Monday's hodgepodge


Whoa, Monday snuck up on me! Since I don’t have anything prepared, we’ll just have us a little hodgepodge today. Hope you had a great weekend, by the way.
          First off, here’s the unveiling of the cover of Jar of Dreams, my January release from Carina Press. Oh, and the blurb—I may as well unveil it, too.

For as long as she can remember, Lucy Dolan has been jotting down her hopes on slips of paper and saving them in a pickle jar—her jar of dreams. It was the first thing she saved when the beloved family diner went up in flames, and it's safely buckled in her beat-up minivan when she lands in Taft, Indiana, to start over. She rents a room and goes into business with her landlady, but then Gert's nephew comes charging in to "rescue" his aunt.

Boone Brennan will be damned if he'll let Lucy take advantage of Aunt Gert, who raised him and his sister. Believing that she's just passing through, he's deeply suspicious of her—despite the sparks that fly between them.

Just as Boone and Lucy are starting to open up to each other, a series of fires throws Lucy under suspicion. Boone wants to trust her and his feelings, but with the whole town against her, will he stay by her side? Or will Lucy move on and find another place to make her dreams come true?

                Does Jar of Dreams sound good to you? I hope so, and I hope you order it…er, as soon as you can. It’s not on sale yet, but it’ll be a great way to spend your Amazon, B & N, or Carina Press gift certificates after Christmas!
          Now, the other thing I’m going to bring up is tomorrow. You know, Tuesday. Election Day. First item of business is to tell you, as a retired postal worker, that, yes, the post office is open on Election Day. Always has been. Second, I’m going to be a precinct worker for the first time ever and I’m excited about that.
          I was laughing a little at myself because, after all, what does voting have to do with writing? My rose-colored glasses are dimmed enough by time to know that many of the people we vote for mysteriously change their views on things after they’re elected. There are a lot of self-serving agendas out there. And worse. I get that. I know this country has problems. Lots of them. My own personal picks for the worst of those problems are greed, violence, and not taking responsibility for one’s own actions.
          But somewhere across the world, a 14-year-old girl named Maliala Yousufza, “a relentless advocate of education for girls,” was shot and seriously wounded because of her views. Because a terrorist organization was frightened by a little girl with a book.
          I hope and pray this never happens again anywhere and, mostly, selfishly, that it never happens here. Because we write—and read—what we want, when we want, and if we want. One way to make sure we keep that particular freedom is to vote.
          See you tomorrow.

Comments

  1. I like the pickle jar. That's a cute addition!

    And I agree with you about the little girl with the book. I feel so thankful to live in freedom, where being a little girl with a book only opened doors for me. We don't appreciate how good we have it!

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    1. Me, too, Patty. Or maybe it's just that we forget sometimes.

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  2. first, LOVE the new cover and blurb!!!! Can't wait for this one...

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    1. and have fun with your volunteer day - you're right, we are incredibly lucky and blessed to live in a country where we can read, talk and debate without fear of this kind of retaliation...and only our votes will keep it that way.

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  3. For a hodgepodge you did good. Love the new book cover and your wise words are appreciated. We must always value our right to vote and exercise it every time we're given a chance.

    Take care tomorrow, and thanks for volunteering for a tough job.

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  4. Vibrant cover - very eye-catching! And for all the troubles we face as a country, we're very fortunate in our freedoms and liberty, as well.

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    1. Covers are always weird for me, and this one was no different, but I do love my publisher. Thanks, Melissa.

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  5. Love that book!

    Vote for Maliana, if for no other reason!!!

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  6. The book sounds great, and who knows? Maybe your next hero and heroine will meet while watching the polls. Maliana is yet another good reason to vote. Thanks for mentioning it!

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    1. Thanks, Chris, and that meeting sounds possible--and fun. :-)

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  8. The book cover is gorgeous, and I love the blurb! (the concept is awesome as well!) Blessings to you, Gem!!!! xo

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  9. Love, love that book! And way to spread the word on the vote. I was amazed yesterday to read that 90 million people won't vote. I don't get it. Oh, and I voted last week. In WA state, all of our votes are mail-in--so last week we sat down as a family, read the measures and explanations and all voted--sometimes not the same, but we voted ;-)

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    1. That is so neat, Margie. We have family discussions--dare I say shouting matches?--about elections, but actually making it a family event is cool.

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  10. Great post, Liz! Your book sounds amazing. And thank you for bringing up how important voting is. My heart goes out to that young lady.

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  11. Thanks, Shawn. I know--she struck a chord with many of us.

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  12. Love the cover! Congrats! I also loved the blurb.

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  13. Love the cover and blurb. I don't know why the notice hadn't appeared in my inbox by the time I went to bed. Off to vote now.

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