The thirteenth and final installment of "No Good Deed" was published in my newsletter on July 4th. In this story, Varin, an immortal Daughter of the People, flees from the Eternal Order and finds love in the most unexpected place. It's more of an historical fantasy than a romance and has a bummer of an ending, but that was to be expected since it's the story of how Varin ends up in a grave in Sweden wearing an armband etched with the Eye of Marnan...and that's what kicks off The Prophecy, the first book in the Daughters of the People series.

I'm not sure what will happen with NGD now. I have vague and tentative plans to expand it into a fuller story, but it's not on my schedule. I hope subscribers to my newsletter enjoyed it, though, and may offer something similar (and hopefully with a happier ending) in the future.

***

Technically, I'm on vacation this week. My son is off to camp and I told Richard I needed a week off. In reality, I'll probably be holed up in my office at home, writing, writing, writing. Also, editing and revising, but who's counting?

***

Speaking of editing and revising, I'm hard at work on what I hope will be the final round of edits to A Wicked Love, the second installment in the Witches of Cullowhee series. Yes, there are more paranormal elements, a natural part of the gradual escalation of magic that the lead characters discover as the series progresses, but not so many that those who enjoyed the lighter, more contemporary feel of A Higher Purpose will be put off. 

When I set out to write AHP, I had no idea it would take the twists and turns that it did. Of course, I wrote the first scene about three years ago and held onto the story because I loved the characters, and loved the idea of a woman dreaming about the man she was supposed to be with. 

No, romance authors aren't immune to the notion of soul mates. Don't we all want to discover that one man (or woman or other) we're meant to be with? It's one of our greatest hopes, and a huge reason behind the massive audience for romance novels.

But I digress...

What developed with AHP was a cross-genre novella that's left paranormal romance readers unsatisfied because it bends too far away from current PNR conventions. When people see the word "witches," they inevitably think "magic" and lots of it. AHP's lead is a mild clairvoyant who is descended from a witch. There's no magic, no supernatural battles with evil dudes/dudettes/others, and not a lot of angst, or, at least, not the kind of angst in modern PNR. 

Instead, it's a contemporary romance with a dash of the paranormal. Over the next few weeks, I'll be working on clarifying the story's blurb, descriptions, and tags so I can help make a better match between AHP and people who will enjoy reading it.

Now, don't get me wrong; I appreciate each and every person who has taken the time to read AHP. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, and much love to you!

But, I want to make sure that there's less of a gap between reader expectations and the story itself. I love AHP, truly I do. It's a great little story, tightly written with a gentle, fully-developed plot and characters I really loved spending time with. I'd love to find readers who enjoy that story as much as I do. Isn't that the goal of every author? 🙂