So much water under the bridge, Ghost Love is 3!

Good morning everyone! I do hope you’re having a wonderful morning, for some of you a wonderful afternoon, maybe even early evening. Well today’s a special day for this writer, it’s the 3 year anniversary of Ghost Lover being published. I’m a proud mama for sure.

Ghost Lover came about a long time ago in my head and was originally named ‘Can This be Real’. But once I was ready to edit the final draft Ghost Lover came into my mind and the name was cemented in my writing history. It’s been a crazy ride since I hit the publish button on this one. There’s been 3 covers, yes 3.

Yep, that first one, well let’s just say it didn’t last long. I fell immediately in love with the second one, then of course I fell over my own feet with the third one. As the book evolved, so did the cover. The third cover goes with the revised, 2nd edition which I published several months ago. I’ve grown as a writer over the last three years and realized that Ghost Lover needed a more detailed edit.

Here’s a few fun facts about Ghost Lover.

1: It was written over ten years ago under the name ‘Can This Be Real’.

2: This was the first book to make me cry and laugh in the same paragraph. Yep, this book touched me.

3: I received my first call from a big publishing house with this one. Actually I had two call me wanting me to republish this one under their name. As you can see, I didn’t. I stuck to my guns and held strong.

4: This book went International and did really well which totally blew my mind as a new writer.

5: I still have a book cowboy crush on Jared. He’s some kind of gentleman and still makes my head spin.

If you haven’t read Ghost Lover then now’s the best time. For a limited time it’s on sale at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for .99. Yes, I said .99! I want everyone to fall in love with Jared and Jess, the couple that started my writing career. I’m forever grateful.

So, have you fell in love with a cowboy lately? If not, then check out Jared. He’ll steal your heart and lock it away forever…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday is Release Day!

This is the full book cover for Finding The Right Time. The official release is Monday. The Preorder is up until Sunday night. It is only .99 until the official release.

For an author release day is huge. As a reader it can be huge also. If you’re a fan of someone and they release a new book you usually get really excited. I know I do. If you’ve preordered the book, then guess what you have on release day, you have the book on your device and ready to read.

Release day can be riddled with excessive promotional posts (Yep, get ready because Monday it will hit) and then you have the excitement of seeing how well the preorder did.

Well here’s a little bit about the book. It’s a step away from my normal writing, but it was so exciting to write. This book is a Time Travel Romance, which makes it a fantasy lived out in a fictional book. Who hasn’t wanted to go back in time to redo something or undo something?

One of my favorite quotes in the book is:

He bowed his head and shook it from side to side. “I don’t understand how a man that’s been dead for over one hundred years can just take over your heart. How can you even think about going back to him? If you love me, how can you love him too?”

To me this is a pivotal part of the book. It’s an example of the emotions that are challenged in this book. Since I love romance, this book has such a strong pull to it. It shows that through everything, true love shines through. We’re all given a chance to love, it’s how we treat that love and nourish that love that makes the difference. If you don’t meet it halfway and give it a chance, how will you ever know where it could go. Sometimes we have to follow our instincts and most definitely our dreams.

This book was a long work in progress. I worked on this one for well over six months which is longer than my normal work time. It really pulled at me emotionally and kept me on my toes. When you step a little away from your normal genre a bit, it challenges you. I love a good challenge.

Here’s the preorder links available until Sunday night at midnight:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/413534

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-the-right-time-stephanie-hurt/1118861344?ean=2940045730792

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/finding-the-right-time/id830991170?mt=11

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday Morning Wake Up Post

If you haven’t realized it yet, yep it’s Monday folks. School started back today after a very long break due to the ice storm and then Winter Break. The alarm clock went off at 6:00 this morning and it was rough. I’m working on my second cup of coffee and contemplating my third.

Of course with Tax season in full swing my day is full of appointments for drop offs and pick ups. But for another hour I get to sit and enjoy my coffee, work on my upcoming book release and relax. This is my time when I can quietly work on things in the house. I already have a load of laundry and a load of dishes going. But more importantly I have a book to finish.

Since I’m working on my first time travel romance, I’m excited about the upcoming release. I’m doing this one a little differently than my other books. It’s going to have a pre-order available through Smashwords. The pre-order will be on Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes and Kobo. I will be running several giveaways and some free books to select people that win the drawings. The contest will be announced this week so keep watching. Several of my books will be up for grabs to those that pre-order my book and send me a picture of their pre-order confirmation, but I’ll announce the rules soon.

As for the book that’s coming out, I think my fans will be surprised. I’m hoping it will be a pleasant surprise. This is a little step away from my normal writing, but of course there is still a handsome cowboy and horses, I have to keep that going. But I’ve never delved into the time travel genre. It’s been a great experience and I think it’s a story that will make you think and wonder all the way to the end, which is an interesting ending.

So, how are you spending your Monday morning? How many cups of coffee does it take to get you going? Let me know I’m not the only coffee addict…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Back to School Book Sale

Good Friday morning. It’s another rainy, dreary morning here in Georgia. Makes me want to go back to bed with a good book and another cup of coffee or at least Earl Grey tea. But alas, work beckons me to the office. It’s Friday and payroll is due out for several clients so…

I’ve decided to do a Back to School book sale for the rest of August. It’s already up on Amazon and soon to be on allromanceebooks.com and Smashwords.com which will put it on Barnes & Nobles, Kobo, Apple and so on. Am I committing earnings suicide, well maybe, but it’s a hard month finance wide for lots of people. What with school supplies, school clothes, dorm supplies, and all the other school related purchases. So maybe this will help and give someone out there a chance to sit back and read a minute or two.

As for everything else going on, well let’s just say, it’s been a busy couple of weeks. I’m trying to finish up my newsletter for submission next week to my subscribers. It’s not too late to subscribe. All you need to do is message me here or through my email.

The other big story is the upcoming blog tour with my friend from across the pond, Rosie Amber. We’ve joined forces to do a blog tour from both sides of the Atlantic. It’s called Romancing September Across the World Blog Tour. We still have a couple of openings but they’re going fast. IF you write romance or put in romance elements in your writing join us for this exciting tour. We’ve already got some great response. Just send me a message and I’ll send you the info. Also put including link below.

Hope everyone has a good Friday. It’s almost the weekend!

As always, Good writing and May God Bless You…

Promoting your work and News…

Good Friday morning 🙂 It’s been a crazy week for me. I’m still playing catch up from three months of long hours and bad tax programs. My son was on Spring Break this week so I’ve tried to get in some Mama/Son time in.

The one thing I had to get done this week was promoting my books. I’ve been kind of slack on that lately. Well for obvious reasons. But I had a really good prompt this week to get back into the grind. A couple of months ago I sent a promotional letter to several local book stores and a Barnes & Noble store sent me an interesting response. They said that I needed to send a printed copy of each of my books to the New York main office for submission to their brick & mortar stores. They are interested in my books which totally excites me. I’m already on their online store, but they are interested in them for stores.

Well, if any of you have gone through their process then you know it’s a time consuming deal. I got it all ready and boxed up yesterday. I’ve set up a mail pick up this morning. I can’t tell you how excited I am. It’s been such a crazy road since last May when I published my first book. Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a year. Time flies when you’re having fun…

I’ve been on a wild ride of Tweets, Blogs, Press Releases and making wonderful new friends from all over this wonderful place we call Earth. Well, I have a bit of news. A month or so ago I hinted at some news that a big change was coming for me. Well after much prayer and some real big talks with the hubby I’ve finally almost made a decision. Some of you have been asking what that decision was, well here goes. I’ve been contemplating expanding my Accounting business and backing off the tax preparation side of it. For me that’s a huge step and I’m not sure how it’s going to go but it’s a real possibility. I was shooting for this being my last official tax season, but a couple of factors that are still in the works have to come to life before I can make that official decision. I need a lot of prayers for this to be a done deal.

Another thing is I’m starting a monthly writers newsletter. If any of you would be interested in being interviewed or add a note or two please contact me. I’m really excited about this as I hope you will be too. I hope to get a big response from this and for it to help other writers showcase their work and ideas.

Hope everyone has a blessed Friday and remember that God is with you in everything you do so make sure you do it the best way possible 🙂

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Not so Shameless Post :)

Well, I haven’t made a shameless advertising post lately. Hey, I’m a author, what can I say. So here goes. Check out the 6 books that I’ve published at the following author pages:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/StephaniePayneHurt

Also available at Google Play, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Kobo, Diesel, Sony, Apple, Abe Books, and others.

It’s been such a fun experience being a published author. I’ve met so many wonderful people from all over the world. It’s amazing how a book can connect you with others. I didn’t really believe it when I received such a warm welcome to the writing world. I wouldn’t change it for nothing.

If you check out my books please send out a review. Join me on Goodreads, LibraryThing, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter for more of the fun. Recently I joined Romance Writers of America which had been something I’ve wanted to do for a while.

If you get a chance, check out the magazine Fleetlife in the UK for a review of “Tender Flames” that was entered by my friend Rosie Amber. It’s located in the January 2013 issue. http://t.co/Z6GosFwq.

So, that’s it. Not too long and painful. Now back to the regularly scheduled programming 🙂

As always, good writing and May God Bless You 🙂

Friday Morning Giggle:)

Good morning my wonderful friends. It’s so awesome to have so many people to share with. Between my family and friends I’ve been wonderfully blessed. Well, I guess you’re wondering what the giggle is all about.

Well, I was checking my sales stats this morning and I had to take a second look. My sales took a nice turn in December on major sales engines like Barnes & Nobles, Kobo, Apple and Sony. I did a little happy dance and did a lot of giggling. Thank goodness I was alone or my husband may have had me hospitalized. Nah! He’s used to me and my quirky ways. Good thing 🙂 He was the first one I called and he was ecstatic. The first comment was “Baby that’s awesome. You’ve done well.” I reminded him that we’ve done well. You can’t do this without a good support group. Especially from your family and family

The second was my assistant/editor. She was excited. “Finally people are noticing the books.” Then she reminded me that the manuscript I’m working on is not completed.

Well, I’m no where near ready to quit my day job… Just excited to get over that invisible mark I’d drawn in the sand where my writing was concerned. I just wanted to share with you guys my happiness. This has inspired me to try and push through the cobwebs in my brain. Yeah good luck with that one. LOL

Well, good thing I don’t write to get rich. (Although it would be nice to make enough to make writing my primary career and accounting a hobby.) Dreams are fun. Especially when you see them edge a little closer to reality. God has blessed me throughout this conquest. I owe Him the credit for my writers brain and heart.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you!

Good Morning!

Good morning to all bloggers. Hope all is well with the world around you. It is our first crisp morning here in Georgia. So invigorating. I actually had chill bumps while waiting on the bus with my son. He was the smart one, he had on his hoodie.

I excitedly came back in the house smelling the delicious aroma of fresh brewed coffee. As my followers are well aware, I have got to have my morning coffee. It just tastes better when you are cold. I started thinking about the upcoming colder weather and start having warm, fuzzy feelings about the start of fire building season. By March I am totally over the warm,fuzzy feeling and into the I can’t handle wood on the floor and hauling endless loads to the porch, but for now am excited.

I look forward to the days of curling up in front of the fireplace with my laptop or a good book. I am smiling just imagining the work I will get done this winter, especially now that I am publishing my work. I am also happy today reeling from some really wonderful reviews and an upswing in sales since all my books are now available at Barnes & Noble, Apple, Sony, Kobo, and Diesel to name a few. So exciting this craft that we do. It brings a whole new meaning to “telling the story”. So to all my writer friends good writing and to all my reader friends good reading!