What I'm Currently Reading - Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage

Teddy Andersen doesn’t have a plan. She’s never needed one before. She’s always been more of a go-with-the-flow type of girl, but for some reason, the flow doesn’t seem to be going her way this time.

Her favorite vintage suede jacket has a hole in it, her sewing machine is broken, and her best friend just got engaged. Suddenly, everything feels like it’s starting to change. Teddy is used to being a leader, but now she feels like she’s getting left behind, wondering if life in the small town she loves is enough for her anymore.

Gus Ryder has a lot on his plate. He doesn’t know what’s harder: taking care of his family’s 8,000 acre ranch, or parenting his spunky six-year-old daughter, who is staying with him for the summer. Gus has always been the dependable one, but when his workload starts to overwhelm him, he has to admit that he can’t manage everything on his own. He needs help.

His little sister’s best friend, the woman he can’t stand, is not who he had in mind. But when no one else can step in, Teddy’s the only option he’s got. Teddy decides to use the summer to try and figure out what she wants out of life. Gus, on the other hand, starts to worry that he’ll never find what he needs.

Tempers flare, tension builds, and for the first time ever, Gus and Teddy start to see each other in a different light. As new feelings start to simmer below the surface, they must decide whether they should act on them. Can they keep things cool? Or will both of them get burned?

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The Book That Changed My Life

 I was in the middle of writing my very first fan fiction based on the television show Prison Break when an online friend suggested I check out this vampire romance series called Twilight. I was hesitant because I'm a steamy romance reader and Twilight is a YA romance. Would I really like a book series that had zero spice?

As it turned out, I did. I fell in love with Bella and Edward. So much so, that when I finished writing my Prison Break fan fiction, I decided to dive into Twilight fan fiction.

My first foray into writing Bella and Edward was to give them a proper wedding night. I was perfectly fine with the slow burn, but I needed more from the wedding night than what the author gave us. I mean, she made us wait for 3+ books and THAT was all we got?

I needed more, so I decided to write it.

My first Twilight fan fiction was titled Perspective. It was written in Edward's point of view starting three weeks before the wedding night. Stephanie Meyer mentioned how Bella and Edward had been practicing for their wedding night. She didn't give us details, but I decided to fill in the gaps.

With each chapter, we get to watch Bella and Edward test the waters and prepare for their wedding night. And then, of course, the story wraps up with the big finale...the wedding night. And unlike what we got (or didn't get) in Breaking Dawn, I didn't leave it at a fade to black. I gave Bella and Edward a proper wedding night.

That fan fiction led me to writing more in the Twilight universe and it was that second story that caught the attention of some ladies who were starting their own publishing house. The owner of the publishing house reached out to me, explaining how she'd read and loved my story. She wanted to know if I had anything I was interested in publishing.

As it turned out, I had a story I'd written and was in the process of editing with the intention of trying to get it published. I emailed her the story and within two weeks she contacted me again. This time, it was to offer me a publishing contract.

 Fourteen years later, I am not 100% self published and have 16 novels, 1 novella, and 3 short stories. Writing that first fan fiction changed the course of my life, but I may never have published my first book without having read Twilight and diving into the world of Twilight fan fiction. It truly changed the course of my life and gave me an outlet to tell all the stories floating around in my head.

To find out more about my books, check out my website at www.sherrihayesauthor.com.

From Hidden Threat to Strictly Professional: My Publishing Journey Since 2010

 I recently celebrated my publishing anniversary. My first published novel was released on December 31, 2010. I wanted to share a little about that publishing journey and the evolution of that book.

The first book I ever published was through a small press publishing house called The Writer's Coffee Shop. It doesn't exist anymore, but it was best known for being the original publisher of Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. 

My first book, Hidden Threat, released on the last day of the year. I'd never published a book before. I'd only ever written fan fiction, so I had no experience when it came to marketing.

The first cover we came up with for Hidden Threat, wasn't the best. This goes back to my lack of experience in marketing a book and unfortunately, the publisher was new as well and didn't have much experience in that area either. All the members of the publishing house were avid readers, but being a reader and knowing the right cover to put on a book are two different things.

Hidden Threat was an office romance with corporate espionage. The first cover depicted a woman grabbing hold of a man's tie with the Chicago skyline in the background. Then, we added someone holding a gun to denote the mystery/suspense parts of the story.

While the story did okay upon its release, it had two things going against it. One, I was an unknown author. And two, the cover.

Knowing what I know now, the light blue color scheme isn't really the best color for romance novels, especially steamy romance novels. It doesn't really scream suspense romance. 

I continued to publish books throughout the five years I was with that publisher and ended up being the second highest selling author behind E.L. James. This provided me with a lot of opportunities to go to events and really try to build my brad and my readership.

But after five years, the owner of the publishing house decided to close its doors. All the rights for my books reverted back to me and I had to decide what was next. Did I look for a literary agent and try to get a publishing deal from one of the New York publishing houses?

In the end, I decided to use what I'd learned during my time at TWCS and go down the self publishing route. We were given permission to use all of our edited material. The only thing we had to really do was add a new cover to the books and get new ISBN numbers, then we could re-upload them to retailers.

When I went to do this for Hidden Threat, I quickly realized the name and the vibe I was going for didn't work. Add to that everything I'd learned writing wise as an author and I came to the conclusion that the book needed a complete overhaul.

In the original story, there were five or six different points of view. None of my other books had that. They were all dual point of view between the hero and the heroine.

So of course, I had to fix that. I ended up rewriting the entire story, removing the extra points of view, and beefing up the mystery/suspense elements. By the time it was all said and done, I added an extra 15,000 words to the story.

With the re-write, I also decided to change the title to Strictly Professional, focusing on the office romance. 

This is Matthew and Cali's story. It still takes place in Chicago and is now about 60% romance/40% mystery suspense. It is my only standalone novel. 

If you're looking for a standalone office romance, I'd love for you to give Strictly Professional a try.

Currently Reading - After The Kiss

Julie Greene loves flings. Loves steamy first dates, sizzling first kisses, and every now and then, that first sexy romp between the sheets. Comfy pants, sleepy Sundays, movie nights on the couch? Shudder. But when Julie gets assigned the hardest story of her career—a first-person account of that magical shift between dating and “I do”—she’ll need a man brave enough to give a total commitment-phobe a chance at more.

Normally, Mitchell Forbes would be exactly that man. A devastatingly hot workaholic who tends to stay in relationships for far too long, he should be the perfect subject for Julie’s “research.” But what Julie doesn’t know is that Mitchell is looking to cut loose for once in his life. And the leggy journalist notorious for avoiding love is exactly the type of no-strings fling he’s looking for. In other words, Mitchell is the polar opposite of what Julie needs right now. And, at the same time, he’s exactly what she wants.

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