EXCERPT CHAPTER 4 - LETTING GO

Here's a new excerpt for you. The day to day of a couple building something together amidst the problems of real life. Enjoy! Pre-order today  Other Retailers   Amazon


“Are your kids always this loud so early in the morning?” Trevor murmured as he sank back into JC’s arms.
“Only when Ben has a girl he’s interested in. He hogs the bathroom.”
“I guess we should get up huh?”
“But I don’t want to,” JC whispered in his ear. “I want to take another shower.”
Trevor laughed and moved out of his embrace when there was a knock on the door. “I’m going to escape to the bathroom while you talk to your son.” With a quick kiss, he grabbed his jeans and disappeared through the door.
“Come in, Michael.”
The door creaked opened and the young man stepped in and looked around. “Is everyone decent?”
JC smiled at his son. “Yeah. Trevor’s in the bathroom. What’s up?”
“We seriously need to get a new house! Ben and I need our own bathrooms before we kill each other…at least when he has a girlfriend.”
“We’re not getting a new house so that you and your brother won’t fight. You just need to learn to share.”
“I’m willing,” Michael huffed. “But he has to have every hair in place and every seam perfect. I’m barely able to keep from peeing myself in the morning.”
“Alright…I have an idea.” JC got out of bed, grateful that he’d put on his pajama bottoms after the shower. Walking to the other side of the house, he stood outside the kids’ bathroom and smacked the door twice. “Out of the bathroom now, kiddo. Meet me in my room, we need to talk.”
By the time JC got back to his room, Trevor was out of the bathroom and chatting with Michael about his art. The boy was showing him his latest masterpiece. “Your son has major talent.”
“He does…just like his father. The drawings out in the hallway were all Ben’s.”
“I’ll look at them again when I run out to my car and get the spare clothes I keep there.”
“You keep spare clothes in your car?” Ben asked as he walked into the room.
“Yeah, as a pediatrician you don’t know when you will be vomited on or pooped on. It’s best to keep a few outfits spread out between the office and the car. I’ll be right back.”
Ben sat down on the bed and looked up at his father. “So, why did you want to see me? I was in the middle of something important.”
“Yeah, probably wanking off,” Michael murmured.
With a warning look at his artistic son, JC turned to Ben. “We need to talk about you hogging the bathroom. You need to share evenly with your brother.” Of all the things to have to come down on one of his kids for! “I’m sure everything you do in there doesn’t need to be done in the bathroom. Can’t you do some of it in your room?”

“But I need a mirror, Dad,”
“Don’t whine at me, boy. We’ll get you a full-length mirror to put on your closet door. Would that help?”
Ben looked at Michael and smiled. “Sure Dad. I think that will work. Can we go now? I want to finish getting ready.”

“Yeah, but use my bathroom. Give your brother a chance in yours. I’m going to go fix breakfast.”

EXCERPT CHAPTER 3- LETTING GO

NEW EXCERPT - CHAPTER 3 ENJOY!!! http://amzn.to/2zMQKGg

JC stirred when he heard a buzzing sound, but he was so comfortable he didn’t want to acknowledge it until suddenly the arm that had been draped over him was gone. He saw Trevor standing next to the bed, ending a call.
“Hey, the hospital just paged me. One of my newborn patients is ready to check out soon and I have to go examine him one more time before release. I’ll be back in about an hour and we can grab some breakfast.”
“Okay,” JC said softly, a smile on his face. “What time is it?”
“Nine a.m. Go back to sleep for a while,” Trevor demanded as he bent down and kissed him on the lips. “You’re still exhausted.”
JC’s eyes drifted closed and shortly after he heard the bedroom door shut he was asleep again. The next time he woke up it was a half hour later and there was a wet, cold nose on his bare back. “Morning Max,” he mumbled. “Do you need to go out?” The dog spun in a circle and jumped down off the bed, racing to the door with a whine. “I guess that’s my answer.”
Picking his pants up off the chair where Trevor had tossed their clothes, he slipped into them and followed Max out of the room and down the stairs. Apparently, Max had a doggy door and could take care of himself once he was out of the bedroom, so he followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen. A nice fresh pot sat in the coffee maker on the dark solid surface counter top. Pouring himself a cup he headed out to the living room to grab his phone and check for messages. The minute he activated the screen, the time and date popped up. The date…one forever burned in his brain stared back at him, obscuring the rest of the screen. His baby girl had now been gone for eight years.
He and Jenny had conceived her perhaps for the wrong reason…to try to resurrect their bond when both knew their marriage and a normal sex life had been doomed from the start. But he had loved that little girl from the minute he saw the positive pregnancy test…before he even knew if he would have a daughter or a son. Never once had he regretted her but sometimes he still felt guilty. Maybe if they hadn’t conceived her for such selfish reasons…

As Max came charging into the room, JC remembered where he was - at Dr. Trevor Alexander’s house after they’d had sex and spent the night in each other’s arms. How could he have betrayed his daughter like that? This man was the last person he should have been spending time with. What the hell had he been thinking?

Leaving his coffee cup sitting on the coffee table, he hurried upstairs to get dressed then rushed back down to find a pen and paper so he could leave Trevor a note. As good as everything had felt over the last two days, he couldn’t imagine himself continuing what they’d started. He was the wrong person at the wrong time. 

EXCERPT CHAPTER 2 - LETTING GO

Hey hey, here is the excerpt from Chapter 2 from Letting Go. JC and Trevor are just getting to know each other and it is going to be a hell of a ride. Enjoy! 

Pre-order links 

All other retailers: http://bit.ly/2C1hgNF


JC rolled over in bed trying to silence his alarm…the alarm that was causing his head to scream at him. But this ringing wasn’t steady, it couldn’t be his alarm. The front door! Who in the hell would be ringing his doorbell at…shit! It was 10:30 in the morning. Apparently, he had slept through his actual alarm at eight a.m.
“Hold on!” he hollered out despite what it did to the throbbing in his head. He levered himself out of bed and hurried out to the living room in just his pajama bottoms. Whoever kept ringing the bell was going to get a punch in the gut if there wasn’t a damn good reason for it.
Opening the door with a clipped, “What!” JC stared into the stunning blue eyes of Doctor Trevor Alexander. After a moment of shock passed, JC squared his shoulders. “I thought you agreed that I would never have to see you again.”
A bright smile lit Trevor’s face. “Last night, before you got out of the car, you said, and I quote – I’ll see you later. So, I figured that was your way of saying that you actually did want to see me again. Besides, I brought breakfast.”
JC’s brain warred with his growling stomach and he finally stepped aside so Trevor could enter. “If that’s bagels and coffee, you’re my new best friend.”
“I guess we’re best friends then,” Trevor said with a smile as he headed for the kitchen. “Great place. I think this was Model III, right? I bought Model IV, but I liked this one too.”
“Yeah, this was my favorite but four wasn’t far behind.”
As Trevor set their food out on the breakfast bar, he looked up at JC. “Doesn’t the wife usually get the house?”
“Not this time,” he stated. “She didn’t want it; too many painful memories. She moved in with her sister, who is also divorced, and seems happy where she is. Besides, I was always a little bit too attached to this house I guess.” He didn’t tell the very handsome man standing before him that he was so attached because the real name of Model III was The Benjamin.
“Sit. Eat,” Trevor demanded as he took his own seat at the breakfast bar. “I hope you like cream cheese. And if I remember from last night, you like your coffee black.”
“It’s perfect, thank you. If you hadn’t stopped by I would have slept until after noon and wasted a whole day off.”
“We can’t have that now, can we. How do you feel about hiking?”
JC felt a little skip in his chest. It seemed he and the doctor might have something else in common. “My boys and I go hiking a couple of times every month. Why?”
“Max and I are heading up to the south loop of Elk Meadow Park here in a bit. I thought maybe you’d like to join us…sweat some of that alcohol out of your system.”
Max? Who the hell was Max? And why the hell did he care so much? Just as quickly as the green-eyed monster swelled up in his belly he forced it back into submission. He had no reason to be jealous. He didn’t even really like the good doctor. “I don’t know…I don’t want to interfere with your plans.”

“You wouldn’t be interfering. It’s just a man and his Rottweiler taking a hike in the beauty that is Colorado.”
“Your Rottweiler huh?” he mumbled. The green-eyed monster no longer had to be suppressed, he vanished – poof – into thin air. “Sure, I guess that would be okay, and you’re right I need to get this crap out of my system. I feel like shit.”
“No doubt. Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll clean up here? Then we can go pick up Max and be on our way.”
JC stood and stretched. “Are you trying to tell me I stink?” He actually knew he did. He smelled heavily of booze.
“You smell like you’ve been sweating alcohol. But I’m not complaining. I do think a shower would make you feel better, though.”
“You’re right, it would. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait, before you go,” Trevor said as he grabbed JC’s arm to pull him back. “I’ve been wanting to do this since I noticed you staring at me last night.” Their lips met for a brief kiss that held so much promise.

“Really?” JC murmured as he turned and fled to the bathroom. Now, through his whole shower, he would be thinking about that kiss and the totally attractive man who had given it to him. His body would be aching even more when he was done than when he first stepped into the stall. 

EXCERPT CHAPTER 1 - LETTING GO






INTRODUCING LETTING GO - How do you move on when your heart is shattered in a single, tragic moment?

James Croft fell for his one true love in high school, only to lose him to suicide. How can he move on from the tragic moment that irrevocably changed his life?

Dr. Trevor Alexander lives for his career, until the day his former patient’s angry, disillusioned father walks back into his life. Suddenly, Trevor wants more.

Desperate to put the past behind him, James reluctantly decides to date the sexy doctor. But maintaining a relationship is easier said than done. Can James come to terms with his past? Can Trevor accept what his lover can never forget?

They must try, because there’s no future in the past. PREORDER: https://www.amazon.com/Letting-One-More-Chance-Book-ebook/dp/B077WV3GWH


JC knew the minute he stepped into the club that this definitely wasn’t his scene. His friend Martin was so happy that he’d decided to date again after breaking up with the man he’d been seeing for the last two years. Aaron…he needed to forget the emotionally destructive poison that was Aaron.

At thirty-two, after having been married and raising two kids, all the men who packed the crowded club seemed like babies to him. There had to be another way to meet someone. Maybe he should wait and let things fall where they may. There was bound to be a gay man at the golf course, at the gym, or hell, even at the supermarket, wasn’t there?

The minute a leather clad man with nipple piercings approached him, he turned and fled the building, bumping into Martin as he hurried outside.

“Whoa, where do you think you’re going?” Martin asked, reaching for his arm to turn him back toward the bar.

“This is not my scene, man, “JC said, jerking his arm away. “I’m not going back in there so a leather clad freak can hit on me.”

“I thought you wanted to have some fun!” Martin pouted. “This is the perfect place to let loose and get back into the groove.”

“This is not the groove I want to get into. I’ll take my chances at the supermarket.”

Martin stuck his nose in the air and turned away from JC. After a minute he turned back to him, leveling a haughty gaze at his friend. “Fine! Let’s just go to the boring bar and have a couple of drinks. Nothing going on there but playing pool and…and conversation!” With a look of disgust, he grabbed JC’s arm and dragged him down the street.

The outside of the bar was nice and pretty unassuming. It was an older building that spoke of many generations past, back when Denver had a western flare. It wasn’t one of the new, modern buildings that seemed to have overtaken the city. Except for the name lit up in bright green neon above the door, you would almost move past it without knowing it was even there. “Come on, Mr. Stick in the Mud,” Martin mumbled. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Are you sure this is the right kind of bar?” JC asked as they stepped inside. But he immediately knew he needn’t have asked that question. The long wood bar was crowded with males from every walk of life – from suits to battered jeans and work boots, it was a veritable buffet of men.

Tables were scattered around the back of the room but only one of them was in use. A group of men in dress clothes sat around a rectangular one laughing and joking. The man who held court at the head of the table made JC’s stomach lurch. Dr. Trevor Alexander…the man who had let his daughter die.

“You son of a bitch! You’re lying. What the hell did you do to my daughter?” All JC could hear was his racing heart. All he could see was the room spinning and blurring before him. He had to regain control.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Croft…”

Rage built inside JC and he could no longer control it. The asshole standing in front of him said his Abby was dying. She’d been fine just an hour before. “What the hell did you do to my daughter,” he repeated, stepping toward the doctor. His wife’s firm grip on his arm was the only thing that kept him from wrapping his hands around the man’s throat and putting him in the same state his daughter was in. His Abigail was dying and it was all Dr. Alexander’s fault.

“Are you okay?” Martin asked when he noticed his friend’s startled expression.

“Yeah…uh, yeah. I’m fine. Let’s grab a table.” The memory still haunted him from time to time and now with the good doctor mere feet away, he hadn’t been able to stop it. Why was that son of a bitch still happy and breathing?

“We’d better do it now; this place will be getting overrun in about a half-hour.”

The two men sat across from each other making sure to let anyone who may be watching know that they weren’t there together. A waiter in tight jeans and a painted-on t-shirt hurried over to them, his look of boredom quickly fading to be replaced by a genuine smile. “My name is Patrick. I’ll be grabbing your drinks tonight. What can I get for you?”

“I’ll have a beer,” JC murmured. “Whatever’s cold and in a bottle.”

“And you?” The waiter asked with an extra special smile to Martin. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have the same…and hurry back, I’m really thirsty.”

The waiter winked at Martin and headed for the bar.

“Well it looks like at least one of us is going to get lucky tonight,” JC chuckled, his eyes periodically moving to the table across the room. Not that he was there specifically for a one night stand – he wanted to meet someone he could get to know. One night stands were not on his radar anymore.

Martin huffed and shrugged. “I’m here to get you laid, not myself…but if it happens, I won’t complain,” he chuckled. “And you seem to have set your sights on that amazing specimen of a man over at that other table.”

JC quickly brought his gaze back from across the room. “Him? No way in Hell!”

“Oh? Do you know him?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do,” JC said softly. “He was the doctor who worked on Abigail in the ER.” And as Martin opened his mouth to speak, James put his hand up. “I know, I know, he didn’t kill Abigail. But you know what? It sure as hell feels that way when someone tells you that there is nothing more that they can do and that your four-year-old child will probably not make it through the night.”

“If you truly know that, then you should have nothing against him,” Martin said, matter-of-fact. “He’s hot, you’re hot. He’s gay, you’re gay. I don’t see the problem. Go over and reintroduce yourself.”

JC warred with the thoughts going through his head. A very small part of him knew that Martin was right, but he couldn’t… “Nah, I said some pretty nasty things the last time I saw him, besides last he knew Jenny and I were happily married. He thinks I’m straight.”

“If you ask me,” Martin said, tossing his head. “That gives you two even more to talk about. I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

“No,” JC snarled.

The bar quickly started to fill up just as Martin had said it would. Very attractive men were everywhere, and JC knew he could probably have his pick. But the moment he’d walked in and seen the doctor he’d lost interest in the whole evening. In two short days, it would be the eighth anniversary of his baby girl’s death.

Beer after beer, he sat and alternated between talking with Martin and looking over at the good doctor and his friends. Martin was right about one thing; Trevor Alexander was hot as hell! He hadn’t been in a position to notice that before. Even in his stuffy clothes, JC could see how taught and perfectly formed his body was. The way his muscles stretched his dress shirt was practically sinful. But he wasn’t interested in that particular sin.

NEW RELEASE: FINDING FORGIVENESS BY JJ ELLIS



Title: Finding Forgiveness
Series: Baby Boomer Love Story Book 1
Author: JJ Ellis
Cover Design: Jaimee Ellis
Available: October 17, 2017

Finding Forgiveness is the first book in a new series from romance author JJ Ellis. She explores second chances at mature ages where love can be just as deep and even more passionate. Nick and Anna are in their early fifties when their second chance comes calling whether they want it to or not. 

A national tragedy destroyed his family.
An abusive relationship destroyed her self-esteem.
A rekindled love begins to heal two broken souls.
But will it be enough for Nick and Anna to find forgiveness?



Available in ebook at:
Available in paperback at:



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JJ Ellis is first and foremost a mom to five kids, four girls and one boy, ranging in age from 6-22. After that, she is a physically limited wife, blogger and now an author. She holds a degree in Communication Studies (Public Relations) from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas but never thought she would choose writing as a career, especially at the age of 42. She once wanted to be a publicist in the entertainment industry, but never a writer. Then one day when she was in her mid-thirties she was going through what can only be described as an early 'midlife crisis' and ideas just started to come to her and she felt compelled to write them down. She finished her first book relatively quickly, but life got in the way and it took her eight years to revisit it and then publish her first novel. She can honestly say that now she is finally right where she wants to be.

JJ has been married to her college sweetheart (and romance novel hero) for twenty-one years and they reside in Casper, WY with their kids and one crazy mutt named Kreuger. She enjoys reading, writing, blogging, computing, and graphic design. She will try anything that will allow her creativity to be released.


AUTHOR LINKS
http://www.jjellis.com
https://www.facebook.com/writerjjellis
https://www.twitter.com/authorjj
http://authorjjellis.tumblr.com/


SNEAK PEEK: FINDING FORGIVENESS - A BABY BOOMER LOVE STORY BOOK 1

Hey everybody! Long time no see. I've been busy working on my career but not posting here. I hope to have a lot for you in 2018. Right now, I think I will manage one novel this year and I am so excited to bring it to you. It is another Baby Boomer Romance called Finding Forgiveness! Here is a sneak peek at the prologue. Enjoy!!!


PROLOGUE

June 21, 2005

I haven’t written in here at all over the last month. Life has become Hell on earth. On my birthday I received the best present ever, or at least that is what my mom says it will become.

With the afternoon PTA meeting at Lexi’s school canceled, I went home to grab a quick bite to eat before volunteering at the food bank. I heard a noise coming from the back of the house; moans and a high-pitched, muffled squealing coming from my bedroom. At that point, I knew what I would find so I grabbed my little digital camera from my purse and opened the door. Right there in front of me, my husband of twenty years was face fucking a blonde almost half his age. He was the one moaning and she was the one with the muffled squeal. I was the one who snapped a bunch of pictures, screamed and ran from the room. I had about ten good photos before they even knew I was there.

So, now I’m getting a divorce. We’re still in negotiations but it seems if my memories and the pictures I snapped stay hidden I will get to live in our house with the kids. I will also get to go back to nursing school full time, free of charge. And Georgie poo will live in a condo somewhere downtown. I'm pretty sure I can live with that. It's better than all the face fuckings that his girlfriend Heather now has to live with!


Stay tuned for the cover reveal on September 27th. Release date is still TBA but should be in October.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BABY BOOMER AND MATURE COUPLE ROMANCES

THE IMPORTANCE OF BABY BOOMER AND MATURE COUPLE ROMANCES


There are a lot of different kinds of romances  - Contemporary, Historical, Erotic, and New Adult to name a few.  Most of these stories involve characters in the 18-29 age range.  With people waiting longer and longer to get married in this day and age, where is all the love for people over 30?  Come on people, they need love too!

Now, I know you are saying that people in their 30s and 40s are not baby boomers and you are one hundred percent correct. I’m not sure what else to call those that don’t fall into the baby boomer range (born between 1946-1964). I have seen books out there about 40-year-olds that are called baby boomer romances , and yes, it is a pet peeve of mine. I hate it. Don’t do it.  Please, just don’t!

So, what do we call these 30-49 year old love stories?  Generation X/Y romances, Mature romances, Older Adult romances – to me, none of those titles seem to really fit. Most people don’t even know what generation X/Y is, and when I hear the term Mature romances I think of books that should only be read by mature audiences. And that leaves Older Adult romances which first of all, is a mouthful and second of all, is actually quite boring. Regardless of whether they have names, I will continue to write them. And there are a few good reasons to do that.

The first reason I think romances about older characters is important is because quite a few people have written them in the past and as a general rule they aren’t very well received. And it isn’t because people don’t like them, it’s just that they don’t know how or where to find them. And of course, book sellers don’t make it easy either. I have typed in ‘mature romances’ into Amazon search and it comes up with a few of the kinds of books I’m looking for but many of them are just romances for those over 18 to read. Sigh…Let’s try again. We can type in ‘baby boomer romance’ and again we get a few of the kinds of books we are looking for but also many books about babies and economic booms. Sigh again.  I know, through research, that there is an audience out there. We just need the chance to reach them. I, as an Indie author, might not be the one to do that, but I sure as hell will try.

The second reason I think these types of books are important is that older people need a voice. I am in my forties and truthfully I don’t always want to read about 18 to 24-year-olds angsting over everything in life. I have lived a lot in my 45 years, and I love to read about people going through things that I go through or that I will soon go through. And believe me, there are plenty of other 40-plus people out there who feel the same way. Admit it, when you hear about a 64-year-old person, you think of a lady/man with white hair, a house dress/pants up to his armpits sitting in rocking chairs on the porch reading news papers and knitting.  But in all actuality, people in their sixties can be alive, vibrant and sexy. One of my baby boomer romances features a character named Jack. He’s still trim and muscular from his work, he’s covered in tattoos and scars, and is still able to bring his girlfriend to her knees.  (Yes, I’m being a bit coy here because what I really wanted to say is not appropriate for all audiences.)  Bottom line is that people of all ages are interested in books with older characters, and some of those that haven’t even tried might find that they like them. And I want to be one of the people to give these amazing heroes and heroines a voice…an accurate voice. 


The third reason I think these types of books are important is because  the underdog is usually worth fighting for, and in the genre of romance, baby boomer/older  romances are just that. I believe it is time for a change.  New Adult and Erotica stories have had a great run at the forefront of the genre, but I think there is plenty of room to give another sub-genre a chance to shine.  It’s all cyclical and now is the time in the cycle for NA and Erotica to move along to the next step in the circle and let Baby Boomer/Mature love stories rule for a bit. They’ll get their chance again. Besides, everybody loves second chances, and these older characters are pretty much guaranteed to be involved in their second chance at love. And despite the images we have in our head about older people, they can have some pretty damn good sex that will make you just as weak in the knees as a scene involving a couple of twenty-year-olds.  Don’t believe me?  Stay tuned! 

If you are interested you can pre-order Fate's Encore: A Baby Boomer Love Story 

Amazon (Available on Kindle Unlimited)
http://goo.gl/YHP3w3