January Update + Freebie
Wow, a fast start to the new year
Geez, you’d think a writer would be better at coming up with a snazzy title, wouldn’t you? Not me. I’m terrible with titles, headlines and the like. And, honestly, this is nothing more than an update on the current state of my writing (and bits about life as well). Also, yes I am aware that I am getting this January newsletter out in the nick of time. And I know this is a constant refrain on the interwebs but I cannot believe that it is almost February, can you? Somehow time has moved differently since the pandemic.
Thank you to everybody who ordered The Bonne Chance Bakery and Let There Be Snow. The last few months of 2022 were a whirlwind as I published two books for the first time. There’s a lot to do around indie publishing. But I keep telling people—if you enjoy running your own business, you’ll enjoy publishing your own books. I’m an entrepreneur from way back (I grew up hearing my Dad tell me to work for myself) so I love it. Even when I’m in overwhelm! There’s something so satisfying about knowing I’m steering my own ship.
So, new releases this year. I’m in the last stretches of editing a novel called The Matchmaker’s Temptation, which is the first in the series called Calderwood Grove. (Let There Be Snow was set in that world, but it’s a stand-alone novella.) TMT, as I refer to it, introduces the Calderwood family of five brothers and one sister, as well as an indomitable matriarch and lots of quirky small-town characters. Because this is romantic women’s fiction, the Calderwoods are rich as sin. Of course.
In TMT, we meet Bridget Beaulieu, a matchmaker who never does anything without a plan and leads a life of careful routine. Until the day her husband unexpectedly asks for a divorce and she is forced to rebuild her business and find new matchmaking clients. Enter the eldest Calderwood, Cade. He’s carefree and casual, and needs a wife, ASAP, because of a condition in his recently deceased father’s will.
Sparks fly when they meet but complications ensue. Because this is a romance, people, and the course of true love never did run smooth! The goal is to get this book released before I go to England in May, and hopefully even sooner. You’ll be the first to see the cover, and I’ll put out a call for early readers here as well. I also have two novellas in process, both set in the same location. One happens during the pandemic and in Romancelandia language, it’s a forced proximity story (Because: pandemic lockdown, obvs.) The other is a later in life, enemies to lovers. Look for those this spring, as well.
On a personal note, I’ve been enjoying hibernating in January for the most part. I’m still getting used to being out and about in the world. One thing I’ve been working diligently on is exercise snacking, which is the idea that you take frequent movement breaks. (Note: I do not run up the stairs quite as quickly as the guy in the video in the above link. But a girl can dream.) I bought a cute timer and I set it for thirty minutes. When the timer goes off, it’s time to get up! I groan and complain about it, but up I get. Most often, I walk around the house and outside (fresh air is good for the soul), climb the steps to our little porch, work on my stair stepper or do lunges. I feel much better at the end of the day, and movement helps chronic pain issues a lot. For a writer who sits at her desk all day, this has been wonderful.
Okay, okay, enough about me—on to the freebie. I wrote a short story for you! It’s called Dreams Do Come True and I won’t tell you anymore about it because when I say it’s short, it’s short—maybe a 15 or 20 minute read. (When I was a kid, magazines still published short stories. Innocent me thought when they said short, they meant something like flash fiction is today—just a couple pages. I was quite perplexed and angry when the stories went on and on and on.) You can go here to download it in either PDF or Ebook format. Feel free to tell your friends, too—but please do have them subscribe to this newsletter. They should receive the link in the welcome page.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be back next month for another update.
Here’s the link for the free story again. (It should work seamlessly, but if you have any issues, let me know.)