“I’m doomed,” I remember clearly saying these words to my mother as she slathered tons of sunscreen on my freckled skin. I’m an outdoorsy gal, but my skin is not. After I proclaimed my life was over because I couldn’t go outside without receiving a sunscreen bath or, at the very least, forced to wear a hat and long sleeves in the Texas summer, my mother explained I was kissed by angels. She told me my freckles were special and I should protect them.

After that, I wore sunscreen. How wise was my mother to make me feel special instead of complaining about the sunscreen ritual, timing my outdoor activities to avoid the harsh peak sun times, or identifying me as the freak child that got the red-headed, pale skin recessive gene lurking in our family gene pool?

When I began writing my time travel series, I thought long and hard about the traits I desired for my protagonist’s mother. I mean, moms are amazing, right? Who else would pick dirty socks off the floor, stay up late working on your science fair project, offer a hug to soothe a broken heart, and continue to worry about you after you proclaimed your independence and left home?

It didn’t take me long to list out my favorite qualities about my mom, then I added in a little bit of quirky from my G.G., a dash of spice from my Mama Willie, the sophisticated soul from my Scottish mother-in-law and VOILÀ, Mary Cloud was born. A pickleball-playing cookbook editor from Long Island who dotes on her three children and wears her pearls to the grocery store.  

This Mother’s Day, I would like to celebrate these amazing women who helped me create a fun, fictitious mom. Please comment below with your favorite mom story and celebrate those moms in your life.

Paris 1912 is only the beginning.

Relentless time traveler Jennifer Cloud wants a little one-on-one time with her man and possibly, if it’s not asking too much, a proposal. But when a mysterious brigand sabotages her fellow time travelers and disrupts her love life, Jen must embark on a very dangerous vacation.

As Jen searches for the brigand, she discovers a valuable gem has been stashed amongst the trunks of a wealthy socialite destined to board the Titanic. The problem is the socialite’s name is on the list of lost souls from that horrible night, April 14, 1912.

Jen must be brave enough to defy her boss, board the ship of dreams, and help her sexy defender capture the brigand whilst not jumping his bones before they hit the infamous iceberg.

Will she succeed in saving the gem, or will her conscience force her to save the lot, avoid mass mayhem, and change history?

AUTHOR NOTE: Book 6 in the Jennifer Cloud series may be read as a stand-alone but is much more fun if read in order. If you love sexy, hunky heroes and courageous heroines with sass, you’ll love this time travel romance series. Join the adventure.