Melissa Keir-Small Town Romance Author
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Melissa's Books
  • Missy's Children's Books
  • Contact me
  • Privacy Notice
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Melissa's Books
  • Missy's Children's Books
  • Contact me
  • Privacy Notice
Search

Melissa's Musings

.Because of Jaqueline by Cynthia Pomranz Puts St. Louis on the Map! #scp

9/20/2014

 
Cynthia has stopped by to share her thoughts on her hometown! You know how much my own means to me! Take it away Cynthia....
Picture
Why I chose St. Louis as the setting for my book, Because of Jacqueline.

Selecting my hometown, St. Louis, as the setting for Because of Jacqueline seemed to be the perfect choice.  The old adage, write what you know, provided me with the opportunity to share with the reader the unique flavor of the city known as the Gateway to the West, and all it has to offer. 

Whether the heroine, Jackie, is admiring the Grand Basin in Forest Park, restored to its World’s Fair glory, riding the Metro downtown to a ballgame at Busch Stadium, or enjoying an Imo’s pizza, the Midwestern town comes to life in the interesting details sprinkled throughout the story. 

The depiction of St. Louis helps set the mood and influences the way characters behave.   By bringing Jackie and Marc together in a steamy St. Louis summer with a season of Cardinal baseball fever woven through the plot, the setting binds everything into context as the sexy romance unfolds.

If you happen to be from St. Louis, you will appreciate the references to city’s expressions, landmarks, and great places to eat. If you aren’t familiar with my town, when you read, Because of Jacqueline, I hope you will fall in love with our gem of a city!


Picture
Jackie Simms moves back to her hometown, St. Louis, to rebuild her life in the wake of divorce, including a foray into the world of online dating. She responds to an intriguing email from Marc Montgomery, who shares many of her interests, as well as a love for baseball. As their cyber relationship deepens, her skeptical side wonders if he’s too good to be true.

When Jackie’s work-related travel delays their first date, the couple spends the next two weeks in a tantalizing state of limbo filled with tender emails and intimate phone conversations that go on seamlessly for hours. Even though they have never met, their souls touch.

When they finally meet, will Marc be Jackie’s dream come true?  Will she learn the truth about this enigmatic man?  Will self-doubt lead Jackie to believe she is the barrier to her own happiness? 



The martini tasted delicious. And potent. The drink went straight to my head at the first sip. Minutes later, Marc joined me in the living room.

“This sofa is comfortable and good looking.” Not as good looking as the owner. His polo shirt clung to his well-defined chest. Obviously, he worked out on a regular basis.

“After I had the house rehabbed, I worked with a friend of my mom’s. She decorated the whole place.”

“Impressive.” I murmured, thinking more of him than his furnishings. The gin continued to fog my brain. My plan to remain cool toward him became a distant memory.

After we finished our drinks he asked, “Hungry?”

“Yes, some food would be good.” I needed something to soak up the alcohol.

“Come,” he ordered softy.

I followed Marc to the kitchen—a chef’s dream filled with high-end stainless steel appliances. The beautiful custom ebony cabinets boasted brushed nickel hardware. Five bar stools lined the massive marble-topped island. A round table with leather chairs set for two occupied the bay window. The kitchen opened to a grand family room with a high tray ceiling.

My attention went to the opposite wall. “Marc, what is the size of your flat screen?” I’d never seen anything comparable.

“It’s eighty-four inches. You like lingerie. I like to watch movies and sports.”

“On a gianormous screen.” I giggled.

“Gianormous? That’s a word I haven’t heard.” He looked bewildered.

“I picked it up from my girls. It’s a combination of giant and enormous. Teenagers have a unique way of expressing themselves.” I chuckled to myself.

“Your martini seems to be agreeing with you, Jacqueline.” His smile widened.

I took the opportunity to look for the lower front crooked incisor he mentioned, but I couldn’t see anything except perfect teeth. The buzz in my head intensified. My eyelids started to droop.

“I’ll get the food. Can you get a couple of waters from the fridge?”

“Sure.” I tried to steady myself. I never should have had a drink on an empty stomach.

“We have egg rolls, wonton soup, and Mongolian Beef, light on the onions, as you requested.”

“Thank you. It looks tasty.” He looks tasty. Jeez, I feel like a horny teenager!

Thankfully, as we ate, I began to feel more coherent. Yoake sat curled up on her floor pillow nearby as Marc updated me on his acquisition plans with the internet company. He seemed pleased when I shared with him my daughters were coming for a visit. This evening is starting out much better than last week.

After dinner, Marc produced his movie collection list. “Take a look. Tell me what you’d like to watch. They’re arranged by genre in alphabetical order.”

I stared at the list in awe. “There must be over five hundred movies here.”

“I removed fifty from the list last month.”

“Glad to see you are cutting back,” I teased.

“What’s your pleasure? An old classic, a drama, action, or maybe sci-fi? I’m guessing you’re the romantic comedy type.” I could only see his blazing blue eyes over the top of the list.

“Do you have any recommendations?”

“Last week I bought Hitch with Will Smith and Eva Mendez. Have you seen it?”

“No, I haven’t. Let’s watch it.”

Marc started setting up the DVD.

I wonder how many other women have been to his place for Chinese and a movie. He had been single his adult life, while I’d been married. I remembered what Trish said to me about STDs and using condoms.

I certainly wasn’t planning on having sex with him, but it felt incredible when he kissed me last week. Marc took a seat next to me on the sofa. His inviting scent was clean and fresh with a note of spice.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

“I’m fine,” I murmured.

“Yes. You are,” his eyes glimmered as he stroked my arm. A shiver ran down my neck and across my shoulders. His lips brushed mine. The quivering spot in the pit of my stomach exploded.

As Marc pulled me in his arms, he kissed me softly. When his warm tongue pressed into my mouth, a combination of panic and burning desire ripped through me. My lips couldn’t deny his moist, sweltering kiss. He stopped and took my hand. Without saying a word, he stood and led me out of the room down the hallway.

I knew where we were going. Yoake trotted along beside us swishing her tail, as if she knew too. Looks like this isn’t the first time Yoake has accompanied someone to Marc’s bedroom. She ran ahead and nosed open the door. The late summer sunset lit the room in a soft, warm glow. A king size bed with a tall, fawn-colored upholstered headboard and button tufting dominated the large space. The soft neutral toned bedding appeared to be a sumptuous raw silk.

Marc stopped a foot from the bed. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me. Slow and deep. All the blood drained from my head. The air in the room became thick. When he pulled my T-shirt over my head, the heat from his body blanketed my bare skin. With ease, he unsnapped my bra with one hand and dropped it to the floor.



Buy Links

http://www.amazon.com/Because-Jacqueline-Cynthia-Pomranz-ebook/dp/B00N6A4F3O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409657754&sr=8-1&keywords=because+of+jacqueline+by+cynthia+pomranz

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/because-of-jacqueline-cynthia-pomranz/1120263809?ean=2940150398313

https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Because+of+Jacqueline

http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=938&zenid=3hcmk50077shb1sqbhier049b0

http://www.bookstrand.com/because-of-jacqueline

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-becauseofjacqueline-1611097-177.html



Picture
Cynthia Pomranz lives in the Midwest with her husband. She has two beautiful daughters, and a shih tzu that thinks she is a retriever. Cynthia earned a BA from Knox College, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.  After years of writing software training manuals, she followed her heart and wrote her first romance novel with the love and support of her family.

Contact Links

You can follow Cynthia on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.
http://www.cynthiapomranz.com

https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaPomranzBecauseofJacqueline

https://twitter.com/cynthiapomranz



Comments are closed.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Melissa Keir

    Gator Girl Extraordinaire

    RSS Feed



    Archives

    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011

Proudly powered by Romance
Melissa Keir-Author

Photos from emilyonasunday, imagesbyk2 Photography, Beverly & Pack, thisreidwrites, jDevaun, Ken Wilcox., jan_krutisch, wiesiek_kr, ginnerobot, Tim RT, erasergirl, wheatfieldbrown, fivehanks, Ⅿeagan, theilr, symphony of love, Abhishek Singh Bailoo, Max Braun, Daniel Leininger, EliJerma, sean_reay, DafneCholet, Pablo Tocagni, kevin dooley, CarbonNYC, Loren Javier, marco monetti, shannonkringen, Peter Werkman (www.peterwerkman.nl), tekkbabe, Aditya Rakhman, MilitaryHealth, almarWho, raganmd, snowkei, wuestenigel, Amal Hathaway, augustineisnotmyname, shixart1985 (CC BY 2.0), digitizedchaos, photologue_np, -stamina-, Jessica_Branstetter, I woz ere, Erháld, Tostie14, kdinuraj, feline_dacat, RobBixbyPhotography, glaciernps, aussiegall, Pink Sherbet Photography, Poul-Werner, Loren Javier, Diamond Farah, AForestFrolic, williamcho, shannonkringen, gagilas, ben.fitzgerald, Tony Fischer Photography, rufusowliebat, emilianohorcada, George Deputee, LadyDragonflyCC - >;< - Spring in Michigan!, brick red, citymaus, Emery Co Photo, midiman, Thragor, jdegrazia, dane brian, sibikos, nan palmero, r.nial.bradshaw, US Army Africa, bambe1964, lisaclarke, piermario, SurFeRGiRL30, ninachildish, shixart1985
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Melissa's Books
  • Missy's Children's Books
  • Contact me
  • Privacy Notice