There’s a new book coming. I said time and again in 2017 that it was on its way, and I finally finished writing To Cherish on Oct. 26. I started editing right away only for some of that momentum to be interrupted by my oldest daughter breaking her arm. I was still able to mail out beta copies the first week of December, so I must have done something right (and, for those inquiring minds, yes, I send physical copies to some of my beta readers).
I can honestly say, though, I’m disappointed with myself. My original plan was to release Tommy’s book by the end of the year and it didn’t happen. As I was editing, I was truly shooting for a Dec. 26 release. There was no way I would be able to make it work unless I stopped time, worked 24-hours a day, and left my children to the wild/the mercy of their father’s cooking. Beta copies are expected to start trickling in in the next week or so, and in the meantime I have edits and remarks from a digital beta reader on the first 15 chapters that I’ll be working on. I started reading through my own print copy over Christmas and decided I hate everything I wrote, which is normal. I’ve already read the book 12 times, so naturally it all sounds played out, but to the people who are reading it the first time? I’m over here crossing my fingers Tommy grabs their hearts and squeezes just enough to make them happy they signed up to read for me.
If you’d believe it, I’m trying really hard to not get down on myself. I have a cover, I have a release date, and I have the book available for preorder. All that needs to be done for the digital copy is the final editing, formatting, and uploading. Then, come Feb. 13, 2018, my nerves might settle a bit. After that, I can focus on the formatting for the paperback, which won’t be releasing the same day as the ebook unless I’m granted a small miracle. It isn’t all bad in Miranda Land.
Now, without further ado, the cover of To Cherish (To Have, #3):
While I’m working with a new designer, the same woman who created my logo and business cards, we chose to keep with the design elements that were created and used in the first two covers and I’m very happy with the outcome of this project. Like the first book, I sought out a photo of the real community my fictional characters are living in and found local photographer Joe Pompili, who was willing to work with me and allow me to use his photo of Brockport, NY, for the cover of Tommy’s book. The photo was altered to fit our needs (making it look less like a photo and more like a painting), and the end result was exactly what I was looking for. If you’re interested in seeing more of Joe’s work, you can find him on Facebook at Joe Pompili Photography.
From the back cover:
Jacelyn Crocker is new in town, or so a handful of people in the small community of Brockport, NY, think she is. A decade ago, Jacey uprooted herself and headed west to the California coast where she attended art school and built a life surrounded by people she thought she could rely on. Rarely coming home, she lost touch more and more with the one person she could call her best friend, Sutton. When Jacey’s brother needs help with the family business, she comes back — only to find her friend has moved, leaving behind a web of lies and shattered hearts.
Tommy Stratford is a family man. Loyal, determined, and a hopeless romantic, he took a leap of faith when he was told he was going to build a family of his own. Jumping into the unknown was nothing new for him. But everything changed when Tommy’s dream became more of a nightmare — one that connects him with Jacey in ways they didn’t realize.
Forging a friendship, Jacey and Tommy find they can be whole without the person they thought completed each of them. Friendships are tricky, though, and there are a lot of grey areas. Judgments get clouded when intimacy is added to the equation, and they find themselves asking, “Is friendship enough?”
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M.L. Pennock 