LOVE IN THE FOREST is on sale for FREE April 12-14
in celebration of my upcoming April 27 release of LIFE IS FOR LIVING!

Check out my guest blog today, April 11, hosted by award winning, best selling author Caroline Clemmons. While you are there, check out her upcoming release,

Many thanks to Caroline for giving me this opportunity!

Earth and Sky Series BOOK 2!

Coming APRIL 27 on amazon.com!!

PRE-ORDER your copy today at amazon.com

That’s right! We’ve set a release date for LIFE IS FOR LIVING/Earth and Sky Book 2!

Soul Mate Publishing is working on the final edits and Cover Design as I type!

Join in the celebration and possibly win a digital copy of LOVE IN THE FOREST (BOOK 1)! It’s easy and no purchase necessary. Just send me your best guess at when you think LIFE IS FOR LIVING’s release date has been set for.

The First Correct Answer gets a free digital copy of THEIR CHOICE of Janina Grey Books! TEN BUCKS AND A WISH, or BOOK ONE of the Earth and Sky Series – LOVE IN THE FOREST, or the yet to be released, LIFE IS FOR LIVING/Earth and Sky Series Book TWO!

Lose yourself when you fall in … LOVE IN THE FOREST (Bk 1 Earth & Sky Series)

“Thank you,” he said, remaining on the rock as his demeanor changed from sunny to cloudy. “For not staying angry with me about last night, about the kiss.”
“No worries, thank you for believing me about Rosalie,” she replied, capturing his gaze as she took off her sunnies. “Besides, I may have overreacted a little bit.”
“No. You didn’t. I don’t force myself on anyone. I don’t know what got into me. And I just needed to tell you I was sorry in the light of day, so you could see I meant it.”
His sincerity seemed genuine enough for Brooke. And although his eyes were warm, she detected a hint of sadness. Or was it regret? Her butterflies flitted and she steeled herself against the impulse to pull him close and kiss him. Talk about mixed messages.
“Shh,” Brooke said. “I accept your apology. But in the future, remember I’m super big on consent, FYI.” She leaned against the rock and studied the toes of her hiking boots as he jumped down and stood beside her.
“So am I. And I respect you and admire you, and I trust you. And last night I totally blew it.”
“Almost blew it. You weren’t entirely wrong to go there. It was just bad timing.” She wrapped an arm around his waist and gave a quick squeeze of a hug. “We’d just experienced something really emotional, and traumatizing, and in a way, it forged us together and—”
“Bad timing?” He cupped her chin, his eyes questioning.
She held her breath, her lips parted as she dropped her gaze to his mouth, wanting so desperately to ease away and replace the bad memory of their first kiss.
“Well. Yeah.” She tried to speak but lost her ability to form a coherent sentence. All she could think about at the moment was how the world was right when he stood by her, how he wore fresh air like an expensive cologne, and how her body felt as brilliant as the first rays of the morning sun when he touched her.
“Is this what consent looks like, Brooke?” he whispered and dipped his head.
“I don’t know anymore. I can’t think when I’m around you,” she said, lifting her arms to rest on his shoulders as he turned into her, drawing her close.
“This sure feels like consent,” he murmured, closing his eyes, nudging her nose with his.
She molded into him, her hands cradling his head. His hair was soft against her fingers, his body hard against hers, his breath minty as he paused, waiting for her, she knew. Tipping her head up ever so slightly, she brushed her lips against his.
He leaned back, searching her face “You sure?” His voice was wavering, hesitant.
You want this, she reminded herself, as her heart beat a steady rhythm against her rib cage. “Yes.” Her answer caressed his lips just a hairsbreadth away.
He growled low and deep as he buried his face in her hair, nuzzling the vulnerable, tender spot just below her ear. He left a trail of kisses along the soft curve of her neck, her jawline, before he claimed her mouth with a gentle fierceness not unlike that of a late afternoon thunderstorm.
Desire like heat lightning rolled through her body as she responded, tracing her hands down his spine, over the hardened muscles sculpting his back, pulling him into her.
His kiss deepened, and she welcomed him, forgetting about everything she had run from, everything she hid behind, knowing this was where she was supposed to be. At least for right now.

~~~~

Step into the mystical and magical forests of Upstate New York, where Earth and Sky camp photographer Brooke Meadows has taken refuge from the demons of her past as she uses her ability to communicate with the dead to heal loved ones left behind.

Unable to cope with the loss of his wife and daughters three years prior, Josh Quinn, CEO of the number one dating site Quirkyflirt.com, is ordered by his board president to take a break from his Big Apple Headquarters. He finds himself at Earth and Sky Retreats, where confronting his grief has led him to experience a life-altering transformation and re-evaluation of reality.

Will Josh leave behind his fast-paced, high society life in the concrete mountains of New York City, for the magical, bewitching world Brooke reveals to him in the foothills of the Adirondacks?

Will Brooke acknowledge and accept her own journey of transformation and healing as she and Josh explore the winding paths and summits that lead them to find love in the forest?

#MFRWHooks #MFRWAuthor

BUY LINKS
You can grab your very own copy of LOVE IN THE FOREST by following these links:

Barnes and Noble:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-in-the-forest-janina-grey/1139804111?

Amazon:
amazon.com/Love-Forest-Janina-Grey/dp/1647162394/

Soul Mate Publishing
soulmatepublishing.com/love-in-the-forest/

AUTHOR LINKS
Pop in and say hi!
Email: janinagrey143@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/janinagrey
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/18967836.Janina_Grey
Instagram: @janinagreyauthor
Twitter: @janina_grey

In preparing for the release of LIFE IS FOR LIVING, Book 2 of the Earth and Sky series, I am beginning to feel the labor pangs I thought would fade away by the time I published my third book.

They’re stronger than ever. Second round edits are done. Cover Art Form is completed. Book blurb, hook, and taglines are submitted.

I’ve started designing promo items, marketing memes, signing up for guest blogs, and planning book tour locations.

It never gets dull, but I wonder will it always be this magical?

This time around I’m trying something new. I’ve created playlists of the music that got me through the writing process and sharing them on Youtube.

I miss Dan and Jayde (Barefoot Dan and Lilac Locks) and the times we had together and the memories we made, and then I realize they are my characters and I worry, am I losing it finally?

But no, I’m not. Those labor pangs are not as painful as when I gave birth to my flesh and blood babies, but the process of releasing this baby into the world is as real and emotional.

So as I prepare for the birth of LIFE IS FOR LIVING I may not be knitting socks or blankets or painting a nursery, but I’m as excited and can’t help but wonder what it will look like and will everyone love it as much as I do?

Book One, LOVE IN THE FOREST can be purchased on Amazon, Soul Mate Publishing, and Barnes and Noble. Grab it and fall in love with Brooke and Josh and Barefoot Dan and the rest of the Earth & Sky crew while you wait for Dan’s story to be released.

Also, check out my Youtube channel (It’s still in the newborn nursing phase) and listen to the music that guided me through LIFE IS FOR LIVING and that’s keeping LOST IN YOUR RHYTHM (Book 3) on track for release later this year!

Raise your glass in honor of Robert Burns!

I’m not sure if I first fell in love with Robert Burns’ works as a child because of my love of Scotland, or if I fell in love with Scotland because of Robert Burns’ poetry.

I do know that these loves they go hand in hand.

Burns Night is a celebration of Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759 in Alloway Scotland. People around the world host Burns Night gatherings, honoring Rabbie with song, dance, drinking, feasting, the playing of pipes, and by reciting his great literary works.

This year we decided to get in on the festivities, and prepared with the purchase of our WeeBox from Scotland, which was Burns-themed in The Late Great Poet’s honor.

This is our third WeeBox, and I was not disappointed (haven’t been yet!). In it we found a Burns Cottage Candle, Shortbread Cookies, a bagpipe charm, an Ailsa Tweed Handbag, and place cards for our Rabbie Burns Night supper.

So while we will not be serving the traditional Haggis, or playing the pipes personally, we will be feasting on a traditional Scottish dish, Cock a Leekie soup, drinking a dram o’ whisky in Rabbie’s honor, and breaking into our Raspberry and White Chocolate Shortbread Bites from Loch Ness Bakery.

For a wee bit o’ yer own Burns Night fun and festivities, follow the link to hear the traditional Piping in the Haggis.

If you want to try your hand at making Haggis, here’s your chance!

If you want to start simple, try the yummy Cock a’ Leekie soup.

After the meal, it’s time to toast, beginning with a toast the man of the hour, be sure to end your memorial toast with “to the immortal memory of Robert Burns.”

Now would be a good time to read a few poems. Here is a list I found on line of some of his more beloved works. If you don’t like reciting poetry (who doesn’t like reciting poetry!?) here is a link to one of his finer poems, “A Mans a Man for A’ That.”

At the end of your night, be sure to sing one of his most popular poems, which is sung at least (at the very least) once a year … Auld Lang Syne. And according to the directions on how to have a great Burns Night provided by Weebox,  “remember to cross your arms and join hands, only when you get to the line: “And there’s a hand, my tursty fiere, and gie’s a hand o’ thine.”

Remember to raise your dram o’ whisky and toast!
Slàinte Mhath!

Update!

Just received my First Round Edits back from Soul Mate Publishing for LIFE IS FOR LIVING!

We are on track for a release in late spring!

Can’t wait for you to read Barefoot Dan and Lilac Locks’ story! You’re going to love them!

You don’t want to miss Book 1 LOVE IN THE FOREST which can be purchased in digital or print at:

Soul Mate Publishing
soulmatepublishing.com/love-in-the-forest/

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-in-the-forest-janina-grey/1139804111?

Amazon:

amazon.com/Love-Forest-Janina-Grey/dp/1647162394/

I dunno about you, but 2021 left me scratching my head, filled with a surreal sense of standing on a shore between the past and the future as I watched the continued shifting sands of reality  nearly knock me off my feet.

Like many, my first thought was ‘good riddance’ to the tsunami we called 2021. Falling asleep beside David as we welcomed the new year in behind our drooping eyelids while neighbors somewhere around the corner shot off fireworks, I questioned what was so horrible about 2021? What treasures could I uncover beneath the shifting sands to carry into the new year?

And as I dug deep I found Gratitude. So I said farewell to 2021 with thanks. 2021 was filled with a lot of goodness, despite everything else. And that’s what I’m bringing into 2022. Good thoughts. Appreciation. And Hope.

The start of 2021 introduced an old acquaintance, and for the third time in my life I defeated cancer. No lie, I was afraid. But I did not let my fear consume me. I forged on and found empowerment. A year later I can honestly say that I am kick ass and unstoppable!

Throughout the year, we said good bye to  loved ones—through death, through their moving away, and just life. But we also said hello to so many family and friends we got to meet for the first time, see for the first time in a long time, and just be around throughout summer days that brought a sense of security as we met outside and pandemic infections and death rates dropped.

In February, we lost David’s mom, and as heartbreaking as it was, we know she is at peace and not suffering anymore. And her death brought a lot of loved ones into our lives who we had lost touch with over the years.

I got to reconnect with my kin down south, including my grandmother of 96 years, and rellies we’ve not seen in decades. And I got to meet their children and children’s children and it was mindblowing.

We survived another year of the pandemic. We kept our jobs.

I released LOVE IN THE FOREST, Book 1 of the Earth and Sky series; signed the contract with Soul Mate Publishing for Book 2, LIFE IS FOR LIVING, and began writing Book 3, LOST IN YOUR RHYTHM.

I got accepted into a social work Master’s Program (then declined due to finances). But still, I GOT ACCEPTED INTO A MASTERS PROGRAM AT 58 YEARS OLD. Mind blowing.

My educational goals were not hindered by that decision, as I took a death midwifery training course, which was something I’ve wanted to do for more than a decade.

We got to kayak (which we did not get to do in 2020), drum, garden. We camped in our Forevermore a few times and had a blast.

We got to see STOMP! at the Stanley Theater in Utica, which was very cool, because my hero Jack Issa in LOST IN YOUR RHYTHM is a former THUMP! performer, so I got to see “him” in action.

We haven’t seen the kids since Thanksgiving, due to COVID exposures and their insistence to keep me safe. We will see one another in the new year, and that thought keeps me strong.

Not seeing them helped me understand myself a lot better, and helped me explore what it means to be a Pagan in a very Christian world. This year, without the kids, Solstice was our main holiday except for the awesome Christmas Eve celebration my sister holds each year. With just David and I focusing on Solstice, we found a sense of peace, hope, love, and stability. We acknowledged the one constant that we could hold on to in this crazy, ever-changing world that of late has been so filled with uncertainty. Faith. In each other, our spiritual path, and the promise of tomorrow that is kept with each rising sun.

As we move forward into 2022, I am filled with a sense of peace, hope, love, and most importantly, an understanding that as long as we stay focused on the positives that surround us, as long as we live honestly and kindly, we will be okay.

2022 will bring what we set our intentions for regardless of what happens. Peace is not found in an absence of strife, but in how we handle that strife.

I wish you a year filled with success, health, wealth, happiness, and above all, Peace.