Who’s ready for a new story?

Some of you might remember a little story called Just a Taste that I was working on a while back.

I couldn’t get any publishers interested in it, so I gave up on it for a while. But try as I might, I couldn’t get Lily and Dan out of my head—so Just a Taste  has been reborn as Tempted at the Beach House available as a serial novel on an app called Radish.

What’s a serial novel, you ask?

It’s kind of like a TV show in written form. Instead of publishing the whole story all at once, I release “episodes” twice a week. Each one builds on the last, and the idea is to get you hooked, so you come back for the next ones as they are released!

Right now I’ve got ten episodes published, and more are coming!

Here’s what it’s all about:

Her summer beach vacation is about to get a lot hotter…

When Lily made plans to vacation on Dolphin Island, she expected the hot sun, salt air, and ocean waves. But seeing Dan—her first love—again wasn’t in her plans. Neither was discovering the attraction that still sizzled between them.

Dan has no business getting involved with Lily again—he still has the scars from the last time he had to let her go. But when they become accidental roommates, he sees only one solution: a purely physical relationship that ends when her vacation does.

Should Lily accept his proposal? And if she does, will she really be able to walk away when it’s over?

There’s much more to the story, of course—but you’ll have to read it to get all the steamy details.

How to Read Tempted at the Beach House

So here’s what you need to do.

  1. Get the app on Google Play or the Apple app store
  2. Create an account (it’s free and you can use your Facebook credentials)
  3. Start reading Tempted at the Beach House

Right now, the first four episodes are free. To read the rest, you’ll need to pay 3 Radish coins each, which you can buy in the app (they’re pretty cheap). I’ll also be giving some away in the coming weeks.

Don’t want to pay? That’s okay! A new episode unlocks every Tuesday and Friday, which means you can read them for free!

What are you waiting for? go check it out!

A Writer’s World: As Seen By Her Husband

character convo

It was date night. My husband and I were seated at an, ahem, romantic table for two, crowded against the staircase leading to a full banquet room and in front of the men’s bathroom.

Finally alone (but yet not at all alone), we did our best to avoid conversing about all things child-related.

“So I saw your Facebook post,” my husband said to me.

“Which one?” I post on Facebook a lot.

“The one where you said your hero told you he was a soldier in Afghanistan.”

“Oh. Right. And?”

He frowned at me. “I thought you said you had the book plotted out.”

“I do. Mostly.”

Now he looked confused. “Then how can your characters surprise you?”

I shrugged. “They just do. It happens when you write a really long story like that.”

He frowned again. “Don’t let them. Just stick to the plot.” (He knows how badly I want to get this book in the hands of my editor and under contract with Harlequin).

I sighed. “it doesn’t work like that.”

We changed the subject then. Probably back to something about The Kid, or the dog’s upcoming bout of mud butt, or (let’s be honest) The Kid.

But I’ve been mulling it over ever since.

Is an author’s brain really that different? I guess it must be. You see, my characters stopped being “characters” in my head a long time ago.

They’re real people, with complex backgrounds—and they haven’t told me everything about themselves yet.

We’re only 12,000 words in. We’re still getting comfortable with each other. They’ll tell me more as we go along, and when they do, I’ll have to change the way I’m thinking about their story.

And that’s a beautiful thing. It’s how I know this book will be a good one (or at least it will be if I don’t screw it up).

If I try to tell them they’re wrong, or that I can’t tell my story that way, then we’ll come to an impasse. They’ll shrug their shoulders and say, “fine, have it your way.” And I’ll write something that’s a total suckfest.

No one wants that. Least of all my husband (I get extraordinarily cranky when the writing isn’t going well).

It’s a crazy way to live, I guess. After all, don’t we usually lock people up when they say they have voices in their heads? I have an entire extended family squatting in mine right now. And when they eventually leave, some new bunch of weirdos will move in.

And if my brain stays vacant for more than a week or two? Then I will panic, and become convinced I will never write anything ever again.

Such is the life of a writer. And the life of the husband of a writer.

*shrugs*

I can’t imagine living any other way.

 

New for 2016: Read as I Write

Just-a-Taste-small

Normally, I write my books on the privacy of my own computer. No one but my writer’s group is subjected to the work in progress—which, let’s face it, is sometimes (often) a giant mess.

But this time I’m doing it differently. This time, I’m writing my first draft in public.

Every Saturday (or Sunday), I’m posting new parts of my latest work in progress to Wattpad.

What the heck is Wattpad?

Basically, it’s a social media site, where writers post their stuff, for free, and people who like to read stuff, read it. For free. And they comment and converse and have a good time doing it (I think).

You can follow people, and put their stories in your library, and read them from wherever you happen to be, on whatever device you happen to be on. Did I mention it’s free? I do hope you’ll come find me there.

And what are you writing on, errr, Wattpad?

It’s called Just a Taste, or at least that’s what the working title is. Here’s a quick synopsis:

When YouTube star Lily Sands returns to Dolphin Island for some much needed R&R, she runs smack into her old flame and first love. She has no time for love these days…but a vacation fling? That could be just what the doctor ordered.

Dan McGowan has no business getting involved with Lily again-he still has the scars from the last time he had to let her go. She can’t have his heart again. But his body? That’s another story.

After they’ve had a taste, the real question becomes…can they walk away when their time is done?

It will be a little bit silly, a little spicy, and hopefully, a lot of fun. Won’t you join me?

Read Just a Taste now

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