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Friday Friends: Moira Campbell of Can't Buy Me Love by Hannah Rowan

7/31/2020

9 Comments

 
For this post of Friday Friends, we're talking with Moira Campbell of Can't Buy My Love by Hannah Rowan. Moira Campbell is the heroine in Can’t Buy Me Love, an entry in the Last Chance Beach – Summer’s End contemporary romance anthology.  She is also a secondary character in Hannah Rowan’s upcoming “Our House” series.  When she travels to Last Chance Beach, she meets Noah Ramsey.
Where do you live and why?
For now I live on a small island called Last Chance Beach. I only arrived here recently after a three month journey cross country from my former home in New Jersey, searching for a place that called out to me.  Last Chance Beach called loud and clear.  I don’t know what the future may hold but for now I’m happy renovating a little cottage with the help of a very hunky handyman named Noah Ramsey.

What is your profession and do you enjoy it?
Before I left New Jersey I was a licensed practical nurse specializing in geriatrics. I worked in an assisted living facility where I loved working with the residents and enjoyed socializing with most of my colleagues. I’ve temporarily set aside my scrubs to learn the entirely new skill of home-renovation, but that doesn’t mean I won’t go back to it someday.

How would others describe you? Are they accurate?
When people first see me they tend to think I’m delicate because I’m rather small. They’re often surprised by how strong I really am. I hope people see me as independent, adventurous, and capable, but honestly, I don’t care what other people think of me!

When you met Noah Ramsey was it love at first sight?
My first glimpse of Noah wasn’t love at first sight, but it awakened some wonderful tingly feelings I hadn’t experienced in a long time. Would you think I was shallow if I said the first thing that impressed me about Noah was the sight of him, shirtless, doing carpentry?

Was it love at first sight for Noah?
I don’t think Noah was very happy to see me when I first arrived at the cottage he was renovating, and I wanted to rent the cottage next door. He wasn’t quick to open up to me at all. In fact I had the sense he was guarding secrets of his own. It took many weeks of working together before Noah grew to trust me, and love seemed to sneak up on both of us.

What do you like most about Noah?
Although it turned out Noah grew up in a very wealthy family, he’s a down to earth type of guy. He’s patient with me and also not afraid to admit he doesn’t know something, and will set about learning it.

What does Noah like most about you?
Noah is happy that I like a simple life and simple pleasures. He spent most of his life surrounded by people who judged their worth by material things, the latest fashion, etc.  I believe Noah is impressed that I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
I’ve already done quite the journey, which is how I ended up on Last Chance Beach, and I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be at the moment.

What's one thing you learned from your personal love story?
I’ve learned that many people dream of winning the lottery, believing the windfall will make all their worries disappear.  I quickly learned that having a fortune brings with it it’s own set of problems, and that my happiness came not from what I have, but from what I do.

That's beautiful, Moira. And it's awesome that you're trying something new and renovating homes. Wow! That's impressive.
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Can't Buy Me Love
Last Chance Beach - Summer's End - Anthology
Contemporary Romance

​For the first time in her life, lottery winner Moira Campbell doesn't have to worry about money, except for her concern about people wanting to take advantage of her generosity. Noah Ramsey grew up with privilege and is absolutely certain people are attracted to his wealth. Both happen upon Last Chance Beach, where they are able to fashion new lives away from prying eyes and greedy outstretched hands. When sparks ignite between the two, both must decide whether to risk revealing their true identities to trust in love.

Excerpt of Can't Buy Me Love

​One minute he was standing in the newly remodeled kitchen. The next he was nearly knocked off his feet, enveloped in a happy, squealing female body as she threw her arms around him, and improbably jumped up and down at the same time.

“Thank you so much,” she said. “You put in a good word for me, didn’t you?”

“I might have.”

She fit so nicely in his arms. He hugged her tighter, savoring the mix of feminine curves and finely toned muscles. He drew in the now-familiar scent of suntan lotion and some sort of citrusy shampoo, and finally gave in to what he’d been fantasizing about since his first glimpse of her stretching outside her car.

With her arms still looped around his shoulders, she leaned back, grinning up at him. “This is just the best news,” she said.

As he watched, her grin slowly faded. He felt the moment she grew aware of his body pressing into hers. Her eyes widened, blinked, and she licked her bottom lip. And that was that.

He threaded his fingers through her hair, drew her head closer, leaned in to taste those lips himself. She hesitated just for a moment, but then her arms tightened around him and she gave herself over to the kiss.

Seconds, minutes, long undetermined stretches of time passed while he lost himself in the sensation of soft lips, silky hair, seductive scent. His body responded with an insistence he hadn’t felt in ages, with a wonder he hadn’t felt maybe even since his first few romantic encounters as a young man. She made no move to pull away, and her soft sighs had his head spinning.

Finally, they pulled apart, but continued to look into each other’s eyes. Both breathing hard. Was she as affected by the intensity of that kiss as he was? He certainly hoped so.

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Bio:

Hannah Rowan wrote her first book at the age of seven, with blonde, brunette, red-headed, and black haired heroines whose names began with the letters A, B, C, and D. Oddly enough, it was never published. But Hannah has since been a local reporter, confession author, book reviewer, humor columnist, and magazine writer. She has a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and is a certified hypnotist. She published romantic comedy with Kensington Precious Gems, and published one of the first e-books back when people thought e-books would never catch on. She is currently at work on a romantic comedy series and a women’s fiction novel.

A life-long Jersey girl, Hannah lives in northern New Jersey with her hunky husband and two frogs named Fred and Ethel. When she’s not writing, Hannah enjoys her work at an assisted living facility, going to water aerobics and swimming, and taking long hikes in a new-to-her park with the Hunk as often as possible. And of course, she often stays up far too late, reading.

​Twitter    Facebook

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Monday Memories: A Tragic Sleepover

7/27/2020

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My first sleepovers were either at Roxi's house or with a family my parents went to college with. They had two boys and one was my age. We had fun together.

One evening we spent the night and when we woke up, two-year-old Wendy's cheek was swollen to twice its size.

I don't remember anyone being very scared, but all the adults were trying to figure out what had happened and if she should go to the emergency room.

I was sitting next to her on the couch, while she sat in my dad's lap. I stared hard at her, trying to figure out why her cheek was sticking out like she maybe had a bouncy ball inside her mouth, pressed up against the side of her face.

She wasn't crying, but staring right back at me, telling me without words to figure it out and fix it.

The adults were all chattering around us, trying to decide what to do. I narrowed my eyes at her face, turned my head slightly to the left, then to the right. She copied me.

Then, I reached up, touched her check, and snapped my hand back in surprise. It was so hard! Almost like she did have a bouncy ball pressed up against the inside of her cheek!

And that was when I remembered! Wendy had been sticking this toy in her mouth the night before. It was a little kitty cat with a fat, round bottom in place of its legs. I concluded she must have fallen asleep with it in her mouth, and now her cheek was permanently stuck out there for all the world to see!

I proudly announced my findings. The adults disagreed.

I argued. Argued some more.

"We probably just need to get a needle and pop it!" I told them. They ignored me and took her to the emergency room.
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I didn't see her for the rest of the day, or the next day. I was worried. I started wondering if she was going to be allowed to come home, but I couldn't say that to anyone. Maria was beside herself with sadness and Mom and Dad would panic if I brought it up.

So, I waited. And waited.

Dad finally took us to the hospital to see her. I was sitting in a chair in a small waiting room staring down a very large, never-ending, stark white hallway when I saw her.

She was holding Mom's hand and they were walking toward us. I jumped up and shouted to Maria, "There she is!"

She was wearing jeans and a blue, long sleeve shirt. I could feel my smile splitting my face.

But, before she even got half-way down the longest hallway in the world, Dr. Stanley swooped in, picked her up and carried her off!

I was livid! "That's my sister!" I cried. "Where is he taking her?"

Mom finally reached us and said, "He's figured out what kind of spider bit her, and now he can give her the medicine she needs."

I put my hands on my hips and glared at her. "So, she didn't swallow the cat toy?"

With the utmost seriousness Mom replies, "No, she didn't swallow the cat toy."

She was home that afternoon.

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Monday Memories: It's A Bird! It's A Plane!

7/20/2020

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Tick, tock, tick, tock.

A page turns.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

The tea pot whistles.

Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. The opening of a cabinet door. The clink of china on china.

Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. The creak of a divan.

A pair of brown eyes look up from Courier font to watch the rim of a dainty china tea cup disappear behind lips stained with Instant Mocha. Amazingly enough, the way she curves her lips over the rim makes it impossible for any of the lipstick to come off.

The eyes return to the book and, while there are still 30 minutes left of reading time, reading is an absolute joy, and with over 1000 books in the house, there is something for everyone.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. Another page turns.
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​BANG!


The kitchen door busts open and in walks muscles and angled jaw line.

"Hey, kids! Watcha up to?" a voice hollers. All attention is centered on the broad shoulders plowing through the kitchen and into the living room where the divans hold two little girls, one mother, and one grandmother.

"I fixed the light switch in the garage and stopped at Mike's for some watermelon. I took your car to get the oil changed and got to talkin' to the preacher's wife. Did you know Mrs. (So-and-so) broke her hip? Geez is that gonna be difficult for her kids."

Swoosh! He sits down in the arm chair, his eyes snapping with energy. "What are y'all doing? What's going on tonight? Oh!" He pops back up. "I forgot to get y'all a new television. I'll be back."

The kitchen door slams.

My grandmother looks at my mother and raises an eyebrow. "I guess he didn't need any answers to his questions."

Eyes go back to books.

That was my uncle. My mother's baby brother. The bull in my grandmother's china cabinet. I don't think he would've appreciated reading time.

He took care of things. And of people. He calls. He would walk across a highway if he saw you on the other side just to ask how you did. I think Ben Franklin really used the blood in my uncle's veins to make electricity.

He was larger than life to me, always busy, always in the middle of it all, and he looked so much like Superman, or Clark Kent, or Christopher Reeve, whichever.

I'll call him Uncle Clark. So, one quick question -- What the heck is a divan? I always looked for them in Grandmother's living room. I still haven't found them.

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Monday Memories: Parent

7/13/2020

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Every once in awhile we are given rare opportunities to be angels on earth. It is in these moments we find out how selfless we are. It is a greater test than one of our physical stamina, though sometimes being selfless takes physical strength.



​
My mother has been tested to the limits of her endurance throughout her life. Why that is, I cannot tell you. God has his reasons for things and it is pointless to analyze, explain, or question. He does not make mistakes...

I haven't written about Bill and his medical condition for a few months. This is to mirror how it was for me as a child...done...over...a thing of the past.

That is a luxury we have as children. We don't have to pick up pieces, do damage control, smooth ruffled feathers, or dry tears. Our parents, on the other hand, have to see a problem through to its end.

There were lots of doctor visits, tests, sleepless nights, prayers, and medicine. I am sure she was on edge for 15 months, waiting for seizures, and praying they would stop.

Detecting a seizure in an infant is almost impossible. Often doctors miss them even while the child is in their care. I know my mother watched my brother like a hawk, noticing every twitch, every day dreamy expression, willing God to allow her to see within Bill and predict when and where it would happen.

I know this because I could feel it within her as a child. Often I prayed for her as much as I did Bill. I may not have liked church, but I used the direct line to God to exhaustion.

Whenever I think back on what my parents must have gone through, I am always awed. I used to wonder how they captured the strength to get through those years.

As a forty-four-year-old I now know from where they drew their strength...

Love.

A phenomenal emotion. Powerful. Determined. Selfless and true.

Some of you might disagree with me and say it was God that gave them the strength, but you are forgetting what God is. He is love. God is love.

So, it was love that gave my mother the ability to lie on a gurney in Sunday dress, hose, and heels with Bill laying on her torso, not moving a muscle for three hours straight because it was the best and most peaceful sleep he'd had in awhile.

My mother...love weakened her and strengthened her...and she did great things.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

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Release Day: The Sheriff's Gift

7/6/2020

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PictureMy daughter (left); my sister (right)
The Sheriff’s Gift
Texas Brides of Pike’s Run Series, Book 2
Historical Romance
 
About:
The Sheriff’s Gift was a wonderful book to write. It allowed me to delve into the lives of the people in the town I was creating. Alice Parker, the heroine of the story, is the schoolteacher, and Conner Lonnigan, the hero, is the sheriff. They are highly involved in the lives of the townsfolk and are often called upon to help. Alice and Conner are strong-willed people with caring hearts and no-nonsense attitudes. Not only are they perfect for the town, they are perfect for each other.

The Sheriff’s Gift sets up several other books in the series. Many of the students, once they are old enough, end up with their own stories. It has been so much fun watching them grow and change and establish their futures.

​Writing is a joy, and I’m so glad I get to spend time with these wonderful characters!

Another important or fun fact about this story is that the heroine is based off of one of my sisters. She is, and always has been, one of the most important fixtures in my life. She is my rock. She is my hero. Alice is made better because my sister exists.

Buy The Sheriff's Gift!
Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/38juYvY
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-sheriff-s-gift-3
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1521104564
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​Blurb:
Strong-willed and independent, Alice Parker is certain she’s meant to be a school teacher. She accepts her first position in Pikes Run, ready to mold the minds of young children, but unprepared to deal with her attraction to Sheriff Conner Lonnigan. If the board finds out she’s tumbled into his embrace more than once, she would be fired.

Sheriff Conner Lonnigan is awed by Alice Parker. He falls for her almost immediately, but the demands at home forbid him from marrying. Conner’s duties as sheriff control his days, and his mother’s panic attacks control his nights. He doesn’t have the freedom to devote himself to Alice, but that can’t stop him from pursuing her anyway.

Alice and Conner fight their love for each other, but the wants of the heart become too much to ignore. As they battle the demands of their jobs, the couple finds that ultimate fulfillment can only be found in each other's arms.

​Excerpt:
“What is it?” Alice asked.

He didn’t reply until she was outside. “I have somethin’ for you.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “I hope it isn’t another complaint from Beulah.”

He grinned down at her. “Nope.” He jerked his head in the direction of the yard. “Come on.”

She followed him into the yard and toward the barn. When they entered the building, the cows lowing and the horses swishing their tails, he stopped and pulled her into an empty stall.

They were alone except for the animals. This was what she’d tried to avoid, and here she was, despite her usual unflinching self-control, in the wrong situation. Though her heart exalted, her mind raced for ways to get this over with quickly.

He smiled down at her, his hand still at her elbow from when he’d pulled her over. “You look pretty today.”

“Only today?” she heard herself ask. Oh, dear! She was flirting.

He chuckled low and deep. “Every day. You’re always pretty.”

In her wildest dreams, she’d never thought to hear a man say such a thing. “What did you want to show me?”

He flushed beneath his confident smile. “A present. I ordered it for you.”

Alice’s heart stopped then sped like a locomotive. “Truly?” she whispered.

He nodded.

“But…but I didn’t get you anything,” she protested.

His smile turned soft, and her knees went to jelly. “Just havin’ you here is present enough.”

If he said anything else as tender and beautiful, she might faint from want of him. “Oh,” she murmured.

He gazed at her for a few moments more before reaching into his coat and pulling out a box wrapped in brown paper. He handed it to her.

Gingerly, she took it and unwrapped it slowly, wanting to savor the moment. Once the paper was gone, she sprung the latch on the box and lifted the lid. Her throat ached with emotion when she saw what sat in the velvet casing.

A small ceramic house, the rooftop covered in snow, stared up at her. It was beautiful. She ran a finger over its smoothness. “Thank you,” she rasped.

“There’s more.” He took it from her and lifted it out of its case. “It’s open in the back. You can put a candle here and since the windows are cut out, it’ll look like there’s—”

“Firelight,” she breathed. Awed and deeply touched, she gazed up at him. He’d remembered her memory of her mother and bought her a gift to commemorate the time. “Oh, Conner. How wonderful.”

He swallowed. “You like it?”

She closed her eyes in disbelief then opened them once more to look up into his handsome, dear face. “I adore it.”

​And in that moment, everything she’d ever wanted changed forever. She loved Conner Lonnigan with all her heart. The emotion stampeded through her, causing her to tremble with its force. She couldn’t stop herself from rising up and taking his lips with hers.
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    Kara O'Neal

    An author who has too much to say is dangerous.

    The subjects on this blog:


    Monday Memories -- My Childhood

    Wednesday Words -- Books!

    To be a guest on my blog:

    Contact: kara@karaoneal.com

    Monday Memories: Cast

    Kara -- Me
    Maria -- sister
    Wendy -- sister
    Bill -- brother

    M'Lynn -- mother
    Drummond -- father

    Grace -- mother's redheaded friend
    Liam -- Grace's husband
    Gorgeous (Georgie) -- oldest son and friend
    Phillip -- middle son and friend
    Andrew -- last child and friend

    Jo -- mother's "big idea" friend
    Noah -- Jo's husband who builds things
    Jack -- oldest son and friend
    Roxi -- middle daughter and friend
    Lela -- last child and friend

    Alex -- friend who travels the country and lives in Dallas
    Blossom -- friend who lives in Dallas and sells houses

    Miss Holly -- next door neighbor
    Kirk -- middle son
    Scotty -- youngest son

    Lou -- uncle on my dad's side who likes baseball
    Evaline -- my dad's sister who's crazy funny
    Luke -- oldest son and my cousin
    Han -- younger son and my cousin

    Clark -- my mother's brother who bleeds maroon

    Alexander -- my eldest cousin on my dad's side

    Dawn -- cousin on my dad's side that is the same age as Maria

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