Hey you beautiful guys and dolls! Today, I have a special treat for you! Today, I'm hosting a special guest post with Jamie Ayres, author of 18 Things. She's hear to talk about Sweet First Kisses! Of course it's close to Valentines Day, so I thought it would be appropriate to ask for a kissy scene. Don't worry. It's sweet and clean and perfect.
First, I'd like to take a few minutes and share the results of Operation Agent Ink.
We had 13 entries.
8 request/ partials for YA
4 request/partials for Adult
I'm happy for all those who received requests and for those who didn't. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP.
Now, here's our guest post from Jamie:
All things
happen in God’s perfect timing though, which is one of the major themes in 18 Things. Dan and I never dated in high
school. But when I came home for winter break during my first year of college,
he finally asked me out. We were married 8 months later, and this August we’ll
celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary!
Jamie
Ayres writes young adult love stories with a paranormal twist by night and
teaches very young adults as a public school teacher by day. When not at home
on her laptop or at school, she can often be found at a local book store
grabbing random children and reading to them. So far, she has not been arrested
for this. She lives in southwest Florida with her prince charming, two children
(sometimes three based on how Mr. Ayres is acting), and a basset hound. She
spent her youthful summers in Grand Haven, Michigan and this setting provided
the inspiration for her debut novel, 18
Things. She really does have grandmothers named Olga and Gay but unlike her
heroine, she's thankfully not named after either one of them. She loves lazy
pajama days, the first page of a good book, stupid funny movies, and sharing
stories with fantastic people like you. Visit her website at www.jamieayres.com.
First, I'd like to take a few minutes and share the results of Operation Agent Ink.
We had 13 entries.
8 request/ partials for YA
4 request/partials for Adult
I'm happy for all those who received requests and for those who didn't. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP.
Now, here's our guest post from Jamie:
Jamie Ayres
What Was Your First Kiss Like?
It was May 1991.
My boyfriend and I had been going out for seven months (which was like seven
years in middle school time!), and we thought we were in love. The rumor of the
entire sixth grade was he was going to kiss me at the end-of-year dance. I had
butterflies in my stomach all day!
That night,
he was the perfect gentleman, as always. As far as first boyfriends went, he
was the best. He wrote me love letters, he called me every day at exactly the
time he said he would, he put up with my mood swings, he bought me candy (still
the best way to my heart). He waited until the last slow dance of the night,
probably gathering his own courage. I remember him leaning in, the fresh scent
of peppermint on his breath, and thinking, okay,
this is really happening. For a few seconds, I felt like I was dancing on
air. There was lots of *squeeeeing* from my friends and me afterward as I
filled them in on every aspect of the kiss.
And so
began my love affair with romance . . . .
Of course,
he eventually broke my heart (but we’re still friends on Facebook, lol), but I
was lucky with love fairly early on in life. I met my husband the first day of
high school, and instantly knew I would marry him. He is the inspiration for
why I can’t seem to stop myself from constantly reading and writing love
stories.
I walked
into my fourth period word processing class, and he was sitting in the last
row. It wasn’t love or lust at first sight. It was literally just this knowing
I would marry him. For the next month, I chatted him up, trying my best to get him
to ask me out. Then, my teacher moved me to the front of the room for talking
too much. To her credit, she had no idea I was going to marry him one day, so I
can’t really blame her. But I totally thought she messed up my plans!
All things
happen in God’s perfect timing though, which is one of the major themes in 18 Things. Dan and I never dated in high
school. But when I came home for winter break during my first year of college,
he finally asked me out. We were married 8 months later, and this August we’ll
celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary!
So, tell me, was your first kiss
sweet? What’s your inspiration for wanting to read or write love stories?
Anyone who comments will be eligible for either an ebook or paperback copy of 18 Things (reader’s choice)!
Jamie
Ayres writes young adult love stories with a paranormal twist by night and
teaches very young adults as a public school teacher by day. When not at home
on her laptop or at school, she can often be found at a local book store
grabbing random children and reading to them. So far, she has not been arrested
for this. She lives in southwest Florida with her prince charming, two children
(sometimes three based on how Mr. Ayres is acting), and a basset hound. She
spent her youthful summers in Grand Haven, Michigan and this setting provided
the inspiration for her debut novel, 18
Things. She really does have grandmothers named Olga and Gay but unlike her
heroine, she's thankfully not named after either one of them. She loves lazy
pajama days, the first page of a good book, stupid funny movies, and sharing
stories with fantastic people like you. Visit her website at www.jamieayres.com.
Book Blurb
Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful
name (after her grandmothers of course) and not attending prom with Conner, her
best friend and secret crush since kindergarten.
Then Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible. When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled 18 Things. Eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.
All she has to do is fire-walk, try out for the cheerleading squad, break a world record, and err . . . go on her first date. Good thing Nate, a new hottie in town, enters her life with perfect timing. He brings the fun factor to her list and helps her discover the beauty and strength inside herself, then complicates things by falling in love with her.
But there's more to Olga’s quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.
There’s only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won’t just affect her future, but all eternity.
Then Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible. When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled 18 Things. Eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.
All she has to do is fire-walk, try out for the cheerleading squad, break a world record, and err . . . go on her first date. Good thing Nate, a new hottie in town, enters her life with perfect timing. He brings the fun factor to her list and helps her discover the beauty and strength inside herself, then complicates things by falling in love with her.
But there's more to Olga’s quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.
There’s only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won’t just affect her future, but all eternity.
18 Things is available here:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Add 18 Things to your TBR list!
Goodreads
That's cool you married your high school sweetheart, Jamie. Even if the teacher tried to thwart your plans.
ReplyDeleteI encourage entries, especially #1, to have a look at the posted comments. Thanks for all you've done - Talynn rocks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the time everyone took to read the submissions and the comments. Although I have had my share of rejections and fully understand the frustration voiced by a few I can't thank Talynn enough for her support and talking us off the edge sometimes. :) I love getting little comments on my blog and I hope I can equally support those who need it. Love the writing community we have developed. Thanks Again.
ReplyDeleteMy first kiss was just as I'd always imagined, sweet. It was on my sixteenth birthday, my first boyfriend, Eddie. We've lost touch, but I often wonder what came of him. I assume he's a powerful attorney and still rides his motorcycle to relax.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Jamie and Talynn, and I would love a paperback copy of 18 Things!
Jamie the book sounds amazing, just bought Amazon kindle edition. Congrats on the book and having a 5 star review.
ReplyDeleteBut I'd also love a paperback copy for my book shelf. Yes I buy double of the books I love. Call me a huge author advocate!!!
My first kiss? I was eighteen, never dated anyone else before him, we were sitting on a bench in the public gardens in the early evening. Not quite sure which one of us was more nervous. ^_^
ReplyDeleteTen years later and he's still kicking around my house, along with our six year old daughter. One day, we might be able to afford to get married. You know, just after the world ends. >_>
I write romance because I love the magic of falling in love!! As a kid, I always had a boy I had a crush on. But, it was never as much about the boy as about the fun of having someone to star in the elaborate romantic stories I would make up in my head--with he and I as the MC's of course. Who knew that I was laying the groundwork to one day write romance?
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds awesome Jamie, and I'd be so excited if I won a copy! :)
My first was like a wet fish, and I'd rather forget that jerk even exists. I envy those with sweet first-kiss stories.
ReplyDeleteHa Ha I'm with Alys! My first kiss was horrible. All wet and trying to swallow my face. Was afraid to kiss anyone for years. I think I projected those feelings and it took a bit before anyone even tried. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, love reading these comments right before Valentine's Day:-) I'll pick a winner soon and let Talynn announce it on her next blog post! Keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow--I'm doing my first Author Visit at a middle school to a group of 8th graders, eek!! Oh, the memories, lol!!
ReplyDeleteMy first kiss with my husband was swoon-worthy! We waited outside Outback Steakhouse, and through the outside speakers came on Train's song "Meet Virginia" and he leaned in and brushed his lusciously full lips against mine. I was really shy, so I loved the gentle introduction to his lips. Our lips met in a sweet glorious moment that I'll never forget.
ReplyDeleteMy ex-"fiancé" totally cheated me out of a real, special, romantic first kiss. Two years and seven months into our dysfunctional joke of a relationship, he finally kissed me, after we'd already done everything else. If there's ever a next relationship, I'm going to be a lot stronger and insist he kiss me before anything else, like a normal person. The sad part is that I had a funny feeling from the beginning that he was my future husband, but nothing about this relationship was ever really normal. Hopefully, if I have another boyfriend, he'll be more advanced than five-second, closed-mouth kisses. The most pathetic part was how old I was when it finally happened.
ReplyDeleteI think I erased the memory of my first kiss just after the moment it happened. It must have failed to meet my 15 year old expectations.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with 18 Things.
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ReplyDeleteSo adorable! :) That is such a cute story. Congratulations on 15 years of marriage.
ReplyDelete