Today we’d like to welcome the hero of “The
Calm After the Storm” Jake Mack to Rambling Reads!
Jake Mack is a divorced father of three year old Shelley. He works as a foreman in utility company from Georgia. He has deep family roots from small town, Georgia and strong family values.
Q: It’s great to have a chance to talk with
you, Jake. I know that you traveled up north to help restore power
after Hurricane Sandy, could you tell us a little about your
experience?
Jake: Well, I can honestly say that my
experience up north was life altering. I will hold those memories
close forever. I didn’t quite know what to expect when I set out to
New York, but it was amazing. The people I met were so grateful,
especially Emma.
Q: I see. It sounds like she’s pretty
special. How did things work out for you guys?
Jake: I can’t say too much, other than it was
definitely a challenge, trying to make my relationship with Emma
work. At first, we each had our own issues from the past to deal
with, then it was the stress of a long distance relationship.
Q: But you also have a young daughter, Shelley.
That must have been very hard, trying to balance your family life and
responsibilities with dating a woman from New York.
Jake: Emma is a total sweetheart, but it wasn’t
easy for her. Emma worked in New York City, she was very
career-oriented, I think small town Georgia was somewhat of a culture
shock for her, just as New York was for me. The problems were also
exasperated by my ex wife, Ginny. Shelley and Emma got along great, I
was so happy to see my little girl happy with the woman I love.
Emma’s a natural with children.
Q: That’s wonderful, but I hope you don’t
mind me saying, from what I hear, Ginny’s quite the piece of work.
Jake: That she is. That was one woman I should
have stayed clear of, but I learned plenty from my mistakes.
Q: That’s good to hear. So, how did things
work out with you and Emma? Did Shelley get along with her?
Jake: Oh, I can’t give that away.
Q: But sometimes love has a way of working out,
breaking through boundaries, right?
Jake: Sometimes, yes, but sometimes no. That
being said, I’m a believer in true love.
The
Calm After the StormBy Mya O’Malley
The storm of the century raged through the
northeast, causing destruction and despair, millions were left
without power and hope. Weeks later, countless people were still
devastated by the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, Emma Riley among
them.
Determined she didn’t need the help of a man,
Emma was convinced that she could brave the aftermath of the storm on
her own. That is, until Jake came into her life.
After having suffered heartbreak and
embarrassment, Jake Mack, a utility foreman, volunteered to travel
north from small town, Georgia to assist with the aftermath of the
storm. Jake was decidedly done with women. But he didn’t count on
meeting Emma or falling in love so quickly. Can he trust this woman
or will his past get in the way and ruin the relationship with the
one woman he truly loves?
Available for purchase at
Book
Trailer
Excerpt
Jake and his crew had now been in the suburbs
of New York for a
few days. His first thought upon entering this
area was his surprise at the
devastation. Sure, he had heard about the
destruction on the news and had seen
footage of the aftermath of Sandy, but it still
hadn’t prepared him for the
actual sight of Sandy’s rage. Telephone poles
were down, trees were snapped in
two, and houses were completed destroyed by the
storm. Seeing all the
destruction only strengthened Jake’s resolve
that it had been the right thing
to come. He felt proud to be able to help out
and be a part of the solution to
the horrible aftermath of this
disaster.
As the day was wrapping up. Jake and Chris met
up with some of
their crew in the next town to finish one more
area before calling it quits.
The chill in the air was something that Jake
had prepared for, but was not
accustomed to. Clutching the new flannel he had
purchased right before his
trip, he put it on over his thermal shirt.
Thankful for his thermos filled with
hot coffee, Jake grabbed it but quickly tossed
it aside.
“Come on, Chris! I asked you to stop drinking
my coffee. Now
there’s none left,” he said as he shook his
head, irritated at his friend.
Chris looked up at his boss sheepishly. “Sorry,
man. I didn’t
sleep well last night. I needed some
caffeine.”
“Well, that makes two of
us.”
They rode until they approached the utility
pole that needed attention.
Jake and Chris were among the first to arrive
and got busy setting up for the
job. Within minutes, the rest of the assigned
crew trickled in. The workers
were now familiar with the details and routine
of this job, so for the most
part they worked in silence, focused on getting
this last job done so that they
could grab some dinner and hit the sheets. It
was cold and dark, the night
chill settling in upon them. Jake supervised
and helped his crew perform their
individual duties as quickly as possible. As
they were just about wrapping
things up, Jake headed over to Steve, one of
the older guys directing traffic.
He looked frail and tired.
“Hey, Steve. I got this. Why don’t you call
it a night, huh? We’ll
meet you at the hotel for some
dinner.”
“Nah, Jake, we’re almost done here. I’m
good,” Steve said as he
looked up at Jake with glaring dark circles
under his eyes.
“Steve, go. I’m serious. Get in a hot
shower and we’ll meet up for
dinner. Boss’ orders. Now go and take Andy
with you,” Jake gestured toward
another man on the crew who looked like he was
ready for bed.
Shrugging his shoulders, Steve made his way to
one of the smaller
utility trucks, calling for his co-worker to
join him. Jake took over the
responsibility of directing traffic, slowing
people down and stopping cars when
necessary. Yawning, he waved a small SUV along,
noticing that the approaching
driver was slowing down, much more than
necessary. Jake squinted his eyes to
get a better look. The car came to a stop when
Jake stepped up to it and its
window rolled down. Looking back at Jake was a
woman who appeared pretty, even
in the diminished light. Wait, scratch that—she
was stunning, with long, wavy
hair and piercing eyes. His heart faltered just
a bit.
“Hi. I wanted to thank you guys for all of
the hard work that
you’ve been doing. We really appreciate you
guys coming up here. I think I
speak for everyone,” she said as she smiled
widely. Her smile hitched his
breath ever so slightly. Jake smiled back. This
was certainly a change. Since
he had been in this area, some people waved,
some people smiled, others
remained with their eyes straight ahead, but
nobody had yet offered any thanks
verbally. So different from the Southern
hospitality way of life where he grew
up, Jake mused.
Here it was different, the pace of life was
much faster. People
always seemed to be in a rush, and they minded
their own business for the most
part. Sure, being so close to the big city must
be nice and the landscape was
quite beautiful at times, but he didn’t think
this lifestyle was something he
could ever get used to. It seemed too
stressful, too impersonal. He would be
glad to be back home when his job was
finished.
The woman leaned over and offered Jake a box of
donuts, disposable
coffee cups, and a box of hot coffee. Jake was
impressed.
“Thank you, that was very thoughtful!” Jake
gushed, thrilled at
the idea of hot coffee. He thought he felt
warmth spread across his cheeks
despite the chill in the air.
The woman stared back and smiled at Jake for a
minute and then set
her eyes on the road ahead. She waved as she
pulled away.
“Wait!” Jake called out. “Wait, what was
your name?” But the words
were lost. The mysterious woman with the coffee
and donuts was long gone.
“Guys!” he called out as his crew worked on
cleaning up for the
night. “Guys! Our guardian angel just
appeared, and she brought coffee!”
The coffee and donuts were gladly received, but
the idea that
someone would go out of their way to show a
random act of kindness truly
touched Jake. He felt the warm liquid slide
down his throat and knew that he
would always remember the woman’s
thoughtfulness. Who was he kidding? That
woman’s beautiful face was what he would most
remember. He just wished that he
had gotten her name.
About
The Author
Mya O’Malley was born and raised in the
suburbs of New York City, where she currently lives with her husband,
daughter and three step-daughters. The family also consists
of two boxers; Destiny and Dolce and a ragdoll cat named Colby.
Mya earned an undergraduate degree in special education and
a graduate degree in reading and literacy. She works as a
special education teacher and enjoys making a difference in the lives
of her students.
Mya currently
has several releases: At First Sight, a contemporary romance about
dating in the modern world, published by Astraea Press, and Where
There is Love, a contemporary romance in which a woman struggles with
past obstacles, ultimately faced with whether or not she will open
her heart to love. Where There is Love is published with Solstice
Publishing. Mya is excited to say that Astraea Press recently
released her contemporary holiday paranormal romance titled If You
Believe. Mya’s first Young Adult book is now available. Miranda’s
Choice is a young adult fantasy novel published by Solstice
Publishing. Coming soon is The Calm After the Storm,
published by TouchPoint Press. This novel is a contemporary romance
taking place in the setting of Hurricane Sandy. The story revolves
around the idea of a utility worker from Georgia falling in love with
a woman in New York.
Mya’s passion
is writing; she has been creating stories and poetry since she was a
child. Mya spends her free time reading just about
anything she can get her hands on. She is a romantic at
heart and loves to create stories with unforgettable characters.
Mya likes to travel; she has visited several Caribbean
Islands, Mexico and Costa Rica. Mya is currently working
on her sixth novel.
You can find Mya at
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