I first discovered the Titanic nestled among paperback romance novels on a shelf in a small library branch near the sea.
‘A Night to Remember’, that wonderful tome definitive of all things Titanic, had found an unlikely home among princesses and maids. I imagine the Walter Lord book was shelved there by a fussy librarian because of its provocative title, but oh, what a lucky break for me.
I was thirteen and living in a small beach town on the coast. Every day that summer I’d walk to the small library branch and take out as many books as they’d let me. Then I’d walk down to the beach and sit under the boardwalk, listen to the roar of the pounding surf, eat strips and salsa, and read.
Read… read… read.
I read ‘A Night to Remember’ a million times, imaging myself on the ship of dreams wearing an elegant gown and long white gloves, dancing in first class with a handsome gentleman. Then reality would set in and I realized I’d more likely be in steerage since my family came over from Ireland.
The place dreams are made of…
When I was a little girl, I lived with my Irish grandmother for a while and I remember sitting at the big, wooden table with her as she added flour, milk, and herbs to leftover mashed spuds for potato cakes, or wound her blue rosary beads around her gnarled fingers while she spun tales about life in Ireland. Grand times they were, and a lovely thread woven through the quilt of my childhood.
Books were my companions back then and I’d read anywhere, anytime. I read tons of romances, but I’d often end up in the history section of the library looking for more stories about the Titanic. Imagining sneaking into first class and pretending I belonged there. Something I found hard to do growing up since we moved a lot and I was always the ‘new kid’ (I went to fifteen schools before college). I yearned to be among the popular kids at the beach, but somewhere in my heart, I knew the way to better myself was reading and the rest would come later.
Reading was my world.
That became the basis of my heroine, Ava O’Reilly, in THE RUNAWAY GIRL, a girl who wants to better herself by reading books but it’s forbidden to the servants in the grand house in Ireland where she’s in service.
Then when she’s wrongly accused of stealing a diamond bracelet, she escapes.
To the Titanic.
And every tale I’d heard at my grandmother’s knee, every book I’d read, every film about the ship of dreams I’d watched over and over again became the fodder for telling my own story about the Titanic.
Based on my girlhood and love of books.
And the sea.
And yes, romance, too.
And how an Irish girl makes a daring choice on that fateful night when the Titanic hits an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. that changes her life forever…
And mine, too.
—————
————–
Two women hold the keys to his heart. Only one will survive that fateful night…
When Ava O’Reilly is wrongly accused of stealing from her employer, she has no option but to flee Ireland. The law is after her, and she has only one chance at escape – the Titanic.
Aboard the ship of dreams, she runs straight into the arms of Captain ‘Buck’ Blackthorn, a dashing gentleman gambler who promises to be her protector. He is intrigued by her Irish beauty and manages to disguise her as the maid of his good friend, the lovely Countess of Marbury. Little does he realise, that the Countess is also in love with him.
As the fateful night approaches, tragedy strikes further when Ava is separated from Buck, and must make a daring choice that will change her life forever…
A sweeping historical romance set aboard the Titanic, from the author of Her Lost Love (Christmas Once Again).
Praise for Jina Bacarr:
‘A delightful holiday romance that has all the charm of a classic Christmas movie. Christmas Once Again is perfect for anyone who loves a holiday romance brimming with mistletoe, hope, and what ifs.’ Andie Newton, author of The Girl I Left Behind
‘A breathtaking holiday romance that is sure to stay with you long after reading’
‘A mesmerizing holiday romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet and take you away to another place, another time.’
‘A fabulous book you won’t want to miss’
THE RUNAWAY GIRL e-book, print and audio book:
I’m excited to announce that my Titanic love story, THE RUNAWAY GIRL, will be published on March 17th.
———–
Reviews.
You either love them or cringe…. but they’re part of the business.
Kind of like you see in the old black and white films when the actors, director, and producer all gather at a famous restaurant, drink coffee and cognac, and wait for the early morning reviews in the daily newspapers…
There was something romantic about those days when we waited for print reviews. Smiling when they’re good, sighing when they’re not, but always grateful someone took their time to give us their honest opinion. You grow as a writer from reviews… all of them.
Now you can get a review in an instant on your smartphone.
It’s enough to keep a writer up at nights, sleeping with her phone by her side, waiting for that inevitable beep or chime that signals we’re about to celebrate with double chocolate brownies or go back to the drawing board with cold coffee at our side till we get it right.
And sometimes we do get it right.
I’m excited to say THE RUNAWAY GIRL has received amazing reviews:
‘A fantastic Titanic take woven in with a great portrayal of love, friendship, and even forgiveness. I would have rather seen this as a movie than the Jack and Rose story!!!’
‘… the writing was very good and so detailed that it felt like it was all so believable, and could really have happened. This was my first book to have read by this author but she managed to take me on an epic journey with her characters which I totally fell in love with.’
‘I loved, loved this book so much!!!’
‘This was such a good story, the characters were so compelling and you become so invested in them you want to keep reading even way after the story ends!’
‘The Runaway Girl is a mesmerizing romance that any reader (like me) that loves all things Titanic will adore.’
‘What a fantastic storyline the characters were compelling and I loved this story couldn’t put it down it was so well written, loved it’
‘From start to finish I was enchanted with the story and the characters and all the finer details describing the ship, clothes and scenery.’
‘The Runaway Girl: A Titanic Love Story is perfect for historical fiction and romance fans.’
‘The author has a way of creating a vivid, historically authentic world of the Titanic through this wonderful story. You will start to love the favorable characters and the great storyline.’
‘Oh how I adored this story.’
You can read all the NetGalley reviews in their entirety HERE.
If you’re a book blogger or a reviewer registered on NetGalley who’d like to give your opinion about my Titanic love story, it’s not too late to request a preview copy of The Runaway Girl.
Here’s the link:
US: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/183647
I anxiously await to hear what you think! Believe me, besides those double chocolate brownies, there’s nothing that makes an author’s day than a review!
Thank you, everyone.
~Jina
THE RUNAWAY GIRL, is on schedule for a March 17 pub date.
Two women hold the keys to his heart. Only one will survive that fateful night…
When Ava O’Reilly is wrongly accused of stealing from her employer, she has no option but to flee Ireland. The law is after her, and she has only one chance at escape – the Titanic.
Aboard the ship of dreams, she runs straight into the arms of Captain ‘Buck’ Blackthorn, a dashing gentleman gambler who promises to be her protector. He is intrigued by her Irish beauty and manages to disguise her as the maid of his good friend, the lovely Countess of Marbury. Little does he realise, that the Countess is also in love with him.
As the fateful night approaches, tragedy strikes further when Ava is separated from Buck, and must make a daring choice that will change her life forever…
A sweeping historical romance set aboard the Titanic, from the author of Her Lost Love (Christmas Once Again).
Praise for Jina Bacarr:
‘A delightful holiday romance that has all the charm of a classic Christmas movie. Christmas Once Again is perfect for anyone who loves a holiday romance brimming with mistletoe, hope, and what ifs.’ Andie Newton, author of The Girl I Left Behind
‘A breathtaking holiday romance that is sure to stay with you long after reading’
‘A mesmerizing holiday romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet and take you away to another place, another time.’
‘A fabulous book you won’t want to miss’
THE RUNAWAY GIRL is now up for pre-order in e-book, print and audio book:
Kobo.
0 0 Read moreI’m excited to announce that my Titanic love story, THE RUNAWAY GIRL, will be published on March 17th. So this month I thought it would be fun to test our Titanic knowledge with:
A Titanic Trivia Quiz
We’ve seen the films, read the books, but what do you know about the Titanic, really?
Take the quiz and find out!
(answers at the bottom of the page)
================
Titanic Trivia Questions:
Answers:
SPECIAL BookBub PROMO this week only!
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I’ve been fortunate enough to be a BookBub Featured Deal with Christmas Once Again and I’m excited to tell you about this new BookBub Promotion from Feb 10-14 2020.
Check out this AMAZING giveaway for a $230 AMAZON GIFT CARD
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Happy BookBub-ing!
0 0 Read moreI’ve been underwater this month and during the holidays… writer-speaking… inundated with copy edits, proofreading, etc. on my upcoming Titanic book and trying to write a new World War 2 time travel set in Paris… so like Alice, I’m scrambling to get to the party on time…
Not easy for this So Cal gal who’s been living on London time since my publisher is the fabulous BOLDWOOD BOOKS headquartered there. I’m never sure what day it is.
A short post this month to let you know my Titanic love story, THE RUNAWAY GIRL, is on schedule for a March 17 pub date.
Two women hold the keys to his heart.
Only one will survive that fateful night…
A sweeping historical romance set aboard the Titanic, from the author of Christmas Once Again.’
More as we get closer to March, but I’ll be starting Titanic Tuesdays on my blog ONCE UPON A STORY –– this week January 14th with Titanic and the Loo and a lord in a tub.
See you soon on the ship of dreams!
0 0 Read moreA Slice of Orange is an affiliate with some of the booksellers listed on this website, including Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. This means A Slice of Orange may earn a small advertising fee from sales made through the links used on this website. There are reminders of these affiliate links on the pages for individual books.
When faced with a darkened doorstep, think before you walk through.
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More info →A Slice of Orange is an affiliate with some of the booksellers listed on this website, including Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. This means A Slice of Orange may earn a small advertising fee from sales made through the links used on this website. There are reminders of these affiliate links on the pages for individual books.
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