Wednesday giggles…

Have you ever been writing and went back to read over what you’d written? Sometimes you have to sit back and go, what the heck was I thinking…

I had one of those moments just now. It was a LOL moment. I have no clue what I was trying to say, but I had to delete almost a whole paragraph.

That’s why we edit, edit, and edit some more. Then we send to an editor, then edit some more. Sometimes I really think I’m drunk when I write some of my words. But, as I’ve said a thousand times, it’s a rough draft people.

So, happy Wednesday people…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Come by and follow me on BookBub to keep up with all of my new releases!

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/stephanie-payne-hurt

Advertisement

MONDAY Coffee is the best!

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Can you believe it’s already Monday? And we’re already in November? This has been a crazy year, hasn’t it?

On my first cup of coffee, I dread Monday…

On my second cup of coffee, I figure it’s not going away, so…

On my third cup of coffee, I think I can do this…

As I turn the pot up, I know I can do this because in reality, it’s just another day…

Pardon me while I go make another pot!

Make it a great day with a smile and some coffee. Well, in my case, a lot of coffee!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Pexels.com

Wishful Harbor

Well, another series is in the books so to say… Wishful Harbor will be complete on the 7th when Bay Street releases. It’s so sad to see the characters go, but this series has brought me so much joy. So, let’s go to wishful Harbor for a moment…

This is a series about the small New England town of Wishful Harbor. Each story can be read as a standalone or part of the series. They are filled with romance, mystery and small-town charm.

Book 1

Breakwater Lane

When Jordan Reed inherits her grandfather’s deli in small town Wishful Harbor, her life is turned upside down. Things start to look better when her childhood crush, Skylar, turns out to be her new contractor. When someone tries to intervene in Jordan and Skylar’s relationships the mysteries of Jordan’s family start to unravel. What she learns could change her life and her family’s reputation forever.

Book 2

Hideaway Lane

When a small fire in Julie’s bookstore brings the firemen, she’s shocked to find out one of them is her old high school crush, Paul Wells. Paul can’t believe his luck, so he asks her to the town festival. He’s now the owner of the Christmas tree farm on Hideaway Lane, the one Julie has been going to all her life. But, when the bank threatens to take the farm from him, Julie steps in to help. Romance blooms in this story of old crushes, Christmas spirit, and small-town charm.

Book 3

Inlet Circle

In the small town of Wishful Harbor, life is good, that is until things go wrong. When Lacey, the owner of One More Cup, the local coffee shop slides on the ice and right into the side of Chip’s truck, the sparks fly. Chip has come to town to take over ownership of the Inlet Cove Inn. Neither of them is ready for anything more than friendship, but when they’re stranded at the Inn with no power for twenty-four hours, they think that maybe love could heal old wounds. But, only time will tell in this sweet, small-town romance.

Book 4

Pier Cove

A SmallTown Romance filled with adventure and sweet romance…
Marly loves anything old, so what starts out as a hobby, turns into a business. Since she’s a treasure diver in her spare time, she’s thrilled when the opportunity arises to run a store in the historical seaside town of Wishful Harbor.
Liam is a third-generation owner of the Wishful Harbor marina. He is interested in knowing more about the new resident of Wishful Harbor. They hit it off as friends almost immediately.
When she hears the old tale of a shipwreck off the end of the lighthouse cape, she enlists Liam’s help to find the treasure, although he’s not a fan of taking her to the wreck. When her old boyfriend gets wind of it, he shows up wanting to take what she’s trying to find.
Together, Marley and Liam work to find the treasure, along with Liam’s granddad Liam. The friendship starts to make a turn into something more, but neither are sure as their pasts try to keep them from having a future.
This is a sweet romance, full of adventure and laughs. The small town of Wishful Harbor is a treasure to be found, and everyone there is family.

Book 5

Bay Street

Bailey Garrett moved to Wishful Harbor looking for a new start. A month before moving to Wishful Harbor, her mother died, and she found out her stepfather was a liar, a thief, and a con artist.

Sherriff Scott Wick hears who is opening the souvenir shop in town, he makes it his business to keep an eye on her hoping she isn’t anything like her stepfather.

Then as mysterious things start happening around Bailey, it doesn’t take Scott long to see that darkness follows Bailey around every corner. Will Scott be able to keep her safe or will her past consume both of them?

In the exciting conclusion of the Wishful Harbor series there will be mystery, adventure, and romance.

Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Saying goodbye is never easy!

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

It’s hard to believe that I’m finishing the last book of the Wishful Harbor Series. I’ve enjoyed every moment of writing this series. The characters will always hold a special place in my heart. And the town of Wishful Harbor will draw me in and send me on a journey where the scent of sea air and the sound of sea gulls overhead fill the air.

Saying goodbye to anything isn’t easy. In life, there’s so many things we have to say goodbye to. But with a book series, even though the series has come to a close, the books will be there to read over and over. The memories will be there too.

Over the years of my writing career, I’ve said goodbye to many series. The Five Oaks Ranch Series is still one of my bestselling series and it continues to gain momentum. I’ve had so many people write to me about adding more books to that series. Maybe one day, but for now, it’s just a dream…

In January I’ll publish the last Mistletoe Ranch book. And I just published the last book from The Journal Series. With each new series, there has to be an end. New things need to start and life goes on. But the memories will forever be there along with the laughter, tears and thought that went into each word.

Starting in 2021 I’ll be starting a whole new series, one that will pull everything out of me. I’m so excited about it. I’ve not spoken much about it, but in the coming weeks, I’ll post some snippets and info on it. But for now, let’s just say, 2021 will be filled with mystery, intrigue, and romance.

For now, I’ll go back to my writing and the cup of coffee that’s growing cool. But I’ll ask one question, how do you handle saying goodbye?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Preorder today!

Writing through Menopause brain…

Photo by energepic.com on Pexels.com

Alright ladies, who can raise their hand on this one? If you’re already at that age where your brain is fuzzy at best, then you’re aware of the effects it has on your writing. Some days my mind just doesn’t want to function, which can cause quite a disturbance in my daily word count. What to do?

For me, I caffeine up and take something naturally, which does help, but there are days when none of this makes a difference. I feel sluggish, irritable and just uninterested. That makes me crazy since writing is my happy place.

I’ve been reading a lot lately on how to combat this. One of the things is I make sure that I write everyday, even through the fuzzy edged mind. My editor laughs sometimes when she gets the first draft because, well, the menopause brain makes me stumble over my words, quite literally. Some of my words get ahead of themselves, but thank goodness she understands me, so she plows through it.

Another thing that has helped is a painting app on my phone. When the fuzziness starts creeping in, I pull out my phone and begin to paint. It’s paint by numbers and very relaxing. I’ve also found that while I’m painting, I can work through plots and scenes in my head. So, this is helping.

How many of you have these issues? Let’s work through them together and get to the next stage in our lives. Yes, I’m proud to be almost 52. My life has been an amazing adventure and I know this season will be another adventure that I will laugh at when I get past it. But for now, I’ll just do everything in my power to keep up my work.

As always, May God Bless You…

And while you’re working through it, give Marina a read. It’s a short story to finish out my The Journal Series.

https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1535894983

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marinas-story-timeless-love-stephanie-hurt/1137860225?ean=2940162731931

It’s Thursday, let’s Throwback!

Today I want to throw it back to 2015 I wrote a book that would change so many things in my writing adventure. Check out this nice little emblem I was honored with for Tuscany.

And this was out of over 950 entries!

Tuscany then led me down the traditional publishing route with a great publisher, Solstice Publishing. I was so excited as I signed that contract and began that part of my publishing journey.

Signing publishing contract!

Then in 2019, I took the ownership of my manuscript back and started a new journey. As you can see, Tuscany has taken me so many places, not to mention to Italy in my writing. I discovered so much through writing this novel and added a strong item to my bucket list, a trip to Tuscany. One day… But for now, I’ll stay rooted to the ground.

Tuscany

***Tuscany made it to the top 55 of 985 books in the SYTYCW contest through Harlequin***

Sometimes life leads us on a different path… Fall in love with Tuscany as you follow Lana on the adventure of a lifetime… When Lana Daniels, a simple girl from Georgia inherits a large olive farm in Tuscany, her world is turned upside down. Then she meets Romeo Russo, the farm’s foreman, the most handsome and infuriating man she had ever met. Romeo loves the farm and is afraid that Lana will ruin everything if she stays. But as he gets to know her, he can’t imagine the place without her. Just when he thinks that they can have something together, she finds out that she has three months to decide whether to stay in Italy or sell her grandmother’s legacy.
As accidents start to happen on the farm, Romeo and Lana try to figure out who is behind it all. The more they work together, the closer they get. When a lie tears Lana and Romeo apart, Lana disappears leaving Romeo confused. Can she stay away or will she sell the farm and never look back?.
Tuscany made it to the Top 55 out of 905 of Harlequin’s 2015 So You Think You Can Write Contest…

So, I hope you fall in love with a bit of Tuscany in this novel. I know I did!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Pumpkin Spice Time!

Photo by Valeriia Miller on Pexels.com

Good Monday morning! It’s that time of year where pumpkins are everywhere. Which means pumpkin spice time! For those that have followed my blog, you know that I love pumpkin spice, but there are some things that don’t need to be pumpkin spice flavored.

Now, I enjoy pumpkin spice lattes, creamer, cake, coffee, cookies, pop tarts, and other things. But I’ve tried some things that just don’t make the count for me. Pumpkin spice cereal was ok, but didn’t want it again. Then I saw pumpkin spice mac & cheese, we won’t even go there… Someone gave me some pumpkin spiced candy and well, the first trash can I pass, it got tossed. I still shudder at some of the things I’ve tried with pumpkin spice in it.

So, what do you like with pumpkin spice? What have you tried that just didn’t make the cut?

Happy Fall Ya’ll!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Go by and sign up for my newsletter to keep up with all of my new releases at www.stephaniehurtauthor.com

Monday Thoughts…

Good Monday morning! I hope your Monday is fabulous. I’m on the first full day of our vacation. The boys are out in the boat fishing and I’m sitting in the room writing. Which is wonderful!

I’m finishing the last of Pier Cove, Book 4 of the Wishful Harbor Series. This is one of my favorite series and with only one more book to go, I’m so sad to see it coming to an end. I’ve enjoyed getting to know each of the characters in Wishful Harbor, the sweet little seaside town.

With each new book there is an added set of characters. Also, each book can be a standalone, which makes it versatile. I can imagine sitting out on the back deck of the little shops, watching the sun set or climbing the lighthouse to see everything around me.

If you haven’t fell in love with Wishful Harbor, then check the books out on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Walmart. You won’t regret it!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Don’t forget to grab a copy of my latest release, To Dance With Dragonflies at iTunes… https://books.apple.com/us/book/to-dance-with-dragonflies/id1513491921?mt=11&app=itunes&at=1001l35iN

Tuesday Teaser – Pier Cove

Good Tuesday morning! It’s time for a Tuesday Teaser. Pier Cove is coming soon, so, here’s a little teaser of what’s inside the covers.

Marley turned as the bell over the door jingled happily. The man coming in wasn’t unfamiliar to her. She’d met him once or twice at the Marina when she ate dinner. He was a nice looking man, in possibly his mid thirties. The corners of his eyes had what she called, ‘sun wrinkles’ which told her that he spent a lot of time in the sun. She smiled as he walked up to the counter as though he had a purpose other than just browsing. If Marley remembered correctly, it was the first time he’d been in the store since she opened it.
“Good morning. Can I help you, uh…” Marley hated it when she forgot someones name.
“Liam, Liam Masterson, owner of the Marina. We met at the restaurant.” Liam said with a friendly smile.
“Oh, yes, Liam. Sorry. I’m horrible with names.” Marley said with a giggle. “SO, Liam, what can I help you with?”
“Well, Mr. Searcy came into the restaurant a few minutes ago and said you’d put out an old ship’s wheel. I’d love to take at look at it.”
“Sure. I just found it this past weekend. I couldn’t believe nobody hadn’t already snatched it up.” Marley said as she walked around the end of the counter and led him to the section of the store that held mariner type items. “Here it is.”
Liam stepped up to the shelf and took a good look at it. “May I pick it up?”
“Be my guest.” Marley said happily. “It’s the original patina also. I think it’s in good shape for it’s approximate age.”
“I’m thinking it is possibly early to mid 1900’s.” Liam said as he continued to look at the wheel.
Marley tilted her head in surprise. “You know your antiques.” She was impressed.
“Just when it comes to things of the sea.” Liam laughed at her surprised look. “What? I’m a anything to do with the sea fanatic.”
“I love the sea.” Marley said, then she remembered what the two older men had said earlier. “And on that note, is it true there’s a missing treasure just out from the harbor?”
Liam lifted his eyes from the wheel to stare at her. “Rumor has it that the treasure was never found. I’m skeptical at best. Why? Do you dive too?”
“Yes, several items in this store were found on my dives.” Marley pointed at a picture on the wall of her holding up several gold coins she found while diving off the coast of Georgia. “So, if someone was wanting to dive over the wreckage, who would they see about that? Is it forbidden or protected?”
“They’d come see me. I take out divers all the time. Sometimes I dive too. It’s according to my mood when I go out.” Liam crossed his arms across his chest, looking at the woman standing in front of him. “Are you dive certified?”
“Have been for years?” Marley said, standing a little straighter as she saw the doubt in his eyes. “I know what I’m doing, so don’t be afraid of that.”
“So, would you take me out to the wreckage?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. That wreckage is unstable and besides that, as I said, I’m skeptical. My best guess is that the treasure is a myth started by someone years ago to make people come to the harbor.”
“I’ve dived many old wrecks that were unstable. I’m more than capable to be cautious. Would you think about it?” Marley saw that pushing this man wouldn’t get her anywhere.
“I’ll think about it. As I said, the wreck is unstable and shouldn’t be explored. Leave well enough alone and if there is a treasure, which I highly doubt there is, just leave it be.” Liam picked the ships wheel back up. “But I’ll make a decision on this now. Sold.” He grinned as he followed her to the counter. She was a nice looking woman, but he had a bad feeling about taking her to the old wreckage.
“You made a good choice. This was a great find.” Marley said as she entered his purchase in her sales system.
“I know just where I’ll hang it too. There’s a spot just to the right of my kitchen window where it will look good.” Liam gave Marley his credit card and looked around while she swiped the car. “I’m glad someone revitalized this store. I remember when it was a bait shop, but that was when I was a small boy. It’s been a general store, craft store and one person put a fine art store in here, but that didn’t last too long.”
“It’s a great location. I lucked up by getting it and the apartment upstairs solved my housing issue.” Marley said, then she handed him the slip to sign.
Liam signed the slip, then looked back up at the woman behind the counter. “You seem too young to be into antiques.”
“You’d be surprised.” Marley placed his receipt in the slot on the cash drawer.
“Most likely. I’ll give it some thought about taking you to dive the wreck. But please, do some research before you do. I just think it will be a waste of your time. Not to mention the instability of the wreckage. It’s dangerous and I’d hate for you to get hurt.”
“I’ll do some research. As you said, it could be a waste of time.” Marley said, mainly to placate this man that seem determined not to let her dive the wreck. And as he said, it could be a waste of time, but she’d still look into it. If there was a chance that the treasure existed, she planned on checking it out. This could be the find of a lifetime.
“Glad you’re sensible.” Liam said with a satisfied smile. “I’m going to hang this now. Will you be coming by the restaurant later?”
Marley shrugged, “We’ll see. Maybe.”
“If you do, I’ll take you to see this on the wall.” Liam said as he put his card up and picked up his purchase. “And tonight is chowder night? You don’t want to miss it.”
“I’ll make an effort to come then.” Marley nodded as he walked out the door. She watched him walk past the front windows. He was such a nice looking man. A thrill went down her spine as she thought about seeing him again. There was something about Liam that pulled her in.
As she continued to work that day, she decided to ask Liam to take her diving somewhere other than the wreck. Maybe if he saw that she was an experienced diver, then he’d take her to the wreck. With that decision made, she went up to her apartment to freshen up before she walked to the Marina for dinner.
It was already bustling with people when she arrived. The hostess seated her near a window overlooking the marina. She ordered the chowder and a small caesar salad. As she waited for her food, she saw Liam come into the dining room. He took her breath away as he smiled at one of the people at the front table. His blue eyes seemed to twinkle, which was so cliche’, but it was true. His presence made everyone smile. She noticed several people wave at him and acknowledge him. He was well liked here in Wishful Harbor.
When Liam looked her way, he smiled at her, then started walking in her direction. “I’m glad you decided to come for chowder night. You won’t be disappointed. It’s my great grandmothers recipe.” Liam said as he gestured at the opposite seat. Marly nodded her approval, so he sat down.
“I love the view of the harbor. It’s so peaceful.” Marly looked out across the harbor and sighed.
Liam watched her face, unable to speak for a moment. She had the kind of beauty that wasn’t over the top, it was just simple and nice. “I agree. The sunset is amazing from here. Sometime you’ll have to go with me for a sunset ride across the harbor.”

Ok that was just a small snippet from Pier Cove. Keep looking for the release date that’s coming soon. This is the fourth book in the Wishful Harbor Series. Each book of the series can be standalone or together. Fall in love with the small seaside town of Wishful Harbor and all of it’s citizens.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Playlists…

Good Monday morning. How many of you have a music playlist that is your go to when writing, cleaning, working, or whatever you are doing? Many writers have certain playlists for each kind of scene that are working on. Some people have playlists they play when cleaning the house and others use certain songs when just sitting around, doing nothing at all.

Now, as for me, I have quite an eclectic playlist assortment. If I’m writing a sweet part, I love to listen to soft classical piano music. Although if I’m into a more dramatic part, I love something darker and heavier. I rotate between Evanescence, Journey, Marinas Trench and Mozart. I told you it’s out there. As a writer, I thrive on what’s happening around me. Sounds can affect me in a way that changes the attitude of my character or even the mood of a scene.

So, what’s your playlist like? Do you change with the scenes?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Photo by Burst on Pexels.com