BLURB:
When Jessica Martin met Johnny Devereaux that December, holiday magic filled the air but their love was no enchantment….he was, without doubt the love of her life and by summer, they were happy newlyweds with all their life and holidays ahead.
But when he failed to return home from a fishing trip on the Fourth of July, Jessica’s world is rocked to the foundation and when the authorities tell her that her husband is missing, presumed dead, she refuses to believe it.
As the months and seasons pass, no one else holds out hope but Jessica believes.
She knows he’ll be home for Christmas no matter what. Her family calls her crazy, Johnny’s family tries to help her find closure but Jessica’s heart refuses to surrender hope.
When Christmas comes, the truth will come out to shock them all.
EXCERPT #1 (Sweet):
“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“I know you,” he said, “I don’t know how but I know you, inside. I may not know yet what your favorite color is,”
“Red,”
“Or what season you love the most,”
“Christmas,” she supplied and he grinned.
“Or if you are seeing someone,”
Jessica smiled at him, feeling a rush of affection for him. “I am now.”
Johnny understood; she watched the knowledge of it soften his features and curl his lips into a sweet smile. “Darlin’, you’re my woman, just like that. I never saw it coming but now that you’re here, I’m glad. I’ve wanted someone like you in my life for so long but I never knew your name or what you looked like. I always kind of figured that my heart would recognize you when you showed up.”
“Did it?” Her voice sounded normal with no hint of the tears that ached within at his tender words.
He released her hands to put his right one in the center of his chest, over his heart.
“Oh, yeah, Jessica Martin, it totally did.”
No guy ever said such romantic things to her. His words weren’t flowery or fancy but delivered in that Oklahoma twang; she savored each one and filed it away in memory to keep forever. Before she could think up something to say back, the waitress brought their food and he took her hands in his again, this time to ask a blessing.
After that, hungry, they ate. First, they had the homemade soup, perfect for the cold winter’s night, then they enjoyed the rest of the meal. Although the food was tasty, the burger juicy, the bacon crisp, and fries just right, Jessica could have dined on oatmeal and been just as happy. They never stopped talking, their pauses timed to accommodate the other’s answers and by the time they headed back out into the snow-filled night, they both knew the basic life history of the other.
And more important than that they knew how much they loved each other, for now and for always.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy is a full-time romance author. A native of the old historic city of St. Joseph, Missouri, one time home to both Jesse James and the Pony Express, she now lives and writes in the beautiful Missouri Ozark region. Her romance novels include Wolfe’s Lady (December 2010 Evernight Publishing), Love Tattoo, (March 2011, Evernight), Love Scars (June 2011, Evernight), Love Never Fails (May 2011, Rebel Ink Press), Kinfolk (July 2011, Champagne Books), The Marriage Cure (Astraea Press, July 2011), Love Scars, July 2011 (Evernight Publishing). Love Tattoo, Love Scars, and Love Knots are the first three volumes of her Love Covenant paranormal romance series. Love Shadows, book four will be out in December. Just released in October are Witness Protection Program (Rebel Ink Press, A Time to Love (Champagne Books. Coming soon are Sing We Now of Christmas (Rebel Ink Press, December 2011). Upcoming in 2012 are five (for now!) more Rebel Ink Press titles (A Patient Heart, Miss Good Samaritan, Guy’s Angel, In Love’s Own Time), In the Shadow of War, and a novella, Long Live the King (Champagne Books). Her work also appears in more than twenty anthologies and she has multiple short story/non-fiction credits.
She is a member of RWA, Missouri Writers Guild, EPIC, and the Ozarks Writers League.
Her work also appears in multiple anthologies. She earned a BA degree in both English and History from Missouri Southern State University as well as an AA Degree in Journalism from Crowder College. She worked in broadcast media for a decade and also has a background in education. Her weekly column “Hindsight” appears each week in the Neosho Daily News.
She is married to Roy W. Murphy and the couple has three children, Emily, Megan, and Patrick Murphy.
If Lee Ann – or Lee as many of her writing friends know her – isn’t writing, she’s reading or spending time outdoors.
In Neosho , Missouri
A Page In The Life
Rebel Writer: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy
Website http://leeannwriter.weebly.com
On Twitter @leeannwriter
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Other stops on the Blog Barrage:
December 21
December 22
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