First, I want to thank Nikki Jefford for stopping by my blog this morning! Her books, Entangled (Spellbound #1) and the recently-released Duplicity (Spellbound #2) are perfect additions to any personal library, even making their ways to my favorites list.
Life is an Open Book
I love that Chey “travels” through books and that she’s not sure what she wants to do with her life. I felt the exact same way at 19.
I’d planned to include an excerpt from Duplicity, but instead I’m going to share one line from the book followed by a personal story. When Lee (Gray the first) is pondering what to do with her life - maybe this, maybe that – she finally comes to the conclusion that:
“Then again, maybe she should finish senior year before she worried about the rest of her life.”
I was at a complete loss after high school (Dimond High Class of 96, Anchorage, AK). All I knew is that I wanted to do something out of the ordinary, which led to Africa. Don’t ask me why, but I became obsessed with going over. Part of it was choosing a place where no one I knew had visited. I wanted it to be my experience alone, not the usual, “When you visit Europe you have to see the___ and go to the ___.”
I found a volunteer project in Kenya and spent the month of February at age 19, living in a mud hut in the middle of nowhere helping build homes through Habitat for Humanity. (This was not an organized project as I’d volunteered with another organization that fell through when I arrived. Luckily there was a Habitat for Humanity office in Nairobi and they were able to come up with something on the spur.)
That month in Kenya was one of the best experiences of my life. The world opened up before me. The first couple days were some of my darkest. I broke down. I felt like the weakest cry baby on the planet. But sometimes you have to break before you can put yourself together again. I became empowered and that feeling has stuck with me ever since.
I returned home a stronger person, but I had even less idea what I wanted to do with my life. What I didn’t realize at the time is that experience in Africa set in motion a string of events I couldn’t foresee – the most import being it was where I decided I wanted to learn French after a kind French family “adopted” me for a couple days.
Learning French would later lead to working in France and meeting the love of my life, Sebastien, which is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me.
In my journal from Kenya I wrote: “I came here to find myself. Instead, I’ve learned that life is contestant journey of searching and discovering who you are.”
Enter to win the SPELLBOUND SWAG PACK (International)
· Evil Eye Amulet and Bracelet: In Duplicity, Gray wears an evil eye pendant, also known as a nazar, to protect herself from a spell that’s causing havoc over the witches and warlocks in her coven. The evil eye (a Turkish amulet) is used for both luck and protection against envy.
· Two Headed Quarter: Two Grays are better than none and two heads are better than one, especially when flipping over who gets to choose which movie to watch with a trick coin. Adrian returns in Duplicity and opens a magic shop.
· Entangled bookmark
About the Author
Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who found paradise in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands where she is, once more, neighbors with Canada. She has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Alaska Anchorage and was a reporter before returning to her first love: fiction.
After a whirlwind romance in France, Nikki married Sébastien in March 2000. They reside with Cosmo the wonder Westie.
Find her at:
Great guest post. My son's name is Adrian, don't see it around often.
ReplyDeleteI just picked up Entangled on my Kindle the other day! I'm really looking forward to reading it :) Great post!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful trailer, thank you for the giveaway!
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