Train Hard, Rest Harder - Available Now!

 

So, I finally did it. I finally wrote some gym-themed smut! And I had such a good time writing it, the whole process went FAST, and I didn't have an opportunity to blog about it. Whoops.

It's funny - while I originally set out to write something on the lighter side, something interesting happened. While the “wild weekend with the young, hot trainer” plot is fun enough on its own, it became a framework for something a little deeper and more poignant. For a lot of stressed-out, overworked women—myself included—the real fantasy is the idea of having a few days free of all responsibility and letting someone else handle everything. (Okay, fine, having that “someone else” be an attractive man waiting to fulfil your every need does sweeten the deal a bit.) 

Shall we have a blurb and excerpt for Train Hard, Rest Harder? (Yes, we shall.)

Blurb:

Between her fast-paced career and managing her household for her family, Julia is always on the go. Her busy schedule leaves little time for her to pursue her own interests and hobbies, save for one activity: the gym she attends with her husband, Rob. The high-intensity classes they take allow her to destress, yet, as with every other aspect of her life, she constantly pushes herself to achieve her fitness goals.

Afraid his wife is at risk of burning out, Rob conspires with Tristan, one of the trainers at the gym, and forms a plan in order to encourage Julia to take a break from all her obligations. They present her with their scheme, informing her how she and Tristan will be staying at his family’s secluded lake house for a long weekend, during which she is under strict orders not to cook, clean, or answer any messages from work. As she processes everything they’ve plotted behind her back, Rob privately tells her he’s noticed her attraction to their trainer. To her surprise, he grants her permission to do anything she wants with Tristan during their weekend together…anything.

They embark on their trip, and Julia wonders if she’ll be able to disconnect from her responsibilities and relax for a few days. She also contemplates whether she can be intimate with another man, despite Rob’s reassurances. Will this weekend with her trainer fulfill all her fantasies? 

Excerpt:

Once I stood, I let him coach me through weighted lunges in all directions and a few rounds of deadlifts. “Almost done.” His gaze flicked back and forth between me and the stack of weights. “Sorry there’s no squat rack here, but I think, as we established last night, we need to make sure you’re keeping up with your squats.”

His words, combined with the memory of his hands on my body, increased the heat simmering inside me. “I’ll make do with what we have. Front squats or goblet squats?”

“I’ll let you choose.”

I bent down to retrieve the dumbbells I’d used for the lunges. “Uh-uh. Try again,” he said from behind me.

“What?”

“We both know you can go heavier than that.”

I glanced back at him over my shoulder. “Yeah, but it’s different without the rack. I have to be able to actually pick these up.”

Tristan inched closer and rested one hand at the small of my back. “I know how strong you are.” His breath fanned across my neck as he spoke. “Give me ten good squats and we’ll call it a day.”

He let his hand drop and gave my ass a quick squeeze before stepping away. I didn’t realize how much I craved more of his touch until he let go of me, but there was only one way to earn it. I went to the rack against the wall and returned with the heaviest weights I thought I could get up to my chest. Blowing out a puff of air, I hoisted them into position and steadied myself for the first squat.

“Slow and controlled,” he said. “And get nice and low with good form, or else I’m going to make you start from the beginning.”

My legs already ached from the run followed by the lunges, but I kept my knees pressed out to the sides as I dipped down and back up. One, I counted to myself. I repeated the movement, fighting to keep the tremble out of my arms as I held the dumbbells up in front of me.

“Almost there.” His raspy whisper sent a different kind of shiver through my tensed muscles. “You got this.”

How the weights didn’t slip out of my hands, I had no idea. I maintained my grip and sank down into my heels yet again. Every time I rose presented more of a struggle, but I was determined to complete the set. Once I finished the tenth squat, I exhaled a long sigh of relief and set the dumbbells down.

Tristan was on me in a flash. He grabbed me by the waist and yanked me backward, sending me crashing into his bare chest. “I love watching you move,” he growled in my ear. “Your powerful body, your flawless form…do you know how long I’ve been dreaming of a moment like this?”

Train Hard, Rest Harder is available in paperback and on Kindle Unlimited!

Chasing the Skies and Conquering the Skies - Available Now!

 

IT IS DONE.

I started my blog post of July 13, 2022, with that same exact sentence. (Yes, I actually looked something up!) A smidge over a year ago, I had finished up the actual writing of the Searching the Skies series and sent it off. Now, after editing and cover design and whatnot, the entire series has now been published. PHEW.

I'll get to the blurbs in a moment, but since this feels like a pretty big achievement, I'm going to take this opportunity to recap the history of this series, especially since I've picked up some new readers along the way. If we're going allllll the way back to the beginning, I might as well start in late 2010, which is when I got laid off from my then-job and got back into writing fanfic.

Fanfic was fun enough, but in time, I wanted to see if I could write something 100% original. E-readers and indie publishers were on the rise, and I thought I had a halfway decent shot at getting something published. By this point, I don't even remember where the original idea for Geneva's space adventures with her two doting men came from, but I wrote it in the fall of 2011. I submitted it to a publisher I had in mind...and was rejected. Not terribly surprising, actually. But I kept at it and eventually got a "yes."

And then I started learning how much I really didn't know, and I will forever be grateful to that first kind editor who started gently whipping me into shape.

The first edition of Searching the Skies released in 2012. I'd started working on my next book by then, since everything I'd read said the best way to sell your first book is to write a second. Even though I was focusing on other projects, my mind kept wandering back to Geneva & Co. When I plotted out the first book, one of my big concerns was how to make it realistic that Ash and Marcus would be willing to engage in this threesome. I had some ideas for a dramatic rescue mission, but since Searching the Skies was my very first book, I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew, so I abandoned that plot line and kept it simple.

Then I thought about revisiting the characters and making the throuple more "equal" - as in instead of Geneva always being in the middle, the two men engaging in intimate activities with each other. I combined that with the aforementioned plans for a dramatic rescue mission, and Defying the Skies was born. I admit that when I wrote my very first book, I had zero plans for a sequel, yet once I had the plot fleshed out in my head, I wanted to write it. The first edition of Defying the Skies released in 2013.

Back then, I did sort of have a rough outline for a third book, but a lot of other things were going on. First, I had other shiny new book ideas that I wanted to write. Second, I finished up my coursework for my career change and went back to work, leaving me with a lot less free time. Lastly, while the original publisher I was working with wouldn't shut down for another few years, by that time, I kind of saw the writing on the wall and had concerns about its future even then. I sent one more sequel to them (The Fall of the Midnight Scorpions, the sequel to Disintegration) and decided that would be it.

Time passed. I wrote other things. I had two kids! (At the same time, but still!) As the years went by, somewhere in the back of my head, I vaguely remembered the rights reversion clauses in the contracts and knew I was approaching the point where I could request that. Again, though, I was working on other books, and while it was an interesting idea, it wasn't a priority. 

Then...the decision was made for me. The publisher was shutting down/being absorbed by another company, and unless we wanted our books relisted with the new company, all rights reverted back to us. Well, that turned out to be easier than expected, I guess. I was glad to have my books back with me, but I needed to figure out what to actually *do* with them.

I focused on rereleasing the Disintegration series first before revisiting Searching the Skies. And what I found...oof. OOF. Don't get me wrong, there was still a lot of good stuff going on in there, and I guess it's nice to see how much you've grown as a writer, but I was cringing all over the place. Like, a tiny part of me wanted to reach out to everyone who read the first version and apologize to them. It was painful. But, I sat down and got out the electronic red pen. It was tough at times, and I did consider giving up once or twice, but I wound up with a better version of my original book baby. Thankfully, Defying the Skies didn't need *as* much work.

The rest of this saga has already been documented more recently, but to wrap up this recap: I did write that third book, decided it wasn't a satisfying ending to an entire series, plotted out two more books, and offered the whole thing to Decadent Publishing, who I'd always enjoyed working with. (Really, they're great! I highly recommend them to anyone who's looking for a smaller romance publisher.) They accepted it, contracts were signed, and my first book and its sequel found a new home.

So, here we are. This has been a journey of almost twelve years. That's older than my kids. That's older than this website! It's kind of crazy and surreal to think about, but anyone who knows me will tell you I rarely give up on projects and I like to finish what I start. And today, the Searching the Skies series is officially finished.

Thank you for indulging me in that bit of rambling. As promised, here are the short blurbs for the last two books in the series!

Chasing the Skies:

Geneva’s new job as a private investigator leads Marcus to contact her when Adele witnesses some potential illegal activity at her office. She reluctantly agrees to look into the matter, all while fighting her lingering attraction to him and missing Ash, who has been deployed on a dangerous mission with the military. Can she keep her loved ones safe while navigating her new roles?

Conquering the Skies:

Big changes threaten to disrupt Geneva’s comfortable routines, forcing her to make significant decisions about the future she wants. Throughout weddings, new jobs, and travels to distant planets, will she finally find a place in the galaxy to call home?

All five books of the Searching the Skies series are now available on Kindle Unlimited!

Sonata for Springtime and Surrendering the Skies - Available Now!

 

Phew! June was such a busy month with THREE book releases, I forgot to post here about the second two. (But you're all subscribed to my newsletter and following me on social media, so you knew about them, right? Right??) At least I remembered to update all my tabs and buy links here, so we'll call that half a win.

Sonata for Springtime, my slow-burn contemporary romance, was released on June 16th, and Surrendering the Skies, Book 3 of the Searching the Skies series, was released on June 30th. And after all that, we still have two more books of the Skies series to go! Double phew!

 

Short blurbs for consistency's sake:

Sonata for Springtime:

Jonathan falls in love with aspiring concert pianist Natalie when she tries to teach him how to play, but she’s engaged to someone else. After she reveals his feelings are reciprocated, she becomes distraught and cuts off contact with him. Can Jonathan find a way to discover his inner passion, with or without her?

Surrendering the Skies:

Harrowing job assignments, Ash’s personal tragedy, and Marcus’s new relationship with another woman leave Geneva feeling lost in the universe. Can she find a path back to where she was, or is it time for significant change in her life?

Chasing the Skies releases on July 15th!

Conquering the Skies (the grand finale) releases on July 29th!

Defying the Skies - Available Now!

 

Whoops, I'm a couple days late, but Defying the Skies, Book 2 of the Searching the Skies series, has been released! This is also a re-release, but I'll post a short blurb and excerpt for a refresher.

Before I do that, though, here's the schedule for the rest of the series. The remaining three books are all brand-new, and I'm so glad I finally got to bring this series to an exciting, satisfying conclusion!

Surrendering the Skies - June 30th

Chasing the Skies - July 15

Conquering the Skies - July 29

The whole series will be available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited, so don't miss out!

Blurb:

Geneva has settled into a comfortable routine with the two men she loves, but Marcus wants more…not from her, but from Ash. Before he can confess his attraction to the other man, he’s abducted in a terrorist attack. Can Geneva and Ash find him before it’s too late for him to fulfil his fantasies?

 

Excerpt:

Marcus let out another sigh. “A year ago, if someone had told me I’d be sharing my bed with another man every now and then, I would have said they were crazy. I know we were all a little skeptical at first, but I really did just want to make you happy because I was terrified of letting you slip away.”

She tapped his wrist. “I’m still not seeing what the issue is.”

“I’m trying, I’m trying. Bear with me.” He rubbed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. “I care about you, and I love how you make me feel, all the things you do to me. Then there’s Ash, who I’ve also developed some sort of intimate connection with, and he’s there with us in the heat of the moment, and….”

“And?”

“We’ve always focused all our attention on you, and you on us individually, which is fine. As I said, I’d do just about anything for you. The look on your face when you’re with both of us is a substantial reward.” His eyes remained shielded from view. “That look is part of what’s been haunting me. I’ve watched the two of you together. When you’re clinging to me as he’s moving inside you, sheer bliss illuminating every part of your body…sometimes my mind can’t help but wonder what….”

Realization set in as he trailed off. “You’re attracted to Ash.”

A pained grumble emanated from behind the barrier he had created. “Well, when you put it so bluntly, of course it’s going to sound strange.”

Geneva contemplated his distressed confession. Despite having been with both of them simultaneously on numerous occasions, she had never envisioned a situation in which her men derived pleasure from each other. The idea intrigued her. “I don’t think it sounds strange at all.”

“You don’t?”

“It makes perfect sense to me.” She leaned closer to him and nudged his hands. He finally uncovered his face and looked at her. “Both of you make me feel amazing. And if you want to feel the same way….”

Searching the Skies - Available Now!

 

My very first book baby has gotten a makeover and is back out in the world. *dabs tears*

Searching the Skies was originally published on January 26, 2012, which is a LONG time ago. That even predates this website, as I had absolutely no idea what I was doing back then. (Not like I have a better idea now, but you know.) Since then, I've dealt with working with new publishers, old publishers closing, major life events like births and deaths, trying to figure out how to market myself and my books, and always striving to be a better writer. A lot has happened in eleven+ years.

So, here we are. The Skies series has officially been rebooted. The previously published books, Searching the Skies and Defying the Skies, got a much better edit and some bonus scenes, and three more books are waiting to bring you on a fun adventure. Fair warning - these books have a high heat level! Book 1 starts off with a bang (or several) and they get spicier from there.

I could wax poetic about the re-release of this book for a few more paragraphs, but let's jump right to the good stuff. Start your next sizzling sci-fi series today!

Commander Geneva Greyson has spent the past ten years focused on her career, moving up the ranks with the Terran military. Following a high-stakes mission on a planet filled with violent aliens, she struggles to fight her growing attraction to her fellow officer, Ash. She eventually gives in to temptation, but their time together is short-lived, as she is summoned home by her estranged parents.

The planet of Pasurea sits at the center of the Terran empire. It’s inhabited by the wealthiest and most influential residents of the galaxy, and the Greysons are no exception. In an effort to ease some of the awkwardness of their reunion, Geneva’s mother invites Marcus, her childhood friend who is now a successful businessman. Though he has been looking forward to seeing her again for the first time in nearly a decade, she is too angry at the circumstances that tore her away from her ship to reciprocate his efforts to rekindle their friendship. His persistence wins her over, however, and she enjoys his intimate company before returning to her post against her parents’ wishes.

Difficult decisions plague Geneva, and she believes she will never find a solution to her problems that will please everyone. Convinced she’s bound to disappoint at least one person, she plans to distance herself from those close to her. Before she can make her escape, Ash and Marcus conspire to present her with an enticing offer to continue seeing both of them romantically, but is it too good to be true?

Available on Kindle Unlimited

Write, Write, Write Some More...and then Keep Writing

This past Wednesday was the 11-year anniversary of this blog/site, which is kind of crazy to think about. I definitely had no idea what I was doing back then (not that I have much of a better idea now), and while there have been times when I was only posting here sporadically, I do love having this record of my writing journey. I've met so many great people along the way, which I'm thankful for, but these anniversaries also remind me how some of my fellow writers who I respected and admired decided this wasn't for them and decided to leave writing with the goal of publication behind. It's tough. It really is.

Despite me doing this for over a decade now (which, like I said: CRAZY), I wouldn't say I started gaining much traction until about late 2019 or so. That was when I started reaching my pre-childrearing levels of momentum and had a slightly better idea of how to market my books to readers who were looking for the specific genres I was writing in. In a weird way, I think the lockdown of 2020 helped a bit, as people were reading more and I also had the time to dedicate to building more of an online presence. (Okay, Twitter. I'm talking about Twitter.)

After all this time, I'm finally coming to terms with something I've known deep down for many years: to be more successful, I have to produce more. Now, we can have the "quality vs. quantity" argument until we're blue in the face, but while my backlog is pretty big at this point, I know I need to write and release faster to keep building my audience. Part of finally accepting this is how, at this stage in my life, I WANT to do it. Some of my hobbies have fallen by the wayside (I haven't watched much TV or even touched my knitting in well over a year now), but writing is becoming my priority in my down time and I'm okay with it.

I don't have a firm release schedule for the rest of the year yet, but I have a lot—a LOT—planned. It's almost to the point where I'm so excited, I'm getting impatient and I have to resist the urge to publish a lot of books and stories all at once, but I've been doing this long enough that I can make myself be methodical about it. As always, make sure you're subscribed to my newsletter and following me on social media for the latest details!

No Rest for the Wicked

Sometimes I wonder if I've started repeating blog post titles. Then I remember I'm coming up on the 11-year anniversary (!!!) of this site and I've decided not to let it bother me.

Okay, so! As of my last post about a month ago, I'd finished writing a book that had taken me on quite the journey. Whenever I finish a writing project, I always say I'm going to take a little break, maybe read some books that have been on my list for a while, play some video games, etc. Aside from my usual August vacation, though, I've noticed that break getting shorter and shorter. My "to-write" list never seems to get any smaller, and I guess I've gotten used to my routine, even if I'm not as fast as some other authors out there. There's probably also something to be said about how with the current state of indie publishing, especially for romance/erotica, the faster you produce, the more successful you are, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to tackle that topic.

All that is to say...yeah, I've started a new project. I'm not going to say "book," nor am I going to say "short story," as I don't know yet exactly where I'm going to land word count-wise. Originally, I thought it was going to be a short story, but as I started writing, the words started coming out FAST. Like, really fast. I'm as shocked as you are right now. I started it almost three weeks ago, and I'm already creeping up on 10K words. For me, that is fast.

By my estimations, which have actually been getting worse over the years as my writing has become more detailed, I think I'm around the halfway point. So much for a short story. Either way, I'm having a lot of fun, and that's the important part, right?

(I'm not 100% sure about the title yet, so no tag for now!)

Persistence

IT IS DONE.

Sorry, we all know I can't help being dramatic whenever I finish a writing project. (Or at any time, really.) The writing, the editing, the fucking blurb...I am DONE with Sonata for Springtime and have shipped it off to one of my publishers for their consideration. Phew!

This journey was a long one, and you can click on the appropriate label if you need proof. I started writing this book in March of 2018, which seems like a very, very long time ago. I shelved it when I got sick at the end of 2018 and wasn't doing much of anything, tried going back to it in the fall of 2019 after I was fully recovered...and then shelved it again after only writing a few new paragraphs. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I'd ever come back to this one. It's not that I *dislike* contemporary romance; it's just that we all know how I love my dragons and spaceships and everything.

After all that time, I still loved the characters I'd created and the story I wanted to tell for them. I don't know why it suddenly felt like the time was right to revisit them, but I'm glad I did. (Moral of the story: NEVER DELETE YOUR FILES.) I'm somewhere in between a plotter and a pantser, so while I had a basic beginning, middle, and end outlined, some of the middle parts were a little fuzzy. Ultimately, everything worked out the way I wanted it to, and I'm proud of the end result.

So now, the typical followup question: What next? As always, I'll try to convince myself to take a break for a while, maybe get some reading and gaming done. But, just like we all know how I like to announce things in all caps and proclaim my love for dragons at every opportunity, we also know how I can never be without a work-in-progress for too long. I'm pretty sure I know what my next project is going to be, and while it'll likely be on the shorter side, I'm going to make myself hold off on starting it for a while. As I said, Sonata for Springtime was quite the epic saga, and I'm going to try to bask in the DONE-ness of it for a bit longer before jumping into something new.

January = Time to Write!

I'm way too busy and/or lazy to go back and check, but I'm pretty sure I usually write a blog post around this time of year about having a fresh burst of writing energy. The holiday season doesn't leave much time for writing, despite usually having some days off. This past December in particular was insane for me work-wise; I really think it was the busiest month I've ever had at my day job, and I'm coming up on my 10-year anniversary with my company. (Which is also crazy to think about!)

Both the holidays and the work insanity are over with for now, which means I can finally sit down and get some serious writing done. I've just arrived at the final chapter of Sonata for Springtime, and since this is a slow-burn romance, we all know what's going to happen here. (wink wink nudge nudge) I know I need some sort of epilogue at the end to wrap things up, and I haven't figured out what's going to go in it yet, but, as I love to say, the end is in sight!

I do like starting a new year this way. Once I'm done with SfS, I'll probably take a little break and read some and game some, but we all know those breaks never last long. My to-write list never ever ever ever gets any shorter, and as of right this second, the next two projects I have planned will be on the shorter side (I think), so I might as well knock them out. Every time I do build up some writing momentum, I try to enjoy it while it lasts, so we'll see how far it gets me this year.

Happy 2023!