Spotlight & Giveaway: Stand by Me by Pat Simmons

Posted November 5th, 2021 by in Blog, Spotlight / 52 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Pat Simmons to HJ!

Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Pat and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Stand by Me!

 

Tell us about the book with this fun little challenge using the title of the book:

Stand By Me

S is for satisfied
T is for timeless love
A is for always us
N is never alone
D is divine intervention

B is bye is not a word between us
E is ever since we met

M is marriage?
E is ever after happiness

 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

“Excuse me. You look familiar.” A deep, unfamiliar voice pulled Kym Knicely from her musings.
A man stood in front of her, invading her personal space.

 

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book.

Kym is the oldest of three sisters and the only single sister. She thinks love has passed her by until she meets Chaz and his package deal. If she accepts his relationship, is she settling?

Chaz had no intentions of ever re-marriaging until Kym threatens to walk away.

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • I love chance meetings. The airport is a perfect place.
  • Love can find you at any age.
  • Being a caregiver doesn’t always mean taking care of the elderly
  • Compassion is always en vogue

 

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

For Chaz, seeing Kym from afar and the attraction ignites, but he losing her in a crowd. Fast forward months later, he recognizes her in a crowd.

For Kym, she ignores the immediate physical attraction and is attracted to his thoughtfulness, making her first.

 

The First Kiss…

The first date.

 

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

Once they were outside, Kym handed her parking stub to the valet, and Chaz asked, “Will you call me when you arrive home?”
“Yes,” she whispered as it started to rain, and then the unexpected happened: she stepped from under the awning into the rain..
“They have umbrellas for this type of weather.” Chaz frowned in confusion.
“Nah. I like the feel of raindrops. Reminds me of showers of God’s blessings.”
“Well, if you put it that way…” Chaz joined her, laughing. “You’re a fascinating woman, and I look forward to our next adventure.”
She giggled when he took the liberty of spinning her under his arm at the amazement of the valets. “Most women wouldn’t dare get their hair wet.”
“Black women have options. Unless I want to wear it naturally curly, that is what flat irons are for.”
The fun ended when her Mercedes SUV arrived, and she slid into her leather seat as he held her door open. He couldn’t wait to jump inside his car and blast the heat. “Good night.”
“Night.” Her eyes sparkled.

 

If you could have given your characters one piece of advice before the opening pages of the book, what – would it be and why?

I think they nailed it.

 

What are you currently working on? What are your up-coming releases?*

I released Queen’s Surrender in October. Stand by Me in November and Waiting for Christmas (novella) in December. I’m working on a proposal about family professions, and I’m excited about writing a summer novella.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: $10 Amazon gift card

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Have you ever been a caregiver?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Stand by Me:

“Excuse me. You look familiar.” A deep, unfamiliar voice pulled Kym Knicely from her musings. A man stood in front of her, invading her personal space. His presence interrupted her from flipping through magazine pages as she waited at St. Louis’s Lambert airport to board her return Southwest flight back home to Baltimore. He could use a fresh pickup line.
Kym raised an arched brow as she lifted her head and almost gasped for breath. Trying not to ogle the intruder, she could only stare. Kym would have definitely remembered meeting this good-looking man who evidently cared about his appearance even when he traveled. While some dressed for comfort—like her, in fashionable jeans and a simple top, with comfy flats on her feet—he, on the other hand, was meticulously coordinated in a sweater, slacks, a blazer, and dress shoes.
“Sorry, we haven’t met.” She wished there were something familiar about him, but there wasn’t, so Kym dismissed the handsome stranger, found her breath, and continued reading.
At thirty-six years old, she gave the illusion of contentment in her single state. Behind closed doors, she suffered through the loneliness. Keeping a busy lifestyle was merely a cover-up. She wanted what her sisters had: husbands who loved them unconditionally.
Not that Kym hadn’t attracted her share of attention from some notable eligible bachelors. Attraction didn’t equal love. Plus, something always seemed amiss about them. She wanted a man to be more than intelligent, confident, and a gentleman beyond measure. Since handsomeness was in the eye of the beholder, good-looking had to be in the top five assets. But the man who snagged her had to possess a selflessness about him.

Maybe she needed a cupid. Kym’s aunt had passed away two years prior. Even in Aunt Tweet’s sickness, she somehow had played matchmaker for Kym’s two younger sisters, Tabitha and Rachel. Where are you, Aunt Tweet, to track down Mr. Right One for Me? she mused.

While in St. Louis, Kym had mixed her business with pleasure and attended a three-day conference on leadership in higher education. She found the seminars informative, and they’d reconfirmed she was on the right path with her dissertation to target children in grade and middle schools. It was the seed to nourishing their desire to graduate from high school, but the hand-holding couldn’t stop there. It was up to administrators and the community to lift up teenagers to apply to college, then help them to finish the course.

Afterward, she couldn’t wait to smother her first and only nephew, Marcus Brownlee Whittington, with hugs and smooches. It was a perfect way to end her trip—a visit with Tabitha and her family—despite also using the time to tweak material for the upcoming week of October midterms.
Marcus wasn’t a junior. Her sister and brother-in-law had bestowed the middle name in honor of their late relative Priscilla “Aunt Tweet” Brownlee. She had impacted her three great-nieces’ lives as children and adults.
Tit for tat, Rachel, her other sister, expected a visit too. And Kym would oblige. She had already made travel plans to fly to Nashville around Christmas to be with her baby sister, who was a breast cancer survivor.
It was the prayers and God’s will that her illness remained in remission for almost two years. Nicholas, Rachel’s hubby, spoiled her rotten. Kym suspected it had nothing to do with the cancer but that he was deeply in love with his wife for better or worse.
As the oldest, Kym refused to relinquish her right to check on her sisters, so: Husbands, beware. Sister chats took precedence.
Tabitha Knicely Whittington had returned to their childhood home in St. Louis, the Gateway City; Rachel Knicely Adams loved her life in Nashville, Music City; and Kym wouldn’t dream of living anywhere other than Charm City, with Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Home. Maybe she and her best friend, Judith, could enjoy an evening cruise to relax after the exhausting week.
A while later, the gentleman returned. “Is this seat taken?”
He didn’t wait for her to answer as he claimed the chair as if it were assigned to him. Handsome but rude—a bad combination. Best to ignore him, although it was a challenge as his faint cologne tickled her nose.
“Hi again. I’m Chaz Banks.” He extended his hand.
His persistence bordered on annoyance. She accepted his gentle grasp—strong hands—and nodded without giving her name.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him study her. He bobbed his head and bit his bottom lip as if he had come to a decision.
“I saw you in the audience at LLU’s presidential speaker series. You were stunning in that white pantsuit.”
“Excuse me?” Was he a stalker? Had the man followed her from Baltimore? Her heart raced as she considered her options: call for security, which could cause the airport to be locked down, or pray for her safety. She chose the latter.
“I didn’t mean to cause you alarm.” Chaz frowned. “I live in Baltimore, and I’m an alumnus of Lewis Latimer University.”
Okay. Breathe. That explained him being on campus, but that event had been more than a month ago. Kym remembered stepping out in that two-piece pantsuit with gold heels and jewelry. She had garnered many compliments that evening from colleagues and students. A few days after that seminar, Kym had retired her “wear anything white” streak, which had consumed her fashion sense for weeks. “An alum?”
“Yep.” He nodded. “Proud LLU Lion. BA in finance, master’s in public health.”
Tilting her head, Kym discreetly scrutinized him. She was doubly impressed. There was a lot to be said for a man who valued education, and his field of choice said something about his commitment in life.
A lazy grin spread across his smooth face, clean shaven except for a black mustache sprinkled with gray strands. Nice smile. White teeth. Good looking. “I’m Kym Knicely.”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Acclaimed inspirational African American romance author Pat Simmons brings you a love story filled to the brim with everything you’re looking for:
Emotional, poignant fiction that explores what it means to take care of family
Christian romance that delves into the connection between two people
An uplifting story about embracing love and giving others—and yourself—one more chance
When it comes to being a caregiver, Kym Knicely has been there and done that. Then she meets Charles “Chaz” Banks and soon learns that every caregiving situation is different. Chaz takes care of his seven-year-old autistic granddaughter, Chauncy. Although Kym’s attraction to Chaz is strong, she has to decide whether a romantic relationship can survive and thrive between two people at different stages in life. It’s a journey with a different set of rules that Kym has to play by if she and Chaz are to have their happily ever after and the faith and family they envision.
 
 

Meet the Author:

Pat Simmons is a multi-published author with more than thirty titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth who is passionate about researching her ancestors and then casting them in starring roles in her novels.
She is a three-time recipient of the Romance Slam Jam Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance.
Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. She has worked in various positions in radio, television, and print media for more than twenty years. She oversaw the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions for fourteen years.
In addition to researching her roots and sewing, she has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across the country.
Pat has converted her sofa-strapped sports fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, GPS-guided chauffeur, and administrative assistant who is constantly on probation. They have a son and a daughter.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads |

 
 
 

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52 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Stand by Me by Pat Simmons”

  4. Diana Tidlund

    Yes ! My brother had muscular dystrophy and was bedridden. He only allowed me and our mom to do things for him. So from the time I was 9 on I gave him baths , helped him go to the bathroom on the bedpan and fed him among other things.
    The other day my ex father-in-law who is legally blind and deaf even commented that I was fast and efficient helping him go to the bathroom and I was like grampy I grew up doing this for David , I know what I’m doing. He even commented on it to others which cracked me up.

  7. Audrey Stewart

    No…Never a caregiver for people, just babies. I do shelter elderly cats.

  9. Pamela Conway

    No not full time, my mom needs help but still lives on her own.

  13. Rita Wray

    Yes I have for an older lady. She was so sweet and we got along great. I would brush her hair and she would be so happy. I brought her little gifts and she would love that.

  15. Glenda M

    Very briefly for my grandmother. Unless you want to include the kids.

  19. ANNA NGUYEN

    no not a full time caregiver. just some one time babysitting. i can’t imagine how hard it would be to do it full time though.

  23. Pammie R.

    I was a caregiver for my mom for over 10 years. She passed away a year and a half ago.

  25. Maryann

    Yes, after my mom suddenly died we moved my 90 year old grandma in with us.

  28. Eva Millien

    Yes, I have had to take care of my aunt before she passed away from cancer. Thanks for sharing Stand by Me with me! Have a wonderful weekend!

  30. isisthe12th

    Yes, I took care of my Mother for eight months before she passed. It was the hardest thing I have ever done.

  31. Kim

    Outside of taking care of my kids and spending a week taking care of my father no.

  37. Jeanna Massman

    I have never been a full time caregiver but I have cared for my husband and mother during short illnesses and injuries.

  38. Anita H.

    Yes, I am currently taking care of a family member who has some serious health issues

  42. Laurie Gommermann

    I worked several years as an RN. I helped take care of my FIL after my MIL’s death. He became very depressed and wouldn’t eat. The last 7 years I out have been helping my 97 yo mom. I split the time with my sister. My mom still is able to live at home. She doesn’t drive. She gets some Meals On Wheels. She has some health issues. One is vertigo. She’s had several falls.

  47. Patricia B.

    I am the oldest of 6 children. I have always been taking care of children. I looked after my siblings and started babysitting at 11. In 4-H, my nickname was Mother Goose because all the little children followed me around the 4-H building every year at the fair. I usually ended up watching most of them for at least a few hours, sometimes all day. We have cared for elderly relatives and friends at times over the years. Most recently, my husband and I had power of attorney to care for a female veteran friend. She was too Independent to live with us, but we took care of her financial affairs, took her to appointments, and made arrangements for and moved her to assisted living and nursing home facilities. She had no family here and few friends. Not the same as being a full time caregiver, but we provided the care, friendship, and counsel she needed. We were listed as next of kin and handled all the arrangements for her final wishes and made the arrangements with the state branch of the National Cemetery for her services and burial.

  48. Janie McGaugh

    Only in a modest since of taking care of my husband and kids, as necessary.