Tag: best romance novel

What is a Facebook Release Party?

Published by stella on February 15, 2016

Funny you should ask!

Chantel and I are having a release party and I would like to invite you, personally. Please click that you are coming!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1093679247343288/

Now that you’ve done that, let’s talk about a Facebook Event.

It’s merely a way to tell your friends and family that there is something important going on. It’s easy to do. Just make a start date and an end date.

How does that differ from a Facebook Party?

At a party, people come to visit, right?

However, unlike a REAL party, it isn’t rude to jump in, say a few words, or enter a contest, and leave.

So, at a Facebook Party, people come to visit the URL of the event. They might play a game, click like, enter a raffle, or post something on the timeline.

Our release party is going to be ‘hosted’ by different authors over the course of one day. This is a lot of fun. There are games and prizes and clever folks. Sometimes its fun just to watch the melee.

We have hired ‘help’ with our party. (In the real world, consider this like hiring a caterer.)

I highly recommend this site below. She helps get us hosts, and sets up the event for us.

https://www.facebook.com/LikeABossBookPromotions/

If you have any questions, leave a comment!

I LOVE to hear from people!

Please let us know, too, if you’d like an ARC to give a review!

(ARC? Advance Review Copy)

Chantel and I are hoping to sell 200 ebooks in pre-sale.

If you want to help us get there, it’s just ONE DOLLAR!

http://a-fwd.com/asin=B01BBHP4DS

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Cover Reveal for Dark Vortex, Mated by Magic Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal for Dark Vortex, Mated by Magic Cover Reveal

Published by stella on January 31, 2016

Dark Vortex, Mated by Magic

by Stella Marie Alden & Chantel Seabrook

Wow! I can’t believe how fast Chantel is getting this book out to you!

It seems like just yesterday that she and I were thinking we should do a novel together. I mentioned I had a work in progress and asked if she would like to run with it. Now, here we are, just a few weeks later, with our cover reveal!

Of course, what’s a reveal, without a Facebook Party?

Here’s the links, for those authors who would like to get involved!

Cover Reveal Doc for Blogs: http://goo.gl/forms/qy3CR0OpLz

Cover Reveal Party Sign-up for Authors: http://goo.gl/forms/UY863id9bo

Party Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/996229597079177/

Here’s the cover blurb:

For the survival of his clan, Jack Fialko needs to mate with a witch of equal power before the end of the solstice. He found the perfect woman, except for one serious flaw. She has no idea how to engage in the dangerous magical foreplay–the duel for sexual equality. The task of training her in two days seems insurmountable, especially while other warriors are trying to kidnap her.
Zoe is a warrior-healer hybrid. The trouble is, she has no idea what that means. It’s all a harmless game until one night a dominant, brooding, sexy as sin warrior touches her and ignites a shameless craving to mate. Zoe must decide if the scorching chemistry between is worth fighting for.
Can love and lust can exist together in an exhilarating magical combination? Or will their bond combust?
Warning: This book contains some graphic material. If lusting magic is not your cup of tea, then pass on this one.

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How do I write a novel?

How do I write a novel?

Published by stella on January 26, 2016

IT’s 7:17 AM, and I’ve been up since 4:30, writing.

I usually get up at 5:30, but I’m working through the last chapter of my second draft and can’t sleep. The urge to write is too great.

What do I mean about my drafts?

First, I think of a premise, a what if. For my last book it went something like this. What if there was a noble woman, who refused to be married, and shot arrows at her suitors?

Next, I meet the characters, and we talk. I get them to agree about the high-level plot.

(In this book, the heroine refused to be anything less than a queen. It took some doing to find a one, other than Edward’s wife. That is why we visit the Isle of Man.)

Then, I write down landing points that we all agree upon. This works better than an outline because, generally, my characters refuse to be corralled. I learned this in book one. Now I can prevent endless rewrites.
I talk to them about their goals, motivation, and conflict and I write these down so I can remind them if they get out of hand.

Only then, do I release them into their world. I follow them around and write down what they say. When people ask if I get writer’s block, I laugh. How is that possible. I can barely keep up. Occasionally, if I get a moment. I jot down a bit of scenery. This is the first draft.
The second draft, where I am now, I add everything else. Sights, sounds, angst, inner thoughts, and scenery. Google becomes my dearest friend. This is where the real writing takes place.

I have targeted to start the third draft in Feb. I will edit my own work for the poetry of the words and hand off to my husband who will fix my grammar, spelling, and find holes in my plots.
Then, I will give my romance novel to a few honest Beta readers and consider their suggestions at length. Some changes will be made. Some not.

After this, I am ready to share my work with my publisher’s editor. At this point, it should be almost perfect.

She will make some suggestions. I usually agree with all and we send back and forth perhaps two or three times.

Voila! A novel!

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News From Stella

Published by stella on January 15, 2016

Happy 2016!

I’m so excited to share all that is going on. First and foremost, I want to thank you all for stopping by my website. I hope it met your expectations!
I just got back from a visit north of Rome, where I stayed in a Medieval village. I ate our dinner of seven fishes a stone’s throw away from the topmost castle in Soriano.

There’s a hazelnut festival there, where they celebrate how an old woman saved the castle from an attack. In my mind’s eye, it was a young heroine, disguised as her grandmother. Of course the knight in charge refused to listen to her earlier warning. The steward of the castle was murdered…

Ah, but wait. I must first finish my third English Medieval Romance before I tell you about the next series. It should be ready early this summer. Lady Fay, a queen of the Isle of Man meets her match, a bastard step-brother to the famous Bruce.

Also, stay tuned. I may be pairing up with another author and delve into the paranormal.

And for my pitch? Anyone willing to post a review on Amazon, I will gift you a copy. Writers live and die by the number of their Amazon reviews. I must rely on you, my dear fans, to help me out. Without you, I will not be able to compete. Here are the links. All you need do is say what one thing you liked best.
Leave a review for ‘How To Train Your Knight’

https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?ie=UTF8&asin=B00WRNKOOU

Leave a review for ‘How To Marry Your Wife’ :

https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?ie=UTF8&asin=B017KPHKVO

If you have a blog, I have over 7K twitter followers. I would be happy to add you to a list!
My newest book has only nine reviews. It takes fifty to start to make a difference in sales! Thanks so much for your help! Send me an email or message me on Facebook. I promise to answer!
I cannot thank you enough! You guys are THE BEST!

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Midwest Review gives ‘How to Marry Your Wife’ a rating of ‘exquisite’

Published by stella on January 11, 2016

$3.99 or available on Kindle Unlimited.

Soul Mate Publishing

Buy Link: http://a-fwd.com/asin=B017KPHKVO

by Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer

Fans of Alden’s prior book How to Train Your Knight might remember the protagonist Thomas in her latest How to Marry Your Wife, who was featured under main character Marcus in the first book. Set in England in 1276, Templar Knight Sir Thomas D’Agostine has found the ideal woman with whom he will handfast; only a love potion hastens matters and changes their lives – and this is only the beginning.

Anticipate the same solid attention to medieval history and detailed sexual scenes as in How to Train Your Knight; only from a different perspective as a minor character assumes major proportions in this novel. Time moves swiftly using two different, alternating timelines identified by chapter headings, so readers need to be on their toes to absorb a satisfyingly fast-paced story line that revolves around romance.

But the marriage (when it happens) is a farce and is completed only because Thomas won’t have Merry bedding another man nor raising his son, and so love seems to vanish as the consequences of sex and love potions evolve. It’s not often that a brand new bride hates her husband before the marriage takes place, but Merry has been branded a harlot because of Thomas, and her hatred of him is just as intense as her reluctantly ongoing attraction.

The process of turning hate into love and rekindling more than the physical fires of passion is the theme of a rollicking good medieval read that infuses its protagonists with the lingo, culture and social mores of its times, yet includes a healthy dose of sexual description for spicy reading.

Romance readers with an affinity for early history will relish its passionate, powerful protagonists and their diametrically opposing personalities, and will find this saga of scoundrels, secrets, idiots and wise men (and women) is filled with satisfying medieval atmosphere and twists and turns of plot.

Under Alden’s hand, the sexual encounters reinforce and flavor events and the juxtaposition of battle scenes, romance, and the era’s political overtones is exquisite. There’s no need for either a prior familiarity with How to Train Your Knight or with medieval history and culture. As events unfold, Thomas and Merry are continually challenged both in their stormy relationships and in their stubborn natures which will ultimate lead to not just survival, but real love.

Without revealing spoilers, suffice it to say that the conclusion of How to Marry Your Wife leaves the door wide open for more – and readers who relish historical romances will welcome this possibility!

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Why write a Medieval Romance?

Why write a Medieval Romance?

Published by stella on January 11, 2016

StellaMarieAlden posts about her first Medieval Romance and how she dreamed up the idea.

People often ask me, where did the idea for your first romance come from? Why Medieval?

I wasn’t yet published but had attempted a contemporary romance as well as a paranormal. This was my third novel.

I’d just finished reading a regency-era romance novel. It was excellent except for the one thing that made me mad. Our hero, a duke, moaned and groaned throughout the whole book. His internal dialog was completely feminine in nature. That was it. I would write a hero, who never, ever, ever whined. He would be all macho male, yet have a deep soft spot for his wife.

I woke up the next morning, with an interesting ‘what if’. What if my hero was born before the concept of romantic love was so deeply ingrained into the culture. How would the couple talk about their feelings? What language would they use to convey their growing attraction? How far back in time would I need to go?

I decided to place my story in the high Medieval ages, before the plague. With just a little research, and having just returned from my first trip to Italy, I knew there was a mini-renaisance in Europe, just before the plague. And lastly, I wanted a relative time of peace. I chose, the late thirteenth century, in England.

What about the heroine? Honestly? She’s a lot like me; damaged from previous life events, yet never willing to be victim to her past. She’s an eternal optomist with a bright spirit and faith that cannot be put out. At times, I wish I could be more like her.

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StellaMarieAlden’s New Year’s Resolutions

StellaMarieAlden’s New Year’s Resolutions

Published by stella on January 7, 2016

Putting Medieval Romances aside for a moment.

I usually make my goals in the summertime, but maybe this year, I will do it with the resolutionary crowd. (That’s what we call them at the gym. A term reserved for the Jan, Feb, folks who are gone by March.)

I already exercise six hours a week, eat healthy, and have a attitude of gratitude. I get up at 5:30 AM, seven days a week, and write for at least two solid hours a day, (more on the weekend.)

I dream big. I love fully. I am grateful for all God’s graces.

I have a roof over my head, enough to eat, and enough to pay my bills. I have a growing retirement account so I can write all day long…some day.

Last year, I wrote two books. This year I would like to write three.

Last year I learned how to post on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. This year I would like to share more of that social media knowledge and help other authors be successful.

Last year, I wrote my first two books, and they were Amazon Bestsellers. This year, I would like to double my sales.

This year I would like to hold my tongue when it would tear down, and teach it to be more encouraging.

This year, I would like to take one political issue, such as gun control, and take a stand, and make a difference, even if it’s only minuscule.

Next year, at this time, I will sigh, and smile, and know I did my best to be more.

US: http://ow.ly/WjTXG
CA: http://ow.ly/WjU15
UK: http://ow.ly/WjU58

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Changed by Italy

Changed by Italy

Published by stella on January 5, 2016

As I return from my third trip to Italy, and my fourth trip overseas, I am filled with wonder. How can this happened yet again? I look in the mirror and it seems incongruous that the same face stares back.

Like a balloon that has been filled with air and then deflated, I am stretched and changed. I’m filled with sights and sounds of another age. I walked along Medieval paths and touched the slits in the walls from which arrows flew.

I stood in the square where traitors were burned at the stake. As I hiked up the narrow village paths, I ducked, hoping the over-ripe persimmons, known as cachi, would not fall upon my head.

I passed the old church wine cellar gate on the way to the castle where knights once held their ground.

We lit an ancient fireplace and cooked fish over the embers of beechwood; the best, I am told, for cooking.

I drank new wine from Uncle Tio, was fed by Luisa, and laughed with Fulvio, Stefano and the rest as we shared Christmas and the New Year. I stuffed myself on Panettone and drank cappucinno. I fell in love with my daughter Sarah’s extended family.

Truly, I am blessed beyond measure and I am not the same.

I have wonderful new ideas for my next set of Medieval Novels. Stop by occasionally and I will share!

For now, I hope you will enjoy a Romance in Medieval England. Choose one or both!

US: http://ow.ly/WjTXG
CA: http://ow.ly/WjU15
UK: http://ow.ly/WjU58

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New Year’s In Rome

Published by stella on December 31, 2015

Hi All,
Leaving beautiful Soriano nel Cimino today and going back to Rome for the New Year! I have many beautiful pictures and dreams of knights and heroines to bring home with me. The ghosts of these people walk the streets and night and call to me to write their love stories!

My First Books Are here:
Please enjoy!

How To Marry Your Wife

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Christmas Week in Italy – part Two

Published by stella on December 27, 2015

The view above is from the lounge of my hotel room. I just took a walk in the small market, bought a capello rosa and went to the Supermarcato. My husband, Rich, has the sniffles so we may take it easy today.

I learned about the history of this village, where an old woman warned the villagers of an approaching army. In my mind’s eye? It was a beautiful young woman, dressed as her grandmother. And so the imagination takes off.

If you want to read my first two books, here are the links:

US: Stella Marie Alden

Canada: Stella Marie Alden

UK: http://ow.ly/WltB