October 2019 – Stephanie Hurt

Good Monday morning! With tax season officially over, I’m finally getting my head wrapped around my works in progress. As deadlines loomed over my head for taxes, my writing took a hit. My brain wouldn’t focus on the words that wanted to be written. But, I’m back in the saddle and loving the feeling. I’m writing this morning with a fresh head.

As a writer, we need positive response to our writing. This weekend I received one of the most amazing reviews of Highlander’s Heart. The reviewer saw the vision behind the book and the review showed it. She saw what made this book tick for me. To say I was amazed, well, that doesn’t even begin to express my feelings. If you haven’t read the first book in the Cowen Clan series, then maybe this will encourage you to grab a copy.

Here’s the review:

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite

Highlander’s Heart is the first novel in the Cowen Clan Series by Stephanie Payne Hurt. Evina McLeod is trying to escape the clutches of the cunning Laird McKinney. Sadly, being a woman, she cannot run far away unless she has a powerful guardian to protect her. That protection appears in the form of the handsome Laird Ewan Cowen. Ewan is enamored by her beauty and he is ready to provide her with protection as long as she agrees to marry him. They weren’t expecting to fall in love with each other and they weren’t expecting to be loved in return. However, the reach of Laird McKinney is strong and long. He has a plan in place and he will not stop until he has what he wants. Ewan and Evina are just pawns in a game that he plans to win. What are these two going to do?

This was an intense story of love, acceptance, and safety. I loved the dynamic between Ewan and Evina; they were perfect for each other in the most satisfying way possible. The author has done a wonderful job creating a plot that is believable, enjoyable and perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction. Ewan is a provider and a protector who thinks he doesn’t need love, but once Evina melts his heart, he realizes how important love is. Evina may seem vulnerable at the beginning of the story, but she blooms and develops to become a protector as well. The flow was amazing, the narrative was beautifully intricate and the plot was fast-paced enough to get you involved in the story. This is brilliant!

https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/highlanders-heart

I’ll leave it at that! Didn’t I tell you it was amazing.

Have a great Monday and May God Bless You…

Good morning! We’ve made it to the halfway point of the week. So, how’s your writing going?

Let’s talk about what happens when the story goes away. All of us at one time or another, have experienced writer’s block. Maybe it’s not necessarily writer’s block, but just a lack of motivation for a particular story. Recently this happened to me.

I was working on a story and it was going well. But then, well, I hit a wall. Before the wall, I could see the whole thing, then the wall shot up and nothing. Every word I typed made no sense and it didn’t seem to go anywhere. The story was fizzling out right before my eyes.

So, you might be asking, what did you do? Well, I stopped working on that story and began plotting the next book on my list. The other story never left my mind. Then, as if the wall started to crumble, I began to see the continuation of the book that went away.

All it took was to step away. So many writers continue beating on the wall until they’ve gotten so frustrated that either they stop writing all together, or put together the rest of the book without thinking, which is a huge mistake. Always listen to your heart. When that wall goes up, back away. If it’s meant to be, the wall will crumble, I promise.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…