Many thanks!
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Great Post and your book sound interesting. I’ve always loved reading stories in the early 1900s.
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Hi, Judy. Many thanks for dropping by and checking out Christina’s post. I agree with you that the time period for Summertime is fascinating!
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