#WriteOnFriday ~ Support

Hello there, my beautiful writing tribe! You’ve made it through another week with all its challenges and trials. Congratulations!!!

And it has been a week! One of ups and downs. Of deadlines and submissions. Of sadly lost ideas and new projects. The one thing that threads each of these together is support.

I get it. Writing is a solitary endeavor. An emotional journey mostly comprised of introverts who bleed their very souls onto a blank page. It’s hard to open up to one another. ESPECIALLY when that includes sharing aforementioned bloody soul with someone else. Or multiple someone elses.

But just as we know that ugly first drafts, edits, and rejections are all part and parcel to the writing life, so is sharing your work. If you are smarter than I, you will be certain to share your work with good, trusted, helpful betas and critique partners before submitting anywhere. I mean, I now have the best and you can’t have mine, but I’m sure you can find some good ones. Also… you can’t have mine. Just sayin.

Sharing your work can come with boundless fear and anxiety. Okay, who are we kidding, unless you are completely delusional, it will come with boundless fear and anxiety. That is simply the nature of the beast. Something my week has been fraught with.

So in addition to the invaluable services of betas and critique partners, get thee a designated Hand Holder. At least one. Maybe more if you are super needy and riddled with anxiety on a daily basis which only ramps up to epic levels when submitting your book baby somewhere (clearly, I can not identify with this AT ALL). Someone who will agree that this whole process is so very hard, but so very worth it. Someone to cheerlead you through the dark days where you are pretty sure you forgot what words even are. Someone to support you when you are too weak to see your own awesome. And someone who will scream at you until you hit that blankety blank “submit” button.

Writers are islands unto themselves in so many ways, but beauty deserves to be a tourist destination and the creative soul is a stunning place. Don’t be afraid to allow visitors in that will marvel at your splendor and love you along the bumps this journey provides.

And now I leave you with an ear worm…

***SALE*** Miss Fix-it by Emma Hart

✮ ✮ ✮ HOT 99¢ SALE! ✮ ✮ ✮
One handywoman.
One single dad.
One set of twins.
And the wall isn’t the only thing being drilled…
Miss Fix-It from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Emma Hart is ON SALE NOW for 99¢ for a limited time only!
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2LMdj3f
Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/MissFixIt
iBooks: https://apple.co/2xuUrSn
Nook: https://bit.ly/2ywKh1S
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2wHFVHO
Like audiobooks? Get the book for 99c and whispersync for just 7.99!
Tantor Media: https://bit.ly/2l99g61
Audible: https://adbl.co/2MqCRUP
Amazon Whispersync: https://amzn.to/2HKzQLm
I learned the hard way that being a handywoman isn’t easy. The questions, the stares—the assumption I’m the proud owner of a cock and balls. Not that it matters. I’ve proven over and over that I’m ready for anything the judgmental asses throw at me.
Except the hot, single dad of twins who just moved to town.
Brantley Cooper gets the shock of his life when I show up on his doorstep to fix up his kids’ new rooms. His son is confused why ‘the pretty lady has a drill,’ and his daughter has a new obsession—me.
On paper, my job is easy. Go in, do their bedrooms, and leave.
In theory, I’m spending eight hours a day with a guarded, sexy as hell guy, and I’m staying for dinner more often than I’m eating it alone, on my couch, with Friends re-runs.
I shouldn’t be staying for dinner. I shouldn’t be helping him out with the twins. I shouldn’t be falling in love with tiny toes and dimpled cheeks.
And I most definitely should not be kissing my client.
Oops…

The Varlet and the Voyeur by Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway

The Varlet and the Voyeur, an all-new standalone in the USA Today bestselling Rugby Series from Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway is LIVE!

 

He kept his salacious secret for years. But soon, everyone is going to be reading about it in their morning paper…

 

THE VARLET (and the VOYEUR)

William Moore is a long way from home. A farm boy from Oklahoma, he’s now the most well-respected member of the Irish rugby team. But appearances are often deceptive, and Will isn’t the clean-cut, all-American good-guy everyone imagines him to be. He’s got a secret, one that will tarnish his reputation forever.

 

THE VOYEUR (and the VARLET)

Joesy Kavanagh is a self-proclaimed mess, but she’s finally get her shi…uh, act together. She’s set her sights on becoming a veterinarian, but there’s one teeny tiny road bump. Her living arrangements are coming to an abrupt end, leaving Joesy homeless and in need of a job to pay her way through college.

 

THE PLAN

What he needs is a companion to keep him on the right path.

What she needs is an apartment with free rent.

Will is convinced Joesy will make the perfect companion, since she’s brutally honest and basically ‘just one of the guys.’ Joesy is convinced she can ensure Will doesn’t succumb to his voyeuristic proclivities by keeping a scrupulous eye on him.

Except, what happens when the varlet is tempted by the voyeur, and vice-versa?!

Perchance something very, very volatile. And vexing.

The Varlet and the Voyeur is a full-length romantic comedy novel, can be read as a standalone, and is the 4th(and last) book in the USA TODAY bestselling Rugby Series.

 

 

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2l89gDn

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/TheVarlet

 

Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2jqFMiU

 

Enter the giveaway to win a signed paperback of The Varlet and the Voyeur!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ee2f7e8644/?

 

Start the Series of standalones with The Hooker and the Hermit!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2wp3GoC

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/TheHookerandtheHermit

 

 

 

Meet Penny Reid:

Penny Reid is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennyReidWriter/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD

Twitter: @ReidRomance

Newsletter: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/

www.pennyreid.ninja

 

 

Meet L.H. Cosway:

L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favorite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.

She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.

Connect with L.H. Cosway:

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LHCosway/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jVTDk8

Twitter: @LHCosway

Newsletter: https://goo.gl/vkhYHN

Website: www.lhcoswayauthor.com

COMING SOON! Rise from the Embers by Stacey Marie Brown

Rise from the Embers
by Stacey Marie Brown
 
Final Installment of the Lightness Saga
 
#Paranormal #UrbanFantasy #Romance
 
C​over Reveal: ​July 10th
Release: August 31st 
The king has fallen! 
While Stavros moves to take over the kingdom, the fight for Lars begins. But this is no ordinary war. The enemy is the most powerful object in the world. 
However, Lars isn’t the only one the stone wants. Zoey Daniels is next on its list. And it will do whatever it takes to finally get the girl.
Fae, humans, druids, pixies, and a certain sprite-monkey will have to come together to try and save the king, along with the world, from destruction.
From ashes, true heroes Rise from the Embers.
 
Don’t miss the FINAL installment of the Dark/Light/Collector Series, where your favorite characters unite to try and save those they love, and the world from the ultimate opponent.
But not everyone will make it out alive.

​

#WriteOnFriday

A weekly addition to my little home in cyberspace is #WriteOnFriday. My chance to encourage all of the writers slogging along this journey to publication. No matter where you are on that road, you will inevitably hit a low point. We all do. Here’s a little pick-me-up from me to you… and now you can pass it along and encourage some of your friends with positive thoughts as well!

In case you had your head in the writerly Twitter sand, you know yesterday was #PitMad. More than thirty-six THOUSAND people were tweeting about it. Which is overwhelming and daunting and scary and just too much.

With that in mind… you might not have gotten any agent/editor love. You might have had repeated dinging from the alerts only to discover that a fellow writer (well-meaning though they may be) accidentally liked your tweet. And you know what?

It. Sucks.

Let’s be honest, the entire journey can suck. Writing is special and amazing and cathartic and a much more positive outlet for all those emotions than say slashing someone’s tires… um… just for example. It is the act of literally putting your heart onto a sheet of paper and sharing that gentle, fragile vessel with the world.

But it also sucks soooooo bad!

Getting the first draft down sucks because your characters can change every flipping thing on you and drive you insane. And you feel like you deserve a straight jacket and padded cell by the time you type “The End” because arguing with fictional people is NOT normal.

Editing sucks because it makes you feel worthless as a writer and a human. You catch every typo, word echo, and WTFable sentence structure known to man. And at at least one point you will be certain you were writing in your sleep and/or while drunk because coherent, it is not.

Querying sucks because who wants to be rejected? And who wants rejection to come through silence? Exactly no one. (Let us pause in the middle of this rant to say: AGENTS GET REJECTED TOO! When they are shopping manuscripts to publishers, they get shot down as much as writers do, so don’t feel like their life is a bed of roses. It ain’t. And they need to believe so strongly in your work that they fight day after day and face that rejection themselves.)

Self-publishing sucks because… book covers, editors, promotions, marketing, brand building… need I go on? Yeah, every bit of that is hard and expensive and draining. But each step is necessary.

Finally, even traditional publishing sucks. I am certain there are authors right now who are desperate for that contract and cackling maniacally at me saying they wished they had that kind of suckage in their lives. And I GET that because I do too. But then your baby, your heart, that very thing you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into is now out in the world. And the world is a cruel place. You will have someone review your book while PMSing at Christmas with their mother-in-law offering “helpful household tips” as she wanders their house with a white-gloved hand. What I’m saying is: they may not be kind. In fact, they may be hurtful. Let’s go a step farther and say they may be intentionally and maliciously cruel.

There is nothing about this journey that is 100% sunshine and roses and happiness. So you let yourself wallow in the disappointment for the briefest period, jam some chocolate down your throat, and brush off your ass before you get back on that horse.

BUT DO GET BACK UP!

Because if this is your passion then that is all that matters. Success will find you and you will feel complete.

Royal Treatment by: Leslie North

Royal Treatment is the second in the Royals of Danovar series, but easily a standalone. It was a super-fast read and I found myself shocked when I finished in less than two hours.

It was refreshing to read about a “spare” in line to the throne that didn’t bemoan their status or envy their sibling. Eric reveled in the freedom his title as second gave him and ran wildly with it. Right up until he no longer could and was tasked with trying to rectify the royal family’s image in the wake of a scandal of American proportions. I love that he went about this, not just by doing charity work or getting his face in the spotlight for donating boatloads of cash to some deserving, albeit politically correct organization, but by creating a healthcare bill that would impact the entire population. Enter Anna and her amazing research that has the potential to cure a common form of breast cancer and save millions of lives across the world while providing much needed positive attention to their small country.

The story was intriguing and the characters likable (and, let’s be honest, the sex steaming hot), but there were some editorial concerns that detracted a bit from my ability to lose myself in the work. Word echoes and head hops kept pulling me back to reality and making my fingers itch with a desire to correct. This made me about ten kinds of sad, because the story was one I would have loved to drown in and never come up until I was a big pile of mush from a brilliant happily-ever-after. I mean ending with a secret something is just… yep. The way to my heart.

Regardless of the technical issues, I would absolutely recommend Royal Treatment for a fun, quick, summer poolside read. What’s not to love about a scorching hot Prince and a nerdy, but lovable scientist who make absolute magic together between the sheets. Or on the pool table.

 

Who are you and why should I care?

Valid and reasonable questions. Well done, you.

Who am I? Well the simple answer is check the URL, (pen) name is right there!

But the more philosophical, deep, meaningful answer is that I’m just a girl, standing in front of the internet, asking them to pay attention to her. Yes, you will need to get used to the co-opting of movie quotes because that’s how I roll. I’m a reader who happens to write, a writer who happens to read, and a constant supplier of sarcastic comments. I adore romance and will forever believe in saccharine sweet happily ever afters with weddings, puppies, and occasionally babies. The world is too painful to make my fictional characters deal with reality.

I love the written word and, moreover, love fellow authors! I’ve had the privilege of working with some amazing people who weave beautiful stories with rich words. Thanks to some wonderful friends, I’ve gained knowledge that I am more than happy to pass on. We are all on this crazy, emotional, and sometimes painful journey toward publication together. This is why I offer lots of virtual cuddles, brownies, and sympathy as we face writer’s block, edits, rewrites, and rejections.

Teamwork makes the dream work, after all. (Yeah, I know, that was bad, even for me. I’ll stop.)

Most importantly, why should you care about any of this?

I’m one of many people in the race to get their book published and their name out there. But I’m humorous, slightly (read: very) self-deprecating, and occasionally throw out a nugget of wisdom that might be helpful. In addition to all of that awesome, I have an amazing little tribe of writerly friends who I shamelessly begged and pleaded to occasionally guest post and/or undergo grueling, detailed, very personal interviews. This means you will get to learn more about some fabulous writers and their upcoming or already released work. Honestly, this is simply a win/win for you.

So fasten your seatbelts, keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle at all times, and enjoy the ride. Wait… does that sound dirty to anyone but me? Yes? Perfect.