Happy Anniversary!

I will never forget the day I pitched this book as COMING HOME to Debby, my publisher at Soul Mate Publishing. She signed me on almost immediately and lovingly nurtured me as the first time published author that I had now become. The first thing she did was tell me the title had to go. And I’m so glad she did!

I watched my story of Deanna and Cord grow from a dream in my head that I put down on paper nearly twenty years prior with no intention of ever being published, to a real hold-in-your-hands 342-page print copy of the first book ever published by Janina Grey.

It was an arduous journey. The world had changed so much for Deanna, Cord, and all of us. The original draft had Deanna checking email on a desktop computer and listening to voicemails on a landline. The final story had her pocketing her cell phone and curling up on her favorite chair with her laptop. There was no online shopping, no digital books available at Amazon, or Kindle Unlimited.

The World Trade Center was still in tact back when I wrote this. There was still vast parcels of open space dotting the Long Island landscape. In fact, I still lived on Long Island. I was newly married without children. My mother and sister were still alive. Book stores peppered the shopping malls.

By 2019, the World Trade Center had become an icon of tragedy that changed New York City forever and was now replaced with the Freedom Tower. The amount of open space continued to shrink under the assault of developers. Digital books now make up a huge portion of book sales. I moved to the Mohawk Valley. My marriage had ended after giving me two beautiful children, Anthony and Alexandra. I found love again with my current husband, David. And I now had the wisdom and compassion and growth that came with losing my sister, Jane, in 2007, and my mother JoAnne, in 2012.

All of those changes helped me grow as a person and an author, and are recognized and honored in the telling of this story. There is the warrior passion of fighting politicians for the preservation of community and the past. There is the resilience that comes from lost love. There is the hope and caution that comes with new commitment. There is the agony and pain that comes from losing a loved one. There is regret, and shoulda/woulda/couldas that we all struggle with from time to time.

And in the end there is hope, love, and the promise of new life and happily ever afters to come.

Deanna and Cord will always hold a special place in my heart. Their struggle with lost love, learning to trust again, rebuilding a relationship with their second chance, struggling to find unity while maintaining their independence are all aspects we struggle with in life.

But their story is one of trust, of cooperation, of finding common ground and laying reasons to keep trying like bricks in a foundation, one after another after another until they’ve built a home of love that will last for generations to come.

This story was originally written in the 1980s, but it was born in my mind back when I was still in elementary school in the 70s. Each day we’d ride the bus to Bicycle Path Elementary in Selden, NY, and pass by an old farm house.

At first a family still lived there, evidenced by the tire swing that hung off the massive oak tree in the front yard. Over the years it became abandoned and was worn down by neglect. I went back to visit a few years ago and was brokenhearted at the leveled plot of land surrounded by big business. Locals tried to have it landmarked as historic, but last I saw they were going to build a carwash or something there.

TEN BUCKS AND A WISH is a eulogy to lost life, lost love, lost memories, and at the same time it is a promise that love is eternal, life goes on, and the things we love are never truly forgotten.

Thank you to all my family and friends who have supported me in this crazy journey. Three books later I’m still writing and creating characters I love and who I am sure love me back!

Thank you to Debby Gilbert at soulmatepublishing.com for helping me find my voice, my confidence, and my place in the romance writing world.

And thank you to the 19th century settlers in Brookhaven Town, Long Island, particularly Albert Norton, who built the house that laid the foundation for TEN BUCKS AND A WISH. Your memory and home will forever be preserved in my heart and my writing.

If you’ve not had a chance to meet Deanna and Cord, just scan the QR Code above and you can grab your copy today!

Thanks for being a part of my Janina Grey Adventure!

Join me as I celebrate the FIFTH ANNIVERSARY of TEN BUCKS AND A WISH!

For the next week I will be celebrating with lots of chances to grab goodies! Digital copies, print copies, jewelry, mugs, and gift cards will be up for grabs!

All you have to do to enter is ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. Buy TEN BUCKS AND A WISH

2. Share any book promo posts (tag me so I can include you!)

3. Take pics of yourself holding any of my books you’ve already purchased, or

4. Write a review of any of my books purchased! You can send it to me or post it on Amazon or soulmatepublishing.com or Goodreads! Links will be in the comments.

So start spreading the news! Let’s party!