~ True friendship is not being inseparable. It’s being separated and nothing changes.
The Girl Code anthology is more than a collection of romance stories. Sure, Joey, Juls, Selena and Laydi get their men. Yes, there’s swooning over sexy heroes, who make sex hotter than an August day in Florida. But there’s more than that. This anthology is about friendship—and not just any friendship, but girlfriends.
What makes these relationships so special? Here’s my thoughts:
• Understanding – We understand each other. Whether it’s that dreaded time of the month, the change in your body after having children, the excitement of a new job or relationship, or the mending of a broken heart. Your girlfriends have been there, so they understand the tears, the moods, the laughter and will offer a shoulder to cry on, a hug or their own laughter and tears.
• Listen—Yes, what a novel idea, but it’s true. Our girlfriends listen. We can bounce ideas off of them—whether it’s for dating/marriage advice, a sexual encounter, the changing of a hair style or a business idea. Girlfriends are less likely to try and provide the right answer. They’ll listen and help us flush out the idea so that we can arrive at the answer that is right for us.
• Support—Whether we’re applying for a new job, going out on a first date or entering rehab, our girlfriends will tell us all the wonderful things about ourselves that make us special. They’ll cheer us on, rally next to us—pump us up! And if we fall, they’ll be right there to catch us, with open arms.
• Honesty—Our girlfriends will tell us our behinds look big in those particular pants or that our eyeshadow or lipstick is doing nothing for our look or that the guy we are seeing is a real douche or that we’re being a bit bitchy on any given day. There is a level of honesty with your girlfriends that is not only expected but is required. They don’t just tell us what we want to hear. They tell us what we need to hear.
• Fun—There are few things more fun that hanging with your girlfriends. The talks about sex and men and shoes and so on can keep us giggling for hours.
Relationships form the core of human existence. We all need to feel connected, and relationships bring that connection. But there is something different about girlfriends. I admit, I’ve had my struggles with girls. There is cattiness, competition and jealousy that can often form in these type of friendships and ruin them. We’ve all probably been burned by girlfriend in the past. But when you find that core group of women that you trust with your heart and soul, there are fewer relationships that are more beautiful—other than perhaps your relationship with your soul mate and your children.
So in collaborating with DC Stone, Lea Bronsen and Cait Jarrod on our Girl Code stories, we made a very conscious decision to make this book about more than romance. It’s also about the essential relationship between girlfriends and the beauty behind it.
My girlfriends and I celebrating my 40th birthday this year!
Girl Code
Anthology of 4 stories:
HOPE, LIVE,
FAITH and PERSISTENCE
Jessica Jayne, Lea Brosen,
Cait Jarrod, DC Stone
Genre: erotic romance, contemporary romance,
romantic suspense
Date of Publication: July 31, 2015
ASIN: B00X602S8I
Word Count: Each story is between 35k-40k words
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Book Description:
Four best friends struggle with decisions that affect their lives, their hearts, and their futures. As sisters, they embrace the Girl Code.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/0qF5HnFUKvE
Available at Amazon
All proceeds from sales are being donated to The Wounded Warrior Project
HOPE – Jessica Jayne
Josephine "Joey" Lockhart escapes her past, herself and her home town of Pearl, Ohio to Florida after high school. Years later, she meets a man that refuses to let her hide behind her camera lens and encourages her out of her shell. Will he be the one to push her to feel for the first time?
Excerpt
Hope:
Deep in thought,
he hadn’t noticed Joey inching her way toward the garage until it was too late.
She stood in front of him holding the hose nozzle like she was about to shoot a
pistol, with a shit-eating grin.
“Don’t you
fucking dare.” His helmet muffled his warning, but the cocked eyebrow indicated
she’d heard him just fine.
“Or what?”
He flipped off
his helmet and tossed it away from the ATV so the inevitable water fight didn’t
ruin it. He turned off the four-wheeler and stashed the key in his pocket. “Do
you really want to find out?”
“Maybe I do,”
she sassed him, and he chuckled. He liked this playful, ballsy side of her.
He’d had a glimpse of it a few times over the months, but she always tried to
keep it in check. Today—however, she was balls to the wall.
“Then go for it.
I dare you. I triple dog fucking dare you.” He stood with a foot on each
platform straddling the ATV with his hands resting on the handlebars. She
pushed the trigger. Hot water pelted him in the chest as the hose cleared the
water that had been sitting in the line all day. Two seconds later, cold water
showered him, hitting him in the face, the chest, and she even had the audacity
to aim for his groin.
Hurdling over
the ATV, his feet splashed in the mud created by her water escapade. Screaming,
she dropped the hose and ran through his back yard. He followed. She had some
speed. He’d give her that. All the running she did at the beach paid off, but
he was faster.
In ten strides,
he wrapped an arm around her middle. Her legs dangled in the air as he swung
her around and walked her back to the garage area.
“Stop, Talon!
Stop!” She kicked and wriggled attempting to escape, but he tightened his hold.
“I warned you,
didn’t I?” Still holding her with one arm, he bent and swiped the hose off the
ground.
“Talon Manness!
You wouldn’t,” she shrieked.
“You don’t know
me too well then, Sweetness.” He held the nozzle as far as his arm could stretch
so as not to hurt her from the force of the water. Squeezing the trigger, he
sprayed her hair until not a single strand remained dry, and brown rivulets
streaked her face and arms from the mud. Then, he targeted her tank top, before
releasing his hold on her and aiming the nozzle at her lower body. She dashed
in the direction of a tree, but wasn’t quick enough to avoid getting the back
of her pants drenched.
“Truce,” she
yelled from behind the tree. She peeked around. Her hair hung in matted clumps.
Black smudged under her eyes from her mascara. He snickered, and sprayed in her
direction again. Her head ducked behind.
“Come on out,
Joey. This hose can stretch pretty far. I don’t want to come out and get you,
but I will.”
“I’m already
soaking wet.” Her voice sounded shrill.
“Then getting
wetter should be no big deal.”
“I can’t get any
wetter. It’s a waste of your time.” She peeked around the other side of the
tree, and he blasted her again. “Arrggh!”
About Jessica Jayne:
Jessica is a born and raised small town Ohio girl, who moved to the Sunshine State after graduating from college. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in English because she could not imagine doing anything else but reading and writing.
In the journey of life, she obtained her law degree (and bar license) and also became a wife and a mother of three children. So, life is always an adventure.
Website: www.jessicajayne.com/blog
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thejessicajayne/
Twitter: @JessicaJayne13
LIVE – Lea Brosen
After seven years in drug hell, detoxing Juliette "Juls" Carrington returns to her hometown Pearl to attend her grandmother's burial. Once more rejected by her family, she has a swim in a pond nearby when a mysterious camper, an ex-drunk, coaxes her to come to his hut in the woods. Together they must fight their inner demons for a chance to love...and live.
About Lea Brosen
Lea Bronsen likes her reads fast, hot, and edgy, and strives to give her own stories the same intensity. After venturing into dirty inner-city crime drama with her debut novel Wild Hearted, she divides her writing time between psychological thriller, romantic suspense, and erotic contemporary romance.
FAITH – Cait Jarrod
Selena Bodine escaped into the United States Air Force to leave behind a painful past and the one man who she refused to let herself love. Years later, an urgent call from her father brings her back to Pearl, Ohio and face to face with the man she still loves. But will the secret that Cullen is investigating her threaten their second chance?
About Cait Jarrod:
From writing ‘every girl’s dream heroes’ to ‘strong, down-to-earth heroines,’ Cait Jarrod twists ‘cliff hanging plots’ and ‘clever, unpredictable sub-plots’. She loves diving into a good book as much as she loves writing one. Mother of three gorgeous daughters, she’s married to her best friend, hangs out with a great group of women—the WWC, and loves a good glass of wine.
PERSISTENCE – DC Stone
Laydi Michaels has been running away from her past and bad memories for years. Finding herself wasn’t an easy task, but she’s managed to finally get to a point to where she wants to be. Only to wake up married to her boss….who fired her the night before. Wrapped in a case that puts her life in danger, and dealing with a grave situation back home in Pearl, Laydi figures out she wasn’t close to finding herself, and now, she’s risked everything.
About DC Stone:
DC Stone has over sixteen years of investigative experience, including working as a criminal investigator in the United States military anda private investigator. Currently, she works as an internal affairs investigator by day and a romantic suspense author by night. She has herMaster’s degree in Criminal Justice and is dubbed, “The Investigative Whisper.” Commonly called upon to act as an expert witness, she also trains with local, state, and federal law enforcement officers. She provides numerous workshops that help authors gain insight into “digging” into a character’s mind to better understand motives, create suspense, and help maintain conflict.
When she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Hudson Valley Romance Writers, RomVets, RWA Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. She served as the 2014 Vice President and Conference Chair for NJRW. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, or her at www.authordcstone.com.
1 comment:
Thanks for hosting Girl Code, Wenona! :)
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