Redneck Friend

What a wild week! When I last posted on the blog, I'd just published Little Memphis. I was really worried many of my readers wouldn't be interested in LM because they were focused on the final Damaged book. I was thrilled to have so many tell me they enjoyed the new series and looked forward to more. That was Friday the 19th.

The next morning, my son Pooh was taken to the hospital. We waited in the ER for nearly twelve hours before he was released. Fortunately, he's shown improvements over the week. With Pooh, life is always a struggle.

Once my boy was home and safe, I was able to work on Damaged and the Saint. I expected LM to perform like the last few Damaged books with a strong few days before tapering off over the week. At first, the sales were on par for what I expected. Then I ran a promo on Sunday. Within days, I reached the highest ranking of my writing career.

What's exciting is how many new readers have been introduced to my books. They're also itching for the next Memphis book. The feedback has been so positive that I decided to make Little Memphis MC a trilogy. This will add a new book to my already booked 2015 scheduled.

Along with the final Memphis book, I plan to start a biker trilogy next year. What's funny is how the series started as my subject line in an email to Miranda. I wrote how a bad mood was rising. She responded that Bad Men Rising would make a cool title for a book or series. Next thing we knew, ideas were brewing and an entire new world was born.

So it was a wild week because of Pooh's health, but can I really complain? As a midlist author, I'm blessed to hit such a ranking and sell thousands of books in the first week. Whether I do as well in the future is always up in the air, but writing books rather than this blog would probably help. :P

I'll leave you with one of my favorite country songs ever...

Yes, I Am

High five for book six in 2014! Little Memphis went live yesterday as scheduled. So far, feedback is positive, sales are solid, and I'm already focused on my next project ~ Damaged and the Saint. As a midlist author, I can never slows down. Certainly not in the competitive indie market.

Once again, Candy Girl helped me put together the book. She designed the cover and teasers too. For the first time, she read the book in parts while I wrote it. Her feedback was helpful especially for the character of Bebe.

I'm excited to have a signing on the schedule for 2015. There's an incredible amount of competition in the romance world, so grabbing a spot at a cool signing is always a boon. I've never been to Savannah, Georgia. Neither have my boys and the signing will be on Roo's 12th birthday. Talk about a fun trip.

I'd love to travel more and my family's rather bohemian lifestyle allows for trips. Unfortunately, Pooh's chronic health issues make leaving often difficult. We're currently looking for additional help, so Sally won't be on her own when I'm out of town.

October is one of my favorite months. Both Roo and Sally have birthdays. It's Fall Break, so we have two weeks off from school. Plus Halloween is fun. My boys are no longer interested in trick or treating, so we watch horror comedies (Scary Movie or This Is the End) and order pizza.

Well it's been a weird month. Better than August, but still a lot of ups and downs. Things are beginning to settle and I'm looking forward to writing Saint. I'm adding a little color to the lily-white town of Ellsberg. I'll also introduce characters from future series. 

Well I should probably get back to writing since my next deadline is right around the corner. I'll end with a little more Melissa Etheridge.

All About That Bass

It's been awhile since I blogged. August is always a funky month for me. Roo starts school, meaning I need to create his coursework. Tigger and I had dental issues last month. He bounced back faster than I did. Ah, to be young.

This month is already proving to be better. I finished writing Little Memphis. The first book in my new romance series is now in the hands of my beta readers. No doubt it'll need tweaking and proofing, but the toughest part is over. Best of all, I'm not scrambling at the very last minute as usual.

In September 2013, I gave up my teaching work to write full-time. I can't believe I'm able to pay my bills doing what I love. Professionally writing is a dream I've had since I was a kid, but I'd nearly given up on it until the indie publishing revolution.

There's no rest for the wickedly happy. As soon as Little Memphis is published, I'll start on the final Damaged book. Saint might prove to be a starting point for a spin-off series. As Candy Girl pointed out though, I have so many projects lined up that I'll probably publish the books in 2020.

For this year, the plan is to publish the two Little Memphis books and Saint. I've also been invited to contribute to a box set coming out next year. I can't get into the details, but I'm psyched for my novella to be sold alongside those by such cool authors.

I hoped to attend a few signings in Houston in November. Unfortunately, those opportunities fell through. While I love traveling and meeting readers, focusing on writing and family in November makes sense. I also want a little time to edit the next Dakota book.

Before I sign off, I'm sending praying to all those lost in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Roll with the Changes

What was I saying a week ago about my plans? Oh well, I'm rolling with the changes now. Blue (oh, poor sweet sacrificial Blue) is again on the back burner. I am focusing on Bijou books again. Little Memphis to be specific with Saint as my backup. What changed?

Pooh's health continues to improve, so I plan to travel to Houston for a book signing. Possibly two, if all goes well with the organizer. Assuming everything comes together, November will be a wild month. Two weeks away from Pooh and Sally will be emotionally tough, but I'm looking forward to the trip.

Ideally, I would love to promote both the Damaged and Memphis series at the signings. To make that happen, I need to finish them both. Three books in three months. It'll be tricky, but a girl's gotta dream.

So Blue waits again for her HEA. Gigi's final book will also be an end of the year project. I have too many ideas. Standalone books for Bijou plus I'm beginning two (possibly three) series next year. I need to write faster, dammit!!!

Last weekend, I ran a promotion for Damaged and the Beast which is permafree. I saw a big increase in free downloads and the book was ranked in the 50's in Amazon's free store. Of course, the hope is a large number of the readers who download Beast for free will enjoy it enough to buy Knight, Cobra, etc. There's already been an uptick in sales for the follow-up books along with several positive reviews for Beast. Once again, Miranda found me a marketing avenue that paid off. Would it be a blog post without a shout out for Candy Girl?

Writing Bulldog was tricky for me. There's no loser parent to show up and create tension at the end. Winnie and Dylan aren't the most dramatic or funniest characters in the series. The book simply comes down to a damaged girl, a man struggling to be worthy, and how they build a life together. I admit I was nervous readers wouldn't click with the book, but all the feedback has been positive so far. Now I need to give the series a strong send off with Saint. However it looks like I'll also write one more Damaged book next year for Sawyer and Jace.

In personal news, school just began around here. Not for Roo, but the kids in the neighborhood are already up early to catch the buses. Roo starts Monday since I saw no reason for his first day to be on a Wednesday. Homeschooling definitely has its perks.

I really enjoyed my summer break. Pooh's health improved. Roo and Tigger were my assistants, always running errands with me. We got a Netflix subscription and watched movies for the first time in years. Our favorites so far have been comedies like "This Is The End" and "Heat."

The only downside is I haven't been visiting Denny's often. I miss Zaby ~ my favorite waitress. She's kinda like a muse since I always do solid writing when she's around. My new plan is to take Roo to Denny's a few days a week. I'll work while he does school assignments. Changing the location can make a kid more excited about learning. I know it makes me happier.

This week's songs are by REO Speedwagon. Yeah, they're classics for a reason.