Summer is Underway!

In a few days, Cardinal Virtue will celebrate it’s two month book birth! Crazy to think that after four years of writing it, it’s already getting so big!

A wise woman compared the process of writing and publishing a novel to that of child-rearing. While I don’t have children of my own, she framed it in a relatable metaphor. The most memorable part of the metaphor came when I found myself in the “dark night of the soul” doldrums of editing. This is the stage when you don’t think you can get your child out on its own to succeed because it keeps being uncommunicative and giving you attitude. And you’re praying to whatever deity you believe in to just get this kid where they need to be. Preferably out of the house. That’s all any parent wants, right? For their child to succeed?

Well, unless that child turns out to be a serial killer…

Anyway!

The metaphor served as a great kick in the butt to just DO IT, let the book baby go, cut the apron strings, and allow it to soar!

So far, everyone has given positive feedback for Cardinal Virtue, and I have to say that it’s great to hear my baby’s doing well! The lifeblood of an author often thrives on reviews. Which is why I am humbly asking that if you have read Cardinal Virtue, please leave an honest review on Amazon and/or Goodreads! Also, if you loved Cardinal Virtue and know others that would too, please pass along the recommendation! Tell your friends! Your neighbors! Your dogs! Your Cousin’s Husband’s College Roommate! I will be eternally grateful!

On another note, here in the Northern Hemisphere, we recently celebrated the summer solstice, the beginning of summer, when the days drag longer but somehow it’s August before you know it.

Summer time means many things to someone like me. First and foremost, it means school’s out for summer! I can now attempt to sleep in, binge watch more streaming shows, and… well, you know, write more.

As it happens, the summer solstice will also play a roll in the next book in the Eastfall series! Yes, there will be a book two, as I’ve been asked that question many times. You haven’t seen the last of Lara Nadeau; however, you will have to wait a bit to see her again. The next book — haven’t settled on a title yet, but when I do, you’ll be the first to know! — will center around Jennifer Cassidy, whom you briefly met in Cardinal Virtue. Prepare for Outlander vibes and a whole pie-in-the-face serving of Arthurian lore! I will be working on book two during July for Camp NaNoWriMo! But more on that in an upcoming blog post!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the kind words for Cardinal Virtue. I really am a proud mama!

Ciao, friends!

J.R.

Update on My 2020 Goals

Happy April, everyone!

Boy, it has been a wild ride since January 1st hit, huh?

Like you and everyone else, I am spending a lot of time at home these days, which has been quite an adjustment. I’m naturally an introvert, so it’s going better for me than I imagine it is for others, but still the cabin fever sets in.

I haven’t seen my students since March 13 — over a month! — and I’m really feeling the loss of that daily interaction. While I’ve been spending time cobbling together virtual lessons, I also have consulted my 2020 Goals list to see what I’ve accomplished and what I could work on.

I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve probably accomplished three of those twenty so far. In my defense, one goal involves making it to a hockey game, and now that may be impossible for me to fulfill.

However, there is one goal on my list I’ve been working hard to make possible:

20. Publish Cardinal Virtue.

And guess what? IT’S HAPPENING!

Two weeks from today, May 5th, I will publish my debut novel Cardinal Virtue, the first in the Eastfall Saga!!

You’re probably like “WHOA! This came outta left field!”

Well, maybe, but I’ve been working on this damn thing for four years, and it’s FINALLY TIME TO GET IT OUT THERE!

“Well, Jenn, what the hell is your book even about?” you wonder.

My friend, ask and ye shall receive.

Here is the full blurb:

A beloved schoolteacher, her gruesome death, and a series of cryptic symbols left behind by the killer are just the beginning…

Police legacy Lara Nadeau never thought she would find herself anywhere but her beloved Boston. However, after the death of her father and one too many missteps on the job, she is transferred to Eastfall: a small, charming city near Salem. Wracked with grief and haunted by a hostage situation gone horribly wrong, Lara spirals into a toxic mire of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. She hoped the slow pace of small town policing might be a calm retreat to help set her back on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, not long after her arrival to idyllic Eastfall, a brutal, ritualistic murder of a beloved educator sends the community reeling. To make matters worse, the prime suspect is the police chief’s son, Police Sergeant Zachariah Braddock. Charming and handsome, Zach has a few demons of his own, but is he capable of such atrocities?

Lara’s only wish is to return to Boston and prove she is not her past mistakes, but one death was only the beginning. A sequence of peculiar murders of local women, a house with a mind of its own, and the return of an old flame, threatens to derail her. If Lara can’t overcome her own personal demons to help find the killer in time, her chances of clearing her name and saving her own life, will be dead in the water.

“Okay, I’ll bite. Sounds intriguing. What does your front cover look like?”

I can give you that too!

Drum roll, please!

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TA DA!!

Isn’t it gorgeous?? All the cred goes to Caroline Teagle Johnson for designing this beauty. Thanks, Caroline!

SO… stay tuned! My book will be available May 5th through Amazon in ebook and print format. I will post a link as soon as it’s live! If you haven’t already, please consider following my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for updates aaaaand maybe be on the look out for signed copy giveaways!

Stay safe and STAY HOME!

Ciao, friends!

Jenn or rather… J.R.