M Is For Miriam’s Surrender

Jennifer provides an excerpt...

Miriam’s Surrender is book two in my Women of Valor series. It was one of my favorite books to write, because I was able to redeem the villain from book one and turn him into the hero of book two. Here’s the blurb:

Josh Lowenstein is a successful architect, hired to redesign the alumni club of a posh, private school in New York. He is strong, capable and knows the best way to do everything. Except let another woman in.

Miriam Goldberg is the Assistant Director of Outreach, and is Josh’s day-to-day contact for the redesign. She’s taken care of everyone around her, and forgotten how to let someone else take care of her.

With a tumultuous history, neither one is prepared to work together. As they get to know each other, the animosity disappears, but Josh is hiding something from Miriam and its discovery has the possibility of destroying their relationship. Only when they are both able to let the other in, and release some of the control they exert over everything, will they be able to see if their love can survive.

Amazon

And here’s a brief excerpt:

Josh sat in the cab and looked out the window. Lights and people and cars and buildings rushed by in a blur. His eyes glazed over and in their place Miriam appeared. Miriam touching his arm and reassuring him, Miriam smiling, Miriam’s hair shining, Miriam looking at him as he bent to kiss her.

Whatever made him do it? When they’d stood outside her apartment in the cold night air, her cheeks had turned pink from the cold. He smiled. She controlled so many of her outward reactions to things, but she couldn’t control that one.

From his height and angle, he’d watched the light from the street lamps shine on her hair, making it appear to glow. Their breath, a white fog, had intermingled as they stood facing each other.

Her lips were soft and plump. He’d spent the evening watching them mold words, stretch into a smile, surround her food as she chewed. He couldn’t help himself; he’d wanted to kiss her. It was the briefest wish. He’d made the slightest move toward her. But in the one too-brief second, he’d glimpsed much more. Her pupils had dilated, she’d raised her face to his and she’d parted her lips. He’d discovered Miriam’s desire.

And now he knew she wanted him, it would take all of his control not to give in to his own need.

B Is For Beginnings

Jennifer talks about how you begin a story...

Beginning a story is not as simple as it sounds. You don’t just sit down and write. Well, maybe you do, depending on whether or not you like to plot ahead of time, but ultimately, some amount of editing is required in order to make sure you are beginning your story in the right place.

Surprisingly, at least to me, is that one of the ways agents and editors can easily spot an inexperienced writer is because they start their story in the wrong place. Just because the story in your head starts at a particular point doesn’t mean the story should actually begin there.

Oftentimes, the place you originally start the story is actually backstory, information that should be sprinkled through the rest of the story that tells the reader what happened prior to their meeting your characters. That part isn’t essential to the progression of the story.

Additionally, you want the beginning of your story to hook the reader enough so that they want to continue reading. While scenery is pretty and sets the stage, it doesn’t convince the reader that she should spend her valuable time reading your book.

I’ll admit to having a difficult time with this, and whenever I go back to my books, I always think I could have done it better. But, here’s the beginning of my book, Miriam’s Surrender. What do you think?

The line from Casablanca flitted through Josh’s head. “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world...” He fisted his hands at his side and closed his eyes. 

This morning, he’d hurried to work for a meeting with a new client. He’d worked on the presentation for weeks—a structural redesign of an Alumni Club for a local private school. It was different from most of the projects he had worked on before, and it sparked his creativity. They’d been awarded the contract and this morning’s purpose was to meet the client’s daily contact, the person Josh would work with throughout the span of the project. 

He’d walked into the red and black conference room of his architectural firm and froze. Sleek, black, flawless coiffed hair. 

No way. 

Ramrod straight posture. 

It couldn’t be. 

And as she turned and approached him, she’d glided. 

Oh crap. 

Miriam.

P Is For Passover

Jennifer's book is discounted in honor of Passover...

One of the reasons I write Jewish books is the old adage, "Write what you know." I know Judaism and the holidays. I know the smells and the flavors and the language. And I want to share that knowledge with my readers. Miriam's Surrender is a contemporary romance revolving around the holiday of Passover, which begins this Friday evening.

We'll be having the seder, or celebratory dinner, at my house. There will be matzah ball soup and gefilte fish (whitefish) and sweet & sour chicken and a vegetable kugel (noodle pudding) and chocolate desserts (of course). Until then, I'm cleaning and preparing for the holiday, which lasts 8 days.

To celebrate the holiday, my publisher has discounted Miriam's Surrender. It's the second book in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone. I hope you enjoy it!


On sale this month for $0.99 in honor of Passover!

Amazon

Buy Link: Amazon

Excerpt:

Josh Lowenstein is a successful architect, hired to redesign the alumni club of a posh, private school in New York. He is strong, capable and knows the best way to do everything. Except let another woman in. 

Miriam Goldberg is the Assistant Director of Outreach, and is Josh’s day-to-day contact for the redesign. She’s taken care of everyone around her, and forgotten how to let someone else take care of her. 

With a tumultuous history, neither one is prepared to work together. As they get to know each other, the animosity disappears, but Josh is hiding something from Miriam and its discovery has the possibility of destroying their relationship. Only when they are both able to let the other in, and release some of the control they exert over everything, will they be able to see if their love can survive. 

This story centers on the Jewish holiday of Passover and is the story of two people who need to discover the freedom of letting go in order to let love into their lives. 

Saturday Snippet: Miriam's Surrender

An excerpt from Jennifer's contemporary romance...

Amazon

“Hi Miriam, it’s Josh. What’s wrong? Your voice sounds funny.”

Relief flooded through her. “Oh thank God, Josh. You have to help me. Samara and Nathaniel were supposed to go out tonight, but their babysitter cancelled and they brought Zoe here. And she’s here. With me. I don’t know anything about kids. And there’s clutter and sitting on the floor and...”

A deep chuckle on the other end of the phone made Miriam pause.

“Okay, Mir, breathe. I’ll be right over. Can you survive another twenty minutes?”

Miriam gulped. “I think so. But hurry.”

She hung up and walked into the dining room. Zoe set up the cards and was busy organizing her hand.

“Your cards are there, Miriam. Do you know how to play this game?”

She shook her head.

“Okay, first, you have to organize your cards by color. “

Miriam sat across from Zoe and did as instructed.

“Okay, I dealed the cards. You go first. You have to put down either the same card or a different card but the same color or a wild card. Or you have to pick a card.”

Miriam looked at the card facing up, examined her hand and put a card down.

“Good job,” Zoe cheered.

Zoe put down a ‘Reverse.’ “That means I go again.”

When Zoe’s hand was finished, Miriam went. They continued to play, with Zoe instructing Miriam on the finer points of the game, until the doorbell rang.

It was Josh.

“Hi Miriam, you okay?” he asked as he entered and removed his coat.

Miriam nodded, a fake smile plastered on her face. “Sure.”

“Do you want to play Uno with us? I just taught Miriam how to play.”

“Miriam didn’t know how to play Uno?”

“Sorry, it’s been a long time since I played card games.”

He hugged her. “It’s okay, we’ll be gentle with you. Yes, Zoe, I’d love to play Uno. Who’s the dealer?”

This time, Josh dealt. He groaned and moaned and cheered depending on the cards they played. By the end of the game, Zoe was giggling and even Miriam laughed a time or two.

“What do you say we go out for some dinner?” Josh suggested. “With two beautiful ladies, I’ll be the envy of every man around.”

Zoe giggled again, and Miriam blushed.

“It sounds lovely. Where should we go?” Her heart pounded. What did kids eat?

“What’s wrong, Mir?”

“Um, I just don’t know what restaurants around here are good for kids.”

“Oh, this is easy. Anything will be good. Zoe, what do you like to eat?”

“Pizza!”

“Wow, I like pizza too! Miriam, what about you? Do you like pizza?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Pizza it is. Everyone get your coats and let’s go.”

Zoe ran into the living room to find her coat, and Josh stayed Miriam with a hand on her arm.

“Relax, you’re doing great and everything is going to be fine. Zoe’s easy.”

“Yeah, now you’re here. I didn’t even think of feeding her.”

“But you would have, as soon as she said she was hungry, which I’m sure she would have done soon.”

He ushered Miriam into the hallway, helped her with her coat and led them both out of the apartment.

Later, when they’d finished their pizza, returned to the apartment and put Zoe to bed in Miriam’s bedroom, Miriam sank into her couch in exhaustion.

How could one tiny eight-year-old girl exhaust her like this? She leaned against the cushions and lifted her legs onto the table in front of her while she closed her eyes.

A deep chuckle next to her made her open one and turn. Josh stood next to the couch, arms folded in front of him.

“She wiped you out.”

She closed her eyes again. “Mmm hmm.” After a moment, she opened her eyes and sat up. “How are you not exhausted?”

Josh sat next to her and the couch cushions tipped under his weight. He smoothed his pants and crossed one ankle over his knee.

“She’s just a little girl.”

“An energetic one.”

“Come on, Miriam, you’ve got to admit, she’s much better than most.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

He turned to look at her.

“You’ve never been around kids before?”

Miriam face heated. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. “Not really.”

“Not even as a babysitter when you were a teenager?”

“Other than watching my sister, no.”

Josh frowned. “Huh.”

“What?”

“Nothing, I would have thought you’d be perfect as a babysitter. You like order, you like having control of things...”

“...I hate getting messy, I don’t like sitting on the floor...”

He stared at her and Miriam squirmed. “I know, I’m a freak of nature. I’m a woman who can’t relate to kids. I’m not sure I want any of my own.”

Josh shook his head. “No, I wasn’t going to say that, and I don’t think it. Just because you have no experience with them, doesn’t mean anything. And I think if you decide to have children, you’d be a great mom.”

Miriam’s jaw dropped before she could prevent it. “Why?”

“Because, you’re fiercely loyal and protective. Look how you are about your sister. Someday, if the time is right, I think you’ll be amazing.”

Miriam’s spine tingled as a shiver run up it. No one ever said she’d be amazing as a mother. Of course, she didn’t spend a whole lot of time talking about the subject either.

On sale this month for $0.99!

U Is For Upper East Side (and Upper West Side)

Jennifer loves New York locales...

One of the things writers are told early in their careers is to “write what you know.” I’m honestly not sure about the validity of that advice, but I do think it’s important for one’s writing to be backed by research and knowledge, especially when it comes to settings.

I love to set stories in New York City. I’m familiar with the place, having worked their for several years and visiting it more times than I can count. New York City has so many different neighborhoods, that no two stories will be exactly the same, even if they are both set in the same place.

In my first book, A Heart of Little Faith, my heroine is raising her six-year-old daughter, Claire. They frequent the Upper West Side of the city, which is filled with cultural things to do, like museums and parks.

According to Wikipedia, “The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 110th Street. It is an affluent, primarily residential area with many of its residents working in more commercial areas in Midtown and Lower Manhattan. It has the reputation of being home to New York City's cultural, intellectual hub (with Columbia University located at the north end of the neighborhood), and artistic workers (with Lincoln Center located at the south end).”

There are plenty of things to do with kids in a city, and one of the spots Lily and Claire visit is a playground on the Upper West Side.

On Saturday, Lily and Claire met Kim, Emily and Adam at a playground on the Upper West Side. After an initial period during which the kids stared at each other, they played together all afternoon, which left the two women time to talk.

“I’m glad you called and suggested this,” Lily said to Kim as she munched on some grapes she’d brought for the kids to have as a snack.

“Me too. I figured since Mark is working today, it would be a good chance for us to get together.” Kim looked out over the playground. The girls were at the swing set, pushing Adam on the swing. “The kids are having fun together. It’s always so awkward when the parents like each other and the kids can’t stand to be in the same room together.”

Lily laughed. “Yeah, play dates can be tough. They’re almost as bad as dating. It’s embarrassing when you have to ask some strange mom if their kid wants to play with yours.” She watched as Claire paused in her running to wait for Adam to catch up. “Claire loves having a little boy to take care of. She’s in love with babies and little kids.”

“I noticed.” Kim looked at Lily. “So, you mentioned dating. Are you?”

Lily looked up at her. “No. It’s hard with a child. I want to give Claire as much attention as I can, and frankly I just don’t have the energy to spend on finding someone who not only wants to date me, but be with her as well.”

“So what about you and Gideon?”

Lily blushed.

“I’m sorry; I don’t mean to get too personal.”

“No, you’re not; I’m just not used to talking about this. I feel like I’m back in high school. Honestly, I don’t know what we’re doing. We see each other often, although most times it’s with Claire and Samantha in tow. We’ve kissed a couple of times, but that’s it. I enjoy being with him, but I’m just not sure where we are right now.”

“Well, I hope it works out for the two of you. From what I know of him, Gideon is a great guy, and it’s obvious to me he adores you.”

In Miriam’s Surrender, the story also takes place in New York City, but this time, it’s on the Upper East Side.

According to Wikipedia, “The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park/Fifth Avenue, 59th Street, the East River, and 96th Street. The area incorporates several smaller neighborhoods, including Lenox Hill, Carnegie Hill, and Yorkville. Once known as the Silk Stocking District, it is now one of the most affluent neighborhoods in New York City. It is traditionally perceived to be home to commercial and business types.”

This type of neighborhood fits Miriam perfectly. As a single, business professional, she’s comfortable economically and likes the order and upkeep associated with the area.

Forty minutes later, she was dressed and ready for work. She stepped outside her Upper East Side apartment, waved to the doorman, and inhaled. The rain from the previous day had cleared and the pale March sun shone between the buildings. Although cold, it would be a beautiful spring day. The daffodils the condo board planted in front were about ready to bloom. Around the yellow flowers, purple crocuses poked through the dirt between the iron bars of the miniature fence surrounding the bed. The rooftop gardens would be in full bloom in a couple of weeks, and the minute it was warm enough, Miriam would be out there too.

She walked down the street and headed to her favorite coffee bar. Inside, the dark aroma filled her nostrils. Multicolored mugs lined the walls—everything from touristy “I Love NY” to extra-large sized French mugs—there was always a new one to look at while she waited in line to place her order. People on their way to work took small tables and chairs by the windows. In the back, upholstered chairs and free WiFi provided a break for people later in the day.

What settings do you prefer?