Life Cycle of a Work In Progress by Laura Hunsaker

I did something amazing this past weekend. I wrote the words THE END on my latest book! This has to be one of a writer's favorite things.

The life cycle of a rough draft is nuts, I mean, you start out thinking that you have the best idea! You can't wait to write all the ideas down. You want them out of your head as fast as your fingers can type them. You know you can fix it when you edit, I mean Nora Roberts said, "You can't edit a blank page." So you write.

In your mind you see Henry Cavill as the Witcher! But on the page is...Ross in leather pants. 

Even worse, then you get stuck. And you procrastinate, and then you go back to it, then you poke around online a bit, then you go back to it, and throughout it all, your idea that you loved so much is still bright and shiny! You just need to climb out of this plothole over here, or jump over that speedbump in your story.

Then you're back to writing and you have a big moment coming up! It's amazing, it's brilliant, it...stinks. It really stinks. But-but the shiny! The best idea! All the words! Nope, they all stink, every last one of 'em. But you've got a deadline and you've gotten this far, so lets finish up the words.

Then something miraculous happens. You finish, you type the words THE END, and things make sense, they tie together, they work! Your book really is the best! The shine is back on it, and you think to yourself, "Huh, that doesn't stink after all." And that elation is the best. Then you celebrate! For me, it's a nap and some wine.

This got me thinking, what do other people do once they've reached a goal, or a milestone? So I ask you, what do you do when you've hit a milestone?

Join my Newsletter for a chance to get all my amazing milestones straight to your inbox! ;) Seriously, though, I only email you when I have something exciting to announce like a new cover or a new release. 

Sign up here

Meanwhile my latest release is called Dreams of the Past and you can get it for $.99 in the Last Chance Beach box set (also free in Kindle Unlimited)

There are 14 amazing stories in this box set all taking place on the tourist island of Last Chance Beach. Grab it now and escape the world for a bit! With second chance romance, love at first sight, mature romance, and enemies to lovers, there's a story for everyone!

Dreams of the Past

She needs rest, he needs relaxation…

Jenny Travers wants a fresh start. Leaving the nightmares of her past behind her, she heads to Last Chance Beach. Renting the Sea Glass Cottage sounds peaceful and relaxing, which is exactly what she needs.

What she doesn’t need is a man.

Lieutenant Commander Scott Gordon was injured by an IED on his last mission, and while his leg has healed, it’ll never be strong enough to stay on his SEAL team. Renting the Sea Glass Cottage sounds like the perfect place to figure out how he’s going to handle his new normal. 

He never expected to find a woman in his bed.

A mix-up at the rental agency means Jenny and Scott are both renting the small cottage. Sharing a space with a stranger should be hard, yet they both feel more at peace than they have in months. 

Will their summer romance last, or is the magic of Sea Glass Cottage all they’ll have…

TV Shows That Were Canceled Before Their Time by Laura Hunsaker

 Recently I was chatting with a friend about my new obsession: Lucifer on Netflix. Why oh why didn't I start this sooner! Which reminded me that's exactly what I said about Galavant, I mean seriously, why didn't I start that show sooner?

Which led us to the topic of TV shows that were cancelled before I even got into them. I'm behind the times I guess! 

So, which TV shows were canceled before their time?
I've heard a lot of people are still salty about Firefly, Sleepy Hollow, and Veronica Mars.

For me I only have a couple: 

Moonlight- A Vampire and an investigative journalist...how did this show not get more seasons?

Pitch- I'm not even a baseball fan and I loved this show! 

and Galavant. Oh Galavant. How I love thee. It's a musical comedy show with the Amazing Alan Menkin as the songwriter! My goodness what a fun show!

Lucifer lives on still ;) And I'm binge-watching this weekend! 

So how about you? Which shows are you still sad about not getting another season?

And if you want to see what is getting another "season"...it's my Fatal Instinct series. I'm almost finished with my third story, but you can grab the latest in the Last Chance Beach: Summer's End box set on Amazon.

Amazon

She needs rest, he needs relaxation…

Jenny Travers wants a fresh start. Leaving the nightmares of her past behind her, she heads to Last Chance Beach. Renting the Sea Glass Cottage sounds peaceful and relaxing, which is exactly what she needs.

What she doesn’t need is a man.

Lieutenant Commander Scott Gordon was injured by an IED on his last mission, and while his leg has healed, it’ll never be strong enough to stay on his SEAL team. Renting the Sea Glass Cottage sounds like the perfect place to figure out how he’s going to handle his new normal. 

He never expected to find a woman in his bed.

A mix-up at the rental agency means Jenny and Scott are both renting the small cottage. Sharing a space with a stranger should be hard, yet they both feel more at peace than they have in months. 

Will their summer romance last, or is the magic of Sea Glass Cottage all they’ll have…

August Brings Good Times & Good Books by @JoanReeves #RomanceGems

LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer's End

August brings the culmination of a lot of hard work by half of our Romance Gems Authors. Back in June, I had a little free time and an idea that I could put together a box set of romance short stories, thus fulfilling one of my stated goals when I started Romance Gems in February 2019.

Free Time Is Dangerous

Wow! A little free time can be dangerous!

I thought it wouldn't be that difficult to do since I've been a part of 15 or 20 box sets in the last few years.

I knew about formatting, Kindle Digital Publishing, marketing—all of the required elements to successfully write and publish.

BUT, I had no clue how much work it would be. *LOL*

Endless emails. Organizing all of the elements.

Encouraging authors to learn what Nancy Fraser, Maddie James, and I wanted to teach. The list of things to learn was seemingly endless to many, and probably not of interest to Readers.

Somehow, we got everything done, and Last Chance Beach: Summer's End will publish on August 4 at midnight, for a measly 99 cents! That's right, only 99 pennies (plus tax if you're in a state that taxes online sales).

But Wait There's More

With Maddie James and Hannah Rowan in the role of Publisher, we created Cocktails on Last Chance Beach, a FREE companion book to the 14 Romance Short Stories Collection.

That's right, totally free! You can get your copy at Amazon, iBooks, or Kobo.

Click Last Chance Beach on the Menu bar to read all about it. Then rush out and buy your copy of Last Chance Beach: Summer's End and get your completely free ebook of  Cocktails on Last Chance Beach too.

Almost Forgot

I was so busy putting this project together and managing it that I nearly forgot I had to write a romantic short story too.

I had just finished writing The Key to Kristina, a mystery romance, for the Fortune's Favor: The Treasure box set so I was in the mystery mode.

I started writing a funny romance, but a little bit of a suspense element sneaked crept in albeit in a small way.

My story for Last Chance Beach: Summer's End is Hot August Night.

When they met it was hate at first sight for celebrity chef Zander Rojas and junk food loving police detective Chelsea Elliot.

They’re not just dismayed when they discover they each have a reservation for Blue Moon House.

They’re determined to make life miserable for the other and be the last inhabitant standing when the feud is over.

Imagine how horrified they are when they realize they have the hots for each other.

Romance Gems August Update

The Author Spotlight shines on Jan Scarbrough for August. Be sure and visit the page to learn more about Jan and her books.

This month, we're switching things up a bit because change is a good thing.

We'll be doing Comment and Win for the first time since last year.

Nancy Fraser will tell you more about it when she blogs, but the concept is simple.

The Daisy graphic to the left explains the rules so I hope you'll drop by every day and post a comment.

You just may be the August Winner of Sizzling Days & Sultry Nights.

Have a wonderful August. Make the most of the last month of summer. Stay safe. Be Social—at a safe distance.

Escape into the pages of books, the least expensive form of entertainment, and a peaceful Retreat from the world and its problems.

Visit Joan Online

Amazon Author Page * BookBub Author Page * Facebook Fan Page * Twitter * YouTube * Website 

Be the first to know about Giveaways, Bargains, and New Books, sign up for Joan's Free Subscription Newsletter.

You'll receive a free ebook upon confirming your subscription.

Happy Reading!

Cover Reveal: Dreams of the Past by Laura Hunsaker

Meet me in Last Chance Beach...

I'm a California Girl at heart. I was born there, my family is there, and my favorite beaches are there. I may not live near the beach anymore, but it's always been a huge part of me. In one of my books Highland Games, my heroine is a surfer. I usually have a "theme song" for each book. And for that one, it was "California Girls" by the Beach Boys.

Well, I've had "The Boys of Summer" by the Ataris (or the Eagles, if you prefer) stuck in my head for the past month or so, and now I can tell you why! I am so excited to share Dreams of the Past with you all! It will be included in the Last Chance Beach: Summer's End box set, and I hope that you hear The Boys of Summer in your head as you read, because I feel it really captures the Summer Romance/End of Summer Vibe this set has. You're going to love it!

Dreams of the Past is part of my Fatal Instincts world, but can be read as a stand-alone story, and I really hope you'll enjoy Scott and Jenny's summer romance.

Pre-Order HERE

Go check out The Legend of Last Chance Beach, and prepare for 14 amazing summer beach reads!

She needs rest, he needs relaxation… 

Jenny Travers wants a fresh start. Leaving the nightmares of her past behind her, she heads to Last Chance Beach. Renting the Sea Glass Cottage sounds peaceful and relaxing, which is exactly what she needs.

What she doesn’t need is a man. 

Lieutenant Commander Scott Gordon was injured by an IED on his last mission, and while his leg has healed, it’ll never be strong enough to stay on his SEAL team. Renting the Sea Glass Cottage sounds like the perfect place to figure out how he’s going to handle his new normal.

He never expected to find a woman in his bed. 

A mix-up at the rental agency means Jenny and Scott are both renting the small cottage. Sharing a space with a stranger should be hard, yet they both feel more at peace than they have in months.

Will their summer romance last, or is the magic of Sea Glass Cottage all they’ll have…

Look for the box set coming soon and check out the amazing authors in this set!

And don't forget to enter the July giveaway to win an Amazon gift card!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer is sizzling with stories by Jan Scarbrough

Hot summer days are the perfect time for a cool drink, shade, and a beach read.

LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End

Look for the pre-release buy link soon. Only 99cents.

LAST CHANCE BEACH is the island paradise where dreams go to live again and wishes may come true. It’s Summer’s End on the island, and the cottages, condos, hotels, and bungalows are filled to capacity.

There’s still plenty of time to find summer fun and summer love, new romances and second chances; hot alpha males and heartwarming heroes, beach bunnies, dudes, and romance popping up when you least expect it.

Throw a log on the beach bonfire tonight and celebrate LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End, a special collection of 14 short stories from bestselling authors—all new, never published before—that will thrill the hopeful romantic in you. Some stories are sweet; some are sizzling hot. All will touch your heart and make you want to book a vacation to LAST CHANCE BEACH!

Hot August Night by Joan Reeves, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Can a chef and a hot dog loving cop resist desire when they’re forced to share the same overbooked beach cottage?

Something New by Liz Flaherty, USA Today Bestselling Author
Their lives are all planned out--until they're not.

I Do…Again by Nancy Fraser, Amazon Top 100 Author
Can they re-ignite what they once had and take a last chance on love?

The Man in Gull Cottage by Caroline Clemmons, Amazon Top 100 Author
Will the solution to her dilemma drive them apart or into one another's arms?

That One Summer by Maddie James, Amazon Top 100 Author
He's the one who got away. She's the one who couldn't commit.

Romancing the Spouse by Jan Scarbrough, Amazon Bestselling Author
Can she turn back the clock to save her marriage?

Blue Sky Summer by Kathleen Lawless, Amazon Bestselling Author
Of all the beaches on the coast, who does she see again? Him!

Hangover Husband by Bonnie Edwards, Amazon Bestselling Author
What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there

One Last Shot by Marcia King-Gamble, National Bestselling Author
She can run, but can she hide?  Will love still find her?

Secondhand Hearts by Kathryn Hills, Award Winning Author
Life takes you down many winding paths. Will theirs lead to love on Last Chance Beach?

Perfume Paradise by Connie Vines, Award Winning Author
Fragrance and love cannot be hidden.

Dreams of the Past by Laura Hunsaker, Award Winning Author
Can dreams of the future erase her nightmares of the past?

Beach Kisses & Sunset Wishes by Nora LeDuc
She wants someone interested in a fling. He wants someone interested in a ring.

Can't Buy Me Love by Hannah Rowan
Things aren't always what they seem.

***

The Ghost Mountain Ranch

The secrets of the past still haunt the living…

My Ghost Mountain Ranch series is also part of the summer fun. So far, the books about Hank, Darby, and Slade are available at most ebook retailers. Kelsey’s story is on preorder for release July 17.

HANK

On Christmas Eve, Hank accepts the job of ranch foreman over the mountains in the Gallatin Canyon, Montana. But something dark is happening at the Ghost Mountain Ranch, where the past is reaching out in dangerous ways to haunt the living.

DARBY

Thirty years ago, Darby Heston fled her family’s Montana dude ranch. Now she must return to help her father. Would the boyfriend she’d abandoned still be there? Hank Slade has never stopped loving Darby, but is he willing to risk his heart again? Secrets tore them apart once. Given a second chance at love, will more shocking secrets from the past destroy their hopes for the future?

SLADE

Slade Heston is spending the summer as a hired hand at his grandfather’s dude ranch, trying to figure out life, not fall in love. Laurie Chastain is supposed to write promotions for the ranch, but she has a secret goal. What did a 1970s radical resistance group have to do with her grandfather? Laurie’s only clue leads her to Ghost Mountain Ranch. Will their growing attraction be enough to protect Slade and Laurie from the ghosts of the past?

KELSEY

Kelsey Heston’s using the skills learned at her family’s Kentucky horse farm to improve tourism at her grandfather’s dude ranch. But what is her old college sweetheart doing here? Max Lee has come to Ghost Mountain Ranch searching for a missing woman. Instead, he finds Kelsey. But old secrets are stirring, secrets someone might be willing to kill to keep. Can they finally lay the old ghosts to rest, or will the echoes of a decades-old murder destroy their second chance at love?

July's Rafflecopter draw runs from July 1^st  through the 31^st.  Who couldn’t use an Amazon Gift Card?

The Summer Solstice and Special Deals by Jan Scarbrough

From The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

In 2020, the June solstice is Saturday, June 20, at 5:44 p.m. EDT. This date marks the official beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring when Earth arrives at the point in its orbit where the North Pole is at its maximum tilt (about 23.5 degrees) toward the Sun, resulting in the longest day and shortest night of the calendar year. (By longest “day,” we mean the longest period of sunlight.) At the June solstice, the Northern Hemisphere receives sunlight at the most direct angle of the year.

Okay, it’s not technically summer yet (in the Northern Hemisphere), but it feels like it in Kentucky! It’s HOT! On these almost-summer nights, I’ve spent my time reading. And if you like reading like I do, I happen to have a few specials just for you.

My writing buddy Maddie James and I have a series of contemporary Western romances called The Montana Ranchers.

We’ve put them into a Five-Book Box Set called the Montana McKennas and it’s on sale for 99 cents for a limited time! Here’s where you can find the set at all of the familiar ebook retailers.

I’m also about to release my mystery-romance trilogy called The Ghost Mountain Ranch. The first book is already available for 99 cents. I call it Hank: Ghost Mountain Ranch Book 1. Here are the digital buy links.

On Christmas Eve, Hank accepts the job of ranch foreman over the mountains in the Gallatin Canyon, Montana. But something dark is happening at the Ghost Mountain Ranch, where the past is reaching out in dangerous ways to haunt the living.

One thing you might want to know about Hank is that it was published in 2017 as Home for the Holidays, so you may have read it. When I wrote it, I wanted it to be Hank’s transition from the McKenna Ranch to the ranch across the mountain. Hank becomes the hero in the book to be released June 19 – Darby: Ghost Mountain Ranch Book 2.

Now, if you’d like to get a free copy of Hank, I’m giving it away to my newsletter subscribers on Wednesday. All you have to do is go to my website and sign up for my newsletter! https://janscarbrough.com/contact/

The authors of the Romance Gems are giving away Amazon Gift Cards again this month. Go to our Monthly Giveaway page for all the details.

HAPPY LONG WEEKEND! by Kathleen Lawless @kathleen lawless #romancegems

Long weekends are something most of us look forward to, whether we’re working, in school or retired.  In Canada, we had our holiday Monday earlier this week, while Memorial Day in the US and a bank holiday in the UK are on the horizon. 

This year, my brothers and sister and I celebrated by springing Dad from the retirement residence where he’s been in lockdown for over two months.  For the first time this year, all four of us were together for a visit with him, social distanced of course, outside in our lovely gazebo.  The little things we used to take for granted are slowly coming back.

To help kick off the holiday celebration this weekend, my boxed set of 4 award-winning historical romances, WIDOWS, BABIES, AND BRIDES, is on sale for only .99 cents, a saving of $9.  Grab yours here for a leisurely binge read.  
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086GGVGP2

Do you have plans for the long weekend? Or have you already enjoyed your extra day off where you are?  I'd love to hear which countries have their holiday at different times.

Wherever you're reading this, I hope you’re at least entering our Rafflecopter draw to win one of our Amazon gift cards.   http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/21df08a237/  

No matter what you get up to, be sure to have a happy, safe and healthy weekend. 

Kathleen

AN EASTER LIKE NO OTHER By Kathleen Lawless @Kathleenlawless

My three grown children always loved games and puzzles, and when they were little I used to create an Easter egg hunt with clues they could follow to find their baskets.  A few years ago, when they were visiting for the Easter weekend, I decided to surprise them.  Once they were in bed, I wrote out rhyming clues and hid their treats like in the old days.

Easter morning, I heard them get up and start the game while I sipped coffee in bed.  The egg hunt went on a long time.  Finally, they admitted they were stuck.  What! 

I re-read my badly scrawled clues that made no sense.  Did I mention wine was consumed the night before?  Apparently quite a bit of wine.  I honestly couldn’t follow my own clues or remember where I’d hidden their goodies.  Luckily my house is small and the treats were eventually located.  Years later, it remains a fond family joke among the four of us.

I’ll miss them this year as I wait for the all clear to get together, to hug, to reminisce and laugh.  Little things that will never be taken for granted again. 

In the meantime, in keeping with the season, I have hidden a virtual egg on one of my social media sites.  Scoot around and find it so you can be entered into our Rafflecopter Draw.  While you’re there, please like and follow.  It helps these days to feel people out there like us.

Facebook ~ BookBub ~ Twitter

Our Easter treat to help you Read and Renew is one of 3 Amazon gift cards.  Enter here:  Rafflecopter Entry Form

To help pass the time, I have put four of my most popular western historical romances into one convenient box set for an easy binge.  Available to read for free in KU on Amazon.

Happy Easter to you and Yours.    

Kathleen 

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SALE By Kathleen Lawless @kathleenlawless #romancegems

By my reckoning, today is the Eighth Day of Christmas.  This is a holdover from my Catholic childhood, when my mother insisted on leaving the Christmas tree up until January 6^th, which she called ‘Little Christmas,’ aka the Epiphany.  Dad wasn’t Catholic, so things were always interesting in our house.  Many of our neighbors considered December 13^th the start of the twelve-day countdown, ending on the 25^th. 

These days, I applaud the way everyone finds their own special way to celebrate the holiday season, no matter what their beliefs.  Why else would the movie theaters be really busy on December 25^th, with a lot of Hollywood Blockbusters released that day? 

Now that New Year’s has come and gone and we’re into a new Roaring Twenties decade, I wanted to start the year off right with my biggest sale ever. Rather than a gift of Eight Maids-A-Milking, I have on offer my SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS Volume One Box Set of Sweet Western Historicals.

 

Regularly $8.99, you can grab it now for only 99 cents.  

If you haven’t started reading about Brody Mason his brothers where, one by one, these Alpha Male Cowboys in nineteenth century Arizona meet the one special woman destined to be their “forever love”, now is your chance.  Volume One includes the bonus Prequel Before the Brides, a novella not available for sale outside of the boxset.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZW9SVZK

Before the Brides … Ten years earlier Brody and Laura’s romance started it all.

Brody’s Bride …  Laura’s Back!  And right in the crosshairs of Brody’s sworn enemy.  Can he keep her safe and forgive the past?

Bradley’s Bride …  Amanda has something their sworn enemy vows to get his hands on, no matter who gets in his way.  Despite himself, Bradley is soon drawn in. Fighting his past, fighting his feelings, and ultimately fighting for their future.

Braydon’s Bride …  Globe-trotting Henrietta is unlike any woman Braydon has ever met.  When she turns his lighthearted wager into her own personal triumph, he knows they are meant to be together.  But how to convince her! 

If you prefer a little more heat with your romance, and a contemporary setting, watch later in the month for the release of UNTAMED.  The story Roundtable Reviews describes as, "Imagine Nancy Drew meets Sex in the City."  

And if I could possibly impose on your time, my gorgeous cover for UNMASKED  is in a cover contest at All Authors. Please vote here https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/6729/ and help to share.  Very excited for this opportunity for my cover designer and I.  She deserves this recognition for her work. 

I wish everyone good health and much happiness in the year ahead.  Let’s go out there and make things happen!  Leave a message saying what you're looking forward to in 2020.  I will pick a random winner for one of my e-books of your choice.  

Kathleen

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS by Kathleen Lawless #romancegems @kathleenlawless

Wasn’t Christmas the best, most exhilarating time when we were young?  All the excitement, the anticipation, the festivities.  Falling asleep on Christmas Eve was never easy and Christmas morning couldn’t come fast enough so we could bounce out of bed to see what Santa left under the tree or in our stocking.

Somewhere along the way the holidays came to mean lists, lists and more lists.  Frenzied crowds in the shops or the mall.  Long line-ups.  Clogged parking lots.  Baking and wrapping and cleaning and planning.  Too much to do and never enough time, no matter how early one got started.  Which is when learned to I step back, take a breath and concentrate on the traditions I look forward to each year.

Our local yacht club hosts a "Sea of Lights" with the sailboats all decked in lights reflecting off the endless dark ocean.  Honey and I bundle up and watch it from the beach every year with mugs of (spiked) hot chocolate.  

For the largest truck parade in the country, Heavy Equipment Operators catch the Christmas spirit by decorating their huge work trucks with lights and driving them in a massive convoy through downtown with carols blaring and horns honking.  I usually open the sunroof and stand on my seat for the best vantage point as they drive past.  

A nearby world-famous garden trades its flower bulbs for light bulbs in December. Gardeners spend months decorating to the theme of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  My gleeful inner child loves to ride the carousel.  Thank goodness I can still fling my leg up and hoist myself onto one of the critters.   

More than ripping into gifts in the morning, my family and I look forward to playing games on Christmas Eve.  Our recent favorite, Cards Against Humanity, always turns into a laugh fest.  The simple act of being together with my love and my adult children is all I want for Christmas, and I give thanks every year that we all still enjoying being together.

Comment below and share some of your holiday traditions.  And don’t forget to enter our raffledraw.  This month’s prizes are bigger than ever.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/21df08a232/

If you’re a fan of box sets, my SEVEN BRIDES SERIES Volume 1 is now available.  It contains a bonus novella not available for purchase outside of the set.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZW9SVZK

If, like me, you have a penchant for cowboys, check out these heroes in cowboy boots, all available to read for free in KU.    
  

• https://storyoriginapp.com/to/409JnSj

Most of all have a safe and happy Holiday Season, however you choose to celebrate.