I’m tickled to welcome my writing friend Jennifer Wilck back to the blog to share her latest release A Reckless Heart.

Jennifer Wilck’s latest romantic  tale

Meg Thurgood, former society girl, took the blame for her friend and paid a steep price. Now all she wants is solitude and a chance to rebuild her life. She thinks she’s found that in an isolated house she rents from a mysterious stranger.

Simon McAlter has hidden in his house on the coast of Maine since a fire left him scarred. A successful landscape architect who conducts his business and teaches his classes remotely, he’s lost his inspiration and is trying to pretend he’s not lonely.

Simon’s new neighbor is more than he bargained for. When he learns Meg’s secret, will he retreat into the shadows or will he learn to see past the surface and trust in Meg’s love?

Excerpt

“Give me the nails.”

“What?”

“Give me the nails. I’ll hold them. You can hammer.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“Please?” She kept her tone matter-of-fact, so as not to offend him.

His hands, with their scars, didn’t have the fine motor skills to hold an individual nail in place, which meant if she were to help him, she’d have to do it while he hammered.

She blanched as she looked at his hammer. Could she trust him not to miss? Desire and compassion for this man combined. He’d gone out of his way to help her.

She trusted him.

The last time she’d helped a friend she’d lost everything. Maybe the consequences this time weren’t as severe—worst case, she got bruised fingers. If it happened too often, she could tell him to stop. But did she want to sacrifice her own well-being for someone else again? There used to be a time when she’d never have given the question any thought. The answer would have been clear. But now?

With shaking hands, she held the nail in place and raised her shoulders to her ears as she waited in fear. Nothing happened. Movement to her left made her hold her breath. His large hand on hers made her jump. She might have squeaked, but she would never admit it. Pressure on her palm was firm but gentle. Her lips were pressed together, and she swallowed.

He moved her hand into the correct position.

“I won’t hurt you.” His voice was low and hoarse.

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Author Jennifer Wilck

Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.

In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. When she’s not writing, she loves to laugh with her family and friends, is a pro at finding whatever her kids lost in plain sight, and spends way too much time closing doors that should never have been left open in the first place. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.

She writes contemporary romance, some of which are mainstream and some of which involve Jewish characters. She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Connect with Jennifer Wilck on social media:

Website: https://www.jenniferwilck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/

Newsletter: https://www.jenniferwilck.com/contact.html#newsletter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWilck

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjenniferwilck/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-wilck

A few questions for the author:

Tell us about your inspiration for this story.

A Reckless Heart is the first book in my Scarred Hearts series. I started writing this book 4-5 years ago, while visiting colleges in Boston with my oldest daughter (she’s about to graduate now!). We were sitting in the hotel room while she worked on some homework, and Meg, the heroine of this story, just popped into my head and begged me to start writing her story. It changed a lot from that first iteration, but 5,000 words later, my daughter had finished her homework assignment, and I knew I wanted to pursue this book. A few weeks later, I met with a writer friend of mine, and she helped me hash out the series premise—four wealthy men with damaging pasts who use their shared wealth to help others, and the women who bring them to their knees—as well as Meg’s backstory. I can’t tell you much about her backstory, since I don’t believe in spoilers, but I can tell you that it’s based on a real-life event having to do with a publicist to the rich and famous.

What do you love about the genre you write in?

I love being able to create the happy ending my characters deserve. There is so much horror going on in the world, and so many things we wish we could change. Writing contemporary romance gives me the opportunity to take today’s environment, change it to the way I’d like it to be, and give my characters the lives I wish everyone could live. It’s also fun to be able to come up with all the responses I always wish I could think of, but never do in real life.

What’s your favorite part of the writing life?

My favorite part is getting to live in my head. It’s the spark that occurs at weird times and in weird places that gets my blood humming and makes me want to rush to my computer to write it all down before it disappears. I also love seeing my book cover for the first time and getting my hands on a real live book that I’ve created.

What do you do for fun when you’re not writing? 

Well, during pandemic times, I’m spending a lot of time with my husband, reading, watching TV, and playing games (our current favorite is Dominion, a card game that uses strategy and is a lot of fun). When the pandemic is over, I’m looking forward to traveling again—either to rebook our trip to Australia, which we had to cancel last March—or a tour of the National Parks. And I always love gardening in the spring, taking long walks or hikes, and photography.

What does your writing space look like?

I don’t have just one. My desk, where I’m supposed to write, is currently a mess, covered with all my materials for my book release. So I end up writing on the couch in my family room or at my dining room table. Our house has an open floor plan, so there is no door to keep anyone out, but there is a lot of light from all the windows, so I get to look at trees and nature.

What makes you put down a book without finishing?

It’s really hard to be a reader now that I’m an author. It’s harder for me to disappear into the story because it’s too much like I’m working. So anything that draws me out of the story will make me put the book aside. Unfortunately, that includes bad editing, too much telling rather than showing, or, like you said, protagonists who are too stupid to live. And, quite honestly, I don’t have a huge amount of time, so if I’m reading a book and it doesn’t excite me to go back to it, I won’t finish it either.