On the Double Dare Front - Meet the Crazies

Happening Now - Romance and more Romance

Stuff I Love - Be Your Own Romance

Hey , 

It hit me this week that we are coming up on Autumn. This was always the time of year that I found renewed energy, had the pleasure of some new clothes and the sheer joy of picking out school supplied.

For you it might mean kids returning to school still surrounded by the uncertainty that comes with this stupid pandemic. Gracie is my only "child" and I home school her, so we avoided this problem, but Michael and I were trying to make vacation plans, but we’ve put them back on hold. 

How about you and your family? Are you moving forward full speed ahead or finding your plans up in the air? 

Michael always tells me I look at the world through rose-colored glasses, and I remind him, "duh, I write romance novels." So my silver lining as the delta variant wreaks havoc with our lives is that I get more time indoors spent writing! 

It feels like I write the same thing each time I give you an update on the Double Dare series, but finally I am making real progress. My prequel – Dare to Wed – is out of my hands and over to the team for editing, proofing and formatting. When a book makes it this far, it finally gets real for me. I’m tweaking the cover slightly but watch for that to be revealed in a newsletter soon. 

My first draft of Bethany’s story will wrap this week, too. I am playing with ideas for a title. I have gotten as far as “Dare to” but that perfect last word eludes me. All suggestions welcome. I am pulling some teasers from the story now to drop on social media while we wait for publication. 

It’s been slow getting to the point, but things have really picked up the last two months, thanks to my writing group at Pencils&Lipstick and Stacy Juba, my editor. An author’s job may be solo work, but producing a book certainly is not. In fact, I hope to activate my beta team this fall too. Email me if you are interested is doing an early read and review.

Lots of excitement. 

Speaking of excitement – my website is getting a makeover (thank you Kelly, how did I live without you?) Have you seen the new hot, sexy logo? Have you been over to the website lately?  No page has gone untouched, from a new about page to the updated books pages. Kelly has done an amazing job, and she continues to improve it daily. I am back to blogging again, too at Maddy’s Romance Madness with new authors to promote and new thoughts to share. 

Check it out when you can and let me know what you think by leaving a comment. 

Twenty years ago, I played around with Tarot Cards. I was nearly divorced and trying everything from scuba diving to horseback riding, to learning to read Tarot. I had always wondered what the cards were all about and I thought doing readings would be a great icebreaker when I started meeting new people post-marriage. 

The fascination was short lived although rewarding, so recently when Stacy Juba introduced me to Oracle Cards I was interested if skeptical. To be honest,  I was unaware Oracle Cards even  existed, or what they were. Thanks to a wonderful introduction from Stacy, I am using them to help me think outside the box personally and professionally. Not sure which direction to take my hero? I use the cards to generate ideas I might otherwise have overlooked. Want to delve deeper into a plot line? Oracle Cards are great for that. As an author, what might be holding me back? A few minutes with an Oracle card might give me new insight. 

Oracle Cards are different from Tarot Cards in several ways. First, from what I have seen, most tarot decks look a lot alike, although not all. Oracle cards are unique and cover a wide variety of artistic moods. Also, unlike traditional tarot decks, which come in packs of 78, oracle decks can include any number of cards, with meaning determined by their creators.  What's more, while tarot cards include a Major Arcana and a Minor Arcana arranged into suits, oracle decks don't follow this structure. There are no rules, and the possibilities are endless. 

Stacy is designing a class around oracle cards – I had a preview and believe me it will be fantastic! I promise to keep you posted when it becomes available. In the meantime, here are some of the gorgeous decks she introduced me to, and others I love. These are all available on Amazon, but you can find them are the artist sites, Etsy and so much more. There are 1000’s to choose from to fit your moods and needs. Read reviews, watch pricing and enjoy!

 Elle Qui Oracle: A 44 card deck and Guidebook

by Arwen Lynch (Author, Editor), Melanie Delon (Illustrator)

The Spirit Animal Oracle: A 68-Card Deck and GuidebookCards   

by Colette Baron Reid (Author)

The Starseed Oracle: A 53-Card Deck and Guidebook Cards

53-Card Deck and Guidebook

by Rebecca Campbell (Author) and Danielle Noel (illustrator)

For those of you dedicated to tarot, but looking for a fun deck, I have to put in a plug for Cat Tarot because—well, it’s cats!

Cat Tarot: 78 Cards & Guidebook  Cards

by Megan Lynn Kott  (Illustrator)

See you soon with a Dare to Wed cover reveal and much more. Feel free to share this email with friends who might be interested. 

Stay safe and happy reading,

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the new logo and the website and let me know what you think in the comments. 

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read the full privacy policy here.

Are you caught up with your Madison Michael?

The Beguiling Bachelor Series:

Available in Paperback on Amazon

eBooks free on the Galatea app

Bedazzled

Beholden

Bedeviled

Besotted

The B&B Billionaire Series:

Desire & Dessert

Moonlight & Moet

Standalone Stories:

Broken Time: A Time Travel Romance

Coming Soon

Dare to Wed

Dare to Hope