At age fifteen, Jenni Ann had always thought she was sturdy, strong and stable. Until the horrific night her family was ripped away from her she never could have imagined life without them.
Aunt Lyn and Uncle Charles took her in willingly but they insisted that she goes to see Dr. Stewart. But that shrink doesn't understand her all! The secret she holds torments her. She even stops talking to her best friend, Lizzie. She finds new friends when she meets Rickie and Kiara in the alley. And they show her another way, a better way, rolled up and lit with lighter, to feel good again. But even "feeling good" has a way of ruining you - when you're with the wrong crowd.
Jenni Ann has to get help! Through her painting and visiting the old homeplace her Pappy built up in the North Georgia mountains peace might become hers. Then the handsome Ashton Holt Parker, Jr. enters her life and she knows that love and happiness could be hers -- if he doesn't discover her secret and her lies from her dark past. Is the secret she is hiding really the reason for The Night - or is there still danger out there waiting...waiting for her? Waiting for them?
A crisp autumn breeze shakes the leaves as they twirl and twist, some staying firmly on their graceful oak limbs while others are spun lazily to the ground that is their destiny. Jenni Ann had always thought she was the sturdy leaf holding on strong. But like the leaf that doesn't stay on the limb - will she ultimately spin in the wind twisting out of control to her fate?
Is there still danger out there waiting...waiting for her? Waiting for them?
FROM THE AUTHOR:
Crazy! But I have been FASCINATED with books forever. I collect First Edition Signed books and I have a VERY hard time getting rid of any book! (Do NOT look in my basement!)
So, after four years of pawing at it, I have finally found the hidden button in the library wall and am writing Women’s Fiction! Murder/family/ romance/tragedy…I cover it all!
I aspire to join the ranks of the greats in the fiction novel genre. Like my main character in my first novel, Jennifer Ann, I do love the North Georgia Mountains. I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, although my parents are both from New York. I am happily married and still live in Atlanta with my family. I have always wanted to write but never could seem to get anything down on paper. Then, in October of 2012, I went to the Tom Bird Author University retreat. It changed my focus and allowed me to write as I was always meant to do.
EXCERPT:
Jenni Ann age Twenty-Three
The first calls came to me through the gallery.
“Jenni,” drawled Angela. “You have another message from that boy.”
“What boy?” I asked, knowing I had no other messages that came through the gallery but customers and vendors.
“He says his name is Ashton, like Ashton Kutcher, and if it is that hot Hollywood boy, you just send him over to me!” she cackled in her raspy high-end manner. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the reason they came up with the term ’cougar’.
”Ashton!” I thought, my pulse quickening.
“Let me see those messages Angela!” I requested quickly. “How many times has he called?”
I had not been in the gallery for over two weeks since the big show. In that time he had left three messages.
“He is not interested in speaking with me, nor anyone else here. He was quite specific. I think he likes more than just your art, darling,” she said with a sly wink.
I took out my cell phone and stepped outside. I was tingling as I pressed the numbers.
When Ashton answered it was with a blunt, “Ashton Parker.”
“Um, hello, Ashton Parker” I mimicked back, all business. “This is Jenni, Jenni Benson, from the Jackson Gallery, returning your calls.” This seemed too formal and I began to feel foolish for believing Angela. I was pacing and reminding myself to breathe at the same time. Did he want to talk about my artwork? Was he interested in me for something more, as Angela suggested?
“Wow, Jenni!” he softened, now sounding like the Ashton I’d met almost two weeks ago. “I am so glad you called me back.”
“Yes,” I exhaled, “Angela mentioned that you had called, a few times, actually.”
“Oh, no,” he lamented, “please don’t think I’m a stalker. I just wanted to be sure not to miss you, you know, in that you don’t exactly have a set schedule to be in the gallery or anything.”
“Well, all of my stalkers usually call a lot more than three times to get that kind of status,” I said, easing the conversation along so that we both laughed.
“Good to know,” Ashton continued. “So, tell me how the show went?”
“Well,” I started, “it was great! I’ve never had such a whirlwind of media in my life!”
I lied. Way back then, when I’d moved to my aunt and uncle’s, the media had hounded us for weeks. I pushed that thought away, back away where it belonged.
“By the time we said goodbye to the last media-mutt,” I rambled, “I was exhausted. But Angela is amazing. I mean, she does this like she is having tea and scones with the Queen of England. Everything always falling in place.”
“Yes, Angela is really something,” Ashton said. The way he hovered over the word “something” made us both laugh.
“So,” he asked, “do any of these ‘stalkers’ you speak of get to take you out to dinner or is that reserved for the ones like me who aren’t quite up to stalker status?”
I stopped pacing altogether. I had not gone out on dates very much and, even when I did, I had no desire to further any relationship beyond the most casual. It was very hard for a damaged girl like me to find my prince out there. This one seemed different. I could feel it in my bones.
“Um, well,” I stammered for a second, “why yes, that would be nice. Yes, dinner would be nice.” And our first date was set.
”Great,” I thought, “I lied in the first conversation I’d ever had with Ashton.” Maybe he wasn’t going to be so different after all, so it seemed almost all right. Almost.
Outside of writing, I am passionate about Angels On Earth of Atlanta, Georgia. This organization works to fund various Cancer Wellness endeavors. My husband and I were the Chairs of the 2013 Annual Valentine s Luncheon benefitting Piedmont Hospital Atlanta.
I am also an avid supporter the arts, most particularly, theatre and music theatre. In my youth, I was the lead singer in a rock'n'roll band called Streetgang. It was short lived and long remembered. I had a chance to jam with the band (well, almost all the band) a couple of years ago, and, as Foreigner belted out in the '70's, "It feels like the first time."
Dear to my heart is Canine Assistants, located here in Georgia and I support them whenever I can. They both rescue and breed service dogs for people with various ailments and needs. They train both the dog and the owner! If you are ever traveling through Hartsfield's Atlanta Airport you might see one of them, dressed in their nylon red vest. We had the chance to experience two of their dogs while our youngest was, unfortunately, having a five-day stay at CHOA. They come visit the sick children regularly and it just lifts up those spirits!
I am a staunch supporter of Organic Foods over GMO s and want you all to live well and stay healthy!
"This was a fun book - good story and characters. Easy to root for the heroine to find happiness and solve the mystery of her past. Great setting too with the North Georgia mountains!" ~Kathleen Woodruff
