As usual, I have multiple books I’m working on at one time.  It’s how I best write.  If I try to only write one story, I freeze up and have trouble writing.  I finally came across another writer who is the same way, so now I don’t have to feel like such an oddball. 🙂

Before I get into all the stuff I’m working on, I want to thank everyone for sticking with me through all this time.  Because of you, The Reclusive Earl made it on the Happy Ever After Blog, along with other awesome books on April 7.  The Reclusive Earl made it on the pre-order list.  (Without you, I would have given up publishing a long time ago.)

Speaking of The Reclusive Earl…

The Reclusive Earl (Marriage by Fate: Book 1)

*Book 2 will be Brad’s romance.  (Brad was Loretta’s brother in The Rake’s Vow.)  I still haven’t worked out the plans for Book 3 and/or Book 4.

Click here to reserve your copy!

Right now, it’s with a couple of people who are part of my awesome editing team.  I’ve already received it back from two.  So we’re all good for a May 7 release.

Before I forget, I wanted to say the thing that excites me most about this particular book is that I was able to write a virgin hero who is so scared on his wedding night that he actually hides from the heroine.  I’ve been wanting to do this setup for years.

I was originally going to have the hero in “The Bride’s Choice” (which was one of the books in A Groom’s Promise anthology) hide from the heroine, but that idea never worked because I had to modify the story to fit what Janet Syas Nitsick wanted to do in for her story. (Originally, Maybell’s father was supposed to be pushing for Maybell and Jack to be together.  Since Janet’s story, “When the Whistle Blows”, required Maybell’s father to want her to end up with Jack’s brother, Hugh.

But I had not given up on the timid virgin hero idea, and I finally found the perfect hero with the perfect heroine to do this with.

At the moment, it’s not on pre-order at Amazon but should be later this month.  I’ll let you know when it is.

Taming The Viscountess (Marriage by Bargain: Book 3)

Here are the books in the Marriage by Bargain Series: The Viscount’s Runaway Bride, The Rake’s Vow, Taming The Viscountess, and If It Takes A Scandal.

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I am probably going to finish this book at the end of April.  Maybe sooner.  It all depends on how well the characters cooperate with me.  My goal is to have this out in June.

I really enjoyed this book.  I know Celia was a jerk in so many books leading up to this one, but I had so much fun with her and Sebastian.  The chemistry between these two pretty much jump right off the page.  This was one of the easiest books I’ve ever written. The characters knew what they wanted, and it was just a recording the “movie” as it played out in my mind.  (I don’t know how to explain how I write except to say that the story plays out like a movie in my head.  Sometimes the movie is flowing right in front of me, which means it’s easy to write.  At other times, the movie has a glitch and stops playing or will only play in parts, which is when I run into trouble.)  It’s just the way my mind works.

As a quick side note: If I were to plot out a story, it would seriously disrupt the movie. The only way I get to know the characters is when I’m writing in their point of view.  I can’t know them beforehand.  This is why I start each book with the opening scene in mind and maybe (maybe) a couple of main points along the way.  Though, I will say those main points often never end up happening because during the course of the story, the characters decide to do things differently.  For me, plotting would be a huge waste of time.  (I only bring all that up because I’m tired of writers telling me that I need to plot in order to write a good story.  If plotting works for someone, do it.  But as for me, it hinders me as a storyteller so I don’t bother with it.)

Before anyone things I have abandoned historical westerns, I do have some being written as we speak…

Forced Into Marriage (Pioneer Series: Book 4)

Here are the books in the Pioneer Series: Wagon Trail Bride, The Marriage Agreement, Groom For Hire, and Forced Into Marriage.

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This book will finish up the series.  I don’t see any way that I can bring Amanda, Richard, Laura, or Jesse into this particular book.  The main characters in Forced Into Marriage are going from the Wyoming Territory to California.  They aren’t heading for Omaha.  Nor would they.  The hero, Brandon, has left Omaha because his wife divorced him for his friend.  The heroine, Lokni, has nowhere to go because her particular tribe was destroyed.  There is no reason for these two to go to Omaha.  But I can bring in Joe and Michelle since they will be there by the time Brandon and Lokni make it.

While Joe was leading a wagon train, in this book, it is just Brandon and Lokni making the trip on foot.  When I started this book, I thought for sure I was going to have trouble coming up with things to do for these two.  I mean, she was already pregnant and going to have the child.  (No, Brandon is not the father.) That much, I knew.  But I couldn’t imagine how I was going to fill in the days along their journey.  Surprisingly, this hasn’t been a problem.  This story is turning out to be as easy to write as Taming The Viscountess is.

Brandon was the man hired to help Joe with the wagon train.  Joe dumped Brandon off in a small town because he learned that Brandon was getting drunk while he was supposed to be helping him lead the wagon train.  In this book, Brandon does over his addiction to alcohol.  In fact, that’s where I’m at right now in the story.  I’m nearing the halfway point.    I’m guessing I should actually hit the halfway mark in a couple of weeks.

So I’m hoping to get this one out in August.  Originally, I had planned for October, but this one has been an easier to write than I expected.

The Stagecoach Bride (Wild Hearts Series: Book 1)

I think this will be four books total.  Book 2 already has the title “The Rancher’s Wife”.  Books 3 and 4, however, have no title yet.

This will not be on pre-order because it’ll be free upon release.

At the moment, I am closing up Chapter 2, and I should warn everyone right now that this book is going through major changes.  I have eliminated a couple of characters in the original version since they won’t add to the new plot.  I almost didn’t go with the idea that the hero is going to marry the heroine in either Chapter 2 or 3, but that’s what the hero wants so I’m going to do it.  (I learned long ago to do whatever the character wants because if I don’t, I’ll be facing major rewrites later.)  Do I know why this is best?  No.  But I will find out as I continue with the book.

The villain will still pose a real threat.  Mic and his siblings will still have to make the sneak attack into the villain’s home to get Wade’s son back.  For those of you who remember this book, I have kept Wade, Abby, and Jeremiah (though their personalities–along with Mic’s and Lillian’s are changing in ways I didn’t foresee).  Lillian’s backstory (with Robert in pursuit because of her money) will probably stay the same, but I expect her to not stuck on the “woe is me” mentality like she was before.  She’s not exactly ready to go out and fight someone at a moment’s notice, but I think she’ll be more practical with the cards dealt to her.  I’m sure she’s not going to be all that excited to be married so quickly to the hero, which is where the tension falls into the romance between them.

I hope Stephannie didn’t just weep after reading about those changes.  I know it’s hard to see one’s work changed so drastically.

Since this is going to be free and released in conjunction with The Rancher’s Wife (which will be $2.99), I need to start in on this book now so it can be ready for June-August of 2018.  I’d like to get them out sooner, but we’ll see how the timing works with the other books and series I have scheduled for pre-orders.

If It Takes A Scandal (Marriage by Bargain: Book 4)

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This is the last book in the Marriage by Bargain Series.  I want to get it out before October.  Right now, I’m in Chapter 5.  Celia, for all her faults, has decided to play matchmaker in this book.  (That’s why this had to be Book 4.)  Celia had to change for the better first before she could help the hero (Corin St. George, aka Lord Durrant) and the heroine (Candace, Lady Hedwrett) come together.  Right after the scandal that forced them to marry, they decided to live as if they weren’t married, and since Celia is responsible for this scandal and since she knows the hero and heroine are a good match, she is compelled to manipulate things so that these two are stuck in his country estate.)  I don’t think I’ll ever fully remove Celia’s manipulative tendencies, but at least, she’s using this trait for good.

Next on the Writing List is The Bride Price (Misled Mail Order Brides: Book 1)

Books 2 and 3 in this series will feature Richard Larson twin boys (Mark and Anthony).  I don’t have a title or plot for either one yet. (I don’t know if there will be a Book 4 yet.)

Before anyone thinks I forgot about Sep, I plan to start on his book after I send Taming The Viscountess out to my editing team.  I haven’t made a pre-order page for this yet, but it is on pre-order at iBooks and Barnes & Noble right now.

I still have to work out the description, but the heroine has scars (on the right side of her face) and a limp from an accident during her childhood.  No man in her hometown wants to marry her because of them.  She answers a mail-order bride ad in hopes that men are so desperate in Omaha for women that the man she comes for will overlook her appearance and limp.  But she (and two other women) end up answering the same man’s ad, and the man who has plans to make money by selling them.  (Hence the series title “Misled Mail Order Brides”.)

Unlike the other two women who decide to run off (and will end up with Mark Larson and Anthony Larson), this heroine will let the man put her up for sale because she thinks it’s the only chance she’ll have of getting a husband.  She covers part of her face so no one can see the scars.  Sep will find out that a woman is up for sale, and since he knows the shady characters who are trying to buy them, he will throw in his bid to rescue her.  (Afterwards, he’ll hadn’t the man over to the sheriff for selling a woman like that.)  But first, he’ll need to rescue her from the creeps.  Remember, Sep had to watch his older sister go through a marriage to a horrible man who mistreated her, so that is why he’ll rush in to save our heroine.

I suspect he’ll have a role in talking Mark and Anthony into marrying the other women.  Does Sep want to be married?  I don’t see him seeking out a wife because it’s hard for him to get close to people.  But until I write the story, I can’t say for sure.

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Whew!  This post was a lot longer than I expected, but apparently, I needed to get all of that off my chest so I can get back to writing. 😀