First, let me say how happy I am to be releasing this novel, Where the Howl Are You?

It was just published as the final book in the Be Careful What You Summon series. The first book, Vampire Vintage, came out a while ago, but the second and third books were long overdue. It was hard to get to my Indies when I had traditional contracts with deadlines, then first, second, and, sometimes, third edits, plus marketing, etc., demanding my time.

Anyway, I rewrote and rereleased Vampire Vintage first. Tiger’s Night Out, book 2, was released a year ago—January 2019. And now, finally, with the release of Where the Howl Are You?, the series is complete!

Pushing forty, Ronda Calhoun did a summoning spell with her single friends to find immortal mates, figuring they might appreciate women with a little more maturity and experience. For all the others, it worked! So why isn’t her immortal showing up?

Private investigator Nate Smith didn’t know what he had back when he and Ronda dated in High School. Now he knows she’s the one he wants to spend his long life with. Arranging to run into her isn’t a problem, but confessing he’s a werewolf could ruin everything!

Get your copy: 
https://books2read.com/WhereTheHowlAreYou

But this article is about how readers helped me with all of this…

First of all, book 1, Vampire Vintage, needed a new professional cover. It was previously published by Ellora’s Cave and I had to update it. Amanda Walker did an awesome job, and even made bookmarks to go with it. (Email ash@ashlynchase.com if you want a couple! I’d be happy to send them. 🙂 )

One of my readers loved the first book so much, she became, not only a fan, but a friend. Knowing she was hoping for the other women’s stories to be told spurred me on.

Book 2 needed a cr*pload of editing, beta reading, and proofreading. Half the book took place in India, so certain words and phrases were checked with a West Bengal local. Most importantly I needed encouragement. My beta reader provided that with an enthusiastic, “It’s ready! Publish it!” So I had the cover made by the fabulous Syneca Featherstone of Original Syn and after a professional proofreading, that’s just what I did.

On to book 3. It had been previously published looong ago by another epublisher under a different title. I dusted it off, rewrote it completely and figured the five or ten people who bought the original version probably wouldn’t remember it anyway.

Then I needed a new title. I ran a few past my street team and one of my long-time members came up with a suggestion I hadn’t even thought of! Where the Howl Are You? was the PERFECT title, since our heroine, Ronda, had to wait so long to have her HEA, too.

Part of the fun (at least for me) is getting feedback from readers. A reader taking the time to express their thoughts in a review or word-of-mouth social media post is awesome! I take the good with the bad, and sometimes I’m able to improve a book if it gets a “second time around” publishing opportunity. Like Death by Delilah—a novella from my Ellora’s Cave days. There was a scene that awoke a reader’s “Ick factor.” That sometimes happens with erotica. The novella itself garnered a lot of contest wins and nominations, so when I had the opportunity to rewrite it, I changed that scene. It’s now part of an anthology with two other related novellas called Immortally Yours.

Sometimes, I get that feedback well before reviews. My proofreader Dianne Donovan is fabulous at catching every last pesky typo…and she doesn’t hesitate to give me her honest opinion of the book itself. I’m delighted to tell you she loved this one! However, I just got a “meh” advance review from a reader who didn’t like how the hero never shifted. That was one of the things that tickled me. He was so afraid he’d scare her off, he disappeared rather than let her see him shift. That didn’t mean he didn’t keep an eye on her. Wolves are by nature very protective of their chosen mates. And when she found out what he was, she didn’t get all girly and scared…she was more like; ”Why the hell didn’t you say so?” She had been waiting for her immortal for two years!

So, those are some of the examples right off the top of my head. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for all the support, encouragement, and honesty of my readers. Have you ever wanted to write to an author about their book? What’s stopping you?

Ah, those early years of thrilling sexual exploration and tearful heartaches! All of us have those experiences. Many of us consider spilling the whole story in a memoir.

So it is with this new release by Jessica Hardy. Only she didn’t know how to write a book, so she called on her old friend, Liz Ashworth, to help her put the story together. The result is an up close and personal view of a woman’s journey from adolescence to adulthood and of the times she lived in.

My work on Jessica’s story left me with many questions. Does love last a lifetime? Do we ever forgive ourselves for our mistakes? Is there any absolution in baring your soul to the world?

Jessica will find out as her true life story hits the bookstores and readers decide for themselves.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

In the mid-20^th century, an entire generation of women found themselves caught up in a revolution. Young women tossed aside society’s rules that had governed women with an iron hand for hundreds of years. Suddenly women had agency, the right to their own identity. And their own sexual adventures.

The story of Jessica Hardy and her seven-year marriage to Parker Grant brings that enormous cultural shift down to the personal level. As she enters college in 1966, Jessica is desperate to break out of her strict upbringing. Parker is her salvation, a graduating senior who becomes the love of her life. Newly married, they immerse in Parker’s duties as an air force officer and a world of their own making—nights in Las Vegas, windy Pacific beaches, and long summer days in the Philippine Islands. Slowly, with Parker’s encouragement, Jessica gains self-confidence and a sense of herself.

But Jessica has a problem. She wants more. More knowledge, more experience, autonomy. Leaving no stone unturned, Jess breaks one rule after another—abortion before Roe v Wade, experimenting with marijuana then LSD, one man then another, even time in jail. It all culminates in an unexpected spiritual awakening that opens the door to the rest of her life.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity reveals this tumultuous time in a gut-wrenching portrayal of a woman determined to find her own way and the man who loved her.

Get your copy here!

Excerpt:

Hartman became ever more distant. I had been conquered, leaving him to pursue new prey. Exhibiting my need only pushed him further away, but then when I regained my balance and ignored him, he needed me.  One night when I had spurned him successfully for over a week and had taken the phone off the hook, he woke me up at one a.m. shouting at my bedroom window.

“Jessica, goddamn it, wake up!”

Groggy, I heard him yell for several minutes before I actually woke up.

“Jessica,” he shouted, slapping the bedroom window screens.

I staggered down the hall and jerked open the carport door. He careened up the steps and stood glaring at me in the dark dining room.

“What the hell, Hartman? I was asleep.”

“Fucking mud all over my boots,” he slurred, obviously drunk. He sat heavily in one of the dining room chairs and tugged at the boots, pulling off one then the other of those precious handmade alligator cowboy boots.

“Wanted to see you,” he said, leering at me.

I huffed and headed down the hallway, climbing into bed as he shucked off his clothes and crawled in on the other side, still complaining about the mud.

“You didn’t have to walk in my yard,” I pointed out, turning off the lamp and trying to get warm. “You knew it was muddy.”

“Hell, I knocked a fucking hour.”

“You did not.”

“Yes, I did.” He snugged up against my body, sucking heat into his cold limbs.

“You’re fucking worthless, Hartman.”

“You love me anyway, Jessica.”

—

Thanks Delilah!

Lizzie Ashworth
Author of Edgy Fiction
Visit my website at www.lizzieashworth.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLizzieAshworth?ref=hl
Read * Laugh * Love * Live

UPDATE: The winner is…Becky Ward!
*~*~*

By Diana Cosby ©2020

Happy New Year!!!

Dreams are visions of what we can become.  But dreams are also an invitation to doubt, to wonder if you’re good enough, or if you have what it takes.   When I retired from the Navy, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a published author.  After 100 rejections, I quit counting as I figured I knew how to achieve a rejection.  Then, after 9 ½ years, I finally sold.  The journey taught me many things, which I’d like to share with you.

-Take yourself seriously:  If YOU don’t, no one else will.

-Associate with people who inspire you, and encourage you to achieve your dreams.  Encourage and inspire others as you move toward your dream.

-Set a clear goal:  Once you know exactly what you want, break down steps to achieve it.  If you’re unsure how to start, read biographies of people who have achieved a dream similar to yours.   What steps did they take?  Are there comparable avenues you can pursue?

-Success is a compilation of small steps toward one focused goal.

-Affiliate yourself with professional organizations:  Join accredited groups to educate yourself about the industry you’ve chosen.  In addition to net-working, you will have opportunities to learn from local or on-line sources.

-Self affirmation:  Each morning reaffirm that you are good enough and clarify your goal of the day.  Then, move forward with positive, focused steps.

-Permission to fail:  Success is not a moment, but a journey.  As we grow within our craft, there will be times when we fail at a certain step.  Focus not on the failure, but on the lessons learned.  What worked, what didn’t?  Move forward and make wiser decisions with the knowledge learned.

-The way we act and talk about our goal reflects our commitment to it:  What are you telling yourself?  “I WILL do this!”  Or, are you assuring yourself that one day you’ll really try?

-Give the gift of example:  When you make the choice to follow your dream, you are doing more than commitment to self, but teaching your children an important life lesson — dare to dream, and follow through.  So, be bold.  Believe in yourself.

I hope you’ve found inspiration from my comments.  Remember, there is no right path, but the steps right for you.  Believe in yourself!

*How do you encourage others to go after their dream?

I sincerely wish everyone health, friendship and happiness for the New Year!

Contest

***ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on my guest blog post about, “A New Year’s Guide To Achieving Your Goal!,” on Delilah’s blog between 3 January 2020 – 12 January 2020.  The winner will receive one of Diana’s mugs and a tote.

Diana Cosby, International Best-Selling Author
https://www.dianacosby.com/
The Oath Trilogy
MacGruder Brother Series
Forbidden Series: Forbidden Legacy/Forbidden Knight/Forbidden Vow/Forbidden Alliance/ Forbidden Realm‒14th April 2020

Christmas 2019 is over, and the New Year is finally here. 2020! A clean slate just ready for my  plans and plots. I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions anymore. I used to make them, but I found that by the end of January they were already a distant memory. Now, I just try to make general goals for the year and hope I can stick to them.

My goals this year are fairly simple. I want to keep a consistent release schedule for my books.  I have two ongoing series, my Terras Five Cyborgs and my Northern Rockies Werewolves. Although both are romance, one is a sci-fi series and the other is a paranormal. My hope is that by alternating between the two, I will be able to keep both fresh and not start to recycle the same plot with different characters in each successive story. I find my muse gets bored and stale if I just stick to one universe. (I’m sure a psychologist would love to explore that idea!)

Click on picture to pre-order!

On a personal front, I want to continue to spend as much time as I can with my grandkids while they are still willing to be seen in public with me. I have a day planned to see the latest Star Wars movie with the oldest four (ages five through thirteen) this weekend. We’ll go to the afternoon show, get pizza for dinner and then they can have a sleep over. I love going to the movies with a group of kids. They aren’t embarrassed to show their enthusiasm for their favorite characters!

As five of  my grandkids live within a fifteen minutes of my home, and one of them goes to high school a mere three blocks from me, I have an revolving door policy that means they are always welcome to drop in, be it for few minutes to grab a glass of water or to stay overnight and make popcorn and watch a movie on Netflix or Disney plus. I cherish these times, and hope they always feel welcome to drop into my home unannounced. Being a grandmother is one of the best things that ever happened to me!

I am also determined to be more active. Since my day job is a desk job, and writing is also very much a sit still kind of activity, I have to find hobbies that make me move (unfortunately reading isn’t active either!) This fall I entered Merlin the Wonder Dog in an advanced agility course, and it turns out he loves it! Santa brought him a set of weave poles for Christmas so now we can practice at home. Come spring, I’m considering letting him compete in the local agility competitions.

Lexi is much younger, really just a pup (maybe a year old?) so I am working on basics with her. So far she has mastered not looking terrified all the time, and sitting on command. I spent a lot of time getting her not to cringe and crawl when anyone looked at her so I hesitate to teach her ‘down’. Right now we are working on leash manners. As in, walking while on leash as opposed to dropping to the ground and playing dead.

So that’s it for my plans for 2020! Here’s hoping it’s a wonderful year for all of us,

Happy Reading!

Anne Kane

Nothing in Margo Simmons’s life comes easy. She can’t claim the inheritance on a condo apartment her uncle has left to her until she is gainfully employed in a job for a year. She meets the man of her dreams but anguishes over a loving relationship because he is still emotionally tied to his deceased wife. With great difficulty, she becomes the guardian to a recently orphaned child she had been tutoring. Margo evolves from an insecure, newbie elementary teacher into a woman determined to fulfill the secret desires locked in her heart. My story speaks to anyone who has suffered a loss and had to start over.

Get your copy here!

From the Author

1. Why romance?
Everyone needs a lift from the day to day grind.

2. What’s up next?
Suspense in WWII and a psychological suspense.

3. Who inspired you to write?
Two deceased friends who were great mentors.

4. Is there romance in your personal life?
Yes, my husband who courted me while we were dating and is still romantic.

5. Do you believe in second chances?
Yes. We should all have one in love. My book talks about second chances.

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

Hello, everyone! I want to start with a giant thank you to Delilah for letting me play on her blog again. It’s always a blast!

So, it’s the end of the year, time to take stock of what we accomplished in the past twelve months and take a look at what we want to do in the next twelve. I had big plans for 2019, and I’m sure many of you did, too. Did you reach those goals you set for yourself, or did you aim a little too high?

I started looking at my 2019 list back in October and shaking my head. They seemed perfectly realistic when I put them on paper last year. Since I managed less than half of them, I have to say that wasn’t true. Oh, sure, if I wrote full-time, I don’t doubt I could have pulled them all off—they were nowhere near the amount of writing I did when my kids were little and I was home full-time. But I have a day-job now, so I should have been more realistic, clearly.

That made me take a much harder look at my goals for 2020. I had already scaled them back a little, realizing my 2019 list was too much. Then I looked at them again and chopped off some more, thinking how much more discipline I could exercise in the new year to make things happen. Then I looked at them again the other day, with a voice in my head telling me it was still too much. Sure, lots of people can pull off half a dozen book releases in a year. But I haven’t done the self-pub thing yet, so it’s going to have a learning curve for me, and I don’t want to screw it up when I get there. That lopped a couple more things off the list, in case I need more time than I’m anticipating to navigate those new waters.

I’d like to say I have a perfect goal list in front of me right now, but I think I am still going to do some fine-tuning in the next couple of days before the new year starts. The way the past few years have gone, with family things and the day-job, I’m leaning toward giving myself plenty of elbow-room for my goals, enough time to actually make them happen, and happen right, not half-assed. I’m sure it still won’t be the perfect goal list—I’m far from perfect, so why would my goals for the near year be perfect? But it will be closer, and if I exceed my expectations, well, that would be great, too, and give me a boost of confidence when I start on goals next fall for 2021, right?

How much time do you take to work out your goals for each new year? Do you obsess over them (as I feel like I’m doing this year), or do you just put them down on paper and leave it at that without too much debate? I’d love to know—I’m always looking for new ideas that might help me out, and they may be useful to someone else as well—and I have a shiny new 2020 Llewellyn’s Witch’s Calendar (wall version) to give away to one commenter.

About the Author

Elizabeth Andrews has been a book lover since she was old enough to read. She read her copies of Little Women and the Little House series so many times, the books fell apart. As an adult, her book habit continues. She has a room overflowing with her literary collection right now, and still more spreading into other rooms. Almost as long as she’s been reading great stories, she’s been attempting to write her own. Thanks to a fifth grade teacher who started the class on creative writing, Elizabeth went from writing creative sentences to short stories and eventually full-length novels. Her father saved her poor, callused fingers from permanent damage when he brought home a used typewriter for her.

Elizabeth found her mother’s stash of romance novels as a teenager, and-though she loves horror- romance became her very favorite genre, making writing romances a natural progression. There are more than just a few manuscripts, however, tucked away in a filing cabinet that will never see the light of day.
Along with her enormous book stash, Elizabeth lives with her husband of more than twenty-five years, and frequent visits from her two young adult sons, though no one else in the house reads nearly as much as she does. When she’s not at work or buried in books or writing, there is a garden outside full of herbs, flowers and vegetables that requires occasional attention.

You can find her virtually at www.ElizabethAndrewsWrites.com or on social media.

As we approach the end of the second decade of this millennium, I thought I would share a few lessons that I’ve learned this year. For me, 2019 has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I’ve had a few highs and acquired some deep bruises. The good news is that I’m going to learn from these lessons.

#5- You might want it but you don’t need it. I inherited our home from my grandparents who were packrats. They survived the Great Depression and thought everything should be kept, because “someday” they might be able to use it again. The house is big and has allowed us to collect things—too many things. Things that we have never used, those items that we have for those “in case” moments.

So 2020 is going to be the year of culling.

#4- Don’t let fear stop you from trying something new. I’m fifty-six so I’m not talking about an extreme sport—hospital stays are very expensive. In the last year, I’ve discovered that I really enjoy writing short stories. Listen, I love to tell a long tale of how a couple falls in love and get their happy ever after but sometimes, it is fun to simply share a little bit. As a writer, it makes me stretch different muscles. To give the reader a hint and then trust them to fill in the rest of the scene. Romance readers know the signs and I trust that with a few words, they will grasp that if I say the man is a “total alpha” that my reader will know that he is a take-charge type and bossy. Writing a short story is like having a conversation with a close friend. I don’t have to fill in the entire back-story, I only have to hit on the high points.

It’s fun and so fulfilling to learn something new. In fact I released two compilations of short stories set in my Novus Pack world, Impressions and Moments.

#3- Giving another a compliment will make you feel better. My Leo tendencies will now make an appearance. Last year I was in a rut. Most of my interactions with others were through the internet and I felt a part of myself withering. I took a part-time job at a local hair salon. At Luminosity, my role is to be the hostess. I chat with clients, fetch drinks, hang coats, and compliment. I listen and look at photos of their ideas for a new look. I hear stories about a special night out or a visit from an old friend. After the stylist is done with the transformation or simple trim, I pour on the praise.

I am amazed at how even the grumpiest customer will smile and stand straighter, and I feel so good after. I use my love of words to describe their new look. They usually giggle and wish me a great day. My goal is that everybody leaves feeling a little better than when they arrived.

Giving a compliment costs me nothing but it gives me so much in return.

#2- Friendships can become toxic. I would describe myself as complex, I have many layers. I also know that not everybody is going to find me delightful. In the last year, I have decided that there are several people that don’t add goodness to my life. There are a myriad of reasons. This isn’t entirely their fault or mine; we have stopped being good for one another.

The tough part is breaking the cycle of acceptance and forgiveness. I have made up so many excuses for hurtful behavior and overlooked some actions and now it is time to stop. I hold no ill will toward these people. I wish them happiness on their journey, but I no longer will be by their side.

#1—Every win is because of hard work. Every good thing that has happened in my writing career can be attributed to hard word and hustle. I have amassed a good team of people with different skills and experience. I ask them for advice often and more importantly when I take their advice, I let them know. If I choose not to follow their recommendations—I thank them for their time. When I sell a book, get a positive e-mail, it is because of the work we put in on my product.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to meet with a baby author, and she was clearly looking for the “golden ticket” to success. I told her that I didn’t know it, and let’s be honest if I did, I wouldn’t give it away for free. Success comes from hard work, making mistakes and learning from them, and luck.

So for 2020—I will keep working, listening, and thanking those around me.

If you enjoy reading romance with a healthy dose of learning life’s lessons, check out my Cameron Farms Trilogy. You Only, Your Always, You Forever. They are available from Amazon and are currently in KU.

You Only is a second chance love story.
You Always is the rare glimpse into the perfect marriage that isn’t so perfect.
You Forever is about the aftermath when the little window shows a plus sign and all of your plans are in disarray.
For the Boxed Set— https://amzn.to/33pui4O

For You Only— https://www.readmelaniejayne.com/you-only.html
For You Always— https://www.readmelaniejayne.com/you-always.html
For You Forever— https://www.readmelaniejayne.com/you-forever.html

To Learn more about my Contemporary Romance and Paranormal Romance
https://www.readmelaniejayne.com/home.html

Contest

To win a $10 Amazon Gift Card, please share what you have learned in 2019.