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Review for The Lady of the Glen:

Our feisty and brash heroine, Elayne, starts off the book in a most dramatic way, trying to get her clan's priest to declare the new wife of the man Elayne hoped to wed a witch! She soon realizes the errors of her ways, and both she and her father, the laird of their clan, agree that perhaps she needs some time away.

Opportunity comes by way of Declan, newly returned from serving The Bruce and the new laird of his clan, aptly name the Beast Clan by its neighbors. Having seen other clans while with The Bruce, Declan is determined to civilize his own. And that means he needs a wife, as the civilizing influence of women has been long lacking in his male-dominated stronghold. He saw Elayne in a village as he was returning from war and was immediately drawn to her strong, commanding presence...this could be the woman to help him!

Declan is a sweet swoonworthy hero; how can you help but love a hero who fully supports his future ladylove on the first night they meet in the face of his rather ornery clan? And Elayne...oh, my gosh! What can I say about her? She's a spitfire all right, with strong ideas of the way things should be... but she is also caring and vulnerable... Both the hero and heroine have past scars (and in a way they mirror each other), and they remain vulnerable even after they marry. There are some very sweet little "awwwww" moments. Some scars take awhile to heal...

They act as a team from Day One, and it is fun to see the way they truly listen and support each other. Elayne likes to jump in and defend herself... even getting physical with some who act against her. Declan not only lets her lead in these matters, he backs her up fully and adds his own response. I adore brave but vulnerable couple.

They need to be a team, as there are greater plots against them... both close to home and tied to the history of Scotland at the time. But I'll let you discover that yourself.

If you like Scottish romance, you can't go wrong with this one. If you like ANY historical romance, you will most likely enjoy this book as well. 

Read a Sneak Peek here: https://sassygirlsbookexpo.com/?p=2349

Use the links above to order your book today!  

Marketing, Marketing, and more Marketing .  . .😩

I am beat. One week after the release of The Lady of the Glen, and there is nothing left in the marketing pail. It is empty. Not even one little marketing drop remains.  Plus I just started a new temp job, we started back up on homeschooling last week, and there is nothing left. 

But it's a good start. Several things I did differently this time: 
1. More time on Twitter. I think some of the contacts there were unbelievably beneficial, not just for this blog, but for my marketing. I hooked up with some book bloggers and a few offered to review the book!  YAY.   
2. As a result, a shout out to: Rosie Amber -- https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/
 and  Sarah from https://lostinthelandofbooks.home.blog/

3. Stepping up  my general interaction game. Readers want to buy books from people, not from ads. Some days I am better at engagement than others; most days I suck at it. But I try! 

4. Promos and ads - I haven't paid for any ads yet - no money -- but I did pay for a small twitter promo that comes with some features, including this one: http://indiebookbutler.com/the-lady-of-the-glen-michelle-deerwester-dalrymple/

5. Write more!  Not only am I working on book 3 of the Glen series, I am working on my 3rd short, and starting a new contemporary romance series (see below): Men in Uniform, and working on a piece of fiction.  Not that I have the time for all of this, I have a good start.

And maybe that is all I need, a good start.  I'm going to sleep now. 

  

Writing while working . . .

Many authors, both traditionally published and indie, struggle to make ends meet on writing alone. Or, we came late to the writing game and have worked the entire time we wrote.  Either way, what is it like to work upwards of 40 hours a week (or more!) and still write/publish?

First, it is time-consuming. Having to balance work and a writing schedule alone is difficult. Then add to that a significant other, kids, pets, and their events that require your time, and perhaps other obligations you may have, such as hobbies, workouts, community events, work-related events, and hoping to find time to read.

Our time is like a pie. We can cut the slices into little slivers of pie, but there is still just one pie of time we have for a day. Some days, some slivers just don’t get cut — they are absorbed into the larger slices, and that is ok. As long as it isn’t like that every day.  Mix up those pie slices!

It is self-effacing. If we feel like what we are writing is crap or won’t be well received, that can affect how we feel our work at our job is going.  As an English professor, I feel that I am the last person who should be telling people how to write if I am A) not writing or B) not writing well.  And if we receive bad feedback or a bad review? UGH.  These challenges may make us feel depressed and that does spill over into our regular work.

And then there is general burnout — where nothing gets done.  We have all had that moment where we are home from work, kids are in bed asleep, and we are burning our midnight oil, cup of tea, coffee or wine in hand, hoping the miracle of writing overcomes us, and. .  . . Nothing. Just that blank screen, that accusatory blinking cursor, mocking us. Our brains are fried; we are tired; our significant other is snoring lightly in the other room, and we ask ourselves why.  Why do we put ourselves through this?

Why indeed.  But from a writer’s perspective, we would most likely respond, how can we not?  To us, this is normal. There is a pull, a need — the same as a need for food, for sleep, for air to breathe.

So to all you writers pulling double duty, I raise my wine glass to you. Good luck with cutting your slices of pie this week.

It is time! 

She is here! 

The Lady of the Glen release TODAY: 1/16/19! Download your digital copy or get your paperback!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KVQYWH6

 

It All Is Coming Together

I feel like Hannibal from "the A-Team" (wow, just dated myself!): I love it when a plan comes together. 

Book 2 (stand alone - if you haven't read book 1!) came together with relative ease. The story flowed well, I received great feedback, and the cover artist/editors did their jobs!  Now that I have the proof copy sitting in front of me, the beauty of the book makes me tear up! 

There is nothing quite like a book baby, except maybe the second book baby. Perhaps it is because we know the work involved, the time commitment, the effort, and to do it all again?  That is the stuff of madness. But if you look at writers, authors, the greats throughout history, they were all little touched in the head.  And maybe that is what makes writers able to do what they do. 

I am over the moon to have book two come out.  Book three is in the works -- it will also be a stand-alone, but a continuation of the theme, if you will, and if I'm lucky, that sucker may come out in late spring, early summer.  Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we? 

I have other works, too -- a few short stories (another is due out VERY soon) and a novella series, both contemporary. But the historical romance has always been my fave, and so I will always come back to it.   We always come back to what we love.  

 

Being Sick SUCKS! 

This whole week, since New Year's Day, has been nothing more than me in bed sleeping, or sleeping.  Not much reading, work, or writing. The worst type of sick!  

So my recommendation for all you readers and writers out there - don't get sick!  And if you are sick, take it easy and let yourself heal. Don't push it (do as I say, not as I do! 😆 )   

But I did get a little reading done - I hope to post the reviews for it on Amazon and Goodreads this weekend.  And I did get to binge watch some TV with my daughter.  I introduced her to Stranger Things and she cannot wait for season three on the 4th of July!  Great stories, great characters (broken characters - my faves), and all the 80s nostalgia. 

 So my post for this week is one that continues my self-care recommendation themes from my latest newsletters. Take care of you!  And if some binge reading and TV helps you do that, by all means, enjoy!