We are really excited to have Jenna Jones here with us today at Blogging Authors! Jenna comes from the inside pages of Sheila Roberts' new book, Winter at the Beach. Take it away, Jenna!
What is your name?
My name is Jenna Jones, and I manage the Driftwood Inn, a vintage motel
in Moonlight Harbor, a charming
beach town on the Washington Coast. My daughter
and I live in the house next door with my Aunt Edie, who owns the motel. Aunt
Edie was a life saver, inviting me to come down and help her run the place
after my divorce. I was struggling financially and her invitation was a
godsend. Someday, when she's gone (which I hope is a long, long ways away) I'll
inherit the Driftwood.
What do you look like?
I'd say I'm not bad looking - certainly not as cute as my younger sister
Celeste but no one's as cute as Celeste. I think I still look pretty good for
forty. (Eew, forty. That sure sneaked up on me.)
Where are you today and what are you doing?
Today I'm getting ready for the town's winter festival, Seaside with Santa.
This was my brain baby and I proposed it to the chamber of commerce as a way to
bring in tourist dollars during those quiet winter months. We've got all kinds
of things planned, including a parade. There's talk of a storm coming. I sure
hope it holds off until after the festival.
You come face to face with your worse enemy. How do you react?
Ha! That would be my ex, the artiste, who cheated on me when we were
married, and then when we divorced hit me up for spousal support. (Long story,
don't ask.) He is the father of my child though, so, much as I'd like to feed
him to the sharks I have to be civilized. So, when he comes to collect Sabrina
for a weekend visit I try to be polite.
How would your parents describe you?
I think my mother would describe me as a strong woman. Of course, she's
set the example. Widowed young, she raised me and me sister (with the help of
grandparents and good old Aunt Edie), worked full time and even managed to
carve out a social life for herself. Whenever the going gets tough she always
reminds me that every storm brings a rainbow. I like that. Don't you?
Who is your best friend?
I have some great friends, but I'd have to say my best friend is my
sister. She's coming down for the festival and is going to ride on our
Driftwood Inn float in the parade. Oh, please, God, don't let that storm come.
Celeste will freeze her fake mermaid tail right off.
Are you faith-oriented?
Yes, I am. In fact, I'm thinking the pastor at our little church here in
town might be a perfect match for my sister, who is clueless when it comes to
picking the right man.
Are you married or in a relationship?
Formerly married and scarred for life, although my mom is urging me to
give love a chance. I've met two fabulous men here in town and boy are they
both tempting. Could I risk my heart and try again? Hmmm.
Do you have children?
As I’ve mentioned, I have my teenage daughter Sabrina, who I absolutely
adore in spite of the fact that she's single-handedly turning my hair gray
underneath those blond highlights. I wish she was going to be here for the
festival, but she'll be vising her father this weekend.
Speaking of the festival, I'd better go. I've got a lot of work to do.
Hope you'll come down and join us. Remember, life's good at the beach... even
in the winter.
About the Author
USA Today best-selling author Sheila Roberts has seen
over fifty books, both fiction and non-fiction in print. Her novels have appeared
in many different languages and been made into movies for both the Lifetime and
Hallmark Channels. She writes about things near and dear to women’s hearts –
love, friendship, family and chocolate.
Her latest book is the women’s fiction, Winter
at the Beach.
Website Link: http://www.sheilasplace.com
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/_Sheila_Roberts?lang=en
Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/funwithsheila/
About the Book:
Title: WINTER AT THE BEACH
Author: Sheila Roberts
Publisher: Harlequin/Mira
Pages: 384
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Author: Sheila Roberts
Publisher: Harlequin/Mira
Pages: 384
Genre: Women’s Fiction
BOOK BLURB:
Jenna Jones, manager of the Driftwood Inn, a vintage motel
in the Washington beach town of Moonlight
Harbor, is convinced that a winter festival would be a great way to draw
visitors (and tourist business) to town during those off-season months.
Everyone in the local chamber of commerce is on board with her Seaside
with Santa festival idea except one naysayer, local sour lemon, Susan Frank,
who owns a women’s clothing boutique in town. The beach gets hit with storms in
the winter, no one will come, too close to Christmas. Blah, blah. What does
Susan know?
It turns out that Susan knows a lot. A big storm hits during
the weekend of the festival, wreaking havoc with the parade and producing power
outages all over town. Including at the Driftwood Inn.
Jenna finds herself with a motel filled with people, all
with no power. What to do? Enlist the help of friends, of course. Her friends
take in many of the stranded visitors, and Jenna and her Aunt Edie take in the
others, stuffing them into Aunt Edie’s house next door to the Driftwood.
All the guests come with their own unique stories. The last
thing Taylor Marsh wanted was a getaway with her husband. His refusal to give
up on his dying business is taking them down financially and killing their
marriage. But her sister Sarah (she who has her financial act together and
never lets her sister forget it) insists this will be fun for both their
families. It will only be fun for Taylor
if her husband gets eaten by a giant squid. Then there’s Darrel Wilson, who
planned the perfect anniversary getaway for his wife, who’s been undergoing
chemo. So much for the perfect anniversary. And the sisters, Lisa and Karen,
who can’t seem to go on a sister outing without it turning into a Lucy and
Ethel adventure. Unlikely roommates, all of them. But perhaps each one has a
valuable lesson to share with the others. And perhaps, what looked like a
disaster will prove to be the best holiday adventure of all.
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