It’s been a little more than a month since I began self-isolating. I’m an introvert, so staying home isn’t that difficult for me. It’s the stress surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic that I’m having a harder time with. It’s the worry about family and friends, the wondering when this thing will finally end and what it will mean for the world when it does.

There is no going back. This pandemic will change us all, not only individually but the entire world.

Humans are creatures of habit, and me more than most. I miss the little things in my weekly routine—breakfast out, running errands, stopping in at the coffeeshop/bookstore, going out for lunch and a movie, seeing my family. Little things, and certainly not important in the grander scheme of what is going on right now, but I still miss them.

But there are things I am doing to keep my spirits up and find joy. If you’re struggling with stress, there are things you can do that might help. First and foremost is to be gentle with yourself. These are unprecedented times. We don’t exactly have a playbook for this.

1. Call family or friends. Being alone can be tough for some people. I talk to someone in my family daily. Some days, I talk to all of them. It keeps us connected even though we can’t be together.

2. Discover a new show on TV, Netflix, or another streaming service. The last couple of Saturdays, I’ve binged on Netflix shows—Next in Fashion and Messiah. Two totally different kinds of shows. I’ve made Saturday a sleepy, do-nothing-much-of-anything day. If you have kids, it’s tougher, but maybe you can find things to watch as a family.

3. Exercise. It’s tough right now with having to stay inside. I’ve started walking around my apartment and I walk whenever I’m on the phone. If you have a yard, getting outside will certainly help. It’s cold here and there is still snow on the ground.

4. We all want to stay informed, but there comes a time when you need to turn off the TV and shut down social media. I’ve started turning on music. It can be soothing. If you want to rock out or have a dance party, that’s good too. Whatever works for you.

5. Journal. Get your thoughts down. It’s a way to help you work though what you’re feeling and going though. It can also be a record of this historic time that we’re living through.

6. Meditate. There are plenty of free programs or you can search YouTube. Or you can simply turn everything off, close your eyes, and simply breathe.

7. Cook or bake, if you’re so inclined. It’s a great activity if you have kids at home. I don’t do much of it because it’s only me at home. Too many cookies is not a good thing for my waistline.

8. Go online and check out some of the free video tours of famous museums and galleries being offered.

9. Find a new hobby or pick up an old one. If you’re not sure what you’d like to do, go online and look around. Between Pinterest and YouTube there’s not much you can’t find. And if you don’t have the money for a hobby, it’s still fun to watch other people and see what they’re creating. My sister has pulled out all her partially finished projects and is either finishing them or using the materials for a new one.

10. Housework. Yes, I said it. If you’ve been putting off a project, now may be the time to tackle it. Maybe not major home renovation but cleaning out a closet or the garage. I figure when this is over there are going to be tons of yard sales as people unload stuff they no longer want.

11. Draw a hot bath, sink into the water, close your eyes, and relax.

12. And finally, my go-to when my stress level is high is books. I wouldn’t make it without them. I’ve read some new ones and gone back and read old favorites.

If you like paranormal romance and are looking for a new read, you might want to check out Fury Unleashed, the first book in my new Forgotten Brotherhood series.

Fury Unleashed
Forgotten Brotherhood, Book One

Maccus Fury, a fallen angel, is trying hard to keep his sanity. Seems being an assassin might be catching up with him. Now, Heaven, or Hell, has sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. Lovely. She’s pretending to seduce him, and he’s okay with that. She’s smart and snarky—but she has no idea what she’s walked into. And he’s more than peeved that they only sent one person. They’re going to need an army if they want him dead.

Morrigan Quill is one of Hell’s bounty hunters. She sold her soul to keep her sister safe, and now she’s working off her contract by catching bad guys and dragging them back to hell. When Lucifer makes her a new offer––that’s definitely too good to be true—she can’t say no. All she has to do is kill a powerful and crazy-hot fallen angel, who will totally kick her ass in battle.

Good thing he won’t see what’s coming next.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084M1NQ88
Entangled: https://entangledpublishing.com/fury-unleashed.html
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fury-unleashed-n-j-walters/1136398720
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fury-unleashed-1
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/fury-unleashed/id1498471438

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit me at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

Hi! I’m Sierra Brave. I write sizzling romance across several genres. Currently, my favorites places to let my imagination run wild are romantic suspense and paranormal romance. My Horse Mountain Shifters series features rugged men and curvy girls.

The new and nasty COVID-19 virus has everyone locked inside their houses—and with good reason. As the mother of a chronically ill child, I’m all for everyone staying home, staying well and keeping infection rates as low as possible! Today, I’m going to share five ways to pass the time during self-isolation.

• Spring cleaning – not a lot of fun but now’s a great time to go through those old clothes and other household items, deciding what to keep, what to pitch and what to donate when we can venture out again—and lots of people will be in need so having charitable donations at the ready is a good thing.
• Sewing (or crochet, needlepoint, or any of the hobbies lots of us used to enjoy before cellphones/computer games started providing a quick, convenient way to pass time) – Some talented people are even making facemasks out of old bras. If you have some fabric and elastic around the house, there are lots of other facemask patterns online as well.
• Learn a new language – Back to those cellphone and iPad apps – Some pretty decent programs for learning to communicate with people from another country exist and are available through the Apple Store. We can’t travel right now, but there’s no reason not to prepare for when the fine medical experts of the world find a vaccine and cure or create a treatment for us.
• DIY with YouTube – tons of tutorials are available for everything from home maintenance to manicures. My daughter used to love this one from the well-named, Cute Girl’s Hairstyles.
• Finally, the best way to pass the time is to read! Please check out my new release, Saving Suki, and grab your copy today while it’s still on sale.

Saving Suki

Title: Saving Suki
Series: Horse Mountain Shifters
Release Date: April 1, 2020
Genre: Paranormal Romance; Romantic Suspense; Contemporary Western;

Pain Drove Him Away. Her Heart Couldn’t Forget.
Tragedy Brought Him Back. Will Fate Bind Them Together?

Last Day to Buy at the Introductory Price ($.99 US): April 1, 2020
Buy Links:
US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085X1HZST
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B085X1HZST
CA https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B085X1HZST
AU https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B085X1HZST

An abusive childhood and an accident in his teens left stallion-shifter, Malcolm Patterson, with a distrust for his father and a lot of holes in his memory. When his dad passes away, Malcolm returns to Horse Mountain to fulfill his obligation to settle his old man’s affairs but finds the shifter community’s near hero-worship of the late doctor disquieting. He’s further shaken to meet a curvy beauty at the funeral who makes his heart gallop and his primal instincts take over.

Suki Marks has been in love with handsome and noble Malcolm Patterson ever since he saved her from bullies who called her an abomination when she was ten. He was the first person to be straight with her about the reasons some people shunned her family and he was quick to debunk those prejudices as the ignorant folktales and stupid superstitions they were. Even after Malcolm graduated high school and left town, she couldn’t forget him, but becoming Doctor Patterson’s live-in nurse in his last year of life was a coincidence. She never expected to be named in the wealthy physician’s will.

Malcolm assumed he’d be disinherited, but even from the after-life, his father continues to turn the knife, using his will to set up an elaborate scheme to taint Malcolm’s feelings for the woman who might be his fated mate. To make matters worse, a dangerous shifter-purist movement is brewing among a small segment of the Horse Mountain Clan, and they’re determined to prevent Suki from passing on her genes to a new generation. Will Malcolm be able to work through his past in time to secure his and Suki’s future?

Warning: Saving Suki is a smoking hot romance with graphic, put-you-in-the-moment love scenes. If you’re offended by sexual language, you might want to consider another book. The book can stand alone without reading the others in the series, but reading Horse Mountain Shifters 1-3, will add to the enjoyment of the experience.

Excerpt from Saving Suki

Malcolm looked through the glass of the refrigerated pie case at the old McGillacutty Dinner as he perused the offerings. He wasn’t about to show up to Mama Carol’s completely empty-handed. A bright yellow flyer attached to the outside of the dessert case with scotch tape caught his eye. He studied the image of the missing girl printed above the lettering spelling out her name, age, and where she’d last been seen along with a phone number and offer of a reward. She was nineteen, blond and had a nice smile, but since he didn’t recognize her and couldn’t be of help, he turned his attention back toward the pies.

After deciding on the chocolate chess, he paid and headed out. He held the box with his desert under his left arm as he wrapped the fingers of his free hand around the glass door’s handle. As soon as he pulled back enough to let in the slightest breeze, the sweet all-consuming aroma from earlier hit him like a ton of bricks. Almost immediately, his heart thumped so hard his chest ached. His mind blanked, his cock twitched and his senses nosedived down into some dark, primal place he hadn’t realized existed. He might have involuntarily shifted right then and there if he hadn’t nearly knocked right into the curvy, brunette beauty who’d spoken with him at the funeral.

Her dark eyes widened and her eyebrows lifted as she gasped and reached out, saving his dessert by a narrow margin. Her hand briefly brushed against his fingers as she steadied the box. Perspiration misted his forehead and the back of his neck as he regained control of his mental faculties.

“Sorry. Are you okay?” He managed to force the words up from his suddenly dry throat.

Shakily, she looked up at him through long, dark eyelashes and nodded. “Uh-huh.”

For what seemed like an eternity, the two of them stood staring at one another until an old lady with a tight, gray perm came up behind Malcolm and demanded, “Move it, sonny.”

He stepped out of the way, holding the door for the elder woman as she shuffled out holding hands with a short, old guy wearing a flapjack hat. Malcolm couldn’t help but smile. He’d always imagined there were couples who’d found each other and stayed in love for all their lives even though none of his relationships seemed to last longer than a month or two. In the last few years, he’d only dated humans which didn’t allow for complete openness or a deeper intimacy.

Malcolm watched as the man walked his lady over to a white Toyota Avalon and opened the passenger-side door for her. As he glanced at the brunette, she tore her gaze away from the same couple and his line of vision synced with hers. For some reason, as if they’d somehow understood they’d been sharing the same thought, a warm blush covered her cheeks. Malcolm looked away as his face burned.

Other Books in the Horse Mountain Shifters Series:
Horse Mountain Heat
US UK CA AU
Real Cowboys Love Cats
US UK CA AU
Bridling Lucy
US UK CA AU

About Sierra

Sierra Brave is a multi-published author of smoking hot romance. Her love of erotic fiction started in her last year of high school when she read the sensual classic, Fanny Hill. She felt so naughty yet liberated with her copy tucked away in her book bag and hopes her work will have the same delicious effect on her readers.

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Do you like whiskey? Whether you do or don’t, it’s a drink with a fascinating history. The name comes from the old Irish uisce beatha, which means “water of life.” It was invented by Irish and Scottish monks in the Middle Ages, who used it for medicinal purposes. Now that’s a good excuse for a dram if ever I heard one! St Patrick’s Day was on 17 March, so now seemed a good time to tell you about my favorite drink and how I came to discover it.

I arrived in England from France in 1997, and one of my first jobs was as a finance analyst for a drinks company that owned several brands of Scotch and Irish whiskeys. They sold it, and they loved it. I’ll never forget the time when I was helping one of the directors with his budget figures. When we finished the work, he breathed a sigh and declared, “Ah, time for a break!” I expected him to brew a cup of tea or coffee. Instead, he pulled a book from his bookshelf. Behind it sat a bottle of Scotch. He opened it and drank a good mouthful, then offered it to me. It was 10 am, so I declined politely. There was also the time when we arrived at a company meeting, to be met with six shot glasses of whiskey lined up before every seat. We were to drink the shots, then guess which whiskey was the new one we were launching. I work in the pharmaceutical industry now, nothing this fun happens to me anymore!

Many countries produce whiskey, including Japan and India. It remains the liquor of choice in its old Celtic heartlands of Ireland and Scotland. Wales has also recently started, or rather restarted, to produce whiskey. When I created the world of my award-winning Sea of Love fantasy romance series, it seemed natural that my Welsh shape-shifting mermen would produce and drink whiskey. In the first book of the series, A Merman’s Choice, the merman hero Yann and the heroine Alex are stranded on Yann’s island during a storm. Yann is forced to take Alex to his home, in defiance of the laws of the merfolk. Alex is soaked and frozen. Yann wants to warm her up… what better way than to offer her a glass of his own whiskey? Read on to discover more!

A MERMAN’S CHOICE is the first book in the Sea of Love series, winner in the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award. Buy link: https://books2read.com/u/31xw7a

A Merman’s Choice

For centuries the shape-shifting mermen of the Morvann Islands have lived incognito among humans. But one of them, Yann, has developed some bad habits. Like rescuing humans, even when doing so risks revealing his true nature. When he fishes Alex out of the sea, he doesn’t expect her to reappear eight months later, and turn his life upside down by asking him to be her guide. Alex is determined to fulfill a promise to her dying grandmother, by gathering pictures and stories of the Morvanns. But she soon discovers that, on these remote Welsh islands, legends have a habit of becoming true!

Over the course of a few days, Yann and Alex grow close. But some mermen hate humans. Their hostility, and Yann’s secret, threaten to tear the couple apart just as they are discovering that they are soul mates. Can Yann overcome the obstacles in his path and make the right choice?

MUSIC FOR A MERMAN is Book 2 in the Sea of Love series. The books can be read independently. Buy link: https://books2read.com/u/mdG7Bw

Music for a Merman

Rob Regor knew that humans were trouble. All the shape-shifting mermen of the Morvann Islands knew it. And human women were double trouble… especially when they were lying on the road in front of a digger.

Rob has a mission. Go to the mainland. Work as a policeman. Spy on humans. Report back to his father, the head of the Regor Merman Clan. It should be easy. Until he has to arrest Charlie. Rob can’t fight his attraction to the sexy eco-warrior, and it puts him on one hell of a collision course with his family and his Clan. Will he break the rules – or break her heart, and his?

Love ‘em and leave ‘em, that was Charlie’s motto. It had served her well until now. But Rob is different… Can she open up her heart to Rob – when a secret buried in her past surfaces and changes her completely?

Excerpt from A Merman’s Choice

An ear-shattering roll of thunder shook the air. Alex flinched. “It’s right above our heads.”

Yann stopped himself from stroking her shoulder to reassure her. “That means it’ll soon go away.”

Not soon enough. How could he pass the time until then? He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost midday. Lunch would distract her from the storm and the ocean she’d only just escaped. Perhaps it would distract him from the sight of her, shimmering in the gloomy room like a pearl made of flesh.

He went to the dresser against the wall and picked up a bottle and two glasses. “Would you like a dram of whiskey to warm you up?”

She slid back down the sofa. His ears registered the squeak of leg against leather, and his mind instantly pictured her sprawled on the cushions, her golden hair fanned behind her head, milky thighs open wide. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the maddening image.

Her voice dropped into a seductive purr. “I’m quite warm already, thank you. But I can cope with more heat.”

He poured a glass of the golden liquid and brought it to her.

“Thank you.” She sipped it and made a grimace, which turned into a smile. “Even better than cider.”

Her mouth glowed against her milky skin like a forbidden fruit. He thought of the first summer berries—tart redcurrants, juicy raspberries. Would she taste like them?

They needed food. If he didn’t get lunch down her soon, she’d get drunk. The demon voice in his mind whispered that Alex would be great fun if she lost her inhibitions. He tried to shut the demon out. What could he prepare quickly?

He strode to the trap in the floor by the front door and lifted it. The smell and sound of seawater, sloshing in the dark, rose up.

Alex padded over to investigate. “Oh, wow. You have a whole aquarium down there!”

The corner of her blanket brushed his bare arm, sending another twig to feed the fire that smoldered in his loins.

“That’s how islanders keep their seafood fresh. Why don’t you go and sit at the table, and I’ll open a dozen oysters for you?”

She didn’t need to see the tunnel on the side of the “aquarium”, that led to the lower floor of the house, the level that flooded at high tide and opened onto the sea. The level where a more respectable merman would spend most of his time.

She moved away to the center of the room where the oak table stood. Not far enough. He’d become so attuned to her that every one of her movements seemed to ripple across the space and lap against his body. He grabbed a knife and bucket from the tool shelf, snapped the first oyster open and dropped it in the bucket. Now she was crossing her legs, damn her. Did she know that the woolen fabric was opening, uncovering the ivory skin of her inner thigh? Was she flirting with him, or was it his imagination?

“I love oysters.” Her voice wrapped itself around him like a silk scarf. “Pity we don’t have any champagne to go with them, but this whiskey is just as good.”

Spring is here, which means warmer weather and longer days. It also means the spring movies are here!

I love going to the movies. There’s something special about sitting in a theatre in the dark and watching a movie on the big screen. It’s something I do often and by myself. I’m a big fan of the matinee.

There are so many great movies I’m looking forward to, but here are 5 that top my list for spring.

1. Mulan—March 27. This is Disney’s latest animation to live-action movie. It looks incredible.
2. No Time to Die—April 10. James Bond is always exciting and a fun ride. I love Daniel Craig as Bond, but I’m curious to see where they’re taking the franchise next.
3. Black Widow—May 1. It’s about time Natasha Romanov of Avenger’s fame had her own movie. This should be a kickass good time.
4. Fast and Furious 9—May 22. It’s some of the best action you’re going to find.
5. Wonder Woman 1984—June. After Mulan and Black Widow, here is another kickass female heroine. I loved the original Wonder Woman movie with Gal Gadot and can’t wait for this one.

   

And they’re just the beginning. The summer blockbuster season is inching closer. So, grab your popcorn and a drink and join me.

What movies are you looking forward to this spring?

And if books are more your style—but why not do both—then check out Fury Unleashed, the first book in my Forgotten Brotherhood series, just released!

Fury Unleashed
Forgotten Brotherhood, Book One

Maccus Fury, a fallen angel, is trying hard to keep his sanity. Seems being an assassin might be catching up with him. Now, Heaven, or Hell, has sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. Lovely. She’s pretending to seduce him, and he’s okay with that. She’s smart and snarky—but she has no idea what she’s walked into. And he’s more than peeved that they only sent one person. They’re going to need an army if they want him dead.

Morrigan Quill is one of Hell’s bounty hunters. She sold her soul to keep her sister safe, and now she’s working off her contract by catching bad guys and dragging them back to hell. When Lucifer makes her a new offer—that’s definitely too good to be true—she can’t say no. All she has to do is kill a powerful and crazy-hot fallen angel, who will totally kick her ass in battle.

Good thing he won’t see what’s coming next.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084M1NQ88
Entangled: https://entangledpublishing.com/fury-unleashed.html
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fury-unleashed-n-j-walters/1136398720
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fury-unleashed-1
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/fury-unleashed/id1498471438

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit her at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

My name is Stacy McKitrick. I write paranormal romances, normally with locales I have visited. I love Pittsburgh, so I set My Sunny Vampire there. I live in Dayton, so it only seemed natural to set Bite Me, I’m Yours here. I’ve been to Atlanta many times for Dragon Con (a sci-fi/fantasy convention held during Labor Day weekend every year), but it wasn’t until I actually visited the Atlanta Underground that I realized that’s where my vampire headquarters is located, and I show that in Blind Temptation. And while Biting the Curse is set between Cleveland and Detroit, two cities I have visited also, I ran into problems with my newest book: Finding the Perfect Mate.

I was all set to have my vampire couple go to Russia, do their job, then return. Problem was, that would have been a super short story. And I just couldn’t have that! But I’ve never been to Russia. Had no idea what it’s like there. Luckily, I have a friend who did know something about the country and told me enough where I could conduct my own research.

Like dashcams. Almost every car in Russia has one. I thought it was because they were required. Nope. It’s more like for insurance. Without a dashcam, some person ready to scam you can walk into your car and claim you hit them. And apparently, that happens a lot! When I was doing my research, I found that I could view a lot of these dashcam videos online. I thought, Great! Now I can see what the landscape looks like. And I was able to do that after I got over the horror of actually watching these videos.

Warning: if you’re the squeamish type, I suggest you do not view them. I swear, you’re looking at someone’s death during some of these car crashes. Very horrific!

So my book, which was supposed to just have a little bit of Russia in it, ended up being 90% in the country. Did I get it all right? Maybe not, but I concentrated on the Russian Vampires. Since they don’t exist, I pretty much could make up their world there. If you’re interested in how well I portrayed Russia, why don’t you read Finding the Perfect Mate? It’s currently on pre-order at a reduced price of $2.99. Release day is April 1 and the price will increase to $4.99 shortly after that.

So … Have you ever been to Russia? Do you like to travel? I love traveling and one day I do hope to visit Russia. Maybe on a cruise. I do love cruising!

Finding the Perfect Mate

Finding the Perfect Mate just got way more complicated.

When Perry pledges abstinence until he meets a Perfect Mate—a rare mortal perfect for a vampire—he doesn’t expect to be tested. Especially by another vampire. But Mandy smells like heaven. Has a sexy British accent. And is the smartest person he’s met. She’s just so … perfect. If he holds on to his fantasy, will he lose his chance at love?

Finding the perfect vampire was never on her radar.

Mandy hasn’t seen her father in 500 years but when he goes missing she drops everything and heads for the States, only to discover the Russian vampires kidnapped him. She insists on being involved in his rescue and suggests she and Perry—who’s sexy as sin and makes her laugh—infiltrate as lovers. As they pretend, she realizes he’s just so … perfect. But she’s got a secret that will mean her death. Can she trust him not to turn her over to the authorities or does she keep mum and let him go?

Vendors you can purchase Finding the Perfect Mate:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081TM9KC1
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-the-perfect-mate-stacy-mckitrick/1135043124?ean=2940163189878
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/finding-the-perfect-mate
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/finding-the-perfect-mate/id1488836101

You can check out all my books on my website: https://stacymckitrick.com.

If you sign up for my newsletter (https://eepurl.com/bCN0Oz), I’ll send you a free copy of “Savannah’s Destiny,” a short story I wrote that combines my Ghostly Encounters and Bitten by Love series. I’m doing it all manually (meaning I send out the link once I get the notification I have a new subscriber), so if you don’t hear from me after signing up, you can contact me directly at stacy @ stacymckitrick . com (without the spaces, of course). You can unsubscribe at any time—no hard feelings.

Last summer, the owner of the first publishing house I joined, Liquid Silver Publishing, died. I hated hearing the news because she was a wonderful person to work with. With Liquid Silver, I’d sold, gosh, maybe twelve books and several novellas/short stories in anthologies. It was a good company to work for because they were fair, honest, and they paid on time. With her death came the problem of what to do with the books they still had on the docket. I recently received rights back for all of them. I also received rights back for the one non-erotic book I’ve written, Burning Bridges, written as Anne Krist. What to do, what to do…

I’ve only recently explored the adventure of self-publishing. It’s exciting and scary all at once. Exciting, because I am more in control of my own fate—responsible for quality and timeliness and marketing. Scary, because I am more in control of my own fate—responsible for quality and timeliness and marketing. It seems everything is a double-edged sword. What if I take charge of my own destiny (fun) and screw everything up (scary)?

With Burning Bridges, the book of my heart, I was happy to take the risk because I love the book so much. Reading through to edit and make necessary changes was actually a pleasure. Hubby designed a new cover that I (surprisingly, because I loved the first cover) like better than the first. Uploading the book went off without a hitch. So far, so good.

But when it came to marketing, I was kind of stuck. Do I market the book as new or revised? Should I even mention that it was out before? Anyone looking at the website—or even Amazon, since they can’t/won’t tell their marketplace vendors to remove images and offerings of older versions—will recognize the difference in cover art. And the book already has reviews. Do I use the old reviews in marketing the updated book? None of these questions had I considered before jumping into republishing. (To answer, I decided to use the old reviews in marketing, I noted that the book is republished on the copyright page of the book but don’t make a big deal of it in ads, and I use only the new graphic in messages and marketing.)

Since Burning Bridges, I’ve republished two other books, both written as Dee, and both paranormal: Passionate Destiny and Your Desire. They also have new covers (I think hubby outdid himself!) and have been updated slightly with re-reading/editing. I have about seven or eight more to go if I am to match the books I had on Liquid Silver’s site. It’s a daunting task! As I am repubbing, I’m putting books on Kindle Unlimited. If you are member of KU, I hope you will check them out.

So, is republishing books a PITA or fun? It’s a mix. If I had gone to one of my other publishers—assuming one of them would have accepted the books—it would have been so much easier. They would have taken care of cover art and editing, and I would have had help in marketing. But so far, I kind of like the idea of taking the reins of control for my work. I have found formatting for paperback is a bit of a pain but nothing that can’t be dealt with. The fun comes from reading my own work again. I don’t usually read a book of mine once it’s published. After reading Burning Bridges, Passionate Destiny and Your Desire, I kinda sit and say, “Did I really write that? It’s pretty darn good.” That’s the most fun part! I hope folks will take notice of my marketing and agree!

Burning Bridges: mybook.to/BurningBridges
Letters delivered decades late send shock waves through Sara Richards’s world. Nothing is the same, especially her memories of Paul, a man to whom she’d given her heart years before. Now, sharing her secrets and mending her mistakes of the past means putting her life back together while crossing burning bridges. It will be the hardest thing Sara’s ever done.

Passionate Destiny: https://tinyurl.com/sxy5sfh
When Margaret Amis-Hollings inherits an old house in Virginia, she never suspects she’d be sharing it with a very loving ghost. Or that her interest would be divided between her spirit lover and the very live man who’s renovating the place. Suddenly her life is intertwined with a soldier from a previous century and with his descendant, Aaron, who has a secret concerning her home. Is it coincidence or the power of a past love that makes Aaron want to share her life, as well as her destiny?

Your Desire: https://tinyurl.com/whkqtjf
Your Desire. A mysterious shop appears in town for one reason: to bring the spice of passion and the thrill of love to one special person. Magic is in more than the item purchased—it’s in the heart of the buyer, often hidden, usually surprising. And after enchantment takes hold? The store fades from sight and memory, only to reappear somewhere else. Maybe in your town….
 
 
 

About Dee S. Knight

A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex.

After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website (www.nomadauthors.com). Fortunately, Dee’s high school sweetheart is the love of her life and husband to all three ladies! Once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity.

Author links:
Website: https://nomadauthors.com
Blog: https://nomadauthors.com/blog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeeSKnight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN
Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749

I’m not a big fan of winter. Never have been, which is odd considering I live in a place that gets more than its fair share of cold and snow. Winter starts early and stays late. The first snowfall was in November, and the past few weeks we’ve been buried in snow. Fans of outdoor winter sports are thrilled. Me, not so much.

So how does a glamorous writer stay warm while working? Layers, lots and lots of layers. I wear leggings (sometimes two pairs) and a long-sleeved shirt. (I favor turtlenecks.) Over that, I’ll put on a man’s oversized flannel shirt that falls past my thighs. Next comes the blanket, which I wrap around my waist like a sarong when I’m sitting in my chair writing but just throw over my legs when I’m on the couch reading. And let’s not forget the fingerless gloves. An absolute must this time of year. I cut quite a sexy figure.

But there are good things about being snowbound. It’s a great opportunity to watch movies or stream a new series on Netflix—Witcher was amazing! And, of course, it’s the perfect time to pour up a hot tea or hot chocolate (I’m not a coffee drinker, but to each their own) and pull out a good book.

It’s also a great time to launch a new series. And I have a paranormal one coming in March—Forgotten Brotherhood. Fury Unleashed is book one. This is one group of badass, paranormal assassins.

Fury Unleashed
Forgotten Brotherhood, Book One

Maccus Fury, a fallen angel, is trying hard to keep his sanity. Seems being an assassin might be catching up with him. Now, Heaven, or Hell, has sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. Lovely. She’s pretending to seduce him, and he’s okay with that. She’s smart and snarky—but she has no idea what she’s walked into. And he’s more than peeved that they only sent one person. They’re going to need an army if they want him dead.

Morrigan Quill is one of Hell’s bounty hunters. She sold her soul to keep her sister safe, and now she’s working off her contract by catching bad guys and dragging them back to hell. When Lucifer makes her a new offer—that’s definitely too good to be true—she can’t say no. All she has to do is kill a powerful and crazy-hot fallen angel, who will totally kick her ass in battle.

Good thing he won’t see what’s coming next.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084M1NQ88
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fury-unleashed-n-j-walters/1136398720
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fury-unleashed-1
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/fury-unleashed/id1498471438

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit me at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters