Category: Daily Musings

A Spicy Bonus Scene – Grab it here

Feeling kind of scrambled this week, my ability to focus has seemed to go out the window. It’s probably the downtime after the holidays and the gearing up for a release and everything but this week’s been a little bit low on the word count.

And maybe it’s feeling self-conscious about having another book out in the world.

Anyways, if you haven’t grabbed the bonus scene from Flame Again, That Night At Club Bandit, follow the link below and it’s yours.

That Night At Club Bandit

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8l7qmtc9uv

You can be an author. Badly.

I don’t mean “behaving” badly because that’d put you in the category of being a problematic author and yikes! you don’t want that. I mean, you can do this indie author thing imperfectly.

You can do it and make mistakes and keep doing it.
You can do it with no sales, or low sales. You can do it with one book out or three. You can do it and not have fifty reviews on ‘Zon, you can do it and have zero street team, no hype people and you can do it, even if you’re not sure you’re going to write again.

Every time I start a new book, I don’t know if that’s actually going to be a book because it doesn’t feel like it.

I published Flame For You,  March 21 2022 and I’m going to skip all the stuff that got me to press “publish” because that’s a different post and I’ve talked about it before.
And I (and still am) kind of awful at graphics.
And I didn’t know about backmatter.
And my blurbs (and still can) be better.

But I wanted to connect with readers, share a great story I wrote and do this indie author thing and my mantra became, “I’m doing all of this badly.” Seriously. But that lowered my threshold for aiming for perfection. That kept me in my wheelhouse and it kept me focusing on things that I do well.

So my graphics improved, I upped my backmatter game and I am still playing with my blurbs.

And maybe this year, my mantra should be, “Doing it anyways.”
Because doing it badly is far better than not doing it.
Writing is way, way, less painful than not being able to write, even on it’s most frustrating, I-lost-my-edits-day and I am so grateful to be an indie author, with books out and I couldn’t have imagined how it would roll out, back there in March.

The other day, I posted a video on TikTok, where I said, “I don’t know how to message on this app.” It would have been more accurate to say, “I’m not the most comfortable on this app.” but whatever, it was honest and true and in saying that, people were like, “Oh! Here’s how. Try this.” and it wasn’t the first time I have tried for ARCs but this time, I connected new readers.

This year – or technically I guess, not even full year, has been amazing.
But if I hadn’t lowered the bar, hadn’t told myself that I am doing this very badly and kept going, I wouldn’t have seen it reach three books.

So I’m going to keep going. And keep improving, and growing and it’s not going to be perfect, it’s going to be messy and choatic and maybe even some of it will be bad, but I’m going to do it anyways.

 

This turn around the sun.

ARCs for Flame True keep going out. If you want one, don’t be shy. I’m really not picky. I ask that you don’t steal it and that you leave a review somewhere on January 17th (your blog? Cool. your tiktok? Thank you! Your reader group? Excellent. Kobo, Apple, Goodreads, Google Play Books? Cool).

Also, late last night I uploaded the final files for Flame True on all the retailers and that is always a relief, to come in under that countdown clock. All I have planned for today is to go for a walk and a coffee and I’ll hang with the cubs and Mr. Damson at home and we’ll flip the calendar together, like we have done for twenty years, now.

This year is one I’m happy to see go. Looking to 2023, I know it’ll be different. And that’s enough for me on the last day of the year.

Thank you to my readers for reading my books – you have been the bright spot in this year and I am so grateful. Quote on new years

About that girl they rescued.

Hey friends,

Did you get through that hustle-bustle-merry-everything-okay? I hope you did.

It started snowing here with determination and it hasn’t stopped. My view is a white, wintery wonderland and the air is cold and crisp and I want a fireplace.
I think a fireplace in my Book Workshop room would be a great addition.

ARCs for Flame True, Bandit Brothers Book Four went out last night. If you want an ARC let me know! I’m not picky. I just ask that you review it somewhere on or before the release date, which is Jan. 17th.

Flame True

She’s the daughter of a Hollywood actor.
The girl they rescued.
He’s the son of a tech giant.
The playboy Dom, who doesn’t want commitment.
And they’re perfect for each other.
Mulberry Stevens’ life changed one June night and hasn’t been the same since she was rescued by the Bandit Brothers. When a new threat emerges, Mulberry decides she isn’t staying hidden this time; her need and desire to be seen drive her choice.
Nick is a total snob and the last man she’d ever choose as boyfriend material, no matter how much sex appeal he oozes behind his glasses and from under his mop of curls. But pretending to be his girlfriend is a solution to her problem.
He views her as the spoiled little rich girl who needed rescuing – that one time.
Despite his grumpy to her sunshine, the heat between them starts to flare.
When discovering who is behind Mulberry’s kidnapping breaks them apart, can they trust their feelings for each other are true?

Teaser from Flame True

End This Year With 800 Free Romance Books? Don’t Mind If I Do.

When I dragged myself into the kitchen to make coffee this morning, the light streaming in, was snow-dark.
The longest night has passed and there’s so much to look forward to in the coming days. There’s a Meave Binchy story collection entitled, “This Year it Will Be Different”, and that’s been my mantra as I’ve trudged through this year that’s been …. well, it’s been a year. The coming year? It will be different.

I am so grateful for my readers! Thank you for reading, it has kept me writing, and having books out in the world has been a bright glowing light that has helped me through this year.

Though I will be sending out a newsletter on the 26th, because this is too good not to, I wanted to give you a heads-up. Like free books? Because this is happening. This promotion runs all day on the 26th of December. It’s for one day only and there will be over 800 books to choose from – all for FREE! No requirements, and no sign-ups, simply click the book you want and it’s yours. I don’t want you to miss out, so here’s the link if you want to pre-register so you get the email: https://www.romancebookworms.com/email-list

Free romance books

Flame For Two, on Sale at Smashwords!

Hi friends,

There is snow out there and more on the way and hours and many cups of tea later, I still feel the cold from being out with the cubs making snow castles. Trying to both get everything done this week and slow down… I lean more towards the, “slow down” and things can wait. They’ll get done or they won’t..

Except for Flame True, it’s getting done.

Anyways, Smashwords is having an end-of-the-year sale, and Flame For Two, the second book in the Bandit Brothers Series, Harper, Logan, and Xander’s story is %50 percent off right now, over there. Click here.

Going to make more tea…

Look! Free Steamy Romance Reads!

The yellow triangle on my taskbar tells me there is all kind of weather alerts, including heavy snow and ice pellets in the forecast and I am grateful that I don’t have to leave the house, today.
Even if that means being stuck in edits.  We’re getting there though, Mulberry and Nick are finishing up nicely and I am so excited about this book. The common wisdom is your first book should be the most trope. Whoops. I guess for me it’s my fourth book.

Check out these steamy free steamy romance reads in this group promotion!

free steamy reads

Santa’s Naughty List Paperback Giveaway!

Good morning friends!

A weak winter sun is streaming into my Book Workshop room as my cubs call it, landing on the empty table that’s waiting for Yuletide decorations. I am hoping to have some festive touches by the day’s end.

I think all of my Alpha Males would be on Santa’s Naughty list but it’s a toss-up between Quinn and Gabe for who would take first place. Like Quinn? Doesn’t seem to stick to any kind of lasting change and you know, you can love someone who has a temper anyways. Gabe had to cut ties to eliminate his stresses but it’s worked out well for him.
I don’t think Logan Marrock or Dax O’Connor would make the list, they’re just too good-natured to let anything stick in their emotional craw for any length of time.

Anyways, I have a signed paperback in the Santa’s Naughty List Paperback Giveaway! You can enter here:

🎅🏽Santa’s Naughty List Giveaway🎅🏽

Kick off the holiday season right with this MASSIVE giveaway! One lucky winner will WIN 30 signed paperbacks, one from every participating author to help them stay warm throughout the cold season.
𝑩𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 you are joining each author’s newsletter.
𝑩𝒐𝒏𝒖𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒔 for following authors on the social media of your choice!
𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 → https://kingsumo.com/g/6nhlfn/santas-naughty-list-giveaway

Santa's Naughty List Giveaway!

Consent is easy.

(Post contains spoilers for Flame Again)

Somewhere in social media, I came across a reader asking an author, “But is there consent? I don’t like reading books without it.” And the author replied something like, “Well.. that’s tricky.”
Admittedly I scrolled along, but I don’t think it’s tricky. There is either clear consent on the page, or it’s dubcon.

Flame Again, a spicy second-chance romance between longtime Dom and sub couple, Ivy and Gabe is dubcon.
We can infer that they’ve been doing this for a while and they have agreements. It’s clear that in the bedroom, Gabe controls Ivy’s orgasms. But there is no on-the-page discussion of safewords or scene negotiation. They kind of tumble into scenes.

There is one scene, where Gabe is kind of pushed to where Ivy wants him to be but maybe not in the way she wanted him to get there. She could have said, “no” and she could have backed out. Ideally, Gabe could have given her a clearer way to consent.

In this scene where Gabe decides he wants to punish Ivy, it’s a tripping point because Ivy has been asking him for more formality in their D/s. She’s been asking for structure and he’s been resistant. This scene shows what is possible to that goal.

Later on in the book, they use the traffic light system, and all of this is with consent being implied, with the background of it being in a long-term Dom/sub relationship.

But consent is damn sexy.

And the characters I wrote after Gabe & Ivy, Dax and Gardenia defintely ring loud and clear with the consent.