Sophie's Snow Day

“A snowstorm can be a life changing event. Just ask Sophie.”

I'm very happy to welcome another one of the authors from the "Snowbound Hearts" anthology, Ms. Jillian Chantal. Jillian's story, Sophie's Snow Day, takes the anthology's theme in an unexpected direction, and will warm you up better than a fire in the fireplace.  I won't say any more, because I don't want to give anything away. The picture to the right of this post hides a link to the SMP site, so you can check it out for yourself. 

Thanks so much, Jillian! Maybe next time I can come visit you for reals on a beach in sunny Florida.

Peace,

Liv

Thanks for having me here as a guest, Liv. I’m always happy to visit my friends and chat a bit. I’m Jillian and I have a story in the Snowbound Hearts anthology published by Still Moments Publishing. My story is called Sophie’s Snow Day. Since the anthology consists of stories of people caught in a snow storm or snowed in, I thought maybe most of the submissions would relate to the remote cabin in the woods type of snow-in, so even though I love the idea of that(and the cover photo makes me want to snuggle under blankets in a cabin), I decided to make the setting of my story a city. Snow plows sometimes take their time clearing the roads and I thought that would be a different spin on the snowed-in theme.

I love a crackling fire and a cold day. I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida now and we very rarely get snow but I’ve lived and traveled to other places where it snows and always enjoyed it. As to driving in snow, not so much love there and I’m grateful that I don’t have to do that. When it snows in my town, the whole place shuts down. We don’t have the equipment to deal with it since it’s such a rarity. So, I guess I can say I have been snowed in. Of course, 2 inches to you folks in the north is just a bit of precipitation just like to us down here in hurricane world, a tropical storm is merely a slight breeze. It’s funny how perspectives are different across the globe. I love that.

I’m thrilled to be in the great company of the other writers in this anthology. I think all the stories will be wonderful. If you read Sophie’s Snow Day, I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sophie is a sassy girl and Tobias is, well, Tobias is just Tobias. I think you’ll like him.

Thanks again for having me here, Liv. I love to hear from readers. You can find me on the web at www.jillianchantal.com or Twitter at twitter.com/JillianChantal.

Bio: Jillian Chantal lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida, home of the sugar white sands and a little piece of paradise. She has a husband and two sons. In no particular order, she loves cats, travel, chocolate, theatre and boots. If she's not lounging by the pool or writing, she can usually be found shoe shopping.

Cold & Sparkly vs Warm & Human

"Can a secret, up and coming rock musician reawaken a young woman's passion while she fumbles her way through a strange city and new life?"

Lovely readers, please join me in welcoming my very first guest. Shannon O'Brien is the author of Winter Twilight, a short story that's appearing in the new anthology "Snowbound Hearts" from Still Moments Publishing. I met Shannon in a fiction workshop at the Write On The Sound conference last October, so I can say for certain that not only is she a nice girl, but she's a hell of a writer. Hope you enjoy her post here and that you check out "Snowbound Hearts". 

Peace,

Liv

Why do we love charming dead beings surviving on liquid diets, tantalizing were-animals howling in the night, and provocative phantoms popping in and out of bedrooms?  What would sexy supernatural leading men-thingy’s give the female protagonist a handsome human couldn’t? 

I don’t know.  I’ve never personally met any sparkling vampires or buff shape-shifters, even though I live a few hours from Forks and LaPush, WA.  But boy do we love to read about them!  And fall in love with them! 

Maybe the idea of having a partner who is ethereally and eternally handsome is a huge factor.  Or maybe the centuries of honing their kissing and petting skills entices us?  I mean, let’s face it, young men tend to be fumbling novices and young women spend tons of time hinting and shifting and leading in order to train them correctly.  But stumbling across an experienced supernatural being would have serious advantages. 

Now, our sexy human men have a lot to offer too.  It is nice to curl up to a strong, warm body in bed.  And something as simple as a bouquet of roses or smoldering glances in our direction would send the pulse a-racing.  Don’t let the fact that they snore loudly or hog the remote discourage you. 

I mean, we’re not perfect either.

But maybe that’s why we crave supernatural beings.  Does reading about them and their attractions to the human woman make us feel perfect?  Could a being as imperfect as a monster make a self-conscious woman feel alluring and special?  Is that what we crave when we read paranormal romances or urban fantasies? 

Possibly.  Most of those female protagonists, while they are often insecure, are also bad-asses themselves.  And maybe they thrive on the fact that they can run with vampires, tame werewolves, love demons and battle warlocks and come out alive.  They may be a little beat up, may be a little battered, and may be loved, but they are alive and wiser and less…insecure.

But don’t discount human men just yet.  There’s something magical about non-magical folk.  In my short story, Winter Twilight, available January 9 through Still Moments Publishing (www.stillmomentspublishing.com), my young, recently divorced protagonist, Teagan O’Leary, moves to a new city and stumbles around trying to get her bearings on her new life.  She meets her human co-worker, James Gulsoy, a tall dark-haired honey who works as a loading dock manager.  But when she finds out he’s a secret front-man for an up and coming rock band, and the love poems in her locker are from him…well let me ask you, who the heck would want an incubus over a hot rock star?

I think it’s safe to say, sexy paranormal leading men-thingy’s are awesome to read about and dream about and drool over, but human men keep us warm at night and grow old with us and make us feel alluring and special too.  As so they should. 

Shannon O’Brien transplanted to Seattle, WA from Southern California in the late 1990’s and is constantly mesmerized by the mountains, lakes and grandeur of the Pacific Northwest.  She is a wife, a mother of two young boys, and warden to a sweet Boxer and a sassy old black cat.  She encourages everyone to visit Puget Sound and even knows there really are sparkling vampires in Forks and a Sasquatch in the Cascade Mountains.  Trust her, she’s a fiction writer. You can keep an eye on what Shannon's up to here: http://shannonobrienauthor.wordpress.com/.