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USA Today Bestselling Author

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InspyRomance blog

Dreaming of a Castle Wedding (InspyRomance Blog)

2021-02-20 By Jan Thompson Leave a Comment

Today, I’m back at InspyRomance for my monthly blog post. This time, I’m tackling the idea getting married in a castle. What do you think about having a wedding in a castle?

https://wp.me/p47ZZG-n95

Post Archive:

I know, right? What was I thinking? For a romance novelist who prefers beach weddings (and the occasional landlocked weddings), I don’t know what came over me when I decided to be adventurous and write a romance novella with a wedding set in a castle. Perhaps to other authors, it’s no big deal, but to me, it’s wandering off the beaten track. The road less traveled, speaking for myself.

Thirty two years ago, I was married in a small chapel that was lovely in itself. No, it wasn’t on the beach, although I grew up in a beach town on a tropical island, and would have preferred such a location. But my real-life wedding chapel was cozy and small, perhaps seating only a few hundred people.

Question for you: Where were you married?

Did you happen to hold your wedding in a castle, or know anyone who does? Or is that the stuff of fiction for most of us?

Well, fiction is where my castle wedding is. We meet Daisy Ang, who first appears briefly in Wish You Joy (Savannah Sweethearts Book 9) as the scheduling manager at Amy Untermeyer’s destination wedding photography company. Daisy has always dreamed of becoming a wedding planner, and her opportunity comes when her sister asks her to plan the wedding of the century for her. In a castle. On a budget. How on earth is Daisy going to give her sister a castle wedding on a budget? Well, find out in Her Love So Sure, the first novella in my new series of Hometown Weddings.

Here’s a brief blurb of my novella in the box:

She is a wedding planner—sort of. He is the man of the castle—maybe. Will the two be able to pull off the wedding of the century in this opposites-attract romance?

This novella will debut in the Save the Date wedding anthology. You can find out more on our anthology website at christian-romance.com. Oh, I have to tell you more about the box set. Scroll down for some behind-the-scene tidbits.

When my friend Lisa Prysock and I came up with an idea of a contemporary Christian box set, little did we know where it would lead. Twelve authors later, we have a unique collection that I am so excited about that I can’t wait to read the entire anthology. I am looking forward to the variety of weddings we’re going to cover throughout the entire year.

The basic concept of our box set is that we would each pick a month and set our wedding in that month. I couldn’t decide when I want to have my book wedding. I went through all the seasons until I finally ended up in the summer (a natural spot for me because I write a lot of summer romance). I would have kept changing my mind had all the other months not been reserved by the time I parked in the lovely month of June. So, June it is.

We’re doing all sorts of fun things to go along with our Save the Date wedding box. In fact, Save the Date will also be published in paperback and jacketed hardcover formats. Can you imagine? I have never had any book of mine in a hardcover, let alone with a jacket cover. Our authors have seen the mockup of the jacket design, and I can tell you without doubt that super-talented Marion Ueckermann did a fantastic job with the box set covers.

One of the authors in our anthology is also a professional editor, and she has volunteered to copyedited every single novella in our anthology for quality assurance. That is, Dori Harrell doing this on top of our own layers of edits (we all have our own editors and proofreaders). Some of us have already finished writing the required novellas, while others are scheduling theirs to be completed in the spring, even though the anthology will not be released until September 14, 2021.

Another author has volunteered to make bracelets for a giveaway. Kari Trumbo is adding twelve charms, one for each month, that represent elements from our books. Since my novella has at least one castle in it, I bought a tiny castle charm. I have to protect this castle from my Literary Cat and figure out how to send it to Kari. It reminds me of how Amazon sometimes sends tiny things taped to the bottom of a big box. I am not going do that!

And that’s not all. A super-talented knitter is going to make things for our stories. I was floored when Camy Tang told me she could knit an item from my book. I was so stunned that my mind went blank. My mother is a knitter, but I can’t knit to save my life, so I never imagined that something from my novella could come magically appear in my hand. I don’t want to give away what it is yet. But suffice to say that it’s something my main character owns. I am seriously thinking that I will never give it away. Thank you, Camy!

Question for you: What are some of the most creative things you have seen coming out of or going alongside a multi-author boxed set?

Now it’s back to the writing desk for me as I continue revising a very late novel. In the meantime, I want to offer you a beach romance novel from a connected series for free. Have you read Ask You Later (A Savannah Sweethearts Prequel)? If not, you can download it for free here:

JanThompson.com/ask-free

Thank you for chatting with me today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and take it easy. May the Lord bless you with many happy books to read!

Writing for Christ,
Jan Thompson

Extra animation that I made, but did not use in the live blog:

http://janthompson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IR-BLOG-2021-02-14.mp4

Filed Under: News & Blog Tagged With: InspyRomance blog

Blogging About First Lines at InspyRomance

2021-01-16 By Jan Thompson

Today I am blogging over at InspyRomance about the very first lines of a fiction book. I gave some examples from the classics as well as the first lines for some contemporary Christian romance books written by fellow InspyRomance authors. Check it out!

https://wp.me/p47ZZG-dlc

Archived Post:

Happy new year, readers! To be honest, it might take me a while to write “2021” when I’m writing down dates. I’m trying to make sure I don’t revert back to “2020” for the next few weeks. Speaking of firsts, since this is the first month of the year, I thought it might be fun to talk about the first lines in books, usually found in Chapter 1, but sometimes in the Prologue.

Question: Comment about your favorite first lines from your favorite Christian Romance!

How many times has a book grabbed you by the first line? I recall literature fans extolling the first lines in some classics such as these:

“Call me Ishmael.” – Moby Dick by Herman Melville

“Marley was dead: to begin with.” – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

“The ungentle laws and customs touched upon in this tale are historical, and the episodes which are used to illustrate them are also historical.” – A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
What about this classic opening line?
“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.” – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
And then there’s the famous first line from Jane Austen’s novel.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” – Pride and Prejudice by Jan Austen
That doesn’t hold a candle to the number of semi-colons in Austen’s Persuasion. This novel is a favorite of mine, except perhaps for the first line, which might not be as persuasive if you’re not a Janeite in the first place.
“Sir Walter Elliot, of Kellynch Hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Baronetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs changed naturally into pity and contempt as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century; and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed.” – Persuasion by Jane Austen
Whew. That was a long first line that won’t work today, will it? Do you think readers in 2021 like to read such long first lines?
By the way, if you’re wondering why I chose the examples above, it’s pretty simple: they are in the public domain and I can quote the books freely.
Well, what about contemporary Christian romance, which is my blog focus today? Here are the first lines from new books written by some of our InspyRomance authors.

“Haley Meadows had never been one to sit on the sidelines.” – Mistaking the Cowboy by Mandi Blake

“Jade Clarke took a deep breath of the sharp, winter air and shoved her hands deeper into the pockets of her coat.” – Hope for Family by Elizabeth Maddrey

“The usual?” – Cadence of Cranberries by Valerie Comer

“Weddings—the best of times, the worst of times, depending on one’s vantage point.” – For the Love of Joy by Janet W. Ferguson

“Rare moments in life, we stand at the very top of the mountain.” – Daisy’s Decision by Hallee Bridgeman
“All she could find was toilet paper, but it would have to do.” – Becoming Us by Jaycee Weaver and Jenn Faulk
“Letting go of Veronique was the hardest thing Gus had ever done in his life, but let go he must.” – Pray for Me (Vacation Sweethearts Book 5) by Jan Thompson
“The low rumbling outside grew louder with each passing second.” – Ride with Me by Marion Ueckermann
“Avery. Earth to Avery…” – Opening Her Heart by Deb Kastner
Now it’s your turn. What are some of the most memorable first lines you have read in contemporary Christian romance?
BONUS FOR YOU: Looking for something warm to read this cold winter? How about a beach romance? For a limited time only, I took my prequel novel, ASK YOU LATER, out of Kindle Unlimited so that I can give it to my readers for FREE. I don’t know how long I’ll be doing this, but grab it before it goes away.
JanThompson.com/ask-free
Happy reading!

Filed Under: News & Blog Tagged With: InspyRomance, InspyRomance blog

Have Yourself a Merry Reading Christmas (InspyRomance Blog)

2020-12-12 By Jan Thompson

Today, I am blogging at InspyRomance about December reading. Join me there. This space will be updated later with my archived post.

InspyRomance link: https://wp.me/p47ZZG-ffb

Archived:

Ah, it’s December again. The air feels festive, and Christmas Day is just around the corner. All my decorations are up. What about you? My family and I try to keep the decorations simple because the simpler they are, the faster it will be to put them away come January.

Besides decorating for Christmas, what else do you do in December? My son is home from college for his semester break, so I’m happy we can have family time together. Our family is small, but we get together with my mother-in-law in the next town over. I don’t know what we’ll have for dinner this Christmas. Probably ham, and maybe turkey again. What about you? What do you usually eat at Christmas gatherings? I’m resisting apple and pumpkin pies, but it might be futile. LOL.

What about reading? Do you have time to read at all this December? As for me, I don’t only read Christmas stories in December, nor do I only watch Christmas movies in the Christmas season. What about you? I though it’d be fun to ask you, dear readers, what you like to read this time of year. Do you go all festive and only read 100% Christmas books in December? Do you mix it up with the latest publications from your favorite authors?

Question #1 for the Giveaway: What books are you reading in December?

In my current reading basket, I am toggling between two non-fiction books on productivity. I have so many things to do every day that I can get ridiculously swamped. So my goal for 2021 is time management. I am reading a lot of materials on time management as they pertain to God’s calling for my life. Of course, God is the Master of time. Not only did He create time, but He also assigns things to time. For example, we know that every hair on our head is numbered.

“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).

Another book I am reading is the Bible. Yes, I have been trying to read through the Bible in one year. I am still in Exodus, and it has been a very slow trek across the desert. That’s okay because I am not reading one chapter a day. I am only reading one passage each time, and I like to “camp out” in verses with lessons I need to learn. I know that might sound like I am camping out on every single verse of the Bible. However, I read as God leads. As it is, it could take me several years to read through the Bible in one year!

Question #2 for the Giveaway: What are your favorite Bible verses for Christmas?

My go-to Scripture for Christmas is Luke 2. However, there are are many other verses that point to the Messiah. I am also mindful that Christmas is just the beginning. Jesus Christ’s greatest work was at the cross when He carried the sins of the world and saved us from eternal doom. We all know that the greatest gift of all that money cannot buy is what God has given us through Jesus Christ. This salvation in Christ is the best thing ever for humankind.

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:21-23).

To celebrate Christmas, I am giving away a US$5 gift card from Amazon in a random drawing. Hope you’ll find yourself a nice ebook to read this Christmas time, a stocking stuffer for yourself. Have a cup of hot cocoa and happy reading. I think this gift card only works in the USA. So if you’re outside the USA and you do not have an account on Amazon.com, and your name gets drawn, I’ll send you my ebooks of equivalent value. Please be sure to answer both giveaway questions. Thank you.

Please note that the giveaway submissions end on December 13, 2020.

Until we meet again next month in my January 2021 blog post, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a blessed new year!

May your Christmas be bright with the love of Jesus Christ!

Celebrating Jesus,
Jan Thompson

Filed Under: News & Blog Tagged With: InspyRomance blog

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About Author Jan Thompson

Raised on a tropical island, USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson can hear the ocean when she writes her Christian beach town romance novels. Besides small-town stories, Jan also writes big-city romantic suspense and international technothrillers, a nod to her background in computer science. Jan’s books are for readers who enjoy stories of faith, family, and friends. When she is not busy being an author, Jan is a wife, mother, reader, hobbyist, and chief of staff to the family cat.

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