Seattle
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Is it springtime yet?
This has been a rough winter for Seattle residents. Lots of gray. Lots of snow. Lots of cold. Just when I think winter is waning, we get another blast of dreary, frigid weather.
The good news is it’s almost over! March 20th marks the first day of spring and I’m so ready.
How do you celebrate the arrival of spring? For me, it’s getting active outdoors. Riding my bike to the local market for fresh produce and sunny flowers.
Springtime also means watching for the flowers in my garden to bloom and blossom.
Warm weather also means time for a pedicure! I can’t wait to trade in my thick socks and boots for flip-flops and bare feet!
What is your favorite way to welcome spring?
Meet the cast of characters from 'An Inner Fire'
My contemporary romantic mystery series featuring Grayce Walters includes a colorful cast of characters. I carefully developed each one so they would bring something unique to the series. James, Grayce’s cross-dressing best friend, is her faith sidekick, but he also adds a bit of comic relief to contrast the darker elements of the stories. By-the-book hunky arson investigator Ewan Davis is Grayce’s love interest, but his straight-laced logical nature contradicts Grayce’s intuitive approach to life. Hollie Thomas, Grayce’s feisty, tattooed office assistant, represents today’s younger pop culture element.
Included in the lineup, and just as important as any human character, is Seattle, Washington. I use specific locations and features of the city when I am plotting scenes in order to lend authenticity and realism to the story.
What makes Seattle a great “character” for a romantic mystery series? I’m happy to share my top five reasons.
- Seattle’s proximity to Mt. Rainier–58 miles—offers potential for natural disaster scenarios.
- As a port city on the border of Canada, Seattle is a logical location for stories that include international intrigue such as smuggling or terrorism.
- There are numerous naval bases on the islands surround Seattle. Think military action, submarine subterfuge and heroic service men and women.
- Seattle’s weather is notoriously dark and gray and rainy, which is equally good for setting up a cozy romantic interlude or bad guy skulking around.
- Seattle is home to several high-tech icons, such as Microsoft and Amazon, which translates into corporate espionage, telecommunications disruptions or worse!
Meet all of the characters in An Inner Fire. Available on Amazon or read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited.
Holiday Goodies for You!
Hello,
How is it that time seems to fly by faster during the holiday season? Is it because there are more things to do or because we want to savor every single moment of this special time of the year?
I hope you’re spending time on the things that matter most to you. For me, that’s time with friends and family, enjoying the performing arts, writing and savoring the unique opportunities in my home city of Seattle.
I’m sharing a picture a friend took a few years ago when we had a rare white Christmas. The delicate white flakes are the perfect accent for the greenery and red bows decking out Pike Place Market.
I’ve collected some freebies and 99-cent books for you to indulge in when you have time to curl up and read. I hope you find a new favorite among the suggestions.
Lastly, be sure to enter my Holiday Giveaway. One lucky reader will win a new Kindle Fire.
Wishing you all the joys of the season!
Jacki
Get more military romance
Coming 2.7.19
Navy SEAL Finn Jenkins will do whatever it takes to protect beautiful Sophie Dean, no matter the risk to his own life…or heart.
More gripping military romantic suspense in Book 2 of Jacki Delecki’s Impossible Mission series.
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Nook | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play
I’m giving away a Kindle Fire!
Click here for a chance to win!
Another chance to win!
Have you read my novel Mission: Impossible to Resist? For a limited time, you can enter to win the book plus 20 fantastic Romantic Suspense Novels from an amazing collection of authors AND a brand new eReader – just follow me and other great Romantic Suspense authors on BookBub! Click here for details.
FREE Military Romantic Suspense
Fake a relationship with his ex-wife? Not on your life!
When a terrorist steals a drug submarine, Navy SEAL Dane “Viking” Erikson finds himself thrust into his first HOT mission with an unexpected partner: his ex-wife, DEA agent Ivy McGill. Dane doesn’t want to work with the one woman who still twists him up inside, but he can’t refuse a direct order from his commanding officer.
Ivy’s on a mission of her own–to put the ruthless drug dealer she blames for her mother’s death out of business for good. If she has to work with Dane to get it done, she will. And she absolutely will not fall for his hard muscles and killer smile ever again. Once burned, twice shy.
But Dane and Ivy have never been able to keep their hands off each other. While they may believe that sex and love don’t intertwine, they’ll find out what’s real and what isn’t when a dangerous player takes matters into his own hands. They’ll need to be more than a team to survive what’s coming their way–and it’s not going to be easy!
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FREE SEAL Romantic Suspense
Can He Be The White Knight She Needs?
Navy SEAL, Mason Gault, faced many dangers while in the line of duty. No matter how bad a mission has gone, he finds solace in three things: His family, his teammates and the waves of the Pacific Ocean. When he hears a woman’s screams for help, he charges in to save her without a second thought.
Sophia Anderson takes care of everyone but herself. She will stop at nothing to keep her family safe. When she goes searching for her runaway little brother in a bad part of town, she becomes the one in need of rescue.
Sophia is burdened with scars from her past. Mason understands that empowering her spirit is just as important as protecting her well-being. As their love and passion soars, so do threats against her. Can Mason continue to be the compassionate white knight that she needs, while ensuring her safety?
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99¢ Christmas Box Set (Free on KU)
Fifteen all-new historical romances, brimming with sizzling passion and the promise of true love — told within sumptuous Christmas settings.
Peril with a Prince – by Emily Murdoch
Duke of Christmas – by Ellie St. Clair
The Night Before Scandal – by Scarlett Scott
Master of the Moor – by Emmanuelle de Maupassant
Wicked Deeds on a Winter Night – by Stacy Reid
My Lady of Misrule – by Amy Rose Bennett
Mistletoe Mistress – by Nicola Davidson
A Christmas Masquerade – by Vanessa Brooks
Bastian’s Surrender – by Carole Mortimer
The Marriage Game – by Gracie Malling
Her Mistletoe Promise – by Jaye Peaches
Trusting Her Highland Laird – by Brandy Golden
Yuletide Yielding – by Ashe Barker
A Bluestocking for Christmas – by Viola Morne
A Wicked Christmas Wish – by Em Brown
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Seattle International Film Festival
One of my favorite cultural events is the Annual Seattle International Film Festival. This is the 44th year, and attendees have the opportunity to experience more than 400 films from 90 countries.
I went to opening night and saw The Bookshop and Blindspotting. Also on my “watch” list is Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit and Pick of the Litter.
These films represent all genres, ranging from feature films and shorts to documentaries and archival works. The subject matter ranges from contemporary issues like racial dynamics int he workplace to training Labrador puppies as service dogs. The talent behind these films includes award-winning directors, producers and actors, and aspiring film students.
The Annual Seattle International Film Festival, running May 17 to June 10, largest and most highly-attended film festival in the United States. I’m so glad this event is in my hometown!
Undercover Danger ~ Excerpt from 'Women Under Fire'
Angie stood motionless in the shadow of a misshapen cypress tree. The setting summer sun of Seattle didn’t relieve the cold frisson of danger or the press of her revolver’s cold metal against her skin. Although it had been months since her last reconnaissance mission, her body recognized the drill and tightened into high alert.
Splatters of fading sunlight danced across the sagging house. Official yellow tape was wrapped around the turn of the century beauty like a Christmas bow on a crushed, forgotten present. A “condemned” sign was nailed to the warped door. The crumbling front steps looked like their weight bearing days were a distant memory.
Not sure how to proceed, she waited and watched the abandoned house in the residential Ravenna neighborhood until it got dark. Should she take the squatters unaware? Surprise Maddy before she could run?
She moved from her hiding place to investigate the back of the house. The yard was littered with broken glass, smashed Styrofoam carryout containers, and plastic bags mired in mud from the wet Northwest summer. She stepped over the yellow tape that was haphazardly hung around the back steps, turned the handle, and then pulled open the back door. It was unlocked. The rusting hinges screeched.
“Maddy, it’s Angie from your VA group.” She reverted to her forceful military command voice. “I’m coming in.”
When the door was thrown wide open, small dark bodies—rats—scurried away. Dread raced down her spine into the tips of her toes. God, she hated rats. This rat hole was worse than anything she had seen during her tours of duty in Afghanistan.
She stepped gingerly over the bags of garbage strewn on the uneven linoleum floor. The smell of the years of neglect and black mold hit her sensitive nose. She tried not to breathe. All of her senses heightened in the darkness, an internal radar honed from door-to-door urban combat. She took another two steps, listening for sounds other than the resident rodents.
“It’s Angie from your VA group.” She wasn’t too worried about handling a high Maddy, but handling her companions might get tricky. After eight years as a Marine, she was used to tricky. And after everything Maddy had gone through in Afghanistan, Angie wasn’t about to let her friend descend into another hell.
She reached in the pocket of her jeans for her tiny penlight as she walked into the dark dining room. The light of her flashlight reflected back at her from a cracked mirror hanging over the fireplace, then a sudden, shiny motion. Before she could react, a bright burst of pain exploded in her head. She fought against overpowering blackness.