BlackJack
Author: Christine Donovan
Publisher: Christine Donovan Books
Pages: 336
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Paperback/Kindle/Nook
Cole Jackson spends fifteen years in prison for a murder he
did not commit, the murder of his wife, Lindsey.
His talent as a songwriter and an avid reader save him from
the loneliness of the cold, dark and unforgiving prison walls. But as he joins
the world of the free again, he struggles with his once again fame, because of
his rock-n-roll band, of being a convicted killer and the fact that his
self-esteem and self-respect were lost years ago. Prison will do that to you,
not to mention drugs, alcohol and an unfaithful wife. He no longer has the drugs,
the alcohol or the unfaithful wife. What he has is a tarnished reputation and
the determination to find the true killer and restore his life.
Shannon Gallagher's hard work as a writer has finally paid
off. She believes her life is complete living in her dream home on the ocean
until she meets Cole Jackson. She idolized him at sixteen, cried at twenty-one
when he went to prison. Now at thirty-six she meets him and falls instantly in
love. But as Cole gets closer to his wife's killer, he puts Shannon's
life in danger. Can he expose the murderer and keep Shannon
safe?
For More Information
Book Excerpt:
Groping the wall blindly, hoping to steady his rubbery legs,
Cole Jackson swore as he realized he was totally wasted. The hotel hallway
seemed to sway violently like a ship caught in a serious gale—the kind small
boats don’t survive intact.
“Shit,” he yelled as he collapsed to one knee then slowly
raised himself up and continued shuffling toward the room he shared with his
wife, Lindsey.
From a distant haze, voices pummeled through the buzz
surrounding his brain. Faces blurred and flashed in and out and around the
black spots plaguing his eyesight.
One person asked, “How’d the show go tonight, Mr. Jackson?”
“Great, just great,” Cole thought he replied. The words
formed in his brain—he just wasn’t sure they managed to escape his mouth.
Another man remarked, “Do you need any assistance?”
“Hell no,” Cole muttered aloud this time as he tripped along
mumbling to himself. Why did everyone assume he needed assistance just because
he had a damn good buzz on? It was his life, wasn’t it? And if he chose to blur
it with alcohol it was his business and nobody else’s.
Cole slid the stupid plastic key card in the door for the
third time. “Damn, damn, damn.” He pounded the door with his fist. “I need
sleep. All I want to do is crawl into bed. Come on, fourth time’s the charm.”
As he turned the knob, he prayed Lindsey slept alone. He’d
stayed away as long as he could without passing out in the hotel bar. Not like he’d
never done that before.
“What the hell,” he swore as he shoved the door open,
banging it into something. Once inside with the door shut, he looked down,
blinked several times, forcing his eyes to focus, and saw Lindsey lying on the
floor. A deep red stain encompassed her chest and a potent metallic smell
suddenly floored his senses. Cole swayed and tried to steady himself as
blackness descended, swallowing him up. The last thing he remembered as he
collapsed next to Lindsey was his hand landing in something warm, wet and
sticky.
About the Author
Christine Donovan is an International Bestselling Author and
a PAN member of Romance Writers of America. She lives on the Southeast Coast of
Massachusetts with her husband, four sons, one granddaughter and four cats. In
addition to writing Contemporary Romance, she writers Regency and Paranormal
Romance. When she is not writing or reading, she is either painting or
gardening.
Her latest book is the contemporary romance, BlackJack.
Has writing been something
you always did, or was it a discovered talent that came to you at a later
point?
While I always made
up songs and bedtime stories for my children it wasn’t until later when my
youngest went into preschool that I penned my first book, The Rose Cottage. I
didn’t tell anyone, not even my husband what I was doing. I wrote longhand into
notebooks at every conceivable opportunity.
I was the parent sitting in my car during sports practices frantically
writing. Someday, perhaps I’ll revisit The
Rose Cottage and release it. Because it is the first book I ever wrote, it has
a special place in my heart.
Is this a first
book, part of a series, or the latest in a long line of many?
BlackJack is
actually the third book I’ve written out of fifteen to date, but it is the
fourth I’ve released. It’s the first in, A Standish Bay Romance Series, which I
hope will be a long running series.
What is the oddest thing
that’s happened to you since you chose to become a professional writer? Will it
ever make it into a book, or is that a secret?
So many things have
happened or been said around me that I’ve used quite a few in my books. I’ve
also used funny things my children did when they were young and took things
from my childhood. I won a writing contest about your funniest parenting moment
put on by, Loretta LaRoche. You will find it in BlackJack and it involves a
toilet plunger.
Do you have your
next book underway, or other titles in the planning stages?
I have the next two
in A Standish Bay Romance Series already finished. The second book, Bridget, is
available now and the third, Mitch, will be out in this month.
Do you have a favourite
genre and why? Is it one you write in, read in, or both?
Before I became a
writer, I could say for certain that Historical Romance is my favorite. When I
was a teenager and in my twenties I devoured every historical I could get my
hands on. The first three books I’ve published are Regency Romances. Now, I go months when I read all historical,
mostly Regency, then I go months reading contemporary and then on to
paranormal. Personally, I think there are too many great authors and books to
keep to one genre. I don’t want to miss
out.
What, to you, is the
most exciting part of the writing process? Does it change from book to book or
remain the same?
My writing process
has pretty much stayed the same for me.
I might be driving down the street, sitting on the beach or cleaning the
house and a story comes into my head. I think about it for days and I jot down
notes. I do not outline per say. Before I do start, I write a cheat sheet with
names, ages, description of characters, etc.
If you could co-author
a book with anyone, who would you choose and why? What kind of book do you
think would come from the collaboration?
If I could
collaborate with anyone, I would choose the late, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Her
books were the first I fell in love with growing up and I can credit her with
my love of historical romances. If we
could co-author a book together it would be similar to Shanna, as that is my
favorite book of hers.
Where can readers find you on the web?
Thanks so much for
being my guest.
Thank you, Denyse,
for inviting me to be a guest on your blog.
I had a great time.
Media Contact:
Dorothy Thompson
Pump Up Your Book
P.O. Box 643
Chincoteague Island, Virginia 23336
