Category: Stories of Jorie

Blog Book Tour | “Unseen Road to Love” by Chelsea Curran an INSPY Rom which was partially inspired by the author’s own serendipitous recovery from a tragic car accident.

Posted Monday, 1 May, 2017 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

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Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Unseen Road to Love” direct from the publisher Bonneville Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

What drew my interest to read this particular INSPY Rom:

I love stories like these that involve the uncertainty after a coma! Do you remember the film “While You Were Sleeping”?? There was another one starring Reese Witherspoon too. I love those timeless Romances of the unknown!! – initial reaction

It is quite true – I have a penchant for stories, especially Romances surrounding someone whose succumbed to a traumatic accident and/or has entered into a coma. Earlier this year, I found a story which truly was eloquently written and alleviated fiction to a new layer of insight on a how a story such as this can be told. Even Hallmark Channel produced an incredibly humbling film starring Lindy Booth which still to this day is one of my favourites to re-see each Christmas. There is a lot of hope and a huge walk of faith to heal and recover from injuries serious enough to cause a person to enter a coma.

Unlike terminal illnesses, I find I can handle these kinds of stories far better because their more about healing and the spiritual side of how the art of healing is not entirely understood from our point of view here on Earth. There is a lot to be said for the consistency of prayer and of riding through adverse situations by the hope of what we all have inside us for the tomorrows which feel so very uncertain. Sometimes you do not even have time to pray or to hope for an outcome that is not as dire as it becomes; life can change in the blink of an eye as so much can happen in the instant everything spins out of control; especially during a car accident. I briefly mentioned my family’s accident recently whilst musing about the complexities of the natural world and our participation in the fragile balance of Earth’s ecological harmony.

However, the author’s car accident and my family’s accident have one major difference: we were spared injury and walked away unscathed. After spinning three times on the highway and slamming hard into the ditch whilst flipping over several times, no one was more surprised by this outcome than the first responders who were quite agape on scene afterwards. We were out of state and it was late at night. The lesson learnt that night is commuting back to one’s hotel after a day trip away from where your staying isn’t worth risking driving whilst your too tired to make the journey back. Also, one’s hamster can survive without having his ‘breakfast’ on schedule. It was the scariest moment in our lives – we pitched or rather hovered briefly on the brink of ‘going over’ but what looked like a canyon was the car exiting the spin and about to roll. Dad and I woke up first and all we had time to say is we were together; come what may, we were all together.

It’s true – sometimes you get second chances at unexpected moments where you never realised how close you were to having your life on the line. Eleven years later, I’ve never forgotten what happened that night nor how we were smiling for the camera a short while later, as the police officer took our picture in front of the Beetle which sacrificed it’s life to save ours. We were truly blessed the car held it’s integrity even if the accident itself rendered it undriveable. The fuller story behind that night is a testament of our faith and of how faith pulls you through at moments where prayer isn’t possible but your faith is still a rock and shield to your soul. Miracles are everywhere. You just have to remain open to experiencing them when you never thought they’d enter your life.

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Notation on Cover Art: I truly love this cover art! It has the light of faith and the burst of angelic intervention about it! I love the swirls of purple and of the shining light behind the couple, too. It’s a book cover befitting an INSPY read and a story of uplifting courage and remarkable recovery through holding strong to one’s faith and believing adversity and strife can be overcome.

Blog Book Tour | “Unseen Road to Love” by Chelsea Curran an INSPY Rom which was partially inspired by the author’s own serendipitous recovery from a tragic car accident.Unseen Road to Love

The airbag deployed as the impact shoved his car across the ice and straight into the intersection. In that same time frame, the car's back end drifted into a half circle, until the last thing Logan saw was another set of lights in the passenger window. And then,...

From the outside, Logan Atwood's life looks perfect: a successful career, a lavish lifestyle. But after a brutal car accident leaves him in a coma, Logan suddenly finds himself five years in the past. Only then does he realize that his perfect world may have cost him the woman of his dreams and the faith he once loved. Is it too late for Logan's second chance?


Places to find the book:

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ISBN: 9781462120055

on 9th May, 2017

Pages: 304

Published By: Bonneville Books (@BonnevilleBooks),

an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Read this novels INSPIRATIONS | contains SPOILERS via the author’s blog

Converse on Twitter via: #INSPY #Romance or #INSPYRom

About Chelsea Curran

Chelsea Curran

Chelsea Curran lives in the desert valley of Arizona, and has an associates degree in general education from Dixie State University. Though secretly a romantic, she used to spend most of her time brooding over the idea of love until her college roommates introduced her to the exciting and fantastic world of romance novels. When she’s not teaching, dancing, painting, laughing or baking cookies, she’s in her blanket fort giggling over the handsome hero capturing the fair lady’s heart. By experience, she believes one good book can change a person’s life forever.

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Posted Monday, 1 May, 2017 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 21st Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Contemporary Romance, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, Life Shift, Medical Fiction, Mental Health, Modern Day, Mormonism, Nurses & Hospital Life, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Second Chance Love, Singletons & Commitment, Stories of Jorie, Sweet Romance

#StoriesOfJorie | a return to blogging, tweeting & a readerly life

Posted Tuesday, 31 January, 2017 by jorielov , , 2 Comments

Jorie Loves A Story Blog Banner created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography by Ben White. (Creative Commons Zero)

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Hallo, Hallo dear hearts

what an interesting January & past few months, eh?

Photo Credit: Unsplash Photographer Tanguy Sauvin. (Creative Commons Zero)
Photo Credit: Unsplash Photographer Tanguy Sauvin. (Creative Commons Zero)

I wasn’t entirely sure what I expected I could accomplish my first full month back into book blogging but I found January a bit unsettling due to unexpected circumstances which sort of threw me for a bit of a loop, I must say! It started early-on in the month, when my dear cats (as I have two, out of the four original lovelies we adopted) started to struggle with their food. As they are each entering their ‘senior’ years – one is 13 on April Fool’s Day and the other follows ringing in her 12th year on the 4th of July – I had no idea cats can develop food intolerances and food allergies this late in life.

The irony is whilst this was happening, my Dad was starting to make his rounds to his follow-up appointments past his carotid artery surgery and TIA strokes – some days I say my Dad had a stroke (singular) and other days I refer directly to the fact he had a series of TIA’s. The discrepancy I blame on the doctors who seem to prefer to clump the ‘series’ into one ‘singular’ stroke episode, although anyone who was present in the ER that day, realises it was multiples. Irregardless, this was Dad’s first step ‘forward’ out of his hospitalisation and recovery period at home to see where he stood now a full month out of surgery. Blessedly, we were thrilled to bits to learn everything is going alright – even his levels of cholesterol are being maintained naturally; as this was one thing both he and my Mum and I were insistent upon: half conventional and half natural medicine on exit of the hospital. Dad takes a small dose of BP (blood pressure) medicine, a full aspirin (coated) as well as Red Rice Yeast and fish oil. To find his levels are maintaining a normal range when they were spiking over Thanksgiving weekend was welcome relief!

Concurrent to my Dad’s doctor’s visits – of which conclude in February, as he has a few more follow-ups before he can take an absence until the six month visit to his surgeon’s office to see if he needs secondary carotid artery surgery (on the other side). We are hoping he won’t need it – but if he does, we did remind him, you survived the worst of the worst when it comes to that procedure, surely the second time round won’t be so intense? – my Mum has been picking up extra shifts, by re-instating with an agency she worked with previously as she’s a Senior Caretaker/Companion for both special needs adults and those who are dealing with degenerative issues. She was growing more concerned about our family car as it’s a used car which might have seen better days even before it became ours. We prayed it would get us to the hospital all the days Dad was a patient, but one night, the mercy came in the form of a late night nurse and a cab company who helped ferret us back when Dad was struggling after his surgery; our car was as good as dead at that point. We did have a bit of a reprieve with the car shortly afterwards, but for the most part you could say it became the ‘unreliable’ necessity of our lives. Read More

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Posted Tuesday, 31 January, 2017 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Birthdays & Blogoversaries, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Jorie Loves A Story Features, Sci-Fi November, Stories of Jorie

#StoriesOfJorie | Not your traditional #ThanksgivingWeekend: my Dad had a stroke.

Posted Sunday, 27 November, 2016 by jorielov , , 10 Comments

Jorie Loves A Story Blog Banner created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography by Ben White. (Creative Commons Zero)

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Hallo, Hallo dear hearts

— it’s been a long 24hrs for me and my family.

Photo Credit: Unsplash Photographer Neil Austin. (Creative Commons Zero)
Photo Credit: Unsplash Photographer Neil Austin. (Creative Commons Zero)

Sometimes life throws you more than a curveball – sometimes you wake up to find challenges as *big!* as boulders placed on your path. Yet there is always the hope of tomorrow lingering in the background – you just have to find the strength to live through the rocky bits first & then find your rhythm lateron.

Blessedly, we are not oft given foreshadows about our future paths – in this particular case, I am grateful I entered *November* thinking about all the lovelies (stories) I would be focusing on whilst blogging my heart out about Science Fiction & the Futuristic Fiction I love consuming on a yearly basis. I was so thankful to have a full month to hone in on the stories themselves whilst sorting out how to arrange the month-long Sci-Fi Fest here on Jorie Loves A Story. As you can see by the schedule I posted the very first days of November (view this post) everything was set to be a smashingly lovely month!

Until I faltered a bit the first week of November, losing my footing for a short bit in my readings as I found that particular week emotionally draining. I recaptured my readerly heart by reading two stories pertinent to Current Events I felt were beckoning me to read at that particular time before I could proceed forward into the Sci-Fi worlds I had earmarked to alight inside – those two stories were spilt between fiction (see this Review) and non-fiction (see this review). Everything I wanted to say are on those two posts, including the recapture of what I shared on Twitter, as I let others who posted tweets express what was weighing on my mind at the time, whilst tweeting out a simple note of my own, too.

It wasn’t until the 15th of November, I truly felt I was gaining traction again – which is why I started to release my posts starting with a beautiful guest post by Julie E. Czerneda (read about her Web Shifters series) and sharing my reviews of: Remnant in the Stars (see Review) and The Loudest Actions (see Review) as well as a guest feature (this interview) before I took ill. My migraines returnt for a short while as well, leaving me wrecked to proceed. I’ve been dealing with my migraines off/on since Spring, as they had left me for 10 months from May 2015 til March 2016 before resuming at the end of Summer; until this month, of course. I had been finding my headaches were reducing by off-setting my readings of print books with audiobooks – my own version of ‘art therapy’ as I colour (adult colouring books) whilst I listen to audiobooks (as disclosed on my first Audiobook Review); by the time the story concluded I did not even remember all the colours I selected and am quite amazed at the end results! It’s the third time between my late twenties and late thirties I’ve recaptured a bit of Zen for myself! The first was through Mixed Media Art Collages (small scale – think ATC (Artist Trading Cards), rubberstamp art, handmade cards & painting bisque pottery and the second was through learning how to knit a hybrid variant between the American and Continental (British) styles. Read More

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Posted Sunday, 27 November, 2016 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Birthdays & Blogoversaries, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Jorie Loves A Story Features, Sci-Fi November, Stories of Jorie

A story about a girl who loves to read + blog her reading life, yet acknowledges in two years she’s lost two beloved companions with fur.

Posted Sunday, 17 January, 2016 by jorielov 6 Comments

Stories of Jorie | A Feature of Jorie Loves A Story. Jorie Loves A Story Badge created by Ravven with edits by Jorie in PicMonkey.

I walked into [2016] with a happy heart knowing a fresh new chapter was emerging, both in my personal life and in my blogging life. I believe most book bloggers carry with them a certain shoulder of guilt for the stories they have not yet had the pleasure of finishing to read or books they very much intended to get their hands on over the past twelvemonth but time, tide and life interfered with their plans. I was even starting to blog about this myself whilst composing the thoughts I’ll be sharing with you towards the end of January now (as let’s be frank, my heart isn’t willing to finish such a happy post at the moment) when I finally reveal my End of the Year Survey, 2016. Close to publishing this incredible journal of the past year’s reads of whom have touched me and challenged me the most, will be the missing journals for End of the Year Surveys 2014 + 2013. Including the wicked sweet disclosure of creating a special acknowledgement on behalf of the stories who gave me the most bookish love!

I’m stepping ahead of myself, as although most of my dear hearted readers (and the lovely friends I have in the twitterverse) are already aware of – I had some health afflictions towards the close of the year [2015]. As a whole, [2015] was a difficult year but I tried not to let those difficulties leave me too downtrodden to read or to blog. I did fall behind quite a heap, especially when the lightning storms all but destroyed my ability to blog as I lost equipment, my connectivity, etc. whilst picking up the pieces afterwards and resuming where I left off. Fast forward to November, where I was snuggled inside The Clan Chronicles by Julie E. Cznerneda where body, mind, heart and soul were entwined inside those pages of the prequel trilogy to such an extent, for the first time I’ve been a book blogger I had forsaken sleep [all 37 hours!] to consume them! I was so entrenched into the heart of Cersi and the Clan, I felt as if a part of me had become a part of that world. It was a beautiful experience because it’s been quite awhile since I’ve felt so deeply etched inside an author’s vision for their world and felt such a passionate response for a serial fiction spilt into individual trilogies.

I felt I could recoup the lost hours of sleep and continuing with my plans for Sci Fi November, only to conclude that I had wrecked my sleep patterns a bit and needed to take it a bit slower. I had no idea I’d succumb to a horrid and intense virus in the opening weekend of December; a virus which left me shattered in energy and fully depleted of any zeal for reading or blogging as a whole. I read what I could and blogged in-between fits of coughing and sneezing bouts; but as the month progressed, I simply wanted to feel ‘well’ again. Being so ill over the Christmas holidays was brutal, but I knew in time, I would rebound and gain traction towards overcoming the virus that took everything I had to give.

By New Year’s Day, I felt more like myself than I had in over a month, and I slowly started to settle back inside the books I had to abandon and the blog posts I left half-written. Everything was moving closer to my ‘normal’ as we all have a balance of what we love to do and what we give to our bookish blogs and social media outlets. For me, re-finding the joy I happily share after such a long battle with a virus felt good to my soul and helped enliven my spirit a bit. I still felt a bit down about how I ended the year, as I had wanted so dearly to spend it with the stories — including a few new-to-me-authors of whom I’ve only recently met through working with new publishers.

Ms Örnbratt’s ‘The Particular Appeal of Gillian Pugsley” and Ms. Kincheloe’s ‘The Secret Life of Anna Blanc’ are amongst the titles I was going to read in December. I even wanted to finish reading ‘Naked’ by Ms Redgold as I had had the pleasure of hosting her for a guest feature on her blog tour. Two beautiful historicals by Indie Authors I dearly wanted to dig inside were ‘Return to Me’ by Carolyn Menke and ‘The Fragrant Concubine’ by Melissa Addey. Lest I mention, how much I am itching to return inside The Clan Chronicles where I left part of my heart.

Before I disappeared again for the past week or so, I was finishing my thoughts on behalf of ‘Remarkable Minds + Magnificent Minds’ by the Indie Publisher Tumblehome Learning, of whom have given an incredible breadth of biographical non-fiction for young readers who are keenly interested and invested in the Sciences. I was about to proceed into ‘Kepler and the Universe’ shortly thereafter, as this was a non-fiction work which intrigued me from Prometheus Books. I had other selections upcoming from World Weaver Press, Cedar Fort, Indie Authors and a smorgasbord of others. If your a regular reader or follower of mind, you know I read diversely dancing through genres and literary destinations.

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I tweeted out a hinting that something was afoot when I revealled this only last week:

I honestly did not know how to break the news on my blog (having the tendency of being a private person who doesn’t overly share her personal life) nor through the feeds of mine on Twitter; I decided I should mention something if anything untoward might happen. This is back when I felt my petite little cat who had so much light and love inside her was in need of a dental extraction and nothing more major than emergency surgery but it was a wait/see situation as initially as she was eating and talking up a storm, the Vet felt it could self-correct or if she discontinued eating, we’d book her in for an exam. Either way, we were monitoring her condition and her prognosis looked good for an 11 year old cat. I was concerned because in recent years (i.e. read ‘two years’) I have gone through quite a horrific loss with another companion with fur. You brace yourself for such things, even when something appears routine. Health issues in felines such as in our own lives are never quite as they appear but we still thrive on the Hope that all is not quite as bad as it could be.

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Two years, Two cats badge created by Jorie in Canva.

Read my post about the first loss of a companion with fur from [2013].

IF I had a precognitive notion I’d be a 2nd Year Book Blogger on the brink of becoming a 3rd Year Book Blogger composing her ‘second notice of loss’ of a dearly beloved companion with fur, I am uncertain how I would have handled that advance insight. Your simply never prepared for saying ‘good-bye’ to someone you love and my animals have *always!* been members of my family. I know some might not agree with this, but for myself and my family, yes, it’s always been true. Read More

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Posted Sunday, 17 January, 2016 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Cats and Kittens, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Jorie Loves A Story Features, Stories of Jorie

Stories of Jorie | Wicked exciting news, Jorie writes an essay about #Nanowrimo 2008! Otherwise known as the year Jorie reclaimed being a writer!

Posted Friday, 4 December, 2015 by jorielov , 0 Comments

Parajunkee Designs

It isn’t often someone takes you by surprise and gives you an opportunity to talk about something that is as intrinsically personal and revealling of your character, than to write a heart-felt essay about your experience as a writer during Nanowrimo! This was an essay that was pitched to me by Priya (the lovely bookish blogger I happily interviewed during Bloggerthon) who was hosting a *special inclusive* feature series about being a Wrimo from the point of view of participants and a writer (Ms Bogart) whose November novel not only published but curated the heart of what gives us who take-on the challenge of November such an uplift of creative synergy and inspiration!

Despite being an extroverted book blogger and a joyful tweeter, when it comes to turning the conversation round on my own writerly pursuits and endeavours, I tend to lean towards the mysteriously vague responses that only give small glimmers of what I am working on, as truthfully, my writerly path is still developing. It’s true, I’ve been a reader as long as I’ve been a writer, as the two paths intersected so very long ago, as a duality of passion and interest. Being a Creative Dyslexic Writer adds a bit of a unique splash to the story, but at the root of who I am, I’m the girl who loves stories and the craft of story-telling.

Therefore, without further adieu, I want to direct your attention to the following:

Nanowrimo 2008 Essay badge created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Morgan Sessions.

Read my essay directly on Priya’s Lit Blog!

*UPDATE: February 2016* My essay is being re-posted on Priya’s blog during November 2016 due to technical issues that arose after it originally posted. I apologise for the inconvenience and hope you will return in November to see what I shared this past Autumn!

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Read my book blogger & writer’s biography via My Bookish Life

Visit my Guest Features, Interviews & Podcast Archive for more inspiring links!

I recently published a page about my approach to betareading as well!

Kindly leave your comments for me on Priya’s blog, tweet me on Twitter or return back to this post relating to me your thoughts and impressions on behalf of the essay & it’s message.

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May we all have a bookishly delightful life devouring the stories which enchant our hearts and minds with incredible depth of heart and soul story-lines.

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Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva.

{Sources: Nanowrimo 2008 Essay badge created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Morgan Sessions. Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva. Blog News badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2015.

Comments via Twitter:

https://twitter.com/PriyaPrithviraj/status/672686669175259138

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Posted Friday, 4 December, 2015 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Contributor Feature or Post, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Nanowrimo 2008, Stories of Jorie