Jacqui Nelson's North of the Border

What’s up in Canada, eh? How Canada inspires storytelling.

When asked to join Get Lost in a Story as part of their regular crew, I asked my myself: what should I do?

Then I had an ah-ha moment. I'd ask guests to share something Canadian that inspired or influenced them, their writing, or the stories they love. I'd call the guest blog series... North of the Border.

So here's my first North of the Border guest... me!

ALBERTA INSPIRATION

This August I’m taking a trip home to Alberta. From where I live in Victoria (on Canada's southwest coast) Alberta is a 14 hour and 1,177 km (730 mile) drive across British Columbia, over the Rocky Mountains to the prairies—to the farm where I grew up (just a few miles from Mayerthorpe, a town with a population of 1,500).

ALBERTA MEMORIES

For my first 18 years, I lived in one place. During the following decade, I lived in many places in Alberta, but I always returned to visit the farm regularly. Then I move farther away and visits became fewer. At one point, I hadn’t been back in 13 years.

But Alberta will always hold a special place in my heart. The land shaped me. I’m a mix of curious kid and nostalgic adult. My writing is a mix of imagination and memories.

WHAT DO I MISS & DON'T MISS ABOUT ALBERTA? 

• I don’t miss epic swarms of mosquitoes and caterpillars. I remember running through the fields just to keep the mosquitoes off me. I remember a year where the caterpillars came in waves. Literally. A black swath of them flowed like a river over a road, looking for food. The trees held no leaves, so they crawled back across—minus many squished by the vehicles.  
• I miss walking through the trees surrounding our house to visit "the hilltop." From there you could see the faint lights of nearby towns and often the northern lights. Alberta is a big province, but a lot of it is relatively flat land. Our farm was on a small hill. For a kid, that hill (and the world and sky over it) seemed huge and magical. 
• I don’t miss the snowy winters that made driving treacherous. I remember going down our hill in a vehicle that went into a spin. We turned 360-degrees, came straight, and continued driving. We did it all while saying nothing, but I talked about it a lot afterward. 
• I miss tobogganing down that snowy hill. Our dog ran alongside, trying to herd us. We were too fast to get nipped very hard, but sometimes our steering was wonky and we’d veer into the ditch. Once we hit the post of the barbed-wire fence. Fortunately, we never hit the wire. 
• I don’t miss coming home from a warm destination vacation, leaving 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) for Alberta’s -25 C (-13 F). 
• I miss the sights, sounds, and smells of the seasons: my footsteps crunching the snow; the first bud of green peeking through the white; the wind bending the tall summer grass like the swipe of a giant hand; the smell of summer berries and autumn leaves. 

I adored my familiar home on the farm, but I also loved finding oddities in the world beyond.  

One of my first vacations outside of Canada was a family trip to visit friends who raised cattle and Arabian horses in Alberta in the summer but lived in Arizona in the winter. That year instead of spending Christmas in a snowsuit, I swam in an outdoor pool and hiked in shorts. Santa wore shorts as well. I remember seeing a life-size cardboard Santa standing in a cactus garden. He wore colorful Bermuda shorts but also his traditional red hat. What a memory!

Thinking about Santa's red hat made me think of the too-tight, too-scratchy, too-bright-orange toque (Canadian word or universal?) I had as a kid. I don’t miss that knitted hat, but it made me ask...

What kind of a hat could I give the heroine in my story-in-progress: Robyn, a Christmas Bride (a follow-up to my Twelve Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides novella, The Calling Birds)?

Just before Christmas 1877, Robyn Llewellyn (my red-haired, tomboy, wagon driver heroine) leaves her home in big city Denver in search of a makeover in the smaller mountain-high mining town of Noelle. She’s used to wearing trousers, but she gets a dress from Birdie Bell (my seamstress heroine from The Calling Birds) and then goes a step further—seeking advice from all of the Brides of Noelle concerning how to win the attention of the man she loves—Birdie’s brother-in-law, Max Peregrine.

I thought...maybe Robyn needs a more ladylike hat to go with her new dress. Then I thought, what hat does Robyn currently wear? A toque? No, that was too Canadian, and Robyn is Welsh American.

THE QUEST FOR A WELSH HAT

My research led me to the Monmouth Cap! A working person's round woolen hat, widely duplicated but originally associated with the town of Monmouth in south east Wales. Different places and memories (things we miss and don’t miss) are full of details. Odd or familiar they can be interesting to explore.

So if I don’t miss my childhood toque because it was too tight, too scratchy, and too bright orange, why would Robyn miss her Monmouth Cap if she had to give it up? Maybe it’s not about the feel or the color of the hat but about how long she’s had it? Or who gave the hat to her?

I'm looking forward to answering these questions as I continue figuring out Robyn’s story—one detail at a time. I'm also eager to see Canada through the eyes and words of my future North of the Border guests in the days to come 🇨🇦

Leave a comment for a chance to win a paperback copy of The Calling Birds!

What's your favorite (or least favorite) hat? 

~ * ~ 

Fall in love with a new Old West... where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. 

You'll find Wild West scouts, spies, cardsharps, wilderness guides, and trick-riding superstars in my stories. Those are my heroines. Wait till you meet my heroes! My love for historical romance adventures with grit and passion came from watching Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm in northern Canada.

I've been nominated for over 20 awards and won the RWA® Golden Heart® & the Laramie® but my best reward is hearing from readers who have enjoyed my stories.

Email me at: Jacqui@JacquiNelson.com

Website: www.JacquiNelson.com

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First Friday with the Crew: Back to School--already??

Hi GLIAS peeps--welcome to First Friday for August. It's seriously hard to believe it's time to talk about school again already, but there are a lot of school districts around the country that start classes at the end of this month. That got our crew to reminiscing--somewhat sorrowfully--about our favorite Back-to-School memories. Some are from our childhoods, some from our kids' childhoods--either way, hope they remind you of the "best years of your life."

LIZBETH SELVIG

Quite a few years ago my children finished the last of their schooling, so my memories of my own school year starts are fuzzy at best! What I do remember well, however, is that I was one of those weird moms who HATED sending my kids back to school every fall. We always had so much fun during the summers that I was sad to give them back to the world of academia. Because of that, every year on the weekend before school started, I threw a slumber-back-to-school party for my kids and their friends.
We always had a blast and filled the time with fall activities like having a campfire and making caramel apples. I'm so glad I made the effort because now I can look back and know I didn't wish away any of the time I had with my "little" kids--even though it went by in the blink of an eye! In one year my granddaughter will be starting school--that's how much time has gone by!
I guess that's why I fill my books with kids and animals--I can't imagine life without them! Here's the most recent book in my "Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys" series--there's definitely a great kid character in this one! (Check out precocious Lucky HERE!)


ANGI MORGAN
WHOA...I barely got used to the neighborhood kids being here during the day and now it's almost time to send them back to school? Time really does fly.

If you have kids, you probably get all their school supplies together. You carefully label each item with a neatly printed name. Your younger kids agree to the first day of school outfit, your teenage daughter agonizes over it, your talk your teenage son out of wearing yesterday's jeans... Before you know it, you're forcing them to stand on the porch for their picture. Cherish the moments!!

When the kids are slaving away in their classes...take a break with a fast-paced, catch-your-breath Texas Ranger. Heath's story is still on sale.

ANGI'S BOOKS: Amazon | B&N | Google | iBooks | Kobo

AMANDA McINTYRE
School... Kindergarten. Junior High. High school college. Masters. In the blink of an eye it's done-
Now I have three in my family that are teachers and it certainly offers a unique perspective into teaching. I have a much greater respect than when I was in school, for sure. Though I did have my "favorite" teachers--Mrs. Beer, the young, fifth grade teacher with a handsome army husband who'd come to visit in full dress uniform. Mr. Herring, American History--who looked like a large Irish elf, but with a laugh and a wit that made teaching fun! And my beloved Art teacher, Mrs. Nebola, whom I credit with drawing out my creativity and teaching me not being afraid to use it! "Never give up. Things can always be changed," she'd say.

 When I had my first book signing in my hometown, I remember there was a sudden snowstorm and I feared not a soul would show. Guess who walked in that door? Mrs. Nebola. I told her then and will always believe that through her guidance, I now paint pictures with words, and creating a painting is exactly how I approach my writing.

SO TO ALL THE TEACHERS BEGINNING A NEW YEAR-

AMAZON

THANK YOU!!  YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE EACH AND EVERY DAY!

I'd like to share the story of one of the best teachers I know, Aimee Worth-Kinnison who, with a carload of elementary students, brought down the Grinch of End of the Line one fateful Christmas Eve....







JACQUI NELSON

School teacher, Faith Featherby

My favorite Back-to-School memories include getting new textbooks, notebooks, and supplies. All those pages filled with things to learn, then the blank pages waiting to be filled with my notes, and the new pens, pencils, highlighters, and--the list never seemed to end!

Then one teacher said we would start all of his classes with a reading time of 10 or 15 minutes. We would just sit silently and read anything we wanted. I couldn’t believe some of my fellow students didn’t love this!

A great teacher is an amazing gift. In my short story Following Faith (currently only available in the Journey of the Heart anthology), my heroine Faith Featherby is a school teacher in a remote Oregon logging camp. She is unjustly fired from her job and discovers a new life, and a new love, after a single day riding a sacred Medicine Hat horse.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL BACK-TO-SCHOOL MEMORY?

And We Have Lift Off - Getting Lucky

A few years ago, after my first book was published, I had an idea for a series of novels based around a group of college friends whose lives were intersecting eighty years after graduation. I knew the stories would be emotionally intense and steamy as all get out, but to be honest, I had only the sketchiest idea of where I’d be heading with them – which is just as well, because as it turns out, what I was really waiting for was Harlequin DARE: the perfect home!

I’m ecstatic that the first book in what became a three-book series is now out worldwide – a friends-to-lovers story where the stakes are super-sized courtesy of the heroine’s need for a baby.

He'll help her get lucky…

and promises to deliver

a whole lot more! 

​With her fertility issues, it's now or never for Romy Allen. Thankfully, her friend Matt Carter will help her research her options. But then the deliciously sexy entrepreneur tears up her IVF paperwork and presents a counteroffer – the old–fashioned way or nothing! How can she refuse? Especially when multiple orgasms are offered as a tempting bonus!

 

Read a little...

She stepped over the threshold. Dark floorboards, white walls, a night view of San Francisco Bay in the distance, through curtains opened wide. There was an inner door she assumed led through to a bathroom. Aside from a built-in wardrobe, the only furniture was a gigantic bed and one armchair—a scarcity that amplified the room’s size.  

 

“It’s big,” she said.

“So all the girls say.”

And somehow, that made her laugh as she turned to face him, despite her anxiety. “Are you obsessed with size?”

“Only with what I can do with it.”

“Don’t overpromise, Matthew.”

“Not an overpromise,” he said huskily, and ran his hand over her hair—a sensual stroke that made her breath catch in her throat. “Are you nervous, Romy?”

“No,” she said—but a tic jumped to life at the side of her mouth and gave the lie to that. “Not…really.”

Matt pressed his thumb over the tic. “We’ll take it as slowly as we need to. I’m not going to do anything I think you won’t like, I promise. Stop me anytime. I won’t be angry. I won’t argue. I won’t pressure you. We’ll just find another way.”

She gestured to the bed, so nervous she could barely stand. “Why don’t you tell me what position you want me in so we can get started?”

“Romy! We’re not even naked yet.”

“I’d rather have it worked out in my head before we take our clothes off so we don’t get…you know…distracted.”

“Getting…you know…distracted is kind of the aim. So why don’t we just play it by ear?”

“By ear?” She reached up and touched her left earlobe, the one he’d nudged with his nose, feeling a residual tingle. “No, that won’t work.”

He looked at her for a long, quiet moment. “If you don’t want to touch me, Romy, there’s no point to this.”

“I do want to. But I…I just know I could prepare myself better if I knew where we were headed.”

“You’re overthinking it.”

“But what if I suck?”

“Then that’ll be perfect.”

“Oh!” She laughed. “You know what I mean.”

He sighed. “I want you, Romy. I want you, however this unfolds. I’m telling you that straight. And you know how important you are to me outside this room, which means I have to know this is what you really want. So tell me. Tell me you want me.”

“I already t-told you.”

“Tell me again. Make me believe it. Or this stops now.”

Buy the book HERE!

To go into the draw for a signed print copy of Getting Lucky, leave a comment below about your best friend from school or university – and include your email address with the comment OR via private message on my Facebook Page!

Carder, Texas is back

COWBOY'S SECRET SON

From solitary cowboy…
To protective daddy

His Texas ranch has been a refuge for Jared King ever since tragedy tore his life apart. But when the widowed rancher is reunited with the one-night stand he never forgot and meets the child he never knew existed, he quickly learns just how much danger they’re both in. 

Now, with Courtney Jamison trusting him to keep her and their son safe, will the city girl who invaded his heart stick around once the danger has passed?

Carder, Texas Connections
Preview  &  Order
Follow Robin


Here's something a little different for GLIAS readers. I Skyped Robin's interview. Feel free to share the interview via YouTube.  If you have problems with this video player, try going directly to the YouTube posting: http://bit.ly/AngiAndRobin.

Robin's August release is the 9th book in the Carder, Texas Connections series. Each book is a stand-alone story, but has a thread to Carder, Texas for all of Robin's fans. 

Find all the details on her website.  Or check out some of the previous GLIAS interviews with lots of special tidbits.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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