04 Thursday Apr 2019
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The Lawman’s Baby is a story about a work hardened cop who is forced to learn the soft skills with his newborn nephew… and about the burnt out social worker who helps him. The baby in this book just melts my heart! He’s 5 lbs of cute!
This cover is perfect. I love it! And I hope you’ll pick up a copy when this book comes out in July. More details to come closer to the release!
What do YOU think of this cover? Do you love it as much as I do?
31 Thursday Jan 2019
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Tags
cowboy romance, dyslexia, harlequin, heartwarming, literacy, Patricia Johns, single dad, sweet romance
This year, I’m working at a quick pace! With eight scheduled releases, I’m going from release to release without a lot of down time! 🙂
But I can’t complain, and I have another book in my hands–another box arrived! There is just something special about having the physical copies of my books in my hands.
FALLING FOR THE COWBOY DAD comes out March of this year!
(I also just noticed that streak of gray going on, and I definitely need to dye my hair again! I’m not ready for gray streaks just yet… give me time.)
Like I said in a previous post, this is my 20th Harlequin release–and I’m really excited about it! It feels like a big milestone for me.
I hope you’ll pick up a copy!
A cowboy who can’t read, a surprise daughter who’s darn near brilliant, and his best friend who is a preschool teacher. Grace has always been there for him… is a little extra help too much to ask?
****
He’s always been the one…
She’s always been just a friend!
Grace Beverly spent years hopelessly in love with her best friend, Billy Austin. Now he’s back in Eagle’s Rest, Colorado, determined to provide the best life possible for his four-year-old daughter. He’s just not sure how. Helping Billy navigate the world of parenting is a one-way ticket back to heartache. Yet how can Grace say no to her oldest friend?
10 Thursday Jan 2019
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Tags
falling for the cowboy dad, harlequin, heartwarming, Patricia Johns, reviewers, reviews, street team
I’m looking for some trustworthy readers to give honest reviews on my next Harlequin Heartwarming release. I need readers who are willing and able to post those reviews on various sites like Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, Harlequin, Instagram… pretty much anywhere books are sold and reviews are posted.
If you’re a sweet romance fan who’s interested in getting a free E-PUB copy of my March release, Falling for the Cowboy Dad, in exchange for an honest review posted on a few different places online, go over to my Contact page and leave me a message.
*E-PUB copy only. No substitutions.
*THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL RESPONSE! I NOW HAVE ENOUGH REVIEWERS FOR THIS BOOK.
He’s always been the one…
She’s always been just a friend!
Grace Beverly spent years hopelessly in love with her best friend, Billy Austin. Now he’s back in Eagle’s Rest, Colorado, determined to provide the best life possible for his four-year-old daughter. He’s just not sure how. Helping Billy navigate the world of parenting is a one-way ticket back to heartache. Yet how can Grace say no to her oldest friend?
07 Monday Jan 2019
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I really love seeing the different covers that sell in North America vs. the UK. For my March release, FALLING FOR THE COWBOY DAD, the covers couldn’t be more different!
Here is the North American cover:
And in the UK, they will this cover on their shelves:
Which one would tempt YOU to pick it up and take a look? Personally, I’m a sucker for the North American one… but that might just be because I’m Canadian and the marketing team knows me better than I think. 😉
He’s always been the one…
She’s always been just a friend!
Grace Beverly spent years hopelessly in love with her best friend, Billy Austin. Now he’s back in Eagle’s Rest, Colorado, determined to provide the best life possible for his four-year-old daughter. He’s just not sure how. Helping Billy navigate the world of parenting is a one-way ticket back to heartache. Yet how can Grace say no to her oldest friend?
31 Monday Dec 2018
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Since my literary agency and Harlequin have officially announced the deals, that means I can now tell you that I’m signing a brand new 5 book contract with Harlequin’s Heartwarming line. I’m very happy to line this up–and I’m excited about the books!
The first book is a cowboy romance with triplet newborns… and I’m working on that book already.
The next four books are a brand new miniseries about four women who join a dinner club to support each other as they heal and love again after heartbreak.
I’m really looking forward to starting that new miniseries… but all in good time. 🙂
I also signed a contract to write a “free read” novella that will be posted on Harlequin’s website in July 2019. So I’m definitely going to be kept busy!
Here is to a wonderful 2019, and all the new stories we’ll enjoy together.
19 Monday Nov 2018
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Last year, I wrote a Thanksgiving themed novella for Harlequin’s Free Reads! If you haven’t discovered the Free Reads, you have to. They’re great–novella short romances that are absolutely free!
Last year, I contributed a free read, and mine was a story about a woman falling for her billionaire boss… and I got a great response from it!
If you haven’t read it yet, why not check it out?
A late-night kiss is the last straw. Emmie Thomas has tamped down her crush on her boss, Rob West, for almost a year, but she just can’t anymore. What else is there to do but quit and fly to her hometown of North Fork, Alberta, for her family Thanksgiving celebration?
When a mixup sends Rob to Alberta, too, he’s determined to get her back. But does he just want her to be his assistant again? Or is he finally ready to admit he wants something more?
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13 Thursday Sep 2018
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I haven’t always been plus-sized. There was time when I was thin as anything. But then DNA, age and childbirth combined in a glorious right of passage, and here I am!
I apologize for nothing. I look fantastic–all curvy and cute. I look huggable. I am huggable… for the right people, of course.
When I was thin, I was cold a lot. Even in summer. If I missed a meal, I got shaky and saw spots. Now? I’m winterized. Bring it on! I have more energy. I’m more comfortable in my own body. I was a beautiful woman then, and I’m a beautiful woman now. A few pounds changes nothing, except my flexibility when it comes to mealtimes.
There is no-one more beautiful than the woman who feels completely comfortable in her own body. There really is no one type of beauty to exclude all the others. It’s being able to look in the mirror and recognize just how lovely you are that makes all the difference.
Muffin tops and unsightly rolls only exist in poorly fitting clothing. If you don’t feel gorgeous, girl, go shopping! Because under those clothes, you are absolutely perfect.
So let’s outlast those murderous bastards and live our lives to the full! 🙂 We’re beautiful survivors.
***
And don’t forget about my new release featuring the plus-sized heroine you didn’t know you needed! It’s available this month in an early e-book version through the Harlequin site. It’s coming in the official paperback online release October 2. 🙂
Their relationship isn’t real…
But his feelings for her are!
Detective Jack Talbott has devoted his life to ending police corruption. His latest target is Liv Hylton, the ex-wife of a dirty cop. She’s also the woman he’s secretly loved for years. To get close to her, Jack’s going undercover as her boyfriend. But when the evidence points to Liv’s innocence and a threat to her safety, he’ll do anything to protect her. Even risk his career…
Click here for:
The paperback version will be available October 2 at the official release.
06 Thursday Sep 2018
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Tess Holiday has been raked over the coals recently for being on the cover a magazine. There were lots of comments by people claiming to be concerned about her health. Thin women don’t get that treatment. These people made all sorts of passive aggressive comments about how she might look happy and beautiful, but they worried for her health.
Worried.
And then, of course, there were the others who said that by being on the cover of Cosmo, she “glorified obesity.” Just by standing there. As if by being on a magazine, she’ll inspire millions of women to leap from their treadmills and change their entire body type. (“Never mind! I never realized there was another option!”) There’s no risk of that, I can assure you. But... there might be some girls who look at Tess, look down at themselves, and realized that they’re beautiful just as they are. Heaven forbid girls and women feel attractive and worthy, right?
We women go through enough at the hands of “the system” without turning on each other. No one is worried about a plus-sized woman’s health to the point that they feel they can invade her privacy and spout off. Because really… you’re concerned about her health? I call BS on that. If she were thin and standing here with a can of pop in her hand, would you worry about the amount of sugar she was consuming? Would a cigarette or an alcoholic drink make you suddenly alarmed for her longevity? Not likely. But when a plus-sized woman simply stands there feeling confident, looking beautiful and drawing the gaze of people who might not have looked before, suddenly everyone is concerned about a complete stranger’s health.
I wrack my brain to think of what their motivation is, because I highly doubt they are personally concerned about her health. Is it jealousy? A worry that there might be more competition for the male gaze than before? Is it just a toppled sense of the hierarchy of women, where she isn’t supposed to achieve that level of attention? Why the anger? Why the negativity?
Ms. Holiday doesn’t need anybody’s worry. She’s beautiful, successful, and at the top of her career. She’s married with a beautiful family. Any “worry” on her behalf is very misplaced, and I love that she’s on the front of Cosmo! She makes me feel beautiful, too.
Being a woman has never been easy, and it’s high time we stopped fighting each other and banded together.
In my my upcoming release, I wrote my most recent heroine as a gorgeous, confident, plus-sized woman. Why? Because I wanted a heroine who looked like me, and who was absolutely perfect just as she was. She’s sweet, sassy, and just the hero’s type.
No treadmill required. 😉
****
Their relationship isn’t real…
But his feelings for her are!
Detective Jack Talbott has devoted his life to ending police corruption. His latest target is Liv Hylton, the ex-wife of a dirty cop. She’s also the woman he’s secretly loved for years. To get close to her, Jack’s going undercover as her boyfriend. But when the evidence points to Liv’s innocence and a threat to her safety, he’ll do anything to protect her. Even risk his career…
30 Thursday Aug 2018
Posted in Uncategorized
I do like to read books that have beautiful, thin, interesting heroines who can eat whatever they want and still stay lithe and lean… It’s fun to escape into a new person’s life. But when I put the book down and look in the mirror, I feel the difference. I don’t look like that. And there is a beat where I look at myself, and I lose the confidence that I normally have.
I hate that feeling.
I don’t tend to come across too many books that feature a beautiful, plus-sized heroine who isn’t fighting her weight or filled with self-loathing. There are a few, and what I like most about them is that when I finish reading the book and look in the mirror, I feel beautiful. So I decided to write the kind of book that I need. I wanted to write a book where the the heroine is gorgeous, plus-sized, feels no need to change herself, and is absolutely intoxicating to the hero.
Because in real life, being plus-sized is not a liability! At least it isn’t for me, and I hope there are a lot of other women who share my experience. There are men out there who aren’t seeing a dress size–they’re seeing curves! My husband loves my figure, and that includes my size! He thinks I’m gorgeous, and he wouldn’t change a thing about me.
So this book has a special place in my heart. I hope you’ll be swept away in the romance, and when you’re finished reading it and you pass by a mirror, I hope you’ll feel a little thrill when you realize just how beautiful you are.
*****
Their relationship isn’t real…
But his feelings for her are!
Detective Jack Talbott has devoted his life to ending police corruption. His latest target is Liv Hylton, the ex-wife of a dirty cop. She’s also the woman he’s secretly loved for years. To get close to her, Jack’s going undercover as her boyfriend. But when the evidence points to Liv’s innocence and a threat to her safety, he’ll do anything to protect her. Even risk his career…
Coming October 2!
24 Wednesday Jan 2018
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
harlequin, heartwarming, heartwarming author, love inspired author, plus sized heroine, rubenesque, western romance author
In my head, I’m 40 lbs lighter and ten years younger. Is anyone else like that? Now, I’ve tried on enough clothes to know what size to look for in the store, but in my head, when I see a medium on a rack, I figure it should fit! Which makes me chuckle a little as I type this.
I’m NOT a medium. I’m nowhere close. But seeing myself as a medium in my head isn’t just about size, but about how attractive I feel. For the most part, we’re fed that message that tiny=beautiful. If you look at the supermodels, there isn’t very much woman under those clothes. So I catch myself traipsing along with the societal messages twisted around in my head–seeing the size medium and feeling like that’s for me, because I feel beautiful.
That’s the thing–I do feel utterly beautifully at my current size. (Somewhere around size 14-16, depending on the cut.) I don’t want to change my body–it’s done well for me! I love the way I look and the way I feel. I just need to change my mental attitude about it. Beautiful isn’t necessarily a medium. Beautiful, in my case, is plus-sized.
I’m currently starting a brand new book entitled, HIS LITTLE GIRL’S HERO for Harlequin Heartwarming. The heroine in this book is plus-sized and gorgeous. This is my second plus-sized heroine for Harlequin Heartwarming. The first comes out in October of 2018. I like writing plus-sized, beautiful heroines because I think it’s high time we start recognizing that beauty has nothing to do with a clothing size.
When I read a romance novel, I like to put myself into that heroine’s shoes and feel what it’s like to be her for a few hundred pages. And sometimes I enjoy being the tall, lithe athletic type for a little while. But what I love more is seeing a heroine who looks a lot like me, and having her be the most beautiful woman in the room. With some extra padding, ample cleavage, a softened tummy and silky skin. When the hero sees her, he’s put under a spell. Her femininity is intoxicating.
And that’s how I like to feel about myself. No need to starve yourself–just shop in the right stores and put a twitch in your step. 😉
Beauty begins in the way we see ourselves.
