Hello ,

It's been a fun two-week run of celebrating my 70th birthday with dinners and lunches and a spa day. Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes recently! I appreciated them very much. You literally warmed my heart. 💜

Now I'm finally settling back into my writing routine and working on Lucky Puck - a hockey rom-com in the Portsmouth Whalers series.

What also has me excited is my final meeting to get all the details set for the Stephanie Queen Romance Books Shopify Store! I think it'll be going online this coming week!!

Look for a special introductory deal EXCLUSIVELY for you next week!!

But never mind next week--today I have a double treat for you--the

Lucky Puck Cover Reveal and Excerpt! Check it out below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Also Check out my featured romance author plus some featured book deals below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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At SQ's House

One of my many recent birthday celebrations was attending a UConn men's basketball game with a group of my college friends. Three of us had birthdays and we all had a ball! ➜➜➜➜

Also, UConn won the game.😀

Yesterday I went to a Salt Cave for a salt treatment (don't ask me--it was a birthday celebration for a friend.) I think it's supposed to have beneficial health effects to breath in salty air. In truth, it did clear my nostrils.

But as always, the best part was seeing friends who I used to see regularly, but now it seems those regular get-togethers are becoming less frequent.

Maybe I should take a cue from my (late) father's playbook and find a local breakfast place and go to breakfast every morning with friends.

He used to meet the same friends there every week day for years, and then he'd go to the gym. I even got to go with him a few times and had the pleasure of meeting his breakfast buddies....

But I digress. My point is that it's important to establish some kind of occasions or routine way of getting together with friends who we wouldn't otherwise see except on special occasions.

Because I think friends make every day occasions special.

Do you have a regular get together with friends? What do you do?

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If you enjoy my books, please join!

➜➜➜ Join the SQ Team on Facebook Here!

The next best thing to an in-person book club!

We talk about books and whatever else grabs our attention. I share covers and contests and some behind the scenes writer stuff and you share what you're up to.

I'd love the chance to get to know you better!

💜

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Cover Reveal & Exclusive Excerpt!

LUCKY PUCK - a hockey rom-com

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:

Brody

Someone is lifting me from the ice and it’s funny because I don’t remember falling, but my forehead feels like a cracked egg a la Humpty Dumpty. There’s blood blurring my double vision and I can barely identify the guy asking me if I’m okay as my Whalers teammate, Sabien Dumas.

A couple of guys wearing shoes join him to help me to the gate. Someone I don’t know says, “Give Brody some space.” Then under his breath he mutters to Sabien, “What a shit-show. The fucking rookie phenom gets injured. I hope to god he doesn’t have a concussion. All hell would break loose.”

“What?” No one answer my question before I end up in a training room I don’t recognize, flat on the table.

But then it comes back to me like I’m waking up from a dream. I’m in Vegas for All Star Weekend and we're playing at the arena nicknamed The Fortress.

“I told you to watch out for the flashy lights, glitz and glamour of Vegas, kid," Sabien says like he's some old sage, but he's only six years ahead of me. "Looks like you made a big rookie mistake.” He grins. “And don’t believe the bullshit hype about being a phenom.” He flashes a glare of accusation at the trainer who removes my helmet and prods at my face, wiping the blood away.

“What mistake?” They both ignore me and I wonder if maybe I’m mute and don’t know it because my brain is being crushed in a vice by this killer headache throbbing out of control.

 “It’s not me who labeled the kid," the nameless trainer says. "It’s the big story of the weekend. I don’t want to think about what’ll happen if he can’t get back in the game. The media will have a field day and--”

“Of course I’m playing.” I sit up and shake of the trainer’s hand while I try to ignore the gut roiling dizziness. Both Sabien and the trainer look at me and I have their full attention. Relieved that I’m not mute after all, I tell the trainer, “Just stitch me up and I’ll finish the game.” I hold in the sudden lurch in my stomach and the roll of nausea. Fuck.

The trainer shakes his head as he continues to examines me, using his thumbs to raise my eyelids and flash a light in my eyes. “Can’t do it, kid. That’s up to the doc. He’s on his way now.”

"Big fucking mistake," Sabien says, taking a big bracing inhale of sweaty locker room air.

I want to shout what mistake, but the trainer pulls out a needle and stabs me with it somewhere near my eyebrow. I might have yelled I hate fucking needles, or the words might have got caught in my throat because I don't hear them.

Great. Now I really am mute.

Pre-Order Coming Soon - Exclusively at Stephanie Queen Romance Books!

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SQ's Favorite Reviews from the Past

The Cheerleader - a college football romance

"Emotional read! This was such an emotional read and I adored it. I wondered how much of it was something the author experienced, and was so glad she noted that and showed the pictures at the end! It was such a heartfelt book that kept me wanting more the entire time... I didn’t want it to end. I hope there are more like this to come! If you like drama, some angst, heartbreak and some love, this is the book for you!"

--Tabitha

AMAZON | APPLE | KOBO | B&N | GOOGLE

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SQ’s Featured Book Deals

DISCOVER WOMEN'S LIT AUTHORS!

FREE WITH KU!

BAD BOYS HOT NIGHTS GIVEAWAY!

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Thank you for reading this newsletter. My Shopify store is coming soon and I'll have a special deal for you then.

In the meantime, let me know what you think of Lucky Puck's cover and excerpt! 😘 💜

Warmest Regards,

❄️☃️