"We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life..." ~ Prince

Life sure can surprise you. And I'm no exception. I thought I was going one direction and then... WHAM! BAM! I'm on another road in the middle of nowhere, the area looks a bit sketch, and I'm afraid to ask for directions.

Same goes for my writing career as it does for my many misadventures navigating both before and after Apple Maps or Google Maps.

Last year I began a secret project where my car took a curve too quickly off the paranormal romance road and careened over the cliff into paranormal/light horror with a bit of magical midlife feels. The story is ready but I'm stuck at the blinking yellow light not sure if it's my turn to go or if I'll get t-boned by a tractor-trailer. After taking so much time off to care for my elderly mom and then dealing with what my life looks like now that she's gone and my children have all moved out or gone off to college, it's not an exaggeration that my confidence crash landed and is in a pile of fiery rubble at the bottom of that cliff.

To add to that, I can barely comprehend that I just wrote one whole chapter of a story that has zippo to do with the paranormal. In all my writing career, there has always been a touch of paranormal in my books. If it helps, where the top-secret project skimped on the romance, this new one skimps on the paranormal but not the romance. At least, that's how my brain is interpreting the signals.

So why the 9-1-1, you may ask.

1) I am opening up the paranormal (minus the romance) story to beta readers again. Some lovely and incredible ladies did the heavy lifting already with the draft, but I need more to say, "Yes, stop being a wimp and publish!" or "WTH were you thinking?" So I'm asking for three to five beta readers for "Psychic in Suburbia." If interested, please reply to this email and I'll get you set up with the link to the story.

2) My second request is for any romance readers who may want to read something not paranormal-related and wouldn't mind being beta readers for that new story, which (as stated above) is all of one chapter so far. It's a rough, rough draft but I'd like someone to say, "Hey, you're on the right track," or "Hang it up! Stick to paranormal romance!" I'm asking for only 1 or 2 beta readers since I am just starting this story. If interested, please reply to this email.

Other than that, Happy belated Valentine's Day!

Below are some hot and spicy paranormal/fantasy reading recommendations to keep you warm this icy February!

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Beneath Contempt (Of Magic and Contempt Book 1)

by Jade Thorn

https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/15d7abec-d4cd-11ef-95b1-1708a36635b7

Dean, Ryan, Oz, Nick and Justin — The Apex. Five of the most sought after shifter-familiars in the country. They’re already an unconventional pack of their own. A lion, two wolves and two dragons; witches everywhere would have given their right arm to bond them.

Held within the confines of the famed Adolphus Academy, where witches went to learn beast taming magic, their only hope of freedom was to challenge a witch strong enough to defeat their beasts.

Trapped until they are bonded, their future and sanity may just rest in the hands of a newly arrived first year student.

As the strongest witch they’d seen in generations, Melody had been bound by her Aunt Georgia in their once prestigious coven, forced to bond and break every shifter they could find. Along with them, she was subjected to cruelty and neglect.

Confined in abject misery, enslaved by a madwoman, Melody was unable to even imagine an end to their torture.

Yet fate and her aunt had other plans. At twenty-five, she was just coming into her majority, and Melody would be sent to Adolphus Academy, where she had to find and bond the members of The Apex. If she failed to do so, she would die. If she succeeded — they did.

How could Melody free these men, without enslaving them to another?

**Warning, this is a dark reverse harem story with elements that may cause some readers distress, including but not limited to descriptions of physical abuse, neglect and death. Please consider carefully before purchasing. Not intended for readers under the age of 18.**

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Agent of Change: A Snarky Urban Fantasy Romance (Region Two Urban Fantasy Series Book 4)

by Janet Walden-West

https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/295305ba-cf7b-11ef-be6d-37cf08568faf

A hacker who lost her voice to ghouls. A semi-feral killer who’s smitten at first sight. Is there time for passion when humanity’s future is at stake?

Kimi Albisu hates being coddled. So as the intel specialist for an elite monster fighting squad, she knows how to land on her feet even when she’s captured by their bloodsucking foes. But she’s floored when the handsome guy she meets in the vampire laboratory keeps insisting they must be fated mates.

Owen is sick of being a science experiment. And since he’s depended on steamy novels to learn about the outside world, he’s confident he’s nailed the meet-cute when he’s rescued by a gorgeous technophile. But while he fantasizes about their wild hero and heroine getaway, he fears he’ll never break the genetic chains that make him a lethal monstrosity.

Appalled to hear of the abuse he’s suffered, Kimi violates her own team’s strict rules and brings the brooding warrior into her headquarters. But though his guilt is stifling, Owen can’t bring himself to confess the full truth of his origins to his beautiful protector.

Will their fiery opening chapter pave the way for a sizzling happily ever after?

Agent of Change is the gritty fourth book in the Region Two urban fantasy series. If you like unforgettable characters, fast-paced action, and laugh-out-loud humor, then you’ll love Janet Walden-West’s trope-flipping romance.

Buy Agent of Change to tumble head-over-cryptid-heels today!

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Savage Worlds: Baltin Box Set

by Melissa Riddell

https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/aa7b3270-9268-11ef-9397-77004e5dcca9

A ravaged world. A forbidden love. But nothing is what it seems.

The Baltin Box Set, part of the Savage Worlds series, follows Tilly Morgan as she desperately searches for her sister in a world decimated by an alien virus and EMP blast.

Along her cross-country journey, several others join the quest, including a damaged alien, a goofy mutt, and enigmatic Jareth, who wants more than her friendship. Jareth wants something deeper, something real, something precious. Her love.

But as truths become lies, enemies become friends, and love becomes hatred, everything Tilly endures sets her group on a course to save humanity—or destroy it forever.

Follow Tilly's journey as it takes her from Earth to the reaches of the solar system, carving humanity's place in the new, savage world. Along the way, she learns what sacrifice—and love—truly mean.

If you enjoy strong heroines, cyborg romance, a love triangle, and animal sidekicks, then you'll love this series!

This set includes:

The Intrusion

The Descendant

The Betrayer

The Redeemer

Starfallen

A Merry Baltin Christmas (Bonus short story)

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One More Thing

If you're an author looking for editing assistance or just want someone to read your manuscript with a professional eye to see where you need to go next (Are you ready for developmental edits? Copy edits? Line edits? Just need proofreading? Ready to publish or query?), simply REPLY to this email and let's chat.