Tag Archives: release

Dmitri’s Heart is available!

It is always so satisfying to see a book of mine on an ebook vendor’s website. A lot of work goes into every story. From the germ of an idea to the cover, the writing, research, editing, and telling readers about the book, I keep busy. The new American West series with its shorter, faster, and more convenient escapes do mean less writing for each book. However, oh my gosh the pace. My plan is to release a book every two months in this series. Two months sounds like a lot of time to write a 100-150 page book, but it’s not.

What’s fun is even the overall American West has four subseries. Dmitri’s Heart is in the Coastal Treasures subseries. I have four more Coastal books planned and the next story is top secret. The book and its series is a terrific surprise I know readers will love. I promise to blog about whatever I can as soon as I’m allowed to do so.

But, back to the book. I grew up in the middle of the United States where there’s very little water. Most of the lakes in my home state are man-made. Even so, I did happen to take a boating safety class while training for my Water Safety Instructor’s certification. And….that’s it. So writing about a ship’s captain who sails from Russia to the continental US and beyond meant a lot of research. So many different types of ships, so much cargo, so many ports of call. Whew! I also feel like Dmitri’s crew, Gleb, Theodor, and Serge, and Grigory are new friends. They didn’t get as much center stage as Dmitri, of course, because heroes need the spotlight. Still, I’d love to see what other adventures might be out there for them.

For now, you’ll have to read Dmitri’s Heart for yourself. Anyone who’s read Unexpected, an Oregon Trail Series short story will recognize the first three chapters. I’d always wanted to follow Anne and Dmitri’s love story. Finally, several years later, I get to do so! Poor Sam. If we didn’t know he’d meet Marie in Undesirable, we could be heartbroken for him losing Anne.

Back to the words since I have the secret project to write this month. Comment below if you’ve read anything from the Oregon Trail or American West series and what you think of them. Also, click the links to go to the books themselves or their series pages.

My newest book!

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It’s always fun to press “Publish” on a finished manuscript. There’s so much coordination after typing The End. I’ll get a germ of an idea, research the heck out of it, consider how I might link the concept to my currently published books. I’ll plot, write, edit twice, send to the editor, fix per the editor’s instructions, re-edit, format for ebook and print, and give the book a final read through.

Is that all I do? Ha! No. There’s more. I’ll upload to Amazon and CreateSpace, and have my digital guy/husband upload everywhere else. Plus, while I have waiting time for editors or if I can’t write for some reason or another, there’s plenty else to keep me busy. I’ll search out stock art for my cover artist and personal/virtual assistant to create covers and advertising. You’ve seen both artists’ work but here’s some of the latest.

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This will be good for July 1, 2019, when book #5 is freshly published. I’m still working on Surplus, so…. yeah.

It’s on sale for .99 everywhere ebooks are sold!

I’ll also write the back cover blurb, write blog posts like this one, and yes, it’s a little late since the book came out today. My newsletter is also delayed, going out this week instead of today. I also look at my social media to see if anyone needs a question answered, or if I can learn something new. I love my readers, and I hope they know it because while I write for me, I publish for them.

I’m in the middle of writing book two in the American West series. Because I’m not familiar with the terrain between Sacramento, CA and Fort Bridger, WY, I’m taking more time than usual on researching. I don’t know that I have a favorite part in writing and publishing, but if I did, it’d be the research. I love learning new things and following informational rabbit holes. That’s probably why writing history is one of my favorite things to do.

Considering how many more books I have planned, I’m not sad that one book is done because the next is already started. In fact, I not only have nearly a chapter done of book two in my American West series, but I also have it and the next two books’ covers ready to go. It is so tough to not share them, either. I’m the gal who needs to shop last minute for presents because I can’t keep my own secrets. I can keep your secrets to my grave, but never my own.

I hope you all had a great time learning more about my publishing process. Comments, questions? Tell me about it!

#MondayBlogs and I want to be alone!

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This post idea was shared with my husband this weekend, so no worries. It’s all good in Lauraland.

Now, on to the blog post. What happens when you’re somewhat happily married, but sick to death of the romance looming ahead on Valentine’s Day? You’ve tried everything, talked to your partner until you’re blue in the face and can’t feel the infatuation. You love the spouse, like them most of the time, but a night out or a romantic anything? Bleh and no.

What to do?

This starfish is enjoying the peace and quiet because he’s sick of his wife’s shit.

Nothing together, that’s what. I know, I know. I’m supposed to say something about working together, getting a counselor, upping this or increasing that. Which is great if you’re newlyweds or newly anything but if you’re in your fifteenth year as a couple and are feeling more done than a charcoaled steak? You both need a relationship vacation from each other. Not that this is an excuse to play around or get into serious trouble. The goal of a relationship vacation is to remember what being alone feels like. Note: Alone is different from lonely, and I’m going into fixing that problem in the next post.

Right now, I’m recommending giving you two enough space, so you’re able to see the other’s great qualities. The relationship vacation can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The duration depends on your own personal needs. Some couples are refreshed in a short while, and others might need months to remember why they enjoyed their partnership.

What’s the best way to take a break? There are a lot of fun ideas, depending on your time and finances. A class in something you’d wanted to learn, a weekend out of town visiting museums, or a week visiting family and friends are all good options. A solo road trip in a luxury vehicle, a week in Tuscany, or a weekend spa treatment would be terrific on the upper financial end, and I vote yes for any of them.

Something else to notice? If you happen to have the urge to share all of this with a new love interest, find a good couples counselor. Wanting a new partner is a symptom of a deeper problem any blog post can fix. There’s a deep unmet need to deal with that requires professional help, or at least more expert than I am.

If you have any other ideas of what do to on a relationship vacation, comment below! I’d love to hear them. My husband and I spend so much time together, we do have to plan time apart just to take a small break. How about you? Is too much time together a problem, or would you like my take on a different issue? Again, comment below and thanks for reading this far.

Next Monday: How memory lapses and procrastination can hinder Frequently Asked Questions being answered as well as alone versus lonely. I don’t even want to go into it right now.