Hello Sweet Readers!
I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week. : )
I do have a new release and a personal update, but first I wanted to say there is a brand new, LIVE preview for Heartland Mistletoe up on Say with Jay! By “live preview” I mean that rather than hearing a recording with some fun videos of animals or scenery behind it, you get to see Jay – in his booth – actually performing the sample!
These are my absolute favorite kind because, as good as his performances always sound, it’s just so much fun to watch him as he creates all the magic that pulls stories off the page and breathes life and depth into them.
Plus, more than one person has asked me if all those voices truly come from one person. Yes. They do. God has given him a special talent. Check it out for yourself HERE. Comments and likes help on YouTube the way reviews help on Amazon, so if you like it, please leave a comment and give him a thumbs up!
The full audio for Heartland Mistletoe will release this Friday.
Jessie again! : )
I wanted to let everyone know I have a new box set out today! This box set is a collection of all of my first in series books – TEN full-length novels total. It’s perfect for anyone who is new to my work and isn’t sure where to start, or if you have read one or two series and aren’t sure what you’d like to read next.
So…no NEW material in it, but at $.99, if there’s even one of my first in series that you haven’t read, it’s worth the price! It’s also in KU. : )
Check it out below then scroll down for my update and a short story.
10 full-length novels filled with sweet beginnings, beautiful romance, faith, family, fun and always a happy ending!
This collection contains the first book in each of Jessie Gussman’s ten series. Be swept away by cowboys, enjoy some relaxing time at the beach, laugh in Good Grief, Idaho, and feel the cozy warmth of small town life.
Book 1 – Cowboy Walking Away: After being fired from her waitressing job and coming face-to-face with her ex, Rose Baldwin lets a little lie escape. She forgot there is no such thing as a “little” lie.
Book 2 – Heartland Joy: Bridget Rawlings isn’t exactly considered a catch in Prairie Rose, Iowa. In fact, the locals all but shun her and her three children. A cloud of death and disaster seems to surround both her and her farm. After all, The Bad Luck Widow has already buried two husbands.
Book 3 – Harvest Moon Homecoming: When the high school’s float explodes five days before the National Farmer’s Day parade, Principal Calvin Finkenbinder sees his chance at the promotion to Superintendent disintegrate. Unless he enlists the help of Ellie Bright, the most annoying, disorganized and kissable woman he knows.
Book 4 – Yesterday’s Treasures: She doesn’t want a divorce, she just wants…something. Something more than being a single mom yet doing a man’s laundry.
Book 5 – Me and the Cute Catastrophe: I live in Idaho. (Yes, potatoes. eye roll Can we talk about something else?) And I love it here. Small town values galore and it’s right where I want to raise my girls after my jerk ex traded me in for a “younger, newer model” (his words, not mine). I was pretty happy with my life until the hot shot, all-state baller from my teen years moved back in next door. (I babysat him, yes, but I never changed his diapers. Just wanted to be clear about that.)
Book 6 – Best Friends in the Show Me State: They’ve been best friends forever. When violent weather sparks an unexpected attraction, will they risk their friendship for a chance at a lifetime love?
Book 7 – Dreaming of Her Cowboy’s Kiss: A simple cowboy in love with a surgeon. A decade of unrequited love. A hopeless, one-sided romance. Except sometimes, if you’re patient, God writes your love story.
Book 8 – The Cowboy’s Best Friend: He’s a cowboy with a billion dollar problem. His best friend can solve it, but it might break his heart.
Book 9 – The Small Town Boy’s Redemption: Blade Truax did some street racing when he was younger. Illegal, sure. But that’s not what sent him to prison. It was the lying, conniving Watkins girl and her father, Judge Watkins.
Book 10 – Always With You: He doesn’t want her to owe him. He wants her to love him.
Hey! It’s Jessie again. : )
I promised a personal update.
So, I’m on my way to PA today, but I’ve been in Virginia the last few days and it’s been gorgeous there. The tulips I planted last fall are blooming, the daffodils are actually almost over, the grass is green and the cows are out on pasture.
I had a great time with my girls – I hadn’t seen them for five weeks, and we spent a lot of time sitting on the front porch chatting or playing games at the kitchen or office table. We also spent some time running around the farm taking pictures and videos and I have a pic of my youngest on Lucy on Facebook somewhere. We were all sitting at the top of the back pasture and she was letting her horse eat while we talked. : )
We did a little work – we’re bottle feeding a calf – there’s always feeding and barn work to do. We tagged and banded a few calves, moved a cow in heat to behind the barn and that type of thing, but I really don’t have any fun stories.
I did have a little thing about the brothers and Julia that I thought would be fun to share, but it’s not going to make anyone spit their coffee out so keep drinking. : )
Most of you know my youngest son is getting married at the end of May. Julia hung out with his fiancee some in PA. I’ll call his fiancée K. One evening they were going to go get ice cream together. On the way down the driveway Julia realized she’d forgotten her wallet and asked K to turn around so she could run back in and grab it.
K: Don’t worry about it. We’ll stop at the garage and I’ll ask your brother (her fiancé) to give you five bucks.
Ha.
That didn’t sit too well with Julia because we’re not really like that. I’ve always kind of beat into my kids’ heads if you can’t afford it, you don’t buy it and you definitely don’t ask people to give you money, but Julia didn’t want to say anything to K since she’s new to the family and all that, so she didn’t say anything as they pulled into the parking lot for the garage.
All three of Julia’s brothers were still working. K jumps out and runs into the garage. She goes to Brother #3 first and says, “Your sister and I are going to get ice cream and she doesn’t have any money. Will you give her five bucks?”
Brother #3 opens his wallet and he has exactly $1 in it. He pulled it out. “This is my last dollar. Make sure to tell Julia I love her so much I’ll give her my last dollar.”
Brother #2 sees what’s going on and he pulls his wallet out. It has a considerably larger amount of money in it (he’s like me and always has a stash). He doesn’t give it all to her, but pulls out a ten. “Here. Tell Julia I love her more.”
(Okay, and I have to add here that they’re all just joking. We really don’t base love on the money around here.)
K has five brothers of her own and she’s a little surprised since none of them would be willing to just pull money out of their wallet and give it to her, but she takes the ten.
Brother #1 has moseyed over and said, “Julia needs money?”
K nods and Brother #1 walks outside where Julia has gotten out of the car to pet the dogs.
“Hey, my favorite sister needs money?” Brother #1 says as he walks over and hugs Julia. He’s pulled his wallet out of his pocket, and, with his arms still around Julia he opens it and pulls out two twenties. “I’m your favorite brother, right?”
“I don’t really need-”
“Just take it, kid.” Brother #1 shoves the twenties at Julia, pats the top of her head (you know those annoying things older siblings do to younger siblings) and walks back into the garage.
So, as Julia was telling the story to us on the front porch in Virginia, she said, “And K was astounded that she’d gone in asking for $5 and I ended up with $51 from my brothers!”
That’s the first and I’m sure it’s the last time that will happen, but it did make Julia feel pretty good that her brothers didn’t want her to go without ice cream.
Alright, don’t forget about my new box set – Sweet Beginnings – above.
Thanks so much for spending time with me today!
Hugs and love,
~Jessie ❤️