Better late than never?

Jul 21, 2021 12:59 am

On the Double Dare Front - Cover Story

Happening Now - Comings and Goings

Stuff I Love - Be Your Own Romance

Hey ,

My apologies for sending this late. It’s been a whirlwind of a month for me. What happenened to the ‘lazy, hazy days of summer?”

In addition to the work I have been doing on the Double Dare series, I was inspired by a writing contest to write a short story around the theme of ‘anniversary.’ The sponsors of the contest, The Write Practice, promised that the exercise would make me a better writer and I think they were right.

Why? Three reasons. First, the length of the contest—only three weeks from announcing the contest to judging the winners. No time to lollygag on this one. Second, stories had to be under 1500 words. For comparison, my novels range from 65,000 to 100,000 words! I learned to be selective in word choice and work fast! Third, peer reviews. I could read dozens of wonderful stories by terrific writers and in turn get feedback from them.

It was an excellent writing exercise—and fun. I hope to do it again soon. Anyway, the deadline was yesterday, and now I have returned to my day job.

Wait—not so fast! Despite the contest, I syphoned a few days for a vacation touring the small towns (and bourbon distilleries) of Kentucky and Indiana. I saw the historic West Baden Hotel—a famous landmark considered the eighth wonder of the world when it was built, and I explored the charming town of Madison, IN. With a name like Madison, how could I not?

Nestled on the Ohio River, Madison is famous for its Lanier Mansion, but contains 133 blocks of outstanding architecture. Madison’s downtown business district is one of the country’s largest National Historic Landmark Districts. A simple walk around the neighborhood is like a trip back in history. And if you’ve read my novella Broken Time, you know I love a trip back in history!

Now, it’s back to work.

I continue to work on Kyra's story, titled Dare to Wed, and set ten years earlier than the rest of the Double Dare Romance series. I wrote it to be a freebie - admittedly to whet your appetite for the rest of the series - and to introduce you to the Crazies. It's a lot to keep track of eight women—their quirks, what makes them tick. I want you to know them inside out, and love them like I do.

So Dare to Wed, will be a way to meet them before you meet them, so to speak. You'll get to know them at age 28 before meeting them again at age 38 in Dare to Hope and beyond. Plus, I get to set the stage for future stories, hinting at plots and characters to come.

I am excited to share these characters with you, and to offer you Kyra's story this fall. I hope to reveal the Dare to Wed cover in my next email to you! That's serious progress.

BEGINNING THIS WEEK!

This one is a mouthful, Finding Forever: An All-Genre Giveaway for Romances Which Have to Overcome Conflict but be honest, we love watching our characters overcome their internal (and external conflicts) just as much as we love those happy endings.

Also starting this week: Romance Giveaway, over xx authors offering short stories, novellas and full novels all about love. All free.

ENDING THIS WEEK!

Kindle Unlimited Steamy Romance available though July 20th

Deals! If you can't tell by now I love a good bargain, especially on great books. As an author, I believe readers need to support authors and their hard work by paying for books, or using libraries, who in turn pay for books. But once in a while authors throw us a bone–an Amazon free weekend, a Bookbub deal.

And man oh man, do I love Bookbub! Great books by proven authors being offered for a limited time at a great price. It is rumored that a sale on Bookbub is a guaranteed bestseller! Think they have clout?

Have you signed up for Bookbub yet? You simply tell them the genre's you want to know about (like Romance) and they send you a short email every day chock full of the best deals in town.

Sign up today - and don't forget to follow me on Bookbub, too. See what I am reading and recommending, and what authors are inspiring me. Click here to follow me.

Happy reading,