Monday, August 25th, 2008
All this week, I’ll be sharing photos from my summer vacation. It killed me not to be able to do that all along while I was actually on the spot, but it couldn’t be helped. If looking at other people’s vacation photos isn’t your thing, it could be a boring week for you. I have picked out a handful from the more than 200 I took, but I forgive you if you don’t hang around!
Our first stop was Asbury Park, New Jersey - which also happens to be the inspiration for my first book Here To Stay. Since I only recently found out that Here To Stay will be released in print sometime this fall, it was a particularly nice time to revisit Asbury Park.
I have loved Asbury Park since the first time I visited. Its hey-day as a weekend and holiday getaway was way back in the 40s & 50s and by the time I discovered it in the 90s, it was deserted and decrepit. And a potentially dangerous place to hang around. Stories abounded of people being mugged on the boardwalk in broad daylight and the old buildings were crumbling. Very few businesses existed on that section of the boardwalk and there were fewer people still taking advantage of the beach. I could never get my mind around how such a lovely location could be so neglected and forgotten. Aside from Bruce Springsteen, surely someone somewhere cared about Asbury Park enough to invest some money in it?
Until July of this year, I hadn’t been to Asbury Park in almost seven years. It was a wonderful surprise to see it doing so well. The old buildings are being restored, the Convention Center - once a creepy, echo-y shell of a building - now houses several businesses and hosts events, and the boardwalk is lined with shops and restaurants and people. I can remember when we didn’t go out after dark for fear of our lives. Now it is difficult to find a time when the boardwalk isn’t crawling with people. It’s wonderful.
Asbury Park beach, August 1998
You’ll have to take my word - this is the same stretch of beach in July 2008!
Asbury Park boardwalk, heading toward Ocean Grove, 1998
This same stretch of boardwalk is now lined with shops and activities. I’d have taken a picture this year but it would have just looked like a mass of people!
Asbury Park Convention Center, 1998
This used to be an empty shell of a building that you had to pass through to make your way down the boardwalk
Asbury Park Convention Center, 2008
This shot was taken in late afternoon when most of the sun bathers had gone home for the day. We had dinner at a neat Irish pub in the Convention Center one night. I also noticed a poster advertising an upcoming Bob Dylan concert being held there. Definitely more than a pass through now!
An old amusement park located just beside the boardwalk, 1998
Here’s what’s left of the amusement hall. Judging by how well they are trying to restore most of the older buildings, this one must have been in really bad shape. Nice to see that some of it was able to be salvaged. Though that clown face is enough to keep me from going inside!
Victorian lovelies, Ocean Grove, 1998
These houses start just after the boundary line between Asbury Park and Ocean Grove. The demarcation line isn’t so stark as it used to be but I never could figure out why a few hundred feet made such a difference. But just look at them! Is is any wonder I wanted to put story into one?
Tomorrow and the rest of the week: the wilds of northern Minnesota…
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Friday, January 25th, 2008
I’m my own feature this week. It’s been exactly one year since the release of my first book, Here to Stay, and coincidentally it’s also one year since I started this blog.
What a lot can change in a year.
I’ve been busy writing other stories, but I’d like to take today to revisit Here To Stay. To commemorate the date, I’d like to share a fresh excerpt with you. And because I’m in a celebratory mood, leave a comment by Sunday January 28th and I’ll enter you into a drawing to win your own copy of Here to Stay.
Blurb:
All Julia Sullivan wanted was a fresh start in a new place. But she was finding out that cutting ties with the past and starting over can be a difficult thing to do.
After leaving her husband and quitting her job, Julia was emotionally spent. She needed a quiet place to recharge and to think about what she wanted from life. She thought she had found just that when she inherited her aunt’s ocean front Victorian house in Haven, New Jersey. It wasn’t going to be that simple, however. In addition to her new house being a complete shambles, her charming soon-to-be ex-husband Patrick, who she discovers she still loves, arrives with the intention of winning her back. To complicate matters further, it seems as if her aunt’s death wasn’t an accident after all. And there’s just something about her new house that everyone seems to have an interest in…
There are many twists and turns and the kind suspense that keep the reader on edge and very much involved. The many truths are revealed slowly, in completely logical, well-plotted fashion. The sense of danger is palpable.[...] This kept me turning pages until the very satisfying ending. Jenyfer Matthews is a skillful writer. She has crafted a tale of romantic affection within a superb suspense story. Recommended.
The Romance Studio
A rollercoaster ride of suspense makes HERE TO STAY a gripping story from beginning to end. {…} Gripping intrigue and likable characters make HERE TO STAY a fine debut from author, Jenyfer Matthews.
Romance Designs (Suspense)
HERE TO STAY was chalk full of adventure and suspense. The many characters and subplots made the story intriguing. Just when you thought the drama was over, another exciting and dangerous event occurs. The characters of this story were so well-written; each so distinctly different that you could picture them in vivid detail. An excellent read!
The Romance Readers Connection
HERE TO STAY
Julia closed her eyes and brought the broom handle down as hard as she could. She aimed for the intruder’s head, but instead of connecting, she could feel it overshooting the target and swishing uselessly through the air before slamming into the wall with a crash. She’d lost the element of surprise now, she thought wildly.
“Jesus! It’s me! It’s Patrick!” he cried as he dodged to one side, holding up the book in his hand as a shield against the splatter of plaster and the possibility of another swing.
She was preparing for another swing when she heard his cry. She opened her eyes in disbelief. “Patrick! What are you doing?”
“I might ask you the same thing,” he snapped. “Are you trying to kill me or what? Isn’t it enough I’m down to one good arm?”
Julia ran down the hall and flipped on the lights. “I heard a noise. I thought you were a prowler.”
He looked at the broom in her hand. “And what were you planning to do if you found one? Sweep him out?”
She set the broom down. “It’s all I could find in a hurry. Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, I’m fine. Not that it wasn’t a near thing,” he answered. “Didn’t you think to check who you were attacking first?”
She hugged herself. “How was I supposed to know it was you? I didn’t know you’d be up. Your door was closed and you usually sleep like a log. You never get up at night.”
He couldn’t believe that she had come downstairs to face a prowler alone. What could she have been thinking? What if he had been a dangerous criminal? A broom handle would hardly have been an effective weapon.
He looked at her. She was shaking like a leaf and her eyes were more than a little wild. More than just the thought of an ordinary intruder had brought her downstairs armed with only a broom. Something else had scared her.
“This is about what your aunt wrote in her journal, isn’t it? You still think that she heard someone in the house and that someone was involved in her death.”
She nodded.
He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a little shake. “And did you think that you could intimidate such a person with a broom? Jesus, Julia, promise me that you won’t ever do something so stupid again.”
“What was I supposed to do? Just let them come up and find me?”
“How about lock your door and call the police? If someone did break in, they’d no doubt be better armed than you,” he answered.
“I don’t have a phone in my room.”
“Well, I know something we’re going to take care of in the morning.” He looked down at her. “I’m sure it was just me you heard, but I’ll take a quick look around if it would make you feel better.”
“I’m coming with you,” she said, picking up her broom. “You only have one good arm—this might come in handy.”
They searched the remaining rooms quickly. They ended up where they had started, in the foyer outside of Patrick’s room.
“Nobody here and all the doors and windows are locked. Feel better?”
She nodded. “Much.”
He looked at her for a minute. “You know, I don’t think you’ll really feel better until you get some answers about your aunt’s death. Have you thought about my suggestion? About going to see the coroner? Maybe he could answer some questions for you.”
“I was just about to call this morning when you had your accident.” She gave him a weak smile. “I sort of got sidetracked. I’ll call tomorrow, first thing.” She paused. “If you didn’t hear anything, what woke you?”
“Nothing.” He held up the book. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“Are you in pain? Do you need something?” she asked stepping closer to him.
“I don’t need a pill,” he answered.
She could see the tightly controlled desire in his eyes and was mesmerized by it. She could feel herself responding in kind. She knew he wanted her and she knew something else.
She wanted him too.
She licked her lips and took a step back. Her dream was still too vivid in her mind, her body too revved, her emotions too exposed. This wasn’t the right time to give into purely physical desires, she reasoned. There was too much at stake. If they were ever to have a chance together, she had to proceed with caution.
“If you have everything you need, I think I’ll go back to bed,” she said taking another step back.
“Wait,” he said. “Could you help me get this shirt unbuttoned? It’s a little awkward with only one hand.”
Julia hesitated before approaching him, her eyes widening. Things were getting a little too close to her dream for comfort.
“Julia? Is something wrong?”
“No,” she answered quickly. “No problem.”
She worked on the buttons swiftly, taking care not to brush his skin with her hand. She was afraid that the magic of the dream would sweep her away if she didn’t do something to break the spell.
As she unbuttoned his shirt and the expanse of his chest was exposed, the reckless and passionate side of her nature surged forth. She couldn’t help herself. Her whole body ached with unfulfilled desire. She reached out and touched his skin. It was warm to her touch.
She could feel the strong beat of his heart on her palm.
Ever since he had shown up at her door that first day, he had been on her mind. The air was charged with the connection between them whenever they were together. She’d missed him over the last year, missed his smile, his laugh. His touch. She had finally admitted to herself that she still loved him, that she still wanted him in her life, that she wanted him.
She wanted to tell him, too.
She told herself it was completely crazy, they were divorced, but somehow it just didn’t seem to matter. She was beyond caring what it might mean to their relationship or how it would change things between them. She wanted to leave those things behind for one night. Just one night. There were no guarantees in life and tonight she wanted to take a chance on the two of them.
She wanted to give herself to the man she loved.
“Julia?” There was an uncertain smile on Patrick’s face. “What are you doing?”
“Something I should have done a long time ago.” She stood on her toes and kissed the corner of his mouth. His stubble was rough under her lips. Just like her dream, she thought. Just the same.
She smiled up at him before turning and starting toward the stairs. She paused at the foot, her hand on the railing. “I want you to stay the night. With me.”
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