Avon Romance recently bestowed me the honor of being selected as an Avon Addict! I discovered romance through Avon books ... and Avon Romance continue to fill my book shelves! Today Avon author Jennifer Bernard joins us in virtual Hawaii. Her appearance is timely this day after September 11. Jennifer's heroes are the Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel - their brethren of New York so gallantly responded to the World Trade Center. New York is familiar to Jennifer. From her bio,
I graduated from Harvard University with a degree in History and Literature. I wanted to major in Creative Writing, but those students were supercool and I confess I was a geek. Even so, I knew I had to write. After college I worked for Macmillan Publishing in New York, where I wrote copy for yearly encyclopedia updates. Yes, it was writing, but I wanted to try something different. The something different turned out to be living on a fishing island in Maine.
Kim: Harvard! What was your favorite sight, sound, and smell?
Jennifer: First of all, thank you so much for having me here on your blog! I went to high school in Houston, Texas, which is built mostly with concrete, steel and glass, so when I got to Harvard I fell in love with the old red brick you see everywhere. I wasn’t used to that sense of history that saturates the whole campus. My favorite sound would be that of shoes on cobblestones – another thing we didn’t have in Houston – and the skittering of autumn leaves on the sidewalks. As for the smell – dusty old books. There’s nothing like it for inspiring a geek-girl such as myself.
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| Harvard Yard courtesy of Wikipedia |
Kim: What inspired the move to a fishing island in Maine? What did it inspire in you?
Jennifer: I found myself at loose ends a couple years after college (I’d been working in publishing in New York, but wanted to leave the city.) I answered an ad for a sandwich shop worker on a remote Maine island. It was a two-month job, which sounded perfect to me. I wanted to see and experience something different, something that didn’t involve studying and reading. It turned out to be a life-changing adventure. I stayed on the island for two years, learned how to pick crab, cook breakfast for a crew of fishermen, haul lobster traps, knit, shingle houses, can tomatoes, and all sorts of back-to-basics skills. I absolutely loved it. I think it inspired a thirst for more adventure and a curiosity about the different ways people live.
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| Maine courtesy of Wikipedia |
Kim: Alaska! You must enjoy wearing long underwear! What are the pros and cons of living in Alaska? What's your winter getaway spot in Hawaii?
Jennifer: Long underwear and I have a love-hate relationship. I’m grateful for it, but really, it’s not the most fashion-forward type of clothing you ever saw. Life in Alaska has so many pros: the unspoiled beauty, the incredible bounty of the land and sea, the closeness to nature, the extremes of light and weather. The cons are similar, actually. The extremes can be taxing, the remoteness means everything is more expensive (like Hawaii!) and sometimes I’d rather be close to sophisticated cafes instead of nature. Every winter we spend a couple months working on our place on the Big Island in Hawaii. Some day we’ll be close to nature in the form of active volcanoes instead of six-foot blizzards. I admit I’m looking forward to that day!
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| Mount McKinley, Alaska, courtesy of Wikipedia |
Jennifer: Well! Where do I start? With the hunky firemen, perhaps? The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel are fearless, smoking hot and single, but it’s their bad luck in love that makes them legendary. For the Bachelor Firemen, fighting fires is a breeze compared to falling in love – it’s one disaster after another before they find their happy endings. But once Captain Brody meets his perfect match (in THE FIREMAN WHO LOVED ME) it’s just a matter of time before the rest of the firemen break the curse too.
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| San Gabriel Mission |
Jennifer: I have an e-novella coming out on November 13 called ONE FINE FIREMAN. I’m especially excited about this one because I’m planning to give a portion of the royalties to the Fireman’s Cancer Support Network in honor of Thor, the hero. Then on January 29, SEX AND THE SINGLE FIREMAN, which is the third book in the series, will be in bookstores everywhere. And then, fingers crossed, more Bachelor Firemen will find their happy endings too.
Mahalo, Jennifer, for joining us at SOS Aloha! I am offering a book choice from Jennifer's backlist - THE FIREMAN WHO LOVED ME or HOT FOR FIREMAN. To enter the giveaway,
1. Leave a comment about first responders. Here in Hawaii, the firemen offer free blood pressure tests from 9 - 5, except during lunch!
2. This giveaway is open to all readers.
3. Comments are open through Saturday, September 15, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 16.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
To learn more about Jennifer and her books, check out her website at jenniferbernard.net.
I work in Early Childhood. At least once a year we have the Fire Brigade, complete with Fire Truck, come visit. They are so wonderful with the children. If they get an urgent call off they go.
ReplyDeleteWe help out with our volunteer firefighters with wonderful dinners. We go very year.
ReplyDeleteOur fireman hand out smoke detectors once a year.
ReplyDeletePlease do not enter for these books, I have them and really enjoyed them.
We saw a group of fireman at Tim Hortons the other day. They said hi to my 3 yr old daughter and showed her their fire truck. That made her day! She kept asking about the dalmatians though and was disappointed that she didn't see them!
ReplyDeleteThe fire department here in Santee, CA saved our town from buring down during the 2003 Cedar Fire that burned many areas of San Diego County. The fire came very close to our house (and we watched the hills around burn all day long) but the fire fighters raced to save everyone's homes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post and what an awesome subject :) I love these covers too! Our local firefighters are awesome. They are also paramedics, they do free fire detector checks, give away free smoke detectors, some do car seat fittings and checks... etc...etc... they are definitely a very valuable part of our community!
ReplyDeleteI have some friends who are first responders for a rural fire department-----the nearest ambulance is 10 miles away and the first responders are literally life savers sometimes.
ReplyDeleteIt's not unusual to see the NYPD and NYFD in action here.
ReplyDeleteSuch heroes!!
ReplyDeleteAt Christmas time one gets dressed up as Santa and others as elves and they go up and down all the streets and pass out candy. I remember my kids getting such a kick out of that!
Hi Kim - congrats on becoming an Avon Addict - it's a delight to be able to pass the torch to such a super reader. : )
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
Can't wait for the next fireman story. : )
Our local firefighters stand out in the hot sun, in their gear - helmet and all - to collect for MDA every Labor Day Weekend. All 3 days. Fill the Boot for MDA. God Bless 'em for all they do normally and then they do this.
I live in a rural area and there is a volunteer fire department. Sadly, I am unaware of the things they may do within the community. Shame on me! Love the covers for the books in this series.
ReplyDeleteI love the covers...and love the cute puppy on a couple of the covers. How cute! I work at a community college and we are fortunate to train many of the first responders serving our community--firefighters, basic law enforcement, paramedics, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe have a local fire department here, none are quite cover model material. But they did invest in this mobile unit that they take to schools to show quickly a house fire moves and the importance of getting low.
ReplyDeleteBut Jennifer you have an awesome book right there with your own story. Nerdy, Harvard graduate, textbook editor, moves to Maine and finds herself and the love of her life. Yes! ;)
I think they do a great job.
ReplyDeleteWe have had to call 911 three times for my husband. The first to arrive were the police, firemen, and the ambulance -- all pretty much at the same time. All of them are caring and very professional. Our home association works closely with the police in monitoring crime in our neighborhood. The fire department visits schools and some businesses to show off their fire trucks. They also give out free smoke detectors.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fantastic series. I have only had one encounter with a fireman and sadly it was not the best time for me, but he was awesome. I really admire them and all they do.
ReplyDeleteKim, huge congratulations on becoming an Avon Addict!!! I have read the first book in Jennifer's series & absolutely loved it. Fortunately or unfortunately, but I haven't had any contact with first responders.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is a firefighter/Paramedic, and puts her life on the line every day. Standing on a highway tending to car accident victims, as cars speed by her, their owners not bothering to pull over into the next lane.
ReplyDeleteOur local firefighters also stand out in the hot sun in full gear, collecting for the MDA. My daughter and her fellow colleagues always manages to raise a good sum for this cause.
At our last base I got into a really bad accident. I was grateful to those who responded so quickly.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for our local volunteer firefighters!
ReplyDeleteI have read Jennifer's first book The Fireman Who Loved Me. I loved it. I'm looking forward to reading Hot For Fireman.
ReplyDeleteFirst responders in our town are an extraordinary crew. When my daughter was 8 and we called 911 I was amazed how quickly they arrived. They made her so comfortable and were so very gentle with her. Our local Fireman are the same way as they end up coming before the ambulance.
Carol L
Lucky7450 (at) aol (dot) com