Where did the name Jester come from?
On lovies, names, doggies, sales, and more.
Original art by Lauren Laureco
Yes, that’s Jester the dog from Love You Again!
But… where did the name Jester come from? It came from here:
Jester hanging on a snow plow stick in the parking lot of an awesome farm therapy center.
That’s the OJ.
Original Jester.
When my now-15 year old, D, was about 5, he had this wonderful nanny named Kristin. She’s still wonderful, and our family was so blessed to have her with us for 5 years. We see her a few times a year, still!
I don’t remember exactly how, but somehow she either gave D a bag of finger puppets, or somehow got them to us via a friend? I don’t remember (and I really should!), but Jester was among the finger puppets.
D was very low verbal/low speaking then, and rarely attached to toys, but OH how that changed when Jester came along.
Even now, at 15, Jester goes lots of places with D. Jester went to his overnight sleep study at the hospital. Jester comes to Easter egg hunts. Jester rides on golf carts. Jester helps him learn to do laundry.
(Jester isn’t good at it, though.)
Jester has never gone swimming. Jester really, really could use a bath.
Naming people, animals, things, places, etc. in books is an extremely random thing for me (and not in a Darla kind of Random). I often use:
Names of people I know
Names of people I love
Names of people who are horrid and I hope are reincarnated as a piece of hot gum on a piece of Florida asphalt covered in armadillos (or is that cruel to the poor armadillos?)
Names of food (uh, Fluffy)
Former teachers
Former teacher’s kids
Neighborhood people from my hometown in Ohio
Other peoples’ pets
Popular names according to the Social Security Administration for a character’s birth year (I DO THIS A LOT)
The customer service rep from the respiratory durable medical equipment company I argued with for the 5th time that month to get my son his oxygen machine
The quiverfull family in my hometown
Whatever actor or actress was in a recent movie/tv show I watched
Last names are even harder! Sometimes, they are slight variations of doctors I’ve seen recently, street signs I see while driving somewhere, a name I look up for a specific ethnic group, the name of an incontinence supply company (yep! Coming soon…), the name of a street I lived off of (Jacoby, heh), and more.
Animals are even more interesting. Kell’s cat, Calamine, in Love You Right is easy - he pulls poison ivy for a living.
(Kell, not the cat.)
Josie’s cat Crackhead was named because that’s EXACTLY the kind of name Josie would choose for a poor little kitten. Chuckles was a paradoxical choice - I imagined a very grumpy, haughty cat and wanted to saddle him with the most ridiculously goofy name possible.
And then there’s Chuffy ;).
Jester, though - Jester was a perfect name for Luke and Harriet Luview’s dog. Luke needed some joy in his life, and what better joy than a golden retriever named Jester?
Future books have animals in them, and I’m alway searching for good inspiration. I hope you have a joyful animal in your life.
Or a really well-worn, well-loved doll like Jester. <3
But Walter No is Still Top Dog
“I have no idea who chewed up Dad’s computer mouse.”
Still 0.99 This Month - All 4 of These
I’ve reached a point where I have so many books, a bunch of them will be on sale this month. Have fun stocking up on backlist books:
A wildland firefighter–and mountain lion shifter–Edward is the youngest of the Stanton siblings, and hasn’t touched a woman in a decade, not since his late fiancee was killed in a violent tragedy.
But when he meets the sweet, adorable Molly Sloan, a friend of his new sister-in-law, Lilah… his determination to remain celibate begins to unravel.
Something about Molly is irresistible. Something about her makes him forget the past… and hear the Beat. But Edward will have to fight for her — forces are gathering to use her in ways that might separate them forever.
Get the First 2 Shopping Books for 0.99 Each
Ever meet a hot billionaire while your hand's in a toilet in the men's room of one of his stores?
No? So it really is just me. Hmm.
When you're a mystery shopper, you get paid to humiliate yourself, all in the name of improving customer service. Romance isn't in my job description. But the day I met Declan McCormick it was love at first flush.
Until I nearly castrated him with my EpiPen.
How Hot Guy and Toilet Girl became an item involves my over-the-top mom, a trip to the ER, my homicidal cat, my fake wife, and true love.
Don't look at me like that. I'm just doing my job.
I'm shopping for a billionaire.
---
Shopping for a Billionaire, from New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent, is a 500+ page, hilarious romantic comedy with heart, heat, and laughs. A top-10 New York Timesbestselling book.
Kirkus Reviews says Shopping for a Billionaire is "A frothy, fabulous romantic comedy."
Add the audio, narrated by Tanya Eby! (not on sale)
All of our best dates end up in the emergency room…
I planned the perfect proposal. Plenty of lobster, caviar, champagne and—her favorite—tiramisu. The perfect setting. The perfect woman.
The perfect everything.
My dad gave me my late mother’s engagement ring, platinum and diamonds galore. Of course, my Shannon wouldn’t care if I slid a giant hard-candy ring on her finger instead of a three-carat diamond designed to impress.
But my future mother-in-law, Marie, will pass out when she sets eyes on that rock, and that will give us two minutes of blessed silence. That woman talks more than Kim Kardashian flashes her naked backside on the internet.
I was going to make it perfect, down to the color of the tablecloth to the freshness of the roses.
And it was perfect.
Until Shannon swallowed the ring.
Shopping for a Billionaire’s Fiancée gives near-billionaire Declan McCormick the chance to tell his story in this continuation of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shopping for a Billionaire series.
Add the audio, narrated by Zachary Webber.
More 0.99 sale
You can get Return right now for just 0.99. Read and enjoy. This is definitely one of the most intense openings to a series I’ve ever written.
On a dark, rainy night I drove my overstuffed junker car back to a town I never expected to see again.
And when I needed a rescue by the side of the road, a six-foot tall piece of hot, unfinished business named Mark was what the universe sent me.
Three years earlier I’d fled town (and Mark) to follow my wrongly-convicted father to his federal prison, working crappy jobs to stay afloat and visit him every second I could. But now Dad’s dead and I’m mysteriously offered the best job of my life at the college where his life blew up when he was accused of a crime he didn’t commit.
Someone wants me here. Desperately.
I’m hoping it’s Mark.
Because if it’s not, I’m in more danger than I ever imagined.
And if it is?
Mark may be the most dangerous choice of all.
Add the audio, narrated by Savannah Peachwood!