What if your first kiss was just plain awful? Virgin Kiss: a high school #MeToo story
What if your first kiss, and I mean your VIRGIN KISS was just plain awful?
Meet Riley Murphy — you won’t believe her high school kissing disaster in VIRGIN KISS
#FREE July 6-8, 2018 Friday through Sunday.
A very short #kissing story
I bet we all remember teenage angst…there’s nothing more angsty (if there is such a word) than that first kiss. Even worse is when it’s not your dream guy.
It’s the guy in the school play.
And boy, does he have ‘tude. Like, power play to the max.
Riley almost lets him get the best of her, then she does something that empowers her in front of the whole school. Find out what that is in VIRGIN KISS
I wrote this before the #MeToo movement, but it was never more true today as the heroine fights back against this snarky guy in a funny and humorous way. And with a Chekhov play, too!
Grab your FREE copy of VIRGIN KISS, a YA very short story.
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Meet Riley Murphy, a new student at Holywell High:
To overcome my shyness, my mom convinced me to try out for the Drama Club. Somehow I landed the leading role in a one-act Chekhov play. Yes, Chekhov. I played this mad, beautiful countess with passion and heart. I loved it. I came alive on stage. I could do anything, be anybody, say anything, I could—
—kiss the male lead?
A gangly sophomore named Luke Vanmeer with long greasy hair and an upper lip curled in a perpetual snarl? He was going to anoint my virgin lips with my first big kiss?
Forget the Altoids. I needed a stress pill.
I quit the play. They could find another dupe. Not me. I wasn’t going to let him use my lips for kissing practice.
Then I heard this little voice in my head telling me this was acting, right? Going through the motions at rehearsals and on stage didn’t count on the kissing scale. I could pucker up with him and still be a kissing virgin.
After that, I sailed through rehearsals, knowing my lines, and “connecting to my character,” according to the director, who insisted on method acting. That’s how the trouble started. We didn’t rehearse the kiss. He wanted a real kiss on stage, he said, not some phony smooch.
Find out what happens when Luke tries to embarrass Riley on stage in front of the whole school… VIRGIN KISS is FREE July 6-8, 2018 on Kindle!! VIRGIN KISS is a YA very short story,
And check out the video with Riley:
Virgin Kiss from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
Don’t forget VIRGIN KISS is FREE through Sunday!!
Based on a true story.
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If you love Civil War romance and time travel and TWO hunky military heroes, check out my Kindle Scout winner:
She wore gray.
He wore blue.
But their love defied the boundaries of war.
And time.
LOVE ME FOREVER is now available from Kindle Press at Amazon.com
Miss Cupcake and the Hottie: A July 4th Romance Poem
Miss Cupcake and the Hottie
There once was a girl named Cupcake
Who really, truly loved to bake
Up at six she’d rise …
Butter cake to devise
With eggs, sugar, and flour
She worked hard at this early hour
Adding golden rich butter and vanilla
Dreaming of a handsome fella
For she wanted to catch a man’s eye
Who would love her and make her sigh
Then one glorious Fourth
A handsome lad came forth
Who couldn’t get enough
Of her cupcake stuff
And whisked her away to the Land of Butter
Where there they were married and lived happily ever utter…
Happy Fourth of July!!
Jina
PS — I have two full m/s on submission!!
An Italian billionaire prince falls for a girl from Brooklyn . . .
and
A WW 2 Christmas time travel — a woman gets a second chance to save her fiance from being killed during the war.
Keep you posted . . .
***UPDATED***
An Italian Princess and an English Lord for International #BathDay
It’s International Bath Day!
I used to write travel articles — one of my favorites was a story I wrote about European bathrooms — and oh, the tubs I found in such exotic places as the shared bath in my pension in Paris near the Boulevard St. Germain . . .
Or the bath with the century-old pipes and no heat in Passau, Germany . . .
And the most fabulous bath I’ve ever seen in my hotel in Venice, Italy! The shower was a waterfall coming down from the ceiling. Bellisimo!
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I promised you an English lord in a bath, too, so here is Captain Lord Jack Blackthorn:
TITANIC and the Loo
Today April 10, 1912, the Titanic set sail from Southampton, England with a handsome gentleman gambler aboard. Here we meet Captain Lord Jack Blackthorn:
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A funny thing happened to my heroine, Katie O’Reilly, on the way to the loo when she boarded the Titanic. She couldn’t believe what she saw in the stateroom of Captain Lord Blackthorn (Jack):
“I’m still waiting for you to remove your clothes,” Jack said, agitated. She was not listening to him, marveling instead at the modern appointments in his elegantly furnished cabin. She seemed especially intrigued by the bathroom with its double sink and commode.
Ha
d the girl never seen an indoor toilet before?
I’m sure you’re wondering why his lordship asked Katie to remove her clothes. I’ll tell you this: it’s part of his plan to hide her from the captain and the ship’s officers during the crossing. Kate is reluctant to do what he asks:
“I’m leaving me homeland to be rid of such frippery and do fine and proper work.” Katie started putting her clothes back on. She wasn’t set on going to America all blushes and roses only to be pushed back into service. “No, me lord, I’ll take me chances with the captain.”
“Then you won’t change your mind?”
“No.”
“Too bad,” he said with a smug attitude. “The countess’s stateroom has its own private bathroom.”
Her eyes bugged out. “You wouldn’t be fooling me?”
What Katie is about to find out is that Titanic’s first class passengers enjoyed such luxuries as an electric heater in their bathroom, linoleum tiles and pure Vinolia Otto toilet soap smelling of lemon and spice. The captain enjoyed his bath with a choice of fresh or seawater, hot or cold.
Third class or steerage had plenty of lavatories, but they didn’t wash much if the number of tubs on board was any indication, as Katie found out:
He shook his head. “I hear there are only two tubs in steerage for seven hundred passengers.
“Two tubs for all them people?”
“Rather cozy, if you ask me.”
“And you call yourself a gentleman?” Katie said. A girl might be convinced to take off her clothes with that kind of talk. That and a private bathroom. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you were like them gents who took advantage of a lady and kissed her full on the mouth.”
He smirked. “The ladies I’ve met have never objected.”
Captain Lord Blackthorn is quite a rogue and finds Katie more than he can handle. Can this plucky Irish lass win the heart of a titled British gentleman?
Or is it just a shipboard romance he’s after? After all, he’s used to a life of privilege and entertaining the most beautiful aristocratic ladies.
Wealth came with its own set of rules and the first passengers played it for all it was worth…will Captain Lord Blackthorn see that his world is coming to an end before it’s too late?
Before he loses Katie?
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Check out my Titanic novel, “Titanic Rhapsody,” about a poor Irish girl who escapes the law for a crime she didn’t commit in a grand house in Ireland and becomes a countess aboard the Titanic…
Titanic Rhapsody is available on Amazon KINDLE & KINDLE UNLIMITED
*The Denver Times was the afternoon edition of the Rocky Mountain News, which ceased publishing in 2009.
Titanic Rhapsody from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
A Prom Queen wannabe sells her soul to a hottie devil to get thin…the story behind the story
Every story has a backstory.
Crystal Girl started out as a one-act play and was produced at the Malibu Stage Company Theatre in Malibu, CA
At the time, the director cast a wonderful actress as a female devil and we had an “all-girl” cast. It was amazing.
Over the years, I’ve seen more and more how girls and women are often caught up in the roller coaster ride of having to be “thin.” It’s maddening.
I decided to take my one-act play and turn it into a YA novel with a new twist: the heroine falls in love with the hottie devil! The bad boy with the rock star looks, Mr. Gorgeous who can not only make her thin, but win her heart, too.
Okay, so he’s not totally bad. That wouldn’t be cool. Luke is a fallen angel who got mixed up with the wrong crowd and now he has to do the Devil’s dirty work. My heroine, Kaylee, is his latest assignment.
Then Luke falls in love with Kaylee . . . and well, you’ll see what happens n Crystal Girl!
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Ever wanted to be Prom Queen?
Kaylee is tired of being bullied and when the Duchess–the most popular girl in her class–eggs her on with fat jokes, Kaylee can’t take it anymore.
She makes a deal with the devil to get thin . . .
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CRYSTAL GIRL is *** FREE *** Sunday and Monday, June 3 and 4th…let me know what you think. Reviews are welcome. This isn’t an easy story to read. You’ll feel for Kaylee, then want to shake her when she makes wrong choices and Luke…never has there been a devil so hot! You’ll see why Kaylee falls in love with him.
And because I like stories that give you hope and touch you in some way, I will tell you it has a HEA and you’ll never guess how…
~Jina
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My other projects:
Titanic Rhapsody from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
Titanic Rhapsody is available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited
The Royals of Monterra — 5 books! from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
Royal Magic http://bit.ly/2aQ7Z0n
Royal Dare: http://bit.ly/1sAkoKJ
Royal Bride https://amzn.com/B01N3U44OH
Royal Kiss: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY91GBM
Royal Noel: http://a.co/65GYfHH
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My Kindle Scout Winner:
LOVE ME FOREVER is available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited
Women Soldiers in the Civil War from “Love Me Forever” from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
Love Me Forever is now available in Print for $19.99
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Southern Belle and Spy: Excerpt from LOVE ME FOREVER from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
If you love Civil War romance and time travel and TWO hunky military heroes, check out my Kindle Scout winner:
She wore gray.
He wore blue.
But their love defied the boundaries of war.
And time.
‘
Royal Dare: It ain’t easy getting clean…even for a princess from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
ROYAL DARE It ain’t easy getting clean. Even for a princess.
I first met Princess Violetta in Sariah Wilson’s story, ROYAL DATE.
I fell in love with the Monterra family, especially Violetta. I call her the “misunderstood princess.” She has everything—looks, money and a title—yet she fell victim to the seductive power of drugs. Why? I wondered. What led her down this path?
I was intrigued to answer that question, but more importantly, I wanted to know what happened to Violetta when she went to rehab.
How hard is it for a princess to get clean? And will she find her prince when she does?
I answer this question and more in my Kindle Worlds “The Royals of Monterra” story, ROYAL DARE. You can meet see what happened to her afterward in rehab in ROYAL DARE.
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Man Candy: #NationalZipperDay
Love’em or not, we’re stuck with ’em.
Zippers.
Or should I ask, is your zipper stuck?
Not all is lost. What comes up must go down…
Couldn’t resist posting this fun graphic I designed.
Writing a novel about a billionaire prince and yes . . . he’s wearing jeans!
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Speaking of princes . . . meet Prince Max from the Royals of Monterra Kindle Worlds series and the unusual Cinderella from California who falls for him in ROYAL BRIDE.
Book 2 in my Twisted Tiaras series “Princesses with a Past” : Royal Bride Can a sexy prince give a girl a second chance at love?
TITANIC and SOS: #MorseCodeDay: what’s the real story?
What if you found yourself on the Titanic today?
The ship sinking…seawater coming higher and higher on each deck. What would you do?
Grab your cell phone. Call or text for help.
If wasn’t that simple back in 1912.
The wireless was the only means of long distance communication between Titanic and other ships (the Morse lamp was used for ships within visual range as well as rockets) as well as land.
Much has been written about the Marconi wireless and how novel it was to the passengers on the ship.
Who can forget the scene when operator Jack Phillips “yells” back to the operator on the nearby Californian, “Shut up, shut up! I’m working Cape Race.” (Cape Race was the first wireless station in Newfoundland and the only land station to receive the Titanic’s distress signal.)
Frustrated, the operator shuts down his wireless and goes to bed. No further communication with him was possible that night.
He didn’t hear the “CQD” or the “SOS” after the Titanic hit the iceberg.
The Californian didn’t know until it was late the ship was sinking.
According to newspaper reports at that time, CQD was the British landline operators’ signal (“CQ” for “all stations”) with the addition of “D” by the Marconi company for added emphasis (danger).
“SOS” was adapted because of its distinctive Morse Code pattern of three dots…three dashes…three dots.
The Titanic had a first rate wireless room and could receive signals as far as 400 miles during the day and seemingly unlimited range at night.
Which meant they weren’t the only ones sending messages back and forth (the Titanic had sent 250 messages during the voyage).
According to the NY Herald, April 18, 1912, something had to be done to regulate the wireless lest more disasters at sea take place because their distress signal wasn’t heard. “Wireless meddlers” crowded the airwaves with messages and a Senate bill was drawn up to set up to regulate operators with a license.
No post about Titanic and the wireless would be complete without mentioning the two Marconi operators and their dedication to duty.
J.G. Phillips, 25 years old, was the chief operator and had served on the Mauretania and the Lusitania. He had been with the company for seven years and did not survive.
Harold Sydney Bride, 22 years old, had only been with the company twelve months and did survive. (He was on the same overturned lifeboat along with the hero in my romance novel, “Titanic Rhapsody,” Captain Lord Jack Blackthorn.)
It was Phillips who sent the famous wireless message to Harold Thomas Cottam, the sole wireless operator on the Carpathia:
“It’s CQD, old man. Distress call.”
Mr. Cottam was off duty and had not gone to bed when he heard the distress call. He insisted on waking up Captain Rostron. Because of his actions, 705 people survived that cold, bitter night.
Why was Mr. Cottam listening to the wireless if he was off duty?
He was hoping to catch the Saturday night football scores broadcast from Cape Race.
His alertness was a touchdown.
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Check out my Titanic novel, “Titanic Rhapsody,” about a poor Irish girl who escapes the law for a crime she didn’t commit in a grand house in Ireland and becomes a countess aboard the Titanic…
Titanic Rhapsody is available on Amazon KINDLE & KINDLE UNLIMITED:
Titanic Rhapsody from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
Philly, Row Houses and Pretzels, oh my! #NationalPretzelDay
When I was a kid in Philly, the good Sisters of Charity welcomed the Pretzel Man every day past the iron gate and into the school yard. Oh, the excitement from the little girls in their blue uniforms–including me. I couldn’t wait to bite into the yummy pretzel during lunch recess…thank you, Sisters!
I love Philly pretzels.
They’re long, chewy, and have just the right amount of salt. As you can tell, that fond memory has stayed with me. When I wanted to write about a heroine for Sariah Wilson’s Kindle Worlds series, The Royals of Monterra, I wanted to take a girl who lives in a row house in Philly.
A girl with a dream to fly on the silks in an aerial ballet, but something is holding her back.
Until she receives a royal command to perform in Monterra.
There she meets a handsome member of the Monterran family who isn’t what he seems…
Fairy Tales & Magic:
Royal Magic The magic is in his kiss…
A Philly girl falls in love with a royal magician.
ROYAL MAGIC is available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited
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Here is a fairy tale video about an unusual Cinderella narrated by me from the stories I’ve written for Sariah Wilson’s Kindle Worlds Royals of Monterra series!
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Book 2: Royal Bride Can a sexy prince give a girl a second chance at love?
incess Violetta in Sariah Wilson’s story, ROYAL DATE.
You can meet see what happened to her afterward in rehab in ROYAL DARE.
I fell in love with the Monterra family, especially Violetta. I call her the “misunderstood princess.” She has everything—looks, money and a title—yet she fell victim to the seductive power of drugs. Why? I wondered. What led her down this path?
I was intrigued t
o answer that question, but more importantly, I wanted to know what happened to Violetta when she went to rehab. How hard is it for a princess to get clean? And will she find her prince when she does?
I answer this question and more in my Kindle Worlds “The Royals of Monterra” story, ROYAL DARE.
I hope you enjoy it!
Jina
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What if Romeo and Juliet had cell phones? #TalkLikeShakespeareDay
I can’t let “Talk like Shakespeare Day” go by without a tribute to Romeo and Juliet…a day for all romantics who love the joy of words!
Whither I should dare partake of words like the Bard on “Talk like Shakespeare Day” to regale you, but I shall attempt to drink the wine that maketh words of beauty flow from my lips . . .
Or:
I’ll just spit it out and say:
Happy Shakespeare Day!!
To celebrate, here is a fun graphic I put together with a 21st century twist.
Who knows what would have happened to the two lovers if they’d had cell phones?
~Jina
I first met Princess Violetta in Sariah Wilson’s story, ROYAL DATE.
You can meet see what happened to her afterward in rehab in ROYAL DARE.
I fell in love with the Monterra family, especially Violetta. I call her the “misunderstood princess.” She has everything—looks, money and a title—yet she fell victim to the seductive power of drugs. Why? I wondered. What led her down this path?
I was intrigued to answer that question, but more importantly, I wanted to know what happened to Violetta when she went to rehab. How hard is it for a princess to get clean? And will she find her prince when she does?
I answer this question and more in my Kindle Worlds “The Royals of Monterra” story, ROYAL DARE.
I hope you enjoy it!
Jina
===========================================
ROYAL DARE It ain’t easy getting clean. Even for a princess.
Royal Dare: It ain’t easy getting clean…even for a princess from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
0If you love Civil War romance and time travel and TWO hunky military heroes, check out my Kindle Scout winner:
She wore gray.
He wore blue.
But their love defied the boundaries of war.
And time.
Women Soldiers in the Civil War from “Love Me Forever” from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
TITANIC Week Day 7 Bonus: Titanic Trivia Quiz: How many can you get right?
TITANIC Week here on “Once Upon a Story.” Day 7: 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)
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Titanic Trivia Questions:
- You’ve just spent your honeymoon in Paris with your handsome husband and it’s time to return to America. He surprises you with first class tickets on the Titanic. From what French port do you sail?
- Marseilles
- Cherbourg
- Calais
- The Titanic has just arrived in Queenstown and you see several bumboats with vendors hawking their wares. They come aboard ship with their Irish souvenirs. When John Jacob Astor buys his new bride a souvenir, your husband buys you one, too. What did Colonel Astor buy his bride?
- a set of china
- a Celtic brooch
- a lace shawl
- You’re thrilled to find fresh flowers in your cabin when you and your new hubby come on board the ship of dreams. You’re also excited to find out you’re one of several honeymoon couples sailing to New York. According to reliable sources, how many honeymoon couples were there on the Titanic?
- 8
- 11
- 13
- You hear heated whispers in the first class dining saloon when American millionaire Benjamin Guggenheim arrives with his latest mistress. Everyone’s curious, who is she? And where is she from?
- Mlle. Aubart, a Parisian entertainer
- Madame de Villiers, a Belgian cabaret singer
- Miss Annabelle Pearl, a British fashion designer
- You’re late for dinner in the first class dining saloon and lost in the maze of dead end corridors when you run into that handsome gentleman you met last night. He shows you the way to the dining room, then sneaks a kiss in the elevator. How many first class elevators are there on Titanic?
- one
- two
- three
- While you were waiting to board the ship at Queenstown, Ireland, you couldn’t resist flirting with the handsome lad who helped you carry your traveling bag. He whispered in your ear he’ll sneak into the single women’s 3rd class quarters to see you later. Where are the women’s steerage cabins on the ship?
- fore
- aft
- amidships
- You want to look alluring when you meet that handsome gentleman for dinner later in the first class dining saloon on D deck, so you pamper yourself in the Turkish baths. The bath stewardess insists you try out the latest beauty treatment:
- an electric bath which tans your skin with ultraviolet lights
- a face peel
- an exercise machine where you walk in one place
- Tonight you’re dining in the exclusive À La Carte Restaurant some first class passengers call the Ritz when you hear the ship’s musicians playing a lovely waltz. Later you hear them playing that same musical piece when you’re getting into a lifeboat. Some say it may have been the last song the musicians played as the Titanic foundered. What was the name of that waltz?
- Autumn
- Emperor
- Vienna
- It’s 10 p.m. on Sunday night, April 14th, and you can’t resist a stroll up on deck with your husband. It’s misty and getting colder. Even with his strong arms wrapped around you, you can’t stop shivering. How cold is it?
- 45 degrees F
- 29 degrees F
- 32 degrees F
- It’s 11:40 p.m. and you’re in bed with your husband enjoying a night of wedded bliss when the ship hits an iceberg. You want to cuddle up next to him in your warm bed, but he insists you get dressed and get into a lifeboat. How long do you have before the ship sinks?
- 1 hour and 45 minutes
- 2 hours and 40 minutes
- 2 hours and 10 minutes
Answers:
- (Answer: B Cherbourg)
- (Answer: C a lace shawl)
- (Answer: C 13)
- (Answer: A Mlle Aubart)
- (Answer: C three)
- (Answer: B aft)
- (Answer: A an electric bath)
- (Answer: A Autumn)
- (Answer: C 32 degrees F)
- (Answer: B 2 hours and 40 minutes)
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Check out my Titanic novel, “Titanic Rhapsody,” about a poor Irish girl who escapes the law for a crime she didn’t commit in a grand house in Ireland and becomes a countess aboard the Titanic…
Titanic Rhapsody is available on AmazonKINDLE & KINDLE UNLIMITED
Titanic Rhapsody from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.
Titanic Rhapsody is available on Amazon.
My Titanic romance “Titanic Rhapsody” is available in the US and the United Kingdom:
US: Amazon Kindle and Amazon KU http://a.co/1wSE0rb
UK: Amazon Kindle and Amazon KU http://amzn.eu/75Lw9NS
