Guest: Jana Richards

Today I'd like to welcome Jana and her post-World War 2 romance. I love historicals, and let's face it, WWII is full of romance! Shame there aren't more WWII romances out there. Trust me, there's a market!

My Bucket List

I’ve never written a bucket list before, so this is a fun exercise. The challenge is going to limit my list to only three items, but here goes!

1.       To travel more. I’ve wanted to see Hawaii ever since Tom Selleck was “Magnum P.I.”. He always  talked about every day on the islands being a day in Paradise, and I’d love to experience that. This dream will hopefully come true next year as my husband and I are planning a trip to Maui next March. I’d love to go to Paris, too. Maybe it’s overpriced and maybe too many tourists go there already, but just once I’d like to see the City of Lights for myself. And hey, if I’m already in Europe, why not pop down to Tuscany for some red wine and sunshine?

2.       To see book of mine in print. HOME FIRES is my eighth published work, not counting some pieces of mine included in anthologies. But aside from a short story called “Wings of Fire” which is included in my writing group’s print anthology (Love, Loss and Other Oddities), all of my work is epublished only. I would love to hold a full length print novel of mine in my hands someday! Even if I have to upload one of my books to lulu.com and print it myself, it’s going to happen, but my goal is to have a publisher be so thrilled with one of my books that they are dying to print it!

3.       I’d love to attend a big sporting event like the Super Bowl, or the Olympics, or even a golf tournament like The Masters. I’ve wanted to go to a Grey Cup game (Canadian Football League championship) since I was a teenager, but it just hasn’t happened yet. Several years ago my family and I attended the women’s gymnastics competition when the Pan-Am games were in my city, and that was a lot of fun. My daughter and I also saw the Canadian Figure Skating nationals when they were here, and that was great fun, too. It’s so different from watching on TV. Those events whet my appetite to see more!

What’s on your bucket list? I’d love to hear your stories. Remember that every comment gives you a chance to win the $25 Amazon gift certificate that will be awarded at random to one lucky commenter. So comment away! For information on a bonus gift I’m offering and additional ways you can be entered to win the $25 GC, please go to my website at http://www.janarichards.net/Contests.html

BLURB:

Anne Wakefield travels halfway around the world for love. But when she arrives in Canada from England at the end of World War Two, she discovers the handsome Canadian pilot she’d fallen in love with has married someone else. Heartbroken, she prepares to return to London, though she has nothing left there to return to. Her former fiancé’s mother makes a suggestion: marriage to her other son.

Badly wounded and scarred during the war, Erik Gustafson thinks he’s a poor substitute for his brother. Although he loves Anne almost from the first time he sees her, he cannot believe she would ever be able to love him as he is – especially as he might be after another operation on his bad leg. Anne sees the beauty of his heart. The cold prairie winter may test her courage, but can she prove to Erik that her love for him is real?

EXCERPT:

She whirled around to glare at him, her eyes blazing. “No! I’m not a child! I don’t have to be molly-coddled and baby-sat. I spent six years in a war zone, hiding in bomb shelters, never having enough to eat. I worked in a hospital treating blitz victims with wounds so horrendous grown men would gag to look at them. I faced those horrors every day. Sometimes things were so bad I thought I couldn’t go on. But I did. Because I had to. And I’ll face things here too. So don’t tell me to give up because I won’t!”

Erik pushed himself out of his chair to face her, awed by her spirit and courage. She lifted her chin as if defying him to contradict her, her hands clenched at her sides. Her dark hair curled in wild abandon as it dried, framing her pale oval face like a halo. Her beauty and ferocity were magnificent.

“I think you’re the strongest woman I know.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, her hands unclenching. He caught the quiver of her chin as she fought to hold back tears.

He opened his arms and she stepped into them, wrapping her arms around his waist and clinging to him. He held her tightly, inhaling the sweet, clean scent of her, never wanting to let her go.

“Don’t cry. Everything’s all right now.”

She lifted her head to look into his face, her dark eyes shiny with tears, her lips slightly parted. Erik stared at her mouth, wanting desperately to kiss her, to capture her sweetness. He slowly lowered his mouth to hers. To his surprise, she didn’t run off, or turn away in revulsion. He was so close her breath mingled with his, her breathing swallow and erratic. His heart slammed against his chest, his body thrumming with need. For the first time in over three years, he felt alive.

Home Fires is now available at The Wild Rose Press.

About Jana:

Jana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to full-length paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side. She believes there’s nothing more interesting then peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.

When not writing up a storm, working at her day job as an Office Administrator, or dealing with ever present mountains of laundry, Jana can be found on the local golf course pursuing her newest hobby.

Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren, and a highly spoiled Pug/Terrier cross named Lou. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.net/