Writing: Monthly update for March 2021

Happy April!

Hello friends!

We sat on the porch and didn't freeze to death! Every year, it seems like spring will never come. It teases us with sunshine but the temps are still freezing. Or it gets warmer but is cloudy, windy AF, and raining. But finally, we have sunshine and warm! How's the weather where you are?

And of course, now that it's warm, I have one more inside thing I'd rather be doing. LOL If you've been wondering why I haven't made new stickers for Love on Luke and Main or Running Into Trouble, it's because my old Wacom drawing tablet stopped working several months ago.

But check it out! I have a new one now and I've already started drawing! If you remember, Haley gets drunk on margarita's and gets a little too handsy with Luke in his truck. That is the inspiration for their sticker! Isn't it cute?!

BULLET JOURNAL SPREADS!
This was a fun month to put together. Love the colors and the rain drop mood tracker should be cute when it's finished!

How was your March?

💕Anastasia

COVER REVEAL

LOVE ON BLAKE AND MAIN
A steamy workplace romance coming May 18, 2021

BLURB:
Blake
I can't promise I'll never get into another fight, but I can promise the only girl I'll ever fight for, from now on, is Parker Rose.

Parker
Hiring Blake Anderson to oversee my co-op to coffee shop renovation is the best—and easiest—decision I’ve ever made. But inviting him to rent my spare room might just be the worst.

He’s my contractor. I’m his client. We should not be living together. But when he gets kicked out of his friend’s place for fighting, I don’t take no for an answer. After all, Blake fought for me.

This arrangement has disaster written all over it.

We have nothing in common. Blake is a kind, professional Jekyll by day and a broody, violent Hyde by night. While I’m just a silly girl with a furry purse who is failing miserably at passing herself off as an entrepreneur.

There’s a good chance Blake will demolish my heart. But like he says, “It gets worse before it gets better.”

I hope he’s right.

PRE-ORDER today! - https://books2read.com/u/bojDK9
Add to your Goodreads TBR! - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56026080-love-on-blake-and-main

If you'd like to help me promote Blake's book before the release or apply for the chance to receive an ARC (advanced reader copy) of his book, please fill out this form!
Street team/ARC application - https://forms.gle/qnSdPyaJdQ9LJWTK6

Read in March:

OMG! I loved Tied! It was a slow burn between two tortured souls. I can't write stories like this but I LOVE reading them. All the angst and drama! Strongly recommend this and the first book, Torn.

Lucky Dog was a short, erotic read. Super steamy but light on story and character. 

What did you read in March? Find any new favorites?

Currently Reading:

Still trying to make it through A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire. This book is SO long and chapters are even longer LOL (That's what it feels like.) Not that I'm not enjoying it. It's just every time I sit down to read it, I swear it gets longer.

Hitching the Cowboy has been fun, so far. Just haven't had time to read in a week. :(

Current Romance WIPs:

Love on Blake and Main (Love on Main, #2, Workplace romance) - Need to do a final edit and proofread before it's ready to publish! So excited for you to read this one. Blake and Parker were difficult characters to write. You'll see when you read it :P

Love on Oliver and Main (Love on Main, #3, Age Gap) - I'm well on my way with this one! Over 10K words written in March. These two are SO cute! It's been a while since I've had characters that don't hide from me and a story that begs to be written. Can't wait to get back to it tonight!

Lucky One (Heating Up the Holidays anthology St. Patrick's Day romance) - I haven't made much more progress on this. I did make this aesthetic though! She's a musician. He's a mechanic. There's a small age gap. Not more than about 6 years but she's only 18. Plus, it's brother's best friend. A bit of forbidden for ya!

Heat up your holidays! Join us for a year of steamy celebrations and go home on New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with seven different, sexy book boyfriends.

This anthology of steamy contemporary stories is packed with your favorite tropes.
Age gap with older woman, younger man
Brother's best friend
Fake relationship
Roommates to lovers
Friends to lovers
Enemies to lovers
And, of course, happily ever afters for all!

Heating Up the Holidays will be available for a limited time! Don't miss the party! Pre-order your ebook today! → https://books2read.com/u/49le1X

Add to your Goodreads TBR → https://bit.ly/3q5Ery5

Join our Street Team and apply to review and ARC! → https://forms.gle/kEyNMv7skEZQzEGs8

Follow the authors:
https://gemmasmithwrites.com/connect
www.adriannaschuh.com
https://www.theanastasiaaustin.com/newsletter
https://www.facebook.com/hattie.lou.90
https://heatherblairauthor.blog/
https://www.mindymckinley.com
https://www.instagram.com/authorbreehowland/

Publishing news:

RUNNING INTO TROUBLE

Avaliable now! - https://books2read.com/u/4jLk1Z

RUNNING INTO TROUBLE is an age gap romance about a girl just starting life as a sous chef after college and the early 40’s, stubborn, but super sexy potter she runs into at the supermarket. After offering to help him cook dinner for his teenage daughter, they try to keep their distance but no matter how hard they try, they just can’t stay away from each other.

BLURB:
Daniel
When I run into Riley, who does not look old enough to buy the wine in her grocery cart without a fake ID, the only thing I should exchange with her is an apology. After I tell her about the gumbo dinner I’m sure to ruin, we end up exchanging phone numbers. And boy, am I glad to have the hot little sous chef in my contact list when my roux goes up in smoke.

Riley expected my call but I didn’t expect it to go so well. To be taken in by her and not want to let her go.

She’s half my age. Better off being friends with my eighteen-year-old daughter or out hiking with her college-age friends than dating me. Riley has her whole life ahead of her. Between my age, my college football injury, and my addiction to my pottery wheel, I’d only hold her back.

I have to let her go. Don’t I?

This is a steamy, 18+ read with a happily ever after!


RUNNING INTO TROUBLE (universal link) -> https://books2read.com/u/4jLk1Z
Amazon.com US -> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WJHQ7J1

Add the book to your Goodreads TBR today!
Running Into Trouble ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57041459-running-into-trouble

Word Count:

Not as consistent as I'd like to be but I got a lot accomplished, so I can't be too upset about it.

Not as consistent as I'd like to be but I got a lot accomplished, so I can't be too upset about it.

Binge my books!

Running Into Trouble is a standalone age gap novella!
Link to Amazon listing

The first full novel in the LOVE ON MAIN series is Live!
"Small town matchmaking shenanigans, which cracked me up. Slow burn, but when these two finally give in...whew. A sweet epilogue and a hea. Next book please. #SubtleLikeAMackTruck" - BookSnobSue Review
Link to Amazon listing

Reunited is a standalone prequel novella to the Love on Main series!
Link to Amazon listing

Read the Fate series in this order!
Fake to Fate - Amazon Listing
Fighting Fate - Amazon listing
Facing Fate - Amazon listing
Forcing Fate - Amazon listing

Sharing is Caring

PROMO ENDS APRIL 19th

PROMOS END APRIL 11th

PROMO ENDS APRIL 30th

The End

Thanks for reading! Keep moving forward!

Join my MeWe group! ♥

Join my MeWe group! ♥

Writing: Monthly update for November 2020

Hello friends!

Who else is ready to put 2020 behind them? *raises hand* But first, Christmas! We still haven't put our tree up. Kind of hesitant. Our kitty Harper likes to destroy things. lol And because she's my hubby's little princess, she gets away with it. xD

Not much happened in November. We consumed a TON of media and started our yearly play-through of Grand Theft Auto 5! The story is so freaking good and part of me wants to write some fanfic about the strip club, Vanilla Unicorn, the guys use to plan "the big one!"

vanilla-unicorn.jpg

Just to let you know how big of a fan I and my husband are of this game. I made this from the cover of my book REUNITED after my husband saw it over my shoulder and said it looked like a GTA5 loading screen. LOL I think I was channeling it at the time because we had either just finished or were coming to the end of our play-through when I designed that cover.

If any of you have any connections with Rockstar games, tell them we need a publishing imprint for romance books based on this game called Grand Theft Auto: Erotica LOL (All credit for that title goes to my husband. He's REALLY good at titles!)

My design, left. Actual GTA5 loading screen, right.

How was your November? Watch any good movies? Are you ready for the holiday? Or leaving your shopping to the last second like me? lol

💕Anastasia

READ IN NOVEMBER:

Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and Truth or Dare are the only books I didn't finish yet.  The rest of them, I read and loved. Jessa Kane remains the top of my to-do list. But I also really want to finish Kingdom of Flesh and Fire! 

What did you read in November? Find any new favorites?

Currently Reading:

I'm sure I'll read other things but I'd like to finish this in December!

Current Romance WIPs:

I'm focusing on getting Love on Main ready for its 2021 release. Also, working on keeping up with delivering the Saturday Morning Serial. 

Love on Luke and Main (Love on Main, #1, Unrequited love) - Sent a copy to my beta readers! Already go some feedback and it's good! Here's what one of them had to say:

"So excited for this series! ... I really liked the characters and it had everything you want. Drama. Friendships. Relationships. Hot men. Lol!" - Lindsy F.

Love on Blake and Main (Love on Main, #2, Roommates) - I finished a SUPER rough draft of this. Blake and Parker are so cute! You're going to love watching Parker, the little pixie, tame big bad Blake.

Love on Oliver and Main (Love on Main, #3, Age gap) - This is roughly outlined. I'm still trying to figure out Oliver and Blue's journey. 

Call of Booty (Saturday Morning Serial, #2) - My husband came up with that genius title! lol As you can probably guess, this will be about a gamer. Here's a little blurb about what you have to look forward to after the conclusion of Running Into Trouble! 

Josh is starting his dream job as a game developer but his apartment isn't going to be ready for a couple of weeks. In the meantime, he's staying with his sister and her best friend, Gwen. The girl he's had a crush on since they were kids. Gwen needs to get an overzealous co-worker off her back. When Josh volunteers to be her fake boyfriend at her company picnic, things get a little too real.

This story is connected to the Fate series! Katie, from Fighting Fate, is Josh's supervisor at Asteroid Studios. She and Isaac will make an appearance. Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter to receive this story first and for free! (It will be published to Amazon eventually.)

Publishing news:

In case you missed the announcement email, there is a release date for LOVE ON LUKE AND MAIN!
JANUARY 19TH, 2021!

Cover Reveal will be January 5, 2021! So be looking for that email!

Add the series to your Goodreads TBR today!
Love on Luke and Main ➜ https://bit.ly/3m04Yvw
Love on Blake and Main ➜ https://bit.ly/33cq3LR
Love on Oliver and Main ➜ https://bit.ly/2UX3PJ7
Love on Apollo and Main ➜ https://bit.ly/2IWmgeS

FATE SERIES BOX SET:

Treat yourself this holiday season! You deserve it!
$0.99USD or read now with your Kindle Unlimited subscription!

NEWSLETTER EXCLUSIVE CONTENT:

Things are heating up between Danny and Riley in the Saturday Morning Serial, RUNNING INTO TROUBLE. There's a pottery wheel scene coming up that puts Ghost to shame!

The Meet Cute Monthly for December will be Christmas themed! MacKenzie (from Running Into Trouble) comes home to the new family her mother eloped into without telling her. Things are already tense but get even more so when she meets her new stepbrother and his adorable six-year-old son, Henley.

Sign up before December 21, 2020 to receive this Meet Cute!

Word Count:

I worked on so much in November I had to add another color to my chart! Love seeing the productivity represented like this. Keeps me motivated!

I worked on so much in November I had to add another color to my chart! Love seeing the productivity represented like this. Keeps me motivated!

Sharing is caring!

Click this image to see a list of free books from this Bookfunnel promotion!

Click this image to see a list of free books from this Bookfunnel promotion!

Writing: Monthly update for September 2020

Happy October!

Hello friends!

We finally made it to fall! We've still been enjoying days sitting on the porch but now we get to wear sweaters and it's so much better!

The most action we saw in September was my car eating up all our savings. UGH! The road noise was getting unbearable, so I got new tires, but then the road noise didn't go away. Turns out a bearing went bad.

I'm took a vacation first week of October. We were going to drive up and down the Mississippi river in our Miata, with the top down looking at the pretty fall leaves. It's become a bit of a tradition for us. Unfortunately, because of Covid and finances, thanks to my car, we opted out. Instead, we kicked back and relaxed for the week.

How was your September? What are you looking forward to in October?

Thanks for everything!
💕Anastasia

Read in September:

Flock and Exodus are a duet of angsty romances. I loved the first book and most of the second but was a little disappointed with the ending. I was expecting a really big twist, based on all the hype, that I didn't get but really wanted! I think if I hadn't been looking forward to that twist, these would be in my top 5 or maybe 10 books this year. I still highly recommend them. Just steal your heart because it's a wild, naughty ride!

What did you read in September? Find any new favorites?

Currently Reading:

I'm still reading From Blood and Ash. About halfway through. It's getting SO good. I can't wait to finish it! Just need more time in the day!

Current Romance WIPs:

Running Into Trouble (Saturday Morning Serial) - This is done! The first chapter of Running Into Trouble will be sent to my newsletter subs on October 17, 2020! There is a scene involving a pottery wheel you do NOT want to miss! So HOT!

Love on Luke and Main (Love on Main, #1 A Small Town romance series) - I’m so excited to get back to my small town romance series! I’m about halfway done drafting Haley and Luke’s story! I made good progress on this and am roughly halfway done drafting. I plan on finish drafting it this month!

Meet Cute Monthly (October) - The Meet Cute Monthly is almost done too! It’s a father’s best friend, age gap meet cute! Again, you have to sign up for my newsletter to receive this on the third Monday of the month!

Word Count:

I wrote almost every day in September! Consistency!

I wrote almost every day in September! Consistency!

Binge the Fate series today!

The End

Thanks for reading! Keep moving forward!

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO FORCING FATE!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this book happen. My loving husband, my good friend Bree, my wonderful mother in law, my ARC reviewers, all the members of HRWC (my writing group on Facebook.) And thanks, of course, goes to you, the reader! I’m so thrilled and blessed to have an audience of such amazing and supportive people.

Thank you! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!! ♥

Cece wants control of her family's business. Evan doesn’t want anything to do with it. They're perfect for each other. Except she’s not sure she can trust him and he’s too scared to get close enough to prove she can.

Tropes you can look forward to:

  • Enemies to lovers

  • Marriage of convenience

  • Short tempered Alpha

  • Virgin heroine

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Bookbub 

Goodreads

Come on over to my Facebook page to enter a few release day giveaways!

Writing: Monthly update for June 2020

Hello friends!

Well, June did not go as planned. It started out strong. Writing was going great and I was well on track to finishing Forcing Fate by the end of the month to get it out to beta readers. Then my computer crapped out on me. Fortunately, I was able to retrieve my files but I couldn't edit them without the risk of losing my progress since I still couldn't reliably save anything. So, I waited for my new computer to arrive.

It took a little over a week to get my new computer, a refurbished MacBook Air. That only gave me like 3 or 4 days at the end of the month to get anything done. So, I'm behind on my publishing schedule. BOO!!! :P

So far, July has been going well. (Knock on wood) With any luck I'll have a publishing announcement for you in August.

Thanks for sticking with me!
💕Anastasia

Read in June:

I read two books that were on my June TBR! Wrong and California Dreamin'.

Four of my five reads were age gap (no surprise there lol.) Wrong, California Dreamin', Forbidden, and Daddy Me. 

Two were novellas, California Dreamin' and Daddy Me.

One was a reverse harem and taboo, Forbidden.

On the Rocks was my favorite read. I think brothers books are going to be a new favorite trope of mine, as well. I love the family dynamic and can't wait to read about the other brothers!

What did you read in May? Find any new favorites?

July TBR:

Word Count:

Here is where you can see how well the month was going before my computer died. I did get back to it on the 27th. Hopefully, I can keep that up in July!

Here is where you can see how well the month was going before my computer died. I did get back to it on the 27th. Hopefully, I can keep that up in July!

Current Romance WIPs:

Forcing Fate - This is my priority. I'm getting SO close to the end. The plan is to have the beta reader copy ready to go some time next week. Then do another revision after I get their feedback. Then it's off to the ARC team for advanced reviews. At that time, you should also be able to preorder the ebook!

That preorder link will either be available in my August monthly update. Or you might be able to get a link to the preorder, and possibly even the paperback, earlier if you're a member of my Facebook reader group.

And now, without further ado... The cover reveal! 

I hope you're as excited as I am for Forcing Fate! Remember to add it to your Goodreads list.

I hope you're as excited as I am for Forcing Fate! Remember to add it to your Goodreads list.

The End

Thanks for reading! Keep moving forward!