Author: Chelsey M. Ortega

New Release: Twice in a Lifetime Series by Jana Richards

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

Today’s guest author has not one, but three new books to talk about. Her Twice in a Lifetime series released in March of this year. Please welcome Jana Richards.

Hi, I’m romance writer Jana Richards, and my latest releases are the three books in the Twice in a Lifetime time-travel romance series. Gabriel Daniels finds himself in a waiting room next door to Heaven after being involved in a car wreck. In order to earn his wings and a place in Heaven he must help three mortals get a second chance at love. Senior angel Thomas will act as Gabriel’s guide and mentor on this journey. And if he’s successful, he’ll be allowed to watch over the people he loved back on Earth.

There’s a catch: Gabriel must examine events of his own life before reaching Heaven. Thomas argues he won’t be ready to accept the perfection of his angelic life until he recognizes and accepts the mistakes he made in his mortal life, especially his mistakes with love. Gabriel isn’t happy about having to relive painful events, but since it’s the only way he can help his family, he agrees. 

And then they’re off. In I’LL BE SEEING YOU, Thomas and Gabriel’s first challenge is to take World War Two veteran Frank back to 1944 to help him correct the biggest mistake he made with love. In NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE, Gabriel takes Joanna back to the 1970s and convinces her to help the fiancé she broke up with when she became paraplegic. In the final book, WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN, Gabriel takes his client Sam back in time ten years to convince him to marry the woman he jilted at the altar. As his clients learn and grow and make new decisions, Gabriel faces his own past and begins to see his mortal life differently. 

What Inspired the Series

I’ve been inspired by World War Two stories most of my life, since my father was a WW2 veteran. I am drawn to stories of romances hastened by the danger of war. I’m especially fascinated by romances between men and women from different countries who never would have met if they hadn’t been thrown together by war.

When I first began writing what eventually became I’LL BE SEEING YOU, I never thought of the book as part of a series. I wrote Frank, the World War Two veteran, as the main character and everything was told from his point of view. But then I began to think that a more interesting perspective might come from Gabriel, the angel. What was his story? How did he end up becoming an angel? Writing from Gabriel’s point of view also gave me the opportunity to create a series in different time periods. So, I sketched out a very brief outline of what a series of three books would look like. And then I set those ideas aside till I could get back to them. I didn’t know it would take almost ten years to do so. In between I wrote several other books, but I always had the Twice in a Lifetime series in the back of my mind, waiting patiently for its time to shine.

Bringing the Series to Life

Finally in early 2024, I had the opportunity to delve back into this series. I started with an unfinished manuscript that I had to rework, and two paragraphs outlining the next two books. It took a lot of work, but finally in March 2026, the Twice in a Lifetime series was released. 

Since I self-published this series, I had several additional tasks, aside from the writing. Of course, every writer needs to work with a good editor. There were two rounds of professional editing for each book. Then I consulted with a cover artist to get the feeling I wanted to achieve with these books. After that I formatted the interior of the books for both paperback and ebook formats, and finally uploaded them to retailers. 

Self-publishing is definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s a lot of work. But it is also very rewarding, especially for someone like me who’s a bit of a control freak when it comes to my work. 

My Writing Process

I admit my writing process can be somewhat chaotic. My desk ends up littered with multiple pieces of scrap paper with scribbled notes about plot points and character traits. I’m sort of organized in that I always begin by writing an outline of the main plot of a story so that I have a place to start, and something to refer back to when I get stuck. It’s my way of telling myself the story. But the outline isn’t written in stone. If some new, better ideas occur to me as I’m writing, I’ll follow them if they make the story better. I consider myself a cross between a plotter and a pantster. 

When I’m in the thick of a writing project, I try to work at it consistently, at least five days a week. It’s the only way I know to get the work done and to stay in the flow of the story.

Outside of Writing

I retired from my day job as bookkeeper/admin assistant in December 2021 so now I can write almost full-time. But I leave time for other things, like family, especially my three-year-old granddaughter. I also spend summers volunteering at my local zoo, which I enjoy very much. And somewhere in between I try to make time for exercise and a social life!

Thanks for having me on your blog, Chelsey!

As a former history teacher, this series sounds intriguing! I also love a good WWII story as that’s the era of my great-grandparents romance as well. Here is some more information about Jana and her writing:

Jana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to full-length contemporary romance, paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side. She believes there’s nothing more interesting than peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.

When not writing up a storm or dealing with dust bunnies, Jana can be found pursuing hobbies such as golf (which she plays very badly) or reading (which she does much better). 

Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren and a senior cat named Layla. You can reach her through her website at https://www.janarichards.com

Titanic Facts for the Casual Fan

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

A traveling Titanic museum, Titanic The Exhibition, is currently set up in my area. I have always found the history of the Titanic fascinating, and walked through the museum. I’m not a Titanic expert by any means, so I found many parts of the museum informative and new. 

Titanic Postcards

There are dozens (potentially hundreds) of various postcards from the time period featuring the Titanic. There are real photos of the ship being built and sitting fully built in port. And there are hand drawn likenesses of the various phases of being built, sitting in port, sailing on the ocean, and sinking.

Seeing the postcards didn’t surprise me as much as it reminded me how much times have changed. Because everyone has a camera on their phone, we aren’t buying postcards of the places we visit anymore. I think the last time I bought a postcard was in 2005 when I visited New Zealand and Australia. I want to start looking for postcards again when I travel.

Vaccination cards

Vaccination against smallpox was required for immigrants to enter the United States during this time. So immigrants using the White Star Line ships to move to the U.S. had White Star Line vaccination cards. The photo below is a vaccination card for the S.S. Celtic, but the Titanic card would have looked similar.

The “packing list”

Packing for any trip is always such a feat. I make a list that is double and triple checked, and I still inevitably miss something. I cannot imagine how much food to plan for thousands of people.

The Quality of rooms and dinnerware 

I didn’t get a picture of the models of rooms and examples of dinnerware for first class, second class, and third class. But with each example, there was a plaque that explained how second class on the Titanic was better than first class on all other ships. Third class was also much better than the passengers anticipated. Which would make first class the best in the world. Titanic truly was a luxury ship for the time period. 

The infamous third class gates 

There was a poster next to the replica of the gates that explained the gates were always locked to prevent third class passengers from visiting the first and second class areas of the ship. They weren’t locked just on the night of the sinking to prevent the 3rd class passengers from getting to the life boats (like in the movie). In the chaos of the sinking, most of the gates were left locked due to forgetfulness, not malice, which (in addition to not enough life boats) is why so many 3rd class passengers died during the sinking. Which is still really terrible! It reminds me of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire from the late 1800s. The owner of the factory locked workers in to prevent them from taking breaks or leaving early. When the factory caught fire, no one could escape, and most of the employees died. Between these two tragedies (and probably others), there are now laws about emergency exits and locked doors/gates in regards to safety. 

The Promenade Deck

This was for first class passengers to walk along for socializing. In fact, the poster said this was how mothers showed off their single daughters. And I immediately thought of Bridgerton! I imagine the promenade deck is the one Jack teaches Rose how to spit off of. I didn’t take a picture of the replica, but I did take a selfie with my husband while we were sitting on one of the benches. I certainly would have noticed him on a promenade!

The Iceberg

I knew that the Titanic received an iceberg warning that was pocketed by Mr. Ismay. What I didn’t know was that there were 5 iceberg warnings sent out to whatever ships might be sailing that part of the Atlantic. And when the Titanic hit the iceberg and began to sink, they sent out SOS messages all over. The museum had a wall that quoted the final correspondence between Titanic and other ships. Those ships received updates as they sailed toward the Titanic. As we know, none made it in time, and one arrived to rescue the survivors.

The same room with the iceberg correspondences also had a sheet of ice kept at two degrees above what the Atlantic ocean was that night. Visitors are allowed to touch the ice. It hurts. I can’t imagine falling into that water.

Connections to Utah

The museum had a room titled “Connections to Utah” where passengers who were either from Utah or spent any significant time in Utah were highlighted. The one that stuck out to me the most was Irene Corbett. She traveled to England for an education in nursing. Irene could have gotten on a lifeboat as a 2nd class passenger, but different accounts have been combined to guess that she gave up her seat to help others. She perished. Her children were then raised by their grandparents. She is the only known Latter-day Saint to perish in the sinking. 

I imagine that this room changes based on location. I would love to know the passenger highlights for the other states.

Real Life Romances on the Titanic

There were several real life couples who either met on the Titanic or used the Titanic to travel to America after marrying or planned to marry in America. Their stories inspired the fictional characters of Jack and Rose.

The Original Go Fund Me

There was a Titanic Relief Fund that people could donate to that helped the survivors and sufferers of the sinking. I don’t know why learning that fact surprised me so much, but I enjoyed the information. 

Goodbye

What’s left of the ship is currently disintegrating, and it is projected that Titanic will cease to exist by 2050. I know that most materials are not permanent, and the Titanic did sink over 100 years ago, but that bit of information was very surprising to me. 2050 is not too far off. That will be in most of our lifetimes. It’s sad to me.

The Titanic continues to gauge the interest of many people, and I imagine it will continue to be an event that people study. What’s an intriguing Titanic fact you know? Share it in the comments!

My Top 5 Reads of 2025

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

Okay, it’s technically my top 8 reads of 2025, but 4 of them are in the same series, so I’m reviewing them together. 

I read 41 books this year – 2 more than my goodreads goal! 5 (8) of them I loved so much, I need to share them with you.

Remember When We by Khardine Gray. 

Khardine Gray also writes under the name Faith Summers. Whether she’s writing as Khardine or Faith, her series are all mafia romances. Remember When We is my absolute favorite of hers. It’s the third installment of her Gangster and Dolls series. It’s a second chance romance with the older brother’s best friend and secret baby tropes weaved into the plot. Lyssa and Gio haven’t seen each other in almost a decade. The death of Lyssa’s brother, Gio’s best friend tore them apart. Now they’re back in each other’s lives, and Lyssa owes money to the wrong man. Gio must not only win back her heart, but also save her from dangerous men who want to harm her.

Khardine/Faith write very spicy love scenes, and most of her MMCs are morally grey and very alpha-like. Several of her stories cross the line for me; but knowing that she has stories like Remember When We keeps me reading her stuff.

Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes

Unlike the other Bridgerton stories, Queen Charlotte the book was released after Queen Charlotte the limited Netflix series. But like most film-book comparisons, the book is better! What I love about reading is that we get to experience the characters’ emotions in their heads. On screen, we guess what they’re feeling by their body language and tone of voice. Like the mini-series, Queen Charlotte follows Charlotte and George’s early days as newlyweds, Brimsley and Reynolds’ relationship, and Lady Danbury’s fight to keep her children’s rightful status after her husband dies. The book also gets a couple of scenes that aren’t in the show. My guess is they are scenes that either got deleted from final edits, or were never filmed due to time. And finally, Brimsley and Reynolds’ love story is so much better in the book. I didn’t like their story in the show. I thought Reynolds was toxic and verbally abusive. In the book, Brimsley calls Reynsolds out on this unequal behavior, and Reynolds changes for the better by the end of the book.

I’m all for Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes continuing to give side characters their own story. 

The Rokesby Series by Julia Quinn

  • Because of Miss Bridgerton
  • The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband
  • The Other Miss Bridgerton
  • First Comes Scandal

These four books are considered the Bridgerton Prequels. The MMCs of each book are a son in the Rokesby family – the family whose countryside property is next to the Bridgerton’s Aubrey Hall. And three of the FMCs are a Bridgerton girl; either a sister or cousin to Edmund Bridgerton (Violet’s husband and father to the eight main Bridgertons). I argue that these four books are better than the original eight Bridgerton books. But I’m sure it’s because Julia Quinn started with the Bridgerton books, and simply improved her plot creativity and writing skills as she wrote and published more. Let’s dive in to a brief summary of each:

Because of Miss Bridgerton is about the oldest Rokesby, George, and the oldest Bridgerton Billie (Sibylla). They think they hate each other, but their mothers know better and hook them up with an elaborate scheme of dinner parties and visiting London.

The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband takes us to the colonies on the North American continent during the American Revolution. Edward, the second oldest Rokesby is serving the King in his Majesty’s army. Cecilia has traveled to the colonies to find her injured brother, who happens to be Edward’s best friend. In order to get the answers she seeks, Cecilia needs the Rokesby name, and pretends to be married to Edward.

The Other Miss Bridgerton is about the third Rokesby, Andrew, and a Bridgerton cousin, Poppy. Andrew is a ship captain. His ship participates in some legit business and some pirate-level business. Poppy gets kidnapped by some of his crew, and he has to take care of her while they make an important and deadline-driven journey to Portugal. 

First Comes Scandal is about the youngest Rokesby, Nicholas, and the youngest Bridgerton Georgie (Georgiana). Georgie’s reputation has been compromised by a malicious young man who wanted to force her to marry him. Nicholas’ father asks him to marry her in order to save her from a life of spinsterhood and a soiled reputation. Their love story begins after their marriage. 

In usual Julia Quinn fashion, these four stories are full of witty women, temperamental men, and comedy. I love her writing, and this is my favorite series of hers (so far).    

Romney: A Reckoning by McKay Coppins

I didn’t know who Mitt Romney was before he became a real contender in the 2012 Republican primaries. Part of that is because I was too young to vote or care before then, and part because I took a political science class during that time, so of course my professor used class time to closely follow the campaigns. Over the years, I have grown to greatly respect Mitt Romney, especially during his time as a Senator representing Utah. Reading this biography that covers both his personal and political life was very enlightening, and I like him even more now. Mitt Romney always tries to do what he thinks is right, even when others disagree with and disparage him. I think he’s a great role model for future politicians. 

Zalis by Nancey Cummings

Nancey Cummings writes science fiction romances, and her longest running series is the Warlord Brides/Warriors of Sangrin series. Zalis is the 13th installment in that series (16th, if you count the three side stories, which I do). It popped up on my “Because you read…” recommendations on my kindle, and I bought it right away and started reading immediately. Zalis is an alien warrior, his species is called Mahdfel, and he is of the Sangrin line. He meets his human mate when he rescues her in a group of kidnapped human women to be sold on the sentient being trafficking market. Gemma does not want to go back to earth, so she accepts a match with Zalis in order to stay near her twin sister. What will start as a marriage of convenience, has the chance to bud into love. I love Nancy Cummings’ writing. She is creative in her world building. She develops humorous and witty characters. Most authors cannot continue a series for this long and keep it entertaining with readers still wanting more. But I do want more, and her acknowledgements at the end of Zalis do promise more in due time!

What were your favorite books that you read in 2025? Share them in the comments!