While you weren't looking...I wrote a horse book

If you know me in real life, you'll know that horses are a big part of my life. Growing up I wanted a horse more than anything in the world and I drove my parents crazy about it. It was the wish I made every birthday and the only thing I ever asked Santa for. But I didn't get my own horse until I was old enough to get a job and from that day on, horses consumed me. I ate, slept and pretty much spent every waking hour with them. I rode, groomed, trained and in return they filled a hole in my heart that had been empty a long time. Then they almost killed me. But that is a story for another time.

Even though I can't ride anymore, I still have a horse. His name is Merlin. He is a bay thoroughbred with four white socks, a blaze and a heart of gold. He nickers when he hears me arrive at the barn and he bows for his carrots. He still fills part of that hole in my heart and now I fill the rest of it with writing.

When I was young and horseless, I spent hours in my room reading horse books. There were never enough of them but I read the same books over and over again. I wanted to be the girl who rescued the Arabian from the circus or the one who bought the scruffy Fly-By-Night and kept him in her back yard. These books gave me hope that one day I would have my own horse. And now I pass that legacy on.

The Secret Rider is the book we all read as horse mad girls. The one where the heroine needs to ride more than anything in the world and yet the world is conspiring against her to make sure that doesn't happen. Show Jumping Dreams is a series that is very close to my heart. It is the book I've been trying to write since I was ten years old, sitting in the English garden with my typewriter and my hopes and dreams. It is the life I would have had if things had turned out differently and though most of the books I write are for others to enjoy, this one is for me.

Click here to buy The Secret Rider on Amazon

The Half-Truth Is Alive!

Well, it took longer than I thought, mostly due to non-writing life stuff that got in the way. But The Half-Truth is live and you can purchase it here : The Half-Truth It's only available on Amazon but it is DRM free so if you know how (sorry I don't but I'm sure you can Google it) then you can side load it onto your other devices.

This is the sequel to My Deliberate Mistake and the conclusion of Ana's story. It is dark and scary and possibly might not make any sense at all but that is just how my books come out sometimes. Take from it what you will. After all, each book means something different to each person who reads it, which is part of what makes reading so awesome! You create the world in your head as you read, a movie happening right behind your eyes, and what you see may be completely different than what someone else sees thanks to your view of the world and your life experiences.

So the twisty world of dead twins has been put to rest and what is next you ask? Well I'm 1/3 of the way into the next book in the Sam Weber Investigations series. I also have something completely different, a side line if you will, about something that is a big part of my life and very dear to my heart. This is going to be a little series of books that I have been wanting to write since I was a kid and I'll tell you all about it in another blog post but lets just say that if you don't like horses, you may want to skip this one. Or tell your horse mad daughter about it because it will be right up her alley!

The Half-Truth Cover Reveal!

It's been a while since I've posted anything. You'll happy to know that means I've been working my little writerly fingers to the bone. The Half-Truth is finished and after letting it sit for a few weeks, I just read through it and I'm happy. I hope you will be too. I have a few days of proof reading left and then it will be released into the wild.

Even though I was in the middle of moving house while I was writing it, I have to say that I had fun with this one. Ana lead me down some interesting paths, ones where I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. Despite being a massively damaged character, she's been fun to spend time with and I think part of me will miss her.

I'm already elbow deep in two other projects. The next book in the Sam Weber Investigations series and another project that I can't talk about right now. So you have lots to look forward too!

And without further ado, I give you the cover for The Half-Truth and the blurb.

It’s been three months since Ana Turner walked into the lake with stones in her pockets.

Two months since she found out she was pregnant.

And one month since Noah vowed to stand by her side forever.

But Noah doesn't know the baby isn't his and he doesn't know that Julia is controlling him. So when he goes off the deep end, Ana will do whatever she can to find and save him. That is until she sees Mark. She thought she loved him more than life itself but Julia stole him from her. And he’s dead. So how can she be kissing him again?

Inexplicably drawn to the woods she was lost in as a child, she’ll have to make a choice. Believe the lies. Or finally find the truth.

The Half-Truth is the sequel to My Deliberate Mistake and the conclusion of Ana’s story. 

Book Clubbin'

Last night I attended my first ever book club. Now I've never been to a book club either as an author or a reader but I am a huge Absolutely Fabulous fan so naturally I assumed book club might go something like this :

And it did. Just kidding. 

Book club was awesome. The ladies of the Lit Chicks were a rocking bunch. They had so may questions and as many of you already know, I don't have the answers! But I am busy on the sequel so there will be answers soon. 

I love hearing different peoples opinions on the book. As I reader I know that the things I take away from a book aren't always the same things someone else will. Reading is a deeply personal experience and I believe that we also project our own thoughts, feelings and life experiences onto the text. 

But I have to say that the ladies of the Lit Chicks were pretty spot on with their observations of My Deliberate Mistake. And it didn't hurt that there was a sex therapist (hi Joe Ann!) in the group who concurred that Ana's sexual behavior was spot on for someone as damaged as her and that the sex was hot. That pretty much made my evening alone!

So thanks to Suzanne for organizing this and to all the ladies of the Lit Chicks. You guys rock! Thanks for having me.

Oh and did I mention there was cake?

The Tangerine Killer Lives

Late last night I pressed the button on The Tangerine Killer and by this morning the book was live. This meant I just made my deadline since I said I'd be releasing the book in late May. Very late May. That was a close one!

Anyone who's published on Amazon knows how addictive it is to keep checking your KDP dashboard, hoping beyond hope that the sales numbers will soar. Well, today there was less soaring and more of a dead sort of bob. Kind of like a dying fish. Yes, today's sales consisted of me (because you always have to buy your own book, right?) and my Mom. Not exactly a stampede was it? But that's okay. It's what happens when you are first starting out. Nobody knows who I am or what my writing is like. My prose could read like those instructions you get in the furniture you have to put together yourself for all my prospective readers know. Why would you take a chance on someone whose book might be less entertaining than a cereal box? I don't know.

What I do know is that this isn't a sprint. Slow and steady wins the race. And I love writing. I'd do it even if it was only my Mom reading my books. Even if nobody read them. Why? Well because writing gives my life purpose. It's something I believe in. It's what I have to hold on to. And when someone who isn't related to me reads one of my books and gets it, well there is no feeling quite like it!

I should add that since The Tangerine Killer is enrolled in select I did have one borrow today. So thank you random borrower. I hope you enjoy it!

Also in celebration of this new release, my short story Beneath Paper Cranes will be free tomorrow on Amazon so if you haven't picked up a copy yet, here is your chance.

If you like reading crime thrillers, you can check out The Tangerine Killer here :

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D4IU3AM

Here's To Never Growing Up!

Moving On and The Half-Truth!

I'm currently in the middle of moving so blog posts and Facebook updates may be spotty for a while. I'll also be without internet for a few days. Oh the horror! But don't worry. I'm still busy proofreading The Tangerine Killer and my goal is to get the digital version up by the end of the month. The paperback version will be delayed because of moving.

Also I'm busy writing the sequel to My Deliberate Mistake. When I wrote this book it was supposed to be a standalone novel but so many of you have questions and want more. So who am I to deny you the answers? Not that I have all the answers and if you know me at all you should know that just because I write a sequel, doesn't mean I'll wrap everything up all nice and pretty with a bow on it!

So the sequel has a title and I'm actually being organized so it already has a cover! But I'll be saving the cover reveal for later. However the title is The Half-Truth and I've added a word count widget to the blog so you can track my progress. As you can see I'm half way done, and that's the truth! Don't worry if you don't see the bar moving in a few weeks time, remember no internet and moving house!