#SaturdaySpotlight is on @JudithWorks & The Measure of Life!

Good Morning,

Today's guest is brand new to our spotlight so please give Judith Works a huge W-E-L-C-O-M-E!

Tell us about your book, The Measure of Life, Judith... (Love that title btw)

The Measure of Life is a story of love and loss, lies and truth, and begins in Rome as Nicole shares a cappuccino and cornetto with her Italian tutor. The meeting sets off a chain of events that upends the course of her life. While Rome also brings deep friendships and immersion into a sumptuous food scene there is no escape from acknowledging the consequences of her actions. In search of forgiveness and healing, she moves to an island near her childhood home in Seattle only to find the way to reunite the remnants of her family and discover her true path is to return to Rome and face the past.

How intriguing! Please give us more....

Here's an Excerpt: Alessandro and I met twice a week. To control my raging emotions, I stayed away from subjects which could be misconstrued as provocative. I asked questions about Rome and told him about life in the United States. I honored his request to tell him how patients like to be spoken to in America by imagining how I would want to be told.

I struggled, wanting to be with him—not to talk about the newspaper headlines or hamburgers but to learn the details of his life and his hopes for his future. Not cardiology but other matters of the heart. It wasn’t hard to sense he too was finding our meetings ever more difficult as he began a sentence on some innocuous subject then stuttered to a halt. As the space between our discussion topics lengthened, the tension increased.

One day he said, “Nicole, you never talk about you, what you want in life. Let’s not talk about American food anymore.” He placed his warm hand over mine. I could feel his pulse beating at the same rapid pace, throbbing throughout my body.

I wanted to tell him I needed love, comfort, and encouragement but couldn’t articulate the words. I wanted to say it was important to be a good mother, and I wanted to say some time I’d make up for dropping out of school—become a professional like most of my friends who’d gone on to graduate and start careers.

To break the dangerous spell, I reached for my coffee with the other hand, but accidentally knocked over the cup, spilling it on the table. He withdrew his hand to wipe the mess away.

“Will you come again next week?”

I mumbled, “Yes.” He gathered his books and hurried away. I was rooted to the chair, my mind racing with anticipation I could not tamp down.

****

When I got back to our apartment Martin was home. “Where were you?”

“Working on my Italian. I need the language if you want me to manage here.”

“There’s laundry in my suitcase.”

I could feel my face contort in anger. He looked alarmed and added, “Nice to be home. What’s for dinner?” It didn’t quell my rage. It was easier to manage without his presence and I hoped he’d be off again soon.

*** 

Oh my, Judith....sounds like Nicole is in a conundrum for sure! What made you write the book?

Let me share my bio first and you'll understand my 'why' LOL!

After I earned a law degree in midlife, I had the chance to leave the Forest Service in Oregon and run away to the Circus (Maximus). In reality my husband and I moved to Rome where I worked for the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization for four years as a legal advisor to the director of human resources. I could see the Circus that had hosted chariot races during the Roman Empire from my office window.

My husband and I reluctantly returned to the US after four years. But we pined for the land of pasta, vino, art, and sunny piazzas. Then the gods smiled and offered a chance to return to Rome with the UN World Food Program. Six more years of food and frolic in the Eternal City passed much too quickly. The indelible experiences living in Italy and working for the UN were the genesis of my memoir Coins in the Fountain.

Life in Rome with all its food and challenges, along with many visits to an island near Seattle, contributed to the settings and events in my new novel The Measure of Life, the story of an expat woman who struggles with all the difficulties that can come with living abroad including a fraying family and the effort to build a life of her own. Expat life can bring unexpected challenges, especially for women who have left their domestic life in the home country, and for children who are plopped down in a totally new environment and new school. Often Americans do not speak a second language and it can be difficult to manage without Italian. Tensions in marriages are common and in an international city like Rome life is filled with temptations of all kinds within the vibrant social scene.

Nicole, my protagonist, is not like me. She is young, married to an older widower who frequently travels for his job. Instead of an improvement in her marriage, it begins to founder, and she is faced with the dilemma of what to do with her life as her children grow. Rome is a food mecca, and Italian food cooking, blogs, and toursl becomes a meaningful outlet in her quest for independence after a doomed love affair. Food plays such an important place in Italian life I wanted to write about it along with some of the places that I found interesting, and which she undoubtedly would have visited. Expat life has many joys and difficulties, and I wanted readers to have a chance to experience them through Nicole's eyes and then contemplate the pleasures of rural island life where she finds peace and the courage to begin again.

*** 

How interesting! How can we find you and the book?

Website: judithworks.net

Facebook, Judith Works, Author

Instagram: WorksJudith

Threads: WorksJudith

Blue Sky: worksjudith.bskky.social

The Measure of Life can be found at Amazon for Kindle and in Paperback.

Thanks for sharing Judith. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your book.

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight, Friends and that you'll check back weekly for another great author and book.

Until next time, keep reading.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Kara O'Neal @KaraONealAuthor & Prickly Poppy!

 

Hello and Welcome!

Kara O'Neal is no stranger to our blog and it is my pleasure to welcome her back with her latest book, Prickly Poppy.

Take it away, Kara...

When I was little, one of the “big ideas” my mother had, and she had A LOT, was to venture out into the Texas Hill Country to see all the wildflowers. We would travel the backroads and find fields and fields of flowers. It was a riot of colors and varieties.

I fell in love with the land on those trips, and it was my proof that God was real, because only He could make something so beautiful.

So…when I decided to start my new series, I wanted to match each heroine up with a wildflower.

I suppose people might believe that wildflowers are rebellious. And perhaps they are, because they grow where they want and when they want, but, to me, wildflowers are who they are and you’re either gonna like them, or you’re not. They’re not trying to be rebellious, they’re just themselves. And that’s ok. They’re gonna be who they are, whether they’re a dandelion, a bluebonnet, or a yellow rose, they’re not gonna change.

That idea helped me when I was little and made up part of who I am and how I make my decisions.

It’s helped me create some pretty amazing female characters, and Hazel Rutherford is one such lady. She’s the PRICKLY POPPY, and because of that, snags the heart of the devil-may-care saloon owner.

She was a lot of fun to write, and I know you’ll love her as much as I do!

Blurb: Brownwood, Texas, 1883

Two years ago, Hazel Rutherford fled from her lying, greedy fiancé. Now, her young cousin is within his sights, and Hazel must return and rescue her. Which means facing a manipulative villain.

But her uncle won’t let her go alone…

Kit Kirby is the man tasked with escorting her and protecting her while she’s in Brownwood.

Kit Kirby. Saloon owner. Hell raiser. The man that all the ladies—from five to eighty—swoon over. All except Hazel, that is. Since the day she met him, they’ve done nothing but fight.

He calls her prudish. She calls him irresponsible. He calls her prickly. She calls him a conceited hell-trap. There’s no way she’ll make it to Brownwood with her sanity intact.

But when Kit changes the game and kisses her, she’ll be lucky if she gets through the ordeal still the owner of her heart.

Excerpt:With his drink in hand, Kit turned to face her.

Hazel twitched her lips, irritated, embarrassed, and apprehensive with depending on him.

He assessed her with his gaze while the silence stretched.

She refrained from fidgeting and didn’t dare fall into the trap of asking him what he thought of her now. Certainly, he didn’t judge her.

But she really had no idea what he was thinking. He was a ridiculous mystery she didn’t care to solve.

He quirked his lips at her. “I find it hard to believe that any man could pull one over on you, so I don’t think you ever really loved this bastard.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line, remembering things she didn’t want to. He was wrong. She had loved him.

Kit cleared his throat, seeming to accept what was ahead for them. “You don’t want me to take you, and I understand that. But I’m what you’re gonna get. I might be a…” he furrowed his brow as if trying to recall something. “What did you call me that first time we spoke? A conceited hell-trap?”

She flushed but still kept silent. It was true anyway. She had not been wrong.

“Yeah, that was it.” He chuckled then took a sip of his drink, watching her over the rim. He let out a satisfied breath, then glanced at the amber liquid. “Good stuff.”

Annoyance began to simmer inside her, and her cheeks heated with the control it took to bite back the reprimand burning her tongue.

“I can see you’re gettin’ het up again, so let me finish.” He leaned forward slightly. “I’m taking you. I’ll protect you once we’re there, and I’ll sure as hell relish the chance to make this ass pay for hurtin’ you like that. No one’s gonna put a hand on you or your cousin. If I have to kill this Anson Welch, I won’t bat an eye. He deserves to be horsewhipped for lying to you and treating you like that. Nothin’s gonna happen to you.”

If he’d told her he was going to be a priest, she would’ve been less stunned. For the first time since knowing him, he actually seemed responsible. He’d spoken with such conviction and determination that she couldn’t doubt a single one of his promises. His words had mollified her somewhat, and she relaxed slightly.

“No one’s gonna hear about your secret from me, either.”

Well…

He had effectively assuaged most of her concerns. They still weren’t going to get along, but they were both adults. Surely, they wouldn’t argue for the entire duration of the trip. Her uncle trusted him. For some reason.

So…she was going to let it go. It remained to be seen if he was the best person to take her, but her uncle was wise and usually a good judge of character.

She twitched her lips, realizing she needed to say something, especially since she’d protested quite vehemently. After taking a deep breath and letting it out, she said with acquiescence in her tone, “Thank you. I appreciate your help and your discretion.”

“You’re welcome.” He rolled his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “You’re probably not gonna like this, but I hope I at least get to knock your former fiancé around some. I can’t imagine anyone runnin’ around on you. You’re a pretty little thing.”

His words stunned her. She didn’t know what to say to his compliment, especially since it was coming from him.

“I still think you’re prickly, though.”

And her surprise shot into irritation. She gritted her teeth.

He took a final swallow of his drink, winked at her, then left.

Prickly Poppy can be found at Amazon for Kindle and in Paperback and other online stores where great books are sold!

Kara O’Neal is an award-winning author of over thirty historical romances. Humor, family, love, and romance take center stage in her novels, and her characters have been touted as “real, complex, and down-to-earth”. Her books are available in print and ebook.

When not writing, she’s a teacher, but she’s always a mother to three talented children, and the wife of a man quite worthy of being called “hero”.

Telling stories is her passion, and she does so with memorable characters and unique plots certain to keep you reading late into the night!

Find & Connect with Kara @ the Following SM Sites...

Website –  www.karaoneal.com

Books - https://books2read.com/ap/xdPlZ4/Kara-ONeal

Bookbub –  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kara-o-neal

Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/KaraONeal84/

Twitter –  https://twitter.com/KaraONealAuthor

Pinterest –  https://www.pinterest.com/karaoneal7/

Goodreads –  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7278350.Kara_O_Neal

Newsletter - http://www.karaoneal.com/newsletter.html

Check out Kara's previous visits HERE.

THANK YOU So Much, Kara for sharing your new book with us! We look forward to more from you and certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings on your continued success.

Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends and that you'll check back weekly for another edition of Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, keep reading.

PamT