Paths to Publishing: Jean Joachim || RESCUE MY HEART

Path to Publishing by Jean Joachim

I’ve been a story teller ever since I can remember. I was a quiet child, spending my time observing, listening and wondering about other people and the world. Stories came to me and I’d act them out with my friends.

I was also a voracious reader right from the moment I could decipher words on the page. Even to this day, if I don’t have something to read, I’ll read the writing on a tube of toothpaste. I fell in love with the written word. To me the most exciting thing in the world was to be able to write a book and have people read it.

I excelled in English in high school and majored in it in college. Grammar came easy to me, spelling too. I loved writing papers –my favorite homework assignment. After college, I went into advertising and direct marketing. I started out working with numbers, but found myself enjoying writing reports even more. I rose quickly in the advertising world, but something was lacking. There was something else that needed to be expressed.

My life took a different turn when I got married and had two children. I immersed myself in their lives and their world. I got involved in their schools. This is where I got my first idea for a book. In 2003 my first non-fiction book, Beyond the Bakes Sale, the Ultimate School Fund-Raising Book, was published by St. Martin’s Press.

I returned to a day job feeling unsatisfied. When my youngest went off to college and I lost my beloved aunt, I got sciatica. While I was laid up, Callie and Mac entered my head. Two characters who wanted to tell me their story. For the first time, I didn’t shove them aside, but listened. . I fell in love with them and their struggles to find love. Since I wasn’t going anywhere, I dared to write their story Now and Forever 1, A Love Story was born.

My book was raw. I sent it to agents and got rejected. I found a vanity press and self-published. Then one of the minor characters from NAF1, Danny Maine, arrived in my head. He wouldn’t leave until I wrote his story.

With the encouragement of a friend or two, I submitted Now and Forever 2, The Book of Danny, to Secret Cravings Publishing. It was accepted and my life as a fiction writer began. I work hard, seven days a week, often seven or more hours a day. I’m constantly working to improve my craft and listen to my characters. I love writing, weaving stories, and being surprised when the story takes an unexpected turn or twist.

I’m lucky. I spend my days working at something I love. But I’ve sweated for years to get to this place. I can’t see ever giving up writing. As long as the stories and characters are in my mind, I’ll continue to write. I hope that readers will continue to read and enjoy my tales.

Title: RESCUE MY HEART

Publisher: SECRET CRAVINGS PUBLISHING

Date Published: 1/17/2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Word Count: 55,000

Blurb:

One smug veterinarian on a bike runs into one sharp-tongued dog walker, literally. Injury leads to insult. Adversion leads to attraction. Pug rescue brings them together. A funny, sarcastic, heart-warming ride. 

 

Excerpt:

A crowd began to gather. A pair of concerned, dark brown, male eyes stared into hers. “Are you hurt?” he asked.

“No, idiot brain. I’m fine. Does it look like I’m fine?” Attempting to push to her knees from the pavement, she grimaced and let out a moan. A long scrape on her leg was bleeding, her shoulder ached, and gravel was embedded in her thigh. Tears clouded her eyes.

Bruce raced over. “Rory, you okay?”

“Baxter looks like he’s hurt worse than I am.”

A patrolman appeared and asked Rory if she needed an ambulance.

“I already called,” Bruce piped up. The wail of a siren in the distance drew closer.

“This numbskull was doing sixty, I swear,” she said, pointing to the tall, brown-eyed man.

“That’s ridiculous. I wasn’t doing sixty.”

The policeman turned to him. “Sir, can you confirm your speed?”

“There’s no posted speed limit for bikes. I did kind of lose control around that curve.”

“Kinda?” Rory muttered. She lay back down on the ground.

“I.D., please.” The officer put out his hand. The man handed over his driver’s license.

“Dr. Hanson Roberts,” the cop said, writing in his pad. “A member of the real estate Roberts family?” He looked up at the doctor.

“Yeah. A ticket? What for?” Dr. Roberts shifted his weight.

“Reckless biking, speeding, causing bodily injury to this young woman.”

Rory gave a half-smile. “Serves you right. What about my dog?” She turned worried eyes to Baxter, who lay still, whimpering.

“I’ll take him,” the doctor said.

“Over my dead body…which you almost have…”

“I’m a vet…”

“I don’t care if you were in Afghanistan…”

“A veterinarian. Hack Roberts,” he said, extending his hand.

“A vet? Save him.” She ignored his offer to shake.

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Author Bio:

Jean Joachim, wife and mother of two sons, is owned by Homer, a rescued pug. She’d been writing non-fiction for what seemed like forever until she got up the nerve to try fiction. It was love. Now she spends her days in New York City in the company of her characters, with a cup of tea and a secret stash of black licorice.

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Jean is offering a giveaway of (2) ebook copies of RESCUE MY HEART to two randomly drawn commenters. (Please leave your email addy!)