SYNOPSIS:
Hard-edged fireman Dean Mulligan has never been a
big fan of Christmas. Twinkly lights and sparkly tinsel can't brighten the
memories of too many years spent in ramshackle foster homes. Although he's
established himself as one of the top firefighters at San Gabriel Station 1, he
doesn't think he's good enough for someone like gorgeous Lizzie.
Lizzie Breen is used to fighting-from her alpha
male brothers, who try to smother her in the name of safety, to the
life-threatening childhood illness she overcame. She knows what she and
Mulligan feel for each other is a lot more than a fling, but she can't get him
to see that. The only gift Lizzie wants to give him this season is her love,
but he's not willing to accept it.
When Mulligan is trapped in the burning wreckage
of a holiday store, a Christmas angel arrives to open his eyes. But is it too
late? This Christmas, it'll take an angel, a determined woman in love, and the
entire Bachelor Firemen crew to make him believe … it is indeed a wonderful life.
EXCERPT:
“You shouldn’t be
flirting with the new probie. If Fred was here, he’d tell you.” Mulligan looked
very sure of that fact—arrogant, even. She assessed the bump in his nose, the
way his biceps bulged from the sleeves of his T-shirt, his air of absolute
assurance. Another girl might be intimidated, but Lizzie had grown up with four
brothers who’d become soldiers and a firefighter. She’d outgrown intimidation
by the age of six.
“Why are you so suspicious of Ace? He’s part
of the brotherhood, isn’t he?”
“Not yet,”
Mulligan said with decisive finality, as if everything had now been settled.
“You stay here, and I’ll tell him to get lost.”
“You will not!”
She grabbed his arm as he brushed past her. It felt like grabbing a log, that’s
how thick and strong his forearm was. “It’s none of your business.”
“It is my
business. Freddie’s my business. We’re tight.”
“If you were that
tight, you’d know that his only involvement with my love life is feeding me ice
cream after a breakup,” she snapped. “Stay out of it, Mulligan. You have some
nerve, you really do. I’ve never even met you before, and you’re trying to tell
me who to sleep with.”
He stopped dead.
She kept her hand on his arm because it felt so good. His tendons tightened
under her touch, and she saw his jaw flex.
A quick flick of
his wrist, and suddenly she was pressed against him, chest to chest, thighs to
thighs. Sensation poured through her; it felt like standing next to a volcano.
“I’m not telling you who to sleep with. I’m telling you who not to sleep with.”
“Oh, really?” she
snapped, furious. “Who should I not
sleep with?”
“Anyone but me.”
About the author:
Jennifer
Bernard is a graduate of Harvard and a former news promo producer. The child of
academics, she confounded her family by preferring romance novels to … well,
any other books. She left big city life for true love in Alaska, where she now
lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She’s no stranger to book success, as
she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name not to be mentioned
at family gatherings.
Visit her on the Web at:
Website: www.JenniferBernard.net
Twitter: jen_bernard
Interview Questions:
1.
Where did
the idea come from for the book?
This book was inspired by two movies – It’s a Wonderful
Life (okay, you might have guessed that one) and Ladder 49. Ladder 49 doesn’t
end well – it’s about a fireman trapped in a building, reliving key moments of
his life. But my version, of course, has a very happy ending. As a romance
author, I wouldn’t write anything else!
2.
What
genre does your book fall under?
It’s a Wonderful Fireman is a contemporary romance, fun,
sexy and emotional.
3.
Which
actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
For the hero, Dean Mulligan, I’ll go with Taylor Kinney
from Chicago Fire. For Lizzie, the love of his life, Amy Adams would be
amazing.
4.
What is
the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When a firefighter is trapped inside a collapsed holiday
store, it’ll take a Christmas angel, the love of his life, and a holiday
classic to save him.
5.
Will your
book be self-published or represented by an agency?
This book is published by Avon Impulse.
6.
How long
did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I write my first drafts fairly quickly, so I’d say it
took a couple of weeks. But I always go through several drafts so ultimately it
probably took maybe five or six weeks until it was polished enough to send to
my editor.
7.
What
other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
This is a Christmas novella, so anything with a holiday
theme. (And that’s a long list of books!) In general, I’d say that if you like
Jill Shalvis or Rachel Gibson, you might like this book, and the Bachelor
Firemen series in general.
8.
Who or
What inspired you to write this book?
I can honestly say that this book was inspired by the
readers of the Bachelor Firemen series. When it came time to wrap the series
up, I wanted to do something special, sort of a Christmas present to those who
have followed and loved the series. This book has a life-and-death situation,
it has a romance, it’s complete in and of itself – but it also has cameo
appearances by every hero of all the previous fireman books. I wanted to give
readers one last moment with the guys.
9.
What else
about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Readers will not only get a fireman romance, they will
also meet the hero of my upcoming series, which is about a baseball team. My
next series is called Love Between the Bases, and it’s about the Kilby Catfish,
a Triple A team from Texas. The first book, ALL OF ME, will be out on May 26 of
2015, but you can meet the hero, Caleb Hart, in IT’S A WONDERFUL FIREMAN. Not
only that, the first chapter of ALL OF ME is included at the end. A little
bonus for my awesome readers!
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How very cool! From one of your reader fans, thanks you Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Lynn. Happy reading. :)
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