Jan Scarbrough's Blog

Years ago, when I was much younger, I participated in group therapy at a critical moment of my life. Recently, while cleaning out a file cabinet, I found some notes I made during that time.

Here are some of the important lessons I learned. Maybe these might help you too.

“Life is a vale of tears.”Insight is the beginning of change.If something isn’t working, do it differently. Practice ways to change.Everyone can change. They may choose to change, or they may not.You won’t cease being yourself if you do it differently.Most people fear change because they fear loss.You cannot make another person feel anything. You cannot change another person, only yourself.You are the cause of your own personal happiness.All you have is what is going on now: the present. Live in the present.Everything is a trap. Making a choice means you don’t get it all.We don’t appreciate or celebrate what we gain. There’s both gain and loss in every situation. Nothing is “either” / “or.” It’s both.Anger turned inside is depression.You get depressed at the advent of some major change in your life. You are anticipating loss and sadness.We orchestrate our lives either consciously or unconsciously.Don’t give the control of your life over to another.Major things in life happen by chance. Learn to create your own happenstance.Choose to become imperfect, not a victim.A person creates his own outlook on life. Situations can vary because of how you view the situation.The more you are autonomous, the closer you can get to other people.We fear losing our identity.If you are mature, you can distinguish between how you think and how you feel.Adulthood is the ability to live with your own aloneness.

I found a blog from ten years ago. My life has changed so much, but I remain thankful for the same things.

2014: It’s popular to give thanks this time of year. I’m thankful for the basics—God, country, and my health. I’m especially happy for family—a husband who’s put up with me for almost fifteen married years. I give thanks for two wonderful children and two wonderful stepchildren, who have given us a total of NINE grandchildren, all boys except for one beautiful princess.

2024: My health has gone through its ups and downs over the years. I’ve survived two cancer treatments and am in remission. I’ve been hospitalized for other ailments and am now doing fine. Sadly, my husband of twenty-four years died in June. But I give thanks for Bill, his life, and his love. He’s with God now. And grandchildren: Now TEN, all boys except for one beautiful princess who is a freshman in college.

My children and grandchildren at Cherry Hall, WKU.

Ten years ago, I gave thanks for my pets, now two dogs and two cats, all rescues. Have you ever had a coonhound tree a raccoon in your back yard? I’m also thankful I can still ride beautiful American Saddlebred horses. My main ride is a mare named Maggie. I take a lesson on her once a week.

Being able to write romance novels makes me thankful. Plus, I’m grateful for all my writing buddies! They keep me grounded and connected. And as I said in 2014, I’m thankful for my readers—those who spend money on my books and/or review my books and sign up for my newsletter (www.janscarbrough.com).

Ghost Mountain Dude Ranch nestles in the white-capped mountains of Montana. It’s an idyllic setting, a place for romance to blossom. But old secrets are stirring in Blue Sky country. Three couples reach for their chance at romance, but murder, mystery, and long-concealed truths threaten their loves, and their lives.

In October, I’ll feature the box set of Ghost Mountain Ranch. On October 12, it will be a BookBub Feature Deal for $1.99. Such a deal!

But the box set is a deal anyway! Three books make up the mystery: Darby, Slade, Kelsey. You’ll find them in this ebook box set.

There are three separate romances that carry each of the three books. You have the mom in book one. You have the son in book two. You have the daughter in book three. 

From the N. N. Light’s Book Heaven review: “The mystery of what really happened at Ghost Mountain Ranch will keep the reader glued through all three books. The character development and rich backstories are delightful to read. The romances come across as heartfelt and real.”

These three books, Darby, Slade, Kelsey, are also available as audio books—Audible and Apple.

There’s also a fourth ebook book, sort of a bridge. Hank brings two romantic series together: The Dawsons of Montana and Ghost Mountain Ranch! It’s a bridge between the two series.

But what if you’re a paperback reader? I have that for you too! The paperback is online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Ghost Mountain Ranch. Three couples. Three chances to rediscover love. And the one mystery that binds them all and could end their stories forever.

I’m happy to welcome USA Today bestselling author Liz Flaherty to my blog. She’s introducing her new book that’s available for pre-order.

Nothing had prepared Maggie North to inherit a house she didn’t know existed on a lake she’d never heard of.

It was funny. Well, to me, anyway. I’ve lived in the same area my entire life. There were a few years of living in town when I was single and appreciated such things as convenient restaurants, movie theaters, and being able to walk to work because I didn’t have a car. Then a few more years in a subdivision because it was nice and had a good elementary school and the grocery store was just down the hill. Then—gasp—someone decided they’d build houses in the vacant lots behind us and my rural-upbringing mindset began to hyperventilate and we moved back to within five miles of my parents’ farm. We’re still here.

Oh, I forgot. I said it was funny. To me. A couple of years ago, someone mentioned Town Lake, saying it was less than 10 miles from here. But I’d never heard of it. Surely that was impossible, I insisted to anyone who would listen. I asked my sister about Town Lake. And she said, “Sure. It’s been there for as long as I can remember.”

Still sure I was right and everyone else was wrong, we followed my sister’s directions. Off the highway onto the first road south of town…no, not that one, the other first one…then turn right…in, oh, a half mile or so. There might be a sign.”

There was. We had to back up to find it, but there it was. We turned right onto a little bitty road, drove back a ways praying we wouldn’t meet anyone, and voila! there was a lake! It was small and private with houses scattered on its periphery. There was a field across from it, a woods beside the road that led back to it. 

By the time we turned around and headed toward home, I knew there was a story. Maybe not Town Lake’s story, but mine.

And Maggie North’s.

And Sam Eldridge’s.

A friend named the lake Harper Loch, and Pieces of Blue was born. I hope you like it. It will be released July 1 by Annessa Ink Publishing, but it’s available for pre-order now at https://books2read.com/FlahertyBlue

Blurb:

For all of her adult life, loner Maggie North has worked for bestselling author Trilby Winterroad, first as his typist, then as his assistant, and finally as his ghost writer. 

When he dies, she inherits not only his dachshund, Chloe, but a house she didn’t know existed on a lake she’d never heard of. On her first visit, she falls in love with both the house and the lake. Within a few weeks, she’s met most of the 85 inhabitants of Harper Loch and surprisingly, become a part of the tiny community. Her life expands as does a new kind of relationship with her friend Sam Eldridge. She finally feels not only at home, but safe.

Until her ex-husband is released from prison. The fragile threads of her new life begin to fray, and that feeling of safety is about to shatter into a thousand pieces.

Excerpt:

I think I’m more all right than I’ve been in years, which I feel bad thinking so close to the time of Trilby’s dying, but I also know about honeymoon periods. I understand that I’m enthralled by the newness of the Burl specifically and Harper Loch in general, but I would tire of the smallness soon enough if I stayed. I’d mind having to drive a half hour to find the ingredients I want for a recipe that falls outside the norm of rural central Michigan. I’d miss Muskegon’s library and its parks and going to the Black Dog with Ellie. I’d miss Ellie, too, and Sam. 

I had to admit, though, that it was fun seeing them here. I’d loved discovering Placer with Ellie, and Sam fit into this house as if he belonged here. 

Maybe he did. 

“So, tell me about the Burl,” I requested. “My mind’s been busy enough that it’s kept my curiosity on the back burner. But you know this house, the lake, some of the people here. How is it that in all the years we’ve known each other, you’ve never mentioned Harper Loch?”

“We’ve known each other, but only in relation to Trilby. You were his assistant, I was his lawyer, and we both loved him. Although you and I saw each other enough that we became friends, we leaned more toward just being acquaintances. Sometimes it was strictly professional, too. I was your lawyer. You helped my office staff sometimes if they were swamped.”

I was unexpectedly hurt by being thought of as a mere acquaintance, but he was right. I frowned at him. “You’re not answering my question.” Realizing I sounded grumpy and he couldn’t possibly know why, I stretched my hand across the table. “Hello. My name’s Maggie North. I’d like to be friends.”

When he took my hand, I understood what I’d read in romance novels about frissons—isn’t that a cool word?—of feeling going right up my arm. I’d read a few where that particular shudder of feeling was an open invitation into bed. That wasn’t happening, but still…a frisson is a frisson and I was going to enjoy it. And remember it.

Bio:

Liz Flaherty has spent the past several years enjoying not working a day job, making terrible crafts, and writing stories in which the people aren’t young, brilliant, or even beautiful. She’s decided (and has to re-decide most every day) that the definition of success is having a good time. Along with her husband of lo, these many years, kids, grands, friends, and the occasional cat, she’s doing just that. You can reach her at [email protected] She’d love to hear from you.

You can connect with Liz here:

http://lizflaherty.net/

http://www.facebook.com/lizkflaherty

http://wordwranglers.blogspot.com/

http://windowoverthesink.blogspot.com/

Are you an audiobook addict? June is audiobook month and there’s a huge event going on at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Celebrate Audiobook Month. 24 audiobooks featured plus a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My audiobooks, Darby, Slade, and Kelsey, will be featured on June 3, June 11, and June 18. Wait until you listen to my audiobook clip. My narrator Traci Odom nails the characters, and I’m so proud of them. Trust me, you won’t want to miss them.

One lucky reader will win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Open internationally. 

Runs June 1 – 30, 2024

Drawing will be held on July 2, 2024.

Good luck!

Ghost Mountain Dude Ranch nestles in the white-capped mountains of Montana. It’s an idyllic setting, a place for romance to blossom. But old secrets are stirring in Blue Sky country. Three couples reach for their chance at romance, but murder, mystery, and long-concealed truths threaten their loves, and their lives.

Darby and Hank:

Darby York fled Ghost Mountain thirty years ago, torn by shock and guilt over the death of her mother. Now widowed, with grown twins, she returns to help her ailing father. Hank Slade, wrangler at Ghost Mountain Ranch, has never stopped carrying the torch for Darby. But the past has a way of catching up with you. Grief and secrets had torn Darby and Hank apart once. Given a second chance at love, will the revelation of more shocking secrets from the past destroy their hopes for the future?

Slade and Laurie:

For Slade Heston, growing up as a “rich” boy in Kentucky Bluegrass country is nothing like spending the summer as a hired hand at a Montana dude ranch. Laurie Chastain has come to the ranch, supposedly to write stories to draw visitors to Ghost Mountain. But Laurie’s hiding secrets. She can’t afford the distraction of a broad-shouldered and entirely too-sexy man in a cowboy hat. Someone knows the truth about the part Ghost Mountain Ranch played in Laurie’s life, and the terrible consequences. But when the ghosts of the past threaten the lives of the living, will their growing attraction be enough to protect Slade and Laurie?

Kelsey and Max:

Had Kelsey Heston made a mistake coming to Ghost Mountain Ranch? She’s come from Kentucky to untangle her grandfather’s business books and improve the tourist trade, but what’s her old college sweetheart doing here? Max Lee has always done what was expected of him, including abandoning the woman he loved when his family demanded it. Sent to Ghost Mountain to search for a long-missing woman, he turns up another he never expected to see again: Kelsey. But something dark is happening at Ghost Mountain Ranch. Max is stirring up old feelings and old secrets. Secrets someone might be willing to kill to keep. Can they finally lay the old ghosts to rest, or will the echoes of a decades-old murder destroy their second chance at love?

Ghost Mountain Ranch. Three couples. Three chances to rediscover love. And the one mystery that binds them all and could end their stories forever.

Traci Odom, voice artist: Ooh, another new release, and it’s a good one!  I love this sweet series by Jan Scarbrough.  You’ll just fall in love with Slade and Laurie and all the crew!  

Calling all readers! It’s a new year and I’m ringing in 2024 with N. N. Light’s Book Heaven New Year New Books Fete. 26 books from multiple genres featured plus a chance to win a $75 Amazon gift card.

I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My book, Darby: Ghost Mountain Ranch, will be featured on January 4.  I even talk about my resolutions/goals for 2024. You won’t want to miss it.

Direct Link to giveaway: 

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750245

Open internationally. 

Runs January 1 – 31, 2024

Drawing will be held on February 1, 2024. 

Hallmark movies are popular year-round for certain people. (Some people can’t stand them, of course.) I know a certain husband who watches them because he says he doesn’t have to think. They always have a happily-ever-after (HEA) ending, you know.

Once he asked, “what happens after the ending?” The ending is where hero and heroine kiss, and the assumption is that they will live happily from then on. Of course, my writer’s mind got to thinking. What did happen after the final kiss?

That’s when I got the idea for Santa’s Wish Fulfilled, my 2022 Christmas book. A year after they move in together, Roz has second thoughts. The second half of the book describes her journey to the happy ending with the hero Cooper.

One of the characters who caused problems for Roz was Joni. She loved Cooper too. Of course, poor Joni needed her own Christmas story and her own happy ending. Christmas at North Hill was personal for me. I added a bit of personal information, the reason I kept my husband of almost 24 years waiting 5 years before marrying him.

These two books were part of a multi-author series all set in a fictitious town of Dickens, somewhere in New England. This year there are 24 books in the series.

The holiday season is in full swing in the quaint New England town of Dickens.

We have all sorts of fun holiday activities to share such as a Christmas tree lighting in the town square, ice skating on Grosvenor’s Pond, sleigh rides, cutting down your own Christmas tree at Gridley Meadows, caroling on the Common. You can learn to fry latkes at Etz Chaim, or find your perfect dreidel, and anything else you might need for the holiday, at Trim-A-Tree.

You name it—Dickens has it all!

Join us as our best selling and award-winning authors fill your holiday stocking with new novels ranging from sweet to sassy.

I like to think my Christmas books have a bit more to them than just boy meets girl. Maybe Santa’s Kiss not so much, but with A Groovy Christmas I revisit 1968 and 1969, years when young women burn bras and men burn draft cards. These eBooks are only 99 cents. You can also find these books in a box set called Coming Home.

Now is your chance to find Santa’s Wish Fulfilled and Christmas at North Hill discounted 50% at @Smashwords as part of their 2023 End of Year Sale! Find them and many more at through January 1! #SmashwordsEoYSale #Smashwords

Back in the day, the Pointer Sisters sang a song called “I’m so excited.” That’s how I feel today. I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it!

What’s going on? I have a new audio book! My book Darby: Ghost Mountain Ranch is on Audible and Apple AudioBooks.

I never thought I’d have an audio book. Let’s face it, it’s expensive! But this very nice narrator Traci Odom contacted me via email. For some reason, I responded. Then, my sweet husband Bill said, “Let’s go for it.” He funded the project for me. And it couldn’t have been easier. Traci took care of the leg work. She told us what we needed to do. We signed contracts and made arrangements to pay SAG-AFTRA Health Plan a percentage and the rest to Traci.

I couldn’t believe it when Bill and I heard the fifteen minute trial audio. Had I written that book? It sounded so good! So professional! Traci voiced my heroine Darby and her leading man Hank. She also narrated the old father and other characters at the ranch. Wow! I was impressed. We approved it, and soon the audio book was finished, paid for, and yesterday it appeared at Audible and Apple.

So, if you are like Bill and “read” audio books, you can try one of mine! We’ll eventually produce the other two books in the mystery part of the series. So, in 2024, look for Slade and Kelsey in your audio book store!

Fri. and Sat., Nov. 10 & 11, from 10AM-6PM both days

The Festival is downtown at the Kentucky International Convention Center

In June this year, I saw an ad for the Louisville Book Festival.

The Louisville Book Festival is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization founded in 2018 to celebrate and promote the love and the benefits of reading, writing, and literacy. We believe that literacy is a fundamental human right and that there is power and purpose in bringing books to life every day of the year. We celebrate books and use them to highlight and grow the resilient culture of our vibrant city, as well as to encourage and elevate our creative thinking as a community.

I thought it sounded neat, especially since I’ve not been to a book signing in years. Being an indie author, I had to submit two copies of my newest book for review. I suppose they were looking at the quality of the work and production.

Later that month, I received this email: We are so excited to write to inform you of your acceptance to the Louisville Book Festival for 2023. I was one of 150 authors accepted!

Hooray!

The book I entered was Santa’s Wish Fulfilled: A Dickens Holiday Romance. I’m only allowed to sell this book, but I’ll have some swag and candy for those folks who stop by my table. 

Jan Scarbrough brings a unique and welcome twist to the romance genre in Santa’s Wish Fulfilled. Instead of dropping us off at the happily-ever-after (however satisfying that is for readers), she digs deeper, taking us behind the scenes to show what’s involved, at times, to make the romance work.