Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Missed by *this much*


I'd really hoped to have my newest release out in time for Halloween. I knew it was pushing it, and I knew working with a new publisher would likely push that date back even farther. So here's the 411.

Epitaph is currently in the final stages. While it *might* make it to the real world by the end of the month, I'm not holding my breath. Publishing takes time. I still have cover art to approve (among other things). And in case you're wondering what Epitaph is about...

“Crazy Amy” Benson has an unusual talent for hearing epitaphs as the dead pass on. The men she dates who aren’t unnerved by her ability are usually scared off by Amy’s brothers. When reporter Kevin McCormick shows up to do a story at the cemetery, Amy tells him his dead sister is calling for justice, except Kevin’s sister died in an accident.

Kevin relays Amy’s odd message to his family and unleashes a killer. While Kevin strives to be an investigative reporter, he doesn’t anticipate his first opportunity will focus on the murders of his own family. Now he has to protect the alluring epitaph writer while hunting for evidence against the killer. 

While I'm getting everything pulled together, I'll try to find a good excerpt to share, as well.

Epitaph is the first in a new series for me. Amy is the youngest of four, with three protective older brothers who resemble the front line of a football team. Kevin is the second in a family of five. Their siblings each have a story to tell, and each story includes a ghostly encounter (or in Liam's case, a different sort of paranormal experience!). No, there are no vampires (the acquisitions ED at the new publisher loved the story, but they really wanted vampires), so I'm staying independent with these books. 

As a side note (need to do a little bragging), Cookie Therapy has made it through the quarterfinals in the BookLife/Publishers Weekly prize for Fiction. I'm pretty proud of that, and a big thank you to everyone who has made Cookie Therapy my best seller to date, and for all the glowing reviews! Your love and support mean there will be another in that series -- remember the woman in the bakery? She's got some challenges to deal with while they rebuild the block that burned down, including dealing with the developer. 

Oh, hey. If you aren't subscribed to my newsletter, pop up to the link above for release information on Epitaph and other news. Will keep you all posted on my Facebook page as well as this next book gets closer to publication. Can't wait for you to read it!

2 comments:

  1. And therein lies the rub with traditional publishing. It's not the editor who decides whether they'll publish the book, it's the marketing department, and they go by what's selling now.

    Having the indie option lets readers, not marketing departments, make the decisions on what they want to read.

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    1. True enough. As an indie, we have more control over the entire process, but that's time taken away from writing, and I was hoping *just this once* to hand the reins over to someone else so I could knock out this series. Pros and cons, but in the end, I don't believe I've lost all that much. I'm used to the routine now. (and I've had several fans tell me they're tired of vampires and are ready for a good ghost story!)

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