Philanthropy Day

Today is Philanthropy Day, so it seems only fitting to mention my new series, The Scarred Hearts. The heroes of the four-book series are tops in their field and have more money than they know what to do with. So they form a partnership and find worthy causes to donate their money to.

In A Reckless Heart, Simon and his buddies donate to the town, purchasing land that condo developers want. Instead, with the donated money, the town is able to buy the land and build a park, including a therapy garden, which is near and dear to Simon's heart.

In Unlock My Heart (releasing March 2, 2022), Ted and his friends donate money to an inner city boys and girls club to fund their coding for kids program. This cause is special to the heroine's heart, since she learned to code in a similar type of place and it gave her a future. 

What types of causes are important to you? Please consider making a donation to them. And, if the above information interested you, click here for more information: https://www.jenniferwilck.com/awrecklessheart.html

 

 

Welcome, Sarita Leone

I’m often asked where the inspiration for my stories comes from and my answer is on par with many other writers when I reply, “Everywhere.” It’s a standard answer, I know, but it’s the truth. 

Sitting on a park bench, watching children play? My mind wanders to thoughts of a sweet couple awaiting a child. As the minutes tick by, I name the couple, plan how they met, maybe give them a pet that will welcome their new addition with open arms, er, wagging tail! 

Crowded store, listening to some random woman grousing about how her husband doesn’t even notice her anymore? I see a story for her, too, complete with a romantic getaway that’s certain to get hubby’s attention. 

You see, it doesn’t take a lot to find the thread of a story. 

When The Wild Rose Press put out a call for submissions for their Christmas Cookie Series, I knew I wanted to submit a story. I mean, who isn’t inspired by cookies and romance? I certainly am!  

I’m also inspired by nature so the idea of building a romance in Alaska, where the Northern Lights dance across the sky, held great appeal. I love snow and baking, unlikely couples finding love, insightful dreams and valued family members…all of it. The ingredients for this story were right at hand and all I had to do was put all the pieces together. 

I had the best time writing Snickerdoodle Snowmen. It released on November 3 and I hope it will bring warmth to readers’ hearts. Who knows? Maybe it’ll inspire them to look up to the beauty of the night sky or even bake a batch of snickerdoodles. 

Thanks so much for having me here today!  

 

Author bio:

Sarita Leone loves happy endings—in life and on the page.

 

When she’s not busy writing her next novel, this adventure-loving yoga teacher likes to hike,

travel, and dance beneath the stars. She studies languages, enjoys making a mess in the kitchen,

and never says “no” to fun.

 

Finding pockets of peace everywhere she goes, this author plans to make every moment of this

journey count.

 

Catch up on book releases and other fun news on Sarita’s blog or Facebook page. Find her books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and wherever books are sold! 

 

Snickerdoodle Snowmen released on November 3! 

 

Snickerdoodle Snowmen (Christmas Cookies) - Kindle edition by Leone, Sarita. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

 

https://saritaleoneauthor.blogspot.com/

Amazon.com : sarita leone

 

Cover blurb:

Baker Kris Kringles sends snickerdoodles from North Pole, Alaska, across the globe, spreading holiday cheer like confetti. But she has a secret not dusted with sugar, and an incentive to speak with a slick journalist that isn't half-baked.

Reporter Santos Kloss hates Christmas. How could he not, with a name that makes him the butt of endless holiday jokes? He's got one last assignment to complete before he can begin a new chapter in his life, so he grits his teeth, grabs a parka, and heads to Christmas central.

 

Both expect the interview to be a snap, but a snowstorm, insistent sisters, and a little holiday magic have very different ideas!

 

Excerpt: 

 

“You’re the newspaper man, aren’t you?” 

Santos stopped the mug an inch from his lips and looked over the rim into the woman’s eyes. They were green—not merely hazel or a watered-down soda-bottle shade, but vibrantly colored, like the office parrot’s feathers. Polly, the newspaper mascot, looked like a beauty but swore like a sailor, courtesy of the newsmen who got their kicks from teaching the bird to talk. He’d even added some colorful Italian phrases to their feathered friend’s vocabulary.  

She stared at him with those piercing eyes so long and hard that his heart began to pound. He wondered if she read right into the truth of him. It sure felt that way. As if despite his nonchalant entrance, small talk, and even observing her figure, she realized he wasn’t some fellow off the street, in for a coffee and cookies. He resisted the urge to pull his jacket closed. 

Great. Precisely what he didn’t need. A dame with a brain, a killer attribute that never failed to stir something deep within him. 

The stirring hadn’t ever proved deep enough to keep a woman, so he tried to steer clear of romantic involvements. But damn, it felt as if she reached into his soul with those incredible eyes. 

Santos lifted his shoulders, then let them drop. He took a long swallow of joe before setting the mug on the counter. “Guilty as charged. I’m from the New York Daily, here to do a story on some cookies that I’m told are made in this shop and sent to crazy, obsessed Christmas fanatics all over the world.”

The minute he said it he realized he’d stuck his foot in his mouth. Pretty far down his throat, too.

 

 

Release Date!

I have a release date for my next book! On March 2, 2022, Unlock My Heart will make its way into the world, and I couldn’t be happier.

This book is the second in my Scarred Hearts series. The first, A Reckless Heart, released this past March.

 

Why did it take so long? Well, a number of reasons. My publisher, The Wild Rose Press, had a lot of books to release for the holidays, so they understandably took precedence. I had things going on that made my editing process take a little longer, too. But, it’s coming!

 

Unlock My Heart will follow Ted Endicott, the second of the four CAST members. He’s a tech whiz, a CEO, and hard of hearing. Abby Marlow is also a tech whiz (equal opportunity author here!), a woman with a past, and someone who wants to make it on her own. Their chemistry is explosive, but their path to romance is rocky, and I can’t wait to hear what you think.

 

For regular updates, join my Facebook group here! And my newsletter here!

 

It's Time, Once Again, for Amber Daulton

There are so many great books out there, but style guides are constantly changing, and it’s a good idea to stay updated on what’s growing in popularity.

For example, classics like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby are wonderful books, but if a modern author would write in Austen’s or Fitzgerald’s verbose style, he or she might have a hard time finding publishers to contract the work and readers to read it. 

How about a more contemporary example?

I grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s, so I read romance books from the ’80s and ’90s. I based my writing style off those books, which included passive voice, head-hopping between characters, and long, tedious descriptions about unimportant items, like the heroine’s dress. After I submitted the books to publishers in the mid-2000s, I received a bunch of rejection letters or nothing at all. Sure, there were more problems with those manuscripts than just the writing style, but the style didn’t help me any either. You see, I didn’t read new, recently released books, so I had no idea the style guides had changed and that the style I learned from childhood was now frowned upon, as least for beginning writers. (FYI – the big authors who rake in six figures a year can usually do whatever they want because their name and fan-base are already so huge. Too bad that doesn’t apply to the majority of us.) My first publisher in 2012 finally set me straight, but it still took me years to outgrow what I had previously learned. When I think back on those earlier manuscripts, I shudder, but writing is a learning experience.

Nowadays, I keep passive voice to a minimum, I don’t jump between POVs without a scene or chapter break, and I only add lengthy descriptions when absolutely needed (and that’s rare).

Okay, so I’ve talked about old vs new writing styles. Let’s discuss genres. If you write romance and read in other genres like mystery or horror, that’s fine if you read it for fun. But if you read it to learn how to style and plot, then apply that to romance, you’ll probably end up with an awkward read. Romance has a different flow, different pacing, different everything from other genres. This rings true for sub-genres as well. Romantic suspense, sci-fi romance, and historical romance are worlds apart from each other, no pun intended. Remember, do your research. It’s always best to read in the genre you want to write in and learn how your fellow authors do it.

Authors and readers—Do you have any advice you’d like to add? Please leave it in the comment section. I’d love to know your thoughts.

Blurb

 

Lies. Betrayal. A million-dollar bounty.

After an undercover mission goes awry, DEA agent Jarrett Brandt hides out in the last place he wants to be—his hometown. Now he’s stuck with his judgmental parents and the memory of his perfect brother hanging over his head. His one bright light? Marissa Reinn Brandt—his high school sweetheart and former sister-in-law.

Marissa lost Jarrett once before. No way will she let him back in; then her son offers him their guestroom. His wicked charm and smoldering stares are hard to resist, but she’ll make him work to reclaim his spot in her bed.

When his enemies close in, how will Jarrett keep Marissa and her son safe, or will he lose his shot at redemption?

 

– Triggers: drug use (discussed) and a brief assault of the heroine

– A Hero’s Heart is a smoking hot second chance, romantic suspense novella. No cheating. HEA guaranteed.

– Second edition. Newly revised and edited.

 

Tagline – Rekindling the flames of love has never burned so hot.

 

Excerpt

 

Marissa grabbed her plate and headed to the kitchen. How would she get through this? Better yet, how would she console her son when Jarrett left? Footsteps resounded softly behind her. The hair on her nape rose. She stuffed her plate in the trashcan and scowled at the source of her problems.

“I’m sorry. If staying here will be an inconvenience, I’ll tell Jason I can’t.”

“He’ll blame me.”

“No, I’ll say I have to go back to San Francisco for work or Montana for the ski trip. He’ll understand.”

She barked a laugh. “Have you lost your mind? He’ll scream and beg you to stay. Once you leave, he’ll cry for hours.”

“Marissa, what do you want from me? I can’t stay forever. I don’t want to hurt him—or you—I swear it, but I will leave. It’s only a matter of when, not if.”

She grasped the counter to keep steady. “I know that. Jason and I are not good enough reasons for you to give up the life you’ve built in California, and I would never ask it. I’ll understand when you go, but Jason won’t, not that it’s any of your concern. I’ll deal with his pain when the time comes.”

He cursed. “You sure know how to make a man feel like shit.”

“That’s not my intention.”

“Doesn’t change the facts.” He grabbed his phone from his pants pocket. “Am I staying here or not?”

If only she could toss him out on his ass. “You’re staying.”

“Okay. I’ll call my boss and let him know your address.”

“Fine. I’ll show you to the guestroom when you’re ready.”

“Thank you, Marissa. I appreciate it.”

She fisted her hands. “Thank Jason.”

With that, he left the kitchen.

 

Add to Goodreads - https://bit.ly/aherosheartgoodreads

Check it out on BookBub - https://bit.ly/aherosheartbookbub

 

Purchase Links

 

Just .99 cents – Sale ends on November 9^th

 

Amazon – https://bit.ly/aherosheartamazon

Barnes and Noble – https://bit.ly/aherosheartnook

Apple – https://bit.ly/aherosheartapple

Kobo – https://bit.ly/aherosheartkobo

Google Play – https://bit.ly/aherosheartgoogleplay

Universal link – https://books2read.com/aherosheart

 

About the Author

 

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. 

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats. 

 

Social Media Links {Please choose the universal link or the individual links, but not both.}

 

Universal link – https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton

 

--or--

 

Website – https://amberdaulton.wordpress.com/

Newsletter (free ebook to new subs) – https://bit.ly/amberdaultonnewsletter

Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/amber.daulton.author

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AmberDaulton1

Pinterest – https://pinterest.com/amberdaulton5/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624921.Amber_Daulton

Amazon Author Page – https://amzn.to/14JoZff

Book Bub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amber-daulton

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amberdaultonauthor1/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/pub/amber-daulton/87/538/368

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYg7JZ7XXp24Vg1O3IYeYkA

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@amberdaultonauthor1

 

Halloween

Halloween has come and gone and after a year off due to Covid, I feel like it changed. First of all, the decorations. Those who chose to decorate their houses went all out. I’m talking blow-ups-on-the-roof, macabre skeleton scenes, flashing lights, the works. Sure, there were some with just some cobwebs scattered on bushes, or carved pumpkins and a few other seasonal decorations. And of course, there were those, like us, who did nothing—do actual cobwebs from spiders, and dead mums count? Because if so, I win!

But the think I noticed is an abundance of scary, creepy decorations. Life-sized, or even giant, skeletons, grotesque scenes, blood spattered sheets (I’m pretty sure that was fake blood). It’s like Halloween manifested all of the horrible “what-ifs” from this past pandemic year and people everywhere displayed their fear for all to see. I don’t know, maybe it helped them. It certainly spooked me.

 

As I said, we didn’t decorate, although, perhaps feeling guilty for not getting into the spirit of things, my husband put up “smart bulbs” in our outside house lights, which flashed different colors, and a large, furry spider at the doorstep. I’ll do better next year, I think.

 

Another way Halloween has changed? The attitudes of the kids. The little ones, well, they’re little. They don’t really understand what’s going on, other than random strangers are giving them candy. But they seemed a little more wary, a little confused by my eagerness to approach them and give them things—I don’t know, maybe my joy was scary. And even the older kids were more subdued. There were a lot more “Please!” and “Thank you!” offered. A lot more waiting each person’s turn. They also seemed to accept without question my handing out the candy rather than offering them the bowl. I guess some good has come out of this ridiculous worldwide group project.

 

Whatever the cause of the changes, it was nice to get back to a normal holiday. And although my doorbell rang more than it has in ages, and I answered it more times last night than I have in almost two years, Halloween was fun and I hope the kids enjoyed it as much as I did.