February: The Month MADE for Romance

February is literally the month of love and that has me feeling all kinds of ways this year.

See, last year I was in the thick of finishing one series and preparing another. I was also really buckling down to get Dropped Puck books onto Audible. I don't think I got to appreciate the connection of what I do to the month that has hearts flying from its eyes. That was my bad.

This year I'm focusing on intention a lot more. I don't want to get so boggled down with meeting outer expectations that I lose sight of the inner expectations I've set for myself. I think I did a lot of that last year.

That's why I have purposefully not written a single word on any of my upcoming projects yet. I'm dedicating the start of the year to the audiobooks currently under contracts.

Towards the middle of January, Saving Grace was released onto Audible! This book was on the steamier side of the Dropped Puck Series and I think that came across in the narration. LOL Marina Craven is the narrator. This Canadian audiobook narrator has a passion for bringing characters to life. Her captivating voice and keen understanding for storytelling, she transforms words on the page into vivid, immersive experiences. If you love her take on Grace & Garrison, check out more of her works on Audible:

• "The Devil in Disguise" Duet Narration by Lo Gold

• "Summer Camp Slasher Victims" by Matthew Mercer

• "Turn on the Light: Complete Edition" by Rony Laventure (audiobook)

• "Sweet Girl" by Jenna Kent (audiobook)

• "Flash: An Extreme Horror Novellete" by DJ Doyle (audiobook)

  
  

Saving Grace

Keeping on with the Series, Coach's Call (Book 5) was released on January 27th! This is the story of the Sharks Coach, his adorable daughter, and the nanny he's forced to become fake-engaged with! I was so freaking lucky to get Amber Goode back for this story. She brought Nick & Eve (Trading Tinsel, Book 3) to life in the best ways and didn't slack off for this one!

Amber Goode is from a small Alaskan town who survived the epic winters with theater and dance. She moved to New York to pursue those creative outlets and then did a massive PIVOT by attending law school and moving to California. She's also a mom which I think added a lot of life to a character that so many would write off. Clara's importance to the story is made even more so by the car Amber took with her.

Coach's Call

NOT DONE YET!

Final Shot is --as the title would suggest-- the last book in the Dropped Puck Series. Harlow Wilde narrates Bryan and Olivia's story perfectly. She had me crying for so many reasons. But, I'll be honest, the biggest one is that when this book hits the Audible shelves... that's it. There's no more chances to visit the Chicago Sharks and these players again for the first time. It's a bittersweet feeling for me as the author because I've loved living in this world for the years that I've been given.

I can't share any links yet but as soon as I have them I will pop off with a blog post sharing more information.

Professionally... and personally

I feel like I've been under one deadline or another for so long now. Between writing, editing, creating social media content... and then the audiobooks were another ball game entirely...

Let's just say the break my family took last month was sooo needed!

Babe and I took the kids to Orlando, FL. I've wanted to visit the Harry Potter attractions since I was pregnant with our daughter but Babe's family are huge Disney people; it never made a lot of sense to try and split a trip, hitting up both parks.

But that's exactly what we ended up doing this time!

It wasn't the initial plan. Originally it was going to be 5 days of Universal Parks, taking a break in the middle to rest and maybe chill at the pool. What ended up happening was 5 days straight of parks, three at Universal and two at Disney. My daughter showed her true daredevil self, riding every rollercoaster we could get her on! There wasn't a moment she wanted to be still, always searching for the next cool ride. She rode Escape from Hogwarts five times-- but the biggest one for me was when she wanted to go on Tower of Terror. I'm nearly forty and I've never gotten near that one. She's ballsier than I am, that's for sure. Not a surprise though.

Our son is more like me. We liked hitting up some things, but we were also very okay with just heading back to the hotel after a while and relaxing. haha He's not even nine but he did get on a few rollercoasters. He flew the Millennium Falcon (yes, I am still miffed that I'd waited 30+ years to do that and missed out... but he loved it so I guess it's worth it. Maybe... still miffed) and rode the Rock N Roll Rollercoaster. He wasn't too sure about that one but was smiling so big when he was done.

We went with Babe's family so imagine a group of 15 people maneuvering through the parks! We are spread out in ages too so it was an experience all around. It was fun to see my kids now as they got on the rides, showed interest in the things Babe and I have loved for so long. But it was also a lot of fun seeing my toddler nephew as he took it all in. He's big on the "Animal characters" and less so on the ones that look like real people (he hard-passed on Scooby, Daphne, Velma, and Fred-- but didn't want to leave Scooby!) and was a fan of the food while we were there.

The rest of us... well we were all big kids at some point or other. Babe, his brother and aunt and I were giddy-bouncing as we ate in the Cantina, listening to the music from A New Hope. His parents wanted to do all the rides they'd taken their kids on when they were little, reliving those memories.

All in all, it was an experience we won't forget. I'm exhausted in the way you get after a week of fun and excitement.

Now that I'm exhausted and could use a vacation from the vacation... it's back tot the grind. lol

One big change for the next few months: I'll be sending out newsletters when I have a release instead of waiting for the new month to hit. I hate that y'all might be missing out these while we count down the days.

Next up?

I'd love to know which story you want next! Do we want JP from the Franklin U Hawks? Or are we ready to find out about those MMA fighters of the Twin Cobras?

What book do you want next?

• Change Image

  JP's Story (6th Man, Book 4)
• Change Image

  New Series!