Author Archive

It’s a Wonderful Lie
Wren Michaels
(Heaven on Earth, #1)
Publication date: December 9th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

He was sent to save her life, but ended up losing his heart, memories, and clothes.

Eden Credere should be in Barbados with her new husband. Instead, it was like she married Murphy and his law was ruining her life. She’d lost her dad, her job, her best friend, and her fiancé. After drowning her sorrows with rum and eggnog on Christmas Eve, she takes a tumble in a tree lot with a Douglas Fir, sending Eden over the edge.

Theliel has watched over Eden her entire life, from her first steps to her latest, where she dove in a tree lot. He’s always been there to save her, and this time should have been no different—until it was. As her guardian angel, he’s not supposed to be seen, but one corporeal slip-up later, and he’s got a lot of explaining to do.

As Theliel works to convince Eden why the world is a much better place with her in it, he finds himself the one falling, and it’s Eden who catches his heart. In a twist of fate, Theliel must not earn his wings, but his humanity by convincing Eden they’re meant to be together.

The only problem is neither of them remember who he is when he wakes up on Christmas morning in a snowbank with no memories and no clothes. With the magic of Christmas in the air, love in their hearts, a vision of yoga pants, and maybe a little help from their “friends”, all they have to do is believe.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Swiping my tearstained face, I made my way over to the myriad of trees and tried to make a quick decision. I had to get out of there fast. I couldn’t “people” anymore today. I would either end up a blubbering mess under the blow-up lawn ornaments or in jail from high-fiving the heartless cashier right in the face who couldn’t fork over thirty cents to help a kid buy a Christmas wreath.

In my unstable mindset, I made the poor choice to go for the nine-foot Douglas fir. As I yanked the leaning tree from the fence, little did I know I held a death trap in the palm of my sticky hand. The laws of physics mocked my existence as the tree toppled over, taking my five-foot, six-inch frame with it.

It’s completely true how your life flashed before your eyes in those last seconds of mortality. Mine happened to be stuck on repeat of Grayson stuffing Suzie as I cursed his name in all six languages I spoke. If he hadn’t cheated on me, I’d be in Barbados as Mrs. Jilani, not splattered on the floor of Trees-R-Us as the jilted Eden Credere.

Instead of hitting the cold, snow-covered ground, something strong cradled the back of my head, radiating a warmth that caressed my skin and soothed what should have been my shattered bones. I would have sworn there were no customers around me as I hid my ever-blackening soul in the back forty of the tree lot. No one could have caught me that fast. Then again, one hundred pounds of Douglas fir swallowed my face, so my vantage point skewed a bit.

“Thank you, Lord,” I whispered on the breath that whooshed out of my lungs.

A melodic yet husky chuckle vibrated around me, filling me with the same warmth that held my head in some bubble of safety. Maybe I did hit the ground, and the warmth was a pool of my own blood. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities with as much rum and eggnog as I’d consumed earlier.

“Believe me, I am not the Lord.” A voice surrounded me, and heat tingled straight to my toes, as if his tone resonated just for my ears.

“Oh good, because if you were, I’d be really upset that I’m meeting him in yoga pants and no makeup.” Sometimes the things that came out of my mouth missed the sanity filter in my brain.

Another chuckle vibrated against me before it halted, followed by a sharp intake of air. “You heard that?”

With pine needles burrowing into my closed eyelids, I couldn’t be sure I was actually talking to another person and not just myself. “Heard what?”

“What I said. I didn’t mean for you to hear it.” Worry strained his words as he softened his voice.

“You didn’t exactly whisper it, and seeing as how you caught me like a ninja, you had to be nearby. Which reminds me, I still have a tree on my face. I don’t suppose you’d help get it off me? I’ll buy you a coffee or a beer or something.”

“I’m so sorry. Of course. I…I was caught off guard. Let me help you up,” he stammered.

“Well, I suppose anyone would be caught off guard while having to dive for some stranger being eaten by a tree. Unless you’re like a lumberjack and see that kind of thing all the time.” The spiked eggnog I’d had for breakfast now seemed like a really bad idea as the stupid tumbled out of my mouth in droves.

His harmonious chuckle returned and enveloped me again, like tiny ripples of pleasure bouncing off my body. I loved this man’s laugh, and I hadn’t even seen his face. In the span of thirty seconds, I’d developed some freaky fetish where all I wanted to do was have him laugh near me so I could swaddle in the warmth and happiness of his voice.

Shit, what the hell did I put in that eggnog? Was it expired?

“Hold still,” the mystery man said.

He eased me to the ground. Cold snow soaked the back of my head, my hair sucking it up like a slushy. I cursed the blasted New Jersey winters in three ancient tongues. I’d probably pay for that later, but as an archaeologist, I rarely got to use all the dead languages I studied. Now seemed like a good time.

The tree whisked away from my face, and I blinked my eyes open. The gasp that followed sucked in so much cold air, an erratic series of hiccups erupted. Another sign I was more than likely drunk—Thor hovered over me, or at least he could have passed for his twin brother. Thick blond locks of hair danced across his broad shoulders in the light breeze, framing his marble-smooth, chiseled face. The bluest eyes I’d ever seen sparkled like an ocean, and if I stared into them long enough, I was sure they’d take me to a whole other world. Those eyes looked hauntingly familiar. Where had I seen them before?

“You’ve got quite the naughty mouth, Eden,” he said, warming me with his voice and a smile that probably dropped a lot of panties. He slid his arms under my back and lifted me from the ground as if I weighed nothing. Boy, would he have a backache in the morning.

“How do you know my name? Have we met before?” I blinked again, reassuring myself I hadn’t passed out and that I was indeed alive, awake, and in Thor’s arms.

“Um, your driver’s license was on the ground. Must have fallen out when the tree landed on you.” He glanced away from my inquiring stare.

Hmm, plausible, since I had stuffed my debit card and license in my pocket instead of carrying a purse today. I only planned on getting a tree and going right back home. I dared not go anywhere else on Christmas Eve with all the crazies on the road.

I slipped my hand into my pocket and found both cards there. Did he put it back? Surely I would have felt it. But it had been a while since I’d had a man’s hand in my pants. Grayson and I stopped having sex about six months before the marriage that never happened. He wanted the wedding night to be special. Yeah, so special because he was basting the neighbor.

Wait, he said I had a naughty mouth, meaning this dude knew I cursed in a dead language. Or maybe he assumed it was cursing, since Aramaic and ancient Greek sounded a lot like my angry Italian mother.

Author Wren Michaels:

Wren hails from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin where beer and cheese are their own food groups. But a cowboy swept her off her feet and carried her to Texas, where she promptly lost all tolerance for cold and snow. Fueled by coffee, dreams, and men in kilts, Wren promises to bring you laughter, heart-fluttering romance, and action that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

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Bear A Wee Grudge

A Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery

by Meg Macy

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Bear a Wee Grudge (A Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington (November 30, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 149672917X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496729170
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08Y69JKKM

Teddy bear shop manager Sasha Silverman must step fast to find a murderer before an upcoming Scottish festival . . .

 

It’s springtime in Silver Hollow, Michigan, and Sasha is looking forward to the village’s inaugural Highland Fling weekend. Plans are underway for a Kilted 5K, athletic competitions, dancing, live music, and even a Hurl-the-Haggis contest. Meanwhile, Sasha’s staff is busy crafting custom teddy bears in kilts for the Silver Bear Shop’s vendor booth. But trouble’s brewing behind the scenes, as the obnoxious Teddy Hartman, former owner of a rival teddy bear company, sows seeds of discord about town, targeting Sasha’s family and their business.

 

Things go from plaid to worse when—just a week before the festival kicks-off—the disgruntled gossip is found murdered with an ax buried in his back. Sasha’s dad is arrested, since he’s a champion ax-thrower. But she doesn’t give a dram what it looks like—Sasha knows that despite the old business rivalry with Hartman, her father is innocent. So with a spot of help from her friends, Sasha must bag the real killer before her first Fling also becomes her last.

 

About Meg Macy

Award-winning mystery author Meg Macy lives in Southeast Michigan, close enough to Ann Arbor, Chelsea, and Dexter — the setting of her “Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear” cozy mysteries for Kensington. She is also one-half of the writing team of D.E. Ireland for the Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins mysteries; two books, Wouldn’t It Be Deadly and Get Me to the Grave On Time were Agatha Award finalists for Best Historical. Meg’s first published book, Double Crossing, won the 2012 Best First Novel Spur Award from Western Writers of America. Meg loves reading historical and cozy mysteries, gardening, crafts, and watercolor painting.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Instagram / BookBub

 

Purchase Links – Amazon –  B&N  – Kobo   – Google Play  – Apple Books  

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Murder In The Badlands

A Ghost & The Camper Kooky Mystery

by Rita Moreau

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Murder in the Badlands – Ghost & the Camper Kooky Mystery
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently Published (December 1, 2021)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 216 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8487548573
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09B2PF7CP

Rita Moreau’s 3rd book in this hilarious series…

 

More antics as Mabel Gold and her friend — spirit — ghost – whatever you want to call Irma, gets Mabel into yet another mystery. Things can go bad quickly in the Badlands…

 

Everything about Mabel’s golden years has been a surprise. The divorce, Irma the ghost haunting her vintage camper, dead guys whose murders Mabel must help Irma solve every stop of the way.

 

Mabel and her ghostly roommate Irma, along with friend Lili and her retired homicide detective husband Bob, have made it to the Badlands. From the get-go, they were smack dab in the middle of another murder.

 

Ralph, an old Marine buddy asks Bob, to investigate the death of his son Danny. His death has been ruled an accident. Ralph didn’t agree. He’s sure his son was pushed off top of Mount Rushmore. Right near the Hall of Records, or as it’s called in the movies and YouTube, the Secret Chamber. But why?

 

Did Danny, a skilled rock climber and much sought-after guide, find long-lost gold?

 

Were Danny’s last words–those of Crazy Horse–Hokahey–it’s a good day to die–leave a clue as to his demise?

 

Will Irma run out of costumes from her ghostly cyberspace closet before they solve the murder?

 

Will Irma’s new friend Poker Alice–the wild west’s famous gambler and brothel owner help Mabel and Irma figure out what happened to Danny?

 

And what about Cindy Lou and her side-kick Top Gun Colonel Clark–did they have a secret that Danny uncovered that fatal night outside the Secret Chamber?

Can Mabel and Irma catch the killer before Mabel joins Irma crashing through the Pearly Gates?

 

Murder in the Badlands is the high spirited third book in the hilarious Ghost & the Camper Kooky Mystery series. If you like golden girl sleuths, zany characters, and sardonic humor, then you’ll love this kooky mystery. Hoping you like camping!

 

About Rita Moreau

Rita Moreau is the author of the Mary Catherine Mahoney Mystery series and the Ghost & Camper Kooky Mystery series.

A workaholic by nature, upon retirement, Rita Moreau began work on her bucket list, writing a book. Traveling the national parks with her husband George in a vintage Bluebird motor home, (on George’s list), Rita completed her first novel Bribing Saint Anthony. Back home she completed Nuns! Psychics! & Gypsies! OH! NO, Feisty Nuns and The Russian & Aunt Sophia and The House on Xenia. Last year when we entered the Twilight Zone Rita wrote the first two new novels in the Ghost & the Camper series. Rita and her husband live in a postcard called Florida where he has fun telling everyone he is the author’s husband. When not writing she joins PatZi Gil on the Joy on Paper radio program with Book Buzz Mysteries, or you can find her teaching SilverSneakers fitness classes and doing her best to keep busy. She loves connecting with readers. Visit her at www.RitaMoreau.com or find her on Facebook at facebook.com/RitaMoreauAuthor. She would love to hear from you.

Author Links

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Purchase Link – Amazon

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Christmas in Smithville

The Hometown Series Book 4

by Kirsten Fullmer

Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance

Even though Gloria is determined to change her reputation, most of the women in town still think she’s a tramp. Sure, she may have dressed a little flashy and dated pretty much every single guy in town, but that’s the past. Now that she wants to make a fresh start, will Smithville give her a second chance?

Ned has heard all the gossip, but being the Sheriff’s Deputy, he sees all the kind things Gloria does behind the scenes for the folks of Smithville. It looks like the upcoming Christmas Pageant will offer him the opportunity to spend time with her, but can he overcome a frustrating stutter and talk to her, face to face?

Your favorite characters from the Hometown Series bring craziness, love, and Smithville Christmas style, to a whole new romance about overcoming your past and sharing your deepest secrets. Fall in love and be swept away with the Christmas Eve celebration of your dreams.

**Only .99 cents!!**

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Shadows in the Salon

Sugar Mountain Book 3

by Kirsten Fullmer

Genre: Holiday Cozy Mystery, Sweet Romance

I loved this book! It’s the third book in a series in a little town where the characters are funny, smart, amazing, and unique!”- 5 star review

One of my new favorites!”- 5 star review

A spooky mystery, a promising romance, and a secret society of scheming women…

The cozy town of Sugar Mountain, NC harbors a secret society of women. The society itself is not secret—it’s the devious work of the group that is mysterious.

Michelle owns the Salon, Shear Genius, on Sugar Mountain Main Street, a favorite with the tourists and locals alike. Lately she’s dealing with mysterious problems. She’s being plagued by spooky and unexplained goings-on. Is it a sign from beyond that she should rethink her life choices?

Matt Hopkins moved to Sugar Mountain after losing his business, but thanks to the lovely and talented Michelle, he is now building an amphitheater in town. It looks like things are finally going his way until Michelle is threatened by an eerie aggressor and the Mayor’s involvement spells trouble for his project. Will Matt be able to complete the Amphitheater and help Michelle, or will things with her fall apart as well?

Facing puzzling complications at every turn, The Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society go undercover to figure out who is threatening Michelle and the new amphitheater. If they’re not careful, the society may fall apart and Michelle and Matt might end a promising romance. Come along for the ride on this zany, enchanting, romantic cozy mystery!

**Only $1.99!!**

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Kirsten is a writer with a love of art and design. She worked in the engineering field, taught college, and consulted free lance. Due to health problems, she retired in 2012 to travel with her husband. They live and work full time in a 40′ travel trailer with their little dog Bingo. Besides writing romance novels, she enjoys selling art on Etsy and spoiling their three grandchildren.

As a writer, Kirsten’s goal is to create strong female characters who face challenging, painful, and sometimes comical situations. She believes that the best way to deal with struggle, is through friendship and women helping women. She knows good stories are based on interesting and relatable characters.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Kissing Charlie
Elsa Winckler

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(Unexpected Love, #1)
Published by: Inkspell Publishing
Publication date: December 7th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

One Kiss Will Change Their Lives Forever

Bowen therapist Charlie Wilson is not interested in men or relationships. Her only concern is making sure her sister Lindsay is safe.

But then billionaire Logan Johnson walks into her rooms and stirs powerful feelings inside of her. Logan’s perfectly knotted tie is a clear indication free-spirit Charlie should steer clear of him at all costs.

They are complete opposites, so why does he keep coming back to see her?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“How did you hurt your back?” Her voice was cool, and she wasn’t meeting his eyes.

“While hiking,” he said curtly. He was in pain; it didn’t matter what the hell happened. “Tell me about this Wowen, Bowen, whatever the hell you call this cr—therapy.”

She gave him a cool look. “It’s called Bowen Therapy.”

“Bowen Therapy,” he said, his gaze on her mouth.

“The guiding principles of the technique were established by Tom Bowen during the 1950s. It focuses on the whole person, not just the condition. In other words, it treats the cause, not only the symptoms. It helps the body to heal and restores the balance by shifting the body from your innate ‘fight or flight’ system to a more natural state of calm.”

He watched her as she studied his body. She was holding something in her hand. Damn, she had yet to touch him, but he was struggling not to react to her nearness. The fact that he was lying on his back wasn’t helping, either.

“Natural state of calm? With you doing strange things to my body?” he grumbled, only realizing the ambiguity of his words when they hung in the air around them.

Her lips twitched.

“Oh, you think this is funny?” he snarled.

“I think you’re in pain. I think you like being in control and at the moment, you’re not. That’s why you feel the need to lash out. But it’s fine. I often have children throwing tantrums.”

“I’m not throwing a tantrum, damn it…” He tried to sit up straight, but a pain shot up his back, and groaning, he had to slowly lie down again.

“The movements in Bowen Therapy,” she continued as if he hadn’t interrupted her, “are very distinctive and are used on precise points on the body. It involves moving the soft tissue in a particular way. I will use a rolling-type movement, using my fingers, hands, or sometimes my elbow. It will create a focus for the brain by stimulating the nerve pathways and tissue. I work on only a small area, depending how far your skin can move. What you may find strange—”

“This whole damn day is strange. I don’t know what the hell my mother was thinking,” he muttered.

Author Elsa Winckler

I write love stories because I love reading them. I like the heroines to be feisty, independent and headstrong. And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of sensitivity and should of course, be gorgeous!

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Beauty And The Deceased

A Resale Boutique Mystery

by Debra Sennefelder

 


Beauty and the Deceased (A Resale Boutique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lyrical Press (December 14, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 191 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1516111036
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1516111039
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B092LH3FBZ

Kelly Quinn’s Long Island consignment shop offers high style at secondhand prices—but when a body is found on the beach, she needs to start hunting for a wolf in sheep’s clothing . . .

Kelly is thrilled when she gets a visit from a cousin she hasn’t seen in years. Becky’s cosmetics company is taking off, and she just might have laid the foundation for a big-money buyout. It’s a time to celebrate—but Kelly is heartbroken when a killer puts an end to their happy reunion during a mysterious midnight meeting near the shore.

Despite multiple warnings to steer clear, Kelly starts shadowing a variety of suspects both inside and outside the beauty business—when she isn’t busy filling the racks of the Lucky Cove Resale Boutique with lots of new inventory from a local shopaholic. Gossip and accusations are flying, but there’s no glossing over this ugly crime, and she’s going to make sure the culprit faces justice…

Enjoy this peek inside:

Kelly Quinn knew three things for sure her first full summer back home in Lucky Cove. One – summer people were good for business. Two – reconnecting with her cousin was just what she needed to help deal with…well, see number three. Three – getting over a breakup is hard when you see the guy practically every day.

She leaned closer to the mirror and applied a swipe of her new favorite lipstick, Beachy Nude by Define Beauty. The up-and-coming cosmetics company had been her cousin’s brainchild. Becky Quinn’s obsession with makeup in her teen years had paid off.

Kelly dropped the lipstick into her vintage Gucci clutch she used as a cosmetics bag. It had been a little treat to herself after the breakup from her boyfriend. Luckily the consignment website she purchased it from had a payment plan. She grappled around for her concealer and finally found the tube.

Dabbing on the Define Beauty’s concealer, she knew something else for certain. And it made her belly quiver.

Family secrets that bubbled below the surface could suddenly erupt, swallowing everyone involved. Including someone like her who only knew merely about the secret.

Too bad her concealer didn’t work on things like heartbreaks and secrets. She would have purchased a vat full.

A dramatic meow drew her attention from the dresser’s mirror to the floor where her

orange cat, Howard, sat staring up at her. He meowed again and ratcheted up the drama that time. She glanced at her watch and sighed. Right on time.

The furball had a schedule, and heaven forbid there was any deviation. After all, his first nap of the morning would be after breakfast.

“Okay, okay. I’m almost done.” She stepped back from the dresser and gave a final look at her outfit. She nodded approvingly at her gray wide-leg linen blend pants topped with a black cotton shell and block-heeled sandals. It was a fashionable yet comfortable outfit for the day ahead. Before she opened her shop, The Lucky Cove Resale Boutique, she had an appointment with a new consignor. According to the woman’s sister-in-law, who worked with Kelly, Camille Donovan had a ton of clothes to sell.

Kelly’s lips curled up into a smile. She loved clients like Camille. And she needed more of them.

Another meow, this time louder and more urgent, alerted Kelly to her cat’s growing impatience with her dawdling. Over time, she’d learned to decipher his various sounds and body language. It would have been a whole lot easier if he’d come with a manual when she inherited him from her granny. Manuals would have helped with the boutique and her apartment too. Oh, and she couldn’t forget relationships. A how-to guide on how to repair broken relationships would have been beneficial. Alas, there was no handbook on life. It looked like she, along with everyone else, was learning as she went along.

She zipped the cosmetics bag and carried it out of the bedroom with Howard right on her

heels. When she stopped at the small table in the hall between the coat closet and the door, he

gave her a questionable look.

Exactly who owned whom?

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About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

Her first novel, THE UNINVITED CORPSE (A Food Blogger mystery) was published in 2018. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in retail and publishing before becoming a full-time author. Her writing companion is her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih Tzu, Connie.

Author Links: Website / Newsletter / Facebook / Instagram

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NKensingtonKobo 

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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for The Romance Formula organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Alicia Leigh will be awarding a paperback copy of The Romance Novel Formula to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour and for more chances to win.

The Romance Formula

by Alicia Leigh

The Romance Novel Formula: How to Use the Complete Structure of True Love for Your Breakout Romance Novel by [Alicia Leigh, A.K. Leigh, Leigh Hatchmann]

Synopsis

Is there a secret formula for writing a successful romance novel? Backed by research and professional expertise, The Romance Novel Formula provides everything you need to take you from idea to first draft of your breakout romance novel.

Join best-selling romance author and academic researcher, Alicia Leigh, as you discover:

*How to take your love interests on the “lovers’ journey” – inclusive of ALL types of romantic relationships: ménage, alien, LGBTQI, polyamory, etc.
*A unique five-act structure to make your story easy to write and manage.
*The specific story “beats” exclusive to the romance genre (and which other books on writing typically exclude).
*The story and character arcs necessary to classify your book as romance.
*How to avoid stereotypes by focusing on archetypes.
*Popular romance tropes.
*Essential writing techniques.
*Advice on dialogue.
*The most common writing mistakes . . . and how to avoid them.
*Goal, motivation, and conflict.
*Fear, need, and flaw (what are they, and do you need them?).
*Much more!

Complete with checklists and over 30 writing exercises, The Romance Novel Formula is the new essential romance writing guide for aspiring and experienced writers, plotters and pantsers, and professional researchers.

Enjoy this peek inside:

Does The Romance Novel Formula work best for “plotters” or “pantsers?”

Both! If you are a plotter, you can use it to outline your novel. If you are a pantser, you can use it after you’ve finished your first draft to make sure you have everything where it needs to be. Of course, you can also do something in between those two options. The point is to find what works for you. If you are new to writing, you might not have heard of these terms, so I will give you a quick explanation here. For those who already know, feel free to skip ahead. A plotter is a writer who plans every stage of their writing. They plot and outline every important part of their story before they write it. James Patterson is a famous plotter. This approach can stop you from running into trouble as you write because you always have a clear direction to go. On the other hand, it can also stifle your creativity and make it difficult when a character goes off script (which happens). A pantser is a writer who writes by the seat of their pants. In other words, they go wherever their ideas, the story, or the characters take them. Stephen King is a famous pantser. This method can be great for those who revel in the creative side of storytelling. However, with no clear plan, the ideas can dry up and manuscripts can go unfinished. As you can see, there are benefits to both. Though some people will try to convince you one is better than the other, the fact that so many writers are successful using either method tells you they are equally valid options. In case you are curious, I am a plantser (just what you want, another unfamiliar term!). This means I utilize aspects of both plotting and pantsing in my writing. You can feel free to do the same.

About Author Alicia Leigh:

Alicia Leigh is a bestselling non-fiction author, international-selling romance author, identical triplet, writing coach, and hot chocolate addict.

She uses her postgraduate degrees in counseling from the Australian College of Applied Psychology and editing from Macquarie University to create believable, three-dimensional characters. Her certificates in forensic science and forensic anthropology from the University of Strathclyde add layers to the realistic crime elements in her stories. She has completed her master’s degree in writing at Swinburne University and is currently embarking upon her PhD in Creative Arts (writing) at Central Queensland University.

When not writing, reading, coaching, studying, or enjoying nature, she can be found having fun with her three gorgeous children (plus one laid-back dog and one hypersensitive guinea pig).

She is active on social media and encourages readers and writers to interact with her there. She writes romantic fiction novels under the pseudonyms A.K. Leigh and Leigh Hatchmann.

Website

*Fall in love … with Leigh*

Facebook
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Goodreads
Amazon Author Page

Buy links:

Amazon
Amazon Au
Amazon UK
Amazon CA

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On Tour with Prism Book Tours
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The Sherwood Proof

 

(The Lily Sparrow Chronicles #3)

 

By Kristee Ravan
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Middle-Grade, Fairy Tale, Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 569 Pages
November 23, 2021 by Kristee Ravan

Lily Sparrow has finally created an equation for being a good princess.
Things are adding up and making sense, and she’s even growing a
measurable amount more excited about her future. But unexpected
variables keep being tossed into her equation:

1. Carole Claus is facing her first hurdle as Santa. She needs Lily’s help.
2. Lily’s Half-Birthday–an important Smythian tradition–is coming up, requiring her to find time to prepare for it.
3. Her algebra teacher has an unusual (and stressful plan) for Lily.
4. Lily remains convinced that her mom is hiding something from her.
5. The investigation into the traitor is an on-going source of stress and tension at work for Lily and Calo.
6. Oh, and Calo’s still betrothed to Su’Sauna, making life difficult and confusing all around.

Will Lily be able to place these variables securely in her equation?
Will the Sparrow family find a way to convince their critics they are
good for the Kingdom? Or will everything fall apart–subtracting all the
good will Lily has already earned from her citizens?

(Affiliate links included.)
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Enjoy this peek inside:
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Carole didn’t budge.

“Go on.” Corrie pushed again.

Nothing.

“Carole?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

“You do it, Lily.” Her voice was a whisper.

“Do what?”

“Go talk to him. Feel him out or something.”

“What?!” That eggnog lip gloss was affecting her brain.

“Please.”

“Carole, you’re being crazy right now. What am I going to say to him? I don’t know how to talk to boys.”

“Also,” Eric put in, “I’m not comfortable with the Princess being that far away from me.” He looked through the shelves again. “It’s over thirty feet.”

“Nothing is going to happen, Eric,” I protested.

“Kara gave me specific instructions for these outings. We cannot be sure that—”

“Enough, Eric,” Corrie spoke up. “No one’s going to risk Lily.” She turned to Carole. “It’s a lot. I get it. I’ll go talk to him.”

I looked at Corrie, stunned. She knew how to talk to boys? When did she learn that formula?

“Wait!” Carole grabbed Corrie’s arm just before she stepped into the aisle. “Take this.” She shoved a candy cane into Corrie’s jacket pocket and held up an identical one. “It’s a listening device,” she explained. “So we can hear what he says.”

“Where did you get that?” I asked as we watched Corrie approach Mikey.

Carole shrugged. “We use them for surveillance at the North Pole.”

“I thought you used the Showglobe for that.”

“Hush, Algebra. She’s talking!”

Hi!” We heard Corrie say through the candy cane. We watched as she stood next to Mikey.

Hey,” he said. He looked up at her.

Corrie cleared her throat. “Um, can I borrow your notes from class this morning?

You’re not in my class.”

She laughed nervously. “No, I know. They’re for my friend, who is in your class. She’s in that class. Your history class, she’s in that class.

You look really young. Are you in high school?

Bye!” Corrie dashed back to our shelf. “It did not go well,” she whispered to us.

“We heard.” Carole sounded discouraged.

We all bent to look through the shelf again. “He’s gone,” I pointed out.

“You dropped this,” a voice behind us said.

We all jumped. Eric hit his head on the shelving.

Mikey’s face was dark as he held out the candy cane.

Excerpted from The Sherwood Proof by Kristee Ravan, Copyright © 2021 by Kristee Ravan. Published by Kristee Ravan.

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Other Books in the Series


About the Author

Kristee Ravan lives in Oklahoma with her husband, daughter, and pet fish, Val (short for Valentine). She wanted to be many things as she grew up including a general, an artist, and an architect. But she never bothered to say, “I want to be a writer when I grow up.” She was always writing stories and thought of herself as a writer anyway. She sent her first story to a publisher in the sixth grade. (It was rejected – in a nice way.) When she is not making up stories in her head, she enjoys reading, juggling, green smoothies, playing dollhouse with her daughter, and hearing from her fans. You can contact Kristee at the Facebook page for her Lily Sparrow books: The Lily Sparrow Chronicles.

 

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Mimi Lee Cracks The Code

A Sassy Cat Mystery

by Jennifer J. Chow

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Mimi Lee Cracks the Code (A Sassy Cat Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (November 30, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1984805037
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1984805034
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08XQ2T9BS

One of BookRiot’s Best Upcoming Cozy Mysteries for the Second Half of 2021!

 

When murder follows Mimi Lee to her romantic island getaway, she puts on her best sleuthing hat with her sassy cat in tow in this adventurous cozy mystery by Jennifer J. Chow.

 

Mimi Lee just found an extra perk to being a pet groomer at Hollywoof (other than cuddling animals all day long, that is). Pixie St. James, one of Mimi’s clients and the investor behind Hollywoof, has offered her and her boyfriend, Josh, a getaway at her vacation home, nestled on beautiful Catalina Island. With the island just outside of Los Angeles but still far enough from the hustle and bustle, Mimi, Josh, and their cat Marshmallow (who, of course, wouldn’t be caught dead in a dingy pet hotel) are excited for their relaxing stay.

 

That is, until Pixie’s last renter, Davis D. Argo, turns up dead. Mimi and Josh’s romantic getaway immediately turns into an enormous buzzkill, especially when Pixie asks Mimi for help. The police suspect Pixie, and Mimi knows a thing or two about wrongful allegations. Mimi figures it couldn’t hurt to snoop a little since she’s already there, and soon discovers that a valuable item is missing. Except Pixie isn’t the only one in the neighborhood who has been robbed. There is something strange happening on the island, and Mimi won’t stop until she finds out what it is.

 

About Jennifer J. Chow

Jennifer J. Chow is the Lefty Award-nominated author of the Sassy Cat Mysteries. The first in the series, Mimi Lee Gets A Clue, was selected as an Overdrive Recommended Read, a PopSugar’s Best Summer Beach Read, and one of BuzzFeed’s Top 5 Books by AAPI authors. She’s active in Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Crime Writers of Color. Connect with Jennifer online at www.jenniferjchow.com.

Author Links: Website / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook

 

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NPenguin Random HouseBookshop KoboIndieBound 

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Type X
M.A. Phipps
(Project W.A.R., #2)
Publication date: March 26th 2021
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

Feared by many. Frightened of few. Torn between humanity and the monster she’s become.

When Wynter surrendered to the DSD two years ago, she thought she was protecting her friends. Lured by the promise of a cure, she hoped she might finally be rid of her devastating disease or, at least, be on the path to controlling it. But Dr. Richter was never interested in curing her.

With a collar around her neck keeping her unstable powers in check, Wynter is transformed into an unstoppable weapon. Compelled to do the State’s bidding, she kills without feeling, remembering nothing of the people she gave herself up to protect. Her only thought is to obey.

When a mission goes wrong, triggering suppressed memories, Wynter finds herself determined to piece together her past. But as she uncovers the truth, she realizes it’s no longer clear who the real enemy is, and with the threat of war looming, she must again make a choice. Can she escape her role in the impending destruction?

Or is she doomed to remain a monster forever?

TYPE X is the second book in the Project W. A. R. trilogy, which readers have compared to The Giver, Divergent, and The Hunger Games!

“This series is a must-read for dystopian and YA readers.” ★★★★★

“Twists at every chapter will have you thinking and rethinking about the way things will play out and even then you will never see it coming!” ★★★★★

“Amazing story that leaves you begging for the next one.” ★★★★★

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

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Enjoy this peek inside:

A heavy wind slams into the side of the helicopter, jerking the metal carcass with rough, repetitive jolts, which threaten to send the gargantuan carrier aircraft spiraling to the ground. The two dozen Enforcers around me don’t seem to take much notice of the turbulence, their expressions drawn, eyes fixed straight ahead, like robots that have been programmed to concentrate only on the specified task laid out before us.

Propping my head back against the vibrating wall, I focus on the roaring drone of the rotors, listening intently to the constant whir. Steadied by the deafening hum, I drag in a deep breath and let my eyes drift closed, my heart rate evening out as I distance my thoughts from what awaits when we land. More than anything, I wish my consciousness could remain in this state of calm in-between forever. Here, reality is but a dim afterthought.

Unfortunately, such blissful escape isn’t an option.

I push out an exasperated breath through my nose and peek open my eyes, scowling at the tingle creeping over my face. Even without looking, I can tell someone’s watching me. The burning touch of wandering eyes is a far too familiar sensation by this point—that unavoidable curiosity that seems to go hand in hand with what I am now that my existence is public knowledge.

Hell, after this long, I’ve grown to expect it.

Looking up, I narrow my eyes into slits, glaring at the Enforcer strapped in the seat directly across from me. He doesn’t glance away, which intrigues me considering how skittish others tend to become in my presence. Especially the newer recruits who have only heard stories of my unfathomable power.

Based on this particular soldier’s appearance, I’d be willing to venture a guess and wager he’s barely older than me. Perhaps we’re even the same age, although twenty is unusually young for an Enforcer. Then again, the State is at war. The rules for registration have likely been eased to help expand our ranks for the battles ahead.

If only these soldiers knew how little their presence in this war even matters.

Typically, registration age begins at twenty-five, so the person in question has to work within their designated career for a minimum of six years before they can make the conscious choice to become an Enforcer—a decision not to be made lightly given everything the individual would be sacrificing. For one, service to the State is for life, which means no reneging and going back to your previous career, not to mention that Enforcers all reside in the barracks in Zone 5, which means surrendering any previously assigned living quarters. Secondly, Enforcers aren’t allowed to enter partnerships or have families of their own and all existing familial ties must be severed. This rule is in place to prevent deviant forces from ransoming loved ones to gain access to intel or admission to prohibited locations that an Enforcer would be able to access. Not that such an eventuality is even really a threat to the State. Enforcers are nicknamed Loyalists for a reason, and they live and breathe devotion to the governing body. The good of the State must always come first.

To them, nothing and no one else matters.

The young soldier’s dark eyes scan over my throat before meeting my gaze again, his pupils blown wide with the same fear written all over his face. The metal ring around my neck chafes against the skin of my collarbone when I shift in my seat. As the Enforcer quickly looks down at the floor, I grasp what it is he’s truly afraid of.

The irony of the situation would be amusing if it wasn’t so damn maddening. The battle we’re about to fly into poses far more danger to the Enforcers aboard this aircraft than I do, and yet, I’m the one he’s second-guessing. Or maybe, he’s simply doubting the effectiveness of my collar.

I breathe in, holding back a mocking laugh.

Dont worry, I’m tempted to say to him. You arent the one who needs to fear me.

 

Author M. A. Phipps

M. A. PHIPPS is an American author who resides near the ocean in picturesque Cornwall with her husband, daughter, and their Jack Russell, Milo. A lover of the written word, it has always been her dream to become a published author, and it is her hope to expand into multiple genres of fiction.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter

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