Glass Mask

Cinderella meets the Prince and the Pauper? Yes, please!

As Crown Prince, Johnathan leads a charmed life. At least that’s what everyone thinks. But every time society praises him for no reason or women throw themselves at his feet, Johnathan feels more unequal to his station. When he learns that the King and Queen plan to force him to wed, the full weight of his situation crashes in on him and he does what he does best. He runs away. Desperation finds him dodging the castle guards, cowering in strangers’ outbuildings, and praying he won’t be recognized.

For her part, Lucinda Williams has enough on her plate without a squatter on the property. After her father’s death, she and her siblings discovered that every penny had been frittered away. Since that realization, every moment of her life has been focused on one thing: survival. But the man hiding under a dirty pile of straw, desperate to escape detection, claims her attention. His humble plea to keep his secret tugs at her heart strings.

Even with a bride-finding ball on the horizon and Lucinda’s financial troubles looming in the background, Johnathan and Lucinda are carried away with the first stirrings of new love. They must decide if they have the courage to face their struggles together and step toward a brighter future or face reality apart.

Now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback editions! 

Fairy Tales & First Dates

My amazing writing group, Friday Night Writes, has been working on Fairy Tales & First Dates all year. If you love fairy tale retellings, painfully awkward situations, humor, and a dash of magic, this collection is for you!

There’s no getting around it, first dates are awkward.

Join Robin and Marian as Little John hijacks their night. Watch as a pixie is forced to spend the evening with an insufferable prince and the Muffin Man romances the Gingerbread Girl.

You won’t be able to look away when Ms. White faces off with an alarmingly charming principal, and Belle has to navigate the frightening world of online dating.

Then there’s the burly knight in shining armor who rescues the girl a little too well, a blind date that includes seven brothers with a twisted sense of humor, and a satyr who’s trying to convince a sea witch that she’s not a monster.

Friday Night Writes brings together a collection of Fairy Tale First Dates like you’ve never imagined them before. 

Now available on Amazon!

Cover Reveal

For the last couple of years, I've been working on my Rumpelstiltskin retelling, Golden Gown. Inspired by the portrayal of Rumple in the television series Once Upon a Time, I wanted to create my own Rumpelstiltskin tale featuring him as the hero. My longtime love, Gilbert Blythe (from Anne of Green Gables) crept in and made the mischievous imp truly lovable. Then I make Rumple into a Spaniard and Gilberto De La Vega was born.

My heroine, Elyse Morley, is based primarily on my grammy, Elsie Caraway, and secondarily on all the Boucher and Caraway women. Elyse is patient, hardworking, talented, and has a good sense of humor. However, like all the women in my family, when Elyse is cornered, her latent temper comes out.

Here's her story:

Elyse has lost everything; her parents, her family home, and the village where she is loved and respected. Still grieving, she arrives in a new town where she must prove her skills as a seamstress. Overnight, she creates a gown stunning enough to catch the princess’s eye and win the community’s approval. With every eligible maiden clamoring for her designs, Elyse must do everything in her power to appease them. 

No one can ever know that in the moments when she doubts her abilities, a mysterious stranger with a talent for tailoring and a penchant for damsels in distress comes to her aid. If anyone ever discovers the truth, her reputation will be ruined.

Golden Gown will be available May 2019 and a number of great events will run through May and June. Stay tuned! There will be more fun to come!

Launched: Take Two

Book Launches are the whipped chocolate ganache atop a carefully assembled cake.

Because seriously, what kind of nutjob skips the frosting?

Becoming Beauty's Book Launch was a blast! Even though I self-published Midnight Sisters, I still wanted to give it the coming out it deserved. So on Saturday, January 21, 2017 Endless Indulgence Retro Wear hosted Midnight Sisters' Book Launch Party.

And it was a party!

It all began with a good set up. Here are the basics I make sure are present at my events:

• An appropriate venue.
• Invitations and events set up via social media that are easy to share and promote. No matter how good the venue is (and mine was awesome) it won't matter if no one knows about it.
• Giveaways or other special incentives for your guests. (I've done giveaways, coloring contests and guessing games, depending on my audience.)

My philosophy is to keep things as professional and fun as possible. Put on your fancy shoes, your best author grin, and get to work! 

And custom cupcakes never hurt! Thanks again to Nicole's Cupcake Corner for helping us fend off low blood sugar! And thanks to everyone who participated, visited, nabbed a cupcake, entered the giveaway, bought a book, and kept me giggling all afternoon.

Indie (Hybrid) Writerville

When my plans for world domination failed, I decided to take the self-publishing path for Midnight Sisters.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

I'm grateful every day that Cedar Fort took a chance on me and Becoming Beauty. Traditional publishing taught me about editing, storytelling, and character arcs. I also learned that traditionally published authors have no time to sit back and eat bon-bons. Nope. Cedar Fort managed book distribution and formatting while I set up my blog tour, book launch, arranged for signings, and scheduled author visits to schools and libraries.

Fast forward two years. As a Indie Author, I had complete control over everything including the things I had no idea how to do. Luckily, I had an amazing team behind me who was willing to pick up the slack.

Editing: My fabulous editor friend Margaret Zerkle got to the root of all my book issues. Meg asked the hard questions and didn't care if it made me cry or throw things. (I didn't actually cry or throw things. But I appreciate that honesty.) It made my story clearer and my characters more interesting.

Cover Art: My official graphic designer, Cindy, created everything from my coverart to bookmarks and other promotional materials for Midnight Sisters' Blog Tour and Launch Party. The experience of shooting the cover with Cindy convinced me that this indie author thing was definitely for me. Collaborating with someone to bring your vision to life is intoxicating.

Formatting: Hybrid author Jo Ann Schneider and her hubby Jon came to my rescue on book formatting. I am less than computer saavy, people. But with my crash course on formatting, I'm much more comfortable with the process. (But yes, Jo, sometimes I still need you to hold my hand!)

Marketing: For Midnight Sister's release, I contacted everyone I knew in the writing world and politely asked for their help. Because Becoming Beauty's Blog Tour went so well, many people came on board immediately and several more continued to ask me to guest post, send them a copy of Midnight Sisters to review, sell my book in their bookshops, and host author events at their venue. These are the amazing people who share you with their readers and fans. Why go to all the effort of setting up blog tours, book launches, and giveaways? The reality is that running blog tours, giveaways, and other promotional events makes your book more visible to a wider audience and grows your following on social media. And in case you haven't been paying attention, that's what really sells your books. 

At this point you may be wondering how to build a team of awesome individuals like mine. Here's how:

Be kind.
Be respectful.
Work your butt off.

People sense when you've put forth your best effort. They respond when you come through for them. Connect with them. Be available. And when they ask for your help, say yes! Just ask Ms. Etiquette, it works.

The Indie Author life isn't a cake walk, but with a whole lot of work, you can pull it off. But what do I know? I'm still learning! But yes, I will share what I learn along the way.

Blog Touring: Midnight Sisters

That's right! It's time for another blog tour! Connecting with readers, writers, and bloggers and getting their first impressions during Becoming Beauty's Blog Tour was a blast! And seriously, who doesn't love a good giveaway? And bargains!

For Midnight Sisters' Blog Tour I decided to shake things up a bit. For instance, the giveaway is bigger and better this time, featuring a chance to win Amazon gift cards or a signed copies of Midnight Sisters. And for the duration of the tour, January 9 - 20, Becoming Beauty in eBook will be on sale for 99 cents!

That's just the beginning. Each blog tour day will reveal something new about the mischievous cast of Midnight Sisters. It promises to be fun! Check back in over the next couple of weeks to take advantage of all the cool things that are going on!

Jan 9: R.K. Grow (Jonas Selkirk feature)

Jan 10: Blooming with Books (Ariela Spencer feature)

Jan 11: Eclectic Alli (Passionate Geek feature)

Jan 11: Mel's Shelves (Brisella Spencer feature)

Jan 12: Adrienne Quintana (Canela “Cinnamon” Spencer feature)

Jan 12: A Backwards Story (Daniela Spencer feature) 

Jan 13: Bookworm Lisa (Estella/Frizella Spencer feature)

Jan 13: Perfect Beginnings (Estella/Frizella Spencer feature)

Jan 14: Cindy C. Bennett (Gisella, Hayla, Isella Spencer feature)

Jan 15: Inkings and Notions (Gisella, Hayla, Isella Spencer feature)

Jan 16: Wishful Endings (Janela Spencer feature)

Jan 16: Corinne's Garden (Krisela Spencer feature)

Jan 17: Katie's Clean Book Collection (Larela Spencer feature)

Jan 18: Literary Timeout (Braden feature)

Jan 19: A Backwards Story (Book Review)

Jan 20: Let It Be & Celebrate (Special author feature)

Amazing things are happening over the next few weeks. Midnight Sisters' Launch Party is scheduled at the end of the blog tour. Naturally, you're all invited! And giveaways, freebies, and author events will continue through February. 

Thanks for dropping by, awesome readers! Feel free to enter the giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway