Writing: Monthly update for January 2021

Happy February


Hello friends!

It's my birthday month! I'll be celebrating 39 years on the 27th! Hopefully, if I'm allowed a cheat day on my birthday, I'll be celebrating with chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting and vanilla ice cream. I love mashing it all together and making chocolate cake ice cream! It's SO good!

How was your January?!
We went to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri as a sort of mini vacation. Stayed at the cutest little motel. But I think they sold my phone number. Ever since we got back, I get half a dozen or more spam calls a day. UGH!

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We finished watching How I Met Your Mother! I still hate the ending but I forgot how amazing the music in that show is. I've been listening through it while I write!

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Oh! And thanks to How I Met Your Mother and, apparently, every cooking channel on YouTube, I started hardcore craving spaghetti and meatballs.

We drastically changed our diet last summer though, cut out all simple sugars and simple carbs. Black bean spaghetti just wouldn't kick the craving. My sweet husband, who loves to cook, allowed us a cheat day to get it out of my system. Look at this beautiful plate of pasta! He's the freaking best!

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I put off creating my February bullet journal spread until the last minute. Still turned out pretty good, I think! For my mood tracker, I'll draw a new conversation heart every day and color it according to my mood. Forgot to add my key before taking the picture. WHOOPS!

Tell me, how was your February?

💕Anastasia


Read in January:

Totally meant to read more in January. Instead, I read one new book and reread a favorite. LOL Gravity was a good taboo menage with a HEA with one guy. 

Credence is as amazing as I remembered. ♥

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


Currently Reading:

These two are on my TBR for this month!


Current Romance WIPs:

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Call of Booty (Saturday Morning Serial, #2) - I typed "The End" on this one! Still need to revise it but that shouldn't take more than a couple of days. It's a shorter story. Roughly 70 pages. More about it's release and cover reveal in the Publishing News section below! 

FYI, those blue triangles with the exclamation points in the picture? Those are the steamy scenes! The red flags are the scenes when the chemistry boils to the surface but they don't follow through.😘

About the story:
A Best Friend's Brother Romcom
(Other tropes you'll love: Friends to lovers, fake dating, roommates to lovers)
  
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 make an appearance.

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

Love on Blake and Main (Love on Main, #2, Fixer-upper) - I've written more but somehow I'm still only about halfway through the first full draft of this one. Now that I'm done with CALL OF BOOTY, I can focus on this. Goal is to get it done before the end of February to gear up for an April release!


Publishing news:

LUKE AND HALEY ARE LIVE!

"This was a fantastic read that I enjoyed! It had a great balance of romance, hot sexy times, and swoon worthy moments. Simply put, this was just a great book to curl up with! I loved Luke and Haley and can't wait to see what's next for this series.

Definitely check out Luke and Main! You'll be glad you did! " - The Romance Reader Gal review (@the_romance_reader_gal on Instagram)


READ FOR F*R*E*E WITH Kindle Unlimited - https://books2read.com/u/bzg2Lj

BLURB:

There’s always been a place for her in the back of my mind. My first crush. The one woman no other will ever live up to, because no relationship will be as good as the one I lived out in my head, with her.

Haley Reed doesn't know I've been in love with her from the moment I saw her. I was the new kid. A lowly freshman that never had a chance at catching the attention of the senior head cheerleader. Now, the owner of the local cafe, my chances aren't much better with the billionaire’s ex-wife.

Having the odds against me is a good excuse not to go after her. However, our meddling friends disagree. Despite their best efforts to push us together, it’s not until we're alone, in the middle of nowhere, that everything changes.

Drunk and frisky, Haley confesses to having dirty dreams about me and tries to make one come true. I stop it before it goes too far but now that I know how she feels, I don’t know how much longer I can keep my distance.

It turns out, a little distance (and some flirty texting turned sexting) is what we needed to bring us together.

How ironic that a text message is all it takes to tear us apart.

This is a steamy, adult read. Contains swearing, some other woman drama but no cheating and a HEA with no cliffhanger! Read all the way to the end for a bonus scene that bridges Luke's book with Blake's!


LOVE ON LUKE AND MAIN (universal link) -> https://books2read.com/u/bzg2Lj
Amazon.com US -> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RZFD36K

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


Newsletter Exclusive Announcement:

The Saturday Morning Serial will return on Saturday, February 6th, 2021 with CALL OF BOOTY.

Check out that cover! I spent the better part of a day putting it together and am thrilled with how it turned out! I even made it my phone wallpaper 🤣

LAST CALL FOR RUNNING INTO TROUBLE
With the start of the new edition of the Saturday Morning Serial, comes the end of the last edition.

The download for RUNNING INTO TROUBLE will expire on Monday, March 1st, 2021. You have all of February to get it for F*R*E*E before I publish it on Amazon in March!

SIGN UP TODAY!


Word Count:

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My goal for 2021 is to be consistent. Starting with writing at least 500 words every day. I think I averaged that in January!


Binge my books!

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

After you read Fake to Fate, download this box set and read the rest of the Fate series!
Link to box set


Sharing is Caring

PROMOS END FEBRUARY 28th


The End

Thanks for reading! Keep moving forward!


If you'd like to chat with me, please join my Facebook reader group! I would love to see you there♥

If you'd like to chat with me, please join my Facebook reader group! I would love to see you there♥

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!"

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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!

New and Exciting Things are Happening!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT FREE, EXCLUSIVE CONTENT! (Link to sign up is at the bottom of this post!)

======================

MEET CUTE MONTHLY

If you've been in my reading group, already sub to my newsletter, or follow my blog, you have already seen a couple of these in my Monthly Updates. As a refresher, a meet cute is a single scene showing the moment our couple meets for the first time. Usually, in an unusual or sudden way. For example, they both grab for the last box of their favorite cereal and instead of either of them having to give it up, they go to the park and share it. SUPER CUTE, RIGHT?!

The heat level for these scenes will vary. (See the end of this post for how I will label the heat levels.)

Going forward, the Meet Cute Monthly will be sent exclusively to my newsletter subscribers on the third Monday of every month!

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SATURDAY MORNING SERIAL

This is the BIG ONE!

Starting October 17, 2020 I will be sending, exclusively to my newsletter subscribers, a chapter a week of a brand new story! These stories will contain steamy scenes, just like my published books. Each week, I will include a heat level rating to let you know what to expect. Keep in mind, if you opt not to read the higher heat level chapters, you may miss out on plot and character development. Though the sex scenes I write are open door, they are not without substance.

The Saturday Morning Serial goes out every Saturday morning, 8:00 am (Chicago time.)

Note: These stories will eventually be published to Amazon but you can get them first and completely free by signing up!

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STILL INTERESTED?

If you've been with me a while, you might remember me talking about an age gap romance called Running Into Trouble. This will be the first Saturday Morning Serial!

Here's a little blurb: I'm trying so hard not to get involved with a woman half my age but when all she wants to do is help make my father-daughter dinner the best it can be, how can I say no?!

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TOO HOT TO HANDLE!

Look for the flaming hearts! I'll be using them to indicate the heat level of each chapter of the Saturday Morning Serial and the Meet Cute Monthly.

I think the easiest way to explain them is to use the baseball analogy. The bases do not directly relate to the number of flames but hopefully, it still makes sense. lol

1 flame = Up to bat. No physical contact beyond holding hands or face touching. Maybe a dirty thought or comment on physical appearance.

2 flames = First base. They've started kissing and are hinting at stealing second. Partial nudity, no touching.

3 flames = Second base. Touching has progressed to above the waist, maybe under the shirt but they still have their clothes on.

4 flames = Third base. They've moved below the waist. Probably in their underwear by now or are partially nude.

5 flames = Home run. Full nudity and/or intercourse/penetration.

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HOW DO YOU GET ALL THIS AMAZING STUFF?!

Sign up for my newsletter! When you click submit, you are confirming you are 18 years of age or older and consent to receiving fictional scenes of a sexual nature to the email address you use to receive my newsletter.

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SIGN UP NOW -> https://theanastasiaaustin.com/newsletter

Thanks everyone! Hope to hear from you soon!

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About the artwork: All photos and the flaming heart icon were licensed from depositphotos.com

All cover designs were created by me, with the help of my husband (thanks, Tebs!)

The scenes were sourced from bookbrush.com