Guest Post by Julie Anne Lindsey, author of the fantastic romance novella, Love Blossoms

Love Blossoms in Honey Creek

Hello, Aubrie. First, let me thank you for inviting me over to your blog. I’m honored and a little nervous to be here, but I’m also pretty excited to tell you about my new release. It’s been seven months since my debut novella launched the new Honey Creek imprint at Turquoise Morning Press. Now, I’m back with book two in my Seeds of Love series. It seems I’m hooked on this enchanting little town and can’t keep myself away for long!

Honey Creek is a small fictitious town in rural Ohio. The scenery is magical in ways only the Midwest can be. The people are a touch old fashioned. They’re devoted to family, country and community. They work the earth. Trade sweat for pay and lay their hearts on the line for love. The fields are peppered with crows and cattle. Cicadas sing an evening chorus with the bullfrogs. Apples weight down the trees. I grew up in a town like this, with the mindset no problem was too big to be worked out on a porch swing over a glass of sweet tea. Many of my characters feel the same way. Probably one more reason I love it there.

Normally when I set out to write a romance, I toss some raging internal battles and a few annoying secondary characters into the mix, but Love Blossoms is a bit different. When I began to tell Jillian and Jackson’s story, I wanted a fairytale. A small town, Ohio version, but a fairytale none the less. I needed to show Jillian that chivalry wasn’t dead and true love still abounds. We’ve all given our heart away to someone undeserving at some point. Everyone who didn’t marry their first love knows what it’s like to see that fail. It hurts, and I wanted to make sure Jillian got everything she longed for. That’s how Jackson Tate was born. Jackson embodies all the qualities that curl my toes, from his rugged good looks to his mad culinary skills. I let it all loose on Jackson LOL He’s exactly what Jillian needed to trust again and he has all the skills he needs to help her along.

If you’re in the mood for a sweet romantic read with a very happy ending, I hope you’ll visit Honey Creek. The sun is setting, bullfrogs are croaking and the crickets are singing, “Come on.” Sweet tea or hot cider. Fresh summer strawberries or crisp fall apples. You’ll find it there. And taking a trip to Honey Creek is as easy as  Amazon : ) I hope to see you there!

Love Blossoms:

Jillian thought she had everything she needed until Jackson walked through her door… 

There’s a wedding coming to Honey Creek and the whole town’s preparing for the party. When Jillian Parker agreed to host a few groomsmen at her inn, she had no idea what she was getting into. One of those groomsmen is Jackson Tate, and he’s making her concentration completely impossible. He’s funny, fascinating, frustrating, and leaving in a week. Jillian does not have time for that level of distraction. With Jackson nearby, events to coordinate, a bride to please, and an ex-fiancé to dodge, her peaceful life’s getting crazy fast. With any luck, she’ll survive the week and put the whole thing behind her as soon as possible.

…But not if Jackson has anything to say about it.

Excerpt:

“You used to cause quite a stir,” Jackson said into Jillian’s ear. “I bet you haven’t danced since you came home.”

Jillian smiled the demure smile she’d perfected long ago and slipped out into the night beside Danielle. A laugh split her friend’s face, and Danielle hollered into the night sky. Watermelon Crawl boomed from the truck speakers. An outrageous smile spread across Jillian’s face until her cheeks ached. Memories flooded over her, and she was instantly 10 years younger. Her muscles tingled, and the steps came back like a reflex to the sound of her friends’ laughter and the sight of embers floating in the night sky.

Her skirt swung left and right along with her toe. Material caught her thighs and infused her with energy. Beth’s squeal blasted out of the kitchen door, and she nearly took Jillian down dashing onto the dirt beside her.

“Wooooo!”

Nothing mattered. How could anything matter?

The small troop of dancers stomped and turned in the firelight. Fireflies and golden embers floated and blinked against the deep navy blue sky. No walls contained them; no neighbors complained about the noise; no traffic sounds interrupted the cricket and bullfrog chorus. There was no more freedom on earth than she had right there. A round of clapping went up as the bodies slowed and ambled in place, laughing and congratulating one another. They still had it.

Giggles seasoned the air, and the music changed smoothly to another lifelong favorite. Fishin’ in the Dark . She thought of all the groomsmen planning to night fish before Mrs. Prattle’s punch kicked in the night before. In a flash, men and women sided up ready to twirl and swing in pairs. For a moment, Jillian stepped back to watch the couples, but a massive shadow blocked the light from the fire. Jackson hitched an eyebrow and nodded her way.

In the space of a heartbeat, the group was in motion, and so was she.

“You haven’t lost it, I suppose,” he said as their bodies came together.

She made the most of the time they were apart, enjoying his audience, strutting her stuff. When they met again she said, “You’ve noticed.”

“Honey, every man in town’s noticed.”

The couples began to swing, but Jillian found her body airborne. Like a feather in the wind, her feet swung left then right of Jackson’s hips. Clapping and hooting

ensued. No sooner was she grounded again than she began to twirl. The rush of endorphins and joy shot up from her feet to her hair, and her heart threatened to fly her

to the moon.

About Julie:

Mother of three, wife to a sane person and Ring Master at the Lindsey Circus. Most days you'll find me online, amped up on caffeine & wielding a book.

You can find my blogging about the writer life at Musings from the Slush Pile

Tweeting my crazy at @JulieALindsey

Reading to soothe my obsession on GoodReads

And other books by me on Amazon