I was planning to …

… share all of the new releases for September, but not only did time get late, I have too many other things to share to squeeze that data in! Maybe later?

My Newest Release!

Yes, it’s true! I’m so excited to finally complete Dani’s saga with GRIME & PUNISHMENT. This one has more suspense than mystery, but finally ties up all the loose ends of Dani’s past and reveals all of her secrets! Here’s the short version:

Dani Foster has spent the better part of the last year in witness protection, seeking security against a dangerous man in her past. Even behind bars, he had wielded power enough to have her killed—if he could’ve found her. But now he’s escaped, and everything has changed. No longer can she live in a semblance of normalcy. Her survival depends on her acting talent, the masks she wears, and the hated lies she must continue to tell. Neither does she have any expectation of freedom from her masquerade. And no longer can she have any contact with anyone she’s left behind: not in Sacramento, and not in Dallas.

Jay Hunter is sure that, despite the secrets Dani hid, she is the woman with whom he wants to spend his life. Yet on the verge of him actually proposing, her past creeps in. Strangers shouting in a nearby parking lot spook Dani into an all-out flight. Jay’s determined to protect her, until she climbs into the car of another stranger, then tells Jay goodbye. With a permanent sound to the word.

Is it any wonder that the dangerous man, intent on killing Dani himself, would use her affection for Jay to his benefit? A shooter targets Dallas police, sending Dani into panic and giving the dangerous man exactly what he wants. Enough contact with her past to determine her present proximity.

But Jay has been alerted to her contact as well. Can he locate her, forgetting the pain of her rejection, in time to save her life?

The e-book will be coming out soon, but the print book is officially available at Amazon

I SO Left You Hanging! (Don’t you hate that???)

I don’t know about you, but I got to the end of Dani’s last story, Grime Spree and was ready to keep going. After all, the final page ends with a huge revelation as Jay cruises up the driveway of his parents’ home.

Visiting the parents? That’s a biggie in a relationship! Something I’d sure want to read about!

My original plan for this series had only 4 books in it, but if I stuck with that, you wouldn’t get to find out what happened between Dani and Jay’s parents. And SO MUCH happened let me

Indie Publishing in a Nutshell

Next week, the 4th book of my Grime Fighter Mystery Novella Series will release from Amazon and I’ve finally gotten my mind wrapped around this process of independent publishing.

I’m not talking about the “self-publishing” of a decade ago. Back then, someone paid a company to print their books. They might end up with a

Cover Reveal – GRIME FAMILY

Picking this Story Apart

Today, I’m setting up my dedication page, discussion questions, and a special item that I want to include. Grime Family will be out in a few weeks. Woohoo! I’m so excited to share this book with you.

While the release is still a couple of weeks off, the cover is done! Yea! And yes, I could simply share it with you today, but the truth is, I already had the cover article set for Thursday before I decided to add today’s post.

I know, lame excuse, will you forgive me?

Okay, if not forgiving me now, then maybe on Thursday when I do end up sharing my new cover. Can’t wait!

Celebrating the Fourth… and other things!

Happy Fourth weekend! I hope you’ve got great plans for celebration.

Here in North Texas, it’s HOT HOT HOT! (And not in any sort of good way!) My girls are returning from a retreat in the mountains where they’ve been bragging about the cool climate. My only consolation about the heat is that they’re coming back to the hottest temperatures so far this summer.

Yeah, I’m gonna figure out a way to blame them for it. 🙂

The truth is, I have more than the Fourth of July to celebrate this month! My 4th book in the Grime Fighter Mystery Novella Series releases sometime around the 15th! Woohoo! In honor of GRIME FAMILY I’m offering GRIME BEAT (book 1 of the series) for free this weekend! If you haven’t read it, download the ebook and enjoy!

And be sure to share about this freebie. I’d be happy to never sell another copy of GRIME BEAT again if folks will take full advantage of its “free-ness”!

Your turn: Aside from reading an outstanding book, what do you enjoy doing on the Fourth of July?

Dog Days of Summer are coming!

“It isn’t the heat that will get you, it’s the humidity!”

Either way, the dog days of summer are those breathless days when the pool and iced drinks are bigger lures than chocolate. (Is that even possible?) When air conditioning becomes your best friend.

The daily walk gets

Another Step

Finishing a story is only the beginning, especially as an indie author. I don’t have a professional editor looking over my shoulder or a team of content editors ready to make suggestions.

What I do have are two trusted writers, each with differing strengths, who tear into the minutia of my story. They suggest. They question. They critique. They correct. They challenge me to be my best and fuss at me when they know I can do better.

They frustrate the tar out of me sometimes. (And I know I do the same to them!) But my stories are always better from the work they put in on them. GRIME FAMILY, Book 4 of my Grime Fighter Mystery Novella series, is a perfect example. A couple of my characters were too harsh and rather two-dimensional. Harsh, I can live with, but two-dimensional? No way!

I went to work on the characters, drawing out their personalities through their interactions with my mains. Not only did they get more “flesh,” they aren’t nearly as unlikeable as they had been.

My writing “amigas” are priceless!

And the best thing is that I’ve completed yet another phase of my book’s journey. Revision complete. On to the proofreader. Thankfully, GRIME FAMILY is still on track for a mid-July publication.

Two Most Beautiful Words

What are the most beautiful words you know? I’m fond of onomatopoeia, and classificatory. Something about the rhythm and feel of the way the words roll off.

But other words have a special type of beauty within their meanings:

• Grace
• I’m Sorry
• Resolution
• Reunion
• Family
• Yes
• Paid in Full

I bet you could add some of your own to this list. I hope you will share your thoughts in the comments.

One of my favorite phrases is The End. I love finally typing in those words on my final scene when I’m working on a story. In fact, even though they aren’t necessary anymore, I add them. (Okay, I usually remove them during the revision phase, but it feels so good to type them in!)

I’m a list-maker. And I’ll even add something to my list that I’ve already done for the simple delight of checking it off. So the prospect of finishing a writing project, even a shorter novella, tickles the tar out of me.

But that’s what I did this week. Grime Family furthers the story of Dani and Jay which began in Grime Beat and Grime Wave. This 4th story picks up where Book 3, Grime Spree, left off, with Dani facing a first meeting of Jay’s family in the Piney Woods of East Texas. As if meeting a houseful of Hunters isn’t enough, Jay’s parents seem secretive and take an instant dislike to her. Add to that a revenge-focused sheriff, a kissing-bandit ex-girlfriend, oh… and of course a dead body, and Dani has her hands full. Again.

Luckily, she also has Jay who remains willing to help her juggle. For now.

I hope to share an excerpt and my newest cover in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for the release of Grime Family!

Your Turn: What words would be in your top 5  favorites list?

The First Kiss!

Love is in the air. (Especially here in North Texas with 70 degree temperatures and budding trees!) I couldn’t resist asking a couple of the authors who have recently visited about thoughts on their first kisses.

After all, the first kiss is very telling. I’ve seen them happen on the first date, and I’ve seen them happen at the altar. (Now THAT’s impressive!) But whenever that first kiss occurs, there’s a special realization. Wouldn’t you agree?