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.

Only Human

Ahhh...feels good to publish another book. Three Bijou books in three months. I never could have done it without the help of Sally, Candy Girl, and Sarah. I can't seem to get organized this year, so every book is a last minute scramble to make my publishing deadline. Despite a lazy July, I am thrilled Damaged and the Bulldog is completed. High five for book five in 2014.

While I won't hit my "publish 20 books in 2 years" goal like I hoped, nineteen books ain't so shabby. Indie publishing isn't like the traditional big guys. Someone like Karen Marie Moning took two years between Iced and Burned in her super popular Fever series. TWO YEARS!!! That's an eternity in indie publishing. Even a book a year won't cut it. Successful indies churn out several books a year. Some manage a book or two a month! No way am I organized enough for that level, but I'm working on it.

I'm already focusing on Blue Awakening. I need to finish it quickly, so I can get back to my Bijou books. You know, the novels that feed my family. However I'm itching to start the Memphis series. The idea came to me during my drive to Texas in January. Now I need to bring the idea alive.

Finally, I sometimes feel like I've betrayed my Angela books. A few of the potential series have been dropped. Shadow Sisters, McCormick Sisters, and Sub Sami will never enjoy their followups. Or at least not anytime soon. Even though I've abandoned them in many ways, I dedicate this song to them...

Gimme Gimme

Delays and dynamite news!

Let's start with the good stuff. As I've written in the past, Pooh is showing improvement on his new meds. I am thrilled to share  he's back to the sweetheart we all know and love. It's like a switch was flipped back on and our Pooh returned. He's even eating solids again. We'll never likely know why he stopped, but it's great to see him trying his old favorite foods. Plus, eating solids means we'll worry less about counting calories to ensure he's getting enough from liquids alone.

Though Pooh is doing great, I won't be attending the book signing in Houston next month. We really wanted to visit Texas during the summer and face the heat everyone warns us about, but things are only now settling down at home. Leaving Sally and Pooh to drive to Houston for a week doesn't make sense.

I'm hoping to attend a signing in November if spots remain open. It'll be nice to see my cousin and her family again. Also Stephanie who is preparing to publish her next book.

Speaking of publishing, I had to push back Bulldog's release date by a week. The book wasn't strong enough especially the first part. I'm working with Candy Girl and Sally to improve the book. As much as I hate missing deadlines, I couldn't shortchange readers simply to make an arbitrary date.

The last book in the series will be tricky. While the heroine was introduced in book four, the hero is an enigma. A badass assassin known only as Saint, he took out most of the Devils MC in Damaged and the Outlaw. Otherwise, he's an unknown. This could be a great thing or a disappointment if readers don't warm up to him. Only time will tell.

I'm currently sketching out the final plot for Blue Awakening. After Bulldog is out, I'll spend the rest of July finishing the YA paranormal book for my Angela series. I also have Cooper's POV on the agenda.

August will bring Little Memphis to the forefront while I also work on Saint. Likely Memphis#1 will be released first with Broken Memphis after Saint. I don't know how long the three books will take to complete. It's my hope to work on the final Gigi Monroe book after Memphis#2. If so, I'll finish two Angela and two Bijou series in 2014.

So that's  my work schedule for the rest of the year. Besides writing, I'm enjoying the summer with my boys. Tigger is obsessed with a Chinese buffet close to our house, so we're there a couple times a week. Roo spends most of his time on the computer (like his mom) and is not looking forward to starting school in a few weeks.

This week should be busy with Bulldog and family errands, but the weather is expected to be lovely. I look forward to both productivity and playing. I hope everyone else enjoys a pretty July.

This week's great songs are made better by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

All Fired Up

The summer is here. The bugs are out. The yard needs love (to the tune of 2 grand). The new romance releases are arriving fast and furious. June is turning out to be quite a boon for readers.

In personal news, Pooh continues to show improvement on his medication. He smiles easier and is more alert.  We're seeing more of the child he was before his troubles began in March.

Pooh and I had the flu last week, though I was much whinier about this fact. Finally I was writing Bulldog again. As I type this post, I have less than a month until the book's release. Eek!!! While I'm behind again (shock), these characters are super easy to write. So much dysfunction and angst. Plus, I have a whole new family to focus on.

Candy Girl redesigned the cover for The Bite. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much to design for me this summer. The Bulldog cover has been in the bag since winter and Blue is pretty much set. Once I work on Little Memphis, Miranda can get creative again.

Roo is loving his summer break while Tigger enjoys the warmer weather. Tinker doesn't love the season though. All the thunderstorms terrify the little furball and she hides under the couch most of the time.

Well that's a quick update until I have something more concrete to share. Enjoy your weekend plus two great songs by Pat Benatar.