Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Plum Trees, Floods and New In Print! #Writing #CanadianMuscle @KaceyHammell



Good morning everyone! I hope you've had a fabulous month since I last visited with you. In my burg of Ontario, it's been endless rain, a record amount in the beginning of May at more than we had all month in April. The flooding in my area, thankfully not my property, has been catastrophic for many and my heart goes out to everyone who has been affected. 


This is an image from a friend of mine's street. At least she can enter from the other end of it, as this access is closed off and water a problem to drive through. I will be glad to see the end of rain for those suffering the problems from it. My hay fields, however, are loving it. They are greener than they have been in a couple years and while I hate the issues for others, it is a positive for farmers. 

I also love to see the flowers in bloom. Especially driving along some roads and seeing the tulips out, bright and beautiful. Our plum tree has blossomed for the first time since it was planted. We've been able to make plum jam the last couple years but this is the first for flowers. I'm quite impressed because it's really beautiful, and there are 3 other plum trees starting to grow up in the same area. Plums anyone ...? LOL 

Here are a few pictures of the full bloom plum tree.


 

In book news, Guarding His Anchor received a TOP PICK from Night Owl Reviews. I loved Pauline's review, and to know that she will be reading more of my work.  Guarding His Anchor is also available in PRINT! I'm a very fortunate writer for such accolades. Truly blessed.

Links to the print >> Createspace // Amazon Canada // Amazon US



I hope you have a wonderful month ahead. 

Until next time, 
Happy Reading!





Sunday, April 16, 2017

Swans and Sunshine #HappyEaster #Spring (@KaceyHammell)




Good morning. And Happy Easter! All of us here wish you and your families all the very best for a safe and fun-filled holiday.

It's been a crazy busy month for me. I've finished one story and started another, while doing self-edits to polish up the first story. It has to be near perfect in order to be sent off to a publisher. This is a second in a series so will be sent to Evernight Publishing, I believe this week (if I can stop tweaking it), so keep your fingers crossed for me!

I've loved watching the weather change and the skies open up with the sun. Hasn't been wonderful for my sinuses and allergies but with the good we have to deal with the not-so-good as well. But seeing the sunshine, being able to ditch the heavy coats and jeans has been awesome. The birds have woken me a few times early in the mornings as well. Love that sound, and thank goodness for the ability to catch up on sleep with a wee nap in the afternoon here and there. Love the birds but I can't sacrifice my sleep.

With the lovely weather comes yard work. The clean up of all the nastiness that gets blown around or discarded by evil people and freezes to the ground. And because of a couple brutal ice/windy storms during the winter, there have been many trees to lose branches and hundreds of twigs end up on the ground. On Good Friday, hubs, kid, Peaches and I ventured over to hubby's Grandfather's to clean up his yard. What a beautiful day. Grandpa lives on the shoreline of the Bay of Quinte. The kids have loved kayaking from Grandpa's dock and wading through the water a bit here. It's very rocky beneath the water but once out a bit further it's lovely. On the shoreline he has two once-gorgeous willow trees that have been fading fast, but too dangerous to cut down because of hydro lines and the one dwelling over the water. Every year there are many branches and limbs to clean up, but it makes for a great family day, we throw on a few burgers on the BBQ and make a day of it.There were people out in boats and the breeze off the water was glorious. And two friends came up to the shore and visited a while. No doubt, these two beauties have been fed along the way by some people since they were so friendly, but I sat for a long while watching them float around near Grandpa's and they came and went a few times. I love birds a lot, wish I knew how to identify more on sight, but I have picked up a couple books to assist me in this. I want to learn something new. We're never too old to learn.
Here are a few pics of our swan beauties who came to visit us.




Tomorrow we are off with our oldest son to look at a house he and his girlfriend and friends may be renting for when they start college in September. He wants Mom & Dad's stamp of approval. I want to run the other way and forget this whole thing! I love how he is shaping his future and knows what he wants, I just don't want him leaving home to do it! But I must. He has a great head on his shoulders and knows how to take care of himself. I'm not ready to give the job up yet. LOL

I hope your Easter holiday is full of love, family and laughter. Don't eat too much chocolate! Oh who are we kidding? I already had two chocolate eggs this morning. LOL


Be well, be safe. xo





Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Spring brings a new Defender to the shelves. Plus, sales and giveaways! @jsubject #romance


Happy Spring! While we had some snow last week, this week has granted us much warmer weather. Yet, it's not spring without some rain. I am happy to be able to get out on my bike again, and am starting to prepare for Rugged Maniac in June.



Spring also brought about the release of my second Galactic Defenders book. Jager is the scifi adventure romance story of a dedicated Defender, getting ready to take his squad on their first mission and the Princess who is determined to prove her worth as a Defender. While they are in the same squad, they don't get along. When they are forced together, sparks fly. But that doesn't mean they'll get out alive.



JAGER is now available, and the first book in the series, BRYCE is on sale for 99¢ until April 19, 2017. If you prefer paperback, enter to WIN a signed paperback on Goodreads...

JAGER Available from:
AMAZON US | UK | Canada | Germany | Australia | Japan

BRYCE only 99¢ from:
AMAZON US | UK | Canada | Germany | Australia | Japan


Goodreads Book Giveaway

BRYCE by Jessica E. Subject

BRYCE

by Jessica E. Subject

Giveaway ends April 30, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway

For more 99¢ sales, check out these promos...

April 12-16, 2017

April 14-18, 2017

Until next month...




Monday, February 6, 2017

Praying for Spring

Reading through the posts here the last couple days from Michelle, Nathan and Kayleigh I can see a theme resonating with cold and warming everyone up.

I have to join in with them, because I'm praying for spring. We've had a fairly mild winter, but I'm counting down the days until spring (42 days!!!). The tundra swans have returned to SW Ontario earlier than usual and Shubencadie Sam and Wiarton Willie both predicted an early spring.

Although Puxtaney Phil said 6 more weeks of winter. Meanie.



I know, I know it's the same length of time. It's a totally mind game those rodents are playing with us. Still, the Tundra Swans don't lie right?

RIGHT???


*sigh*

I'm not a fan of winter, as you know, but we're getting closer to spring.

So close.

And I'm really looking forward to not wearing 18 layers of clothing and kicking off my socks again.



I guess I could have it worse. My brother & his S.O. are suffering through their first winter in the Northwest Territories. Did someone say cold? This is a picture of my brother driving across Great Slave Lake on an actual ice road.

Brrr.


I think I'll keep my winter ...but it's days are numbered! What part of spring are you looking forward to the most?

You can find out more about Amy at her website or find her hanging out on Twitter.


Monday, March 23, 2015

Happy Spring!

It seems we've all been talking about spring here on the blog, but then, there's nothing like a cold Canadian winter to get people excited about the change of the seasons. In my neck of the woods, we've had snow and more snow, and cold temps since Christmas. Having the temps rise and the snow disappear over the past week has been an amazing gift. The days are longer and the sunlight is more golden (it's blue in the winter).

I've been out in the garden, checking on the progress of my lovelies. The tulips are poking out of the soil this past weekend, and I can see the spires of snowdrops appearing. The irises are up (which surprises me) and the sedum buds are rounding. There's growth everywhere I look, and birds swooping through the garden too. The cardinals are busy, and the chickadees are at the feeder. There are woodpeckers, too.

Has spring appeared in your neck of the woods yet?

I've also been finishing the edits for my next release, Firestorm Forever, which is the final book in my Dragonfire cycle of paranormal romances featuring dragon shapeshifter heroes. Firestorm Forever will go on sale May 13. You can download the first chapter for free from my store, in EPUB or MOBI, or read a shorter excerpt on my website, right here.

One of the most exciting things about spring this year is the Romancing the Capital readers' conference, taking place in Ottawa in just a couple of weeks. Will Ottawa's famous tulips be in bloom? Even if they aren't, it'll be a wonderful time, with lots of readers and writers hanging out together. I'm so looking forward to this event, and hope to see you there.

Have you booked your place yet? I hope to see you there!



Thursday, March 12, 2015

No more winter! Travel to a Space Station or Another Planet for March Break

Foreverary is finally over! March is here with warmer temperatures. Yay! The snowbanks are slowly melting away, driveways are becoming visible, and the streets are going back to their normal width. Everything looks dirty from all of the sand and gravel used to makes the roads less slippery, but this won't last. The trees have already started to bud. Soon, crocuses and tulips will be bursting through the ground to bring us the first colours of spring. Robins will return, and the rain will make everything look fresh and new again. I can't wait!

Copyright: / 123RF Stock Photo
But, until then, some Canadians are travelling south for March Break, which is next week. While my family has no plans to go anywhere, I know some families going down to Florida, hoping to catch an early burst of summer before returning to our much cooler temperatures.

If you're like me, and are staying home for March Break, there are other ways to get away at least for a short period of time. You can watch a movie, read a book, or listen to an audio book.

It's also time for spring cleaning, right? I like to put my earplugs in, and listen to an audio book while tidying up, doing the dishes, and other chores.

With the audio books I have out, you can visit a space station, or travel to another planet. Why not take a listen and find out if you'd like to visit one of my worlds?


You can listen to samples from my other audio books on SoundCloud. And if you'd like to WIN one of my audio book titles, you can pop on over to my blog and enter there.

 

My audio book titles are available from Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

Until next month!

Jessica E. Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotic. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous.

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Spring? Not in my neck of the woods

It's March. Finally. And the weather people are starting their countdown to the first day of spring. Which by the calendar is March 20th, although I don't consider it spring until I see the first crocus or snowdrop peeking out on someone's lawn.  Which won't be until late April in my neck of the woods.

Creative Commons use attribution:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/juandoso/7481217920

Those of you attending the Romancing the Capital conference will miss the Canadian Tulip Festival which takes place from May 8th - 18th. There's a really cool story about why there are so many tulips in the Ottawa area every spring -- and how the Ottawa Civic Hospital was officially made 'extraterritorial' back in 1940 for the birth of Princess Margriet so the princess could maintain her exclusively Dutch citizenship until the family could safely return to their homeland after World War 2.

But as I said, we won't see those blossoms until May. So those of you in the south who are posting photos of your spring flowers already on Facebook? Picture me totally jealous.

For now this is my view from my kitchen window.



*sigh* Yup, I expect to have a leak when all that ice backs up underneath the shingles soon.  Which might explain why I enjoy writing stories set in Texas. Where even though they get the occasional dusting of snow...well, usually within a few days it's back up to shorts weather. Or it is for us Canucks. (And if you're on the east coast where you've had 7 feet of snow in the past month? My sympathies!)

Feeding the Flames

Sometimes your soulmate has been right in front of you their whole life. It shouldn’t take almost losing them to find them.

Volunteer firefighter Zac Buchanan has been carrying a torch for Tabatha Morgan since…well, forever. A promise he made years ago backfired, sending Tabatha into the arms of another man, and him into a decade of heartache. Now Tabatha’s back in town, newly divorced, and the sparks between them are setting them both aflame.

Tabatha would have bet her secret five-alarm chili recipe that her school girl crush on Zac had died out long ago. Except those slumbering embers reignited the moment Zac walked into her diner. Now each time she sees him—hears him, thinks about him—she can’t imagine her life without him again.

But if their new-found love and sizzlin’ hot action in the bedroom—and living room, kitchen and bathroom—is to survive, Tabatha must also accept the smoke, flames and danger of Zac’s job. Or their happy-ever-after will forever be extinguished.

FEEDING THE FLAMES was originally part of the FIVE ALARM ALPHAS bundle.

Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/1z9TTqH
Amazon.com http://mybook.to/FeedingtheFlames
Kobo http://bit.ly/1zATQrt
Nook http://bit.ly/1I261EU
iTunes http://bit.ly/1zSycm3

Excerpt:

Quinn squared his shoulders. “Did you ever consider that you’ve been dating her all along.”
What the fuck? “No. Dates involve holding hands and kissing. Going home and getting naked and sweaty.” He adjusted himself at his body’s reaction to that image.

“Think about it, Z. How many times do you stop by her place and have dinner with her in your average week?”

Four times last week.

“Who helped her paint the diner after the asshole she hired disappeared partway through?”

“Both of us.”

Quinn shook his head. “I helped paint half of one wall before I got called in for an extra shift. But you helped not only paint the diner, but put down a new floor, and made sure her sprinkler system and electrical was up to snuff. And how many movie marathons have you guys had?”

They’d watched the entire Breaking Bad series, eight seasons of Criminal Minds, and watched Firefly at least a dozen times. And he’d enjoyed every damned minute.

“Hell, you even told me that she fell asleep with her head on your lap last week, remember?”

It had been hell and heaven at the same time—heaven with her hair spilling onto his lap, over his fingers, her lips curled into a soft smile, her breath warm against his jeans-covered cock. Hell because he kept picturing her waking up, lowering his zipper and taking his cock in her mouth. Hell, because she hadn’t. When she’d finally awoken, he’d made a mad dash to the bathroom to beat one off.

Quinn continued, obviously unaware of the memory he’d revived—or maybe he was and wanted to drive home his point. “You know what her favorite dessert is.” Cheesecake. “Her favorite movie.” A tie between Princess Bride and Serenity. “You know that she loves manicures, pedicures, back rubs, and vintage clothing.”

“Hey, you know all that stuff too. Which means you’re perfect for her.” The fuel tank refilled, he replaced the nozzle in the tank and climbed back into the chopper.

If he’d been hoping Quinn would give up and leave him alone as he parked the chopper in its reserved spot, he’d been dead wrong. The moment he finished his final inspection, Quinn started after him again. “Just take her to the concert already. Give things a chance—and don’t deliberately try to screw things up to push her my way. You have to give it a real shot.”

“What if I scare her off?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Buchanan, I don’t remember you ever bein’ such a whiney ass girl. You’ve put Tab up on this fucking high virgin pedestal. She isn’t afraid of you because she already knows all the worst parts about you. Trust me.”