Stephanie Hurt – Romance Author
This WordPress.com site confirms all things are possible through God!
It’s finally Friday afternoon. Almost time to close the office. And it’s a 3 day weekend for most people. Since I’m an accountant and tax season is upon us, I don’t get the 3 day weekend. But, it’s all good!
Hope you all have a great weekend and be safe!
Ok, so we all have things happen to us that make us just laugh at ourself. None of us are immune from doing things that in hindsight, we question our sanity.
So, today I’m talking the Oops of writing…
Here we go!
1: Someone from the 1800’s can’t flip a switch for power. Yes, it’s something that happens to the best of us. But, it’s a face palm moment when your editor asks you if the book was no longer a historical romance.
2: When your editor texts you and says, ‘Do you even know the name of your main character?’ Yep, renamed midway, then went back to original in the same manuscript. (Character Lists are essential!)
3: You publish your book, then realize that your name is not on the cover. AT ALL!
4: This one hits too close to home. You’re writing more than one book at a time, and you get the storylines mixed up. My editor hates at times! I know she does! You can’t be riding a horse across the wild west one moment, then in a limo headed from the airport in the next chapter. Yep, I did that!
5: The last one for this post, but a goody. Hit submit and realize you submitted the proof copy, not the edited copy… Enough said!
I could go on and on, but you see where I’m going with this. As a writer, you have to laugh and move forward. There is way too many voices in our head to comprehend the simplest task. And yes, that sounds like maybe we need brain scans, but it’s normal for a writer.
Add to my list and give all of us some comfort in knowing we’re not completely crazy.
As always, good writing and May God Bless You…
And remember to laugh… Laugh hard… Then continue on…
It’s Wednesday and I’m up for a little self promotion… Today I’m talking time travel. Have you ever wished to go back to another time and place? Maybe you’ve wanted to go ahead in time to see how something turns out. If you could go back to the time when knights sat at the round table, cowboys rode the old west, or gold rush, would you? What if it meant you’d find the love of your life that you’ve been searching for?
The Journal Series takes you back in time. Each book has a different story, but all are joined by the same story. It’s a powerful spell that sends each woman back to another time and place. So, sit back and check out The Journal Series.
How it started:
June 1795 – Salem, Massachusetts
Marina Granger stood peering out the window. She loved her home at the end of the street in Salem. This was the house that she had built with the money from her herb shop on the square. The witch trials were long gone, but she was still thought of as a witch. Despite this, most revered her skills and sought her out when they needed healing from a large assortment of ailments.
As she stood watching the people of the town come and go, she began to think of her lost love. He’d been everything she’d ever wished for and in her heart, Marina knew that one day they’d be together again. She turned her back to the town and walked over to the table where she’d placed the three journals. With loving care, she ran her old, arthritic fingers over the leather-bound books. Even with her skills with herbs and such, she was unable to stop the advancing of age.
With a sigh, Marina lit a candle beside each book. She then reached in the pouch at her side, and sprinkled the contents over them as she spoke, sending a spell over the journals. Marina learned many spells from her grandmother, who’d lost her own grandmother in the horrid witch trials. Even though she’d been deemed innocent, the town clergy didn’t want to take any chances since she had healing powers. With a flourish, Marina waved her hands over the table. A pleasant smile crossed her beautiful face as she thought of the three women from her bloodline that would find their way to the journals in the future. Their love would blossom as the spell took them back to the time period that they belonged in. It would be here that each one of them would find out what their special powers were and how to use them for good.
As she finished the spell, she could hear the men coming to run her out of town. The loud banging on the front door downstairs, had her grabbing her bag and the journals. She pulled a sconce on the wall to reveal the secret corridor in the wall. Marina placed the three journals on a ledge just inside the wall, smiling as she looked at them for one last second. Then she was gone to never be found again, at least not in her time period…
Book 1 – The Knight of Her Heart
Can an age-old spell change the course of time?
Willa Granger, an antique dealer from Salem, doesn’t know how her life is about to change when she inherits a journal from her great-great-grandmother. The journal has a spell on it. The moment Willa begins to write in it, she’s transported back to medieval Ireland. She finds herself on a grassy hill beside the sea, unsure of what’s just happened.
That’s where Sir Rolfe Gawain, a Knight in the king’s court, finds her. He’s suspicious of her clothing and the way she speaks, but something inside of him wants to protect her. With growing tensions at the palace regarding witchcraft, he must keep the way she says she arrived a secret.
They soon find themselves on the run from the king as suspicions arise about Willa’s sudden appearance. But as they sail across the sea to England, a bond grows between them that is unshakeable. Just when they think all is well, they are captured, and Willa’s life is threatened. The couple makes a difficult choice. Will it separate them forever? Will they find their way back to one another?
This is the first book in the time travel series, The Journal.
Marina placed the three journals on the table, then lit a candle beside each. She reached in the pouch at her side and sprinkled the contents over them as she spoke, sending a spell over the journals. With a flourish, she waved her hands over the table. A smile crossed her face as she thought of the three young women from her bloodline that would find their way to the journals in the future. Their love would blossom as the spell took them back to the time period that they belonged in. Loud banging on the front door had her turning and leaving through the secret hatch in the floor, which is where she left the three journals. Then she was gone to never be found again…
Book 2 – The Cowboy of Her Dreams
Have you ever read a book and wished to go back to that time period? Or maybe you dreamed of finding happiness with a man from that time? What if you could make it happen?
Rain, a book editor from New York, is taken back to the old west where she meets Sloan Weatherby, a rancher in the 1850’s. Ever since childhood, Rain had read western romances and dreamed of living in Texas during the 1800s.
She’d always imagined being the wife of a rancher with work-roughened hands and a heart bigger than Texas. When she opens her eyes after writing in the journal, Sloan rescues her from a runaway stagecoach, their story begins. But, life in another time isn’t easy, especially when his past comes back to haunt him.
Rain begins to think maybe she made the wrong decision. Can love keep her in the old west or will she open the journal and go back to New York, never to look back?
Book 3 – The Pirate of Her Desire
Sometimes when a dream becomes reality things don’t turn out as you imagined.
Since the first romance novel Amber read, she’d always dreamed of living on a pirate ship and capturing the heart of the captain. When the journal sends her to 1750 where she comes face to face with captain George Drake she realizes she might be headed for disaster. Is she prepared for the life on a real pirate ship versus the romanticized versions she’d always read in novels?
Captain George Drake, the most well-known pirate of his time can’t believe his eyes when he sees Amber on his ship. He is filled with anger but one look into her blue eyes and he’s not sure what he is going to do with his beautiful, feisty stowaway. Tensions rise as he struggles to hide this woman from his crew and keep her safe in the midst of a harsh battle. Can he make himself believe a simple journal brought her to his ship?
Will he risk the respect of his crew and everything he has worked toward for the woman that has dropped into his life or will he send her back to her own time? Will he be able to let her go? Will he have a choice?
Their story is action-packed but will unfold into a love story to last for all time.
This short book is a love at first sight romance… Sometimes it only takes a moment to know your heart!
Book 4 – Marina’s Story – A Timeless Love
The final book of The Journal Series is a short story about the woman that created the Journals.
One spell, two hearts, three journals, four epic love stories.
Marina was known as a witch in Boston, but to those that knew her best, she was a healer. From the moment she first went back in time using an ancient journal, she knew that life would never be the same. The man she met was beyond anything she’d ever known.
Ryland, a blacksmith living in a little French village in the early 1600’s knew from the moment he saw Marina that she was his true love. But the local king also loved Marina and would do anything to have her as his own.
They are forced to hide away where they start their happy life, or so they thought… When Marina is forced back to 1739 Boston she must do everything in her power to keep her daughter safe.
In a time where witches were still seen as a threat, Marina will make a decision that will impact generations to come.
And who knows, you may find one of the journals one day and get sent to your true love… Anything can happen when love is involved. Happy reading!
You can get them separate or in a box set!
So, hope you enjoyed the look into The Journal Series. You never know, there may be a journal waiting for you somewhere.
As always, good writing and May God Bless You…
Good afternoon! It’s that time of year to get your tax papers organized and ready for tax time. Yes, I know, it’s a hassle if you’re not organized. Even organized people struggle with this time of year. Do I have this form? Did I make that donation before the end of the year? When did I buy my laptop for writing?
As an accountant, I understand the struggle. But, just take it one day at a time. Sit down with your check register and scan it. Make sure you grab all of your expenses for your writing business or the business that you’re in. Also this is a good way to find donations you made during the year.
Here’s a list for writers to use for expenses and other business can use it too…
The list goes on from here, but this gives you a good idea of where to start. And believe me, once you get into this, you’ll find more.
As always, good writing and May God Bless You…
It’s another cool morning here in Georgia, but I’m warm and cozy under my blanket with my laptop. Today we’re discussing how to organize your published works. You may be asking what I mean, well, let me enlighten you.
With over 50 published books, sometimes I get lost in where every book is already published. I can’t remember which book is on which platform. Organization is needed even if you only put your books on one platform. So, here is what I do…
Platform Organization
First, I sit down and make a spreadsheet. The header includes all of the platforms that my books are on. The first column lists all of my books. This way I can mark off the books that are already on certain platforms. And this also helps when republishing older works with new covers. Doing this, I don’t miss out on having my books everywhere.
The moment I started working with this spreadsheet, I realized that I was missing several platforms for some of my books. This is missed opportunity, so everyday I work on at least one platform, updating files and getting my books everywhere.
| Published | Amazon | KU | B&N | Kobo | Apple | Smash | Audible | ||
| 5 Oaks Ranch Series | |||||||||
| Ridge | |||||||||
| Oakley | |||||||||
| Chase | |||||||||
| Luke | |||||||||
| Maggie | |||||||||
| A Christmas to Remember | |||||||||
| 5O Collection |
Book Organization
Now, you may be asking how this is different. Book organization is a spreadsheet similar to the above one, but this one is book formats. In this one, I just copy the previous spreadsheet and change the header. In the header I input Ebook, Print, Audio, Front Cover, Back Cover, Blurb, and Publish date.
This has helped me to keep up with what needs to be done for each book. It’s like a checks and balances, but for books.
| outline | character | front | ebook | blurb | exerpt | back | spine | ||
| 5 Oaks Ranch Series | |||||||||
| Ridge | |||||||||
| Oakley | |||||||||
| Chase | |||||||||
| Luke | |||||||||
| Maggie | |||||||||
| A Christmas to Remember | |||||||||
| 5O Collection |
I do hope this helps you in some way. It’s helped me a lot.
As always, good writing and May God Bless You…
Hey, we’ve almost got this Monday under our belt. Here in Georgia it’s a cold and rainy one too! Nothing a little coffee or hot tea can’t help. Also, get up and get moving. Do some jumping jacks or run in place. Get that blood flowing, you’ve got this!
Happy Monday!!!
Good Monday morning! I hope that you’re staying warm wherever you are this morning. It’s cold in Georgia and looks to be a dreary day with cold, icy rain. Burrrrr…. I’m sitting by the fireplace, wrapped in my fuzzy blanket, sipping coffee and writing.
So, here’s my Monday thought as I drink my coffee and get my eyes open. What length of book do you like to read or write? Do you love a long, 50K or more book, or a quick read of less than 25K?
Here are my thoughts on the length of a book that I read or write for that matter. I’ve heard from fans that say they love the longer ones, then others love the shorter ones that I write. It’s hard to know what will be the best length based on fans wants.
Now, if I’m picking up a book to read, it’s entirely up to my mood. If I’m kicking back and have the luxury of a whole afternoon to sit by the fire and read, then I’ll choose a longer book, but if it’s just a quick moment of sitting in a bubble bath, then sometimes I prefer a shorter book. Especially if I’m stressed or had a particularly hard day, then I need that quick, mindless read, meaning I need to see the story from start to finish in one sitting and have that heartwarming feeling of a Happily Ever After.
For my writing, it’s a toss up. Some of my series or books are setup to be quick reads. I make them short for a reason. A couple of my series have been wrote in short form just for those fans that write to me all the time wanting what they call, lunch time reads. But I do have long novels in my list. My new series that will start rolling out in March will be long books, each one.
So, long or short read… long or short writing… We all love to read and write, so keep it up and let’s get lost in another world or time at least for a moment or maybe for a whole day. Who am I kidding? We readers tend to read into the night sometimes… There’s nothing wrong with pulling an all nighter!
As always, good writing and May God Bless You…
Why is it that after lunch I always get so sleepy? It’s coffee thirty in the office. Actually, I could drink coffee any time of the day, but around 2 or 2:30 I’m always ready for a cup of coffee.
So, when you have the afternoon yawns, what is your go to?
We made! It’s Friday people… As I sit here, sipping my coffee, I’m thinking about how many words I want to get in over the weekend. It’s the first weekend since before the holidays that we don’t have plans. That feels good too!
As for my writing, I’m finishing up Double Take At Mistletoe Ranch and getting ready to buckle down for the new series In Harm’s Way. It makes me excited to start the new series, which if you know me, then you know I’ve already started writing on it. But I’m ready to dig in and get to the roots of the first book, SAFE.
But, for now, I’ll leave you with a little tidbit from the upcoming new release, Double Take at Mistletoe Ranch…
Maddy came out of the hallway bathroom, holding a cool cloth for her forehead. “Baby, you’re making mommy feel rough.” Then she lovingly rubbed her flat abdomen.
“Honey, you’re carrying Denver’s baby, so that baby is probably kicking and screaming.” Annie said as she put her arm around Maddy’s shoulders.
“I won’t argue with that.” Maddy said, turning on her heel to run back in the bathroom.
The door slammed as Denver walked in the front door. “Is she sick again?” Denver’s brows arched in concern. “Annie, something is wrong, I just know it is.”
Annie gave him an affectionate shoulder rub. “Denver, this is part of the pregnancy. Just give it a month or two and she’ll be eating you out of house and home.”
“I can’t stand seeing her this sick.” Denver leaned against the door frame, lightly knocking. “Maddy, sweetheart, can I get you anything?”
Her voice was weak as she called from inside the bathroom. “Some cool water would be good, with a little lemon.”
“You got it. I’ll be right back.” Denver turned to go get the water.
“Just stay with her, I’ll grab her some water and soda crackers.” Annie went to the kitchen, leaving Denver listening for his bride.
Denver couldn’t stand this. He wanted to make things better, but he had no idea of what to do. He’d spent the last two days worrying about her and the baby. There was no way he was losing Maddy. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. This was supposed to be the happiest time of their life, celebrating the upcoming birth of their first child. But it was turning into a nightmare.
The door opened as Maddy came out of the bathroom. Her face was pale and Denver was positive she’d lost some weight. And the fact that Maddy was already too thin, it only made his anxiety heighten.
“Let’s go in the den so you can lay down.” Denver put his arm around her shoulders, leading her into the other room. He draped a throw over her lap when she curled up in the corner of the couch. “Annie is getting you something to help.”
At that moment, Annie came in with a tray. “Maddy, these crackers may help some with the nausea.” Annie handed Maddy a plate with soda crackers on it. She placed the lemon water beside her on the table. “If you need anything else, just let me know. I’ll be in the kitchen getting lunch ready.
“Thank you Annie.” Maddy said in a raspy voice.
Annie gave her a motherly pat on her knee. “Don’t worry. The nausea will pass.”
“I hope so.” Maddy picked up a cracker and nibbled on it. She’d barely kept anything down for days. It surprised her that she didn’t feel hunger.
Denver sat beside her, not talking. He was too worried to talk. She was the love of his life and to see her so pale made him feel horrible for her. In a warped way, he blamed himself for this. She was pregnant and sick because of him. Then he reminded himself that it took two, but he still solely blamed himself.
The last book of the Mistletoe Ranch Series will have you laughing, crying, and wondering if Denver and Maddy will still hold the Mistletoe Ranch by the time I type The End. I love this story and can’t wait to get it out to my wonderful fans. Thanks for all the love that Mistletoe Ranch has received. It releases January 29th! Preorder today!
As always, good writing and may God Bless You…
Wow, we’ve made it to the midweek crunch. So, what’s running through my mind this afternoon? Glad you asked. Here goes…
Do you read other genres than you write in? I write romance, so I mostly read romance novels. But to my surprise, I talked with other writers that don’t read the genre they write. How is that possible? Just a little thought that ran through my mind as I sip my coffee this afternoon…
Stephanie Hurt - Romance Author 