Happy New Year’s Eve everyone! This year has been so different from what we wished for only a year ago today. Life had changed for almost everyone and the way we do things is different. But life goes on and we have to make the best of every situation.
My writing has been going along fairly well, which is surprising to me. So many writers have said that this year has made them less productive. I’ve focused on the positive, giving someone else something to get lost in. Our goal as a writer is to entertain and make our fans feel as though they’ve been taken to another world, time, or place. That’s been my focus.
As I prepare to start 2021, there will be many changes coming. The new series, In Harm’s Way, will be one of those changes. It is something totally different from my normal sweet romance. The whole idea of the series is to help people find their faith even in a difficult time. And each one of the books explores a different type of disaster. It’s labeled a Christian Suspense Romance Series. I plan to take the reader on a journey of fear, love, faith, and excitement.
So, what are you doing to change things up for 2021?
Good Monday morning! Sorry, I’ve been MIA for the last several weeks. With all of this quarantine stuff and other things related, my accounting office has been crazy busy. We’re considered essential, but we’re not accepting foot traffic. Between stimulus questions and small business loan applications, I’ve been a little overwhelmed, but things are calming down, so I’m back, ready or not!
I’ve been reading some great posts regarding quarantine writing. Most writers, including myself, are introverts, so, we keep to ourselves most of the time anyhow. So, why is it that when we can go out, we don’t want to and when we can’t we’re being tempted at every turn.
For me, I’ve been writing every chance I get. I have managed to publish a new book, which was a miracle in itself as I’ve pushed several projects back some to accommodate the long hours needed in my accounting office. And for those that know me, they know that breaks my heart. I love my writing, but I also have a passion for my accounting. Oh, the choices we make!
So, how is your quarantine writing going? Give us some incite into how you’re doing.
As always, great writing and May God Bless You…
P.S.: Here’s a little tidbit from ‘To Dance With Dragonflies’
Kaity let out a long sigh. “This isn’t going to be my day.” Then she looked up toward the sky. “I know, I know. There’s a reason that I missed the bus and my car wouldn’t crank. So, when are you planning to let me in on this great plan you have for me?” She giggled as a man walking down the sidewalk gave her a crazy look. “And now I look like I’ve lost my mind.”
Just as she turned to start the three mile walk to work, she stumbled, loosing grip on her purse. As the contents spilled onto the sidewalk Kaity cried out, rushing to grab everything. Once she had her stuff back in the purse, she stood up, stumbling again, but a hand grasped her elbow, startling her.
“Are you alright?” The masculine voice came from the most beautiful man she had ever set eyes on.
At first, she couldn’t speak. She only managed to mutter something unintelligible as she gazed into the blue eyes that were looking at her in concern. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. When she regained her senses, she spoke. “I’m fine, just clumsy.” Kaity frowned as he let go of her elbow.
“I saw you running for the bus, do you need a ride somewhere?” The gorgeous man asked as she continued to stare at him.
“Oh… I… well… yes. But I don’t know you.” Kaity responded.
The man stuck out his hand, “I’m Derek Mason. And yourself?”
“Oh, me?” Kaity bit her lower lip, a bought of shyness sweeping over her. “My name is Kaity, Kaity Jordan.”
“Well, Kaity Jordan, it looks like we’re no longer strangers. Now, let me drive you to where you need to go.” Derek said. He had seen her here and there since he’d moved to town. She intrigued him with her shy smile that seemed to light up a room. Then when he’d seen her running up the sidewalk, waving for the bus, he’d stopped to watch her.
Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the world of Kaity and Derek!
It’s Monday morning people! Were you ready for it, because I definitely wasn’t. Of course, I couldn’t sleep last night so I was up reading for two hours. That makes for a sluggish morning, but I have a word count to meet, so I’ll pour on the extra coffee.
I finished Sowing the Right Seed yesterday. It’s the last book in the “Lean on Him” Christian romance series. This one has been in the works for a while, but I put it to the side for a couple of months. Sometimes as writers, a story comes in quickly, then something happens and it leaves just as quickly. I had this one in my mind, but the middle left me. Actually, I’m glad that I stepped back from it because the story came out better than I’d hoped when it first came to me. It will be released in a couple of weeks.
Here in Georgia the weather has been hot, humid and miserable, but something happened this past weekend that gave me hope. I saw yellow butterflies in my front yard. Anyone know that that means? Well, it means that cooler weather is headed our way and Fall is right around the corner. I always love seeing them come through. It’s fun to watch as they go from one side of the yard to the other, always, well mostly always in the same directions. What signs do you watch for when waiting on Fall to come in?
Yeah, I wish I was sitting here right now, but I’m not. Here in Georgia, it’s really hot and humid, which means you go outside for just a few minutes and you feel sticky. So, I choose to stay in as much as possible.
SO, on to today’s post. I’m working on the last book in my ‘Lean on Him’ series and it’s hard. As a writer, I become comfortable with my characters and my series. Although most of this series doesn’t contain the same characters, but it does contain the same message about Faith and how it can heal you. This one is like a soul searching piece of work and sometimes when we dig too deep, it reveals something about us.
Have you ever written a manuscript and it made you think, really think? I love when a manuscript touches your heart. That means it will touch the reader and that makes me smile.
Ok, are you ready? I know I am. So, without further words from this writer, I give you ‘A Light Upon My Heart’.
Naomi Harris has always dreamed of finding her prince charming, but being a poor farm girl from a small south Georgia town doesn’t provide much in the way of eligible men. Joseph Walsh is a wealthy rancher from a town in Montana that has more men than women. He dreams of having a wife and children, but with no single women in town, he’s forced to send for a mail-order bride. Naomi’s father is in trouble financially, so he agrees to send Naomi to Montana to be Joseph’s bride.
Joseph tries to make Naomi feel at home, but he knows something is troubling her. Naomi isn’t telling him everything and he tries to get it out of her. Then her secret is revealed, a secret that could cost them both their lives. Will Joseph send her packing or will he save her from the past that soon comes back to haunt her?
Alright friends, share this post and tag me in it for a chance to win a signed copy of the paperback version of this book. There will be several surprise gifts coming as the release date of April 30th draws near.
So many exciting things coming that I can’t tell them all. Stay tuned for more in the coming days…
As most of you know, I schedule my books and try to stay ahead of myself. Well, this year I’m way ahead of that. My 2016 writing is scheduled down to the date the manuscript has to go to the editor, the day the preorders have to be on each site and the release dates. It’s kind of exciting to know what’s coming up.
So here’s a list of what’s coming up for 2016:
Seaside Beginnings – February 17, 2016
Lily – March 27, 2016 (Book 3 of the Magnolia Hill Saga)
A Light Upon My Heart – April 30, 2016
The First Mate’s Lady – June 5, 2016 (Continued from Safe in the Pirate’s Arms)
Finding the Heart – July 1, 2016 (Book 2 of the Alpine Series)
Sowing the Right Seed – August 5, 2016 (Book 4 of the Lean on Him Series)
Georgia – September 5, 2016 (Book 4 of the Magnolia Hill Saga)
That’s just through September, but wow, this will be a busy year for me. How exciting! So, how’s your schedule going for this year? Have you thought about scheduling things to make it easier for you?
It’s Friday, finally. Good morning! Here in Georgia, it’s rainy and windy, but it’s Friday, so that’s good.
I’m a writer of romance, many genres, but my favorite is the Christian or wholesome genre. Several authors have messaged me before, asking how I write a wholesome romance and still have romance in it. Well, that’s easy, romance isn’t just about the intimate parts of a relationship. It’s the little things that you do. Romance can be a kiss, a touch, a look, or even a candlelit dinner. Maybe it’s just sitting by the fire quietly after a hard day at work.
Faith is a big part of my Christian series, “Lean on Him”. I wanted to integrate the needs of today’s Christian and add some romance along the way. The deep relationship that my characters have with one another and with Christ make these heartwarming. But they have their own set of problems along the way. Nobody has a perfect life here on earth, no matter how much you want to. We all have tragedy happen, mourning of a lost loved one, and mental issues that bring us closer or tear us apart, but it’s our faith that brings us through to the light. It’s all in how you handle it.
So, do you or have you ever read a Christian romance? I’ve been hooked on Amish Christian romance series lately. They’re interesting and leave you feeling good, which is the goal of a writer, right? Right!
As always, great writing and May God Bless You…
By the way, if you get a chance, go by faithfulreads.com and check out my book that spotlighted with some great Christian writers today!
Well, with a happy heart, I release A Christmas to Remember today! It’s been a crazy year, writing 6 books to complete the series. Funny thing is, it was originally only 5, but the characters pushed for this last, sweet book of memories, recipes and little surprises. This book brought me to happy tears and it’s straight from my heart to yours. So I hope you enjoy it!
I’ll be offering bundles soon of the whole Five Oaks Ranch series books! Thanks to the fans of the Five Oaks Ranch for believing in the story and characters. The comments I’ve received have been so sweet and make me smile. Ridge was even honored with a nice gold 5-star review from Readers Favorite! His cover wears the honor proudly!
As we begin to say goodbye to 2015, I’m planning the release dates for 2016 books. I have several in the outline stage ready to come alive. A couple are already in the works, so keep watching out for upcoming releases.
Good Saturday morning! Here in Georgia it’s simply gorgeous with the sun shining and the temps comfortable. Makes me want to go outside and sit the rest of the day writing. But my house needs an overhaul 😉 That doesn’t mean that I won’t end up out there with my laptop.
I’m working on two manuscripts at the moment. Of course ‘Chase’ is one of them and then I’m also working on a new Christian Historical Romance, but that one will be discussed at a later date. As for writing, I’ve been trying to get in my daily word count and then some. Since the stories are flowing pretty steadily lately, it helps me to stay focused.
One thing that is helping with my writing lately is a program that I’m trying out. Have you tried out Scrivener yet? Several authors have suggested the program to me, but until now I’ve been using word mostly. So about a month or so ago I decided to test the waters and I’ve not looked back yet.
This program incorporates my trusty outlines and character lists into the same screen as my manuscript. I can keep it all at my fingertips at all time. Better yet as a new character is created I can simply add them to the list and never skip a beat. I’ve even got the outlines typed out for a couple of story ideas for later in the year.
What’s fun is with my 5 Oaks Ranch series I can copy my character list over to the next book. That way I don’t have to keep going back to the books before and search out a character. Let’s just say I love this program and highly suggest trying it out. They offer a trial version so that you can make sure it fits in with your way of writing.
Well, I better get back to mopping my kitchen and doing laundry because it won’t do itself. Also the sooner it’s done, the sooner me and my laptop can head out to sit on the deck and get lost in another world, if just for a while.
Good Tuesday morning! Hope all is well in your corner of the big world. Have you ever thought about changing up your writing style or even the genre you write in? Many authors do this with a lot of success, some not so much. Let’s talk about the in’s and out’s of changing things up.
To get things started let’s say you’re a romance writer. Well, the romance genre is a widespread market going from the sweet innocent romance to the hardcore erotic style. Some writers just have the knack to write certain types of romance and when they try to go up the pole or even down they don’t seem to excel. But maybe you’re not doing well in the category you write in, what next? Try something new? Maybe…
I’ve talked to several authors that have tried many writing niches. Many authors go from romance to mystery without missing a beat, but others struggle with the change. One author changed her romance writing niche. She normally writes paranormal romance which is racy and at times dark, but then she tried a romantic comedy. It was a hit. But of course she’s known for her paranormal romances, what does she do? Well, she dabbles with both now. I’ve read both by her and have to say they’re great. It was a great transition.
Another author friend tried to step out of writing mysteries to try writing romance. Let’s just say she struggled. She told me that writing mysteries just coming easily, but trying to write a romance novel gave her a headache. I suggested just writing a mystery which is what she does best and sprinkle in some romance. Well, she’s doing that and it seems to work.
As for me, I’ve been writing romance for a long time. I’ve tried Christian Romance, Time Travel Romance, Cowboy Romance, and several others, but they’re all in the romance genre. But, I just published my first children’s Christmas book and I have to say it was fun. Now I’m working on a children’s series and it’s challenging. By no means am I leaving romance writing, I’m just venturing out a little.
So, what’s your writing niche and could you change if you tried?
Seaside Beginnings – February 17, 2016
Lily – March 27, 2016 (Book 3 of the Magnolia Hill Saga)
Stephanie Hurt - Romance Author 