Morning everyone!
I’ll keep the stats quick because there’s an interesting trend that I’ve noticed these last two pitch sessions that I’d like to give my two cents on.
So, we had:
59 – Pitches received
13 – Too long
8 – Missing Info
1 – No pitch? (Must have been a mistake send?)
7 – Over 30 pitch limit.
On to my gripe/concern/question…
What’s with the fluff?
I’ve been receiving pitches on colored backgrounds, with emoticons, with sig lines that take up another page and a half of the e-mail, and even a couple that played music in the background.
Now to me, and we’re all entitled to our opinion, these kinds of additions to pitches/queries/submissions is not only highly unprofessional, it’s annoying!
I can’t impress enough that this is a business. While e-mail makes submitting to an agent or editor that much easier, it also seems to make some people think it’s a less formal way to reach the industry professional. There are VERY few agents or editors that I’ve had the occasion to speak with who enjoy or even tolerate anything more than the standard pitch/query.
I know of one that will give a form rejection immediately for ‘fluff’ stuff.
When you’re contacting an industry professional, keep it simple. Name, contact info, book info, relevant writing experience (and even this should be limited), is about all you need. The fluff doesn’t show your creativity. Do that with your writing.
Now, I’d like to welcome Stan Soper with the Soper Literary Agency, and creator of an awesome writer’s site you may have heard me mention on occasion, TextNovel.
Stan, please let me know if there are any pitches you’d like to see more of, and feel free to add your two cents in the comments below.
**************************************************************************
#1
How To Marry A Warlock In 10 Days
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 80,673
Hijinks and outrageous fun are back in force for the second book of the 10 Days story arc. Grace and Caspian are living Happily Ever After in Hell, but there’s fresh evil threatening the magickal world and only Midnight Cherrywood and Dred Shadowins can stop it.
With the Big Boss and the Bigger Boss on their side, what could go wrong? Aside from the fact that Middy’s been jilling off to Dred’s likeness in Weekly Warlock for years and Dred is spying for the High Chancellor playing at being the cavalier playboy? The lamia. (This is the fresh evil, or not so fresh depending on the time of the month.) A Bitch Kitty Deluxe that could destroy that fabric of the world, but no magick can stop her.
The ten days? Dred’s mother slips Middy a potion at a hen party and she has to marry Dred in ten days or they’ll both lose their magick. Maybe they should have let mom know they were just posing as affianced?
Cursed sex toys, leather pants, self-sacrifice, and the light that can be found in the darkest of places round out this journey to Happily Ever After.
***
#2
His Obsession
Contemporary Series Romance
53,000 words
Desperate to save her beloved brother from possible political ruin, always sensible Isabella Dipaolo follows an impetuous plan to steal an incriminating letter from powerful mogul, Duncan “Mac” Macpherson. Mac lets Isabella steal the letter, his first step in using her to bring down the man he believes responsible for his sister’s death. However, he doesn’t count on his own weakness for the tempting Isabella.
Against her better judgment, Isabella succumbs to the passion that burns between them, not realizing her seduction is part of Mac’s master plan. He delivers an ultimatum: be jailed for theft or become his mistress. When she agrees to be Mac’s mistress, Isabella finds herself in a prison of another kind with a jailer she doesn’t want to escape. Soon, it’s not just her brother she’s trying to save as Isabella struggles to prevent Mac’s need for revenge from destroying them both.
If only she can convince Mac that there’s more than lust between them, that she’s more than just…his obsession.
***
#3
Redeeming Characters
Contemporary romance
79,000 words
Animals may bite but people always suck. It’s the motto thirty-two year old Drue has lived by all his life. He longs for the snow to melt so he can disappear into the wild with nary a nitwit to be seen—to escape the confines of a narrow-minded and cloying society. Yet, when he discovers an old friend has published the book he helped create, a new plan surfaces. Revenge.
Bestselling author Dakota Whitmore is in a slump. Sure, her husband is dead and she’s adopted his long-time mistress’s child, but she’s endured more difficult things. Maybe what she needs is a little help, a beta reader who will tell her that her work hasn’t turned into a steaming cow pie. How about uber sexy Drue, the man who helped her pen her first—and only, bestseller? Nothing could possibly go wrong. Right?
***
#4
Highland Captive
Historical Romance
94,000 words
Laird Duncan Ranald has good reason to hate all things English. They nearly wiped out his clan. Discovering the luscious beauty who washed up on his shore and stoked his lust is English, he decides to keep her as his leaman for a little revenge.
English-born Lady Alera of Arundrydge is a procrastinating defender and nurturer. She wishes to avenge crimes against her family and find her father, who is missing and presumed dead. When Viking slavers steal her, she escapes only to be caught by a big, sexy barbarian, whose touch ignites passion.
Realizing she’s his soul mate, Duncan decides to wed her, but Alera won’t cooperate. Escaping Duncan becomes more and more impossible for Alera as she helps his clan and he creeps into her heart. But if she stays, how will she gain vengeance and what will become of her father?
Set in the Scottish Highlands, Highland Captive is a 12th century humorous romantic romp, in which the pairing of enemies, whose antics sizzle off the page, prove love can lead to happily-ever-after. (Rewrite of Golden Heart Finalist: Highland Destiny).
***
#5
MY LIFE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Young Adult
51,000 words
Fifteen-year-old aspiring actress Amanda Martin gets more than she bargained for when she’s an extra in a movie filmed in Chicago starring her favorite teen heartthrob, Josh Brennan. After a picture of them appears in the paper, mushrooming Internet gossip and cruel anonymous texts upset her. She wants to be known for her talent and fears her reputation is trashed. Thanks to her disapproving parents and their troubled marriage, she already has plenty to worry about.
Her parents won’t let her work on the movie again or be interviewed so she can set the record straight. Amanda vows to change their minds. She also wants to date junior Justin Clark, who’s in the school play and choir with her. Despite a great first kiss, he hasn’t asked her to Winter Dance. Josh does; she’s disappointed to learn his invitation was just a publicity stunt, again putting her in the public eye for the wrong reasons. But he helps her learn not to care what others think even when a girl dumps the punch bowl on her and everyone laughs. When Justin sets aside his nerves and asks her out, they celebrate with a dance in the spotlight.
***
#6
SHIFT HAPPENS
Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy (m/m)
83,000 words
Risk-averse anthropologist ADRIAN THORNAPPLE has been playing it safe with an office job, but when his neighbor ODs on his doorstep, he finally gets that life is short, civilization doesn’t mean safe, and that he should follow his dreams. He agrees to go on an Amazon expedition, but the journey morphs into a nightmare of illegal drugs, slave labor, and a terrifying quest through the rainforest and across the spirit plane. Lost and desperate, Adrian partners with secret operative CAPTAIN THOMAS FERRELL, who has been unwittingly shape-shifted into a savage man-eating jaguar. Together they find the lost temple, bring down the drug lords, and fall in love. In this Brokeback Mountain meets Beauty and the Beast darkly humorous gay paranormal romance, Adrian just wants to go home… until he learns that saving the world is a lot more fun than returning to his corporate cubicle!
***
#7
The Green Eyed Doll
Romantic Suspense
93,000 words
Catherine McCoy keeps her past a secret, moving on before the busybodies and newshounds discover her whereabouts and ruin any chance she has for normalcy. She’s worked hard to regain her independence and learn self-defense. All she wants now is a chance to start over. In her latest stop, she meets the sheriff who ignites a flame she thought lost forever. But not telling him about her past will cost her dearly.
Sheriff Matt Ballard is hunting a killer who kidnaps green eyed women, paints their lips red, ties a matching bow around their necks and leaves them looking like a porcelain doll. Fear and suspicions boil over, and local vigilantes begin their own hunt. In the midst of the turmoil, Matt falls for Catherine, a fiery redheaded newcomer in town. When her past is plastered across the front page, he can’t forgive her secrets and lies.
Catherine is kidnapped, but the killer discovers this woman is different. She fights to save her own life…again. She has no intensions of becoming another Green Eyed Doll.
***
#8
Twin Justice
Romantic Suspense
93,000 words
Assigned a murder investigation, the new FBI partners’ hunt for a female vigilante who’s cutting the throat’s of America’s most monstrous criminals. The team uncovers an organization called The Final Justice Unit, which serves as judge and jury eliminating offenders who’ve managed to slip through the judicial system.
Alexis Turner has finally landed a transfer to the coveted Special Investigations Unit. A firefighter’s widow, she’s devoted to her identical twin who’s recovering from a brutal rape and beating. Alexis and Dalton deny the sexual tension and growing affection but fall in love in spite of their efforts. Suspended when an artist’s sketch of the killer is a dead ringer for her, Alexis believes Dalton’s betrayed her. She’ll go undercover and put her life in jeopardy to bring down the vigilante organization.
Dalton Murphy isn’t sure about his new partner’s capabilities. He’s waited for the one case which will catapult him to fame. He wants to transfer to the elite Secret Service and protect the President, proving he’s capable of saving the highest ranking official in the nation. Dalton violates direct orders to prove her innocence. He’ll uncover facts sure to destroy her family and lose her love forever.
***
#9
Candy’s Man
Contemporary Romance
Approx. 59K
‘Roses are red’ and so are shoes. Recently divorced and encouraged by her two best friends, Candy Walker surrenders to temptation and buys an extravagant pair of red shoes to boost her spirits. She is not to know that the purchase will begin a chain-reaction of events which will change her life forever.
Cleve Hammond is a man with a secret. A passionate encounter with Candy while on a holiday cruise leaves him decidedly miffed when she runs out on him but that is the least of his problems.
While relegating Cleve to a holiday ‘fling’, Candy doesn’t know all hell is about to break loose until she meets her new ‘boss’. Cleve has been catapulted into her life and his twin brother, Nash, brings his own share of turmoil.
Will the situation jeopardise everything Cleve has worked so hard to conceal? Will Candy find her way through the ensuing chaos and learn to trust again?
***
#10
The Land of Imagining
Fantasy YA
80,000 words
Alexia thinks she’s just an ordinary girl with a lofty goal – to become a best-selling novelist. But a magical pen and a story she writes about a mystical Land of Imagining blighted by evil challenges everything she knows. Alexia isn’t human, she’s an All-Knower, their Chosen One with the ability to control them with her pen.
Before she can write to save everyone, the leader of the demons steals the pen and captures Alexia’s family. In a race against time, Alexia must trust demons so she can find the demon’s secret lair and save her family, and people, before the Land of Imagining becomes the Land of Terror.
***
#11
Love and Lies
Paranormal romance
Word Count: 95,947
After the death of her mother in 1808, Dara became a duke’s mistress, something she’d sworn never to do, to support her orphaned siblings. Returning home after ending the two-year affair, she finds her brothers dead and the duke claiming responsibility. She tries to avenge them but instead ends up with a blank period in her memory and a new life as a vampire. Protecting her remaining sister’s descendents became her only means of salvation. Now in the 21st century, the duke is back and has a confession to make.
Anthony had walked the earth for a millennium in service of the vampire council when he bought Dara’s innocence in an attempt to stave off boredom. When her brothers were killed by another vampire, he claimed responsibility to keep her from hunting the true killer in hopes of keeping her safe and failed. That failure has haunted him ever since. A chance arrives for him to clear the air and make one additional confession: he wants her back in his arms for all time.
***
#12
Minder
YA paranormal romance
48K words
A movement along the edge of the cliff caught my attention. A small rabbit nibbled at a tuft of clover growing between the rocks. I came to attention like a pointer. My nose began to quiver and my mouth water. I twitched my butt.
Without thought, I bolted out of the house after the rabbit. My blood raced and I breathed in short sharp pants. I could hear the creature’s heart pound and smell his warm vibrant flesh.
He took three frightened leaps and disappeared into the forest. I skidded to a stop, trembling so hard my teeth rattled.
What’s wrong with me? I wanted to take a bite out of a poor defenseless little bunny. I pursed my lips and screwed up my face. Gross doesn’t begin to cover it. This is way past PMSing.
Tears welled up and spilled down my cheeks.
I turn eighteen tomorrow. Surely, there’s no connection.
***
#13
“Rushes”
Women’s Fiction/Literary Fiction
Word count 61,500
Coming of age in the turbulent 60’s of the South, Sara Jones navigates her way through poverty and discrimination, as well as physical and sexual abuse to find a way to escape her lot in life (a life which her mother terms having a ’snake-bit’ fate).
Johnny’s love gives her hope for a bright future but his death in Vietnam painfully closes that door. Her pursuit of a college education spurns her desire for better things but an abusive husband puts a halt to that endeavor.
Will Sara find a way to break free of her ’snake-bit’ future? Are the voices she has come hear telling her the way out or pulling her deeper into a void that she so desperately wants to leave behind?
***
#14
Don’t Cross the Line
Paranormal Romance
Word Count 100,000
Don’t Cross the Line is a 100,000 word novel, the first in a series of stories. This one follows Gemma Davies, a were-tiger. She is reaching the age where her alpha and father demands that she must find a mate, or he will find one for her.
However the man that she loves, Cade MacDonald can never be hers, he is of another species of shape shifter, a werewolf, and to be together would mean execution for them both.
When the female heir of a neighbouring pack is murdered, Gemma must work alongside Cade to find out who killed her. It doesn’t look like the murderer is done though. Gemma is attacked in her own home; she escapes and lands in the arms of Cade. While she fights to keep her distance from him, fate keeps on throwing her right back at his feet.
She meets Karl Ellis, another were-tiger like herself, a potential mate. Cade does everything in his power to prove that Karl is just using Gemma. When the evidence from the case begins to build up and it all starts to point to Karl, Gemma considers that Cade might have been correct.
***
#15
TERMS OF SURRENDER
Historical
Word count: approx. 105,000
While her father and older brother confront redcoat forces, Kate Chambers is
entrusted with the upkeep of the family farm. As the burden of chores
increases, her younger siblings are often more hindrance than help. And now
she’s discovered an injured man in her hayfield.
A deserter from the invading British army, Stephen Blackthorn is in search
of a home in a world where he doesn’t belong. Patriot and Loyalist alike
view him as the enemy. Then Kate, ignorant of his identity, takes him in.
Will he find a place in her heart, or will the wider conflict of the war
drive them apart?
***
#16
MYSTIC MISFIT
Young Adult
75,000 words
At sixteen, Megan Delaney is suddenly able to see ghosts and read people’s minds. This makes her a mosaic—a person possessing pieces of supernatural powers—and not welcome in the town of Collingsbrook. Keeping her new abilities on the down low is her top priority, but she decides to share her secret with her good friend Ryan. He swears not to tell a soul.
When word gets out at school, Megan becomes a target. She can’t believe Ryan betrayed her this way. Her classmates tease, torment and threaten her, and then the coolest guy in school offers to make it all go away. Tyler, the hunkiest player on the school’s football team who Megan’s dreamed about for, like, ever, says he’ll be her bodyguard and date for the upcoming fall formal—and help her show others that mosaics aren’t the bad guys they’re made out to be.
All Tyler wants in return is for Megan to use her powers for what he calls a “teeny-weenie” favor. One that feels wrong on too many levels.
***
#17
INHALE
Urban Fantasy Romance
98,000 words
Marine biologist ZOE MORGAN is a die-hard believer in the power of reason. So when fanciful scenes of a mystery lover and deadly fire creatures begin playing in her dreams, she writes them off as byproducts of an overactive imagination. Until people from her fantasies appear in reality, and she’s faced with two disturbing conclusions: either she’s lost her mind, or her irrational suspicions are true – she’s been targeted by Fire Elements in a scheme to overthrow the Sentinels, including her lover, who protect Elemental balance and shield humans from harm.
Waylaid by a career-crippling case of creativity block, bad boy musician GAVIN CASSIDY finds his muse when he’s summoned back to duty by the Dreaming – a parallel world where dreams mirror reality – to rescue a woman who holds the key to a weapon he and his fellow Sentinels need to stop the Fires. Torn between a growing attraction to the muse and his responsibility to the humans he’s sworn to defend, he must choose between losing the only woman he’s ever loved or serving up innocents to the jaws of insatiable Fire Elements who feed off emotions, leaving insanity in their wake.
***
#18
TWO BROTHERS
Contemporary Romance
Word count: 85,000
When fourth generation farmer, Jacob Henderson stomped on her heart nearly ten years ago, Amanda Riley made the biggest mistake of her life – she ran off and married his younger brother.
Amanda, now divorced, returns to her small hometown a successful horse trainer and National Cutting Horse Champion to set up her own training facility. Nothing could have prepared her for falling in love with Jacob all over again. But how can she risk her heart a second time knowing the secrets she keeps could destroy any chance they have?
Brought together to save an abused horse, Jacob sees an opportunity to have the love and family he’s always wanted. But he struggles with Amanda’s past marriage to his brother, after all marriage is forever. When his brother shows up claiming to want Amanda back, Jacob must decide between family loyalty and love for Amanda.
***
#19
THE DAUGHTER
Contemporary Romance with elements of suspense
Word count: 93,000
How could a man she’s never met change her life forever and provide her with the love and family she believed would never be hers?
Abandoned at birth, Katie Delynski believes love and relationships are learned. And she hasn’t learned anything good about either. When multi-millionaire, Keith O’Neil kills himself, Katie discovers he is her father and someone hurt by his indiscretions wants her to pay for his mistakes. Katie meets the O’Neil family and their friend, Conner Patterson, who is on leave from the police department. They stir a sense of belonging she is afraid to believe in.
As a social worker, Katie’s mission is to get prostitutes off the street. When she buys an abandoned building for a woman’s shelter, Conner jumps at the opportunity to renew his passion for restoring old structures and offers his help. Katie finds herself falling in love with Conner, but fear he’ll walk away if he learns the secret driving her true mission, keeps her from acting on those feelings. Conner isn’t afraid of the love he feels for Katie, he’s scared he won’t be able to protect her when someone wants her to die for her father’s sins.
***
#20
A Demon’s Redemption
Paranormal Romance
Word Count: 88,061
Lorelei is your typical college student – who happens to have a talent for sniffing out demons and sending them back to hell, kind of like a psychic bloodhound. But once a year, she must help one of the fallen earn their way back into heaven. How do they do that? By atoning for their sins. And so far, everything is working out for her – until she meets Azazel, son of Azazeal, a member of the Underworld hierarchy. Does the demon fall far from the seed? She has a month to find out.
Azazel has always lived in the shadows of his father’s misdeeds. But redemption is his one chance to break free of his father’s sins. If only he hadn’t promised to bring down Lorelei for his bid for freedom. Will he keep his promise to his father – or to the woman he comes to love?
***
#21
Highland Magic
Paranormal Time Travel
Approx. 90,000 Words
Magazine writer REMY PARKER will try anything to nail her story. Even when the story mirrors her own life. When Remy’s Wiccan foster mother offers the assistance of her group of off-kilter friends to cast a compatibility spell, Remy puts herself in their bumbling hands. In the midst of spell casting, a costly blunder occurs.
Soon Remy’s life is taking a drastic turn. Not only is the spell one to help Remy find her soul mate, but one that sends her to Scotland in the year 1696 to locate him. Remy believes she is dead. All she can do now is wait for her angel to take her to heaven. Instead, what she gets is a kilted madman on horseback.
Driven by revenge for the murder of his wife and unborn child, Alexander MacDonald has vowed to keep his remaining children safe from the British. In a hurry to returning home, Alex runs down a woman alone. Her unconscious state compels him to aid her. Even though her strange behavior drives him daft, he finds her hard to resist. Alex must decide if he can give up his revenge in order to make a new life with Remy.
***
#22
The Transformation of Aurora Sage
Women’s Fiction-Paranormal Romance
Word Count-34,553 (and counting)
Would you be interested in my book, The Transformation of Aurora Sage, which is about a young woman with Dryad lineage who falls instantly in love with an Italian Vampire of Satyr ancestry? The story follows Aurora from overworked office worker who hates almost everyone in her life, except her twin sister, Autumn, to becoming a ravenous carnivore with an insatiable blood lust. Ultimately, she learns of her family heritage and the reason for Aleandro’s obsession with her and comes to terms with what she has become.
I believe my story has enough of a twist with the right amount of romance balanced with violence to be an extremely enjoyable read for any and all fans of the genre.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this and am looking forward to a response soon.
***
#23
Unintended
mainstream romantic suspense
80K words
A widower, who would have preferred to be a divorcee, finds herself falling for the guy who fed her husband tips, via e-mail, on how to win her heart, and who, in the process, fell in love with her himself. Does she stick to her rules of “no kissing, no touching, no holding hands, no candy, no flowers, no gifts” or should she open her heart to love?
An undercover agent must find a way to infiltrate the loose-lipped, bar-hopping, upper-crust Charleston social scene and knows that his former best friend’s wife is one of the stars of this crowd. Does he tell her that he knows who she is or does he keep it a secret so she’ll fall in love with him for himself instead of the person she fell in love with years before?
Together they solve the mystery of her husband/his friend’s death and realize that they’ve been in love with one another all along.
***
#24
Having a Wonderful Time
Women’s Fiction Mystery/suspense
Word count 50,300
A serial killer is ravaging Houston and the case fell right into Detective Megan Garrison’s lap, but the question remains, is she ready?
Homicide Detective Megan Garrison is freshly back from a six month medical/psych leave after the murder of her sister left her questioning herself, to say the least. Now, with the approval from her psychiatrist, Dr. Amy Poole, she is back to prove that she has what it takes to get the job done. Megan and her Partner Jason Matthews investigate a homicide that leads them to the conclusion that not only has a serial killer made Houston its feeding ground, but this murder was not the first and most assuredly won’t be the last.
Now, while following the trail of blood, Megan tries to get a break in the case and at the same time reassemble all the pieces in her life that are already broken.
***
#25
Truth Be Told
Single Title Romance
90,000 words
Home for Christmas, Meg Bourland discovers her father is being blackmailed. When her attempt to help is rebuffed, the Atlanta SWAT team member enlists the help of her LA police officer brother and his partner to uncover the truth. Meg’s rule of no involvement with anyone in law enforcement is in jeopardy when she’s attracted to her brother’s partner.
Scott McClaine came to Fort Worth to celebrate Christmas and recuperate from a life-threatening bullet wound he received saving Meg’s brother’s life. He finds himself embroiled in family scandal, solving a crime, and falling for his partner’s sister. Scott struggles to accept his new physical limitations and control his growing interest in Meg.
Meg learns a dark and dangerous secret. The truth threatens to ruin her father’s career as mayor and destroy the family she holds dear. As they put together the pieces of this puzzle, Meg and Scott face their own personal truths and discover love requires selflessly giving to each other.
***
#26
Jump, Fall
Romance – Contemporary women
60,000 words
Katie Scarborough isn’t like all the other Southern Belles that surround her. She’s brunette, she’s freckled. She’s also short and a little more round than the pageant queens that seem to fill her world. To top things off, she’s painfully shy as well. The one thing that ties her to her Southern sisters is the dream that the fairy tales they all heard as young ladies will somehow come true.
Throughout her coming of age years, she suffers a series of miscues and embarrassments where gentlemen are concerned. She begins to wonder if the fairy tales are just lies and if a girl who doesn’t quite fit the norm is capable of being loved. Although, once she goes off to college and catches the eye of her dream man, she starts to think maybe she was better off single.
Set in the fictional town of Dunham, Mississippi, Katie’s story is the first in a series of novels featuring the quirky, yet lovable characters of the Mississippi Delta. The second novel in the series is completed, a third is in the beginning stages.
***
#27
Vermont Escape
Single Title Romance
88,000 words
Jill Barlow, a Fort Worth socialite, relocates to Woodstock, after her husband and father, a Texas state representative, are killed because of his fight to stop casino gambling from coming to the state. She’s stunned to find herself drawn toward a hardheaded Yankee, a Vermont assemblyman. But his negative reaction to her fits right into her plan to never get involved with another politician.
Jerrod Phillips is shocked to find he’s attracted to the Texan he suspects could be involved in the murders. He’s afraid she’s like his ex-wife, who years ago deserted him and their two young children, resulting in his somewhat irrational hatred of blondes from the Lone Star state.
Jill’s peaceful new life is shattered when her home is ransacked, her shop broken into, and Jerrod’s brother kidnaps her. He demands the flash drive, which the gambling syndicate believes she has. When he fails, he’s murdered, and they physically threaten Jill. She must choose between putting her and her friends’ lives in jeopardy and the possibility of finding justice for the murders of her father and husband. If she survives, is there a chance for her and Jerrod, when he holds her responsible for his brother’s death?
***
#28
By Grace Alone
Contemporary women’s fiction
60,000 words
Hurricane Katrina has devastated New Orleans. Homes are crushed, streets are flooded, and a piece of Vivienne Lavoie’s spirit has been swept away with the receding waters as she works diligently to put her beloved city back together. It’s her job as a civil engineer, but she also feels it’s her responsibility to ensure her heritage isn’t lost in the wake of the storm.
An unexpected pregnancy forces Vivienne to choose between her beloved city and raising her child. While pondering adoption, she meets Charlie and Samuel. Both men are trying desperately to sort through their own struggles. Through their friendship they discover the myths and legends surrounding New Orleans and that they’re able to feel normal again. They find that Vivienne makes their struggles seem bearable, until a death crashes their spirits again and forces them to reevaluate everything. It is then that they are able to begin their personal rebirths.
Because of her Louisiana heritage, the author knows the Cajun culture is rich with ghost stories, traditions, superstitions and a dialect unlike any other. Throughout BY GRACE ALONE bits of this culture are shared with readers who may never get a chance to experience it firsthand.
***
#29
TANGLED HEARTS
Paranormal Romance
Word Count: 90,000 words
Luke Bennett is a man with a dark past and the single-minded goal of revenge. He wants to buy Cori Tremaine’s Kentucky horse farm, Greenhills. He plans to destroy the legacy her deceased father had built by chopping up the land to make way for a gated community.
Cori Tremaine is a photojournalist living in New York. She regrets selling her family home but she can’t maintain a large farm and have the career she loves.
Falling in love with Cori, the daughter of the man who ruined his family, rips Luke’s plans apart. As they fall in love, his lies and secrets threaten their future.
Cori’s love for Greenhills and the emotions that arise from her decision to sell brings two 17th century spirits to life. English lord Stephen Wentworth and a Gypsy, Lilianna Rossar, promised their love would live forever despite their different backgrounds. Their story is shown against the backdrop of the civil war that ultimately killed them.
When Lilianna and Stephen find out Luke is their descendant, they must break an ancient curse before it strikes down Luke and Cori whom Stephen and Lilianna believe are destined to love each other as they did.
***
#30
The Midas touch
Urban/paranormal
90k approx
There’s something out there, watching, waiting, preying on people; or so they say. Serena is a practical woman who doesn’t believe in fairy tales or myths. So even though her best friend claims to be clairvoyant and that an evil is stalking her, Serena still doesn’t believe. That is, until the day she was attacked while running to grab lunch. When she awakes her concept of reality is challenged by the god-like man at her bedside, and the society he inhabits. A society that has existed for a millennium since before the ancients themselves, they hold the truth of all mankind, all myths and all legends. Her protector Darius is the reason she lives and is sworn to uphold the laws of his world. Can they destroy this evil? Or must he destroy her to save them all?
*******************************************************************************************
Good Luck everyone!
