I know, I know. Prequels come before the story. But prequels are harrrrrd (she says, in her best tweenage whiny voice…) and authors (me, anyway) want to jump right into the fun main stories. And so, even when I branched out into writing cowboy romance in *cough* 2018 *cough* I didn’t write a prequel for […]
From Fury to Feelings (+giveaway)
I LOVE hate-to-love, enemies-to-lovers, whatever you prefer to call the trope. For me, it comes second only to friends-to-more as my favorite! There’s something about the fury, the chemistry, the potential for so much emotional entanglement. It’s funny, since I’m not a huge fan of drama. Those books where a misconception and/or refusal to talk […]
Why I Wrote a Pregnant Heroine
For next year’s Christmas novella, I wrote a pregnant heroine. I didn’t know if this would be allowed at first, so I asked my editor. Me: Can I have a pregnant heroine? Her: How did she get pregnant? Me: Yada, yada, yada… She clarified that she knew HOW my character got pregnant, but she needed […]
Ten Things to Love About Novellas
I’m looking forward to an upcoming Zoom call where I get to plot a novella collection with two other authors. This is one of the funnest parts of my job. It’s as if I’m as a flight attendant on a trip from Seattle to Portland. The plane goes up, then the plane comes right back […]
Lots of Firsts #Giveaway
I’m having a lot of firsts this month. My first novella releases on Sept 28th. It includes my first story set on a beach. First book in ten years without a cowboy on the cover. But my guy is still a cowboy and he even owns Romantic Beach Rides so couples can rent a horse […]
What About Setting? #Giveaway
I write in layers. That means, my first draft is mainly dialogue, character thought, and emotion. Once I complete the book, I go back in and add setting, description, movement, body language, and timeline. I used to weave my setting and timeline in as I wrote the first draft. Until my editor asked if I […]
True Matchmaking Stories Plus Excerpt
When I have a release to promote, the number one request I receive from bloggers is to share what true event, if any, inspired the book. Last month I shared that after a bout of bronchitis/sinus infection (which didn’t leave and got worse!) the praise was I revised the first novella I wrote after becoming […]
Plot Twist & #giveaway
Greetings from Ohio! The first 60+ days of 2019 have been hard to predict around here. Weather wise, we’ve had a foot of snow, then a polar vortex. There were days we left with a light coat. All I know is there have been a lot of days off from school for our daughter, and […]
The Inspiration Behind Restoring Christmas
When I thought about taking the step from writing as a hobby to a commitment toward publication, I didn’t dream of glamour, money, or having a cardboard replica of me and my bestseller at Barnes and Noble. No, I had one fantasy. I would be part of a Christmas collection. Earlier in my journey, I […]
Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley: Releasing Soon! (and a giveaway)
It’s great to be back at InspyRomance! I took some time away as I was in a “hectic season” of life (can anyone relate?) but now I have time again to devote to this group. The past several months have been good for me, as I’ve been easing back into the writing world again. I’ll bet […]