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…

Finding The Right Time is on Pre Order…

The Pre Order is now officially up on Smashwords.com. It should be available on Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Apple iTunes in a couple of days. Here’s the link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/413534. Remember, it’s only .99 for preorder, but after the release on March 31st it will go up to $3.99.

Here’s a excerpt for you to sink your teeth into:

As they neared the tree line she could make out a well-traveled pathway. It opened up as they entered it. The trees were gently swaying with the light breeze. She watched sunlight making its way between the branches. She noticed several large oak trees with moss hanging almost to the ground. She could smell the musty scent of the moss and old trees.

It was weird how comfortable she felt with Anthony. Any other time she would have been a little leery of walking in the woods alone with a stranger, but he didn’t feel like a stranger.

Then she started to see a clearing ahead. He turned to her and smiled. “It’s just ahead in the clearing. I think you will be surprised.” The excitement showed on his face.

As they neared the clearing she noticed a tall wrought iron entranceway. It was amazingly ornate and beautiful. The cemetery was large. It was graced with a huge old live oak in the center of the graves.

“My great-great grandfather planted that oak the day he buried his wife. It’s funny the similarities between you and her. Her name was Lilliana and he called her Lily. I didn’t mention it the other day because I didn’t think you’d be interested, but I can see you would.” He couldn’t help but stare at her. The resemblance was amazing.

She was in awe of the beauty of the place. It was so peaceful. The only sound was the wind whispering through the trees and the slight tinkling sound of a wind chime, but where was it coming from.

“I hear a wind chime. Where is it coming from?” She looked around the trees expecting to see it hanging somewhere among the sprawling limbs.

“It’s on a stand beside the head stone of my great-great grandmother. It’s been there for as long as I can remember. Uncle Thomas has rethreaded it several times. Of course with age it has dry-rotted several times, but it was the dying wish of her husband to keep the wind chimes blowing.” He watched her expression as she looked stunned.

“What’s on your mind? I can tell you are deep in thought.” He wondered what he’d said to affect her so.

“Your uncle said you believe in previous lives. Can I tell you something?” She was still looking at the old oak tree.

“I have some crazy thoughts I know, but I just always feel different from everyone around me. I guess that’s why I’m considered a recluse.” He laughed to himself. “What did you want to tell me?”

“I’ve always felt like I was an old soul. It’s weird but I feel like I’ve seen the house and yard before. You even look familiar to me, but I know I’ve never met you before the other day. Does that sound weird?” She finally chanced a glance at him. The sun was shining down on his dark hair and it glistened. She was struck again by the similarities in him and the man in her dreams.

Well, that’s just a little snippet. I’ll be posting little hints all of March. Also, keep watching for some giveaways. I’m also offering 5 ARC copies to the first 5 people that direct message me. This book has been a long work in progress and I’m really excited about it. The cover is the brain child of my cover designer and myself. I’ve had in my mind what I wanted since I typed the first word. It turned out to be an awesome cover that expressed the way I feel about this book and the characters.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Revisiting an old friend…

As I wrote a couple of days ago, I’ll be revamping some of my first books. They’ll be longer and more descriptive. I’ve always gained more knowledge over the last couple of years regarding different wording and such. I’m excited about it. I started working some last night on the remake of Ghost Lover which is the first book I published in May 2012.

Don’t worry for those that are waiting on the release of two of my upcoming books, they’re still in the works. But as I opened the dusty file of Ghost Lover I had to smile. This was my baby. I read the first couple of words and it was like revisiting an old friend. When you write a book you get to know your characters personally. As you write each word and describe each character in detail you gain so much love for your characters. When the book is finished it’s like a sad moment.

But, when you revisit the book it’s exciting. I’ve been changing several aspects, but the feeling of the book stays the same. It’s even going to have new categories. I’ve playing with the idea of changing the cover a little to honor the newly polished work since it is changing slightly. But the cowboy on the cover will stay the same because I just simply love him.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday. Yeah, it’s finally Friday. I hope to post some this weekend on my progress, but I’m going to be busy putting programs into a new office computer. Yep, my tax program was way too large for my laptop, so I had to purchase a new desktop to replace my other desktop. Didn’t see that one coming, but that’s life. Good thing it’s tax season and that will more than pay for the new computer.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Dust it off and see what happens

This weekend I was working on The Winner Takes All which is the 2nd book in The Winner series. I had to bring out the first book for a couple of references and as I read it was like visiting an old friend. I actually read a couple of chapters before I knew what I was doing. But I did see some things I’d like to change or expand on. Funny how that happens as you start to learn more about your craft.

I’ve had a couple of fans say they’d like to know more back story of some of the characters in a couple of my books. One lady even put in a review that she’d love to see me expand one of my books. She loved the book so much that she wanted to know more about the back story of some of the characters. Well, that got me to thinking about doing just that.

Of course, you know me, I did some research on authors revisiting old stories and was amazed at how many famous authors have done this. Even their best sellers they’ve revisited them and some even revamped the covers and did a whole re-release campaign. So, don’t be shocked if I don’t revisit a couple of my books. I actually have some ideas for a couple of them.

Have you ever did this? Have you read a book lately that you wanted more of the story? It’s funny how you love a story but you want to hear more about a particular character. Well, I’ve listened to these requests from my fans and plan on do just that.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Cleaning up a mess…

Have you ever started an edit on your manuscript and wondered what happened? It’s the weirdest thing when you’re writing it sounds good and then you start to edit and wonder who wrote it. You know it’s happened to you before. I sometimes think that maybe I write in my sleep. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it…

I was working on one of my WIP and got a little sidetracked, well maybe a lot sidetracked. I couldn’t seem to keep the story in my head. So, I decided to do a read through. I reached a section that I know I wrote several nights ago and I was really tired that night. Well, it was going well and all of a sudden it was like, What? I laughed out loud at my own mistakes. Several words were not even recognizable and some of the sentences were just plain out horrible. They didn’t make sense and a couple of times I just drifted off into lala land.

Well, to say the least, I spent a lot of time rewriting and I’m glad I did. While cleaning up the mess I made I actually had a ah ha moment and changed a whole scene in the middle of the book. It flows so much better and I’m happy with it. It makes the ending seem so much clearer. Funny how our clean up edits can bring about a whole new outlook on a story.

So, as I sit here writing this cold Saturday morning, I hope all of you are writing or doing something you enjoy. It’s Saturday. Give yourself a break and enjoy yourself.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Burrrrr…Let’s talk romance

Well it’s cold here in Georgia. Actually cold doesn’t even begin to describe how it feels outside. I’ve set up my office in my den for the day. It’s just way too cold in my office, so when you get lemons you make lemonade, but here it would be a frozen lemonade. Think summer 🙂

So, let’s talk romance and try to get warm. The last couple of nights I’ve had my nose in my kindle reading. Some days I just want to read and not write. Of course this could be called research or practice. With sports figures they work out daily, but a writer needs to read daily. For me reading helps keep my mind working correctly. As you know I write romance, so I read a lot of romance. It’s like a inspirational time for me. As I read I think, yeah, I like the way this writer does this, or I think about what I didn’t like in the book and I try to avoid it in my own work.

As the temps continue to be below freezing I curl up in front of the fire with a romance to keep me warm. Currently I’m reading a Vampire series and it’s been pretty good so far. I love how the writer handles every situation. I’ve been so into the books that I don’t even realize I’m chilly.

But I’ve got to put the Kindle down and get back into my manuscripts in progress. Especially the one that’s going in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. It’s in the final stages and I’m really excited about it. It’s a step away from my normal style writing, so I’m anxious to see how it’s received.

So, if you’re cold, pick up a romance and let the warmth spread through you. When you read about love it just has a warming affect on you. Go ahead and try it. If you need some good choices then go over to avonromance.com. They’ve got a great selection of romances to warm your heart and your toes.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

When writing a death scene…

I’ve been working on a piece that includes death scene. I’m not talking about a shooting or stabbing death, but a death caused by cancer. Death scenes can be tricky, especially in these circumstances. If you’re having a character killed off you just have them shot or stabbed and there’s a moment of dying then that’s it.

But in this instance the character is in a hospital spending her last moments with her loving husband. Yeah, I cried all the way through writing the scene which took several days. It was mentally and physically draining. The scene spanned a chapter or two as this was a pivotal point of the story line. It sets the scenarios for the rest of the book. And no it’s not a tear jerker all the way through. It’s a really sweet romance from start to finish.

The main character is just such an amazing man. He’s so full of Faith, family and love that you can’t help but fall in love with him. I’ve cried with him, laughed with him and now it’s at another pivotal life changing event and I’ve just sat and sighed with him. Let’s just say it’s going to pull you up in your seat.

In a death scene such as this, you have to be careful. I wanted the death scene to flow easily but not too quickly. The emotions and the last words are pivotal in the mechanics of the main characters decisions later on. Yes, I even put some romance in the death scene which is hard to do, but with these two it’s easy. Their love was immense and totally empowering.

It’s also a little eye opening for my own life. I’ve lost so many family and friends to cancer so it was a little sad. It also made me think of my own immortality. How would I handle my last minutes on earth? Could I be as brave as Rachel? Would I be a complete mess? How would I handle my last moments with my child and my husband? It’s something to think about. I spent a little time digging into my own heart. It was a reality check for sure.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

Time Travel – Something new…

As I work on my latest manuscript I have to sigh. Have you ever gotten so lost in your work that you react to every detail? This has been such a step away from my normal writing, but I’m really enjoying it. I have some surprises in store for the readers with this one. And yes before you ask, there are horses and a handsome cowboy. I mean it’s me writing it.

I’ve based this story in one of my favorite cities, Savannah. It’s so rich with history and beautiful places. I love history. That was my favorite subject in school beside literature. I wonder why I like literature…

I thought I’d give you a little sneak peak of “Finding The Right Time” and as it happens, this books will not be coming out for a little while. I made a huge decision Saturday to enter this manuscript in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. Last year I entered “A Love Never Lost” and it made it through to the 2nd round which was exciting. Fingers crossed and hopes abound.

Well, here’s a little bit:

Rafe walked around in front of her and held out his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

“I don’t know how to dance to this, but if you’ll lead.” She smiled up into his handsome face which was full of mischief.

“I’ll lead you anywhere my dear.” He said as he pulled her in amongst the other couples waltzing around the makeshift dance floor. Which actually was just a marked off area of the dirt road.

She grabbed his hand and he gently placed his other on her waist. “You smell wonderful.” He put his nose to her hair as he pulled her closer.

“It’s lavender from your grandmother.” She smiled. It was heavenly dancing close to Rafe. His muscular chest was under her cheek. Every movement caused his muscles to ripple.

“This feels right holding you in my arms. Thank you for staying tonight.” He kissed the side of her head as he held her close. He didn’t care what anyone thought at that moment. All he could think of was holding her for possibly the last time. Could his heart take it if she decided not to come back?

She closed her eyes and almost forgot where she was. Suddenly someone started to sing an old Irish sounding tune. She smiled up at Rafe as he didn’t stop moving to the music. Neither was aware of the whispering among the town. They were mesmerized by the couple in the middle of the dance floor.

Brody sat down beside Mrs. Emma and put his arm around her. “Gran, I do think our boy has finally given his heart.”

“As do I Brody. She’s a wonderful girl. I do hope she’ll make the right decision and stay with us.” Her voice quivered with worry. She’d seen the uncertainty earlier in Lily’s eyes. She knew that feeling only too well. She’d made the right decision for herself, but what was Lily’s?

“Do you think she’ll leave again?” He watched the couple and had his doubts. He saw the love in their eyes and it was mutual.

“I hope tonight will give her reason to stay.” She watched the couple. Then she looked around and everyone there was watching them and smiling. Everyone could see it, but would Lily? She just prayed it would become crystal clear tonight.

After five songs Rafe pulled Lily off to the side. “Let’s get some air.” She followed as he led her to the edge of town away from the buzzing crowd. When they were out of sight of everyone, he turned and pulled her into his arms.

His lips were suddenly on hers and she was lost. He pulled her close to his body. He’d held his emotions all evening, but he was about to snap. It was as though she was his water and he was thirsty. He drank of her as though he’d been without for years.

She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him into the kiss. As she deepened the kiss he groaned. This felt so right to her, but could she leave everything. For tonight she’d be his.

He ran his hands up and down her back. It was as though he couldn’t get her close enough. When he finally released her it was only to pull her between two of the buildings. He pressed her against the side of the building and kissed her passionately.

Their breathing was ragged as passion took over their bodies. He knew he needed to stop but he couldn’t seem to muster up the strength to let her go, not yet. He wanted her badly and the knowledge that this could be their last time together was almost his undoing.

She was the first to push at his chest. If they went any further she’d never be able to make a clear decision. This was so hard to not just give in to her desires. She knew it’d be so easy.

He leaned his head against hers as he tried to control his breathing. “Lily please forgive me. I don’t know what came over me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. I wanted you too, I still do, but this will not help my decision.” She pulled away from his embrace and leaned against the wall. He put his hand on her shoulder.

“If you want me as badly as I do you, then the decision is made.” He looked down at her face. It was hard to see her expression in the darkness. He knew his want was from mostly love and what he knew was also lust.

“It’s not that easy Rafe. I don’t want to make a decision based on passion. That’s not love. I want my decision to be true to my heart, not my body. Can you understand that?” She turned to look up into his face.

“I’ll have to understand it. I just want you to be my wife.” He ran his fingers through his hair in heated frustration. He could use another dip in the cool stream behind the house. He’d had several of those since Lily had come into his life. That’s where he’d been the night she’d seen him from her window.

She realized he’d just laid his heart on the line. “Oh Rafe, you’re such a wonderful man. Please give me until the morning.” She laid her hand on his heart and it was beating wildly. He reached up and covered it with his large hand.

“I am a man of my word. I’ll give you until the morning, but I will tell you this. If you decide to stay, I want us to be married as soon as possible.” His voice was stilled ragged with passion.

“If I decide to stay we will be married before the next setting sun.” She reached up and grasped his face, pulling it down to hers. It was the most passionate, sweet, heart wrenching kiss. It touched her soul in a way she’d never expected. Rafe touched her soul, but was it enough?

I know that was more than a bit, but I just love this part. It’s going to be hard holding back on the publishing of this one. Hopefully I can restrain myself. I have to make my final decision before February 16th. If I get an offer for it before then, I’ll jump but keep your fingers crossed. This book will be a game changer for me.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

Cold Hands, Warm Heart

Good Monday morning! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend filled with joy and lots of writing. Of course today is a school holiday so I got to sleep in. That’s always a plus. As I sat down in my office I was met with a really cold chair and desk. My fingers are struggling with this post due to the cold. It was a little warmer on Friday when I left, so I didn’t set the heater to come on as much over the weekend. That’s what I get for not looking ahead at the forecast. It’s freezing this morning.

Have you ever heard the old saying, “Cold Hands, Warm Heart”. That’s me this morning for sure. I always have cold hands. Since I’m a hopeless romantic I guess you could say I always have a warm heart. When I love I do it with my whole heart. I don’t love half heartedly. It’s just not in my makeup. Maybe this is why I’m drawn to writing about love. I love every aspect of it. It mesmerizes me and draws me into it’s depths until I’m lost in it’s beauty.

Now don’t get me wrong. Love can be a tedious thing, like walking on a tight rope over a deep canyon. As you know, I’m afraid of heights so I try to keep off the tight rope as much as possible. I’ve had so many readers ask me if my writing comes from life experiences and I usually laugh. A writer never fully reveals the secrets behind their craft. I will tell you this, I’ve loved and lost, but in the end I’ve loved for eternity. There it is, a writer’s answer. We love to write in riddles, never really giving it all away.

When I was a teenager I looked for Prince Charming. He’d come up on his white horse, of course, and he’d have on a crisp white Stetson with a winning smile. You know the type, the one that’s only in your mind. Oh yeah, I had it bad. I’d read one too many romance novels, if that’s possible. Sometimes it can be dangerous for a girl coming of age. She looks for that one special man. Poor boys, I left several along the road side wondering what they’d done wrong. Hey, I didn’t leave them literally by the roadside, but you get what I’m saying.

One reader asked if I had a cowboy in my past, well I’m from the country and that’s a resounding yes. You can’t throw a stone without hitting at least one cowboy or country boy. As a writer you have to pull from things that are familiar but then you have to make them stand out and interesting.

So, do you have a warm heart? Do you pull from your past experiences when writing?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Saturday Self Promotion

Well it’s Saturday and I do hope everyone is making the most of it. I’ve got a morning of cleaning ahead of me, then an afternoon of writing which I’m looking forward to. Today’s post is going to be a little bit of self promotion so forgive me ahead of time. I haven’t done this in a while so here goes.

Friends since early childhood, Lilly and Zane have always been inseparable. After four years apart, will their relationship change? Upon seeing Lilly again after such a long absence he realizes his heart belongs to her. When a wealthy ranch owner from Texas offers Lilly the job of a lifetime, will she leave knowing the effect it will have on Zane and their relationship? Will her new boss expect more than just an employer/employee relationship? Just how far will he go to win her over? Will Zane be able to pull her from the ties of the ranch or will it be A Love Never Lost?

This is a collection of Cowboy romances from author Stephanie Payne Hurt. All three have a Cowboy hero and a heroine that can’t resist her cowboy. Each book is full of heart filled romance and suspense mingled in.
Ghost Lover
The dying words of Jess’s mother are for her to find the love of her life. But with an overbearing father, will she have that chance? When he gives her a horse and riding lessons for her 21st birthday, her life changes. Is the cowboy behind the Black Stetson her soul mate? When her father’s partner decides to stake claim on her, who will win the fight? Suspense, tragedy, romance and a stranger in the shadows lead to a dramatic final showdown.
Moonbeam and Roses
Sara is an artist with a passion for horses. Wes is a cowboy with a passion for Sara, but he knows she’s out of his league. Pushing her away he leaves for Montana, leaving her lost and heartbroken. Will she heal her heart with another man? He rushes home when she’s almost killed, but is he too late? Will he lose her forever?
A Love Never Lost
Lilly has her life planned. Go to college, meet a wonderful man, and have children. Zane has a plan too and it includes Lilly, but he only realized that when he went off to college. Frustration fills him as he watches a new man in her life sweeping her away. One kiss tells him she feels the same way, but the new man has other plans. Will she choose the right man or go down the wrong path?

Find the magic of Christmas Love inside the pages of this sweet romance about two broken hearts that need a little nudge…