Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Delilah!
Happy New Year to everyone! I can hardly believe it’s 2014. Another year bites the dust! And what do I find in the stores now that Christmas is over. Valentine’s candy, cards, and assorted gifts! I have to admit I love Valentine’s Day. Sometimes the hubby and I go out, sometimes we stick close to home. This year it will be on a Friday, so it’s kind of a perfect date night. I’m thinking fondue. A reader recently told me that was her special Valentine’s date last year.
Heads up here, I’m doing a drawing for an ebook copy of my erotic romance Kinky Neighbors. Leave a comment on this blog along with your email address (this is will not be used for advertisement, it’s only so I can contact you if you win).
And because I love Valentine’s Day, this year I decided to be a part of a brand new Valentine’s anthology with never-before-published stories from some wonderful writers, Pamela Fryer, Haley Whitehall, Raine English, Lois Winston, Melinda Curtis. And me! We’re all in Love, Valentine Style!
Here’s a blurb for my story which is called Be My Other Valentine.
Five years ago, Grace was given a sacred duty by a woman dying of cancer: Every Valentine’s Day, Grace must deliver a special cake to a girl named Valentine, addressed from the girl’s mother in heaven. But this year, Grace’s van gives up the ghost before she delivers her cargo.
His daughter Valentine is all Brian has left of his wife, but he’s forgotten the cake Valentine receives every year, and they’ve moved to a new house with no way to contact the baker who follows his wife’s wishes.
In their quest to fulfill a dying woman’s last request, can Grace and Brian find their own Valentine?
So Grace is a fabulous baker and she makes wonderful specialty cakes for birthdays, weddings, and all occasions. Of course, I’m not a baker! So when I was putting the story together, I had to come up with some cool cake ideas. The little girl in the story, Valentine, is 5, so I had to think up all the cakes Grace has made over the years. I have to tell you, the internet is a fabulous tool. You can find just about anything you want with just a few keystrokes. So here’s a couple of web pages where I found some really fun cakes!
http://spoonful.com/recipes/dessert-recipes/birthday-cake-recipes
http://spoonful.com/recipes/creative-cakes-gallery#carousel-id=photo-carousel&carousel-item=3
What’s great about this site is that there are recipes and instructions for making the cakes yourself. They’re great for a kid’s birthday party. I once made my husband a cake in the shape of cat. It was actually kind of cute, but the cake itself tasted terrible! Grace would never make a terrible cake. But she did make several of the creations I saw on this cool website! Here’s a little excerpt of the story:
He reached over to open the door. “It’s cold, get in.” When she hesitated, he added, “If your car won’t start, you won’t be able to turn on the heater.” He smiled and patted the seat next to him. “And I have seat warmers.”
“Oh God, you’re evil. I’ll put the cake on the floor behind the passenger seat. It won’t slide as much when you’re driving.”
He kept the engine running and pushed the buttons for both seat warmers. Her van was visible around the corner, and they would see when the tow truck arrived.
Settling beside him, she asked, “So I’ve been dying to know if your daughter likes the cakes.”
He smiled. Valentine was the light of his life. “She adores them.”
“Which one did she like best?”
He supposed it was like a painter or a musician or a writer asking if you liked their latest work. Her cakes were an art form. “The lamb. Or maybe that was just my favorite. Because Valentine was very partial to the pink and red ladybug.” There’d also been an amazing butterfly, its wings topped with colored fruit jellies arranged to look like a pink monarch, and a Finding Nemo fish, which had been pink instead of orange and accented with red stripes instead of black. “You’re very talented.”
Even in the shadows of the car, he recognized her blush. “Thank you. Valentine? For her birthday? I didn’t realize that was actually her name. Her mother didn’t say.”
His mood immediately spiraled. He hadn’t known what Marilyn planned until she’d done it. And when he’d seen the credit card bill later, he almost choked. But she was gone by then, and over the years, he’d realized what she’d given Valentine was worth every penny. In fact, it probably wasn’t enough. This woman—he hadn’t even asked her name—had already provided far more than the money Marilyn had paid her. A childhood’s worth of cakes, a mother lode of love. Why would she go to such lengths for a woman she didn’t know and a child who hadn’t even been born when she made the deal?
Hehe, there are the cakes! You can see samples of the lamb (they called it a sheep), Nemo, the butterfly, the ladybug. Of course, I changed the color to match Valentine’s favorite. Gosh, I should have used the panda, that one was cute, too! And what cake did Grace make for Valentine this year? LOL, you’ll have to read the story to find out!
Don’t forget to leave a comment and your email address to be entered in the drawing. You can find Love, Valentine Style exclusively on Amazon.
You can find me at:
Website: www.jasminehaynes.com
Blog: www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jasminehaynesauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasminehaynes1
Amazon page: http://amzn.com/e/B001IR3N76
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/130583.Jasmine_Haynes
Thanks again for having me, Delilah!
Jasmine Haynes
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This sounds like a story! A mother’s love is so special. Definitely want to read this one!
Thanks for sharing!
huhgestw@yahoo.com
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I read the excerpt and thought it was very interesting bibbiesparks@yahoo.com.
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I should love Valentine’s Day as it’s considered a special day for people falling in love or are in love. But for me, I say it should be for everyone you love past or present, not just for lovers.
Valentine’s Day is the hardest day for me to celebrate because I lost the most important person in my life, my Pappaw (my Momma’s father), on February 11, 1986. His funeral was held on Valentine’s Day. So every year I’ve always sent up a prayer on Valentiine’s Day for all of us to not be sad with the remembrance of him but to rejoice that he is free of pain. (He was a coal miner, a lumberjack, pretty much jack of trades Father of family of 8 children – he has built a modest shack for a family of 5 children (3 oldest were married off), himself and Granny out of all the leftover lumbers he could carry home 10 miles every day until it was built. He also worked hard investing in building a bigger house, a brick ranch house, when children got older. He’s even worked out of the state to make money to support 7 mouths, always sending every penny home. He, in my opinon was the best farmer/gardener, whittler, builder, and many things. He could always cheer me up with his whittling stories. He’s always worked all his life ’til he was bedridden with black lung, which he had to have surgery to remove one lung and was expected to live 3 months but he lived 3 more precious years.
Took me a long time to really enjoy the love holiday. I tell everyone I love in my life Happy Valentine’s Day and how much I love them.
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Sorry I got carried away… haha. I do love the excerpt and look forward to read all of them. 🙂
J s p r e c i o u s r u b y (at) g m a i l (dot) c o m
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Dessie, I’m so touched by your love and admiration for your Pappaw. And I’m glad you’ve come to see Valentine’s Day as a day to celebrate your love for your family.
Thank you, Toni. I’m so glad you found excerpt interesting.
I agree, Theresa, a mother’s love is very special. I’m happy you liked the sound of the story.
Thanks to all of you for stopping by! And good luck in the drawing!
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My aunt made us a bunny cake every year for Easter. It was the best cake ever and we still talk about it, even though we are all way too old to be impressed by a bunny cake.
lmjtgm at gmail dot com
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What a wonderful memory that is, Lisa! I’m sure it tasted better than my cat cake, LOL! Thanks for stopping by!
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I think it will be great, can’t wait! I will be spending V-day with my kids this year
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What a great way to spend Valentine’s Day, Sabrina. It’s not just for lovers, it’s for everyone we love!
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Love it! Valentine’s Day will always be special in my life.
~Liz
LizAdamsBooks at gmail
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I’m sure it is, Liz! I’ve heard about some of the nice things you do for your sweetie! Thanks for stopping by!
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I am so excited you more books coming out. I of course will wait for the print edition. I look forward to them all so much.
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Thank you, Laura! You’re such a great fan, and I really appreciate it! Since I’m doing the Valentine’s anthology with other writers, I don’t think there will be a print version of this particular one.
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Thank You for sharing. I will be adding this one to my need to get list.
This year Valentine’s day is kinda up in the air. My oldest daughter might be traveling with her dance team to the Northwest Competitions in California.
Other than that not much is planned. Maybe get the other kiddos some chocolate.
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Thanks for stopping by, Melissa! Chocolate is always good for Valentine’s! The dance competitions sound like fun. I hope you get to go along to watch your daughter.
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Jasmine
I enjoyed reading blurb and excerpt for Be My Valentine. I’ve read stories about moms leaving their daughters journals and video tapes. But, your take on mom sending daughter a cake is unique. Smart thinking.
Thank you for your time.
Grburton@samford.edu
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Sounds delightful. Love the cake idea.
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I loved the story. What a wonderful way for mom to treasure her child from heaven, creating memories of her love for her daughter.
Wrongwaymichelle@hotmail.com
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Thank you, Ginger, I’m glad you enjoyed the excerpt and liked the unique take on the mother’s gift!
I’m glad the cake idea appealed to you, Kate! I had a lot of fun scanning the internet looking for fun, different shapes.
Michelle, I’m happy you liked the excerpt. And I love your email address. It reminds me of an old movie my husband and I love. They called the hero Wrong Way Goldfarb. We still use the expression to indicate when one of us had made mistake.
Thanks for stopping by, everyone!
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I really enjoyed your post. The book sounds very good and I have an Amazon gift card from Christmas, guess I just found one good use for it. Valentine’s Day has never been my favorite because I was always alone. However, since my son came into my life I can now enjoy the holiday a little more. Children are so precious and I love that your book emphasizes the bond between parent and child even in death. Thank you for stopping by and sharing with us.
charene dot michael at comcast dot net
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Sounds like a good book, a mother’s love reaching in the future…
Going onto my TBR list. Checked out the cakes, they look beautiful.
Thank you for the giveaway!
seelk67 at gmail dot com
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Thank you, Charlene, I’m so glad you enjoyed the excerpt and found a good use for your gift card! I agree, children are so precious. We have to cherish them.
I’m glad you liked the cakes, Eniko! They were fun. Thanks for putting the book into your TBR list!
I will now go off to select the winner! Thanks to everyone for stopping by and good luck!
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Thanks to Delilah for hosting me on her blog!
And the winner of an e-copy of Kinky Neighbors is Teresa Hughes! Congratulations! I will email you to find out what format you would like the book in. Also, Teresa, I think there’s a typo in your email address, so I’m going to spell it like your name.
Thanks everyone for stopping by the blog!