Welcome to The Seduction of Esther book tour. Today I have a special excerpt and giveaway for all you lovely readers.
The Seduction of Esther
by Jennifer Wilck
Samara ducked into the corner grocery store and swiped rain-drenched hair out of her eyes as she looked out at the street.
Rain teemed onto the Manhattan sidewalk in silver satin sheets. Cars splashed water onto the ankles of passersby with enough force to soak through the pant legs of irritated men and puddle inside the high-heeled shoes of unprepared women caught in the storm. Umbrellas prodded one another for space as people rushed from offices to subways, huddled in doorways and flagged down already full taxis in futile efforts to avoid the rain. Muttered curses at the weather mingled with hoarse apologies as commuters bumped against one another in their hurry to get somewhere—anywhere—dry. But those sounds were muted by the shuck-shuck-shuck of windshield wipers and the squeal of brakes on slippery streets.
The water poured down the front window of the store and blurred the sharp headlights of the passing cars into fuzzy, undulating splotches of yellow that danced before her eyes.
She smiled. They reminded her of Shabbat candles. She closed her eyes for a moment and time slipped away. In an instant, she was back in her grandmother’s warm, dry kitchen, her face pressed against a wide, soft bosom. The arms circling her promised safety, security and unconditional love. Her grandmother’s heartbeat thumped against her ear and infused her with calm and confidence. Her cousins chattered and the grownups laughed. China and utensils clinked. It was Friday night; the smell of brisket and challah filled the small, noisy apartment with mouth-watering scents of carrots, onions, garlic and yeast. Her stomach growled and the sound yanked Samara back to the present.
She was hungry. With a shake of her head, she reached for a shopping cart and headed down the aisle.
When I was a little girl and couldn't fall asleep, my mother would tell me to make up a story. Pretty soon, my head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Each character had a specific personality, a list of likes and dislikes, and sometimes, even a specific accent or dialect. Even as an adult, I think about the characters and stories at night before I fall asleep, or in the car on my way to or from one of my daughters’ numerous activities (hey, anything that will drown out their music is a good thing).
One day, I started writing them down (it was either that or checking into the local mental hospital—the computer was way less scary) and five years later, I’ve gotten two book contracts from Whiskey Creek Press. A Heart of Little Faith came out in June; Skin Deep is coming out in November.
In the real world, I’m the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men I know. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, traveling and watching TV. In between chauffeuring my daughters to after-school activities that require an Excel spreadsheet to be kept straight, I serve on our Temple Board, train the dog we adopted from a local shelter, and cook dinners that fit the needs of four very different appetites. I also write freelance articles for magazines, newspapers, and edit newsletters.
When all of that gets overwhelming, I retreat to my computer, where I write stories that let me escape from reality. In my made-up world, the heroines are always smart, sassy and independent. The heroes are handsome and strong with just a touch of vulnerability. If I don’t like a character, I can delete him or her; if something doesn’t work, I can rewrite it. It’s very satisfying to be in control of at least one part of my life. My inspiration comes from watching the people around me and fantasizing about how I’d do things differently. I can be reached at www.jenniferwilck.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Wilck/201342863240160. I tweet at @JWilck.
GIVEAWAY
During the tour Jennifer will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card and chocolate to a randomly drawn commenter. For chance to win please leave a comment, also follow the tour HERE.
Samara Goldberg has a problem even the most beautiful singing voice can’t fix. She’s a walking disaster, especially when she’s around handsome men. To make matters worse, she’s in desperate need of someone to play the character of Mordecai for the Purim spiel she’s producing and the new congregant, Nathaniel Abramson, is a perfect fit. Nathaniel is a divorced dad who’s recovering from the biggest public scandal of his life. The last thing he needs is a relationship with the choir director at his new synagogue, who also happens to be playing the lead female role of Esther in the very play he’s been coerced into joining.
Woven around the Jewish holiday of Purim, The Seduction of Esther is a story of two people whose lives mirror the plot of the Purim story. Like Esther, who had to hide her Jewish identity from the King of Persia, Samara and Nathaniel are hiding key pieces of themselves. Evil Haman wanted to destroy the Jews, and the nasty Josh will do anything to keep Samara and Nathaniel apart. Will their love survive, like the Jewish people in Shushan, Persia, or will their fear keep them apart?
I'm glad you decided to start writing your stories down because THE SEDUCTION OF ESTHER promises to be a wonderful read.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi Tina, thanks so much for hosting me today! And Mary, what a lovely thing to say! I hope everyone enjoys the book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great excerpt. It created such a vivid picture with mental imagery I felt I was right there at her grandmothers too
ReplyDeletefencingromein at hotmail dot com
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reading The Seduction of Esther.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shannon! I worked really hard on that scene. Stacy, thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like such an interesting book with a unique setting! I'm looking forward to reading it. I've read Hanukkah romances but never a Purim one!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Roni! I'm hoping to make it into a series, with each one taking place around a different holiday.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the Purim story well, but it always seemed very cool!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(dot)com
vitajex--Thanks so much for stopping by. Purim is one of the lesser known holidays, but it's a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteThat cover is ALL different kinds of lovely!
ReplyDeletejustforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Chelsea, my publisher has the world's greatest cover artist ever! Thanks so much for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteNice excerpt
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Thank you, bn100! And thank you, Tina for hosting me--it was great! Now onto stop #2.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great story.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Sorry for the late post. I’m playing catch-up here so I’m just popping in to say HI and sorry I missed visiting with you on party day! Hope you all had a good time!
ReplyDeletekareninnc at gmail dot com
Timeless European-inspired architecture marry contempo design and
ReplyDeleteamenities offers its resident a truly alluring abode to call home.
the interlace condo
Sounds good, I like the cover.
ReplyDeletemagic5905 at embarqmail dot com