Showing posts with label SERIES ROMANCE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SERIES ROMANCE. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Release day for A Dose of Romance (Drake Springs Book 3)




Authors love release day. Months of hard work--writing, editing, proofing, revising, copy editing--culminates in a finished product ready for readers. You! I'm no different. I'm thrilled to have readers download A DOSE OF ROMANCE and read Tiffany and Woody's story. It's set around the holidays but isn't strictly a holiday read. 


This is book 3, you say, and you haven't yet read books 1 and/or 2? Don't let that stop you. While it's fun to read a series in order, you don't have to. My number one rule in writing a series romance is to make the story stand alone. Threads from other stories need to be reintroduced. I don't want my readers lost or scrambling to re-read a previous story. So even if you've yet to try the Drake Springs series, dive in and read A DOSE OF ROMANCE. If you like it, then you may want to buy previous titles. Or not. Your decision.



Happy reading!  And don't forget to enter the raffle for a $10 iTunes card.



Excerpt:
Tiffany rushed in to Fox’s Apothecary right before closing and headed directly to the pharmacy. 
The pharmacist turned to greet her. “Help you?” 
It was him. Woody Fox. Mister light-brew-with-half-and-half. Her heart stuttered and her breath caught. “Um, yes, I’m here to pick up a refill for my dad. Er, Drew Blair.” 
His smile widened. “Drew Blair is your dad? I guess I didn’t realize. . .that is, I didn’t know your name was Blair.” 
“You know my dad?” 
“Yes, I do. Not sure where I’d be without him. He keeps my old Bronco running.” 
“Don’t know where I’d be without him, either.” 
He turned to search through the white bags of filled prescription orders. “His is the best auto repair shop- in town.” 
She did an eye roll at his back. “Right. He’s the only shop in town.” 
He turned his dazzling smile on her. “Here you go.” 
She took the bag and thanked him. “Well, I guess I’ll see you Monday.” 
He frowned. “You don’t work Saturdays?” 
“I do.” She pointed to her temple. “Duh. I’m brain dead from too much studying.” 
“What are you studying?” 
“Business. I’ll have my associate’s degree in May.” 
His hazel eyes flashed with interest. “I didn’t realize you were a college student.” 
“I’m not going to wait tables all my life, not that there’s anything wrong with it.” 
“I know what you mean. What will you do with your degree?” 
“I have a few ideas. Dad says I can run his shop, but that’s risking everything on one business. It’s better to diversify.” 
“Right. Spread the risk.” He leaned against the counter. “I didn’t know they taught business classes at Drake College.” 
“They don’t. I have to commute to Florida Gateway College.” 
“Is that in Lake City?” 
“Right.” She’d stalled long enough. He might think she was flirting. She turned toward the front checkout counter. “See you later.” 
“Sure. I’d like to talk more about your business ideas.” 
“Uh, yeah. But not at the diner, okay? I don’t want to discuss it on the job.” 
“Gotcha.”
Boyd and Lorraine didn’t know her plan. No one did yet. So why had she mentioned it to Mister light-brew-with-half-and-half? Mister engaged-to-be-married light-brew-with-half-and-half?

Friday, December 12, 2014

iBooks-the emerging giant in eBooks?

I don't know about you, but I do just about everything on my smartphone. I carry an iPhone 5S and love it, which surprises me because I resisted all things Apple for so many years. Live and learn.

I now have an app called Map My Walk that tells me how far I walk, what route I take, my splits (how long each mile takes), calories burned, etc. It emails me reports with summaries of my workouts. It even tracks how many miles are on my pair of shoes so I know when they should be replaced. 

I have an app that holds all my store loyalty cards. No more plastic tabs clogging up my key ring. Love that! I use the calendar app to track my family's appointments and activities, the email app to check for messages when I'm away from my PC, the MapQuest app when I need directions, the various social networking apps to check my friends' statuses, and the weather app to check the forecast. I can take photos and post them from my iPhone. I keep to-do lists and grocery lists stored, too.

Occasionally, I use the iPhone to place a call, although I now prefer texting. Who knew I'd be such a slave to one device?

While waiting in a doctor's or dentist's office, I read. I didn't realize how handy reading on my iPhone would be. Now I love it (and my iPad knows right where I leave off). 

So I'm late to the iBooks game, which I've learned is the fastest growing platform. News to me, but I see why. I can buy iBooks via the iTunes store using the iTunes account I already established for music, ringtones, and premium version of apps.

Most of my books are available via iBooks, too: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/cheryl-norman/id417449386?mt=11

If you are ready to jump into iBooks, you'll need an iTunes account. This month I'm offering a $10 iTunes gift card to a random entry. I hope you'll participate. If you win, you can download some iBooks and start reading wherever you go.

Happy Holidays.



Tuesday, September 30, 2014

RETURN TO DRAKE SPRINGS

During September, I've posted and had guests post about their fictional small towns included in the Small Town Charm boxed set sold by Turquoise Morning Press. I hope you've had a chance to read this collection of romances. My Rebuild My World is set in Drake Springs, Florida, and I intended it to be the last book set there (a sequel to the first Drake Springs novel, Reclaim My Life). But the town stayed with me. So many interesting characters and so many stories...

October 15, 2014, TMP launches the new Drake Springs category romance series (Their Next Door line) with Book 1: Return to Drake Springs. These are short romance novels that are sweet in tone, available in e-book formats.


Book 1: Return to Drake Springs

If you've read Reclaim My Life and/or Rebuild My World  (Or Veiled Threat from the Wedding Day Collection anthology), you'll revisit familiar characters. But you don't need to read those to start reading this series. I hope you enjoy this small Florida town and that you'll RETURN TO DRAKE SPRINGS soon!

And don't forget to sign up for my mailing list for exclusive content, contests, and fun!


Wednesday, April 02, 2014

SPRINGING INTO A NEW SERIES

Hi folks!

It's spring. Finally! I've finished writing the first two books in my Drake Springs category romance series. I've even finished edits on the first, RETURN TO DRAKE SPRINGS, and it's scheduled for an October release. The line Boutique Collection ~ Next Door is eBook only, available in all popular formats for your reading device. 

I introduced my heroine in RECLAIM MY LIFE when she helped the sheriff and his love interest treat a poisoned golden retriever. Little did I know this minor, walk-on role would later lead to a starring role in a future book!

Here's the blurb for RETURN TO DRAKE SPRINGS.


      Lance George debates his decision to return to his hometown, but the price is right on the abandoned veterinary hospital he hopes to buy. He’s saved his money to open his practice by living frugally and purchasing wisely. There’s no room in his life for wasteful spending. His alcoholic mother squandered everything she had when he was growing up, leaving him with an obsessive motivation to achieve financial security.
      Iris Porter is unaware that she broke Lance’s heart in high school. She’s too busy trying to earn a living in a tough economy. She hopes to reclaim her old job as a veterinary assistant when Lance reopens the town’s only animal clinic. Popular and friendly, Iris is known to be generous to a fault. When a friend’s baby is stricken with leukemia, she organizes fundraisers and enlists Lance’s help.
      Lance’s feelings for Iris rekindle when he realizes how much she’s changed. The high school snob is at odds with the caring, sensitive woman who wants to help a family in need. But can he reconcile Iris’s generous spirit with his overpowering need for penny pinching? 

The fun in writing a series is the abundance of characters and stories that emerge with each book. In Book 2, FOSTER CARE, I hint at a couple of potential romances that I feature later in the series. As soon as I turn in Book 2, I can begin A DOSE OF ROMANCE, Book 3. Stay tuned!

Friday, August 23, 2013

A CHANGE IN DIRECTION

I have exciting news. I've changed directions, or rather my writing has. I enjoy romantic suspense and crime dramas, but lately I've yearned for a good romance story without the blood and terror.

It began a few years ago. I wrote two sweet romance novellas for the ROMANCE ON ROUTE 66 anthology. It was fun, and readers gave me encouraging feedback. Then I tried inspirational romance for a Christmas anthology, a short story titled The Christmas Prayer. I like inspirational romance, but I'm more comfortable with the latitude offered by "sweet" romance. The final trigger to my career shift came when Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series aired this summer on the Hallmark Channel. I love it, and loved those books. I want to write those kind of stories.

I already have the town, Drake Springs, Florida, in fictional Foster County. The town is full of interesting characters, some quirky, all endearing. I approached my publisher with the series idea, and she urged me to write, write, write. Apparently readers are hungry for series.

So if you've been to Drake Springs via my romantic suspense novels RECLAIM MY LIFE or REBUILD MY WORLD, or my short story VEILED THREAT, welcome back. Expect to see many more stories. If you haven't read those titles, you don't need to. Each book stands alone, and you'll soon feel right at home in Foster County, Florida.

Now, back to the keyboard . . .