New! ZODIANS, 12 Romantic Vignettes Based on the Star Signs by Linda Mooney

New!

ZODIANS
12 Romantic Vignettes Based on the Star Signs
Paranormal/
Contemporary Fantasy
/Post-Apocalyptic
by Linda Mooney
Word Count: 24.2K
$2.99 e / $9.99 p

 Includes:

Capricorn – Phillip discovers his guide is more suited for the terrain than he knew.

Aquarius – Meomi inherited her family farm, only to be hit with a major drought.

Pisces – Elliot came to get his fortune read. Instead, Dorrie discovered hers.

Aries – Thugs thought the old couple camping out would be easy prey.

Taurus – Tark saves a young heifer sent to the slaughterhouse where he works.

Gemini – Lucia thought she was the last person alive after an apocalyptic event.

Cancer – Arlene offered him water on a scorching summer day, not realizing how he would react.

Leo – Linsie discovers why one particularly reclusive movie star is considered to be “the least vain man in Hollywood”.

Virgo – Penni finds out that sometimes a minor traffic infraction can be a good thing.

Libra – It has been years since Myles has met a woman so pure of heart.

Scorpio – Aria’s story about a missing child isn’t what Hart expected to hear. Then again, she was nothing like he expected either.

Sagittarius –  It wasn't until an accident on a cold winter's night that Embeth finally got to meet her neighbor.

Excerpts and Buy Links: https://lindamooney.com/anthologies.htm 

The Long and Short of Writing Novels

When I started to get serious about my writing, I wrote short stories. I'd submit them to contests and get feedback from professional authors who were supportive of new writers. After a while I was brave enough to start submitting them for publication. A few of them were published in online and print magazines, which encouraged me to keep going. At the time I expected to continue to write short stories.

At the time I also attempted to write a novel, but it didn't go quite the way I'd hoped. What I realized then was I needed to understand more about writing longer pieces. You can't just ramble on and on and expect to get a story out of it! So, I went back to the drawing board, taking classes and joining mentoring programs.

In addition, I also wrote Star Trek fan fiction, which (at the time at least) was a place where other published authors had started. Of course, when you're writing fan fiction your stories can be as long as you want. Yet again, I kept mine relatively short. It worked for me and for the readers who usually accessed the stories in online forums.

But eventually I realized that if I wanted to have a career, I'd have to write longer pieces. At that point I'd taken a lot of classes and read a ton of books about novel writing. But it was intimidating to think about writing an entire book. Ultimately I found an author who mentored writers and I worked with her for a couple of years. Eventually after a lot of rewrites, I completed my first novella.

It was around 38,000 words - now that seems short to me. I've just finished a novella of about 60,000 words, which seems to be my sweet spot. Do readers prefer longer books or shorter? I think it depends on the reader and the genre. But I think if the author knows what works for them, then there's nothing wrong with that.

Of course, I think self-publishing has changed things as well. The author can define the length as opposed to it having to fit into a specific one. I'm old enough to remember when short novels were called "novelettes." Which they still might be in some instances. When I did a search on the term, the word count was supposed to be from 7,000 to 20,000 words. But that can also overlap word counts for novellas and short stories. It all depends.

After writing a couple of novellas, I decided I wanted to try writing a longer work. A novel of over 100K words. That book turned out to be Hathor Legacy: Revelations, which was book three of the series. Was it rewarding to complete it? Yes! But it was also exhausting to keep track of the story lines (and I found out the importance of having a series bible). Let's just say I realized that staying in my lane and writing novella-length books works just fine for me. Maybe my preference has a lot to do with my short story roots. And if so that means that all those years of writing them served me well.

My two most recent novellas are Metamorphosis (in the Pets in Space 6 anthology) and Blood Red Moon. They're both part of my Worlds of Fire series. If you'd like to find out more about them here's the link: https://dbaileycoach.com/brightbooks/worlds-of-fire-series/

WIP-It Wednesday for June 9, 2021

 PG Forte: I accepted an invitation this week to join a Halloween Short Story Anthology for THIS Halloween. Which will be the FIFTH story/novella I've committed to putting out in the next six months. Luckily, the theme of the Anthology--not just Halloween stories, but REVENGE stories set on or around Halloween, worked in my favor. I'm carving ONE short story out of my novel Visions Before Midnight (Oberon, Book 7), a book that's made up of three separate (but deeply intertwined) revenge stories and a (mostly) unrelated romance. 

I'm calling the short story Only the Lonely, and I think it will be delightfully creepy. I'm also soooo excited about the cover. 

Do You Judge a Book by the Cover?

By Maureen Bonatch 

          Scruff considering working on his novel                                           

I admit it. I don’t like to think of my fiction books as a business. Like many authors, I often refer to my stories as my ‘book babies’. I talk about my characters like they’re real people in my life. I cherish my covers like a priceless painting. 

My most recent release, Till Death, a short psychological thriller, was my first attempt at self-publishing so I’ve been busy learning all the things, including getting to a gorgeous cover. Author and cover artist, Alison Hendrickson, made a wonderful cover. I thought it represented the story well, here’s the cover and blurb: 

      Click here to get your copy now for .99cents

 Honor, obey...or slay. To protect an innocent man, a dutiful wife challenges her vengeful husband…with disastrous results. 

 Gina believes that mirrors hold bits of the soul, a rabbit's foot brings good luck, and that marriage vows are until death. But most of all, she’s blindly followed her husband Rick’s philosophy. Nasty men get one chance to convert from their abusive ways —or suffer the consequences they bring upon themselves. 

 But when she meets George, Gina begins to question everything Rick has led her to believe about men. Now Rick has George lined up to be the next man to be redeemed. Will black widow Gina honor and obey and weave her web around George, or will she become the next victim? 

I felt that the heart on the cover was symbolic to my protagonist’s struggle with desiring a healthy loving relationship even though she didn't quite understanding what that means, as well as her role in luring the what she considers a nasty man. 

 But as I continued to learn all the things (between writing, and self-publishing, I think I will always be learning all the things) I started to play with creating Amazon Ads. I quickly learned that advertising through Amazon wasn’t going to happen with this cover. 

 It was felt that my beautiful cover had ‘excessive gore or violence’ and therefore I couldn’t create ads for Amazon with this cover. 

Keep in mind that this story is one of 13 other authors featuring murder, mystery and mayhem and revolving around Friday the 13th. A date considered ominous or unlucky by many, and also known for some frightful films. 

So despite adoring my first cover, my books had to be more than just what I loved, but also what readers expected and loved. That meant it was back to the drawing board for a new cover for Till Death that would still capture the ‘heart’ of the story but wouldn’t be tagged for appearing too violent. 

My cover artist came through once again, and here’s the updated cover for Till Death. 

           Click here to get your copy now for .99cents

 But like both my babies at home, it’s hard for me not to love both covers. 

 Do You Judge a Book By Its Cover?

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. 

Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter

Wrapping Up the Year with a Contest, a Cookbook & a Cutie

 By Maureen Bonatch 

This has been an ugly year for many of us, so why not wrap up the year with a cutie, a free cookie cookbook, and a chance to win a gift card to start off 2021 with some positive vibes. 

Scruff happens to be my writing assistant, in that he blocks my chair so that I'm often forced to stay in my seat longer than I anticipated or risk running him over. He reminds me to take breaks when he decides that it's time to play with a toy, or that he needs a treat. 

Scruff can help put life into perspective with his no worries attitude.  Unless, of course, it's about delaying dinner time, now that's something to worry about.

A Cuddly Cutie

2020 didn't look anything like we planned, leaving us all looking a bit shell-shocked— like Scruff here— and I'm ready to start 2021 with a clean slate.

Many of us have been spending more time at home this year, or working remotely, so Scruff decided to see what all the fuss was about. He didn't see the allure since he rarely leaves home anyway and has never had to dress up for work. 

Scruff's "people" have been home far more than usual this year. This is good for the company and sometimes extra treats, but it really cuts into nap time.

Scruff's advice for when all else fails, or everything gets to be a little too much, is to take a nap—or at least feign sleep until everyone leaves you alone while you recharge.

Want to see more of Scruff? He's a regular in my newsletter so be sure to sign up.

A Cool Contest

Enter right here to win a gift card for yourself for after the holidays & find new authors to read during the holidays!

A Cookie Cookbook

If you're signed up for my newsletter, or follow my author Facebook page- you might be already baking up some goodies because you would've gotten this free cookbook already. If not, grab it now and start baking up some treats!

Click here to download your free copy of the Garden Gourmet Cookie Cookbook

Have Your Own Furbaby? Share a Pic of Your Cutie  in the Comments- Happy Holidays! 

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. 

Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter

A Different Type of Story for a Different Type of Year

 By Maureen Bonatch

Everything is a little different this year, including my latest release. Till Death is a psychological thriller without my usual paranormal or fantasy elements. That made it a little challenging to write until I embraced my love of the human mind, that's where the true magic and mystery lies in most people. As the old saying goes, reality is stranger than fiction, and this year has certainly supported that. 

Till Death gives us a glimpse into Gina's life when she realizes that the beliefs, and the person, she's supported for most of her life may not be what's best for her—but she's made a vow, and that's not to be taken lightly. 

But just like 2020 has us all thinking, Gina wonders just when is enough, enough?

Fun Facts About Till Death:

• My character was inspired by Annie Wilkes from Misery and Castle Rock
• Are you superstitious? I had fun researching and taking Gina's superstitions to the extreme

Till Death is available now- just click right here 

Honor, obey or slay...

Blurb:

     Gina believes that mirrors hold bits of the soul, a rabbit's foot brings good luck, and that marriage vows are until death. But most of all, she’s blindly followed her husband Rick’s philosophy. Nasty men get one chance to convert from their abusive ways —or suffer the consequences they bring upon themselves. 

      But when she meets George, Gina begins to question everything Rick has led her to believe about men. Now Rick has George lined up to be the next man to be redeemed. Will black widow Gina honor and obey and weave her web around George, or will she become the next victim?

Here's an Excerpt: 

      Honor and obey. This was the life I knew. The one I’d created as Rick’s wife. I had to see it through. I lowered my gaze to the ground. “I meant, don’t give the neighborhood more to talk about than it already has.” 

     “Neighborhood? Do you mean that old man who’s been sniffing around here?” Rick smoothed his face back into the mask he shared with the world and glanced toward George’s house. 

      “No.” I didn’t dare look to see if George was lingering. It was a mistake to remind Rick that I might’ve made a friend. A male friend who didn’t fit into the mold Rick insisted most men did. But Rick made a lot of ruckus that could’ve attracted other attention, so when two ladies walked down the street, not giving us a second glance, I inclined my head their way. 

     Rick’s gaze followed mine and then returned to me. “I thought you didn’t worry about those things? About what people might think? Most people don’t see what’s justified in the world, they don’t understand the road to redemption and how we are paving it with the blood of those who don’t appreciate a woman.”      “I don’t care what they think, but this time it’s different.” I was different. But I couldn’t tell Rick that I’d begun to question the truths of performing this justice with him. All it had taken was one old man who’d experienced a loving marriage. A man who saw me as more than a cook, cleaner, and punching bag. 

      “It’s not really different when the end result is the same.” Rick pushed past me. He entered my house as if he owned the place, and as my husband, technically he did.

A Friday the 13th Short Story: 13 authors ~ 13 suspenseful short stories. Murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th...Find each story in the series on Amazon.

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. 

Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her

More Advanced Procrastination Techniques.

 Once upon a time I was very focused on my writing--to the exclusion of pretty much everything else. Recently, that hasn't been the case. I have become a master procrastinator, however, and one of my favorite techniques is creating covers. The idea was that once I had a cover I'd be more motivated to finish the book. And, since I'd eventually need a cover anyway, I was not slacking off: I was being proactive. That didn't work out as planned either. 

An even less successful writing technique has been to sign up for NaNoWriMo. I've generally been very good at meeting deadlines--ask any of my editors! But NaNo? Not so much. Every day I fall further behind. And with more and more ground to make up, what little motivation I had to start with is usually gone by the middle of the month. Plus there's the guilt at not writing, which only paralyzes me more. 

So, November is not a good month for me. But the covers are looking good. 

Here are two (of many--you don't even want to know) versions of All Through The Night--which may or may not be released in time for Christmas. I'm currently leaning toward the blue version. But we'll see!

I am hopeful that I'll eventually find my way back to a better, more productive writing schedule/strategy. Today I'm investigating my "Why" ie, why do I write, what am I hoping to accomplish, what is my goal. The following TED Talk is what led me to this line of thinking:

What struck me on watching this talk was that I DID have a "why"  once. And it did stop being a real factor in my life at about the same time that my ability to self-motivate myself evaporated. Since then, I really have been all about the "what," and the "how," rather than the "why."

Here's hoping I can change that, and that it will make a difference. I'll keep you posted!

Bring it Back(list) - Electric Dreams: Seven Futuristic Tales

Electric Dreams: Seven Futuristic Tales by Deborah A. Bailey

Seven short stories of the future.

A collection of speculative fiction stories set in future worlds from Earth to the far reaches of the solar system.

At the intersection of technology and humanity, what could happen?

 Electric Schemes – A frustrated employee plugs himself into his computer everyday in his boring job, but when his micromanaging boss tries to get him fired, his computer decides to take charge by managing his career.

 Between the Mirror and the Heart – A robot is ordered as a lover for a human woman, and as he adapts to his humanity, he realizes his human buyer is having second thoughts about their relationship.

On the Beach – The last caretaker of a lonely space station must stay there alone for three months to shut down the systems, so the station computers come up with a plan so that she’ll have company.

Stranger in Town – Desperate to survive in the harsh 21st century dystopia, a mother agrees to be a mail-order bride to rich foreign businessmen, but what will she have to sacrifice in order to provide for her family?

When Words Leave Off – During a deep space mission, what else is there for two officers to do except fall in love?

Roots of Deception & A Place in the World – On a faraway world, a woman must decide what she’s willing to risk in order to guide her planet to peace after a devastating war and military occupation. Caught between personal sacrifice and self-interest, she discovers that achieving absolute power always comes with a price.


Buy links for ebook, print and audio versions; https://books2read.com/u/bogDRb

Help Australia Relief Efforts by Reading

I've always wanted to fly. Or to be able to do magic, or at least some of the cool moves from the Matrix movies. I didn't really want to be a superhero (too much pressure), just maybe have the ability to do a little...more.

Who knew that as a writer—and a reader—I could do more by just writing a story, or buying a book. It turns out, you can too. When people bring all their amazing talents together, fabulous things can happen. 

A Little Help From My Friends

My publisher (The Wild Rose Press) has authors all over the world, including authors from Australia. So when Australian author, Stephen B. King reached out about help for recovery efforts with the worst wildfires Australia has seen in decades, people volunteered in droves:

• Over 40 authors offered stories
• Countless others planned to promote
• Editors, and cover artists stepped up
• The Wild Rose Press volunteered all the time and effort involved in creating a 3 book anthology

The Wild Fires of Australia 

If you're not familiar with what's happening in Australia, here's a snippet from someone who's there: 

"Recent rains have helped enormously, still there are fires, but not to the same extent as there were, and the focus now is more on recovery and rebuilding. To that end there are advertising campaigns now to stop what’s called the second wave disaster and that is people staying away from tourist areas and business who rely on travelers and visitors to survive. Most of our tourist destinations are unaffected, yet people think the whole country is gone, which of course isn’t true. The problem of course is that if people stop visiting, businesses will go broke, making the overall recovery much harder. With the rains, re-growth has already begun and some burnt out areas have grasses and shrubs recovering already.

Then of course there is the wildlife, and those organizations such as the RSPCA, and others are doing remarkable work rescuing animals and rehousing them. A lot of our native trees are Eucalyptus, and with millions of trees gone, Koalas only eat those leaves, so regrowth and resettlement is going on in huge numbers to save a cuddly species from extinctions in the wild. Kangaroos will bounce back, and in time, the feeling is most other animals will to, but the key words are – in time. In a lot of cases we hope the burnt trees themselves will regrow as they have evolved to grow after bushfires. I’m told with heavy rains in recent days some are showing green growth, which is encouraging."   – Wild Rose Press Author Stephen King

Preorder Book One of the Anthology Now

The Anthologies are grouped by genre— and my story, Detective Paws and Lip Gloss (a cozy mystery flash fiction story I was thrilled to find a home for) is in Book #1. 

Book #1: A collection of Short Stories in Mainstream Fiction,

Women’s Fiction, Thrillers, and Mystery

Order Book One Now from The Wild Rose Press

• A Solicitous Wife by Madeleine McDonald
• No One Knew by Larry Farmer
• Pinochle by Brenda Whiteside
• The Tuesday Night Meeting by Peggy Jaeger
• 911, What’s Your Emergency? by D. V. Stone
• Tall Tales by Laura Strickland
• Fare Gain by Alexandra Christle
• The Note by Stephen B. King
• Three Ghosts by Julie Howard
• Detective Paws and Lip Gloss by Maureen L. Bonatch
• The Ring by Margaret Ann Spence
• Portrait of a Gunfighter by Hywela Lyn
• Six Hours or So by Lisa Wilkes
• Prussic Acid by Melody DeBlois
• 
  

Blurb: Detective Paws and Lip Gloss by Maureen L. Bonatch

Catherine, with her basset hound, moves out of her father’s home, to prove she has what it takes to be a cop. 

But when two menacing women inadvertently share their killer secret, Catherine wonders if she can solve the mystery or end up being nothing more than a `Fraidy Cat.

Book #2 of the Anthology 

Book #2: A collection of Romance, Young Adult, and Women’s Fiction Short Stories

Order Book 2 Now From The Wild Rose Press

• Che Gelida Manina by M. S. Spencer
• Recipes for Love by Carol Henry
• Waiting for Caleb by Gini Rifkin
• Wings of Fire by Jana Richards
• A Lark by Gabbi Grey
• Apple Crisp by Terry Graham
• Goody Twoshoes by Mark Love
• The Number by Barbara Bettis
• Deadly Homecoming by Peggy Chambers
• An Egg-Cellent Witness by Marilyn Barr
• Season of Withered Corn by Judy Ann Davis
• Beneath the Pines by Debby Grahl
• Christopher Reisner by Linda Griffin
• Unexpected Love: Chase Allen by Anna Lores
• The Cowboy and the Lady by Jean Adams
• The Heart Necklace by Amanda Uhl
• The Relaxation Response by Darcy Lundeen
• Dancing Through Tears by Jeny Heckman

Book #3 Information Coming Soon

Like We Need a Reason to Read

Every single state in Australia is suffering major fires, many hopelessly out of control. Estimates of how many and how big vary, but one source says 17.9 million acres of Australia have burned in one of the country’s worst fire seasons on record. Another report says that well over one billion native animals and birds have lost their lives…one billion.

Please help and show Australia some love by purchasing one or more of these anthologies. ALL proceeds will be donated to organizations aiding the victims of this horrific event and assist those still battling the flames. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Order now at The Wild Rose Press.

I may not have the Matrix moves down yet, and maybe I never will, but I can live many lives, and explore new worlds many times over by reading.

P.S. You CAN order these books through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other online book retailers, but this reduces the funds going to the Red Cross. 

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter