WIP Progress Report (#10)

To recap, these "progress reports" are basically a way for y'all to know a little more about what I'm working on and to be able to follow along with the process. The main update will be on my current WIP, but at the end, there will be quick updates on other projects. 

Title: Making Me Sane (Sanity, #2)
- Genre: New Adult Romance w/ Anxiety/Depression 
- Release Date: Tentatively, the summer of 2016
- Series? Will be book 2 of 2.

Y'all. This book is DONE. Well, the first draft is complete. I've been working so hard this past week to finish this book on time, and I've finished a few days early! I'm so excited about all the things that happen to Brittany and Trace in this book. I can't wait to share this couple with you. I just love them so much!

I've updated the word count box on the left and noted my new primary WIP! My next WIP is Noah and Meredith's book, the first in my upcoming hockey romance series featuring players on the Carolina Rebels team. I'm super excited about that series. I'll be start it as soon as I get back from my Alaskan cruise. It's going to be so nice to have a break before more work starts. I'm leaving my computer at home. I'll be without my phone and internet and it should be great! The only electronic device I'll be using is my Kindle, which is really for the traveling to and from Seattle, where we're actually leaving from.

I just had to make a post about finishing this book. Next step is to send it to my betas before revisions, edits, and formatting. I'm hoping to release it shortly after Driving Me Mad releases on July 6th, so y'all don't have to wait too long to see what happens next. :)

Other Projects:
Mary and I will be spending the next few months getting the final three books in The Ninth Inning series ready for release.

That's all for now. Happy reading!

2015 Recap

Well, today is the last day of the year, and what a year it's been! I'm going to jump right in and start with a breakdown of the year.

Books Released: 9 (2 solos; 7 coauthored)

Places I Went: Pittsburgh, Charlotte, St. Louis, Las Vegas, & Huntington.

Personal Highlights: Turned 21; saw my Penguins play in Pittsburgh for the first time; Upgraded my car; saw Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett in concert; went to a few hockey games in Raleigh; made plans to see all the NHL teams play a home game and marked two off the list (Pittsburgh and Carolina); & celebrated four years writing, Bartley's fourth birthday, and one year of living on my own!

Bookish Highlights: I read 112 books, and my goal was 100. I should probably deem 2015 the Year of Catherine Gayle and biker books, as I read all of the books in Catherine Gayle's Portland Storm series and got hooked on books with bikers. Also, I did 7 Paperback Picks out of 11 months. Hopefully, I'll do better next year.

It's been a really great year. December made it tough and pushed all my buttons, so I'm thankful it's over. I have a feeling 2016 will be amazing, and I can't wait to see what the new year brings. Tomorrow, I'll share some plans and goals for 2016!

WIP Progress Report (#5)

To recap, these "progress reports" are basically a way for y'all to know a little more about what I'm working on and to be able to follow along with the process. The main update will be on my solos, but at the end, there will be quick updates on other projects. 

Before I get started, you should take a quick look to your left! I've added WIP Word Count section. It's just a little way to get a quick strictly numerical update on WIPs. It's updated every chapter pretty much.

So, based on that, you see that I have two WIPs listed: Brittany & Trace's and Noah & Meredith's. I ended up having to set Noah and Meredith aside while I figured some things out and ended up reshuffling my WIP To-Do list. 

Therefore, my main priority is now to write Brittany and Trace's books and then Noah & Meredith's. I'll work on them here and there, of course, but they aren't #1 right now. Let's talk about who is!

- Untitled.
- Genre: New Adult Romance 
- Word Count/Goal: 17,772/80,000
- Release Date: Tentatively, the summer of 2016
- Series? Will be book 1 of 2.
- First Sentence: My stomach heaves, the retched sound of vomit falling into the toilet echoes in the air as my hands grip the seat.

Nice start, huh? What better way to start a book than with the main character throwing up? Haha!

Anyway, I think this WIP will excite fans of Nepenthe. Not because of any characters are crossing over, but because of topic. These two characters both deal with anxiety and/or depression. With Nepenthe, only one person suffered. I wanted to have both of them in the same boat.

I want to write about how they'll deal with it differently. This book, in comparison to Nepenthe, shows more of the physical affects, hence how the book starts. These are the kinds of books that I love to write more than anything, so I'm really happy to bring Brittany and Trace to you for two books.

Another thing that has me excited is the dynamic of the two. Trace is older, divorced, and more settled in life than she is. Brittany is trying to survive her last semester of college. And Trace was Brittany's therapist before she left for college.

A lot of different little and big things are going on in this book. That's all I have for now though! Just wanted to give an update.

Other projects:
Mary and I are cracking down on the rest of The Ninth Inning series and making beautiful progress!

Without a Doubt releases this month on the 18th! SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!

Bending Under Pressure, Haley & Keelan's book, will release February 20, 2016. Check out the details here.

Four Year Anniversary & a Giveaway!

October is a huge month for me and I have a lot to be excited about. So why is October so great?

Well, there's hockey season. Enough said, right?

October marks my one year anniversary of moving into a place of my own. That's exciting and I'm so proud of myself for doing great this past year and growing up just a bit more.

However, there are two more big things about October.

While I didn't get Bartley until January of 2012, he was born October 15, 2011. My adorable little dog will turn four this year. It's such an awesome coincidence that October 15, 2011 is also when my very first book, Sweetness, released. So, not only is Bartley turning four, but my four year anniversary of this amazing adventure happens at the same time.

21 books later and I still can't believe I've been doing this for four years. Like how? This is insane. Four years seems like such a long time, but times has flown by, so it doesn't feel likes it's been a whopping four years since I started.

It's mind boggling, but amazing. I feel like I've come a long way and have made some great friends along the way.

Everything I have, everything I'm able to do, is all because I have wonderful readers who support me.  Thank you so, so, so, so much from the bottom of my heart. I hope y'all will stick with me for another four years.

I could go on and on about how grateful I am, but instead, I'll end things here. Here's a giveaway to celebrate, so be sure to enter.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

All about the Penalty Kill!

 

This week is all about the Penalty Kill trilogy I wrote with Mary Smith. It was our first series together and we had a blast writing them. It's hard to believe that with our anniversary this year, we've only been writing together for two years. Two years and eight books. It's crazy talk!

Anyway, we loved these characters and still think about them from time to time. I'll be posting more this week (either here or on Facebook) about this trilogy, so stay tuned!

Levi Carr is captain of the Roxboro University Lions hockey team. His rival is James Wayne University and their captain, Trevor McCarthy. After an incident in high school and his mother’s death, Levi does whatever he can to make McCarthy’s life a little harder. When leaving the rivaling campus one night, Levi meets one person who can unknowingly help him mess with McCarthy. 

My one job in this is to mess with McCarthy’s head and all it has done is mess with mine.  

Presley McCarthy lives in the shadow of her twin brother, Trevor. After being separated when their parents divorced, all Presley heard about was Levi Carr being a bully to Trevor. Now in college, Presley is trying to be her own person, but when she meets Levi Carr, it all changes. But will the changes be good or bad? 

He is nothing like my brother described. Maybe I’ve been wrong all along.

You can follow this link to learn more about each individual book. Be sure to add the trilogy on Goodreads, too. Plus, Breakaway is free! If you haven't snagged it, I have no clue what you're waiting for! You can check out the series on Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo, or Smashwords.

And, here's a giveaway! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Another Funny Hockey Commercial

This past weekend, I was watching hockey and saw this new gem of a commercial. The end is the best part. Just watch it for a good laugh. Happy Friday everyone!

I Love This Tide Commercial

It's back! My hands have rested, and it's time to share a funny commercial. I love this commercial. Why? Well, you just watch and see if you can figure it out.

Hint: I love the ending.

Have you seen any funny commercials lately?

Another Hockey-Related Commercial

The first commercial I posted on the blog when I decided to post a funny one every week was a hockey commercial. It's my all time favorite, but I've found another. I shared it on Facebook last month, but I had to share again.

I've been watching most of the Carolina Hurricanes games on TV with the BFF. That's her team and pretty much all of their games are aired here. So I watch them with her. Plus, I like saying Khudobin. (He's one of their goalies.)

Anyway, this is an adorable little commercial that all hockey fans can appreciate.



My favorite line is, "We will try not to fight." What are some hockey commercials that you love? They don't have to be funny, just a good one! Share in the comments.

Commercials at Their Best

If you follow me on social media, then you know that I love some funny commercials. I have even shared some that I don't like. Anyway, I thought I would share a commercial every week, usually a funny one, and hopefully, everyone can laugh at least once every Friday.

This one is a little old, but makes me laugh every time I see it or think about it. My favorite part is when the guy goes, "Loser! Loser! Best baby in the world!" Enjoy!



Do you like this new feature? Too soon to tell yet? Tell me your thoughts!

Updates All Around!

The past few weeks, I've only posted Monday's Book Spotlight. It's about time to give an update post. There are lots of things to talk about! Let's get this show on the road, shall we?

Writing-wise, things are up and down. I've been bouncing between four solo projects and my co-authored projects as well. You can see the update for the latter here. (Psst. My co-author, Mary Smith, just had her first solo book released. Go check out Melting Away the Ice on Amazon!) Either I'm writing like crazy in one or I'm switching from one to another, or I'm not writing at all. For the most part, progress is being made.

A good chunk of book five has been written and if I pick up my pace, just a little, I can release it in the month I have planned. It's still my top priority and hopefully, I can share some snippets of it with you soon.

As of yesterday, I hit the one month mark since school started. I survived the first month and I plan on making it through the next month. Things with school have been going really well. I have my schedule set up in a way that taking seven classes isn't too overwhelming. My schedule will soon be tweaked again because I now have a job. I'm feeling really good about things though. To have had only one panic attack so far is a feat in itself and I'm certain that things are only going to get better.

The last update isn't really an update, but who cares? Hockey season will be starting soon and I will be going to two games next month. One to see the Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes and then to see my Penguins vs. Hurricanes. I am so excited about this! It's going to be awesome, as always.

Okay. There you have it. Have an amazing weekend, y'all!

Go Penguins! My favorite photos from last night's game

What a great game! I can't wait for the next opportunity to go. The atmosphere is one that just sticks with you and makes you crave it. By the looks of it, there were just as many, if not a bit more, Penguins fans than Canes fans. That's a great sight! I'm thrilled that I was there to support them. :) Here are a couple of photos from last night's game. Enjoy! 

Just stretching ;)

I love to watch them stretch! 

A little pre-game picture!

Fleury

Canes fan with a pretty neat shirt!

A fight

2 Canes and 3 Pens in time out!