Monday, January 22, 2018

Guest Post: From Short Story to Series by Sharon Hughson #RealityEverAfter #Romance #Giveaway





HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO
REALITY EVER AFTER!



Reality Ever After
Virtual Match #3
By Sharon Hughson
Release Date: Jan. 22, 2018

Keywords: Contemporary, Romance, Novella, Sweet, Virtual Dating, Series

Happily ever after collides with reality to make or break their love.

Systems architect Marcus Jordan proclaims his love for career girl Veronica Shay, but life keeps hurling obstacles into their relationship. When Ronnie’s niece is born prematurely, Ronnie rushes to be the big sister Tony needs, knowing she is to blame for his fear of failing at fatherhood.

Marcus decides to help put their daddy issues to rest, but his discovery sends Ronnie into a tailspin. Ronnie already knows trusting men risks her heart and stability. Why would she want to meet the first man who rejected her?

An even bigger secret about Ronnie’s father convinces Ronnie to give him one chance to explain, never knowing it will bring her face to face with the true source of her trust issues.  Will the revelation come too late to restore the happiness she’d found with Marcus?


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Guest Post: From Short Story to Series 

REALITY EVER AFTER, which releases today, is the third novella in the Virtual Match series. When the heroine, Veronica Shay, first visited me, she offered up a short story about the need for an invisible boyfriend. We both thought it was a “one-and-done” deal. 

HA! 

The short story soon evolved into a 15,000-word novella that appeared for six months in a boxed set with seven other stories (by various indie romance authors) featuring one common thread: Virtual Match. My story generated a few exciting reviews (like this one https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1598577608?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1) and that kept Ronnie and Marcus in the forefront of my mind. 

Once the VIRTUALLY YOURS party ended, I wondered if I could find a home for this story. Imagine my pleasure when Roane Publishing started a line of sweet romance novellas. 

I dug out Ronnie’s story, embellished it a little, spiffed it a LOT and submitted it. And because I write elaborate backstories for most characters, I realized Veronica Shay had a closet full of secrets.  

So a second novella forced its way from my fingers into a Word document. This one had serious flaws, but there was a story. 

After some hard editing, the second chapter of Ronnie and Marcus’s love story hit the digital bookshelves. By that time, the conclusion of their story was flowing onto the page in my writing sanctuary. 

Today, you can read the culmination of more than two years with this cast of characters. 

To Veronica I’ll say, “You’ve come a long way baby.” 

Every interesting character believes a lie (or two) about themselves. The complex ones have a deep wound associated with this lie. And most of them are so busy lying about the wound that the lie becomes part of who they are. 

Until something shakes them up and forces them to take a hard lookAnd they discover that their painful past has built a fabrication around them. 

In the end, the truth about what they always thought comes out. 

If they accept it, they can evolve to a new level. But if they seek the safety the lie provides, they’ll end up in a worse state than where they started. 

That’s the journey Ronnie and Marcus take in REALITY EVER AFTER. They enter the dark land of lies. Their wounded hearts try to pull them into the hopeless abyss of “I can’t be loved.” 

I knew Ronnie’s wound ran deeper than the secret she reveals in book two. But it was such an old scar that she’d forgotten all about it. 

Until her brother’s insecurity in the face of fatherhood brings snatches of it floating to the surface. 

A good series need two things: 

  1. Separate story problems and goals for each installment of the series.  
  1. One over-arching problem that is introduced in the beginning, but isn’t resolved until the climax of the final installment. 

But all series must come to an end. Am I sad to say goodbye to these characters? Yes and no. 

Yes, because they’re finally getting to the “real life” phase of their relationship. The one where love takes the reins from romance and drives the couple into the sunset. 

But also no. They’ve been rumbling around inside my heart and mind for thirty-nine months and I’m ready for them to move along. 

I have plenty of other characters who want their stories told. Every goodbye to one story ushers in a hello to another. 

What’s your favorite series? Why is it your favorite? 

- Sharon

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Links to other books in the series:


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since adventuring in Narnia as a trouble youth, Sharon Hughson has embraced the magical portal of reading. As a child, she wrote her first story and discovered a passion for creating new worlds. These days, with help from three cats, Sharon pens romance, young adult fantasy, women’s fiction, and nonfiction (too many story ideas for a single genre).

When summer turns to autumn, she picks up her substitute teacher satchel and ventures into the real world for new inspiration. She and her high school sweetheart (and husband) live near the Columbia River in Oregon, not too far from their adult sons. When she isn’t writing or reading, Sharon enjoys walking, hiking, crocheting, playing the piano and scrapbooking family memories.

Sharon has multiple short stories and three novellas published with Roane. She gladly credits them for launching her fiction writing career. For more information about any of her books visit sharonleehughson.com.

LINKS:


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GIVEAWAY!


A $10 Roane Publishing Gift Card!



Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code.  No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

Monday, January 8, 2018

NEW RELEASE: ONE SNOWY NIGHT #Sweet #Romance #Anthology @RoanePublishing #Giveaway


HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO

ONE SNOWY NIGHT!



One Snowy Night
A Sweet Romance Anthology 
By Various Authors
Publisher: Roane Publishing
Release Date: Jan 8, 2018


All the Things I Should Have Told You

One snowy night, in an Accident and Emergency ward, a life hangs in the balance, and your best friend is going to tell you everything you don't know about him, about your life, and what you both might be about to lose.


Unforeseen Circumstances

Marlene Martin wants to start over, to escape the sad past she can’t seem to leave behind. Between her marriage falling apart and her brother passing away, she has no reason left to stay in Mistport, New York. Her pending move across the country is exactly what she needs—or so she thinks.

Brady Miller doesn’t want to love Marlene, not after their agonizing divorce. His constant travel for work keeps his mind off of where they went wrong. But when he moves back to his small hometown to help with his brother’s business, seeing her again awakens the feelings he had long pushed aside. Each time they bump into each other, his interest in her only deepens.

When Marlene wakes up in the hospital after a terrible accident, she turns to the first person who enters her mind: Brady. Her world is shattered when he reveals that they’re divorced and her brother is gone. Brady helps her sort through the pain of memories she’s forgotten while he tries to avoid complicating her life even further.

Is Marlene’s memory loss a second chance for their love, or will history repeat itself?


Somewhere Between Falling

Recent college graduate Danielle Haviland had her future planned as a bride, band PR manager, and world traveler. Her dreams are ruined when her fiancée dumps her. On top of her heartbreak, Dani’s demanding mother issues an ultimatum: choose a viable life plan by the New Year, or assume a position picked out for her in the family real estate business. Dani runs away to the beloved town of her childhood summers to heal, refocus, and decide her future.

Still reeling from a family tragedy, Quinn Martin has been hoping for a second chance at happiness. His old friend Dani’s return might provide the opportunity he needs. When he offers Dani a job, the two grow closer and see that time hasn’t diminished their bond. Their chemistry sparks and broken hearts begin to heal. Will the plotting of a devious ex separate the couple before they can explore the relationship both desperately crave?

Somewhere between falling snowflakes, a chance kiss on a city sidewalk might offer childhood friends a new beginning. 


One Snowy Day

When tragedy strikes again, Aunt Evvie once more steps to the rescue. Her sister attempts to poison her daughter even after her own suicide, leaving behind chocolates tainted with arsenic in her daughter's drawer and urging her to eat them in a note. Calling Molly's beloved aunt for help, Phillip sees her convince her niece that she is both good and lovable. Evvie surrenders her job to stay home with Molly and in in the process comes to realize her brother-in-law no longer feels like a brother. Phillip convinces Evvie to enter into a psudo-marriage to provide stability for the hurting child. After rejection and betrayal, can Phillip trust romance again? Can the Evvie, the plain, older sister, compete with her beauty-queen sister? 



GIVEAWAY!

A $10 ROANE PUBLISHING GIFT CARD!





Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code.  No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.