For the next three blogs, I’ll be interviewing a
character from each Christmas Santa Series, available for a limited time in a box set for .99
cents.
Now, grab a cup of coffee, curl up on the sofa, and let
me introduce you to Peter Jackson, who we meet in the first story of The Santa Series.
Judy: Hi Peter, welcome to my blog. My readers and
I would like to know a little about you and who you are, can you give us an
excerpt that will tell us about you…
Peter: Sure, this excerpt comes from the second
book, Santa’s Secret Gift:
Emotional entanglement
with a woman, any woman, was something he had denied himself for a long time.
He didn’t deserved to be loved or love. He’d done a pretty good job locking his
heart in a metal box…until…until the day Madison Stanford stepped into his
life.
Living like a rolling
stone had made it easy. Never hanging around a place too long had kept his
emotions at arm’s length. Besides, people in general didn’t want to get
involved with a homeless man.
Then, how did this
connection with Maddie happen. How could
he feel so deeply about her?
What the hell was he
doing anyway? And, how the hell did he allow this to
happen?
The only rational reason
he could think of was she had been the one who had brought him to his senses.
She had caused him to assess the course of his ramblings and it wasn’t pretty.
His life had become emaciated, worthless. What was the point of living if he
couldn’t find the basis to become constructive instead of destructive?
Because of her, he’d gone
home. Not only did he pour himself into the family business, but also, made a
point to engage in volunteer jobs to help others. He didn’t even know Savannah
had a shelter for the homeless and probably never would have, if he hadn’t been
one.
Searching out those whose
lives had suddenly collided with unexpected trauma, became a healing step for
him. He finally learned to share his tragedy, as well as listen to other
heartbreaking stories. The relationships he had formed led him to cross the
threshold of destructive sorrow and find the peace he needed to make his life
worth living.
Being a drifter for so
long had been his escape, both mentally and physically, from the horrendous
infliction, he, himself had triggered. Yet, there was always the guilt he had
to deal with each day, like an addict. Though now, he was more at peace for the
first time in many years. He gave credit to Maddie.
Still, he was afraid to
love again. There was always the what ifs…what if he hurt her
too.
Peter threw back the
covers. A chill blanketed his warm naked body as he stood. Not too late to
leave before his emotions took control. The last thing he wanted to do was to
harm Maddie. He swore never to hold a gun in his hands again, or to cause the
death of a loved one by a gun, but still he had to deal with the unpredictable
circumstances of life.
He
had to leave. Home for the Christmas holidays would
make his whole family happy. He’d say goodbye to the fellows and fly home. He
had discretely left their Christmas presents, so there was no reason to go back
to the shelter.
The sisters. Peter picked
up his cellular. They deserved to hear from him, didn’t they? He placed the
cell back on the nightstand and turned toward the bathroom.
He’d
send a card with their present…and…and…Maddie. What about her?
He’d
call her and tell her it was all a mistake. Yeah, he’d…call her.
After
he showered.
Coward.
Judy: Do you
have a short excerpt of when you are introduced to our readers in Santa’s Pretty Lady?
Peter: Well, let me think a moment. Hmm, actually, it
was my brother, Daniel Jackson, who put his life on hold and jeopardized his
relationship with the woman he fell in love with that first brought me onto the
scene. This excerpt is when she becomes aware of how important I am to Daniel.
When a soft knock sounded
on the display window, LenaBelle jumped. Her heart skipped a beat when she
glanced around and set her sight on Daniel’s smile. Heaven help, she loved the
way he made her feel.
Just as she started to
wave, a man walked up behind him, drawing his attention. Then to her surprised,
they hugged each other. LenaBelle didn’t want to stare, but curiosity got the
best of her. He reminded her of Daniel on that first day outside her window.
This man, older and shorter than Daniel, wore a tattered coat, oversized pants,
and his hands wore gloves that had the fingers cut off from the knuckles. His
long dirty hair hung down his back in a ponytail. A thought flashed through her
mind, wondering if his sole possessions were inside the faded blue backpack
hung over his shoulder.
When he looked up into
the window, her’s gaze caught his. Oh my,
he had the same blue eyes as Daniel, except his didn’t twinkle. The man
turned back to Daniel and shoved a piece of paper in Daniel’s hand. Daniel
pulled out a wad of bills, but the man pushed it away. Then, he reached up and
gave Daniel a hug. LenaBelle discerned sadness in Daniel’s stance while he
watched the guy walked away. All of a sudden, Daniel ran after him.
Judy: Peter,
what do you do for a living?
Peter: I’m basically homeless for now and have been
for the last several years. Maybe I should say, I choose to be homeless. Though
I have a loving family in Savannah Georgia, I can’t bring myself to return home
until I face the demons that keep me on the move.
Judy: When do
we learn why you’re homeless?
Peter: Not until book two, Santa’s Secret Gift. I find myself confessing in the heat of the
moment to the woman I’m fascinated with.
Judy: Are
you part of all three books?
Peter: Yes. In book two, Santa’s Secret Gift, I find out Madison and her daughter, Brianna
are on the run, I become so emotionally involved with the two that I nearly
commit murder. I must admit, it frightened me. That’s why I took off with my
homeless buddies.
Judy: Why did
you run away from their love?
Peter: It’s too hard to explain, but I can tell you
I’m determined not to hurt anyone else because I loved them too much. You see,
I call myself a murderer, even though others don’t.
Judy: Would
you expound on why?
Peter: No, it would spoil the story for your
readers.
Judy:
Were you a Santa in the second
book, like your brother was in the first book?
Peter: Let me just say, I did give a few secret
presents out to several of my homeless buddies. You’ll meet Cola, Railroad, and
Whiskey. They’re pretty neat guys, who also choose to be homeless.
Judy: So, I
take it that you don’t have a love interest in the first book? What about the
next two books.
Peter: No, all the romance in Santa’s Pretty Lady Christmas story is left up to Daniel. You
probably guess, in book two, Santa’s
Secret Gift, Madison is someone that hits me hard with the love that I’ve
missed out on for years. That’s the reason I ran, after making sure she and
Brianna are safe.
Judy: Is
book three about you returning home?
Peter: No. It’s about Brianna, Madison’s daughter.
She just graduated and is working in Hawaii. Totally a love story coming full
circle to the lives of all you meet along the way.
Thank you Peter for joining us today. We’re excited to
read about your journey in the three books offered for .99 cents through the holidays in The Santa Series Box Set.
Don't forget the The Santa Series Box Set will make a great Christmas gift.
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