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Good Morning Monday ~ What a Week!
It’s been a busy one, productive, and exciting. I’ve finally managed to get some words done in my WIP which is a huge relief. I can tell you it’s a Christmas story and it’s set in 1969-1970, revolved around Woodstock and Vietnam. And it’s titled A Soldier’s Wish. It’s currently at 32K and I’m thinking there’s another 10-15 to go. It’s part of a group release, involving a bunch of other awesome authors, and I can speak more about it soon. Release day is December 2nd.
I’ve also had some translation releases!
The Weight of it All is now in German! Ein Kleines Bisschen Versuching is out now!
A Chiare Linee (Clarity of Lines – Thomas Elkin Book 2) Italian Translation is available on September 12th.
And Evolved is out on audio!!
You can grab it at Audible!
And a little bragging moment… The audio of The Weight of It All was listed on USA Today as one of the Top 5 Audios to cure your Crazy Rich Asians (book/movie) hangover!! Right next to Bridgette Jones’s Diary was Henry and Reed. I could not believe it! You can read that article HERE!
And if you want to check out the audio of The Weight of it All, you can find it Audible.
Oh, and I’m registered for some book signings!! Where will I be??
GRL – Portsmouth Virginia USA October 2018 (it’s in 37 days!! eeeek!)
Books by the Bridge – Sydney NSW Australia February 23 2019
BookMarked & Sexy – Brisbane QLD Australia March 2nd 2019
RARE 2020 – Edinburgh Scotland!!! (shhh, I haven’t told my husband yet LOL)
Book Boyfriends Signing – Newcastle NSW Australia September 26 2020
Now this week I want to finish A Soldier’s Wish. A big ask, but I am determined! (And by determined, I mean way behind schedule and I just need to finish the damn thing LOL)
I’ll be back next week with a cover and blurb release of Nova Praetorian!! I can’t wait to share it – it’s my first delve into the historical genre so I hope you all like it!
Until then… <3
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Good Morning Monday! September is here!
September already, which is the beginning of Spring for us Aussies. And I have to say, as much as I love winter, I’m actually looking forward to being able to sit outside and get some writing done with some warmer weather. Don’t worry, I’ll be complaining about the heat soon LOL
I didn’t do a post last week for a few reasons. Mostly because I did two the week before with the release of Private Charter and I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m spamming them. And two, I haven’t been productive in my writing so I kind of felt like I had nothing to say unless it was promo and let’s be real: too much promo is spammy. I have enough promo things with new releases, audio, and translations without doubling or tripling up. 🙂
I took a few days off social media to get my head into this WIP. It’s killing me – I swear, I know better than to agree to writing a story that doesn’t solely come from my brain. This is an anthology piece of similar themed Christmas stories and it’s been 3 weeks of banging of my head on the desk, and all I keep thinking is “I could have had another book written in this time” and it compounds to the issue of not being able to write, failing, letting people down, and the whole thing becomes a train wreck.
BUT I’m persevering. I’m up to 19K (which is ridiculously poor word count for me for three week’s work) but 19K is still better than 0. I just need to push through it. I know this is something that all authors deal with, and I’ve dealt with it before. Fingers crossed I can get the bloody thing finished. And then, as it dawned on me this morning, because I’m so far behind schedule, I don’t even think my editor will be able to see it before it’s due for release. So yay. This story is doing everything in its power to not be written LOL
Enough of that shitshow…
What’s happening this week?
Well, more writing hopefully. LOL
I also have the audio release of Evolved, which I’m super excited about. I haven’t heard this one yet, so I’m just as excited as everyone else to see what the awesome narrator, Joel Leslie, can do with Shaun!
You can pre-order it HERE
You may or may not know that Createspace (the paperback division of Amazon) is moving over to KDP (the site where we all publish our ebooks with Amazon). But KDP and Amazon do not/will not ship to Australia. So this means all Aussie authors who self publish can no longer order author copies or even proof copies of their own books. We’re directed to Amazon’s “global store” and are charged up to $28 for one book – before shipping. For our own books. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous. Rest assured, if American authors or UK authors were treated this way, there would be riots and boycotts and protests. But apparently no one gives a shit that it happens to Australia.
So, I’m in the process of discussions with IngramSpark about setting up paperbacks through them. They distribute to Amazon and B&N and Apple, so it shouldn’t hurt customers at all. I’m just trying to figure out the best time and cost effective way to redo 50+ paperbacks. If my paperbacks are not available for purchase for a short time, this will be why.
In other news, it’s just six short weeks until I fly out to the US. I’m super excited about GRL this year and I’ve been working on some pretty cool swag. Just a reminder, if you wish for me to sign any paperbacks, you must bring them with you. Also with this breakdown of Createspace/Amazon paperbacks, if you haven’t ordered your books yet, I would suggest doing it soon! Like today. Amazon have said there is no way of knowing when they will change the books over. <3
So, in closing, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who bought, read, and reviewed Private Charter. It was #1 in 7 countries for 7 days. That’s kind of crazy!!! I seriously do have the BEST readers in the world!
Keep your fingers crossed that I get a metric fuckton of writing done this week!! Or pray for my sanity. One or the other. Or both. LOL
Until then!! <3
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PRIVATE CHARTER IS OUT NOW!
I love release days! Private Charter is a lot of fun, full of sunshine, sailing, swimming, and sex! And it is everything you need to read right now!
BUYLINKS
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GSKKVTT
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GSKKVTT
DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07GSKKVTT
AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07GSKKVTT
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07GSKKVTT
FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07GSKKVTTBlurb:
Stuart Jenner’s job is high stress, high stakes, and everything he’s strived for. So why, when the apex of his career is within reach, does he stumble? At his doctor’s insistence, he books a privately chartered yacht to sail around the Whitsundays for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex. When his friend-with-benefits bails on him at the last minute, Stuart decides to go alone.
Foster Knight left the rat race behind six years ago, bought a yacht, and now calls the Great Barrier Reef his home. Sailing tourists around tropical waters is all in a day’s work, and he’s never been happier. When his next client arrives alone, the two-week charter will be the most private job he’s ever had.
Foster can see how stressed and exhausted Stuart is, and he promises him extensive rest and relaxation. Stuart slowly realises his original plan for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex might not be lost yet. Confined to a yacht, isolated by aqua-coloured oceans and the sweltering sun, Stuart and Foster are about to find out just how hot the tropics can get.
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Good Morning Monday ~ Private Charter Release Week!!
Well, I think I can officially call my WIP the book that doesn’t want to be written. My brain is like this…
I don’t know if I’ve over-fried my brain with how much I’ve written this year, but I’m really struggling to write this. It’s supposed to be a short Christmas story. I was supposed to have it written by now. But nope. I’m barely 6K into it. Ugh. It’s super frustrating!
But in good news, Private Charter is out this week!!! Woo hoo!!!
I have some last minute fixes I need to do, but all things going well it will be on Amazon this Friday! And I promised you guys an excerpt, so here it is!!
Excerpt (Foster’s POV)
Sure, it was summer, and sure it was the tropics, but that had nothing to do with the sweat that beaded all over my body. I let out a shaky breath and reached up to a line of sunscreen he’d missed under his eye and smeared it with the pad of my thumb. I wanted to slide my thumb across his lip. I wanted to slip it into his mouth, let him suck on it…
“Join me,” he whispered. “You know you want to.”
I knew exactly where we’d end up if we got into the water together. “I was going to make a start on an early lunch,” I replied. There was no conviction in my voice, and he knew it.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “I’m not hungry for food.” Then he turned, collected his towel, which he dropped near the ladder, and dived into the water.
I all but collapsed onto the seat, taking in deep breaths. I wiped my forehead, my face, and felt my heart hammering in my chest. Jesus, Lord have mercy, he was going to kill me.
I shouldn’t encourage this. I should have told him when this whole playful flirting thing started that it was a no-go. I had rules in place for a reason. I had a business, a reputation.
I also had a hard-on that wasn’t going away any time soon.
I had urges and desires that I hadn’t wanted to act on with anyone else. Then Stuart Fucking Jenner boarded my yacht and everything went to hell.
I should go down to the galley and prepare some lunch. I should turn on the TV for a distraction, or read a book, or go into my bathroom and take care of my aching dick, thinking about anything but him.
Him in the water, just a few metres away. Him, with the come-fuck-me eyes, who wants me to join him—and not just join him in the water. Him, with the scorching hot body who’s offering himself to me. Him, yes him.
I should not want him. I should not want this. And most of all, I should not get into the water with him. I knew how it would end. I would dive into the water with him, and he’d swim over to me with that devastating smile, and he’d reach out for me and I’d pull him close. He’d wrap his legs around me and I’d tread water, holding us both up, and he’d crush his mouth to mine. I’d finally get to taste him, to have that gorgeous pink tongue of his in my mouth, and then we’d bring it on board. On the deck, on the cockpit seat, down in the cabin, on the floor, on the table, in his bed, in mine.
“Fuck.”
I stood up, pulled my shirt over my head, took two long strides, and dived headfirst into the water.
~
Yeah, poor Foster never stood a chance 😉
I’ll be back on Friday to post the buy links! I’m super excited for release day!
That’s all I have this week! A super short one – because this week’s been kinda crap on all fronts if I’m being honest. But onwards and upwards! See you guys soon!!
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Good Morning Monday ~ Blah blah blah…
This week was just blah. I had major focus issues this week, but I did manage to get some things done, but not one monumental, big thing. I wanted to write a whole bunch on my Christmas short story and barely managed 1K words. I did manage to get some proofing edits done on Private Charter, and I did manage to get ARCs out. I also did some research for my Christmas story, and I did get some amazing feedback on my Roman-era story that I very briefly started to unpack.
But I wanted to get more written on my WIP and I know that productivity doesn’t equate to word counts only. But it’s just disappointing when I don’t meet my own goals.
I also had two sick kids at home with me this week, which didn’t help. Fingers crossed I have some decent alone time this week and can punch through some words. It also doesn’t help that I’m trying to write a Christmas story when I’m not a fan of Christmas, at all. But that’s beside the point, I tell myself. I’m a professional writer. I need to sit my ass at my desk and do my damn job. LOL Which is what I fully intend on doing this week.
As I mentioned, ARCs for Private Charter went out and the first few reviews have been AMAZING!! It seems people need a little sunshine, sailing and sex in their lives right now! 😉
I’ll share an excerpt or two in a few days and maybe some pics that inspired my characters. Be warned, there is a lot of skin, white Speedos and tequila 🙂 Like this one, though Stuart doesn’t have a beard, he sure does like to show off his best assets 😉
(I don’t own this pic. I found it on the internet. If you are the rightful owner and would like it removed, I’ll happily remove it. kudos, btw, for such a great photo.)
Don’t forget, I have some books out of Kindle Unlimited!
Finders Keepers
And Evolved!
It’s also the 13th, which means it’s exactly two months before I leave for America. GRL is coming up so fast. It was forever away, and we’re now down to weeks! I’ve been working on some FABULOUS swag which I can’t wait to share pics of very soon! I’m so excited to be going back, and I can’t wait to catch up with old friends and meet new ones!
It will be my last trip to America for the next few years at least – GRL is in October and that time of year is when Aussie kids sit their senior exams. Our exams here run every day for 2-3 weeks at the end of October, and my kids will be sitting them over the next three years (after this year) so I need to be here for that.
I’m going to try and get to EuroCon next June but that is a huge if right now. I can’t commit to a definite yes – I need some planets to align first (and possibly lotto if anyone knows how LOL).
Okay, that’s it for this week! Keep your fingers crossed I can get some writing done this next week! Until then!
<3
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Good Morning Monday ~ I need a new word for busy LOL
I really do. I say I’m busy and you guys must just roll your eyes and think ‘oh look, she’s whinging again’ LOL but seriously, if I could have ONE day to myself where I don’t have to do fifty different things, that’d be great. LOL
So last week, I managed to do the following:
Finished a first round edit on Nova Praetorian, fixed what I could and double checked a few things. It’s now at 100,100 words. And I’ve sent it off to two very lovely ladies who are well-versed in the Roman era, and I’m both super-excited and equally scared to hear what they think of it. LOL
I’ve finished edits on Private Charter and already have one proofer’s edits done. I’ve been working with the cover artist on the paperback cover and will share with you all as soon as I have it!
I’ve been working on some swag for GRL in October, which I can’t wait to share pics of!
What do I have coming up this week?
I’ll be finishing final proofing edits on Private Charter and will get the ARCs out to bloggers and reviewers.
I also need to start my Christmas short story! Which I’m kind of dreading, not gonna lie. I’m the least Christmassy kind of person on the planet. I’m not a total scrooge LOL I just find it difficult to get happy about it. It only going to be short so at least that’s one thing. I’m hoping for maybe 10K words.
I can tell you they will be new characters, but that’s all I’m letting slide for now 🙂
So last week, I said Finders Keepers will be going wide (to other retailers), and I have some links for you!!
Blurb:
Needing a change of scene, Griffin Burke moves from Brisbane to Coolum Beach to start a new job. The beautiful white sand, aqua-coloured ocean, blue skies, and summer breezes are everything he longs for. What he finds is a mud-covered dog, lost and hungry, with a nametag and a phone number.
Dane Hughes is stuck in Surfers Paradise at a week-long work conference when he gets a phone call from his distraught mother. His dog, his fur baby, Wicket, has run away. Unable to leave and feeling helpless and miserable, he gets a text from a guy. “I think I found your dog…”
Griffin and Dane start talking, and Griffin agrees to look after Wicket until Dane can collect him. With a few days left before his new job starts, Griffin takes Wicket on some coastal adventures and sends Dane photos of their fun, and so the start of something new and kind of wonderful begins.
Griffin might have moved to Coolum in search of a new life, but what he finds is so much more. What he gets to keep just might take some four-legged help.
Okay so that’s it for this week. A super quick one… Until next week!
<3
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Good Morning Monday ~ What’s on in August?
Yes, holy crap it’s August! This year has gone so fast it makes my head spin. It was another busy week in Walkerland, and seriously I need another word for busy. My WIP, Nova Praetorian, is now at 92K and I pretty much only two or three more scenes to write. Then I can start the endless/funless job of trying to fix it. It’s an unholy mess right now. It’s written in third person, which is not my usual MO. And for the first 50K words, I’ve somehow managed to write it from everyone’s point of view, not just the MC’s. I’ve headhopped so much not even Freud couldn’t make sense of it. LOL So that will need a whole lotta fixing.
I’ve also got the second round edits for Private Charter in my inbox, which I will tackle as soon as I get the first draft of Nova Praetorian done. Hopefully editing something that’s not a hot mess will prepare me for editing something that is. LOL
Soooo, what’s happening in August?
Evolved is now available at all retailers!
The audio of On Davis Row is out on the 31st July. Technically it’s not August but woo hoooo!!!! If you’ve been saving an audio credit, I’m saving you the dilemma of what to get! Because you need to hear this <3
Finders Keepers will also be coming out of KU to be available at all retailers toward the end of the next week. Stay tuned for the links – I’ll post them as soon as I have them!
Private Charter will be out on August 24th! It will be exclusive to Amazon (on KU) and there will be no presale links – it will go live on the 24th and I’ll be back to post links asap.
Blurb:
Stuart Jenner’s job is high stress, high stakes, and everything he’s strived for. So why, when the apex of his career is within reach, does he stumble? At his doctor’s insistence, he books a privately chartered yacht to sail around the Whitsundays for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex. When his friend-with-benefits bails on him at the last minute, Stuart decides to go alone.
Foster Knight left the rat race behind six years ago, bought a yacht, and now calls the Great Barrier Reef his home. Sailing tourists around tropical waters is all in a day’s work, and he’s never been happier. When his next client arrives alone, the two-week charter will be the most private job he’s ever had.
Foster can see how stressed and exhausted Stuart is, and he promises him extensive rest and relaxation. Stuart slowly realises his original plan for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex might not be lost yet. Confined to a yacht, isolated by aqua-coloured oceans and the sweltering sun, Stuart and Foster are about to find out just how hot the tropics can get.
I’ll be back with excerpts and fun stuff on Private Charter before release day though, so stay tuned!
Well, as you can see, August is another busy one! Have a great week, folks. Until then!!
<3
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Good Morning Monday!! And a Cover Reveal for Private Charter 😍
Hello all!! Holy crap it’s been one helluva busy week. I know I say that every week, but damn… One day I’ll have a spare minute or two to just breathe. LOL
On the writing front, my WIP is at 80,000 words and realistically, there’s 8-10K to go. I am going to finish it this week. DO YOU HEAR THAT UNIVERSE?? *shakes fist at the sky* I AM GOING TO FINISH IT THIS WEEK! lol
So I mentioned (very briefly) on Facebook about this damned WIP so I can now tell you this: It is set in the ancient Roman era. My main characters are Quintus and Kaeso. Quintus is a lanista (owner of a gladiator school) and he finds himself playing body guard to an ambitious senator. It is there he finds himself the charge of a slave named Kaeso. And love, treason and violence ensues. LOL
The research I’ve done/am doing for this books is extensive. Even more, probably, than what I did for the Cronin Key series. Yep. THAT much research. I’m mostly being cautious with words/dialogue for that era. For example, the characters can’t even say ‘yes or no’ because etymologically speaking, those words didn’t appear until around the 1400s in England. It would be the same as reading a Victorian period piece and having the main character say ‘G’day mate’ – It just wouldn’t have happened. LOL Now, of course I’ve taken some liberties – because the book isn’t written in Latin LOL. But I’m *trying* to get the phrasing and vernacular as close as I can.
If I can do it justice, only time will tell.
The title is Nova Praetorian, and it should be out in October, all things going well and depending on how much work it needs. Which will be a lot. I’m not under any delusion about that. 😉
This week I’ve also completed the first round edits for Private Charter. This lovely little story, full of sailing, sunshine, and sex is due out in just 4 weeks. I know, right?? That came around really fast. Sooooo, it’s about time I showed off this GORGEOUS cover from Book Cover Zone! Oh, alright – and the blurb too 😉
Blurb:
Stuart Jenner’s job is high stress, high stakes, and everything he’s strived for. So why, when the apex of his career is within reach, does he stumble? At his doctor’s insistence, he books a privately chartered yacht to sail around the Whitsundays for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex. When his friend-with-benefits bails on him at the last minute, Stuart decides to go alone.
Foster Knight left the rat race behind six years ago, bought a yacht, and now calls the Great Barrier Reef his home. Sailing tourists around tropical waters is all in a day’s work, and he’s never been happier. When his next client arrives alone, the two-week charter will be the most private job he’s ever had.
Foster can see how stressed and exhausted Stuart is, and he promises him extensive rest and relaxation. Stuart slowly realises his original plan for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex might not be lost yet. Confined to a yacht, isolated by aqua-coloured oceans and the sweltering sun, Stuart and Foster are about to find out just how hot the tropics can get.
<3
Eeeeeeeeeek!!! So. Much. Fun! I loved writing this book. It is 100% pure sunshine, tequila shots, and scorching sex. And just what you need to read to take a break from the worries of the world right now!
I can’t wait for you all to meet Stuart and Foster. Oh, and Stuart wears white Speedos. White, see-through Speedos. And Foster didn’t stand a chance hahaha
That’s it for this week guys!! So so so much love to you and yours.
Until next week! <3
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Good Morning Monday and all the Days In Between
Thank you everyone for the kind words of support from my post last week. Self-doubt in writers is a crippling thing. It’s also a common thing amongst writers apparently. There’s been a quite few posts on social media from other authors saying the same thing. Maybe it’s the moon, maybe it’s some weird planetary alignment mishap. I don’t even know, but damn, there are some authors pulling their hair out this week.
Despite having no clue what I’m doing, and despite this story trying to kill me, I still managed to write this week. I’m now at 70K words and I’m thinking there will be another 12-15K to go. I’m still not saying much about it until I get some feedback and reassurance that it will/should see the light of day.
I’d love to get the first draft done this coming week, but with my kids still off school, I don’t know if that’s possible. Fingers crossed.
So again, I just really wanted to say thank you to the kind folks who reached out this week. It really means a lot. Writing can be so isolating but it’s reassuring and heart-warming to know people are listening. So thank you. From the bottom of my heart. <3
In Audio news!
On Davis Row is up for pre-order on Audible! Release date is July 31st!
You can find it HERE
Joel Leslie is at the mic again, and it’s awesome!!
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Good Morning Monday! And the struggle is real.
This is going to come off as sounding whiney… but writing is hard. LOL As Hemingway once said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” And man, he wasn’t wrong.
But, here’s the thing. Writing is different for every single author. Every author has strengths and weaknesses in their craft, parts they love, parts they loathe. We each have our Achilles heel, and do you wanna know what mine is?
Me.
My own brain tries to sabotage me every damn time. I get to the 75% marker of a manuscript and my brain says “OMG THIS IS THE BIGGEST PILE OF STEAMING DOGSHIT ON THE PLANET – WHY DO YOU EVEN TRY?”
Aaaaaaand, predictably, we’ve hit that milestone in my current WIP.
Self doubt and imposter syndrome are not mutually exclusive. I’m forging ahead with no idea of what I’m doing or whether any of what I’ve written so far makes sense, and that little voice in my head keeps telling me I’m utter shit and to scrap it and write something else.
It’d be easier if I wrote a standard contemporary. Less research, less stressful, less everything. But would it be less of a story? Would I be doing these characters an injustice if I threw up my hands and quit on them? (the answer is yes LOL)
And so the struggle goes full circle. *sighs*
My kids are on school holidays for the next two weeks, so my focus will be even worse, and the time I have without constant interruption will be close to nil. I’d love to finish this first draft by the end of the next two weeks but that’s now looking very unlikely.
Anyway, that’s how my week has been. Fingers crossed this week is better…
Until then. <3
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