the Cold Moon

 

 

End of a year and about to begin  new one. We pay attention to such because of calendars and the media buzz. The reality is it doesn't actually exist this way. Time goes on and when we split into some kind of meaning, that's human nature.

At one time I would do goal statements during the time between Christmas and New Years. I got pretty sophisticated with them with sections for spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical goals. I am not sure when I stopped but mostly because I was writing a lot of the same things every year. Did that have meaning or help me change anything? Apparently not but it had some satisfaction attached to it-- until it didn't.

Now, this is just a quiet time and I appreciate that also. I have goals but don't need to write them down as I may not do much about them. They are in my head and heart.

I never called them resolutions and don't know why. For now, it's enough to know what is in my head/heart. I hope this new year will be good for the world but right now that doesn't seem encouraging. Some say don't read the newspapers or online news, but I do want to know. I'd be happier if I didn't but it's not been my way and being ignorant of what is happening has never been my way.

Do you ever think that the brightest things in our night skies, planets and the moon, have no light of their own. They are all reflecting of the sun, our star. We can be that way too with what we reflect based on what we have received.

For this blog, I have hopes that I can write meaningful posts. I have read blogs are 'out' but I don't really care. I do it for connection with whoever reads my thoughts, whether they comment or not. I had years where I got  lot of comments. These days, I mostly see none, but I know people have been here, from around the world. Whether they read, that I don't know *s*

The Beckoning Flame is reduced until the New Year when it'll go up to its regular price of $4.99 due to its length.

 Many people don't want to read long books, but I believe this one has a lot to offer and is easy to break into sections to read since it takes place over about 6 months in three characters' lives in Arizona. I love the book and its title as I think flames beckon us all one way or the other. Is it always good? That's for us to find out. As we will with this new year.

https://www.amazon.com/the%20beckoning%20flame-Winds-Change-ebook/dp/B0CQGR6N3B/

'Tis the Season

 Tis the Season

From our house to yours, best wishes
 

Finally, here's some music, from old to new take, which I love and hope you will too. You do have to get past ads but once you do, I think you'll find it as powerful as I do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbHyghmxeeM

Bonus post and a sale

 Sale on a new book that arrives tomorrow, and today is on preorder. It's part of the series of Arizona romances that was pulled a year ago for editing, new titles, and some extended endings. So, new, only by the rules. But it is kind of new. It came out first as Tucson Moon, then the Marshal's Lady. No tittle really worked for the theme of the book. I believe this one does and it will be permanent. 

Does the flame that beckons to us burn or enlighten our lives?

Because it is new and this is the Christmas season, it's on sale for 6 days or so, depending on when we get around to changing it.

The main characters, romantic protagonists and villain, were in the first book, Beyond the Broken Road. Although it might seem Priscilla and Cord aren't on a broken road as were Sam and Abigail, in a way their roads were equally not right for their eventual goals. Throw in Christmas and an estranged daughter, later a movement of nature, and you have the essence of The Beckoning Flame.

My novels are longer than many, with twists and nuances, but they are what I enjoy writing and hope readers will equally enjoy.

Happy Holidays however you celebrate them, and hope you enjoy this book if you check it out and buy it before its price goes to $4.99. It is also wide and available for other senders, but no paperback yet. That is still to come. It's been a busy season here.

https://www.amazon.com/the%20beckoning%20flame-Winds-Change-ebook/dp/B0CQGR6N3B/

A culture's impact

 

While I should be concentrating on the next book coming out, from a series of eight, my real thinking is how the culture in which my characters lived impacted them. That's not very romancey , but it is what has driven all of my books (30 so far) as I set them into a situation where romance is important, relationships matter a lot, but also into their cultural time frame. For some people, the culture in their world works fine for them. What about when it does not?

Book 1, which is already out, Beyond the Broken Road, is about the couple, but also what is the broken road for them. We are born into a time and often that culture either helps or damages our next choices as we reach the age for such options.

To me, the broken road is a broken culture for these lead characters. It's the the other side of what could be, but often is not, for those, growing up in the same time span. I could go into that for our time, but the book, and those to come, are not about our time-- though we do bring our own insights to it. 

For Sam and Abigail in Beyond the Broken Road, both are much impacted by their culture but in very different ways, which does not make the road less broken.

This book begins with showing the difference between the two sides of one culture. Abigail is standing outside the office where she works. She is feeling stifled by the world in which she lives. She hears raucous laughter from the down the street where the freedom seems greater. Then a man rides out on a powerful horse, showing all the power she had never felt over her own life. To her shock, he stops to watch her for a long moment. She wonders what he sees but has no way to know. When he rides on, she is left with the lack of freedom she feels.

That's just the first chapter with two people with no clue what the other side of a current cultural set of norms means for their lives. The book is about what they find.

Each of my books and that means even the contemporary look at this cultural divide, which I think is still a big thing today. 

 If a book with more than a hot romance is of interest, it's the book for you to explore. It's not simple with how life outside of ourselves can impact us. But I believe it is reality and to get the life we want, we need to be aware of those outside influences. 

Second book comes out the 19th, with different problems, but no less a cultural divide. I'll link to it here when it's live. These books are both wide but no paperbacks yet.

Beyond the Broken Road

Series writing

 When I first wrote Sam and Abigail's Arizona story, i had no thought of it expanding to a series of so far eight books. I enjoy reading series books-- if the writers don't keep on them too long. By too long, I mean, with no new stories and purely a desire to keep the series going. It can end up boring.

With my first book in what did become a series, I liked the characters a lot and was attracted to a secondary character of the federal marshal, Cord O' Brian. But, if he was to be a hero, who was the heroine? It seemed obvious when I thought about it-- Abigail's friend, Priscilla. A marshal and a rich woman? Unlikely combination. Perfect for romances. They had a lot to overcome and the second book virtually wrote itself as a villain was already in it from that first book. 

 

The second book in the Winds of Change series will be out ( 12/19) before the end of the month. That's even better as Christmas plays a big part in the story. The link will be here when it is.

One thing about series is, for me, they often don't appear with the first book. That was true with my Oregon series where it began with the trip west and a young couple. The fun for writers and readers is when we like secondary characters, why not want to know their stories also. That is how interesting series are born-- whether in a locale, friends, or with families.

Titles of books

 Some who write books, have titles in mind from the start. I almost never do. I often change my mind on possible titles before the book comes out. Those are the lucky times. For my Oregon historical romances, their first published titles worked and continue to work for me. That happens sometimes but not always.

The Arizona historical romances have been less fortunate. I started out looking for a title for the first one after it was written. Keep in mind that marketing is in the essence of what titles and covers are about. Finding a title and yes cover that work for a trope is what helps to find readers.

What should a title say about the book? Something about the theme, maybe the characters, or the essence of the story. Location works for some books as it might be central to the rest of what happens. What about when it's not?

With the book that had its first title as Arizona Sunset. I thought not only did it give the location but also the possible dire end of a life through the plot. Of course, since it was a romance, not a love story, that dire end wasn't really possible. That book went through assorted other title possibilities and nothing really dealt with the story itself. Nothing worked for readers or even me. When we got to the last one, Impulse, it was the biggest failure. Yes, impulses were important to the impetus behind what happened, but what did that tell a reader?

I've written before about what we went through once we found out that we could not again change titles, due to rule changes. What it led to was pulling the series, and a full year of working on how to bring the books out again, as I still love the stories and their characters. These books were set in Arizona and related to each other, with some characters carrying through them. Sam, hero of the first book, was such a strong character that he ended up in most of them as a secondary character.

For me, as a writer, this year probably didn't look like much was happening, but it was. Not so much the plots or characters but editing to improve the writing (something most authors will have happen if they keep writing).

The question remained, what title would give these two protagonists a fair exposure to what their journey was about. Then we came with the concept, both were on broken roads, going where they did not want to go. What changes that trajectory was bringing their energies together. It's not just a broken road but what can come beyond it. 

This title worked, at least for me. It better, as I will try never to change another title given all we went through with this one. Although, I have learned a lot about those books and what the titles meant for their journey.

Available for Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Broken-Road-Winds-Change-ebook/dp/B0CMZ2F29L ,

Plus universal distribution at  UBL: https://book2read.com/u/4jED5o

If you read the book, consider leaving a review, as it lost them all when being pulled and republished. Reviews mean a lot to other readers to help them decide on what to read next.  They are also good for the writers *s*