CHASING KAT, HUDSON RIVER SERIES

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Chasing Kat 

Hudson River Book 3 

by 

Jacqueline Simon Gunn 

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

It’s been twelve years since Kat laid eyes on Baxter Adams, her first love, her best friend, the boy who broke her heart. Though Bax shied away from commitments, Kat was the one girl he wanted to know forever, someone he would do anything for. Except date. Then in a moment that ripped both of their hearts out, they ended a friendship they thought would last a lifetime.

Now, Kat believes her past with Bax is finally behind her… until he’s hired at the magazine where she works. At first, they slip easily into their close camaraderie, ignoring events of the past. But is rekindling their old friendship enough? Or is something deeper still between them?

While Bax wants nothing more than to earn back Kat’s trust, blaming himself for the way things ended between them, he has no idea that Kat still harbors guilt for breaking a promise that changed the course of his life. And she never had the courage to tell him.

In an emotional story about long-lost friendships, passionate love and the bonds that endure, will the past that ties them together also tear them apart?

This is book three in the Hudson River series but can be read as a stand-alone. 

“You don’t really want to be with me.” 

“What if I do?” I took my hand out of his and placed it on my hip. 

 “I’m telling you, you don’t. This right here, what we have, this is the best part of me. And you only deserve the best.” 

 I glared at him. “We are together all the time. I’m the one who’s always been there. I just don’t get it. Sometimes I wonder, why not me? And I can’t stand that question. It makes me feel insecure. And I’m not.” 

“I can’t be what you deserve. It would ruin what we have.” 

I backed away from him, fighting a frown. I’d been diminished by the weariness of my own wanting, my own waiting. Do you know how much work it is to hold in how you feel when the person you love is right there, all the time? “Do you have any idea what this has been like for me?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You have hooked up with so many girls, even some of my friends. I’m the one you’re closest with. I know this is more than friendship, and I’m tired of pretending that I don’t want more.” I started to turn away, but I turned back and looked him in the eyes. This time I would not conceal the truth of my feelings with humor. I was terrified to lose him, but I was more afraid of never fully finding myself, of never exploring these restless passions that stirred inside of me. I would not betray myself for him.

“You don’t really want me the way you think you do.” 

My eyes widened. “Don’t tell me what I want and don’t want.” 

He inched closer. “You have me. This me. This is the me you want, and you have him. Don’t you get it? I don’t want something serious. I don’t want to be tied down to one woman. This is how we stay close, by not being together.”

**Only .99 cents!** 

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Before the Footprints Fade 

Hudson River Book 2 

Amanda knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want. Raised by a mother who tore her down and made her feel unworthy, she’s now determined to finish her journalism degree and stand on her own two feet. 

But when an irresistible connection tempts her, will she find the love she never had with Harry, the talented and gorgeous musician with secrets behind his eyes? Or will she once again learn that she can’t depend on anyone but herself? 

In a story that delves deeply into how the past choices and unlived lives of those close to us affect our own journey and how difficult it is to change when everyone expects you to be the same as you’ve always been, there’s even more at play than Amanda and Harry’s passionate and tumultuous relationship. Lurking in the past are secrets that hold the key to and threaten to change the lives of almost everyone close to them. 

Will they be able to hold on to their love, even when they are their own worst enemies? Or will the answers to long-asked questions blow their world apart? 

Before the Footprints Fade is a love story that explores philosophical themes about love, memories, nostalgia and how the path not taken creates a ripple effect on the lives of those close to us. 

This book is a spin-off of Forever and One Day but can be read as a stand-alone. 

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Forever and One Day 

Hudson River Book 1 

Everyone has wondered “what if?” But how many get a chance to live it?

Seventeen years ago, Olivia Watson’s world was turned upside down when she discovered Justin, her high-school sweetheart turned fiancé, having sex with her best friend, Petal. Unable to muster up any forgiveness, she turns her back on him and every friend connected to that part of her life, leaving many questions about the details of the betrayal unanswered.

When Olivia receives an invitation for her twenty-year high school reunion, she decides that she’s been avoiding the past for too long. It’s time to go back and revisit that part of her life, her old friends, and the betrayal that created the wedge between them.

As soon as she and Justin lay eyes on each other at the reunion, they immediately sense the vibrant remains of their unbreakable connection. The spark between them never faded. However, Justin is now married to Petal and Olivia is involved with Adam, her handsome, best-selling-author boyfriend. But is healing old wounds enough for Olivia and Justin to move forward together, or will it help them make peace with the new lives they have chosen?

Each of the four main characters remain bound to their past by unresolved issues, demonstrating that sometimes we can’t find our future until we settle our past. But, most importantly, Olivia learns that forever isn’t time eternal; rather, forever is a place we share with the people we love the most — even when they’re gone. 

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Jacqueline Simon Gunn, Author

Does the Hudson River Series have any parallels that could be drawn from your life?

Most of the Hudson River series takes place in the towns of New Jersey that are right across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Forever and One Day (book 1) takes place in both New Jersey and New York City. I grew up in a town called North Bergen in New Jersey, which sits right on the Hudson River. It’s a unique area of the state, because it’s so close to New York City. It’s almost more like a suburb of Manhattan. We have accents that sound almost identical to New York accents. It’s crowded. It’s intense. It’s diverse. The river and the view of the New York City skyline really make it special. I wanted to capture aspects of New York City and the Hudson River towns in New Jersey in the series. 

Several characters went to the same high school as I did. Many of my friends from childhood had read my thriller series which takes place in Manhattan. I wrote the Hudson River series in the area we grew up in, for them, so they could recognize locations. I have had many old friends tell me that they loved the books, particularly because the setting was familiar and brought back many fond memories. 

Which Part of Chasing Kat was your Favorite Part to Write & Why? 

I loved writing the entire story. I felt all of the complex emotions between Kat and Bax. The book goes back and forth in time so readers get to see not only what happens when they meet again, but also the history of their close friendship and what caused the abrupt ending. I really enjoyed writing the scenes when they were in high school and college. Kat was a strong, spirited young girl, who had a sense of courage and conviction that I lacked at that age. Kat and Bax meet their freshman year in high school in English class. 

One of Bax’s friends, Zipper, is talking about having sex with a girl in a disrespectful manner. Kat, overhearing the conversation, confronts Zipper, telling him he sounds insecure. When Zipper responds with a nasty comment, Kat gives it right back to him. Bax eventually stands up for her which is the moment when they first notice each other. This is just one example of a scene written when she is a young girl. It was liberating to write a character who was strong in a way I wish I had been at that age.

Jacqueline Simon Gunn is a Manhattan-based clinical psychologist and writer. She has authored two non-fiction books and co-authored two others. She has published many articles, both scholarly and mainstream, and currently works as a freelance writer. Gunn is now writing psychological fiction, love stories and thrillers. Always in search of truth and fascinated by human behavior, her fiction writing, like psychology, is a way for her to explore human nature -- motivation, emotions, relationships.

In addition to her clinical practice and writing, Gunn is an avid runner and reader, a serious cat lover and a coffee connoisseur. She is currently working on multiple writing projects. 

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GRANT ME THE MOON IS NOW A SINGLE TITLE!

A word of caution. I wouldn't want you to buy GRANT ME THE MOON twice. If you read the contemporary western romance box set COME LOVE A COWBOY, then you’ve read GRANT ME THE MOON. I pulled my book from that set so I could release it as a single title because I am currently working on a sequel, CAPTURE A STAR. Both are set in and near Post, Texas.

Hero and I grew up in Lubbock, Texas, which is forty miles or so from Post. After we married, we drove from where we lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to Lubbock and back to visit family a million, gazillion times.  Maybe not that many, but that’s what it seemed. We went so often we knew when ranchers or farmers painted the barn or got a new pickup truck.

View approaching the Caprock
my photo

On the way, we passed through Post, founded by the cereal magnate Charles William Post, at the foot of the Caprock escarpment. Post bought 250,000 acres to start an experimental colony. This included a number of ranches. He fenced off the land in 160-acre tracts, laid out a townsite, built houses, and in other ways worked to attract settlers. In 1907 Garza County was formally organized and Post City designated as county seat. The name was later shortened to Post.

Someone holding a Clovis point
photo from Google Commons

Evidences of early man found in Garza County include Clovis points (spearheads) like the one pictured above. In 1934, archeologists also discovered the 16-foot-long tusk of a prehistoric imperial mammoth. A type of arrow point used by hunters before 1500 AD was uncovered in the county during the 1960s and named the Garza point (shown below). The site is called the Garza Site and is on private land so we couldn't visit for a tour.

Garza Point
from Google Commons

Nevertheless, Hero and I always wished we could visit the Garza Site. We are amateur archeology fans and have enjoyed visiting places like Chaco Canyon, Hovenweep, and Mesa Verde. Since we couldn’t visit the Garza Site, I invented one on a nearby ranch. Writing fiction is so great!

I don’t know why Post captured my imagination, but it did. The thought of C. W. Post’s Utopian community in dusty West Texas both tickles and puzzles me. Post remains very nice even though it is not exactly what Post visualized. The area has a particular desert beauty, although it is primarily ranch land. A branch of the Brazos River passes through the county. Cotton and hay are grown in Garza County, but I believe most cotton is grown above the Caprock. Oil wells dot the ranchland and wind farms spread along the edge of the Caprock. 

Photo from Google Commons

Our parents are no longer living so we don’t drive through there very often now but my fascination with Garza County hasn’t diminished. Perhaps that’s why Post seemed the perfect setting for GRANT ME THE MOON, available for 99 cents for a limited time. This is book two of the Texas Caprock Series. Book three, CAPTURE A STAR, will be released in a couple of months.

Allow me to share some of GRANT ME THE MOON. Here’s the blurb:

All Tory Fraser intended was to show her high school history club students a local archeology dig. How could she know the excursion would involve a murder? Or that one of her students would be suspected as the killer? And she had no idea she would meet the man of her dreams.

Grant Grayson has taken over management of Grayson Ranch near Post, Texas to give his grandfather a less arduous schedule. A flash flood washed away an old talus slope on the ranch to reveal a prehistoric cave that is a Clovis site. Being a good citizen, he invited the nearest large university archaeology department to excavate the cave. When a gorgeous blonde high school teacher asks his permission to take her students to the site, how can he deny her? Especially when he is instantly attracted to her as he’s never been to anyone.

Tory and Grant are drawn into the investigation to clear her student but unintentionally make themselves a target.

Now I’ll share an excerpt from GRANT ME THE MOON:

This evening, she’d traded her business suit for a blue sundress and left her golden hair down, which he liked much better than the bun-like twisty thing she’d worn this afternoon. Instead of the killer heels she’d worn earlier in the day, she wore low-slung white sandals.

The forty-mile drive to Lubbock passed quickly with talk of archaeology and travel to ancient ruins.

As they entered the city, he asked, “Do you have a food preference?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want liver or Brussels sprouts. Anything else is fine.”

A laugh erupted from deep inside him. “I don’t like liver either. How about a steak house with a variety of food?”

“Your call, Grant, because I’m not familiar with what’s available. I’ve been reclusive this year. Except for school functions, I’ve spent evenings and weekends with Grandma.”

He chose a restaurant on 82^nd Street and pulled into the parking lot. “Monday evenings are not especially busy, so we shouldn’t have trouble getting seated.”

He guided her inside and they were shown to a table.

After they’d placed their orders, he asked, “Your grandmother, is she all right?”

“Grandpa died last spring. She’s not ill, just frail and deeply in mourning. I was lucky there was an opening in the school.”

“Where did you teach before?”

She offered a wry smile, almost as if embarrassed. “Assistant professor at Texas A&M.” She shrugged and tilted her head. “I realize it appears I took a backwards step, but I was the one who could rearrange my life to move here. Fortunately, I genuinely enjoy teaching high school history.”

“So your grandmother is sad rather than ill. Does she get around well?”

She raised her eyebrows and nodded. “In fact, she can keep up with me. After Grandpa passed away, she was so heartbroken that we were afraid her health was deteriorating. Actually, it was. She wasn’t eating properly and not sleeping well. Or, she was staying up most of the night and sleeping most of the day. With me here, she keeps regular hours and we have breakfast and supper together.”

He reached across the table and laced his fingers with hers. “But not tonight.”

She met his gaze and smiled before she slid her hand to her lap. Disappointment claimed him at the loss of her touch.

“I stopped by the store on my way home and bought her a chicken pot pie in a brand that’s healthy. I only hope she’s doing as I asked and having that and a salad for dinner.”

After they’d eaten, he drove under the speed limit on the way back to Post. Her company fascinated him and he wished he could prolong the evening. When they reached the edge of the Caprock above Post, he pulled over at a wide space on the shoulder and opened the sunroof.

“I love this spot. You can see the lights of our little town below and the stars above.”

She relaxed against the seat and head rest. “The almost full moon tonight obscures many of the stars. This is a beautiful vantage point, though. As if we’re divine and are hanging above the world. I could almost reach out and touch the moon.”

He reached for her hand and entwined their fingers “Should I grab it for you?”

She offered a whimsical smile. “Let’s leave it there so everyone can enjoy the moonlight.”

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GRANT ME THE MOON will be available at Nook, Kobo, and iBooks soon.

Happy Reading!

ROCK AND ROLL FANTASY COLLECTION BARGAIN PRICE FROM DIANE RINELLA!

VALENTINE PETS AND KISSES OFFERS 14 NEW ROMANCES FOR 99 CENTS

ART IMITATES LIFE, MOSTLY

Kevin Costner as Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield

Like many history fans, I watched the recent mini-series on the Hatfields and McCoys. The acting was phenomenal, the costumes and sets were remarkable. I could hardly wait for the next episode. Even though I knew the story, I kept hoping both sides would make peace and quit killing one another. Once again I was reminded how foolish pride and petty hatred can distort and destroy lives and cause inconceivable pain. Why isn't common sense the least bit common?

Hatfields

As a writer, I use universal truths like those in the Hatfield and McCoy mini-series to create stories that I hope entertain and encourage. That most of my stories hold moral lessons is also true. As an author, I champion the good in men and women, ridicule and punish the shallow and senseless.

Not that the lessons can be obvious. Nope, I hope to sneak them in when readers are concentrating on the plot. ;-D  Often evil doers believe themselves above the law and unconquerable. In my books, those people are always caught...eventually. I wish that were always true in life, but it sometimes happens. Let’s go with that, shall we?

While I try to vary plots with each book, my books tend to have several common themes: redemption, good defeats evil, love overcomes obstacles, and personal fulfillment. But I don’t want readers to dwell on them, other than to sigh with relief when love conquers all, the broken heart is healed, the hardened heart cracks and welcomes love, characters achieve fulfillment, and those obstacles blocking characters’ happiness have been defeated. What I desire is that readers fall in love with my characters and think of them as real people (as they are in my mind) and want to read my next book. Nothing makes this author happier.  

THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE is about a marriage of convenience that blossoms into a true love match. The idea for the book came from a tiny kernel in the form of a story my grandmother once told me about a girl in her hometown who quit school because of all the rumors and teasing she was forced to endure. Although my grandmother didn’t know what happened to the girl, I wanted the poor girl’s story to end well. Each of us deserves happily ever after, right?

If you’ve ever lived in a small town, you know there are no secrets. A person with evil in his heart frequently forgets that fact and does terrible things to conceal what everyone already knows. Most of the book takes place in Texas, but a part is set in Tennessee in a small village like that in which my grandmother lived as a child.

Here’s the blurb from THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE:

Wanted: one completely improper bride.

Even if Drake Kincaid had placed such an advertisement in every paper in the country, he couldn’t have found a better candidate than Pearl Parker...which is fine with him. After all, his parents’ will stipulates only that he marry by his thirtieth birthday, not that he marry well. And no one--including Drake’s grandfather, the man determined to hold him to the ridiculous provision--could possibly think tall, bossy Pearl with her ragtag siblings and questionable “cousin” Belle will make a good wife. Until Drake realizes that in her startling violet eyes he sees a beautiful woman with a generous soul...

Their life together may not have started with hearts and flowers, but Drake and Pearl will soon learn that real love--with a breathtaking dose of passion--will make their marriage a true romance.

Excerpt from THE MOST UNSUITABLE BRIDE:

"What do you mean, stay here?”
Pearl had wakened cocooned in the hazy glow following a night of intermittent lovemaking with her husband to find him dressing for the ranch. Then he dropped a bombshell on her.
"You know it's not safe for you to be on your own. Ranch is too isolated. You'll be safer here in town.” Drake stomped his feet to settle each in the boots he wore. He retrieved a blue chambray shirt from his bag and donned it.
"For how long?” Pearl slid from bed and grabbed her nightgown from the floor.
"Well..."
She whirled on her husband, confronting him, "You never intended for me to move to the ranch, did you?” She yanked her nightie on. No one could argue buck-naked.
"Don't get riled. Women hate the seclusion. You'll be happier in town. Things to do here and people about you.” Drake shoved his shirt into his twill pants without looking at his wife.
She stepped toward him and pointed at her chest. "What do you know about what makes this woman happy?"
A crooked smile broke his face. "Aw, I know what makes you happy, all right. Didn't I keep you happy all night?"
She shrugged away the comment aimed to distract her. "Did you ask me which I prefer? No.” She hoped her glare chilled his randy hide.
His voice softened, placating. "Pearl, be reasonable. We don't know who's tried to kill you and your family. Someone might be trailing you right now, waiting somewhere and watching the house.”
He met her gaze. That muscle twitched in his cheek, letting her know he was less than happy with this conversation. Well, that didn't bother Pearl in the least. Some things needed talked about.
He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders, then took a deep breath and continued,  "Look, the sheriff and his deputy as well as several of the town's leading citizens will be looking out for any newcomer. I talked to the owners of the livery stable, the hotel, the mercantile, all the places I could think of that a newcomer would stand out. If any strangers come around asking questions, the sheriff will find out immediately. You and Sarah will be safer here."
"You're taking Storm with you?” She hugged her arms, sensing a lost battle.
"Yes, um, with your permission. I can't see him attending teas or shopping here in town. Besides, he's a big help to me."
Her head came up and her hands fisted at her hips. "And I suppose Sarah and I are just so much baggage?"
"Now, I didn't say that and you know it.” He held up a hand, palm out, as if to stay her fury. "But you have no place rounding up cattle and getting ready for a drive."
"It's true we don't ride, but we could learn.” She could learn anything, given a chance. She suspected no chance would come.
"There's no time to teach you. 'Sides, it makes the cowboys and vaqueros nervous to have women around the cattle. They think it's bad luck. And I can't leave the two of you at the house with only the housekeeper to help you."
She sagged in defeat. "Okay, Drake. I'll stay here for now, and I'll try not to shame you. But this is only until we know there'll be no more meanness against my family. Don't think you can keep me waiting too long," she warned.
His face broke into a smile of relief. "You'll see. By the time this is over and things calm down, you'll like this sweet life so much you won't be able to tear yourself away from Grandpa's house."
"Too much sweet gives a body a belly ache."
Ignoring that and stepping close, he kissed her on the cheek then nuzzled her neck. "I'll be sleeping tonight in a bedroll on hard ground. Give me a kiss to remember."
Something to remember. She'd give him something to remember all right. She raised her mouth to his, let him plunder with his tongue. Her tongue did some plundering of its own as she moved her body against him. When their kiss ended, the heat of passion darkened his eyes.
"When you're sleeping on the hard ground, all alone, you remember that, husband.” Head high, she turned and walked into the dressing room.

THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE is Book One of the Kincaids, and is available for only 99 cents from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/MOST-UNSUITABLE-WIFE-Kincaids-ebook/dp/B004OR1VOO/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1338514599&sr=1-7 and from
Smashwords at
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/37683?ref=CarolineClemmons.

Book Two of the Kincaids is THE MOST UNSUITABLE HUSBAND, and is also available for 99 cents. Book Three is not yet written but is tentatively titled TEXAS STORM. I hope to release it in 2013.


Thanks for reading!