LATEST NEWS & UPDATE:

Howdy, y'all,

Happy New Year! It's 2025, and I'm already starting on a bit of a bummer. I've always been straight up about everything from the minute I started publishing, some might even say I'm something of a compulsive oversharer, but that's just who I've always been.

So, before the holidays, I had my 'What am I doing in 2025?' newsletter locked in. It was typed out, scheduled, and I dusted my hands like the absolute boss bitch that I am.

However, despite things having not changed much at all in the last couple of weeks, in reality, everything has changed.

Many of you will have received emails to say that all three of my 2025 preorders (Riding the Pine, Splitting the D, and Deny - under my Lasairiona Lewis pen name) have been cancelled with Amazon.

And they have. That much is true.

Having spoken to my very knowledgable and sensible author coach, she asked me why in the name of all that's holy hadn't I cancelled my preorders for 2025 yet. And I told her, very indignantly, that it's because I could still make them happen.

She nodded, agreed that I'm something of an overachiever, and then flummoxed me with a question:

But should you?

BAM.

What a slap in the flaps that was, friends. Because she's right, no, no I should not.

I'm still on 5(!!!) different medications a day, waiting for an MRI slot (NHS wait time is 1-2 years so I'm looking at options to pay private), and I haven't had a painfree day since August 2024.

That's over four months of being in some level of pain, every single day.

Y'all, that takes a toll.

Firstly, it's exhausting keeping pace. In 2024, I released two full length Raccoon's novels, two Raccoon's novellas, and a hockey co-write with Melissa, I also released two books in Protocol. That's seven books in a twelve month period. That's a lot. Too much. Not for y'all perhaps, but for me.

My first editing deadline for Athena was December 23rd, then Jan 13th, but the more I've tried to work, the less I've been able to. The meds make my head fuzzy, and no amount of trying to force myself to focus is getting the job done.

I thought about cutting Athena and Scott's story from an 80-100k word (like the rest of the series) to a zippy little 50-70k word number, but Athena flipped me the bird and stopped talking to me for a couple weeks.

And she was right to. Absolutely. Having waited for 5 full length novels, and 3 novellas, she deserves her happily ever after. And I owe it to not only you guys, and the characters, but to myself to write it.

Artemis and Xavier are already being pains in my ass about their story, so then I thought to myself, why am I busting my ass to complete this series in 2025? Why don't I do something fun and new as a little distraction from my pain? And as soon as I did, characters from a new series started to whisper to me.

So I called it. I didn't want to deliver half-assed, thrown together, and rushed stories just to hit an arbitrary Amazon deadline that I gave myself.

Instead, I wrote to my editor, the beloved Editor Jess and asked her if we could move some deadlines. She, being the amazing human being she is, said 'of course,' and we jiggled some things around to give me some breathing room and to let myself heal.

Because above all, that's what I need from 2025.

So here's what I *want* to do in 2025.

Raccoons 6: Athena and Scott - Riding the Pine.

I'm about 22.5k words into their story (as soon as I cancelled their preorder, the characters started talking to me). And I'll be sharing that chapter by unedited chapter to my REAM paid subscribers this month as soon as I unpause the platform and try to get the wheels turning on that again.

Book 1: New characters, new series, new SPORT.

I know. I'm equal parts terrified and excited, but we'll see how that goes.

Protocol 4: Tessa and Phoenix - Deny.

The lesbians really are coming. Possibly even the same time as they were planned, but this time, without any pressure. We'll see.

Also, also, I have potentially two different co-writes in the planning stages for 2025, so I need to leave space for those if they come to fruition because I'm not going to release seven new books in 2025, I'm just not. I can't. My health (mental and physical) suffered so, so badly in 2024, and I love and appreciate all of you, but if I run myself into the burnout hole again, I won't be here to write books at all. So we're going with less is more this year.

On top of all my medical woes, I got picked for jury duty in December, but because I was so unwell with my injury and so medicated, it got deferred till February. I don't know if it's going to be all of Feb, some of Feb, part of Feb plus some of March... or even in 2025 at all, so I need to hold fire on 2025, until I know whether or not I'm selected for a 6 week jury duty panel or not!

So far, that's it. The goal is three full-length novels (one hockey, one [REDACTED] - if you follow me on Threads, you'll have already seen my spoiler for this sport, and one protocol), as well as one hockey novella that has no pre-order link yet, will be free for a few months releasing in February.

In short, I'm flying without a single preorder net in 2025. So I'm hoping when I eventually do drop these books that y'all will give me a helping hand to get them out to the masses.

Let's see what else 2025 brings with it, shall we?

Until next time, don't do anything I wouldn't do,

Have you joined my reader group yet? If not, then head over to: Margaritas, Men and Mischief with Lasairiona. As the name suggests, it's a place for my readers to chat about all things romance - with a healthy dose of sarcasm, sharp wit, conversations comprised entirely of GIFs, sneak peeks, giveaways and a plethora of memes. It's one of my absolute favorite places on the internet and I'm really enjoying getting to know readers that bit better over there. Don't be shy - we don't bite... much! Come on over!

Thor:

Protocol. Routine. Control.

Not anymore.

My life turned on a dime in the blink of an eye. From making pancakes for the curvy redhead I met at the club, to being the single dad of an autistic, eleven-year-old boy.

I need help.

She needs a job.

I’m usually a one-and-done kind of guy, but she draws me in, holding me hostage with her green eyes and sass.

I’m playing with fire. But maybe this time, I want to burn.

Addison:

Things I expect after a one night stand: breakfast, small talk, maybe even another O before the awkward walk of shame in last night’s clothes.

I don’t expect to open the door to his house and find a kid surrounded by all his earthly possessions.

Fired from my job, homeless, and the perpetual screw-up of my family... How can I even think about caring for someone else’s child when I’m incapable of looking after myself?

**Please note** This book contains one pseudo-MMF scene where one M acts as a mentor to another though it is not a full MMF/doing-the-deed scene.

Read Control, today!

Justin

I thought I’d left my past in Minnesota when I moved to Iowa, but it was right there waiting for me.

Long blonde hair, curves in all the right places, and a death glare that hits harder than a slap shot to the solar plexus. On the ice, I’m a pro at blocking shots, but Savannah Bowen has slipped behind all my defenses and made a home in my heart.

I had no intention of revisiting the past, but when she’s damn near everywhere I go, I’m a goner.

Savannah

Hell freakin’ no.

It doesn’t matter that Justin Ashe is seven feet tall and sexy as sin, or that I’ve had a crush on him for years. He cheated on my best friend in high school, and that makes him off limits.

I can’t be with him, but damn, it’s impossible to stay away from him. Girl Code says uteruses before duderuses.

He’s supposed to be my enemy, but the more I see of him, the blurrier the lines get.

Welcome to UCR hockey, where fierce AF heroines and hot as puck heroes find their hockey ever afters. If you pucking love college hockey romance series, you’ll adore UCR Raccoons hockey.

FREEZING THE PUCK is a delicious slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, ovaries before brovaries sports romance. This interconnected full-length stand-alone is the first in a new series with no cheating or cliffhangers and has a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

Read Freezing the Puck, today!

Bookish. Bold. Beautiful. And entirely out of his league.

On paper, all-American boy next door, Lincoln Scott, has it all. But behind his slap shots, straight-A report card, and easy going charm, Linc hides a secret only his best friend knows.

When he attempts to return a misplaced bra, a wrong number gets him way more than the hook-up he bargained for. No one has ever looked beyond the star hockey player, until the mysterious woman he can’t stop texting sees him for who he really is.

Does Linc have the skills off the ice to keep up with her? Will he follow in his father’s footsteps? Or will he step out from the shadows and chase his dreams?

If you’re pucking obsessed with Helena Hunting, Pippa Grant, and Elle Kennedy, you’ll love this hilarious, hot-as-puck, secret identity, opposites attract, curvy girl sports romance. Two for Interference is a full length standalone with no cheating, cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Welcome to the Minnesota Snow Pirates, where skilled and sexy mother puckers’ lives get turned upside down by strong and badass heroines. Curl up with your next book boyfriend today.

Read Two for Interference, today!