This book earned a 5-star Reader’s Favorite Award, a book review and award contest for books by indie, celebrity, and iconic authors and earned a 5-star Crowned Heart award qualifying it for the prestigious RONE award, InD’tale Magazine’s acknowledgment of the very best books in the indie and small publishing industry.

She's hiding out from the man who assaulted her. He's laying low after killing another officer in the line of duty. A series of unexpected events at an Arizona ranch where they've both sought sanctuary reveals a shocking connection between them.

The woman he's determined to stay away from, the woman who detests him and hasn't befriended anyone in two years, holds the key to his freedom.

Can he earn her trust in time to save his career? Can she trust him enough to confide her secret and heal?

Editorial Review - Readers Favorite - 5 Stars

Author's new book receives a warm literary welcome.

Reviewed By Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

On Common Ground is the first book in the Grounded Series by Jansen Schmidt, a romance with characters that are brilliantly developed, deeply human, and believable. Trevor Donaldson and Ketra Weston are two characters that are deeply wounded, and each is seeking a way to forget a painful past. Each has developed a deep sense of mistrust of the opposite sex -- Trevor feels betrayed by a failed marriage that still leaves him with regrets while Ketra is still suffering from a brutal attack from someone she least expected could hurt her. These two characters meet at the Diamond D Ranch in Arizona where they seek a space to heal. Can the sanctuary they seek be found in each other? 


Jansen Schmidt knows how to awaken powerful emotions in readers. But that's not all: the author knows how to feed those emotions. The characters are real and sophisticated, each well fleshed out with their backstory. The complexity in the personalities of the key characters makes them characters that readers will want to follow. Trevor is filled with regrets; he gunned down the man who shot his partner and he can't get over the thoughts of his failed marriage. The reader learns to penetrate the depths of his emotions slowly, and the encounter with Ketra arouses the reader's curiosity. 


On Common Ground is suspenseful, emotionally rich, and featuring strong psychological hints. The prose is beautiful and I enjoyed the way the author unveils the hearts of the characters. The internal conflict is skillfully developed and its intensity is perceived in the streams of consciousness and the way the characters relate to each other. This is a story that will entertain and inspire readers.

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A woman destroyed his ability to trust. A man destroyed her ability to care. Can love unlock their fear and heal their wounded hearts?

His marriage over and his career in jeopardy, Trevor Donaldson seeks sanctuary at the Diamond D Ranch in Arizona. After gunning down the man who shot his partner, the accusations hanging over his head, the hounding media, and his own inner turmoil keep him awake at night.

Ketra Weston sought sanctuary at the Diamond D to escape the ugly backlash she suffered after a violent assault following a Good Samaritan act gone wrong. Time at the ranch promises to provide the peace and anonymity she needs to help her heal.

Trevor and Ketra are careful to keep their distance from one another. Trevor's contempt for women, after his failed marriage, and Ketra's skittishness after her brutal attack, leave them both wary of the opposite sex. But, everything changes when Trevor discovers that their lives are intertwined and he learns that her past just might hold the key to his exoneration.

I am an award-winning author of women’s fiction and romance. My debut novel On Common Ground was a finalist in the Great Beginnings Contest sponsored by the Utah chapter of Romance Writers of America and earned a 5-Star Readers’ Choice Award. The first two books in the Grounded Series garnered prestigious Readers’ Crown Awards from InD’Tale Magazine and The Ties That Bind, Book One in the Family Ties Series, earned the Literary Titan Gold Award.

My husband and I moved to historic Vicksburg, Mississippi in 2015, where we own and operate a lovely Victorian B&B. I never pass up a good meal or a good theater production. In my free time I enjoy cruising and trips to Disney World. I love reading romance, thrillers, mysteries, biographies and anything that’s well written and captivating.