It's my 6 year anniversary!

Six years ago today, I independently published a book called Way Off Plan. It was terrifying to put my work out there, and I went in without a clue about the business of bookselling. I just knew I had stories I wanted -- and needed -- to write, so I took a chance.

And then this amazing thing happened. Readers found my book, and they wanted more. Way Off Plan began a successful series that lives on to this day. In fact, I just published a collection of holiday stories with characters from the Firsts and Forever Series and its new spin-off, the Castaways Series. I'm beyond grateful for its longevity.

So much has happened over the past six years, both good and bad. On the plus side, my son has grown from a little 5th grader to a 15-year-old high school sophomore, and he's such an amazing young man. Also, I've published 23 books so far, and there are more to come!! Less positive, and something I don't discuss very often, is the constant chronic pain that's been chipping away at my mobility. I worry about what that'll mean for me down the road. And my 20-year marriage ended unexpectedly just a few months after I published that first book, so writing went from a hobby to my full-time job literally overnight.

It's so much more than a job, though. Writing has been my therapy, my safe place, and my sanity saver. No matter what's going on in my life, I can open my laptop and step into the world I began building six years ago, which has been growing and evolving ever since. The characters feel like family after all this time, and they mean so much to me.

So do my readers. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for you. Whether you've been a part of this journey for six years, a few days, or something in between, thank you. I want you to know I appreciate you, and I look forward to bringing you many more stories about love in the years ahead.

Making Merry is Live!

I'm so happy to announce that Making Merry is live on both Amazon and Smashwords! 

Here's the blurb:

What do the husband of a stressed out metal sculptor, a graffiti artist, an aging pop star, a young ranch hand, and an aspiring writer have in common?

They each have a story to tell in Making Merry.

Not everything goes according to plan in the quest for that mythical “Perfect Christmas”, but there are a lot of laughs, heartwarming romance, and some big surprises along the way. With the help of family and friends, somehow everything will work itself out – but maybe not in the way anyone was expecting.

These five interconnected holiday stories feature favorite characters from Alexa Land’s Firsts and Forever Series and its new spin-off, The Castaways Series. It’s approximately 50K in length, and while it can be read as a stand-alone, it’ll mean the most to readers familiar with the series.


The paperback has been uploaded to Amazon, and it should go live soon. 

Here are the links:

Amazon Global Link

Smashwords 

Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy this collection. :)

Cover Reveal!

Check out the cover reveal of Making Merry, my upcoming holiday collection, at Bike Book Reviews! That's Zan on the cover, from my Firsts and Forever book Belonging. I'm planning to release the holiday collection in early December, exact date TBA.

Giveaway!

I'm giving away two copies of the Heart2Heart charity anthology on Amazon. Click here for a chance to win. :)  (Sadly, Amazon limits these giveaways to US residents, apologies to my overseas readers).

Now Available!

I'm proud to be a part of this wonderful charity anthology. Heart2Heart Volume 2 is now available for a LIMITED TIME ONLY! You can find it here. Don't miss out on these great stories for a great cause! All proceeds go to three LGBTQ charities. Available on #KindleUnlimted and for sale as either an ebook or paperback, it's a HUGE volume (17 original stories)! Heart2Heart Vol. 2 is only available for 90 days.

Halloween Sale

I put The Tinder Chronicles on sale for 99 cents, but just until October 31st. Happy Halloween! :)

Kindred Spirits is Live!

Kindred Spirits is now available on Amazon as both an ebook and a paperback, and on Smashwords as an ebook. I sincerely hope you enjoy Elijah's story!

Amazon links:

US 

UK 

Australia

Canada

Germany

Italy

France

Smashwords

Welcome Lynn Michaels & The Dirty Dozen Blog Hop!

Hi everyone, welcome to the Dirty Dozen Blog Hop! Here's how it works: for 12 days leading up to GRL, 12 authors are hosting each other on our blogs or websites and answering 12 questions each. Visit our Rafflecopter link here to enter the drawing to win 12 ebooks, one from each of the participating authors. 

I'm thrilled to host my friend Lynn Michaels today! Let's get right to her interview:

Amy Wasp - What is your favorite trope to write and why?

I like writing in so many tropes, but my favorite is twisting them up.  For example, taking friends to enemies to lovers or “not interested in anybody because I’m too busy with my career” but now I’m gay for you. I want to take the standards and make them new. It’s also why I like writing speculative fiction and fantasy.

Jeff Adams - what’s your favorite part of the writing process and why?

Initially building and outlining the story. That’s where massive creativity comes in. I’m discovering who the characters are and what they want and how the plot will move for the first time. It’s always exciting.

TM Smith – What inspires you to write?

What doesn’t inspire me would be a shorter list. I catch inspiration and ideas from everywhere, even just driving down the road.

AE Via - What career would you have if you never would've published your first book?

I’m a part time writer and a corporate recruiter in real life.

Lynn Michaels - How do you balance being original and giving the readers what they expect/want?

Obviously, I’m still working on this one. I’m starting to get an idea about what my readers are looking for, but I think I’m having more fun trying to surprise them with something different than what they expect.

JR Barten  - What have you done as a writer that you are most proud of?

This is the hardest question. I’m so proud of everything I’ve done so far.  I think two things stands out right now, though. First, just getting that very first thing published. It took a lot of guts to put myself out there, and I had no clue what I was doing. The second is having Our Own Story accepted at eXtasybooks. The first was my own validation and the second was my first external validation.

Morningstar Ashley  - What genre and trope would you like to write that you haven't yet? 

I’ve been liking the fake boyfriend thing lately. I’m thinking it would be a lot of fun to see what I could do with it.

Alexa Land - What are you working on now, and when can your readers expect it?

Bike Business: A Holeshot Novel.  Hopefully...February. Also an angel and demon story that may be out before that one.

Deanna Wadsworth - How do you come up with your character's names?

Sometimes it just comes to me. They tell me who they are, but sometimes I have to play around with names until I get it. There are different baby name lists and name generators online that I can peruse if I’m getting stuck. Once or twice, I’ve asked my readers for suggestions.

K-Lee Klein - Do you usually have only one project on the go or do you multitask between stories?

I have a pipeline. Different stories at different stages. Some being outlined, some in edits, some with Beta readers, some being drafted. I try to only focus on one when I’m drafting, but that’s often difficult.

Jessie Gin - What do you think makes a good story?

The unexpected. Things that surprise you, but still feel like they fit the story. The characters have to be well developed and able to run with whatever is thrown at them.

Wade Kelly - What is your suggestion or piece of advice to new and upcoming authors?

¾ of the process is editing. Make sure you edit, edit, and then edit some more. Get people to help you. Beta readers are GOLDEN.

 Let's take a closer look at one of Lynn's books:

The Holeshot

In the world of Supercross, taking the holeshot means one racer leaps ahead of the crowd and into first, leaving the rest of the pack behind. If Supercross racer Davey McAllister knows anything, it's how to take the holeshot. When the hot rising star mechanic, Tyler Whitmore, shows up in his bed, Davey does just that. But, dating a competitor's mechanic threatens to blow his ride if anyone finds out. With the fear of losing his sponsors, he has to keep his love life completely under cover, but Davey is in deep and wants to tell the world how much he loves Tyler. 

Tyler Whitmore wants to be out of the closet, but dating the competition is a death sentence for his career. Overprotective of Davey's reputation and his own dreams, Tyler refuses to commit to his lover and is afraid of falling hard. Will they ever be able to find their way through the Premiere racing league pitfalls and acknowledge their love? 

Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013MDR5KO

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013MDR5KO

 Here are Lynn's bio and links:

Lynn Michaels lives and writes in Tampa, Florida where the sun is hot and the Sangria is cold. When she’s not writing she’s kayaking, hanging with her husband, or reading by the pool. Lynn writes Male/Male romance because she believes everyone deserves a happy ending and the dynamics of male characters can be intriguing, vulnerable, and exciting. She has both contemporary and paranormal titles and has been writing since 2014. Her stories don’t follow any set guidelines or ideas, but come from her heart and contain love in many forms.

Lynn Michaels Social Media Links:

Website

Facebook friend

Facebook LIKE page

FacebookReaders Group (Lynn’s LIterary Lovers)

  

Twitter

Amazon

Goodreads

eXtasybooks

Thank you so much Lynn for dropping by my blog today! I'm looking forward to seeing you at GRL! Everyone else, remember to enter that Rafflecopter giveaway! Here's the list of ebooks you could win:

Giveaway

Amy Wasp – City Boy

Jeff Adams – The Hockey Player’s Heart

TM Smith – Survivor or Lover

AE Via – Winner’s Choice

Lynn Michaels – The Holeshot

JR Barten  - Unf;nished    

Morningstar Ashley 

Alexa Land – The Rest of Forever

Deanna Wadsworth – Easy Rider

K-Lee Klein – Lazy Sundays

Jessie Gin – Rebuilding Hope

Wade Kelly -  Winner’s Choice 

The blog hop is continuing for several more days, so keep an eye out on social media for interviews with these fantastic authors:

October 1^st - Amy Wasp will host Wade Kelly

October 2^nd - Jeff Adams will host Jessie Gin

October 3^rd - TM Smith will host K-Lee Klein

October 4^th - AE Via will host Deanna Wadsworth

October 5^th - Lynn Michaels will host Alexa Land

October 6^th - JR Barten will host Morningstar Ashley

October 7^th - Morningstar Ashley will host Jen JR Barton

October 8^th - Alexa Land will host Lynn Michaels

October 9^th - Deanna Wadsworth will host AE Via

October 10^th - K-Lee Klein will host TM Smith

October 11^th - Jessie Gin will host Jeff Adams

October 12^th - Wade Kelly will host Amy Wasp

Kindred Spirits is available for Pre-Order!

Kindred Spirits is now available for pre-order on Amazon! Elijah's story will drop into your Kindle in less than two weeks, on October 12th. 

Here's the US link  and the UK link.  Below is the blurb. I'm so excited to bring you this book! :)

Elijah Everett knows he should feel good about the progress he’s made over the last four years, ever since he ran away from a terrible situation at age sixteen. With the support of his loving, adopted family, he recently graduated from college and has a good job and an exciting new life waiting for him on Catalina Island. But his past has left him with little confidence and a list of fears a mile long, and Elijah wonders if he’ll ever fully heal. 

Cassidy Juric doesn’t talk about his past. He doesn’t talk about much at all, actually. And yet, Elijah thinks he recognizes a kindred spirit in the gorgeous young ranch hand. The two are undeniably drawn to each other, and a tentative relationship starts to develop. But when the devastating truth about Cassidy’s past is revealed, Elijah wonders if asking Cassidy to trust him might be asking the impossible.

Can two broken men learn to open their hearts and take a chance on love? Or will the ghosts of their past prevent them from building a future together?

Kindred Spirits bridges Alexa Land’s best-selling Firsts and Forever Series and its all-new spinoff, The Castaways Series. Long-time readers will recognize some familiar faces, along with a new setting and several new characters. This book can be read as a stand-alone.

Pre-Order Going Live This Weekend!

I'm on the final stretch of Kindred Spirits! Elijah's book begins the Castaways Series, which is a spin-off from my Firsts & Forever Series.

I'd been shooting for the end of September to publish this book, and I'm not too far off. Kindred Spirits will be available on Amazon October 12th. For the first time ever, I'll be offering a book on pre-order! That link will be going live sometime this weekend, and I'll post it here as soon as I have it.

The release date got pushed back a few days because I made a commitment to contribute a short story to a charity anthology (Heart2Heart volume 2). I was able to get that done this month as well as completing the first draft of Elijah's book, but it did take some time. Since 100% of the proceeds of that anthology will be going to LGBTQ charities, I felt it was important to be a part of that!

So, the short story is done, and Elijah's book is coming soon. Progress! Next week, I'll be participating in a blog hop as I get ready for GRL, so keep watching this page. :)

Cover Reveal!

The cover, title, and series name reveal of my upcoming book is up on Love Bytes Reviews. You can check it out here!

Checking In Once Again

Well, this summer has certainly flown by! Since my hometown has been plagued with smoke from several (not particularly close) forest fires, that's actually a relief. The cooler, smoke-free days of fall are going to be most welcome.

I've been making slow but steady progress on Elijah's book, and in the next week or so, I'll be doing the cover reveal, title reveal, and series name reveal. Barring any unforeseen catastrophes, I should be on track to release the book at the end of September.

I also recently completed a short story that will be part of a charity anthology, which should be released in November. More on that as it gets closer, but here's the list of authors who will be a part of that fun book for a great cause!

Checking In

It's hard to believe it's been a month since The Rest of Forever was released! Since then, my son finished 9th grade and I started working on my next book. It feels like June absolutely flew by!

I'm currently about 20K into Elijah's story, which will kick off the new, still-untitled spin-off series. This will be set at Seahorse Ranch, which was introduced in the last book.

If you happen to be on Pinterest, here's a link to my boards, including the one for the new series. It'll give you a feel for the characters, as well as the gorgeous setting of Catalina Island, off the coast of southern California.

Sometime in the late summer, I'll be doing a series name and cover reveal for Elijah's book. Between now and then, I'll be putting in a lot of hours in the writing cave! This will include participating in Camp NaNoWriMo during the month of July. If you're an author or aspiring writer, I encourage you to give National Novel Writing Month a try. The camp version is especially forgiving, since you get to set your own word count goals, and I've found it's a good motivator. The sense of community is nice, too!

Alright, I'm heading back to my work in progress. I hope your summer is off to a great start!

It's live!!!

The Rest of Forever just went live on Amazon, two days early! You can find it here. It's also up on Smashwords, and the paperback should go live sometime this upcoming week.

I'm so happy with the way this book came together, and I sincerely hope you enjoy Mike and Yoshi's story!

Please resubscribe to my email newsletter

For those of you who are already on my newsletter mailing list, I just sent out an email asking you to please resubscribe (in accordance with recent legislation, called the GDPR). If I don't hear from you, unfortunately I'll have to remove you from my newsletter list. If you're not subscribed to my newsletter but would like to be, please follow this link. Thanks!
P.S. Mike and Yoshi's book is in edits and will be available right around May 28th. :) Check back here for more details!

Cover and Title Reveal!

The cover and title reveal is live for Mike and Yoshi's book! You can find it here, Be sure to leave a comment on the blog post at Bike Book Reviews for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card.

Cover Reveal this Weekend!

Join me this Saturday at Bike Book Reviews for the cover and title reveal of Mike and Yoshi's book, #16 in the Firsts and Forever Series. There will also be an exclusive sneak peek and a giveaway! I'll post a link here when it goes live.

Checking In

I'm making good progress on Mike and Yoshi's book, which continues the Firsts and Forever Series. It's written from Mike Dombruso's perspective, and it's very much a friends-to-lovers story.

I've absolutely loved seeing the world through Mike's eyes! He's been in the background since the second book in the series, and we've never really gotten to know him. It's been great fun learning what makes this quiet, seemingly reserved, widowed father of three tick, and that old expression has proven to be true: still waters run deep. I've also really enjoyed exploring his relationships with his three sons and his three brothers, especially his oldest brother Dante.

It's been great getting to know Yoshi in depth as well. He's been around since Belonging (book 8 in the series, which came out in 2015), but we don't actually know all that much about this sexy, Japanese-American tattoo artist. And even though Mike and Yoshi have been friends for a long time, I've really enjoyed watching these two characters getting to connect and learn about each other on a much deeper level.

I've taken my time in this book to really focus on Mike and Yoshi's friendship. For the first third of the book, we get to see what that friendship means to both of them, while getting to know the two main characters as well as Mike's three sons. In the next third (act two), Mike and Yoshi finally come together as lovers. They're on vacation on Catalina Island, which provides a beautiful backdrop to their newfound passion. Then in act three, they're back home in San Francisco, trying to navigate life not only as a new couple, but as a new family, which is a lot of pressure on both of them. I'm loving the added element of the three kids in this book, each of whom has proven to be a unique individual with his own take on things.

The title and cover reveal will happen in a few weeks, and I'm shooting for mid-to-late May to have the book completed and published on both Amazon and Smashwords (which in turn distributes to iTunes, Barnes and Noble and other outlets).

If you'd like to receive a notification when this book is available, you can sign up for my email newsletter here. I only send about four newsletters a year, primarily to announce new releases. And to get a peek at some of the inspiration photos for this book, you can visit my Pinterest board here. More soon!

Now Available!!

I'm thrilled to announce Once Burned is now available!

Here's the Amazon US link and the UK link. The book is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon, and the ebook is also available on Smashwords.

This is Cameron and Ignacio's story. It was meant to be a 30K novella, but then these two had a lot to say, so it ended up a 63K short novel!

Here's the blurb that appears on Amazon:

Cameron Doyle is an arson investigator who’s learned he can’t trust anyone.

Ignacio Mondelvano is an artist with a secret that could tear them apart.

A year ago, shy, quiet Cameron had his trust shattered by a sociopath who used him to gain information on an arson case. Ever since then, Cam’s been keeping the world at arm’s length, and he didn’t start out as the most trusting person to begin with.

Then Ignacio Mondelvano saunters into his life. The sexy Spanish painter could have anyone he wants. Much to Cam’s surprise, what Ignacio wants is him.

What begins as a bit of harmless fun at a charity bachelor auction soon turns into so much more. But when secrets are revealed and Cam’s trust is shaken, can their love survive? Or has Cam been burned too badly to believe in second chances?

What's in Store for 2018

Happy New Year! I hope it's off to a good start for you.

I wanted to take a minute and tell you about the books I have planned for 2018. First up is a novella called Once Burned. I've announced the release date as Valentine's Day, but I'm planning to hit the publish button the moment it's done, so hopefully it'll actually be out a bit early! I'll keep you posted about that here on the blog, on Facebook and Twitter, and through my newsletter!

As far as novellas go, this is a pretty substantial one. It's currently at 50,000 words, and I still have two chapters to write. Armor, my most recent novella, was around 34,000 words, just to give you a basis for comparison.

Once Burned is Cameron and Ignacio's story. That's Cam on the cover below. We first met him in The Distance. He was the Irish arson investigator who was assigned to the night club fire investigation. He became friends with Dante, and we saw him again in Armor. He got lied to and deeply hurt in that book, and ever since then, I've wanted to give him an HEA (happily ever after).

Ignacio Mondelvano is a supporting character who's been around ever since Nico's book, All I Believe. He's a sexy Spanish painter who came to the US on the advice of his friend and mentor Ollie (Nana Dombruso's husband).

All of that background isn't really necessary to read the upcoming novella, since I wrote it to stand alone. But fans of the series will probably recall these characters, and several of you have been rooting for Cam ever since he got his heart broken in Armor.

Next up after Once Burned is Mike and Yoshi's still-untitled novel! I know a lot of you are looking forward to this one. I announced it at the end of Quinn's book, Take a Chance on Me, which is the most recent installment in the Firsts and Forever Series. But then, I really felt like I needed to take a little time to plan out Mike's book after finishing Quinn's, so I went ahead and wrote this upcoming novella while I was doing that.

Mike is the youngest of the four Dombruso brothers. He's been in the series since book two, All In. We know he's a widower with three young sons, and that he was dating a woman named Marie for a while, but we don't really know much more about him. That actually goes for me, too. I needed to take some time before plunging into his book to stop and think about what makes Mike tick, and how his relationship with Yoshi is going to evolve. 

I have to say, I'm so excited about this book! Not only do I think Mike is going to end up surprising us all, I'm also so happy to once again deeply immerse myself and my readers in the Dombruso family! Many favorite characters will be back, including Mike's brothers Gianni, Dante, and Vincent, and their families, and of course Nana will be right in the heart of it. The book will revolve around Nana's grandsons taking the whole family on vacation for her birthday. After five years of writing this series, the Dombrusos are like family to me, so this book is going to feel like a homecoming, both for myself and my readers.

After Mike's book, the timing will finally be right for a spin-off series! I'm not closing the doors on the Firsts and Forever Series, but I do think it's time to start an additional project. The first book in that still-untitled series will be Elijah's story. I've wanted to give him a book ever since I introduced him in Coming Home (book 9 in the Firsts series), but I wanted him to be a bit older before he became a main character. 

I haven't decided who I'll write after Elijah's book, and I don't really want to lock myself in at this point. I think it'll just depend on who's speaking to my readers and me the loudest after the new series is launched. 

So, those are my plans for the upcoming year! Generally speaking, it takes me four months start to finish to produce a full-length novel, and if I'm able to stick to that, then Mike's book will be out in May, and the new series will kick off in September. That might then make room for a holiday novella with some of our favorite characters, which would be fun. As always, I'll keep you posted. 

It's going to be a great year. I hope you come along for the ride. <3