Bottom of the Ninth

Series · 4 books · 2016-2018

By Jean C. Joachim

Books in series

Dan Alexander, Pitcher

2016

Fed up with cheating women, Dan Alexander, star pitcher for the New York Nighthawks, grew restless. Searching for something more than a bar babe, he zeroed in on a girl in the stands. He never expected to see a beautiful chick pushing frankfurters. But the hot dog girl looked as smokin’ as the food she was selling. Holly Merrill found a place to hide in plain sight, as a vendor at Nighthawks’ stadium. Keeping her secret safe and simply happy to stay alive, she never considered finding love an option. After all, a bad girl doesn’t deserve a decent guy, does she? Coming off his best season ever, Dan went into the playoffs, hell bent on winning the pennant and playing in the World Series. But could he maintain his focus on the field, where everything was going right, when off the field everything was falling apart? CAUTION: locker room language.

Matt Jackson, Catcher

2016

Matt Jackson, clutch hitter, fielder extraordinaire, and team captain, is dynamite on the baseball field, but a loser with women. Or is he? He makes a show of coming on to chicks in bars, but always strikes out. Convinced being dateless is safer, Matt keeps his distance from women. Is he simply an insensitive chauvinist, or a crafty man hiding a secret? Everything he believes in is challenged the day he walks in on a beautiful woman in the locker room. Dusty, the sharp-tongued spitfire, cuts the all-star pro down to size. Unwilling to accept second-class status, she challenges everything he knows about women. Does a solo life make living with emotional pain easier? Drawn to the stunning, talented woman, Matt has a long way to go to win her trust. Getting close to Dusty is dangerous. Can he risk his well-protected heart? Matt faces a difficult choice—will he make the right decision? Caution: locker room language.

Jake Lawrence, Third Base

2017

An off-season adventure, driving his expensive, new car from L.A. to New York, got Jake Lawrence’s motor running. Free from his snooty, Park Avenue girlfriend, the third baseman hit the highway, ready for anything. Or so he thought. Kate MacKenzie, aspiring musical theater star, sneaked out of her motel room after her mother had gambled away all the young woman’s money. In the middle of nowhere with less than four dollars to her name, the plucky actress planned to waitress her way to New York for a Broadway audition. All she needed was a job that paid enough for bus fare. Saving the beauty from a beating by the motel manager, Jake offers Kate a ride all the way to Manhattan. Leery of offers from men, Kate had no choice but to accept. She vowed to preserve her dignity and keep the sexy slugger at arm’s length. Mutual attraction couldn’t derail the pair from their goals. Kate’s dream of making it on Broadway collided with Jake’s of making it to the World Series. Will their road trip lead to love? Or to a lonely existence of separation, and insecurity?

Skip Quincy, Shortstop

2018

One minute ten-year-old Skip Quincy was riding in the backseat of his parents’ car, the next, he woke up in Little Angels orphanage. Within six months, he was adopted. Welcomed by the woman he learned to call “mom”, Mr. Quincy wasn’t a fan. Athletically gifted early on, Skip pursued baseball. He loved the sport and excelled, despite his discouraging father. Driven to succeed to prove his dad wrong, Skip worked hard. Under the guidance of his beloved high school coach, he won the coveted, most challenging position on the team – shortstop. Though plagued by self-doubt, Skip made it to the Nighthawks. He focused on baseball and relied on brief encounters with groupies as a substitute for love. When two women entered his life, satisfaction with one-night stands faded. Mimi or Francie? Could either one give him the love and acceptance he’d never had? Locker room language.

Author

Jean C. Joachim

Author · 46 books

I've been making up stories for as long as I can remember. When other kids wanted to be doctors, teachers or firemen, I wanted to be a writer. As soon as I could read, I began devouring books. I'd read anything I could get my hands on, but Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and Nancy Drew mysteries were early favorites. In school, term papers were my favorite homework. While others bemoaned the amount of work involved, I jumped in, burying myself in research and writing the document with care. Still fiction was my first love. After college and a degree in English, I fell into the world of advertising. After many years in corporate America, I went my own way. Working and raising two kids took all my energy and creativity. But when the youngest went off to school, all the stories ideas in my head came to life. Mac Caldwell and Callie Richards landed in my head and refused to leave. So I told their story. What started as one book has become six. Now I greet my characters every morning at six and jump back into their story, enjoying every minute. I'm blessed to be able to work at something I love and share my space with my husband as well as my beloved pug, Homer. More than 26 books later, I'm still up at the crack of dawn, crafting the tales of the people who live in my head.