Tangled Memories—Even books have history by Jan Scarbrough

We all have a history, don’t we? Good times and bad times. Happy times and sad. Well, books have a history too. Updates, new names, re-edits, new covers are some of the ways self-published authors can change their books. But before the advent of self-publishing, we had to go the traditional route (as some authors still prefer). 

Tangled Memories, a book of my heart, was originally called Window of My Heart. It had a good run in RWA’s contest circuit in the 90’s, culminating as a 1994 Golden Heart finalist in Romantic Suspense/Gothic. Before that happened, a fellow author pulled me aside after I failed so terribly in 1993 and taught me about plotting. (This was one of my first books, after all. I was still learning.) I swear after I got into the groove of this book, it wrote itself.

After being a finalist in the Golden Heart, I couldn’t sell the book to a traditional publisher. You know, the dreaded rejection letters. I did “sell” it to a brand-new e-book publisher. What? In 1999, there weren’t any e-book readers to speak of. So, of course, my book, now called Tangled Memories, didn’t go far.

Over the years, Tangled Memories hopped from publisher to publisher: Imajinn, Wild Rose Press, Turquoise Morning Press. By this time, e-books were in style and readers could read e-books on their phones! Finally, in 2016, I got my rights back and self-published Tangled Memories after a re-edit, update, new blurb, and new cover.

Tangled Memories remains one of my favorites. In it, I switched my heroine from present day to Medieval times. Today, I see this done by many writers—the dual-timeline novels. I don’t know if I was ahead of my time, or if it simply worked for the story I had to tell.

You can grab a copy for your summer reading pleasure for 99 cents at most e-book stores. Sadly, the paperback is not on sale.

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After losing his wife, Dr. Alexander Dominican is determined his infant daughter will not grow up motherless as he did. Offering sensible, kind kindergarten teacher Mary Adams a marriage of convenience seems like the perfect solution. The widow’s husband left her with a mountain of debt. For Alex, paying it off is a small price to pay for his daughter’s happiness. Until his sensible new wife begins to lose her mind.

On the day of their marriage, Mary starts having frightening hallucinations of medieval England—visions that feel more like the memories of woman who lived centuries before. More terrifying, someone—or something—is stalking the new mistress of Marchbrook Manor. Could it be one of the sinister servants? Or Alex himself? Alex is reawakening hidden desires and longings in Mary, but until she can untangle the web of nightmares and secrets, she can trust no one. Not even Alex.

Alex has no idea he’s unleashing a destiny that’s taken him seven hundred years to fulfill.

If Alex and Mary are to salvage their future, they must first unravel centuries of…Tangled Memories.

Timeless: A Ghostly Adventure by Jan Scarbrough #RomanceGems

With Halloween approaching, I thought I’d tell you about my one and only ghost story. It started with a cover for inspiration. The original cover showed a man and a woman, probably in love, and a little girl in the background. Of course, I thought, the child must be a ghost!

I needed a character who could communicate with my little girl ghost. Enter Jeff Halstead, the hero and my reluctant medium. I call him reluctant because he’s not sure of his spiritual gifts.

When Beth Abbott receives a surprise inheritance from her birth mother, she travels to the family’s nineteenth century mansion in Old Louisville, now a bed and breakfast and run by Jeff. And guess what? They have a history together that they know nothing about, but our ghost does!

Writing the story was an adventure, because I needed to do a bunch of research to make it all come together.

I pulled out a couple of books from my library: Haunts of Old Louisville by David Domine, and The Great Louisville Tornado of 1890 by Keven McQueen. I wanted to use information from both books as inspiration and background for my story.

I went to the Internet for other research. It’s strange what a novelist needs when writing, and the Internet is a handy place to find that information. Some of the things I researched were Baxter Square Park (Louisville’s first park), a party game called Flip Cup, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the events of September 11, 2001. I also researched a hill in Louisville’s Cherokee Park where people sled in the winter. It is called “dog hill.” I investigated carriages from the 1890’s and period clothing.

After all that, I put the book together, making it a Gothic romance with ghostly elements!

Dale Epley, my friend who is also a medium, said this about my book: Timeless is a beautiful love story that intertwines two different lifetimes, and Jan has done an incredible job of introducing reincarnation and numerous other “Spiritual gifts” that we all possess in a clear and concise way that will help you to understand the possibilities, even if they are not in your reality yet.

So, if you want a non-scary ghost story for Halloween, take a look at Timeless!

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*****

Every Day is Treat Day in October. To be entered in the random drawing for Timeless leave a comment with your email address written out (not as a hot link). The deadline for doing this is 2 days from now. I’ll draw the winners name on October 24, 2019 and notify the winner by email and by leaving a comment on this post.

By the way, in case you wonder why Authors give away books, it’s simple. We give away books to introduce new Readers to our writing. The best way to thank an Author who gives you a book is to post a review of the book. Just a few sentences saying why you liked the book is all that is needed! Do this, and we’ll adore you!

Click here to enter our No Tricks—Just Treats Rafflecopter today for a chance to win Amazon Gift Cards. Enter often and tell your friends! (You can also click Monthly Giveaways on the Menu Bar of the blog to see details of the current month’s Rafflecopter and to enter it.)

5 Reasons Why I Hate My Favorite Month @ElsaKurt #RomanceGems

You may have read that and thought... wait, what?

I know but bear with me. October is my favorite month... and the one I dread most. It's my birth month, so YAY! I'm cool with birthdays - this year I'll be forty-eight - even when it means the "Big 5-0" is ever closer. Life's good, I'm feeling pretty all right (aside from the usual aches and pains). I'm not happy with my weight, but it's within my control to do something about it, so I'd say I'm fortunate. 


Plus, October is beautiful in my neck of the Universe (New England)... the leaves, the air, the *gasp, pumpkin spice everything, cozy sweaters, and fairs. Who wouldn't love all that? And what's my heckin' problem, man?

It's THIS...

That Stuff.

Which brings me to the first reason I hate my favorite month.

Number One: I. Hate. Getting. Scared. That I even searched and posted the above GIF is shocking. Now, I try not to be that guy who blames their mother for their problems, but... this is TOTALLY my mother's fault. She loves scary movies. For as far back as I can remember, she watched them. On the highest volume. While I tried to sleep. We lived in a nine-hundred square foot apartment back then, people. There was no escaping the blood-curdling screams, demonic voices, or ominous music. I used to set all my stuffed animals and dolls around my bed for "protection"... until I had to make a bathroom visit and saw that damn Raggedy Ann doll in Amityville Horror. 


Number Two: As you can now guess... Halloween. I have an older brother, folks. It goes without saying (but I'll say it) big bro loved to scare the bejesus out of me. He once told me he saw the devil sitting in our great-grandmother's chair at our grandparent's house. I couldn't pass by the dining room without assistance for ten years. Ten years. So, it's a given that Halloween equaled double the terror time in our house. I can't recall a single costume he wore. Not a one. I think they call that selective memory? Or maybe repressed trauma?

Number Three: The aforementioned costumes. Ugh. Costumes. I'd rather see fifty sexy nurse costumes than one Jason, Freddy, Chainsaw Massacre, or the worst of all: IT mask. Yes, I have a clown phobia. And balloons. And food touching my lower lip. But I digress. Those bleepin' masks. I. Can't. Take it.

Number Four: Birthday parties. I know, I know. I said I like birthdays. But I don't like birthday parties for me. Dude, that is an introvert's idea of hell.

Number Five: I always get sick. Yep, my normally fabtastic immune system says, oh, I think it's time for the cold from hell. Or, hey, maybe a little pneumonia might be fun! Maybe it has something to do with all those other dramas I mentioned?
Whatever the reason, I'm doubling up on Vitamin C and elderberry syrup. You're not getting me this year, nasty virus buggies.



So, to all you Halloween lovers...

I envy you. It must be so nice to not feel dread or burst out in hives at the thought of jack-o'-lanterns and packages of cotton cobwebs with little black spiders. But I want you to know, I'm putting on my big girl pants and toughening up for the sake of the crowd this year. I'm even going to - again, *gasp - wear a costume this year at the 2019 Fall in Love With New England Romance conference. I'm even -get this- excited about it! It'll be a surprise, so you'll have to wait to see what  I went as after the 19th.

In unrelated news...

If you've been reading my Welcome to Chance series, I have a special gift for you! Sign up for my newsletter HERE and receive my bonus story "Two Weddings and A Brawl" for FREE as a thank you for subscribing. Be a guest at two of Chance's most beloved characters' weddings and witness, yep, you guessed it, an unforgettable brawl.

Oh, and now I have something else to LOVE about October... Our Giveaways!

NO TRICKS—JUST TREATS

Every Day is Treat Day in October. Each author will give away a prize of her choice on her posting day. That's 31 days of prizes. My prize today is a Kindle copy of my book, Still Here. It's a deeply romantic story with a paranormal element.

To be entered in the random drawing for this prize, leave a comment with your email address written out (not as a hot link) on this post. The deadline for doing this is Oct. 9, Wednesday, at 8:00pm Central time. I’ll draw the winner's name Thursday, October 10, and notify the winner by email and by leaving a comment on this post.

But Wait, There's More!

We're not just doing a daily random drawing for a prize. We're also doing a Rafflecopter with 4 Amazon Gift Card Prizes. Whoop! Big money! Visit our Monthly Giveaways Page for all the details.