Behind Closed Doors 2 Day Sale

MARCH 17TH & 18TH ONLY!

I'm celebrating my birthday this year with a new cover for Behind Closed Doors AND reducing the price to 99 cents...for 2 days.

 

 

Grab your copy of Chris and Elizabeth's story before the price goes back up!

 

Amazon | Apple | Nook | Kobo | Google

 

All Elizabeth Marshall wants to do is start over in the small town of Springfield, Ohio where no one knows her. The old, three-story, Victorian house seems like the perfect place to heal from the scars of her past and rebuild her life, but her plans quickly get derailed when she meets her upstairs neighbor.

Christopher Daniels is all alpha male---tall, broad shoulders, and dark brown eyes that seem to be able to look into her soul. His sharp attitude the first time they meet puts her on edge, but then he goes and offers her a job at his construction company. The more they work together, the more the lines between professional and personal begin to blur and she finds herself letting her guard down.

As they turn up the heat on their relationship, she finds herself forced to confront her insecurities...and the secrets she’s been trying to put behind her. But just as Elizabeth thinks she might get her second chance at finding love and a happily ever after, someone from her past has decided they aren’t ready to let go.

 

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What I'm Reading This Weekend...

 I meant to post this yesterday, but the day got away from me. 

 

Next on my TBR list, is Demise of a Self-Centered Playboy by Piper Rayne. This is the fifth book in her The Bailey's series and takes place in Alaska.

 

You might be wondering how you’ll know when your playboy ways are coming to an end. For some it might be an unexpected pregnancy (ahem… you know who), for others it might be finally landing the one woman you’ve always wanted (cough… I won’t mention any names). For me, it was the death of my mentor and the subsequent reading of his will.

The signs were there, they always are. But I didn’t notice them until it was too late, and my demise was complete.

Demise Sign #1 – You find yourself thrust into the land of responsibility and you don’t immediately hightail it out of town.

Demise Sign #2 – Despite being stuck with the world’s biggest Jekyll & Hyde, some sadistic part of you actually enjoys spending time with her.

Demise Sign #3 – Your family suddenly stops wanting to weigh in on every decision in your life.

Demise Sign #4 – Somehow you end up being the voice of reason in your tumultuous partnership.

Demise Sign #5 – You start thinking of other people before yourself.

Demise Sign #6 – You agree to put yourself in the middle of an Alaskan reality TV show that has both of you sleeping in the same tent.

Demise Complete.

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How Much Does It Cost To Self Publish My Novel? #WriterWednesday

One of the big questions aspiring authors ask is how much does it cost to self publish your novel. It seems like it should be an easy answer, but in reality it is anything but straight forward. However, there are three main expenses an author needs to account for when self publishing their book.

Editing

 

What editors charge varies depending on their experience and what type of edit that's required. For example, a developmental editor, that will work with you on plot and pacing, will cost more than a copy or line editor, that focuses on spelling and grammar. I've seen editors that have charged as little as 0.004 cents per word to ones who've charge over a penny a word.

 

The key is to shop around and find the right editor for you. Always ask for a sample edit from an editor you've never worked with before, which typically involves sending them the first chapter of your story. They will edit the chapter, for free, to give you an idea of what kind of work you should expect from them.

 

Cover Design

 

Finding the right designer for your cover is just as important as finding a good editor. The cover is the first thing most readers will see. It needs to make a good first impression.

 

Covers range in price from $50 to over $1,000 per cover depending on if the cover is a pre-made, custom with a stock photo, or a custom cover design with an exclusive photo.

Formatting

 

There are formatting options where you can do the formatting on your on, or you can pay someone to format your book for you. 

 

If you do it yourself, you can either use Word or formatting software such as Vellum. Which these are less expensive, they can also be time consuming and there is a learning curve, which is why some authors choose to hire someone to format their books for them. This service starts at around $50 per book and goes up from there.

What I'm Currently Reading #FridayReads

This weekend I'm reading It Takes Two by Erin Nicholas. I've read several books by this author, including the first book in this series, She's The One. 

Read Isabelle and Shane's story along with me and let me know in the comments what you thought of it.

He's the right guy...but maybe it's just the wrong time.

Isabelle Dixon never should have said yes to that first date, but she couldn't resist Shane Kelly's larger-than-life personality. The romance, the fun, the passion...the guy brought it all. And then some.

But now he seems determined to make their no-strings fling into something more. And she's already given him all she's got. Breaking up should really be easier than this.

Shane has always prided himself on being the good-time guy. Exactly Izzie's type...or so he thought. Yet ever since he suggested her moving in, she's been pulling back. Well, he's not about to let her get away that easily. Even if it means following her across the country--or at least the great state of South Dakota--on a crazy road trip.

Hey, he does everything with passion--especially falling in love.

Amazon

Why I Decided To Self Publish - #WriterWednesday

After five years of being with a publisher, the owner of the publishing house decided to get out of the business. I'd heard horror stories from some authors about publishing houses going under and the authors having to fight to get the rights to their books back. So, when that first email was sent out saying they were no longer taking new submissions I was a little nervous.

 

Luckily, once the publishing house officially closed its doors, the owner gave all the authors the rights to their books back. But this now created a new dilemma. Should I seek out another small publisher? An agent? Or should I take the plunge and self publish the books myself?

 

Because most of the affected authors saw the writing on the wall several months in advance, we all had the opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of each. Some authors choose to find new publishers, but after going back and forth with all the positives and negatives, I decided that self publishing was the direction I wanted to go in.

 

I'd been published for five years at the time and had nine published stories. The first four books in my Finding Anna series (Slave, Need, Truth, and Trust) were out, as well as the first three books in my Daniels Brothers series (Behind Closed Doors, Red Zone, and Crossing the Line). I'd been active in marketing my own books since the beginning and had worked closely with the publishing house whenever I launched a new book. I was confident I could do it on my own.

 

But that doesn't mean there wasn't a learning curve...

Tackling My Second Novel And Why It was Harder Than The First - #WriterWednesday

After publishing my first novel, the question then became 'what's next'?

 

Around the time, I was becoming rather frustrated with writing fan fiction. While I loved the interaction and feedback from readers, there seemed to be this growing sentiment that I had to take the story in whatever direction the readers wanted it to go even if it wasn't the way I felt the story should develop. It was killing my creativity. And I feared if things kept going the way they were, I would never finish writing it.

The story was unique, despite it being written as a fan fiction. In fact, the only real connection it had to the original story was the characters names and the couple pairings. So when my new publisher asked me 'what's next'? the answer became obvious.

 

Within a matter of weeks, I pulled the fan fiction story and began working with an editor to make all the necessary changes in order for it to be published. The entire process took about three months with several editors going through it to make sure we hadn't missed anything. It wasn't only spelling and grammar we had to look out for, but also phrasing and situations that might be similar to the story the fan fiction had been originally created around. 

In July 2011, Slave, the first book in my Finding Anna series was publish. I didn't realize at the time that I'd be spending seven and a half years with these characters, and publishing three more books in the series: Need, Truth, and Trust.

 

At the end of Trust, I'd thought that Stephan and Brianna's story was finished...

 

Italian Pasta Bake Recipe.

I've been making this for a few years now and it's one of my husband's favorites. When we went to visit his family in New Jersey earlier this year and I made it while we were there. It was a huge hit!

 

I'm all about simple when it comes to recipes and it doesn't get much simpler than this one. 

 

Here's what you will need:

• 1lb mild Italian sausage

• 2 small cans of tomato sauce (we use Aldi)

• 1 can Stewed tomatoes

• Italian seasoning

• salt & pepper

• 1 box farfalle pasta

• Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, or an Italian blend cheese

• Parmesan Cheese 

   

Saute the sausage until it's cooked through and beginning to brown. I use a stock pot or my NinjaFoodi. Once the sausage is ready, add the tomato sauce and the stewed tomatoes. I will typically fill one of the tomato sauce cans with water, going back and forth between the two cans to make sure I get all the tomato sauce from the cans. 

 

Stir the sauce and add the seasoning. I don't usually measure how much seasoning I put in, but it's roughly 1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Stir, making sure all the spices are mixed into the sauce.

 

Cook the sauce on medium heat for about 20 minutes.

 

While the sauce is simmering, cook the farfalle in a separate pot.

 

The pasta and the sauce should get done around the same time if you start boiling the water after you've put the sauce together.

 

Before adding the pasta to the sauce, add 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, or an Italian blend cheese to the sauce. Stir until all the cheese has melted, and then add the pasta, mixing until combined. Top with Parmesan cheese to serve.

If you decide to give this recipe a try, leave a comment below and let me know what you thought.