Tag Archives: Writing

Apr 24 2024

What’s Up Wednesday: Writing, Writing, Writing

It’s been a while since I’ve done a writing update, mainly because I’ve been insanely busy with my alter-ego. This has unfortunately, put a pause on some of my romance writing for a short (hopefully) period while I handle some priority items.

Some of you may be aware that I also write as award-winning YA Author L.E. DeLano. My latest YA book just dropped yesterday, so I’ve been pushing out the marketing plan and will be signing at a slew of bookstores and book festivals. In addition, I just reacquired the rights to an earlier YA Fantasy series and I’ve been knee-deep in formatting and re-releasing that.

Finally, I’m set to be a presenter at this year’s Pennwriters conference (also as L.E. DeLano) in a few weeks, and I’m tweaking and polishing that presentation. Once all that is out of the way, I can put a full push on finally getting SPELL CROSSED out the door, hammering out my next anthology, and putting some time into this year’s holiday romance novel – all between working on my next YA book. And holding down a full-time job. And being a single mom. All of this is achieved through a complete lack of social life and entirely too little sleep.

It’s not easy juggling two pen names, a crushing publishing schedule, and a life around all of it, but rest-assured, I’m still plugging away, still pounding the keyboard, and pulling out my hair until it all gets done. Thanks for supporting this insanity, and me.

Mar 6 2024

Dublin On My Mind

Every year rolling into St. Patrick’s Day, I throw SOMEDAY IN DUBLIN into heavy media rotation, and I get a warm, fuzzy feeling all over. I’d tell you that book was a labor of love, but the truth is, it felt like no work at all. Before I started writing, I had taken a short trip to Ireland, and since I only had five days I limited myself to Dublin and the surrounding area rather than driving all over the country and having very little time at each place. The trip was wonderful and entirely too short, but I did have some quality time in a few spots.

I wandered all over the city, toured Malahide Castle, took a drive down the coast, and spent half a day in the port town of Howth and its cliff walk, which was no less than magical. I started scratching out the story of Amy the American and Michael the handsome Irish guy she meets in a pub in a notebook on the flight home and didn’t sleep a wink. The rest of the story spilled out over the next couple of weeks, surprising and delighting me with plot twists and reveals that even I hadn’t originally seen coming. Within 4 weeks, it was written, edited, and getting its final proofread. I have never before or since written a book so fast or so effortlessly. It was also a major departure for me at that time because I exclusively wrote paranormal romance, and this was my first contemporary romance book. Today it remains one of my top sellers.

I invite you to do something I wasn’t able to do – take your time with SOMEDAY IN DUBLIN. Have a cup of tea, and settle in as the story unfolds. Find the magic I discovered in Ireland, and wrap your arms around these two warm and wonderful characters.

Dec 28 2023

2023: What A Year It Was!

I’m waving goodbye to 2023, but not without a wistful (and grateful) look back. I was a signing author at a lot of great events this year: Love Is In The Air in Mechanicsburg, PA, RomantiConn in Trumbull, CT (even though I faceplanted, smacked my skull, and ended up with an ambulance ride and a CAT scan instead of a great day selling books), the Sexy & Sassy Signing (SaSS) in Norfolk, VA, The Festival of Books in the Alleghenies in Ebensburg, PA, Books, Books, Books in Lancaster, PA, the Collingswood Book Festival, in Collingswood, NJ, The Write Women Book Fest in Bowie, MD, and Fall In Love New England in Marlboro, MA.

I had some new releases this year, including KIERAN’S QUEST, COTILLION, SEASONS OF LOVE, and SHORE THING, and just last month was the cover reveal for LOVESTRUCK, my Valentines Day release. I had originally intended for SPELL CROSSED to be out last month, but unfortunately, life got in the way for both me and my editor. I expect this to release mid-January, if all goes to plan. Sorry for the delay, but I’d rather wait the extra weeks and give you a terrific story and a great looking book.

I spent a lot of time meeting readers and authors and loved every minute of it. Many thanks to every one of you who supported me this year. I can’t wait for 2024!

Jan 6 2021

What’s Up For 2021?

It’s 2021 – Hallelujah!

New year, new goals, new books – and I’ve got a lot of them planned! I keep a running file of a good two dozen book ideas at any given time, plus I buy up amazing book covers whenever I see an outstanding one that sparks a story. The net result is a bunch of seeds that will hopefully grow great stories that I can share with you.

2021 is going to kick off in a couple of weeks with the cover reveal for my next novel–oooooh I am so excited to share this amazing cover! Just wait ’til you see it–you’re going to be completely blown away. That will be followed by a box set announcement (complete with a bonus novella) at the end of the month. February will bring a new Free Reads short story, and then in April, you’ll get my next novel, THE SACRIFICE – a fantasy romance about a malevolent god, a girl with wings (and a tremendous gift) and a stubborn Prince who works with her to bring the god down and free their people.

Summer will start out sizzling hot with two novellas. We’ll hike the Alaskan wilderness and run with wolves in FORCE OF NATURE, a spin-off novella set in the universe of The Elemental Destinies. That will be followed by BLAZE, the next installment in my Seasons of Love novella series, and we’ll be falling in love in the South Pacific for that one. We’ll end the summer with the release of this year’s second novel, DREAM CROSSED, a story about lovers from different centuries who meet up with a little magical help.

We’ll move into Fall with another Free Reads short story, then I’ll end my Seasons of Love novella series with BLUSTER, a story of a young witch trying to master her powers, and then we’ll move into the holiday season with the release of my third novel in 2020, SNOWBOUND. This is a contemporary romance about two people thrown together into a survival situation at Christmastime.

And then I’ll fall down and not get up for a while.

So there’s the plan. We’ll see if I can actually keep to it. Here’s to an ambitious year!

Dec 30 2020

2020 In Review

2020 was one hell of a year–and not necessarily in a good way. I am blessed to have a day job that shifted easily to a work from home environment, so financially, the pandemic impacted me by giving me two extra hours a day (I commute 82 miles round trip in moderately heavy traffic) and saving me a chunk of money that would have been spent on gas, tolls, and mediocre cafeteria lunch.

On the downside, I lost my college roommate–who was previously perfectly healthy–to COVID, and his wife and kids are without him, as well. I have friends and family members unemployed and struggling. I’m watching small businesses in my little town falter and go under.

During this tumultuous year, I managed to write and publish two fantasy romance novels, three romance novellas, one holiday romance novella collection, and two short stories. I also wrote and queried two Young Adult novels, and finished the first draft of another YA novel as my NaNoWriMo project. All-in-all, I’m pretty proud of what I managed to accomplish while the world went to hell all around us.

Your writing mileage may vary – and your accomplishments this year may have been limited to getting out of bed and remembering to brush your teeth. I had plenty of days like that in 2020. And that’s okay. Really. This year was unbelievable. Unreal. Unfathomable. If you’re here in the USA with me, it was capped off by a president and governmental leaders who are unconscionable. With all that devouring your energy, it’s enough just to tread water right now until the rescue boat arrives or land comes into view.

Here’s hoping we all get a better 2021.

Jan 2 2018

Writing Goals? Uh . . . I Have Them Here Somewhere . . .

mug (2)

That’s pretty much it, folks. This year, I need to get shit done. With my YA books blowing my free time out of the water, I have been crazy behind on all my romance writing projects to the point of acute personal humiliation and embarrassment. Seriously.

I meant to have the Elemental Series entirely behind me by now, and publish a few more novellas, but wow. Just . . . wow. Being traditionally published is such an ordeal compared to self-pub, and it’s been a real learning process. A good one, believe me, but it’s been a slog. I think I have a handle on it all now, I’ve learned some critical time-management skills, and I’m ready to get back in the saddle again.

So this year, no crazy over-reaching goals. Here’s what I’m going for: Continue reading →

Mar 28 2017

Middle Of The Night Writing

Young woman addicted to social media

I’ve had a serious bout of insomnia for nearly two weeks now, and a few nights ago I decided I was done lying there staring at the wall and thinking about how I needed to go back to sleep, I’d get up and write.

It’s been very oddly productive. I’m getting tons done. I’m sleep-deprived as hell and nodding off at my desk around 3pm, but by God, I’m getting writing done. Continue reading →

Mar 14 2017

In The Breathe Time

young bored female college student studying poorly at late even

The latest round of rewrites on my second YA book are in the editor’s hands, things at the day job have finally stopped spinning out of control, a certain court-related matter having to do with fighting a traffic citation that blossomed into mammoth proportions finally got dismissed completely (yay!) and life is leveling out (I say this with a good deal of trepidation because ya never know . . .).

I’m in the breathe time, and oh, how I needed it. I feel really crappy that I’ve let Earthsinger go for so long – like I’ve really let my readers down. I’ve also let myself down – and Earthsinger was a story I was so jazzed about telling! Matt and Manni are so electric in their chemistry and so much fun to write. I’ve delved back in non-stop again and it’s coming together at last. Look for this one soon, and then the one after that (Firesinger). Continue reading →