"The
Bannister Brothers series has everything I love...
hockey, humor, and heart!"
hockey, humor, and heart!"
SKIRTING THE ICE
Bannister Brothers #3
Jennie Marts
Releasing Dec 8th, 2016
"The
Bannister Brothers series has everything I love...hockey, humor, and
heart!" - Kristin Miller- New York Times Bestselling
author
Buttoned-up
accountant Jack Bannister lives an uncomplicated life until his teenage crush
moves back into the house next door…all grown up and sexy as hell. Murphy Ryan
is still wild and reckless, and danger has followed her to Colorado. Jack
will do whatever it takes to protect her, even it means letting her go…again.
Murphy Ryan
is focused on building a new NHL women’s hockey team. But staying on her game
is hard with the distraction, and the memories, of the hot nerd in the house
next door. Jack Bannister had been her first kiss, and she wants him to be her
last. With his dry humor and sexy glasses, being smart never looked so good.
Jack’s been
given a chance to win back the one that got away, but worries this gorgeous
hockey player is still out of his league. He’s kept his heart on ice, but now
that Murphy’s back, she might be the one to finally thaw it.
Can you tell us a little about your book? Skirting the Ice is the
story of a buttoned-up accountant and a wildcat hockey player. Jack lives
an uncomplicated life until his teenage crush moves back into the house next
door--all grown up and sexy as hell. Murphy Ryan is still wild and reckless,
and danger has followed her to Colorado. Jack will do whatever it takes to protect
her, even it means letting her go...again.
Murphy
is focused on building a new NHL women's hockey team. But staying on her game
is hard with the distraction, and the memories, of the hot nerd in the house
next door. Jack Bannister had been her first kiss, and she wants him to be her
last. With his dry humor and sexy glasses, being smart never looked so
good.
Jack's
been given a chance to win back the one that got away, but worries this
gorgeous hockey player is still out of his league. He's kept his heart on ice,
but now that Murphy's back, she might be the one to finally thaw it.
What are
you favorite types of stories to read? I love to read women’s
fiction and romantic suspense. I love stories set in small town with quirky
characters and I love when the story has at least an element of suspense. Some
of my favorite authors are Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Nora Roberts, Fannie
Flagg, Lianne Moriarty, and Janet Evanovich. And of course, I adore all of the
Harry Potter books.
What do you like best about being a writer? What
is the most challenging part?
The part that I like best is creating great stories that elicit laughter and
heart-felt moments from readers. And hearing from a reader about how my story
touched them or helped them through a hard time by giving them something to
laugh about is an incredible feeling and makes it all worth it. The most
challenging part is the fact that everything about writing books takes a long
time. It takes a long time to write a book and to publish one and to wait for
publishers. And my writing career is now a business and that means that I am
constantly working on all parts of it, not just the writing. I still have to do
my own promotion, and create ads, and do blog posts, and write newsletters, and
make graphics. And I love doing those things, especially when it gives me a chance
to connect with readers, but all of those things take away from time spent
writing. The whole thing is challenging, but writing books is my true passion
and what has me excited to get up every morning. And I wouldn’t go through all
of this if I didn’t love it so very much!
Is anything in your book based on real
life experiences or purely all imagination? The Bannister Brothers Books have all
been such fun because hockey has been such a big part of my family’s life. My
husband played growing up then coached our sons when they played growing up. I
was a die-hard hockey mom and we are huge fans of the Colorado Avalanche. Lots
of the hockey parts from the books are from personal experience. And one fun
thing about this book is that it has two Sheltie dogs in it that look alike and
get mistaken for each other and one of them is based on our own Sheltie,
Maggie. I even named one of them after her.
Do you have any advice to give to
aspiring writers?
A writing career is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes a long time to write a
book, to create a fan base, to turn your writing into a career. Keep writing.
And learn everything you can. Take Classes, go to conferences, join a local
writing group, and find a tribe of writers that you can offer and accept
support from. Enjoy the ride. And be nice to everyone.
Is there anything that you would like
to say to your readers and fans? Thank you and I adore you for reading and loving my
books! I couldn’t do this without you and I’m working so hard to bring you more
of your favorite books and to create new amazing, wonderful book boyfriends for
you to fall in love with.
The
sound of a screen door banged behind him, and he heard a woman’s voice shout,
“What the hell do you think you’re doing with my dog?”
He
froze, his chest contracting as he lost his breath.
He
knew that voice.
But
it couldn’t be.
He
turned around, facing the back porch of the house and the tall angry blond
standing on it. Her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail, she held a baseball
bat in her hands, and her eyes flashed with a mix of anger and fear.
He
may not have seen her in years, but he knew it was her.
She
looked different, older, but he recognized that tight set of her mouth, the
flash of annoyance in her narrowed eyes, the way she held her shoulders in a
posture of pride mixed with attitude.
“Murphy?”
She
took a step closer, her eyes widening as her expression changed from anger to
surprise. “Jack, is that you?”
He
couldn’t believe it—couldn’t believe she was standing in front of him. He’d
dreamed of this moment so many times, imagined running into her on the street
or in a crowded airport. But he’d never imagined he’d see her again while he
was standing amidst a yard full of weeds, shirtless and sweaty, his arms full
of his squirming dog.
Although
this was exactly where he should see
her—in the same spot he’d stood when he’d first met her all those years before.
A
stray hockey puck had flown into John’s yard, and he’d hopped the fence to get
it. She’d come out on the porch then too, with the same prideful stance, a huge
chip evident on her shoulder, and looking just as gorgeous as she did now.
Except
she was a girl then.
She
was a woman now, in a pair of black shorts and a snug white T-shirt, her body a
mix of hard and soft. Her legs were toned hard with muscle, but the thin cotton
T-shirt clung to soft curves that she didn’t have when she was a teenager.
His
lungs tightened, and he struggled to wheeze in a breath. He couldn’t breathe.
No,
seriously, he couldn’t breathe.
Shifting
the dog under his arm, he used his free hand to pull his inhaler from his
pocket as he fought to get enough air. Inhaling as he took a puff, the spray
filled his lungs, opening his airway.
“Jack!
It is you!” She dropped the bat and ran down the steps of the porch. The bat
rolled off the porch as she crossed the yard then stopped short, as if unsure
if she should hug him or shake his hand.
A
happy grin covered her face, lighting her eyes, and sending a swirl of
butterflies careening around his stomach. “Jack Bannister. What are you doing
here? Besides trying to steal my dog?”
He
shook his head, still stunned to see her.
Murphy
Ryan.
“Um,
I’m not, I mean…” he stuttered, falling back into the role of the shy teenager
that he’d been when he’d last seen her. “I’m not stealing your dog. This is my
dog.”
She
smirked and gestured to the fence behind him. “Yeah? Then whose dog is that?”
He
turned to see another Sheltie standing on the other side of the chain link.
His
sheltie.
Shit.
“Sorry,”
he mumbled, handing her the dog in his arms. A dart of heat raced down his
spine as her fingers brushed against the skin of his bare chest. “I saw her
running around in the yard, and I just thought she was mine.”
Murphy
took the dog then set it on the ground to run over to greet the other sheltie.
“Except she is actually a he. But I can see why you made a
mistake. They do look a lot alike. Almost identical.”
He
took off his glasses and cleaned them with the end of his shorts. “My dog’s
always breaking out of our yard, and my glasses were foggy, and I just assumed
it was my dog. I usually wear contacts, but tore one this morning.” He didn’t
know why he felt like he had to explain why he was wearing his glasses. Or why
he felt like he was babbling.
He
should just stop talking now. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.
He
couldn’t stop staring at her. She looked amazing. He scrambled for something to
say—anything that might sound halfway intelligent.
“Holy
crap—your dog is peeing on my shoe.”
Jennie
Marts is the USA Today Best-selling
author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily
ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix
of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the
most fun I’ve had reading in years.”
She is
living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her
husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s
addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many
books, shoes, or friends.
Her
books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the
romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky
hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and
the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek
Romances.
Thank you for featuring Jennie and SKIRTING THE ICE!
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