The Book That Almost Wasn't: Fatal Deception's Bumpy Road to Publication

Fatal Deception, book 5, in the Fatal Series hit the e-book shelves today after a long and winding road to publication. In the midst of my 23rd book, something happened that had never happened to me before. I dropped my laptop and FRIED my hard drive, taking TEN chapters of Fatal Deception with it. If you'd asked me when the last time I'd backed up was, I would've said a week, maybe two. It was more like a month. Painful lesson learned. I was also working on one of my Gansett Island books when the fry-o-lation occurred. I very easily recreated the chunk I was missing in that book. Not so easily done in Fatal Deception.

I always say the Fatal Series books are my most complicated. Because they are so bendy and twisty, there was NO WAY I could easily recreate 10 chapters. My brain was resistant to even THINKING about it. Thus, I had to bring in the experts. To make a very long and UGLY story short, it took TEN WEEKS and THREE THOUSAND dollars to recover my ten chapters. Yep, you read that right. Disk Doctor in California got back the missing chapters, but it wasn't cheap. Since my choice was either to abandon the book or pay the money, I paid. During the ten weeks in the abyss, I kept plugging forward with Fatal Deception from where I'd left off, not knowing if the missing chapters would ever be recovered. When I got back the missing chapters, I pasted the whole thing back together and finished it up--in time for the deadline. Minor miracle! I don't recommend writing a book under these conditions. I now have extremely sophisticated backup systems that I rely upon to keep this from ever happening again.

Fatal Deception, the book that almost wasn't, is out TODAY! Here's what you can expect in this latest installment—my favorite yet in this series. Jealous Nick, Kinky Nick, Sam more obnoxious than ever! Fun, fun, FUN!

The wife of the White House deputy chief of staff has been beaten to death, and their one-year-old daughter is missing. D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland is in charge of the murder investigation, but she's forced to collaborate with Special Victims Unit detectives as well as thorn-in-her-side FBI Special Agent Avery Hill. Then, a cold case of her father's resurrects old hurts—a distraction Sam cannot afford.

As Sam's investigation heats up, so does Nick's political career—and the heat carries over to their bedroom. Will Sam put the pieces together in time to catch a killer and find the baby, or will ambition, greed and lies prove fatal?

Get it now at Kindle • Nook • iBooks • Kobo • Carina Press

Read an excerpt.

Join the Fatal Deception Readers Group on Facebook when you're done with the book to dish about the story with other fans of the series.

And don't forget: Book 1, Fatal Affair, is FREE this month everywhere ebooks are sold! 

Hope you enjoy the latest installment in Sam & Nick's ongoing love affair!

True Confession

My name is Marie Force and I am guilty of ignoring my blog. There. I said it out loud. I can't believe it's been almost three months since I posted here! You'd think I had nothing to say, which couldn't be further from the truth. If you've gotten to know me at all, you know I've always got plenty to say! So what's new?

FATAL DECEPTION, book 5 in my FATAL SERIES, will be out on November 12. I'm really excited about this book, which in my humble opinion, is the best one yet. Sam and Nick are back with more married adventures. You'll see more of series favorites Freddie, Gonzo, Jeannie, Skip, Graham, Laine and of course, SCOTTY! I've also come up with what I think is a fun way to get our superstar wedding planner, Shelby Faircloth, back onto the canvas in a more enduring role. She was so damned fun to write and her dynamic with Sam made me laugh out loud more than once, so how could I not find a way to get her back into the series? If you haven't already pre-ordered your copy, you can do so now at:


Kindle
Nook
Apple

More retailers coming soon! Here's a bit about what you can expect in FATAL DECEPTION: 

The wife of the White House deputy chief of staff has been beaten to death, and their one-year-old daughter is missing. D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland is in charge of the murder investigation, but she's forced to collaborate with Special Victims Unit detectives as well as thorn-in-her-side FBI Special Agent Avery Hill. Then, a cold case of her father's resurrects old hurts—a distraction Sam cannot afford. 

As Sam's investigation heats up, so does Nick's political career—and the heat carries over to their bedroom. Will Sam put the pieces in time to catch a killer and find the baby, or will ambition, greed and lies prove fatal?

Read an excerpt here.

I get a lot of questions about the Fatal Series, so let me answer a few of them here.

How many books do you plan to write in the Fatal Series?

I don't know yet. I figure as long as I'm having fun with Sam and Nick and readers are enjoying their adventures, I'll keep writing the series. 

What will the next book be called and when will it be out?

Book Six will be called Fatal Mistake, and I believe it's scheduled to be out in June 2013. 

Will the Fatal Series be coming to print?

YES! I'm pleased to report that books 1 and 2, FATAL AFFAIR and FATAL JUSTICE, will be out in  2013 in what's called mass market paperback format (meaning they will be in bookstores and retail outlets close to your homes) from HQN, which is a Harlequin imprint. I'm hoping the rest of the books will follow soon after. In the meantime, the series has been coming to print via eHarlequin.com. Fatal Consequences is currently available there in print.

Will Sam ever have a baby?

I'm not sure yet how that will play out. I do know that bringing a newborn in their lives would vastly change the landscape of the series, and not necessarily for the better. So if and when Sam has a baby, I do expect it to be much later in the series. 

Will we ever find out who shot Skip?

I believe we will, but I'm not sure when yet!

If you have other questions about the Fatal Series, please feel free to post them in the comments. I'm happy to provide the answers—if I have them!

In other news...

Right now I'm working on two books at the same time. COMING HOME, book 4 in the Treading Water Series, will hopefully be out by Christmas, and WAITING FOR LOVE, book 8 in the McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, will be out early next year. Right after that, I'll be diving into FATAL MISTAKE as well as book 1 in my new Green Mountain Country Store Series that's coming in late 2013. If you're interested in audio books, watch for the McCarthy Series coming to audio in 2013!

So that's what is keeping me busy at the moment! Hope you're doing well and getting lots of reading time! 

News!

Since my agent has made it official today on Publisher's Marketplace, I guess I can too! 

Best-selling author of The McCarthys of Gansett Island series, Marie Force's first two books in a new small-town contemporary series THE GREEN MOUNTAIN COUNTRY STORE, set in a rural mountain town, to Kate Seaver at Berkley, in a very nice deal, by Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (world).

Hoping to take the magic of the island and move it to the mountains with the Abbot family, purveyors of the odd and hard to find relics of a time long gone by in small-town Vermont. Hope you'll come with me to the Green Mountains! The first book is due out in early 2014.

My Painful Breakup

This summer, I've decided to end a relationship that has meant the world to me for most of my life. Through summers on the beach and my parents' boat, to vacations in Florida and the Caribbean, I've carried on a life-long love affair with the sun. And now, it's over... Sob...

I'm in my mid-forties and am suffering from what my friend Chris calls LIS Disease: Lousy Irish Skin Disease. In short, my skin in a disaster area, and I really have only myself (and Mr. Sun) to blame. For years during my misspent youth, I was under the impression that the fifty percent of me that is Portuguese would eventually trump the 50 percent of me that is Irish. No such luck. My brother, who got the Portuguese skin, tans like a God. We'd go on family vacations when we were in high school, and he would return to school brown as a berry while I was red, scabby and peeling. People would ask if we went to the same place. Hardy har har! Not much has changed since then except for the sudden onset of wrinkles and ripples and other stuff that just doesn't belong on anyone's skin. I've already had several "suspicious" moles removed. After one such removal, the dermatologist said, "Congratulations. Now you'll live to see your grandchildren." Great...

Remember the baby oil and iodine years before we all knew that the sun could be bad bad bad for us? Remember the scorching sunburns of childhood before everyone had SPF 250 in their beach bags? Yep, that was me. Burnt to a crisp for most of my life. My parents used to talk about the time my mother took me to the beach as a baby, had me in a playpen under an umbrella and I STILL got burnt. My father was apparently beside himself over this incident, to which my mom said, "SHE WAS NEVER IN THE SUN!" They decided the sun reflecting off the sand had gotten to me. It was an ominous start to my relationship with Mr. Sun... I once had a blistering sunburn on my arm as a kid. Every dermatologist I've ever been to as an adult points to that spot on my arm and asks, "What happened here?" During my five years of working on the docks at a marina, I wore a Panama Jack-style hat that was tied to my belt loop with a shoelace. I'm convinced that hat is the only reason I don't look 90 years old now.

In the ultimate irony of life, my late mother (who also got the Portuguese skin) hated to lay in the sun but tanned effortlessly nonetheless. Traversing from the house to her car, from the car to the boat, from the car to the grocery store, she'd get in five minutes the tan I spent a summer cultivating. Over time, I managed to convince (or perhaps SHOCK) my skin into believing that it could in fact tan. But this past winter, I couldn't deny any longer that the damage I've done over the years is getting worse, and if I don't break up with Mr. Sun NOW, I'm going to look 80 when I'm 50. One of my dad's best friends, a gorgeous red head who has studiously avoided the sun her entire life, looks better at 85 than I do at 46. She says that's ridiculous. I say it's TRUE.

As a mother, I've been MILITANT with my kids about sunscreen. Last year, my son and husband attended the Indy 500 and Jake got a wicked sunburn on his neck--the one spot they missed with the sunscreen. It was an ugly, blistery mess by the time they left Indiana to come home. Knowing this is one of my pet issues, my son called me from the airport to give me advance warning about the ugly burn and to tell me, "It wasn't Dad's fault." (Haha, of course it was his fault! LOL) The warning didn't stop me from SHRIEKING when I saw just how badly he was burnt. Whenever one of my kids gets even the slightest sunburn, they apologize to me because they know how crazy I am about them avoiding the same mistakes I made with my skin. Sadly, their skin is fairer than mine, if that's possible. Poor kids. When attending sailing camp in the summer, Jake's EYES get sunburned even with SPF-protecting sunglasses on all day. Their dad, however, tans like a brown berry. When Emily was younger and drew pictures of our family, Dan was always drawn with a brown crayon to reflect his perpetual year-round tan. I'm after him ALWAYS about using sunscreen so he doesn't look like shoe leather by the time he's 60. He's starting to get a clue, but it might be too late to save him from a leathery fate.

So my dear friend, Mr. Sun, we had a good run, you and I. I had lots of fabulous days on the water basking in your glow. I spent lots of days hiding my now-wrinkled toes from your wrath by burying them in warm sand. But the sunscreen people have yet to make the SPF that will protect my disastrous skin from your mean side. Now, just because you and I are through doesn't mean I'm forsaking the beach or the boat. No way! Before my first trip to the beach (and day now), I'll be purchasing a large umbrella and a sledgehammer that will live forever in my beach bag to make sure I can get that sucker deep enough that I won't be chasing it down the beach at the first strong gust.

I'll miss you, dear friend.

Have any of you broken up with Mr. Sun?

Why I'm a Selfish Author :-)

So it's occurred to me recently that I'm a rather selfish author. Now, now, it's TRUE. I write my books the way I want to and don't spend much time obsessing or worrying if there's something about them people don't like, or if a reader doesn't like the entire book. That's okay. That's their prerogative. I've decided it's far, far, FAR more important that I please myself than it is that I please anyone else. See how selfish I am? :-)

Let me give you an example. When it comes to my McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, there is a small camp of readers who do not like the fact that I include rather extensive stories for characters other than the hero and heroine. I absolutely get why they don't like it. The thing is, though, I like it. I love going back and revisiting couples who starred in past books and seeing what's up with them. Sometimes it's big stuff. In Season for Love, for example, Grant and Stephanie from Falling for Love hit a rather big speed bump in their love story. Doesn't that happen in real life? Don't people who are madly in love one minute start to wonder in the next minute if this thing that's sprouted between them will go the distance? See, I thought so! That's right when it starts to get interesting to me. How about you?

In Longing for Love, book 7, Evan and Grace from Hoping for Love will hit a bump when her parents come to the island for a surprise visit and discover that not only does their daughter have a boyfriend she never told them about, but he's living with her, too. Something tells me Evan is going to be rather hurt by the fact that she never bothered to tell her folks about him. Will that be the main story in Longing for Love? Nope. Tiffany and Blaine will be the main attraction in that book, but life hasn't stopped for the rest of the Gansett Island community, and I like to write about that. I suppose that makes me a selfish author, and shockingly, I'm quite okay with that.

The first person I have to please with my books is ME. If I don't love them, how can I expect any of you to love them? I will be the first to admit there is a LOT going on in Season for Love. I can totally see how some people might think it's too much, and I've already acknowledged that we can't have story for every past couple in every future book. Season was  definitely Laura and Owen's book, but I also used it as a wrap-up of the first six books and a launch pad for the next few. Did I succeed? I'll let you tell me!

The vast majority of readers, especially those in my McCarthy Reader Group, enjoy the subplots and want more of them in future books. Those of you who agree with them are in luck, because I do, too. And since I'm a selfish, selfish author, I plan to please myself first and foremost. :-)

Of course I'm teasing about being selfish. I always hope readers will enjoy my books, but if I'm not enjoying the writing of the books, there won't be any more. I've made a career out of breaking the mold a bit, such as the Fatal Series that features the same couple in every book (supposedly a no-no in romance) and now the McCarthy Series that keeps past couples front and center in future books. You may not always get what you expect from me (hello, Seamus and Carolina?), but just as I hope to keep things interesting for you, I've got to keep things interesting for me, too. Thus the road less traveled. I hope you'll continue to come along for the ride, even if I take you places you didn't expect to go. After all, my journey would be absolutely no fun without my lovely readers riding shotgun.

So tell me, are you in the "Want more of the past characters" camp or the "Want less of the past characters" camp?

Reader Mail

It's always so great to hear from readers, especially after a new book is released. Here's a round up of some of my favorites from this week. I wish I could post them all, but please know I love each and every one of them!

This one is from Maria:

First and for most, I like to thank you for bringing your love for writing and sharing those with people like me, people that enjoy love and like to lose themselves in a good book, you have captivated me to the fullest. I have enjoyed and loved each and everyone of your McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, I really hope they never end, but I know eventually all good things come to an end, but I like to be optimistic and faithful in your work. Thank you for inviting me amongst others into a wonderful and refreshing  world of love, devotion and the strength of what a relationship should really be. With that said i really hope that there are many series to look forward to, or at least until I am old and gray or even senile lol. I look forward to updates on your next book, that is of course if there is one. Thanks again


From Ilona in Australia:


Thank you so much for Season for Love.  I absolutely loved it.

I couldn't put it down and am now sad that I have come to the end of your latest book (which I always anxiously await the release of!). Note to self - read slower next time to savour the enjoyment!

I have really enjoyed Laura and Owen's story.  I particularly liked the side story of Carolina and Seamus as well.  I love the way you capture love stories that are not necessarily "conventional" and "obvious" (I mean, that¹s life isn't it?).

Congratulations on your latest release.  I thoroughly enjoy my holidays to Gansett Island (with you as the tour guide) and always look forward to planning (and thinking) about my next trip! In saying that I have thoroughly enjoyed my other trips into the lives of your characters (Everyone Loves A Hero and Line of Scrimmage are is still a faves).

Keep up the great work Marie and wishing you all the very best,



From Jill:

Just finished reading Season for Love absolutely loved it.  As soon as I saw the email announcing that it was available I had to immediately purchase it and of course start reading.

Please keep up the writing  I so look forward to your books. Can't wait for Longing for Love  also  can we expect another in the Fatal series soon?   Please?

From Gina:

I just wanted to say that Season of Love was wonderful and I cannot wait until book 7. Thank you for the books you write. I read alot and while I was up at 3:30 in the morning I found this book out for sell it was a nice surprise, it made my day to read a good book.

From Tanya:

I am getting ready to buy it on my Nook right now!!!!  I cannot wait, and then will be depressed when I zoom thru it.  I downloaded Love at First Flight the other day, and stayed up until midnight reading it.  I finished the Treading Water series right before that, and can I say wow!!!  I phoned my sister and told her to buy this series of books as she would enjoy them immensely.  You have truly become one of my favorite authors.  When I look at the books I have purchased on my Nook that you have written, all I can say is keep writing, because there are very few left for me to purchase.  I am spreading your praises with all my friends. (Also loved True North and The Fall!)

From Deidre:

I just wanted to share w/ you that I hope you write lots more Gansett Island series books.  They remind me of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series books.  Please keep them coming.  These fictional characters have turned into people, family and friends that we want to continue following and learn more about.  Please don’t stop writing about them!!!!


From Marion in Australia:

It was rich, diverse, beautiful, sad and thoroughly wonderful. 

I know you are going to get hounded with praise and thanks for such incredible work!!!! Enjoy the well deserved kudos amazing lady!!!

Thank you to all of these lovely readers and all the others who take the time to write. You make me feel truly blessed to get to do what I most love to do.

The Fun Continues on Gansett Island

Season for Love, Book 6 in the McCarthys of Gansett Island Series

His idea of permanence is the old van that takes him from one gig to the next. . .

Owen Lawry has made a living as a traveling musician and enjoys his footloose and fancy free lifestyle. But after meeting Laura McCarthy and helping her to land the job as manager of his grandparents' hotel on Gansett Island, Owen decides there's something to be said about a roof over his head and a warm, sexy woman in his bed.

Laura, a newlywed who discovered that her husband never quit dating, came to Gansett for her cousin's Janey's wedding, but ended up staying after she met Owen and took on the renovations to the dilapidated Sand & Surf Hotel.

As Owen and Laura's attraction simmers during months of close proximity, they form a tight bond that will be tested when her estranged husband refuses to grant her a divorce. As summer turns to autumn and Laura and Owen take baby steps toward love, favorite characters from past Gansett Island stories continue to live their happily ever afters.

Read an excerpt from Season for Love.

Get it at:

Kindle/Amazon

Nook/B&N

Kobo

iPad/Apple

All Romance E-books

Smashwords

I had the BEST time writing this new book! It features a couple we first met in book 4, FALLING FOR LOVE, and they've been on "slow burn" status ever since. In Season for Love, Owen and Laura go from slow burn to BOIL as their romance takes off. While you'll have a front row to Owen and Laura's romance, you'll also hear from past favorite couples, including Mac & Maddie, Joe & Janey, Luke & Syd, Grace & Evan, Grant & Stephanie, among others. In this book, I'll introduce you to some new friends on the island who will be featured in future books.

Readers often ask me how long I plan to write the Gansett Island Series, and this is my answer: As long as you all are enjoying it, I'll keep writing it. :-)

Hope you enjoy Season for Love!

Reader Mail

I mentioned yesterday that I'm the recipient of quite a lot of lovely reader mail. I spend an hour or two each evening (seven days a week) responding to the wonderful readers who take the time to write to me. This week, an interesting trend has emerged that made me want to write this blog. At least four or five times this week alone, readers have written some variation of "I'm not sure if Marie Force will see this, but. . ." or "I'm sure Marie doesn't answer her own mail, but. . . OR, "I can't believe you wrote back to me. . ." and "Is this really you?"


Let me assure you: I see every single message that lands in my in-box. I respond to each one personally. It is an honor and a privilege to receive emails from readers. It is also an honor and a privilege to answer each one personally. I have a part-time assistant coming onboard next week. Answering reader mail is NOT on her to-do list. :-) If you've ever written to me and NOT gotten a reply, it's because I didn't get your message. 


I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite reader emails from the last week. Each one of them, and so many others like them, make me feel so fortunate to be doing something I love and to be connecting with people who appreciate my books. There's no other thrill quite like that, so can you see why I'd never allow someone else to experience the thrill on my behalf? :-)


This one was from Stephanie:

I'm not even sure who reads this, but I first wanted to see if I could be added to the mailing list for information about the release of Season for Love? Thank you!

Second, I just wanted to shower some praise and gratitude on Ms. Force. This past Friday of Memorial Day weekend, I downloaded the 1st Gansett Island book after my mom recommended it to me. By Monday afternoon, I had read all 5 books and was praying that she would have the 6th one finished VERY quickly. I am an avid reader and am often embarrassed by how much I read and how engrossed I get into the books I read. Books become my life and characters become my friends. However, I am also very particular. I have little tolerance for poor writing, and it seems like I have pretty high expectations with regards to plot and characters. That being said- THIS SERIES WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-) Each story on it's own was wonderfully crafted with characters that I was drawn to and stories that I couldn't put down. I often see reviews for contemporary romance stories that say things like, "predictable plot" etc. Hello? Yes, the plot is usually somehow structured with a boy meets girl situation, resistance to falling in love from one or both sides, some conflict or problem that threatens to ruin things, and then a happily ever after. This is why I read love stories! When my own life sucks, I want to escape into my predicable dream world. For me, a great book/series/author/etc is one that can take that "predictable formula" and make a great story that I don't want to put down and that stays with me for quite sometime. These books completely did that! However, my undeniable favorite aspect was the continuous return to the characters that I loved so dearly. Even my most beloved series have minimal inclusion of characters from earlier books. With the my Gansett Island friends I am constantly getting to visit with them again. I. Love. It. There are so many characters and subplots and peek into everyone's lives that it should be too much- but it's not! It's perfect and I can't get enough. :-) Thank you so much for pouring out these characters, who have become so dear to me, and their heart warming stories. 

From Trista about the Treading Water Trilogy:

AMAZING!! I just finished the trilogy and am in tears! For one I'm so sad its over but it eneded beautifully:) Your work is some of my favorite reads! I needed something to read while waiting for the next book in the McCarthy series that I also LOVE! The first book of yours I read was The Fall and was hooked to your writing from then on! My sister and neighbor are both caught up in them now also! Cant wait to see what's next!

From another Stephanie:

I just finished reading the McCarthy of Gansett Island series. I could not put them down and I look forward to the next book in the series. Please keep me posted as to when the next books are set to be released.  Thanks for giving me an escape from my hectic life with my husband, job and three kidsJ

From Lisa:

I just had to drop you a line to tell you how much I loved the “Treading  Water Trilogy”! Oh my goodness, I cried so hard throughout the series.  I finish the 3 books in 2 days, because I couldn’t put them down.

You write such amazing characters and weave such wonderful stories.  I am forever a fan and look forward to each new book.

Thank you so much for sharing your gift!

From Teresa:

I am not sure if you will receive this but after finishing yet anther great bookof yours. I have read everything except all of the Fatal series (but give me time). I just finished the "Line of Scrimage" and have decided that you are officailly my favorite author ... I haven't had a favorite for a very long time. You have surpassed Danielle Steele and Nora Roberts. Every book I have read of yours I have fallen in love with the characters and the locations. I find my self waiting to see if the characters from one book will meet a character from another book that is not directly linked to it. I am waiting foe the next book to come out. You are very talented and wanted to say Thank You for sharing you talent with us. I am going to stop writing now. (I have never done this before, but felt I really wanted you to know how appreciated you talent is. 

From Virginia:

I was recently introduced to your books by reading your McCarthys of Gansett Island series and let me just say how much I love your books.  I read all five books in less then a two weeks time and  I am anxiously waiting to read Season for Love and even more anxious to read how you will unfold Tiffany and Blaine's love story.  Please tell me that you are going to write about Adam. He can't be the only brother to not fall in love.  Linda needs to have all her children partnered with the one they are meant to be with. In addition I wanted to add how I am really loving how all the women in these stories have come together to be friends.  I love even more that you continue to include the other characters from the previous stories which clearly defines the meaning of series.  

If possible, please include me in your mailing list as I plan to let my friends know about your books!! 

From Susan:

 I LOVE your Gansett Island Series! They make me feel they are all a part of my own family.  I laugh, cry, and love right along with these terrific couples! Wow there are so many places you can take the characters.  I love how you keep us updated on all our favorite couples as you move to the next story!  I love all the couples but I think Mac and Maddie have to be my very favorite with Janey and Joe being my close second. But who am I kidding, I love all the others that follow.  The very first book I read of yours was True North and I became an instant fan of yours!  I love your special talent and can't wait to read more.

From Roxanne:

Marie, I just wanted to let you know how much your series: Treading Water is still on my mind even after reading it about 3 weeks ago.  I've enjoyed Gansett Island. Look forward to more of the stories of both series. I'm already on your mailing list. Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your stories. Keep up the writing.  

From Lee Ann:

I would like to take a moment to say that being the proud owner of a Nook I just finished your Treading Water trilogy and they were the best books I have read in a long time. I read them all in less than 3 days. I would love to hear from you when you have anything new coming out as you have topped the list of my favorite author. Thanks for a great many hours of wonderful reading material.

From Susan:

Good afternoon. Hope you are having an amazing preSummer.  Just wanted to let you know I took your suggestion regarding the Treading Water Trilogy and you are so right, I did enjoy!  In fact, that was what I did most of the Memorial Day weekend.  Started Friday night and wrapped up Tuesday night.  Yes I did have to break for "family time" with my husband and daughter but sat up late at night because I couldn't put the stories down...Just had to know what was going to happen.  Jack/Andi/Clare story literally had me in tears...LOVE THEM...glad it worked out for all of them.  Enjoyed Clare's story (along with Kate's...wow!).  But then loved the Brandon story and fell in love with Colin believe it not.  I did have my share of tear sessions with Brandon, especially the kidnapping portion.  But like I said with the Gansett Island series, you pull your fans right into the story as if we are there, experiencing their trials as well as their hard fought and well deserved accomplishments!  So now I'm starting the Fatal Series while I wait for Owen and Laura's book :)  Just wanted to touch base to let you know how much I enjoyed the Treading Water Trilogy!

No, I won't ask someone else to handle my mail for me. Why would I? Can you see why I feel so very blessed to have the nicest readers in the world? Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to write to me. Keep it coming. You make my day, each and every day!

End of the Fifth Month

Five months of self-employment in the bank and what have I learned? Well, first I truly LOVE working for myself. As if that's any sort of news flash, right? I was talking to a friend who recently left my former company, and I was telling her it takes a while to de-program from the pace we used to keep. Our jobs were BUSY. We were on a constant merry-go-round of deadlines, publication schedules, editing, writing, designing. It was nonstop. We loved it, but it was a lot to manage. For me, it was doubly complicated by the thriving writing career that cropped up from something that started as a hobby and turned into something more than I ever could've imagined. As the fifth month ends, I think I've succeeded in deprogramming. I don't think about what I SHOULD be doing for the day job at this time of year anymore. I've stepped off the merry-go-round. I'm still a little dizzy because merry-go-rounds make me sick, but I'm better than I was.

I've learned that I'm not quite as disciplined as I thought I was. After working at home for 13 years, I figured, hey, I've got this covered! Turns out that when you don't have 27 co-workers and their needs framing your day, it's easy to forget that you are supposed to be WORKING right now. It's me vs. the computer and sometimes me loses. I've learned that's okay. You can't force the creative process. If it ain't happening, walk away and do something else for a while. The words will come back. I've learned that I need to compartmentalize. I'm fortunate to receive quite a lot of reader mail every day. I've learned that each email does not have to be answered the minute it is received. Now I save reader mail--the nicest part of my day--for the end of my day and that seems to be working out well. I can take an hour or two at night and veg in front of the TV and answer emails.

I've learned to not let my accounting and bookkeeping slide. I update my business accounts every day rather than twice a month. Of course I hate that part of self-employment, but it is a necessary evil. Luckily, I have an accountant who does the true heavy lifting, so all I have to do is provide the info. That sounds easier than it is, especially if I let it slide. I'm trying to be more disciplined about that. What's funny is my mother was a bookkeeper by trade. She would've taken care of the accounting books before the other books, you know, the ones that MAKE the money? :-)

I've learned that it's okay to take a day off every now and then, and I've learned it's fun to take a day off just because I can. I recently worked 12 straight hours getting Season for Love ready to go to the copy editor. That night I was making dinner and it occurred to me that I could take the next day off if I wanted to. The day after that, too. So I did. And I loved every minute of my two days off, even though I worked for a portion of both days. "Work" these days doesn't feel like at all like work.

Finally, I've learned that it's okay to exhale. Eighteen months after I self-published my first book, my business is booming, I'm writing a lot, I've got plans for books that will take me well into next year and things are good. Breathe... For the first time in YEARS, I feel like I can breathe...

I'm thankful every day to the readers who continue to make my lovely new life possible. You are among the true blessings in my life, and I am grateful for every one of you.

Now for some book news:
Reminder that Fool for Love, book 2 in the McCarthys of Gansett Island Series is on sale for 99 cents for a brief time. Get it while it's cheap! You will enjoy it more if you read book 1, Maid for Love, first.


Joe Cantrell, owner of the Gansett Island Ferry Company, has been in love with Janey McCarthy for as long as he can remember. At the same time, Janey has been dating or engaged to doctor-in-training David Lawrence. When things go horribly wrong between David and Janey, she calls her “fifth brother” Joe, one of the few people in her close circle who lives on the mainland. Janey decides a few days with Joe is just what she needs before she goes home to the island to face her parents and family with the news of her broken engagement. It was bad enough for Joe loving Janey from afar, but having her in his house is pure torture. Will he take advantage of this opportunity to show her what they could have together? And what will Joe’s best friend and Janey’s protective older brother Mac have to say about it?Get Fool for Love here:
Kindle: amzn.to/KYoYWO
Nook: http://bit.ly/KaIXGA


Apple: http://bit.ly/MWm0qH 


Kobo: http://bit.ly/KcnHQW

An Interview With Self-Publishing Sensation Bella Andre

It's a real treat to welcome my friend Bella Andre to the blog! Bella was one of the first romance authors to take the plunge into self-publishing in 2010 and has been a runaway success ever since. Not only is she generous with her time and advice, she also writes great contemporaries. If you haven't read her Sullivan Family Series, you are missing out on some very fun books! Here are some thoughts from Bella about self-publishing and what we can expect from her in the near future!

Marie: Congratulations on all your self-pub success! Could you tell us a bit about your publishing journey and how you ended up pursuing self-publishing?

Bella: My writing journey started with songs, actually. I was a performing singer-songwriter for ten years before I even thought about writing fiction. Of course, I've always been a ravenous romance reader - devouring a book a day when I can.

One day, two characters started to have a conversation inside my head! Instead of checking in to the nearest psych ward :-) I wrote it down. A couple of years later I sold my first novel. After writing for four major publishers, in 2010 I found myself with more stories to tell and the self-publishing revolution just beginning. I took a leap of faith and wrote the sequel to my most popular novel at the time, TAKE ME, which is about a full-figured heroine and the man she's loved forever. LOVE ME (the brother and sister's story) came out July 2010 and when readers kept writing to thank me for writing the love story they'd been waiting for, I wrote my next original self-published novel, GAME FOR LOVE, the 3^rd book in my Bad Boys of Football series. I released it Christmas 2010 and that was when everything went nuts! The awesome kind of nuts. :-) Since then, I have written and released 5 books in my Sullivan family contemporary romance series. The latest, IF YOU WERE MINE, just came out this week!

Thanks to self-publishing, when my fans ask for more books—and for them to come out quickly—I am able to give them exactly what they want!

Marie: You haven't been shy about saying that 2011 was a banner year for you. What you think the secrets to your success might've been?

Bella: Yes, 2011 and the first half of 2012 have been phenomenal! I'm thrilled to have sold 700,000 self-published ebooks so far, the majority at an average price of $4.99 per book.

Marie: You are, without a doubt, one of the hardest-working authors I know. You even do your own *gorgeous* covers. Talk about what you like best about doing it all yourself and what parts of the publishing process you are happy to offload to others.

Bella: Thank you for the compliment on my covers. I really love being able to put out a final product that is exactly what I envision for my story, and I am very involved with every step of the publishing process. Even though I work with some fantastic contractors who help me with things like creating the digital files for each retailer, I first mastered how the process works on my own first.

Of course, I have always hired copyeditors and proofreaders for my books to ensure they are as polished as possible.

Marie: Your self-published Sullivan family series has been very well received and garnered terrific reviews. I'm a huge fan, as you know! What's on tap after all the Sullivans get their happily ever after?

Bella: Thank you so much! And thank you, too, for always being one of my first readers for each book. Your insight as a fellow contemporary romance writer is invaluable.

I love my Sullivans and hope to continue writing their stories even after all eight of the original Sullivan siblings have their happily-ever-after's. There are many more Sullivan cousins in Seattle and New York, fortunately. :-) And of course, I'd very much like to go back in time to tell the mother's love story with their father at some point.

In addition, I do have another series waiting in the wings about a series of sexy (of course!), connected heroes.

Marie: Ohhh, I love the idea of Mama Sullivan's love story and maybe a second change story for her too? I digress... Of course the no. 1 question posed to successful self-published authors is what it would take for you to sign a traditional contract at this point in your career. Do you have any interest in being traditionally published again? If so, what would it take to lure you in?

Bella: My motto is never-say-never! I try to stay positive no matter what comes and always be open to new and exciting developments.

I'm thrilled that my Sullivans will be debuting in other countries! The first five books in the series will be released in Brazil soon! I have also sold my self-published books to Italy, Turkey and Japan.

Marie: Congrats on the foreign sales. That's awesome! If you had one piece of advice for authors considering the self-published path, what would it be? Feel free to add second and third pieces of advice--LOL!

Bella: Go for it! Take the time and effort to right the best book possible, but don't get too caught up in the technical details. Concentrate on your story and connecting with your readers. Many of the big retailers now have very friendly self-publishing platforms.

Marie: What do you see as the "next big thing" in books, e-books, digital publishing, etc.?

Bella: The next big thing? Why, that will be Zach Sullivan's book, IF YOU WERE MINE, won't it? :-)

Marie: But of course! Here's some more about Zach Sullivan's story:

Can two people who have both sworn off love find forever in each other's arms? Find out in IF YOU WERE MINE, the fifth book in Bella Andre's bestselling Sullivan family contemporary romance series.

The last thing Zach Sullivan wants is to take care of his brother's new puppy for two weeks. Until he meets the dog trainer, that is. Heather is bright, beautiful, and he can't stop thinking about her. Unfortunately, she just might be the only woman on earth who wants nothing to do with him.

Heather Linsey can't believe she's stuck working with one of the city's top dogs, auto-shop tycoon Zach Sullivan. Especially when his focus is clear from the start—not only to learn how to deal with his temporary puppy...but also to make her his. Having sworn off love at seventeen when she realized it was nothing more than a pack of lies, Heather has stuck to her vow never to fall for a charming man.

Get it here:

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Apple: 

Paperback

Thanks so much to Bella for spending some time with us today! Here's wishing her many sales of IF YOU WERE MINE!