My Talented Friend Caroline Clemmons Is My Guest

I’m delighted to have Caroline Clemmons on my blog today.  She’s a wonderful lady and talented author, also a frequent commenter here.  I so appreciate her kind and interesting contributions.   I feel certain if we lived closer together we’d be having tea and touring our gardens…we have much in common:)

And now, onto Caroline~

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day later this week, Top ‘O The Mornin’ or whatever time you’re reading this post! Thanks to Beth for having me as her guest today.

March is one of my favorite times because so many good things happen this month. Spring will be here next week. Already daffodils and pansies are waving from many gardens. Bluebirds are nesting in their house and the goldfinches have arrived at our bird feeders. Our grass and plants are greening and native elm trees have leafed out. Soon our redbud tree will flower and our peach trees have already budded. Those two trees signal to my family that spring has arrived–never mind that meteorologists predict a freeze for tomorrow night after afternoon temperatures climb to the high seventies. Our poor plants won’t know what to think. We’ve been bringing patio plants in and out for a couple of weeks now, each time thinking warm weather has arrived, only to be told we were wrong again.

Don’t you love spring? (I do! And I’m allergic to it and been on shots for years 🙂

It’s as if the world gets a fresh start. Spring is a time of renewal for people as well as the earth. The new growth and flowers inspire us to make a new start at achieving our own dreams. This time of year, I feel invincible–like the country western song says, “Ten feet tall and bullet proof.” Well, until I look in the mirror and wonder what the heck happened there? LOL What are some of your goals for the rest of this year?

One of my goals last fall was to finish a book, a novella really, that I began several years ago. I had planned to surprise my mom with a story that used her name as the heroine’s mom and the name of my Aunt Elizabeth (shortened to Beth) as the heroine. I could picture my mom’s laughing face as she read the story. She loved my writing and was proud of each release. Before I could finish this book, my mom died and I had to put the work away for several years. Yes, I was a terrible Momma’s girl and have had a difficult time recovering from her loss. But last fall, I finished the story and now it has been released as SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME from The Wild Rose Press.

Obviously, I’m partial to this story because of my mom’s name. If you wondered why I didn’t use her name for the heroine, it’s because I couldn’t bring myself to write sex scenes for someone sharing my mother’s name. Yes, I know how I got here, but that’s different than actually writing the scenes. LOL

Here’s the blurb for you:

Six years ago Beth Jeffers fled her abusive husband. Now she wants nothing more than to protect her son Davey and help her mother operate a boarding house. The women in her family have had no luck with men, and she has no intention of letting any man mar her son’s life. Not even Matt Petrov, no matter how much her heart urges otherwise.

Federal Marshall Matt Petrov fell in love with Beth the first time he saw her. She was another man’s wife then, so he kept his longings to himself. But now that he and the lovely widow have crossed paths again, he intends to seize his chance at happiness.

Here’s an excerpt from SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME after Matt is wounded arresting two criminals and has barely made it back to his room at the boarding house:

“Nice.” He held her hand to his chest.

She tugged free. “You need sleep.” She turned out the lamp then came back to pull the sheet over him. Light from a full moon poured in the window to outline her. “I folded the quilt back so that if it turns cool toward morning you only have to pull the edge and it will slide right up.”

“Beth?”

“Yes?” She set his boots beside the bed and hung his shirt and jacket on the chair back.

“Please…don’t go yet.” He didn’t deserve it he knew, but he needed her near him. He’d made an error tonight and almost died because of it. Knowing it was mostly his own fault didn’t ease his wounds’ pain or make the experience any less frightening.

She reached for the chair. “Well, I guess I could sit with you a while.”

“I mean stay.” He patted the bed. “Here. Just for tonight.”

“Matt, what will people think? It’s not proper, even if you’re injured.”

“Who’ll know…or care? I’m wearing my britches and you’re all bundled up. I’m so stove up I can barely move.” He must have lost his mind. Sounded like he begged.

“I-I guess I could sit a bit. Maybe you could tell me about Lionel?”

“Not now. Shut the door and stay beside me.”

Just this once he wanted to experience being in a real home with a good woman. A sample of how life should be, something he could take with him to savor on all the lonely nights to come. He closed his eyes and prayed.

Lord, give me one night and I’ll never ask another thing.

The soft click of the door sent his eyelids open. Had he disgusted or insulted her so she left the room? No, she padded silently around the bed and slid beside him.

Thank you, God.

“Matt? I’m sorry I yelled at you because I thought you’d been drinking.” She laid her hand on his arm.

“S’all right.” He moved her arm to his chest and exhaled. “Good. You’re here, I feel better now.”

She nestled her head against his shoulder. “Then go to sleep.”

“Beth?”

She raised her head. The moonlight played across her skin and reflected in shades of silver and gold on her hair. “What now.”

“I always thought you were beautiful, but the moonlight makes you even prettier.” He skimmed his hand up her arm. “Kiss me goodnight.”

“Matt Petrov, you are not only the nerviest man, you’re plain out of your head. Go to sleep.”

He pulled her to him and claimed her lips. Softly, so he didn’t scare her. After her treatment from Jeffers, he figured she’d be skittish. She resisted for an instant then leaned into him. He deepened the kiss and she parted her lips for him.

Sweet heaven, he’d never known a more satisfying kiss. He tugged her until she stretched along his body.

When she broke the kiss, she moved her legs back to the mattress but laid her head on his chest. “Why’d you do that?”

“Needed to. For six years. Can’t say I’m proud of wanting you when you belonged to another man, but I won’t deny I thought about you.”~

Did that excerpt intrigue you? Please say yes. (Beth says yes! And I love the title and the cover is gorgeous.)

Visit my blog:  http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com

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Since St. Patrick’s Day occurs this week and the month is Irish-American Month and some of my ancestors were Scot-Irish, I thought perhaps I’d leave you an Irish Blessing to end the post. In my book THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE, the heroine’s father, Seamus O’Neill, is a man with the gift of gab and a blessing or toast for every occasion.

Here is a well-known blessing he used:

“May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

The sun shine warm upon your face,

The rain fall soft upon your fields

And, until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hallow of His hand.”~

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Caroline Clemmons writes romance and adventures—although her earliest made up adventures featured her saving the West with Roy Rogers. Her career has included stay-at-home mom (her favorite job), newspaper reporter and featured columnist, assistant to the managing editor of a psychology journal, and bookkeeper.

She and her husband live in rural North Central Texas with a menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, travel, browsing antique malls and estate sales, and genealogy/family history.

Her latest contemporary and historical romance releases include THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE, OUT OF THE BLUE, SNOWFIRES, SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME, a novella in the EPIC nominated Civil War anthology NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES, and the upcoming sweet contemporary July release, HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME. Her backlist of THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE, THE MOST UNSUITABLE HUSBAND and BE MY GUEST are available at Amazon Kindle and Smashwords. Caroline loves to hear from readers at caroline@carolineclemmons.com

*Thanks so much Caroline for sharing such a beautiful springtime post and telling  us about your new release.  Not only does the story sound wonderful but I love that it was inspired by your mom and your aunt.  Very touching.  *Beth wiping at tears.~