Cover Reveal: The Unbreakable Curse

I’m so pleased to show you the final cover art of The Unbreakable Curse. My designer is easy to work with and always does an excellent job. This Beauty and the Beast retelling was something I wrote for fun when I couldn’t take anymore Regency romance while I was writing A Wager to Win. (Sometimes you just need a break from all that kissing, right?)
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Summary:

When Helen is kidnapped from her home, she enters a life of horror where lies are woven as she slowly begins to fall apart.
For centuries, a great Beast hides in his castle, the forgotten story of his curse now a bedtime fable.
A powerful Witch is certain her curse will hold, and as time passes, it seems inevitable.
Until one day a young girl is given a choice; to live or die.
Magic, adventure, and romance come together in this beautifully reimagined tale where Beauty and the Beast meets the tales of Scheherazade.

A quick note: The main character in this sweet fairy tale looks a little like what I think my caboose will look like when she grows up – strawberry blonde hair and dark blue eyes. A beautiful combination that I couldn’t resist.

Meanwhile, my family has been hit with a really nasty cold. In fact, all 5 of us were home today coughing and hacking and being miserable together. So…I’m working on the last final edits, but I’m also reminded of priorities….there was a wonderful movie with that line, “If you haven’t got your health, you haven’t go anything.” (Of COURSE it was a book first!)

So the release date, which could have reasonably been around Christmas (!!) has been postponed multiple times. I’m crossing my fingers for the end of this month, maybe the first week in February at the latest.

Lastly I want you readers to know (if there are any out there that actually come to peek at my site…) that I am working on both sequels at the same time to A Wager to Win.
One is about poor Sally Fancot – why are her parents so protective? And what happened years ago when both her brothers were killed in a carriage accident? Her story is about coming out of your shell and being yourself – there are strong threads of redemption in her book, but also some giggly scenes that will have you shaking your head.
The other is about Mr. Lawrence. Well….sort of. This one seems to be a little ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ for the Regency era, and my main character is hilarious, with enough spunk to make sure everything turns out alright.

Mystery Book Recommendations + News!

First the news: A Wager to Win will have its final day on KU/KOLL February 10th. That’s right, you won’t be able to check it out of Amazon’s fancy library after that. From then on it’ll be for sale only at $3.99 (ebook) or $12.99 (pb), but it’ll be distributed to your favorite online site (i.e. Barnes and Noble, ibooks, Google Play, etc. Also, The Unbreakable Curse will have a cover, a synoposis and hopefully be released by the end of this month, so stay tuned or signup for newsletters to hear more.

Book Recommendation: This Side of Murder, by Anna Lee Huber

I recently read Anna Huber’s latest mystery while combating car sickness on my way to relatives over Christmas break. As usual, Ms. Huber does a wonderful job putting together a murder, and her characters are enjoyable and interesting. Where she really shines is the time period: 1919, right in those years of unrest and just as the 20s are peeking around the corner. Her slang, dress, conversation – it all fits and it all makes you feel like you’re right there watching.

If you already read this and are nodding your head in agreement, may I also recommend her other mysteries – always a fun time. Looking for a new author, but something similar? Melanie Dickerson has a Regency spy series that’s fluffy and fun. Need something a bit more brassy? Try the Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn. How about something that will keep you giggling as you stay up late to finish it? Try Love, Lies, and Spies, by Cindy Anstey. (Yes, she has more books too….)

Hope this helps your mystery/spy craving.

I’d love to hear your ideas – got an author or particular series that you just love? Leave a comment and let me know!

Post Christmas Blues – A Cure!

There’s something depressing about walking through a store the day (or week) after Christmas. The tattered remnants of the holiday remain at 75% off as you debate if it’ll still be there in 2 – 3 days for the 90% off dregs.

Then you go home, where the chocolate from your stocking taunts you (or probably just the wrappers do), as you sigh and reach for something like… salad.

No more anticipation, no more lights. Now your evenings are spent putting the cheer of the season away as you vacuum up pine needles and for heaven’s sake WHERE did all the glitter come from?!

As hokey as this might sound, I think the cure might be in the goals we set and the excitement of finishing them.

I’m not talking about 10 pounds. We all know that’s here to stay until the Second Coming, or until they bring Firefly back. (Still crossing my fingers that Joss Whedon gets out of this whole Avengers thing to bring back those Space Cowboys, who’s leaving crushed my heart.)

I’m talking about goals that when you finish, you know you’ll be different, and maybe just a little more awesome. For example, here are a few of mine:

  1. Increase my calligraphy skills. (I was blown away by how approachable this is – try postmansknock.com for more information and great how-tos.) I love to write letters, whether they be a thank you, a birthday note or a Christmas card, I love to write and send beautiful bestamped letters.
  2. Publish 2 books. (My fractured fairy-tale, The Unbreakable Curse, is coming out this month! Possibly next depending on how long it takes for the final edits, but it’s in that stage right now.) The plan is to publish the afore-mentioned fairy-tale plus the sequel to A Wager to Win. There’s a third book planned in the series I might pull together this year as well. And if I’m REALLY cookin’, then there could easily be a 4th.
  3. Exercise 4+ days a week. This isn’t a wow-look-at-me-I-exercise-so-there goal. I’m a big believer in exercising the way you like. Me? Stationary bike with an ipad. Yep, super hardcore. (not)

That’s just 3 out of something like 20. But just think, doing those right there will result in a Toyota jump (yes, I realize that dates me), or fist bump, or the proverbial pat on the backs, and guess what? I’m working on them. Like, right now. (Not RIGHT this second, I’m not THAT good at multi-tasking.) But I’m doing it, and that reminds me that there’s much more to life than bright colored wrapping paper expectations.

Your turn. What are your goals that keep you motivated and happy and even better; what are you rewarding yourself with when you finish them?

New Cover!

Thankfully I just got a new cover – updates are still pending on Amazon, but should be available by tomorrow morning for print. The ebook is updated on your kindle and the ‘look inside’ feature, it just doesn’t show the right cover on the page. I’m not sure why yet, but I’m looking into it.

What do you think?

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Welcome!

Today I published my first work, A Wager To Win, an historical romance in the regency era. If you go to kindle edition on my author page HERE, you can use the “Look Inside” feature to read the first few chapters.

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Right now I’m working on Book 2 in the ‘Dear Friend’ series, a fractured fairy-tale based on Beauty and the Beast, and a fantasy based on historical Rome.