Autumn, Thanksgiving, & Books!

Good Saturday Morning!

There’s nothing like sitting on a cozy couch in the morning sipping coffee and eating a pumpkin cookie (loaded with plenty of chocolate chips, of course!), on a cool Fall morning. I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away! With editing and promoting The Good German Girl, along with crazy busy days at work, the weeks have just flown by. 2020 has been a crazy year to be sure, but with all the bad, it’s had its moments.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking about everything there is to be thankful for. This has been a lonely year, and coming from an introvert who sometimes prefers being alone, that’s saying a lot. But despite feeling a bit isolated, I’ve found myself on more than one occasion surrounded by people who care about me and make things better.

And one of the biggest things was, of course, finding out The Good German Girl (A League of Extraordinary Women, #1) is going to be published! I threw so much of my heart and soul into this book and was praying for months that it would be published. On the brink of publishing it myself, I was offered a contract from Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. for the series, making my dreams for this book come true.

Now, with editing pretty much finished and promoting in full swing, I’m looking forward to the start of the holiday season and everything 2021 will have in store for me! Planning the launch of The Good German Girl as well as looking into marketing options, I realized that all I really wanted to do was talk about my book. To share everything I worked so hard to accomplish with this story–everything I learned during the writing of it. From the shores of Omaha Beach to the women’s barracks at Auschwitz II – Birkenau.

Therefore, this afternoon at 3PM central time, I will be going live on Facebook in the first of a series of videos leading up to the publication of The Good German Girl. I will be sharing excerpts from the book itself, talk about any news on it’s publication, and discuss the research I did on World War II. I will also give you a bit of background on the characters themselves and I hope you’ll fall in love with them the same way I did!

This first video (and I hope it will be a very special one!), will focus on our hero, Bernie G. Russell! I will ask the questions:

Who is Bernie Russell?

How did I create his personality?

How did I choose the kind of soldier he would be?

Why was HE my hero and not his best friend, Bruno Agnelli (also a hero and so very dear to me)?

I hope you’ll join me! And don’t forget to add The Good German Girl to your to-read list on Goodreads!!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55674241-the-good-german-girl

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Christmas, Fantasy, & Cover Reveals!!

Baby it’s cold outside! Neighbors are putting up their decorations, shopping ensues, and carols are being sung. Can you believe it’s already December 1st? We are another day closer to the biggest celebration of the year. A time to remember the miraculous birth of Jesus and celebrate Him and the many blessings we’ve received by His coming.

Winter has always been my favorite time of year. Something so magical happens when December arrives. Among these warm and fuzzy feelings, for me, the best thing to do is curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. Oh, how I love my books! 😉

But, at this time of year, part of the magic is how my inspiration soars! In case any of you were in doubt, Winter Queen was inspired in December.

I wanted to create a winter wonderland. A magical place where winter was fast approaching and the world becoming covered in a blanket of sparkly white was imminent. Where winter was not only beautiful, but important to the land. This built into a fantasy novel like no other I ever thought I’d write. I’ve always found winter to be such a lovely time, full of kindness, grace, and love.

Writing Winter Queen was a magical experience. Writing Book 2 has been equally amazing. Coming back to all the characters I came to love in Book 1 is so satisfying, whenever I begin work on the second book of a series. The characters from my fantasy series in particular, however, are so special. I can take them anywhere; they can do anything. And it all happens during the fiercest winter their world has ever seen. If you’ve read the first book, then you already know when the first snow of Winter falls upon Nfaros. Anticipating book 2? I hope you are! Because I have been working very hard to see it completed. But the story won’t end there, so make sure you keep following my progress.

If you have read Winter Queen, I hope you’ll let me know! Reviews are very important to the survival of a book, and the reviews I have received for this new release of mine have been very encouraging. It’s such a wonderful feeling to know people have read and loved your story. Especially when you put it all out there in a book like a fantasy! I think thoseare particularly frightening for a writer. The entire story comes from the author’s imagination. No historical facts. To create a world and the people in it entirely from my own imagination was scary! I didn’t know if it would sound ridiculous, or even make sense. Thankfully, it seems to have received the reaction I was looking for. 🙂

In case you were wondering, you still have a chance to win a free, signed copy of Winter Queen (The Winter Queen series #1) on Goodreads! Follow this link: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/260480-winter-queen and enter for your chance to win!!

Speaking of fantasy novels … there are so many authors out there who love to write in this genre! So many who enjoy it, too, even if they don’t write it. Which brings me to the cover reveal mentioned in the title. I am very happy to help promote this debut novel from Laurie Lucking.

Laurie is such a sweet person! She was the first to respond to my request for endorsements for Winter Queen and she gave me a beautiful review! I am so very thankful to have met her and very excited to be a part of her cover reveal team for her upcoming release, Common. So–drumroll please–here is the cover and description for Laurie Lucking’s soon-to-be-released novel:

One person knows of the plot against the royal family and cares enough to try to stop it—the servant girl they banished.

Leah spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the palace, except her red hair.

And her secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia.

But Leah’s safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Unexpected feelings for Rafe surface just as his parents announce his betrothal to a foreign princess. Then she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal family. Her life shatters completely when the queen banishes her for treason.

Harbored by a mysterious group of nuns, Leah must secure Rafe’s safety before it’s too late. But her quest reveals a villain far more sinister than an ambitious nobleman with his eye on the throne.

Can a common maidservant summon the courage to fight for her dearest friend?

Now, how GORGEOUS is that cover? I absolutely love the glow surrounding the young woman who takes front and center! I already know Miss Laurie is a beautiful writer based on her endorsement for Winter Queen and am very much looking forward to reading Common.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you all have a blessed and merry Christmas! Don’t forget, Winter Queen is available to purchase on Barnes & Noble and Amazon!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

It’s Here!

I am so happy to announce that Winter Queen has officially released! It is now available to order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

If you missed the Facebook launch party on the 17th, I wanted to let you all know it was super fun! Lots of people checked in and participated, but I think the big success of the evening was the Rafflecopter contest! We had two winners come out of that and I look forward to doing another one soon!

Here’s a little description of Book 1 of The Winter Queen Series now available to order:

She will bring a storm like none they’ve ever seen … and change the world forever.

It’s been five years since Roderick Kael murdered King Vihaan Sundragon, claiming the throne of Sunkai and all of Nfaros for himself. Five years since the Princesses Adlae, Mirae, and Brae were forced to give up everything they’ve ever known. Five years since the Creator of All allowed winter’s snow to fall. But now the wind stirs with a familiar chill. Winter is coming down from the Ice Mountains, brought by the only one who can wield the storm. The Winter Queen herself.

In a faraway wood, one who survived watches and waits for her chance to reclaim what is hers by blood and birthright. Within the walls of the city, another bears the burden of survival and the consequences that came with it. Across the sea, from the distant mountains, two strangers come in search of one who can save them from the ice of winter. 

Within the palace of Sunkai, evil stirs. Loyalties are tried; love tested. And amidst these strange events, the Winter Queen prepares her storm … and Nfaros is not ready for her rage.

I am super excited to share these characters with you! This story blossomed into something I never expected and the three Sundragon sisters are very dear to my heart now. When I wrote this book, I knew I wanted to create strong sibling bonds, as well as fierce female characters to inspire readers. I truly hope I accomplished that!

I hope you will enjoy this story and these characters as much as I enjoyed writing about them! Don’t forget, Winter Queen is now available to order!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Coming Soon…

…from Elk Lake Publishing!

 

Three couples. Three countries. One War…

On August 5th 1914, the world changed forever. For John and Beth Young, it meant the happiness they finally achieved was snatched out from under them. For Emma Cote, it meant that her husband Jared would do his duty, despite her feelings. For Christy Simmons it meant an uncertain future with the boy she loved. The lives of six people, spread across the British Empire to America were changed forever.

When John, Jared and Will find themselves thrust together in France and Emma and Christy decide to seek out their missing husbands, the lives of these three families intertwine in ways that none of them could possibly have imagined. Working together in a field hospital, Emma and Christy learn to rely on and protect each other. Lost together in a strange forest and cut off from their unit, the three soldiers run and hide.

But the further they go, the more they realize that the chances of all of them making it out unscathed are nonexistent and Emma and Christy find that blood is not easy to wash off, but no friendship is stronger than that made during times of war, sacrifice and healing.

The Lost Generation

I am so happy to reveal the cover for my soon-to-be released novel, The Lost Generation! This journey has been long and hard, but I’ve had such amazing support from everyone around me from my agent to my publisher to my friends and family. Being so new to the process was difficult and stressful, but with the right encouragement from those with more experience, I’ve finally reached my goals. Seeing this cover has made all of the hard work worth it as it has made what’s about to happen real.

I started writing The Lost Generation two years ago. I finished it within three months and then, I let it sit. I knew I’d have plenty of time to go back and edit it later. But even after two years, I wasn’t prepared for the work that needed to be done. When you put your heart into something, it’s very hard to change anything, even if you know it needs work. But after working for months with a wonderfully patient editor, we shaped The Lost Generation into a story that I still love with all my heart it makes me nervous to share it! Not because I don’t want my friends to enjoy it, but because I want them to love it as much as I do.

I am preparing myself to step onto a whole new path on this journey. The one where my book is shared not just with a few people close to me, but with everyone. It’s huge and exciting and utterly frightening. But I know that God has brought me to this moment and I believe that my stories are meant to be shared.

Thank you everyone for your love and support! I hope you enjoy The Lost Generation when it’s released.