Celebrate Love Blog Series with author CeeCee James and Wrecked and Yours

Love is in the Air

Could you share a little about yourself and what led you to become a writer?

I write to encourage anyone who needs to hear it that life is full of hope. This message burns inside of me, generated from a season in my own life when I needed to hear that message. I feel for you and appreciate the gesture. I began writing after I lost my daughter. I needed to create a place where people truly cared about one another.

Do you write full time? How much of your life is set aside for writing?

I don’t write full time. I try to write every day though. A noble quest.

Could you tell us a little about your novel?

Wrecked and Yours, begins with two sisters, Miranda and Cassie, who are run-aways, based lightly on a few of my own experiences. As they struggle to find their way, they meet another homeless teen, Jason. The main focus of the story is their connection as adults… will the walls break down enough to allow love? Or will their old ways come back to haunt them.

                                                     

Would you take us on a brief tour of your novel and the world you’ve created? Wrecked and Yours takes place over the span of 200 miles as the teenagers try to find a sustainable way to live. As adults Miranda, comes home to a small town where Jason lives. She’s heavy hearted and expecting rejection. You have peaked my curiosity with your ‘sustainable way to live’…

Where does the inspiration for your main character and story come from?

I experienced homelessness as a teen, and many of their struggles were things I could personally relate with. Then I can imagine your writing will show a depth only imagined by others.

What do you think makes a good romance story?

A good romance story includes growth of character, love, and a happily ending. :) I’m all for happy endings!

How do you handle the emotional side of romance writing?

I love the emotions. I hope I lead the readers to feel what the characters are feeling in a relatable way.

What elements do you think are more important in this type of writing?

I think it’s important to take my time getting to know my characters, and relate them in as realistic way as possible even if everything in the story is unrealistic. Yes! It’s sad when things are rushed; it feels as though we’ve been robbed.

What is the message behind the story? Was it something you specifically wrote a story around or did it develop as your characters came to life? 

My message is about how important forgiveness is, and how precious it is. How there can be new beginnings, hope is real, and so is love. Wow, nice.

Do you work from an outline or just go with the flow? If you use an outline, how detailed is it?

I work from a very vague outline. I have a few ideas of where I want the story to go, and then I let the characters lead me there. It’s often a surprise to me too!

What is the time span in your novel, weeks, months, years?

It jumps from their teen years to adulthood. I had to laugh at the earlier question, where you said the story spanned 200 miles. I immediately thought of this question, and thought, ‘Well now that’s a first.’

 How does this book differ from what you have written in the past?

The books I’ve written in the past were memoirs. And I loved writing Wrecked and Yours after doing the memoirs!

How do you handle marketing? Do you have a plan, a publicist or just take one day at a time?

I run sales from time to time. Some of my marketing comes from a few incredible opportunities to do radio interviews. I also am a public speaker. Interesting.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Don’t doubt yourself. Whenever I begin a book and picture how someone else will read it, my creativity always gets choked off. So, my advice is to write for yourself when doing the first draft. I think if we start worrying about what people will think we’d never write.

Could you tell us what you’re working on now?

I am working on the third book to the series, and I’m very excited about it!

Now let's find out a little more about our guest through her bio.

Bio

CeeCee James is a wife, mom, owner of two mini-dashchunds, writer, and watercolor artist. Most of all, she is a survivor. The story about overcoming strife is one that resonates with her. She lived it herself. An advocate for adult survivors of child abuse, her Ghost No More series is her true story of surviving and healing from childhood trauma. CeeCee's blog- http://joyfullivingpafterchildabuse.blogspot.com/

Her fictional series, Wrecked and Yours, is about a pair of siblings and how they navigate life. It's romantic, uncertain and messy, like life often is. It's describes their season to make a choice, "look at life honestly and deal with it, or continue to run away." CeeCee absolutely loved writing it, and hopes it resonates with you because everyone has an important story of what they've overcome.

Wrecked and Yours

Tagline,

Are there second chances in love?

Blurb,

Five years ago Miranda and Jason were inseparable--runaway teens standing together against the rest of the world. But those days are long gone.

Now in her twenties, Miranda is triggered by the ghosts of her past. Trying to escape, she abandons her old life and everyone she knew.

Jason swears his relationship with her is ruined.

Just when she's back on her feet, her secret forces Miranda to return. Now, she must pair together with Jason to overcome the biggest challenge they've ever faced, or both of them be destroyed. But with so many scars separating them, can they learn to trust each other again?

Excerpt,

Miranda’s red Jeep jolted over the last few potholes of the dirt driveway. A cloud of dust rolled past the vehicle and up to the front door.

“There goes my surprise attack,” she whispered, staring up at the house. It appeared empty, with its windows dark in the bright sunlight, but she knew he was there. His rust-covered Chevy truck was parked beside the old barn.

She flipped down the rear view mirror and rubbed away the mascara smears, then flicked her brown hair off her shoulders. Sighing, she opened the car door. She started to slam it, but then the bravado drained away. Instead, she shut it quietly and leaned against it momentarily for support before squaring her shoulders and walking up the porch steps.

Reviews

FIVE STARS

THIS novel is the reason I read books. An absolute MUST read.

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From Jayden's Side

OK, those of you wha have read Amethyst Eyes might enjoy their first encounter (Tommy and Jayden) told through Jayden's eyes.
Enjoy!

JAYDEN

I paced around the room like a caged animal. “I can’t believe you are forcing me to do this, Father,” I said. I wanted to scream. It seemed as though all we did lately was argue. “Why do I have to take care of this half-breed?” I dropped down onto the couch next to him.

            “Jayden!” Father raised his voice.

Maybe I had pushed things a bit too far, but the last thing I needed right now was to chaperone the commander’s long lost, half-breed son. “You just don’t understand Father.” I was really trying to keep my cool, but now I just wanted to cry.

Creighton, the boy I really liked, had broken up with his girlfriend when her parents were transferred to a research vessel in a quadrant so far from here that they wouldn’t be able to see each other for years. This could be my chance. I was going crazy with hardly any friends my age. So few families had come to live and work on a crisis intervention ship because of the danger.

“Jayden,” Father’s voice brought me back to the room. “This is not a punishment,” he continued. “Tommy cannot be returned to his world or his life. He cannot even remain in the custody of his Earth family since only his mother knew of his father’s origin. He will have no choice but to adjust to life on a spaceship. He knows nothing of our ways and even less of our technology.” He paused. “You are fourteen; he is fifteen.” He smiled at me. “He needs a friend.”

“But I don’t!” I jumped up and began pacing again. I felt like I was suffocating.

Father stood and headed for the door. “I have to check on some of my patients.” He turned to look at me as the door slid open. “You will report to the commander’s quarters in half an hour for dinner and to meet his son. He will fill you in on the details.” A look of sadness crossed his face. “I’m sorry you feel so strongly about this. If you find the task so distasteful, you may ask the commander to select someone else.” He left without another word.

I sat back down on the couch and grabbed the pillow next to me, looking for some comfort. I looked around the room and imagined Mother putting dinner on the table. The unit she used to cook our food remained in our quarters even though neither Father nor I felt inclined to prepare meals. Mother had been a botanist. She worked with new colonies or planets after disasters, growing crops that would feed everyone. She even shared her love of cooking with them. I wanted nothing to do with it, I remember painfully. Why bother when the food units could make whatever you wanted instantly. Now I would do anything to come home and smell her food. I always thought she would be around forever and that I could learn to cook anytime.

“Don’t be late for your dinner with the commander, Jayden.” Father’s voice came over the intercom. “He’s expecting you in ten minutes.”

Sighing I tossed the pillow down, rose and headed to the washroom to freshen up. I didn’t know if I was to remain in my school uniform or if I could go in my own clothing. I decided to keep my school jumpsuit on, but I let my hair fall loose. “Let’s get it over with,” I said to no one as I headed for the commander’s quarters.

Unfortunately the commander’s quarters were only three doors away. The senior staff corridor wasn’t like the rest of the staff corridors on the ship. Mother had left her imprint here, too. She had convinced the commander to allow plants in special receptacles to be mounted on the wall. She had chosen a plant that reflected each staff member; there were even subtle differences in the receptacles that made each unique. I remember her trying to show them to me, and I remember being stubborn and indifferent. Now, it filled me with regret.

The door to the commander’s quarters opened, and I came face to face with the half-breed. He smiled awkwardly. “My father said you’d be waiting out here.”

Oh my Gods, he’s cute. It felt as if something flipped in my stomach, but I shook it off. “I was just checking the plants my mother installed here,” I lied. I turned away to let the color in my face return to normal, and I heard him laugh. Instantly composed, I whirled around to confront him, fire in my eyes this time.

“I’m sorry.” He laughed again, raising his hands. “It’s just that my father said you would be out here doing just that.”

His eyes were amazing, just like his father’s. Amethyst eyes were rare amongst my people, and this half-breed had them. Father had told me the legend behind them, but I couldn’t remember it.

“Are you going to come in?” He gestured towards the door. His wavy hair was non regulation. It was definitely longer than the standard cut, but it allowed the light to dance off his gold highlights.

I followed him into the sitting area. They must have had someone in to decorate, I thought. Art and artefacts from many different planets were displayed in large cases on the wall. The plants behind the couch were lit from below, giving an inviting feel to the room.  Music played very low, adding to the ambiance. Our quarters felt cold and sterile in comparison. I sighed. I guess I should try and do something about it.

“I want to thank you for your time, Jayden,” the commander said. He was still in his blue-and-black uniform. Everyone believed it’s all he ever wore.

I bowed my head slightly to acknowledge him. “There’s just one thing, Commander.” I swallowed nervously. “Isn’t there anyone better suited for this task?”

He shot me a glance, and I immediately regretted my boldness.

“I wasn’t questioning your choice.” I wrung my hands behind my back, trying to keep my cool. Learn to think before you open your mouth, Mother had often suggested. I cleared my throat. “It’s just that there are others that are older and have more knowledge . . .” My voice trailed off.

“Sit,” the commander pointed to the living room area. There were already glasses filled with refreshments on the table, and small things to eat. They looked like mushy brown blobs on thin disks. The commander picked one up. “They are ‘hors d’œuvres.’ Tommy prepared them for us.” He popped it into his mouth, chewing slowly.

Trying to be polite, and against my better judgement, I picked one up. I tried not to look at it as I put it in my mouth. It smelled and tasted so good, I wanted to eat them all. I realised that Tommy and his father were both were staring at me. I panicked. “Are there animal products in here?” I felt nauseous. I had heard that the people on Tommy’s planet still ate animals like savages.

They both laughed. “No,” Tommy said. “My mother would never have let me eat meat, but there is cheese.” He looked right at me. “Mom made it.”

“Jayden,” the commander cut in, “I have specifically requested that you help Tommy with his integration.” He tugged on his uniform top to adjust it. “You were correct in saying that there are others who have more knowledge or who are older, but they lack your,” he rubbed his chin, “boldness.”

I could feel my face turning red. I wasn’t sure how to answer. I do know that if anyone else had said that to me I would have been all over them.

“You will not tell my son things just to, shall I say, be polite,” he continued. He paused for a sip of his drink. “You are ahead in your studies, so from now until further notice you will spend school time teaching Tommy.” He handed us both a digipad. It was the same flat, touch-screen computer with holographic images the crew used. “I have prepared a list of subjects to be covered. You are free to modify the order as long as all subject matter is covered.”

I scrolled through the list. Wow, I thought, he didn’t leave anything out. I looked up to see the commander showing Tommy how to access his list. “You don’t even know how to use this?” I blurted out and immediately regretted it. “I’m sorry.” I stared down for a moment feeling really uncomfortable. I just knew they were both staring at me. I swallowed hard and looked up. Tommy was going over his list, but the commander was studying me, making me even more uncomfortable.

“Perhaps,” the commander started, “you will also benefit from this exercise.” He stood and headed to the dining area. “You are to be seated in fifteen minutes for dinner.”

“I’m—” I started to say, but Tommy cut me off.

“Don’t sweat it,” he said in a low voice.

I had no idea why he would talk about perspiration, unless I had started to smell. I wasn’t about to smell myself in front of him. I fidgeted not knowing what to do.

Tommy laughed softly, leaned forward and said, “It’s an expression. It means don’t worry about it.”

“Oh.” This is not going to be easy I thought to myself. I guess I have things to learn, too.

I came away from my afternoon with mixed feelings. I learned that the half-breed and I had more in common than I ever thought possible. We both had lost our mothers, and from what he said, they had been a lot alike. They had both loved nature, making things with their hands and cooking. What made me kind of jealous was that he didn’t have my stubborn streak and had learned so much from his mother.

When he offered to share what his mother had taught him I yelled at him. I told him I didn’t need to learn the ways of his savage people, that we, from Sirius were a more advanced race than the Earthers. Truth is, I would like to spend time with the half—, with Tommy. I think we might be friends. But then, I don’t really need anyone new in my life. I’ll have to think about it.

Book Giveaway

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