His To Claim - what do you think?

SPOILERS!
Have you finished reading the whole book? No? Then you may want to stop reading now so the story can unfold naturally.

Today I’m talking about some of the feedback I received in the editing and beta reading process on this book. I love it when readers and editors challenge my stories because it helps me understand my own writing better.

In the first version of this novella, a few people missed the time lines. In this version my husband has done great book design. He has even included maps to show where each cruise went. You can preview the book online to see the change.

Other points raised:

I knew that having Jazz hook up with Scott the engineer was risky in a romance novel. In case I didn’t realize that, my editor warned me but I left it as it was. In real life, this is exactly what many people do after a break up so I was decided to try to capture that self-destructive trend.
To me this twist makes perfect sense. Otherwise how could she know that Adam is ‘the one’ if she hasn’t tried to move on with someone else?

Several readers thought that Jazz was embarrassed about her kink in her last encounter with Scott. She is self conscious, it’s true. Her long association with the Black Hen has taught her to be discrete on the issue of kink. She hopes Scott will get the hint without her having to articulate it.

Why is she so cautious in a world where so many people are up front about their preferences? The continued patronage of the Black Hen depends on it remaining low key so her first instinct is always to approach the subject obliquely.
Besides, she knows that it’s not that long since kink was classified as mental illness: (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/01/bdsm-versus-the-dsm/384138/).
Jazz is savvy enough to realize that many people still think that critical way. When Scott looks at her with contempt it’s because he has that old-fashioned mindset. He thinks she’s mentally unbalanced.

It can be hard and sometimes humiliating for like-minded people to find their soulmates. I know how long it can take, doing trial & error. Whenever I get too comfortable with writing kink and question my need to be discrete about it, all I have to do is read some of the scathing reviews people drop on books in this genre.
Some people loathe them for the erotic content.
Worse still are the people who attack authors in the genre because the practices described in the books aren’t the way those readers believe things should be done.
***
Those are just a few of the issues around this book and the genre generally.
What are your thoughts on the book or on the genre?
I hope parts of this story touched in all the right ways.

His To Hold - the current series - a question of trust

From my newsletter July 2, 2022

I’m in the middle of a new book where the issue of trust keeps popping up. As I write, I think of the many, many times I’ve trusted people when I shouldn’t have.
I’m not pleading innocent here. I’m sure I’ve let people down more times than I’d care to admit. But I hope I’ve never put anyone’s life at risk.
Years ago, when I was a freshly certified scuba diver, a senior diver invited me to do a beach dive with him.
I said, “Sure.”
We went to a remote site, geared up, and waded into the water. I let him navigate because, after all, he was so experienced. When our air ran low, he indicated we should surface to start to snorkel back to shore.
I followed his ascent only to discover that he’d made a mistake. We weren’t in the middle of the protected cove where we'd started. We were at the mouth of it, and a strong ebbing tide was pulling us toward open sea. I tried not to panic but I hadn’t given our dive plan to anyone and, as far as I knew, neither had he. It was just the two of us in a hidden cove. The sun had set and night was falling.
Worse than that, we were about thirty feet from the rocky outcrop that marked the edge of the cove. Weighed down with eighty pounds of scuba gear, to me it looked like miles away.
My dive buddy opened the goody bag attached to his gear belt and handed me one of its thin straps.
"Hang on to this,” he said and started swimming toward the rocky outcrop.
I grabbed the ropey strap and followed. I swam with every scrap of strength I could muster.
Cut to the finish: we made it to the rocks and slowly edged our way back into the calmer waters of the cove. Finally, I stumbled onto the beach and sat for five or ten minutes, until there was enough air in my lungs to speak.
When I thanked him for the strap, he laughed. “That wouldn’t have saved a kid. I just didn’t want you to panic,” he said.
I’d like to say that was the last time I ever went diving with him. It wasn’t. I had one more scary experience with him before I decided he was bad news and the only person I could trust underwater was myself.
Fast forward a few months: I met my husband when we were both diving at that same cove. For the longest time, I let him lead our dives but I always double checked the navigation when we were underwater. After a few dives, I accepted that he knew what he was doing. More than that, he was watching me and my air supply and keeping us both safe.
Those contrasting experiences reinforced these perpetual life experiences:
1. People will always betray and disappoint us. 💔
2. Sometimes we find something symbolic, like a piece of string, to hold onto as we find our way to safety. The smallest things can help us save ourselves, from the neglect or indifference of others.
AND
3. Love and trust are evergreen. 💖 Even after long droughts, a true friend or lover can appear in our lives when we least expect them. We can learn to trust again.
If you know my books, you probably recognize these themes. I hope they resonate with you.
Back to my initial questions then: when and how have you been betrayed? How did you recover or have you? What did you learn?

Without Mercy

Without Mercy is the first murder mystery I’ve written since grade four. I had forgotten how much fun they are to write.
I hope you will enjoy reading this series as much as I have enjoy writing it.
Why the 1920’s? It intrigues me because it was a time of such massive upheaval and social change.
When I was young I found this poster below in the basement of an old house I lived in with a group of friends. Okay it was a squat. We had it until the wreckers came and turned the glorious old Arts & Craft house in a featureless apartment building.

It’s from the Canadian Society for Social Hygiene 1926. My imagination soars at that name!

An interesting year.

I’m trying something new this year. For the first time ever I’ve planned a series of four books, well 1 novella and 3 novels, and won’t release any of them until all four are completed. The series name is Without Mercy. The books are:
Unbowed, novella prequel
Unseen, book 1
Unchosen, book 2
Untamed, book 3
Each book follows the romance of one couple as an entire community tries to solve the mystery of the murder of the powerful matriarch.
This is the first murder mystery I’ve written. It’s the first time I’ve pushed myself to complete a series in so quickly. I’m not one of those fast writers who can turn a book out every 1-2 months.
I had to book a slot with a brand new editor months in advance.
It’s the first time I’ve worked with cover artist Dani Rene at Raven Designs.
So many firsts! I’m definitely out of my comfort zone.

Thank you lovely readers!

With your amazing support, Alien Embrace hit the USA Today bestseller list that was released yesterday. It has been a long year as the many author who participated in this set came together to publish it.
Without the support of so many wonderful readers, this would never have happened - we send you a galaxy of gratitude!

Things change - thoughts on the Bad Girls, Grumpy Bosses boxset

Thanks to everyone who is reading or has read Bad Girls, Grumpy Bosses.
One note on the first book, Simon Says: it was my debut novel in this genre. Now, with the benefit of five years’ experience, I know it could have been much better.
I love Simon and Sadie, but I should have shown more of Simon's better side because he does have one. He just keeps it well hidden.
I only started to begin to understand Simon in book two, Winning Sadie..
At the start of my writing life, I was told it I’d have to commit myself to a lifetime of learning. I took that advice to heart and work on craft constantly.
I hope you will see the improvement between my first book in this collection, Simon Says, and Trusting Ingrid, which I wrote two years later.
I also hope people will remember that these books are fantasies. They shouldn’t be confused with instruction manuals, nor are they intended to be ‘how to’ lifestyle guides.

Exciting news! Bad Girls, Grumpy Bosses

My first six contemporary novels are being released in a single box set this coming Thursday.

When feisty women are seduced by charming, bossy men, they soon discover the pain and pleasure of tough love. Six steamy full-length novels. Four sexy couples.

Please note: these books were previously released under these same names. This is the first time they are offered as a package at this excellent price.

Books 1-3: With close friends, a lovely condo, and an amazing shoe collection, Sadie Donohue is happy with life. Just don’t ask about the unpaid balances on her credit cards. When billionaire Simon Jacobson moves in, she soon learns more than how to balance her check book. Yes, they are from different worlds, but Simon insists that doesn’t matter. She may want to fix the world, but he intends to rule it, starting with her.
Book 4: Celebrity blogger Ronnie Flynn wants something only Del Franklin can give her. Del says she can have it, but conditions apply. Ronnie agrees. The minute he is out of sight, she breaks her word. When he takes her home that night, Del gives her an old-fashioned lesson in honorable, ladylike behavior. Too bad for Ronnie that she is a slow learner.
Book 5: Recent retiree Cynthia Donohue has just moved to the west coast. Chronic fatigue and joint pain is making her antisocial. Even though she likes Antony Jacobson, her son-in-law’s wealthy uncle, she pushes him away. Or tries to. Antony intends to be the boss in their relationship. She balks at his domineering ways. A trip over his knee, followed by loving aftercare, challenges her long held feminist principles.
Book 6: Ingrid Nickel grew up lawless and streetwise. She trusts no one. Her mother was a grifter who shaped Ingrid’s hyper independence. When Ingrid meets Lachlan Morrison, a man who isn’t fooled by her bluster and bluff, it’s game on. He sees someone who is badly broken. All she needs is a firm and loving hand. Ingrid doesn’t want to be rescued. But she kind of likes the way Lachlan’s strict discipline is sweetened by masterful lovemaking.
Disclaimer: The books in this boxset are intended for adults only. They include power exchanges, spanking, and other sexual activities which are fantasies only.

What does writing a book look like?

The other night my husband came home to find me sitting in the living room in complete silence.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Writing," I said. You’d think he’d know by now. To be fair, sometimes the process is hard to spot.
I hadn’t heard the word ideating until I saw this image but it captures one part of the process.
I’ve had a new series building in my imagination for a while. Sitting quietly is one way of shuffling the pieces around before I put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.
Book one in this new series is shaping up now but I’m not ready to discuss particulars. I’m kind of superstitious that way. Let’s just say I’m moving between the researching, thinking, and writing stages at present.
When the books are more formed I’ll share this exciting new world with you.

Fun and games

Have you entered this competition? First prize is a $100 Amazon Gift Card plus a bundle of books. Ends May 31.
Take a chance here.

For those with a different type of mother

photo by Marcelo Moreira from Pexels

For many people like me, mother’s day isn’t a time of shared warm memories.
In fact it’s a good day to stay off social media to avoid the flood of sweet testimonials that are alien to our experiences.
My mother didn’t set out to be a bad mother. She was simply a poor candidate for the job.
Her choices were limited and she was never problem solver. Still isn’t.
When she was angry, frustrated, frightened, or sometimes just bored, she lashed out, verbally and physically.
As I learned to walk the tightrope of her moods, I didn’t know I was preparing for life as a writer.
She can’t hurt me like she once did but trusting others will always be an issue.
If you had a loving mother who supported and encouraged you, I hope you treasure her.
If your mother was like mine or worse, and many were much worse, I hope you have learned to leave the past behind and embrace your freedom from that tyranny.
If you are one of those marvelous women behind a generation who are growing up (or have grown up) with roots and wings - thank you.