Tag: Romance

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Meet Cozy Romance Author Jaqueline Gillam-Fairchild

Cozy Romance Author

Cozy Romance Author? What is this blog coming to?

I try hard to be unpredictable. So take a break from science fiction and fantasy–Oops! Scratch that. This romance author has some fantasy in her books.

Let me introduce you to a writer who has fascinated me for five years. Her work is some romance, with enough fantasy or unbelievable things happening to keep me reading.  We met at a book event and I thought, ‘I want to be where she is’. What I meant by that, was I want to have and sell a lot of books as she did.

And when you get to the end of the interview, you get free stuff from me.

Cozy Romance Author Jaqueline Gillam-Fairchild Gets Zached

Cozy Romance Author
Click to get this book.

Jacqueline Gillam Fairchild, I know my readers all believe in Santa Claus, how could you not? But other than just believing, haven’t you ever wondered if Santa ever changed? Aged? Retired? Or was once young … just starting out?

And exactly what is Santa’s Village like?

Does he have neighbors? Who are they?

Is Santa ‘up there’ year-round or does he have a summer house?

Jacqueline: Thank you Andy for sitting down with me to talk today.

Yes, Santa in fact does change, though very slowly. Time in Santa’s Village is unlike the time in the real world as we know it.

Santa, in fact, has aged, had his knees replaced, and can no longer maneuver the chimneys causing Mother Nature to help find a Santa Claus replacement or new Santa.  The old Santa, just like a president, will always retain his title but will retire.

Certain qualities that are essential to becoming Santa, one is being able to instantly tell just what it is someone would like as a gift. The other is being able to determine if you belong on the naughty or nice list. These are inherent qualities someone either has or has not.

Andy: So you are saying there is a new Santa on his way?

Jacqueline: Yes, he has the necessary qualities needed as he is a toymaker and Santa Stand-In on Nantucket. He is also drop-dead gorgeous, and a widow with a young son, adding a little complexity to the situation. Plus it is not that he is a non-believer, he simply has never thought it through. Also, his name goes against him as a choice. He is not a Nick or Chris or any deviation of any name we all associate with Santa Claus. His name is Harvey. Not as in the big rabbit, but Harvey Nickols as in the department store in London. This is highly irregular and possibly a stumbling block.

He has also not dated, mind fallen in love for an exceptionally long time. When a woman literally falls from nowhere on Nantucket, somehow, he becomes beyond attracted. He is in over his head with love. She has amnesia which he assures her means nothing to him. They can work through whatever or wherever she is from …

Until she starts to remember. She is convinced she was brought to him to not only become the next Santa Claus but that she is on a time limit, with Christmas Eve looming.

Suddenly Harv freaks out, his love forgotten. He cannot believe one impossible thing before breakfast, mind seven. It is too much for him to handle and he withdraws back to his lonely shell. But his son Walter is convinced this is going to be his new mom. He cannot let go of the idea or understand his father’s unwillingness to accept he is destined to be the next Santa Claus.

What’s next, O Cozy Romance Author?

Jacqueline: Well, I do not want to give too much away but the young woman needs to return to Santa’s Village to help get ready for Christmas Eve. Once she is gone Harv’s loneliness outweighs his fears, and he starts hopping on planes to try and find her. On the way he stops in Candy Land.

Candyland board

Andy: As in the board game?

Jacqueline: Yes, the board game comes to life on Harv’s journey to Santa’s Village, including King Kandy.

Andy: So Santa’s Village is real?

Jacqueline: Quite real.

Andy: And is Christmas saved? And does the boy get the girl?

Jacqueline: You need to read it to find out. But let me assure you as we just had a Christmas with gifts and treats, yes, the legend goes on.

Andy: And Walter, the little boy?

Jacqueline: Well, we all want certain things for Christmas and Walter very much wanted a mom …

Join me in Nantucket Tuck You Inn Becoming Santa for an armchair adventure that is both a vacation to the excessively small island of Nantucket and a peek into the world Up North you can only imagine, while sharing a romance that will make you smile and become a believer…

Available on Amazon and through my website teatimewithhermajesty.com

Cozy Romance Author: Do you just leave your readers once Christmas is over?

Jacqueline: Oh no, the adventure continues as two very spoiled sisters challenge their uncle Max to find out if Santa has a summer home on Nantucket. The story is Nantucket Tuck You Inn Looking for Santa, book two in the Nantucket Tuck You Inn series

Click to look for Santa

Andy: A summer home?

Jacqueline: Uh-huh. New York Times reporter Maxwell Kilmartin jumps a ferry to the seven-mile island of Nantucket with no more than a notepad and a duffle bag to prove to his nieces there is no summer home, there is no Santa Claus.

Andy:   No Santa Claus?

Jacqueline: Max figures he will be in and out but never plans on falling under the charms of the elusive Noel, fashion designer to the most exclusive boutique on Nantucket, and fashion designer to all the important stars at Santa’s Village.

Andy: And this story is exciting because?

Jacqueline: Max shows a vulnerable side as he goes down memory lane with thoughts of his kind grandma and his childhood when he believed all things were possible.  And let’s just say the interaction with Noel, well, the romance does get a tad steamy.

Andy: Does Max venture ‘Up North’?

Jacqueline: Yes …

There is also quite a bit of over-the-top fashion from Noel’s creative designs for the Nantucket boutique and the outfits she designs for the superstars ‘Up North’. Retail with faerie dust, that kind of thing …

Andy: Does Max ever discover if Santa has a summer home on Nantucket?

Jacqueline: Let’s just say the island is out to lynch him and prevent ANY reporting on Santa or Nantucket.

Andy: Okay, you have me hooked.

Then What, Cozy Romance Author?

Jacqueline: Coming out soon are two new stories in the Nantucket Tuck You Inn series. Next door to the Tuck You Inn …

Andy: Is the Tuck You Inn the basic headquarters for Becoming Santa and Looking for Santa?

Jacqueline: Yes.  There is an abandoned mansion next door to the Tuck You Inn that has been locked for 100 years. The time has come to open it and discover its secrets.

Andy: More Christmas?

Jacqueline: No, this is the story about a pirate who loved a mermaid and built her a mansion, her untimely death, and a current parallel story. It also introduces 5-year-old Clemmie. For any of your readers who have read my Scrap Book Trilogy set in the Midwest and followed the antics of Auntie Clara, the very senior woman takes a vacation to Nantucket and now becomes a regular, bringing her special brand of magic with her. I hope your readers will join me on an adventure of pirates and tender love in Nantucket Tuck You Inn The Mermaid Mansion. Coming soon.

Andy: Didn’t you say there were two books coming out?

Jacqueline: Yes, following the Mermaid Mansion is Nantucket Tuck You Inn The Chocolate Fiancé.

Andy: That sounds like a story about chocolate and love.

Jacqueline: A chocolate pastry chef from England and a love story with a man she literally has made up.  And an additional romance with the boutique owner Gwyn and the head chef at the Wauwanet Inn.

Andy: And will there be more in this series?

Jacqueline: In production is Nantucket Tuck You Inn The Antique Bride and Groom, the story of one woman’s antiquing journey from Roundtop Texas to Nantucket and the long-gone people whose antiques she acquires and the influence they have on her.

Andy: These long-gone people, are they real?

Jacqueline: Yes, caught somewhere between here and there…because they are needed.

After that is Nantucket Tuck You Inn The Reluctant Photographer. Every time Pierce takes a photo, uninvited images or characters appear in his photographs. They are all from the past, with a story to tell…except one, a young woman who comes into his life via a photograph for a reason.

Andy: Have you written anything else that my readers might enjoy?

Try it out by clicking

Jacqueline: Yes, I have a Mid-west series: Estate of Mind about a bed and breakfast and the absentee owner who finally returns to see his home turned into a business.

Make Me Over, a determined interior designer who works round the clock until she is put on the Bachelorette Show and is forced to deal with all her buried emotions.

The Scrap Book Trilogy: Creating Memories, Grand Memories (takes place at the Murder Mystery at Grand Hotel), and Charmed Memories. Three ancient aunties scrapbook with a twist. Everything they put in their scrapbooks happens. Eventually, they start to manipulate their granddaughters.

The Greater Expectations Four Book Collection: Trish’s Story, Maggie’s Story, Pandora’s Story, Jillian’s Story. Four friends past their best before date chip in and join a costly dating agency and split up the men. Tender and humorous both.

Winding Up, and Free Stuff Coming Afterward

Andy: Where can my readers find you?

Jacqueline: Under Jacqueline Gillam Fairchild on Amazon. Or my site teatimewithhermajesty.com where I also sell very British things, review other writers and artists, and toss in Royal tidbits.

Facebook: Jacqueline Gillam Fairchild

Email: [email protected]

Instagram-coming soon.

 Pinterest, Linked In, Twitter.

Thank you, Andy, for taking your time to visit with me.

Free Stuff You Can Get From Andy, Following Down Below

That winds up your Cozy Romance Author interview. Now, the free stuff.

You’ll get free ebooks, free audiobooks, and notification of books on sale and author events by clicking here.

Got questions or comments for me? Contact me here.

Do you want autographed books? Go here.

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My Most Romantic Story – and a Gift for You

My Most Romantic Story – this’ll be the first time I’ve shared this story with you. I wrote it especially for this weekend. But it isn’t your gift. Your gift is at the end of this blog post.

Go ahead. Scroll down past the romantic story to see it, if you want.

My Most Romantic Story – For Valentine’s Day

He was hyper. His dream of marriage was finally coming true. He couldn’t believe she’d said ‘yes’, back in February when he proposed. Now it was June, a week before their wedding day.

She was gorgeous. Red-haired and petite, she’d fit nicely in his lap.

Stock photo, public domain

They had to buy their marriage license from the courthouse. Their minister would sign it after their wedding. They’d do that this week on Wednesday.

But today was Monday. Now he’d activate his plan. He’d surprise his fiancee with a gift she didn’t expect. They’d already bought each other’s wedding rings and her engagement ring. They’d been practical, with the two of them looking over the jeweler’s wares, picking the rings they wanted.

She was really practical. He loved that, since he tended to be highly romantic. She’d be a good balance for him.

He called the store and give very careful, precise instructions for the coming week. She’d never expect this. Not only was he romantic, he had a wild imagination.

He waited eagerly for her call. She called him daily from her job as an office manager to his cubicle where he worked as a programmer.

After lunch, she called.

My Most Romantic Story – Part 2

“You mushball!”

“Did you like the rose and the poem?”

“Of course I did.”

“I wanted to do something special for you this week.”

“A single long stemmed rose.”

“And a poem. I’m an amateur, but sincere.”

“I know.”

My Most Romantic Story
Long-stemmed rose

The next day, she called again.

“Two roses! And another poem.”

“Were you surprised?”

“Yes. Am I going to get twelve roses, eventually?”

“Could be. You’ll have to wait and see.”

Then on Wednesday I answered the phone and heard, “I got your four roses and poem today. Everyone in the office is going nuts.”

“Good. I wanted to create a sensation.”

“Well, it’s working. Everyone says you’re so romantic.”

“What about you?”

“I think I’m getting a steal. I don’t know why the other girls didn’t go for you.”

“Probably because I was wearing off my rough edges on them. I was dating for ten years before I met you. I know I wasn’t ready for marriage.”

“I’ve got you. That’s all that matters.”

My Most Romantic Story

The Conclusion

The following day she called. “I got twelve roses today. And your poem. What’ll happen tomorrow?”

“Wait and see. Tonight’s the rehearsal.”

“Yes. I can’t believe we need to do all this.”

“Its traditional. And afterward we’ll have a nice dinner together, our two families.”

“Your family is so different from mine.”

“I think my family’s closer to normal than yours.”

“C’mon. My family’s normal!”

“Your mom and dad raised seven kids in eight and a half years. She breast-fed all of you through the 50s and 60s when that was not the thing to do. Your dad gave up promotions so he could come home and have lunch with you guys. That’s all unusual.”

“It didn’t seem odd.”

“Let’s see how odd we can be.”

On Friday, I picked up the phone and heard, “i think I liked this poem the most of all.”

“I worked the hardest on it. Poetry doesn’t come naturally to me.”

“I love it. All the girls are gushing in the office.”

“Am I impacting your productivity?”

“No. I can run this office in my sleep. What am I supposed to do with all these roses?”

“Whatever you want. Strew the petals over your bed.”

“Our bed. It sounds uncomfortable. And it’d be lot of work to take off the petals.”

“We’re getting married this weekend. Are you excited?”

“Of course.”

Your Own Valentine’s Gift from Me

My novel My Undead Mother-in-law begins on Valentine’s Day. I’ll give you a romantic excerpt I’ve never shared before.

George and Diane Newby are a normal, middle-aged couple who turn zombie. Note that my zombies don’t eat human flesh. Rather, they regenerate from injuries very fast, as their zombie bacteria copy their cells and replace them. As a side effect, their eyes turn bright, glowing red.

This excerpt falls between My Undead Mother-in-law and Paranormal Privateers. I tell it in the latter book as a flashback.

Through an unbelievable plot line, the Newby’s acquire a five-hundred foot superyacht in the first book.

Let me know what you think of my stories here, and I’ll send you a free Zombie Turkeys ebook. That’s the first in my series, The Life After Life Chronicles.

My Most Romantic Story
Back cover of My Undead Mother-in-law

I vividly remember the rechristening of the yacht, formerly named Rule Britannia, in January in New Orleans.

Diane had held the bottle of champagne at the boat dock and smashed it against the prow. The sheet covering the new name had slipped down, revealing Resolute Too—and the figurehead.

“George, is that supposed to be me?” Diane yelled in excitement.

“Of course, Diane. Can’t you see the resemblance?”

“Yes, in the face. She even has cat’s-eye glasses just like me. But she’s too buxom.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” I knew that part of her anatomy very well. The sculptor had actually made Diane’s waist narrower, which made her seem more buxom, but I hadn’t wanted to point that out.

From Paranormal Privateers
Back cover of Paranormal Privateers