What's a story bomb?

Dear ,

You might be asking this question after reading my subject line.💜

I know it's not a typical story term, but since I'm in the business of creating things, I created a new (to me) term.

You can find my thoughts below on the notion of *story bombs*.

In the meantime...

I'd like to give a special thank you to those of you who shared your book club recipe ideas with me. Very much appreciated ♥¸.•*´

Also...

You can still get the 8 Book Bundle of Boston Brawlers Hockey Romance ebooks for a special price. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

About my current work-in-progress, Lucky Puck--

You'll see the same Snippet as last week from Lucky Puck. I thought it might be interesting in light of the idea of story bombs.

Check it out below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Also this week I have two book deal features to share with you. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

As always, I appreciate your time and attention to my newsletter, and your support, very much. 💜

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At SQ's House

For the first time in 3 years, I went paddle boarding this week (too bad I don't have a pic of that.)

My son and I went for a short spin on the lake until the motor boats stirred up the water and made it dicey. We didn't go far, but we made it back without falling in the water!

Now I'm visiting with my mom in CT for the weekend and cooking up a storm. It's always fun to cook at my mother's house because there's a couch and TV in the kitchen and she hangs out, watching TV--and me--and listening to my commentary as if I were on a cooking show.

The best part--aside from the mouth-watering aroma of *gravy* (aka marinara sauce), is wearing my grandmother's old apron.

It's kind of like standing in her shoes, except she was a short, red-headed spitfire with more energy and cooking talent in her pinky than I have everywhere.

Plus, her shoes were out of the question. She always wore those black lace-up granny heels and I doubt they exist anymore.

(guess I was wrong!) ➜➜➜➜➜➜➜➜➜➜➜➜

Maybe I'll buy some and try them on. (kidding)

But seriously, even though my grandmother--my mother's mother--has been gone over 30 years, sometimes--like when I wear her apron and make her recipes--I feel like she's still here.💜

Is there something special that reminds you of a loved one you've lost?

💕

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I'd love you to join my team!

Join the SQ Team on Facebook Here!

The chance to get to know you better as part of the team would be wonderful.

Plus, you'll get sneak peaks at draft book covers--and have a say in the final draft.

We'll have exclusive contests and some behind the scenes writer stuff and of course, talk about romance books--and whatever else we want. 💜

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Story Bombs: Kapow!

Story bombs are probably not real bombs exploding--unless you're reading a thriller or maybe romantic suspense.

What I've labeled a "story bomb" is the kind of scene that blows your mind, or makes your toes curl or makes you say O.M.G. out loud. It sends a trill of excitement across your nerve endings, the kind that makes you want more.

It could be a surprise, but not necessarily. It could be the kind of scene that's the culmination of something building and building and then it finally blows--otherwise known as the pay-off. Maybe it's a plot twist that hits you, setting off those frissons of excitement down to your core.

I love a story that's rife with story bombs of all kinds and sizes.

Alright, alright--I'll give you some examples.

A dramatic example is from Jaws when the mother of the little boy that gets killed slaps the sheriff in the face because he didn't close the beach when he knew the shark was still out there.

A funny example is the scene in When Harry Met Sally where she demonstrates a fake orgasm.

Another example is from Gone With the Wind when Rhett finally gives up on Scarlet saying Frankly my dear, I don't give a dam.

Or in Lucky Puck, it's the scene when everyone assembles at the Whalers Charity Fashion Show, including the team, the media, his family, her family, his ex lover--and the one person from Vegas who knows all their secrets.

That's as much tease as you get about the fashion show scene so I don't give too much away.

Let's just say, I also enjoy planting mini-story bombs that lead up to the big blast for an extra measure of Kapow!

(NOTE: I left in last week's snippet because it leads to a mini story bomb. Can you guess what happens next?)

What's your favorite movie or book story bomb?

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Still Time to Get the Deal

Boston Brawlers 8 Book Bundle on Sale

only $15.99!! (that's 50% off the $37.92 value.

Because you are my special ❤️ tribe of romance book lovers,

I want you to get an EXTRA SPECIAL DEAL! at checkout Use the CODE: BB50off

This deal will last until August 18th only! If you haven't read them yet...

GET ALL 8 EBOOKS FOR ONLY $7.99!!

What fans are saying: ***** "unforgettable characters you feel like you know, drama, sizzling romance and so much more!"

BUY NOW!

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👉 https://geni.us/CalledToLove

Work-in-Progress

LUCKY PUCK - a hockey rom-com

Word Count Goal: 75,000 85,000

Current Word Count: 78,439

Percent Complete: 93%

Closing in on the moving goal!

Once you lie about a thing like being married and it gets leaked to the public, creating an unexpected tsunami of attention, the biggest problem is figuring how you extract yourself from the lie, i.e., how do you get divorced from a marriage that doesn't exist?

Brody & Bianca realize the problem too late.

They never thought through the fake marriage exit plan...

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FOR THE SECOND WEEK

EXCLUSIVE 🔥 SNIPPET FROM LUCKY PUCK

Bianca

Brody is not sleeping. He’s standing in the living room--with a woman draped around him. Kissing him. I drop my bags.

“Bianca.” I recognize his sister’s alarmed voice coming from the kitchen as she rushes toward me.

The woman holding onto Brody as if she's climbing a pole, turns in my direction.

She’s stunning, with cat-green eyes and long silky auburn hair cascading around her shoulders and down her back. It’s a little messy, but that does nothing to detract from her beauty. In fact it makes her look sexy. The bitch.

I stop myself from touching my messy bun—which I’m sure is the opposite of sexy—but I can’t help taking off my glasses—possibly because what I’m seeing makes my stomach toss around the salad I had for lunch. More likely it's because I want to make myself more attractive in this woman's shiny presence, or at least less studiously plain.

The foolish urge to compete with her--as if I could--or more precisely, the urge to claw her eyes out for touching him, rises to an unbearable strain on my common sense.

Am I really feeling like the jealous wronged wife here? My reaction should be laughable. Because I’m not really Brody’s wife, wronged or otherwise. Brody isn’t mine and he's allowed to grope whoever he wants, right?

Except I notice he’s not groping her. He’s removing himself from the woman’s hold and walking towards me with a worried smile.

“Honey pants, I’m glad you’re home. You met my sister.” He gestures in Kara's direction without taking his eyes off me and stops when he reaches me. Leaning down, he slowly wraps his arms around me while I stand paralyzed, and lowers his mouth to mine.

My mind screams at me to demand who the other woman is, the one who was hanging on him like she has a right to, but I’m the one with no rights. Except aren’t I supposed to be pretending I do? Shit. I’m so confused.

Before I can sort out the tangled web, the sensation of Brody’s mouth on mine infiltrate my body and takes over. I reflexively kiss him back as if I’ve been doing it forever instead of the few admittedly long and memorable days. 

Wrapping my arms around him, I kiss him like I have a right, deeply, with my tongue and my teeth and all of my heart and soul. It’s a dangerous kiss—and based on Kara’s cough-laugh, totally inappropriate for an audience.

Brody lets up on his end of the kiss and his hold, flashing me a sexy dimple.

“Well, well, well,” the other woman says as she saunters over to join us. Her eyes glitter with amusement and something else, something not quite pleasant and my body reacts to her by recoiling.

Brody holds onto me with one arm around my waist, tightening it as I try to back away from the still nameless woman.

“I’m Nora Shade," she says. "I apologize for Brody’s lack of manners in not introducing us. He and I were once an item—a very hot item.” She aims a hot glance at Brody as if to prove it. “Maybe he was worried about you finding out. So sweet of him.”

This is just the beginning of the explosive drama! What follows may include a stinging surprise--aka story bomb. But I can't give everything away--you'll need to read the story to find out.

Or you could try to guess: how do you think Bianca and/or Brody reacts to Nora?

Pre-Order Lucky Puck for Only $2.99

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Hockey Boys Series

Patrick: the Jennings Brothers

Patrick

Should I or shouldn't I...

kiss the sweetness right out of my secret crush, the forbidden and unforgettable treat, Carmella Rossi?

Not with my brothers watching from one side of the street and the Rossi brothers watching from the other.

Not while her old man wields the chain saw cutting the latest blue fin catch down to size.

Not when all of them, including my dear dad, aka coach, is within reaching distance of a hockey stick,

and NOT when every last one of them is capable of one-timing a puck straight through my front teeth....

Why are the Two most prominent families in the small town of Rye, New Hampshire, the Jennings and the Rossi's,

both known for success in the tough business of deep sea fishing, both prolific at producing epically talented hockey boys and both competitive to the point of obsessed--

Bitter Rivals and Sworn Enemies?

There's only one way to find out...

You can pre-order now!

More Jennings Brothers coming soon...

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Stephanie Queen's Featured Review

THE CHEERLEADER

"Excellent wordsmith is Stephanie Queen . Those scenes are so good a college football love triangle romance dance...With great prose and some funnies as well as the angst and romance dance. I love this superbly well written book with mild nook . Great characters and the descriptions are fine"

--Jane L

READ NOW!

Thank you to every reader who takes the time to write a review. They're all very much appreciated and I read them all.💜

Special thanks to my Stephanie Queen Team ARC Readers. You're the BEST!

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SQ’s Featured Book Deals

FREE SPORTS & STEAMY ROMANCE

BILLIONAIRES AND BAD BOYS

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Thank you again for reading this newsletter.

When you have a chance, let me know what you think the story bomb might be after the end of the snippet from Lucky Puck. I hope you take advantage of the low pre-order price for Lucky Puck. It will be releasing soon.

In the meantime, enjoy your romantic reads and know how much I appreciate your support. 💜

Warmest Regards,