Could Have Been (Feathered Tartan 4) Goes Live, Wide, and More!

Hi everyone! So sorry I haven’t posted lately, things have been so crazy here!

It’s official: Could Have Been (Feathered Tartan 4) went live on Extasy Books on May 3, 2024, and it hit Amazons around the world on May 10^th (I think!). It’s now on Barnes & Noble (for Nook and in paperback!), and on GoodReads. It should be available on other spots sometime soon. Sometimes it takes a few days – or weeks – for things to show up if they’re published via Draft2Digital, I know that from experience with Checkout Love, which hasn’t gone live (perma free) on all sites yet to my knowledge.

Cover art by Martine Jardin.

Keep watching my Books2Read profile for it being available in your favorite online store here: https://books2read.com/ap/8Z2M9o/VJ-Allison

Find it on Extasy Books here: https://www.extasybooks.com/Could-Have-Been

First Review…

The first review from the ARC team is in, and it’s a good one! Thank you so much Bernice for loving my novella so much!

Read its review HERE!

FIVE STARS??? Woo hoo!!!

Scribes Tribune

As everyone knows, I’m a founding member of the multi-author, multi-genre newsletter, Scribes’ Tribune.

Our April issue went live on April 28, 2024, and we had at least 10 to 15 new authors participating… And May’s issue looks like it’s going to be even bigger! We even added a publisher’s corner for any Indie/smaller presses that want to share their submission guidelines (if they’re open) and any sales they may have. Thank you so much, Extasy Books, for participating as one of our first publishers in that new area of the newsletter! We hope to see that area grow over time, like the amount of participating authors.

Authors, if you are with a smaller, independent press, and would like to see them participate in Scribes’ Tribune, ask them – and maybe even volunteer to write their blurb for them! It’s a great way to show off the amazing smaller, independent presses, and their author lineup too.

We also have an official website now! I had a lot of fun setting it up and getting ideas for it from Xek and Dawn, my co-founders. We’ll be adding to it in time, including back issues on the blog, for starters. Check it out!!

https://scribestribune.wordpress.com/

Logos

I’m currently working on a new, updated logo for the Feathered Tartan series, one that features something closer to what I had envisioned when I realized the series should have its own logo. Now whether or not I’ll have it done by the time the series is finished – two books to go! – is up in the air. I’m trying to draw it myself, using my renewed love of drawing and more. I may even do it in watercolor on paper then scan it into the computer… I have to see if I can do it though.

Feathered Tartan Book 5

I have officially dropped the working (and hopefully final) title of Feathered Tartan Book 5 (Lauren and Joshua’s happy ever after), it was announced publicly on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram during the Could Have Been Release Day party.

The title of Feathered Tartan 5 is…

His Reasons to Fight.

I have already shared an unedited version of the blub in a few areas that are not public, so if you have read the blurb, please do not share it with anyone, no matter how much they demand it. (I’ll ban/block anyone who shares it without my written permission).

I’m still trying to get moving in it, but I always have to take a break after I get a book out there, due to being a bit drained from all of the editing, and more that goes into getting a book out there. I’m so glad Extasy Books provides editors, else I’d be in deep trouble….

Feathered Tartan 6 and Series Wrap Up

Feathered Tartan 6 will be the final book in the series. To be honest, it’s time to end it, and move on to other projects, like a new venture with a friend, a couple of standalones I’m planning, and a new series I have in its development stages. I know I said there would be at least 7 books in the series, but I think once Book 6 is out, everyone’s stories will be told, and it’s time to say goodbye to the amazing ensemble – leads, secondary, and all other characters – who made up the cast of my first ever series.

I will be making a formal announcement on the title of Book 6 the day that His Reasons to Fight (Book 5) goes live at Extasy Books. It may be a while, so please be patient. Thanks!

Thank you so much to everyone at Extasy Books (Tina, Jay, Angie, Jon, Amber, Trish and more) for their love and support, and giving me a chance with Stricken, and all of my readers, friends and fellow authors for their love and support. If it wasn’t for all of you, I wouldn’t be the author I am today… Seven years, seven books out, two in the process of being written, and two Editor’s Choice seals on my books so far.

Have a fantastic week everyone! Wela’lin and much love from Nova Scotia Canada.

Cover Reveal: COULD HAVE BEEN (Feathered Tartan 4) by V.J. Allison

 Hi everyone! The time has arrived to show off the new pretty cover added to my collection of published (and soon to be published) works…

Here’s the gorgeous, shiny new cover for Could Have Been (Feathered Tartan 4):

 

Cover Art by Martine Jardin.

What I loved about this is… Everything! It’s how I would have designed the cover, had I been allowed to do it myself. It’s my new favorite by Martine, I love it that much!

Coming soon from Extasy Books!

Could have Been…

Tagline: What happens on vacation, stays on vacation… Or does it?

Blurb:

Fighting regret and grief over his wife’s death, Joshua Campbell is sent to a resort in the Bahamas by his brothers as a way to recharge and unwind. All he expects to do is relax, and maybe play a few games with his fellow vacationers. The last thing he wanted was to hook up with anyone while memories of his late wife still haunted him.

Newly single Lauren Richardson’s ex-husband’s betrayal was enough to call an end to anything commitment wise for a while. Relaxing on a tropical beach was a great way to rebuild her flagging confidence. She didn’t want any more ties, especially with a sexy Siksika man she runs into on a secluded part of the beach.

Joshua gives Lauren a fake name to hide his background, and a spark ignites that sets their libidos on fire. A few more encounters lead to a night of erotic pleasure, forging a bond that makes them wonder if their fun could go beyond their excitement in the sun. Tragedy strikes, ripping them apart, sending Joshua into a deeper sense of despair, and Lauren wondering if she’ll ever see the father of her child again.

 TAGS: Love story, erotica, to be continued, women's fiction, secret baby.

Excerpt ©2024 V.J. Allison:

Just outside of the bar, in the crowd, someone hit his side, and he automatically reached out to hold them steady.

Soft, silky skin touched his fingers, and a cloud of strawberry-blonde curls hit his face, sending a whiff of something soft and feminine into his nose.

“Whoops, sorry!” The woman in his arms turned her head to look up at him. Her smile instantly turned sheepish as her azure gaze met his. “Oh. Hi there.” She saluted him with her drink, a blue concoction in a tall glass.

Joshua grinned. It was the gorgeous redhead from the beach. He glanced down and with an inward sigh of relief, noted she was wearing a strapless crimson dress that hugged every luscious curve to her knees, and matching high-heeled sandals. Her lips were painted in bright red lipstick, and her eyes were outlined in brown liner, with lash extensions. Not many redheads could pull off a crimson dress, especially one that tight, but she did, beautifully.

She tucked a curl behind her ear and the pink on her cheekbones highlighted her runway-worthy looks. A long, gold chandelier earring winked at him for a moment.

He smiled at her kindly, feeling an unknown emotion rise in his gut. “No problem.” He dropped his hands. “Did you get snorkeling?”

The redhead’s eyes went wide and she giggled. “Not yet, maybe tomorrow.” She stared up at him with a bigger smile. Her gaze moved downwards before meeting his again. “Want to join me?”

Joshua blinked. As gorgeous as this woman was, he didn’t want companionship, only relaxation. He averted his gaze and scratched the top of his left forearm. “Uh…”

Her blue eyes turned cloudy and her smile faded. “You’re not interested in women.”

He shook his head. “It’s not that, it’s―”

She patted his arm. “Don’t worry about it. You’re a gorgeous man, and I thought since you recognized me in something other than my bikini, I thought it meant you wanted some company.”

Fire creeped along his cheeks. He was used to attention from men and women, but never had anyone outside of his late wife been so blatantly honest with him about how they liked his looks. “Thank you,” he mumbled and shoved his hands into his pants pockets with an awkward shuffle of his deck shoes on the stone walkway, unsure of how to respond other than gratitude.

She gave him a smile that seemed to light up her face, bringing the smattering of freckles along her cheeks into sharper focus. “If you were interested, I’d ask you to go salsa dancing with me.” She flipped her hair over her left shoulder with a hand, the bright lights along the path catching the sparkle of stones set in a ring on her middle finger. She wasn’t wearing a wedding band, but he knew that sometimes married people liked to pretend otherwise, so they could mess around. It was common in his parents’ circuit, and his own generation, although most of his attached cousins and siblings adored their spouses and didn’t play games.

Unconsciously, he fisted his left hand and the quiet bite of his wedding ring dug into his fingers, a sharp reminder that he was only there to relax and recharge his drained batteries. He smiled at her and sighed. “Honestly, I swam all day and it’s starting to catch up with me. I didn’t realize it until a few minutes ago.” It wasn’t a lie. He hadn’t been able to sleep properly in over a year, not since that fateful night that he lost his beloved.

She nodded with a slow blink, her eyelash extensions creating a smudged crescent on her cheeks for a second. “I understand. I’m still feeling a bit jet lagged myself.” With a shrug, she took a sip of her drink and smiled again. Her lipstick left a red ring around the blue straw, creating a splash of crimson. “Get some rest. Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”

Many thanks to my bestie, Heather, for giving me the idea for this duology; my editor and longtime pal Jon for his insight and amazing editing skills; our beloved cover artist Martine for once again giving me another winner in her cover art; our Editor in Charge at Extasy Books, Jay; Angie, and everyone else at Extasy Books including my fellow authors from Dawn and Jon to Tim, Carol, Mel, Jo, AJ, and more. Love you guys, tons!

Leaving all of you with the beautiful and haunting "Unbreak My Heart" by Toni Braxton.

COMING SOON from Extasy Books: Could Have Been (Feathered Tartan 4) by V.J. Allison

 

It’s official:

Could Have Been (Feathered Tartan 4) will be released by Extasy Books sometime this spring!

This is the story I worked on for 12 hours straight back in December. I submitted it at the start of January. Since then, I’ve been going full tilt with prepping everything for the release, hoping Martine has the cover ready soon, and more.

My editor at Extasy Books, Jon, and I have been working round the clock to get it ready. This last week has been crazy, between the edits, doing any revisions that Jon suggested, book promos, announcements that it’s finally coming out after an almost 2 year wait – Honestly ended on sort of a cliffhanger, and my readers have been anxiously awaiting this particular story to see how things go with the third cousin of the series, Joshua Campbell.

Last night I got the cover for it from Martine. She did a gorgeous job on it. It is something I had in mind had I created it myself. She nailed it, from the model I used for Joshua’s looks to how I pictured the female lead from behind and more. It’s so pretty!

I’ve been going crazy setting up cover reveal teaser posters, doing the actual cover reveal poster for everywhere – here, Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram, possibly Tribel and MeWe too (not sure yet on them, neither are really busy) and I’m also thinking of creating book trailers for TikTok, which is a great platform for promoting books too.

The cover reveal is set for Thursday, February 1^st, 2024. Mark the date! It’s so pretty… Martine outdid herself with this one everyone. She always outdoes herself, but this time it was more than normal. That’s how much I love this cover!

I’m not sure of a release date for the story yet. It’s not even in the Coming Soon area of Extasy Books yet, or on my profile there. It should be there within the next few weeks, when our techs get everything and get a chance to update everything. Things moved faster with this one than it did with Honestly even though I had the contract for that one the day after submitting it.

If you want to keep updated on if it’s up on the Coming Soon area and we have a publication date, follow my Facebook page – link is in the side bar – or keep an eye on my profile at Extasy Books: https://www.extasybooks.com/v-j-allison

Could Have Been is a novella, meaning it’s under 50,000 words. It is about 32,000 words in length, and half of it was fast drafted in a single day – over 15,000 words in twelve hours. I do not remember much from that day, other than the sound of my keyboard clacking and being so out of it, Hubby said the next day that it was like I was stoned off of the Ativan again (long story, I no longer take Ativan!).

A huge thank you to my beta reader Krista – who also read Honestly for me; my editor Jon for always being there for me as an editor and friend (even if I was just cussing a blue streak about the damn writer’s block or the cat hogging my pillow every night!); Tina, Angie, Jay, Martine, and the rest of the gang at Extasy Books; my bestie Heather for giving me this idea long before I finished the first draft of what became Stricken; and lastly, all of my readers, friends and family for supporting me through this. Y’all rock. Love you tons!

 

Could Have Been (Feathered Tartan 4)

 

Tags: Love story, erotica, novella, interracial, secret baby, classes clash, damaged lead, hidden identity. 

Tagline: What happens on vacation, stays on vacation… Or does it?

Fighting regret and grief over his wife’s death, Joshua Campbell is sent to a resort in the Bahamas by his brothers as a way to recharge and unwind. All he expects to do is relax, and maybe play a few games with his fellow vacationers. The last thing he wanted was to hook up with anyone while memories of his late wife still haunted him. 

Newly single Lauren Richardson’s ex-husband’s betrayal was enough to call an end to anything commitment wise for a while. Relaxing on a tropical beach was a great way to rebuild her flagging confidence. She didn’t want any more ties, especially with a sexy Siksika man she runs into on a secluded part of the beach. 

Joshua gives Lauren a fake name to hide his background, and a spark ignites that sets their libidos on fire. A few more encounters lead to a night of erotic pleasure, forging a bond that makes them wonder if their fun could go beyond their excitement in the sun. Tragedy strikes, ripping them apart, sending Joshua into a deeper sense of despair, and Lauren wondering if she’ll ever see the father of her child again.

* * * *

Their happy ever after is currently “under production”, and will wrap up in Feathered Tartan Book 5 (currently untitled). I hope to finish drafting it sometime soon. It’s currently not easy with snow days, medical appointments for me, and more. Oh well, life happens. At least I am getting some stuff added here and there! Better than nothing.

Thanks everyone! I leave you with the newly released official video for one of my favorite songs, by my favorite band. “Don’t Tell Me” by Disturbed, featuring Ann Wilson of Heart. It’s so emotional but such a beautiful song. Enjoy!