Six long years have passed without a word from Merry’s Knight. When Sir Thomas shows up he’s singing poetry one minute then denying their son the next. She is not the young woman he used to know. Merry is now a woman with a sharp tongue and knife, not afraid to use either or both on him. She vows to never marry him. Sir Thomas cannot understand her attitude towards him. He had no choice to leave her six years ago. Will this tear them apart for good or will they discover the love they have for one another again?

The moment I finished the prologue of the story I knew I was in for a good time.

From the start it seems these two are cursed. Their first joining to the many years apart and miscommunication has set Merry and Thomas in opposite directions. It seems that Merry, once timid and shy is now more vocal. She’s not afraid to speak her mind. Although she has had to bare so much from a young age she is still a delightful person and I love her character. Sir Thomas has me on an emotional roller caster. One minute I love him, then love becomes hate, then laughter, just when I thought all is lost with him he redeems himself. These two are great together and their dialogue is so good. I did enjoy that the story doesn’t only focus on their re-connection but of the plots and ploys that involve them. I really like Nicholas and I hope to read more about him in a future story.

This was an excellent historical romance that kept me on the edge throughout the story!

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How to Co-Author a Best Seller

Published by stella on March 19, 2016

To enter the contest above, chose the home page.

What’s great about co-authoring?

Just about everything.

You get two fan bases, your books out sooner, and a writer buddy. Also, there are two minds to create a greater illusion. If you are as lucky as me, your buddy will an awesome writer, and you will get better as you work together.

How to we do it?

I can only speak from my own experience, writing with Chantel Seabrook.

For the first is the series, Dark Vortex, we joined together to work on a not-yet finished manuscript. It was a lot of fun bringing something dead back to life and it made the Amazon bestseller list.

Book two of the Mated by Magic Series, Dark Tremor, is much different. We needed to start from scratch.

She and I were both finishing other manuscripts when we paused to work out the plot. Our writing processes differ, yet pinging back and forth on instant message, in less than a day, Chantel and I created a wonderful story line.

First, we decided on our main characters. We chose the younger brother, of the hero in Dark Vortex and sent him out west.

Then, we had to find our heroine and gave her a unique magic power. We gave her a name, a look, and a background. Mind you, by now, Chantel are messaging each other back and forth in a frenzy. Bwa ha ha…..

What if her mother died? What if she is a recluse? What if he intrudes on her space. How do they meet? Do they like each other at first?

I’m not a great one to write an outline but I always have clear charts of goal, motivation, and conflict. And a dastardly nemesis.

She is an out-liner. Together, it was like, WOW.

Chapter by chapter, we ricocheted a document back and forth. Each time one appended onto the other’s imagination, trying to take it up a notch. We laughed and cried on instant messaging.

We needed what Alfred Hitchcock called ‘The McGuffin’. That’s the something that everyone in the story is after. We paused for a lunch break and I came with a ‘gem’ of an idea. A rare stone found only out west. You will need to read the story to find out more.

I lol’ed and researched on Google, while eating my salad.

Soon after, we had a mcGuffin, a bad guy, a love affair, and a conflict of epic proportions.

When we agreed upon the final chapter, after a lot of stuff blowing up and heated sex. we had to pause for a sanity break. Both of us had to finish our current projects.

This week, I was the first to finish as I sent my third Medieval romance to my editor. Chantel is finishing her a third shape-shifter.

I am writing like crazy, but only have a few hours a day. She’s a full time Mom, but is more productive. She will soon catch up and take over where I leave off. We’ll pass the document back and forth, pausing where it just feels right to pause.

I normally write my first draft in dialog, but because we are a team, I am taking the time to add in some scenery. That too, is new for me, and I am getting to be a better, faster, writer.

We will be done another book in half the time it would take us, writing alone.

And…well, it’s just very cool.

So, there you have it, in a nutshell. We don’t, as some critics thought, have one person write one chapter in one POV, and one in the other. We write as one seamless entity. I have no problem passing the ball to her for a few chapters, then taking it back.

That’s all there is.

Good Luck!

Hope you get as lucky as me.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and leave a comment!

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You Can’t Go Home Again

You Can’t Go Home Again

Published by stella on March 15, 2016

I wanna go home but it’s not there anymore.
The place I lived has been broken by the storm.
I dream in color, the beast at the front door.
I hold it shut, but he comes across the floor.
I can’t sleep, damn you.
I can’t eat, damn you.
And my nights go on forever.
I’ve wandered on and on, a stranger to myself.
And I should know by now
That I can’t go home again. No, I can’t go there again.

I wanna be whole, but am scattered by the wind
I should be strong by now but you have done me in.
My nights are laced with times that should’ve been.
My days go forth, I fight, but will I win?
I can’t work, damn you.
I can’t live, I hate you.
And my days go on forever.
I wander on and on, a stranger to myself.
And I should know by now
That you can’t be home again. No, I can’t be there again.

The cuts you made have healed a thousand times over.
The wounds still bleed perhaps now and forever.
But I still cry, damn you.
And you can’t die, damn you.
Because just one more time
I want you to want me
to come home again.

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Strong Heroines in Romances

Strong Heroines in Romances

Published by stella on March 14, 2016

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” ~Oprah Winfrey

“Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” ~ Groucho Marx

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

And yet we make bestsellers out of romances where the heroine is weak, submissive, and dominated. We may spend seven hours a week, reading, and dreaming in this mindset. WHY?

If you re-read the quotes above and think about it, you might ask yourself, ‘How does this manifest itself into my daily life?’ Am I sabotaging myself?

I believe the answer is a resounding ‘YES!’

I write about alpha males, because, lord help me, I love them. They make great characters.

I write in sex, too, because, to me, sex is a natural part of a relationship. It is not evil or bad.

My heroine is just as strong as the hero, in her own way. She has to work at finding a healthy relationship.

That part of my fiction is like real life.

I had a lot of emotional baggage to deal with, from childhood and yet have been shown ways to overcome. Part of why I write is that I want to share that with you.

I want to give back.

When you finish one of my books, my heart’s desire, is for you to be overflowing with hope, and promise, and ready to work for the happily-ever-after you so truly deserve.

Sending love always,

Stella

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Win a Free Kindle Fire 7

Win a Free Kindle Fire 7

Published by stella on February 28, 2016

Hi,

IN HONOR OF DARK VORTEX RELEASE DAY!!!

Here’s your chance to win a Kindle Fire 7!

or a $10 gift card

or a Signed/Magnet Card set

or a Signed Copy of ‘How To Train Your Knight’!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Writing is Therapy

Published by stella on February 21, 2016

I killed off my coworker, today.
Yup. I threw him out a porthole window, the ship’s propeller sucked him in and shot him out as shark bait.
God, what a catharsis. It was GREAT!
I laughed so hard.
My hero in the book said, “Oops.”
The heroine gave him a high-five.
Poor Mohammad, evil terrorist.
In real life, he’s just a pain-in-the-ass project manager and misogynist.
Writing is therapy.
Yup.
I think I’ll kill off another project member this week.
I shall write her as a real witch, who is working with a dark lord to destroy the world.
She’ll have to die a terrible death, don’t you think?
In real life? She made it a point to be abusive and condescending on a phone call.
In that she works for a multi-million dollar partner, I bit my tongue.
I wrote her into my next book, during that call.
Bwa ha haaaa.
If they only knew.
I write fiction.
It is my therapy.
It is my joy.
It is my escape.
A young man left the gym today and made it a point of removing his shirt for all to see.
Guess I’ll write in those biceps, and tattoos, as well.
And my fears, and my tears.
And my emotional issues.
And share myself with you.
You know me from my writing.

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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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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.