Friday, October 24, 2014

Got PRIDE?

No, I'm not talking about Gay Pride. I'm referring to Pride in yourself. This week I attended a conference with the day job where the motivational speaker was Roger Shultz. He play football for my alma mater, the University of Alabama. ROLL TIDE! But he's better known as a runner on The Biggest Loser.


Basically, the gist of his speech was having PRIDE. P stands for Persistence or as my daddy says, "Keep on keepin' on." R is Respect - in yourself and earned from others. I means Impact. You never know who's looking up to you and what kind of influence you have. D is Determination. Hard work pays off. E stands for Effort. Show up on time, do what's asked and have a good attitude. Pretty simple, right?   


Roger Shultz
Roger Sultz
Many of you may know Roger Shultz from the popular reality show "The Biggest Loser" where he finished second losing more weight than any contestant ever lost while on the BL campus. However, he is much more than a guy who lost 164 pound in just five months. Roger has always been the same down to earth person, despite all his many accomplishments beginning in high school.
Roger was All-State in Football, Wrestling, and in Track. He was offered scholarships in all the sports and chose from one of the almost 100 schools that offered him a scholarship in football. He attended the University of Alabama where he played for Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, and Gene Stallings. He started at center for 48 games. He was All-SEC twice, was a freshman All-American, and was an honorable mention All-American his junior and senior year.
After his playing days at UA, Roger moved on to graduate school at Alabama where he completed a Master's in Marketing. This was on top of his Bachelors in Commerce and Business Administration earned earlier. While completing his graduate degree, Roger found time to be a graduate assistant on the 1992 U. of Alabama National Championship football team. Roger has since been named to the Alabama All Decade Team for the 90s and the 50-Year Iron Bowl Team.


Hope you're feeling the PRIDE!
             Southern Smiles,
                          Casey Crow

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

A Soldier's Italian Christmas won the Novella category in the I Heart Indie Contest


A Soldier's Italian Christmas won the Novella category in the I Heart Indie contest!

I couldn't believe it when I opened up my email on Saturday -- my novella won! This is a great contest for indie pubbed authors. A chance to showcase your cover and back copy blurb. The results are listed here on the Las Vegas Romance Writers website.

Here's my back copy cover:

He is a U.S Army captain, a battle-weary soldier who has lost his faith.
She is a nun, her life dedicated to God.
Together they are going to commit an act the civilized world will not tolerate.
They are about to fall in love.

December 1943
Italy

The ravages of combat have taken a toll on Captain Mack O’Casey, who has lost his faith after seeing the horrors of war as the Nazis fight hard to keep the Allies from reaching Rome. His beliefs are challenged even more when he loses his way and ends up in a mystical place called Monte D'Oro Rose during the cold winter of 1943…and falls in love with the beautiful Sister Angelina.

The young nun has a secret of her own, one she will die trying to protect: the lost Cross of Saint Cecelia. She must find the religious relic first before the brutal Nazi major who will stop at nothing to get it. Even murder. Sister Angelina risks her life to save the cross for the Church, but will she also risk her heart? Falling in love with the handsome American soldier is against the rules, but she can’t deny the stolen moments with him have made her question her vows.

It is Christmas Eve when these two lonely people come together on this holiest of holidays and how faith helps them overcome their greatest fears. A time when the whole world holds its breath as brave men and women fight for freedom.

And a soldier and a nun dare to fall in love…

=============

And here is the cover designed by Romance Book Cover Designs by Ramona. Check out this video excerpt from A Soldier's Italian Christmas


A Soldier's Italian Christmas:  from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.


To celebrate winning the Novella category in the I Heart Indie contest, A Soldier's Italian Christmas is FREE today and tomorrow October 22 and 23!! Grab your copy HERE.

Have a great holiday season!

Best,
Jina

www.facebook.com/JinaBacarr.author
https://twitter.com/JinaBacarr
http://www.pinterest.com/jbacarr 

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Coffee Pillow Talk


 
 
Coffee Pillow Talk
 

Java is a girl’s best friend

When you don’t want that special night to end

 
“Stick around for a cup of Joe,” you say

After a night in bed that blew you away

 
Then watch his eyes glow with desire

When you put on the coffee and light his fire

 
Wearing a sexy black teddy, tight and see-through

You ask, “Eggs or cinnamon buns with your brew?”

 
“I’ll have the buns,” he says, eyeing yours with a smile

You shiver with glee. The coffee can wait for awhile

 
It’s back to bed with your man for round two

And to coffee you say, a big “Thank you!”
 
Best,
Jina

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Back to where I started?


My latest erotic romance novella is now available for pre-order!


When Decadent Publishing asked me to be a part of a Calendar Men series, it was something I had to stop and think about. I’ve been writing a lot of other stuff lately, and not spending much time on contemporary erotic romance. But I never can resist the idea of a wounded hero, so of course I eventually agreed. I was assigned November, and so my mind immediately went to Thanksgiving. However, I remembered that for a military man, Veteran’s Day might be even more significant. So while Thankful is in the title, my story does span both holidays.

Another thing that immediately came to mind was Douglas Adams’s Thanks for All the Fish. Just the title—nothing in the story is relevant to his satiric space fantasy. But that silly working title did give me a grip on my characters. Elsie owns a pet shop, and Sig, my battered hero, is building a large aquarium into the old house he’s rehabbing as he reevaluates his life. He’s drawn to Elsie, who seems completely oblivious to his disfiguring scars, so as he keeps visiting the pet shop, the scale of his project grows, just to he can have more excuses to see her.

Of course, to be the perfect woman for Sig, Elsie has to have some scars of her own. Hers are psychological, but they’re major and traumatic. One of the themes I love in this story is the idea that neither character is perfect. But if they can overcome all the issues holding them back, they just might be perfect for one another. In the end, I’m so glad I wrote Thankful for You. It ended up meaning a lot to me, and I hope it touches the reader’s heart in some small way.

Thankful for You is now available for preorder on Amazon, All Romance e-Books, i-Tunes and Kobo.