Today the spotlight shines on author Jane Wakely, who’s a delight on the Coffee Time Romance website. Thanks for visiting, Jane! When did you start writing and how did you get published?

I’ve been writing forever!  When I was little I dreamed of being a best-selling author and seeing my books on bookstore shelves!  I wrote a lot of stories, and a ton of poems growing up.  For awhile, I let that dream fade away and didn’t write or read for a long time, but the stories never stopped.  I’ve always been a “dreamer!”  A few years ago, I started reading again.  Reading other peoples stories always inspires me to write my own, and the writing began again.  

While I wrote a lot, I had a lot of half finished stories and scenes, but nothing complete.  The best advice I have ever read/received is to write every day.  Once I did that, even with a low word count goal, I was able to finish my first novella.  Right around the time I finished, I saw a submission call for winter themed short stories that I had previously dismissed.  I decided to go for it!

I submitted Christmas Hope to Whimsical Publications for their winter themed anthology and my short story was accepted!

What a fabulous cover! Tell us about your story then!

Christmas Hope is a sweet romance, and one of nine stories, you’ll find in Winter Wonders (Winter Anthology 2011) from Whimsical Publications.  This is a multi-genre anthology, featuring nine authors’ short stories, all with a winter theme.

Here’s the blurb for Christmas Hope:

Karen loves Woodland Springs, the town she grew up in.  While her dream of owning a bakery in her home town came true, she doesn’t know if she will ever reach her dream of having a family of her own to share it with.  After the humiliation of her ex-boyfriend, she doesn’t think she will ever find someone to love.

Jason Matthews moved to Woodland Springs to fill a veterinarian vacancy.  After years of school and interning, he is ready to start a family.  When he meets Karen, he knows she is the one.

After a misunderstood Christmas present, will these two be able to have the family they both hope for?

Sounds so romantic, Jane!  What have you planned for the future, in your writing career or anything else you’d like to share with us?

The novella is part one of a three book shifter series.  I’m working on part two now, but still need to do a final edit on part one before submitting.  I’m also working on another three part series about four firemen.  I’ll be submitting the first books in each series early this year, and plan to have both series completed and submitted by the end of the year.  I also have plans to submit and self-publish a few short stories!

Best wishes on your writing, Jane! Thanks for visiting!