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.

Back in the Saddle After a Decades Long Hiatus…

 Anyone who has known me since childhood knows I’ve always been a creative type. I’ve always loved music and singing even though I can’t play an instrument to save my life (I can read music though) or sing for the life of me, the writing has always come naturally for me once I realized I loved it and my Grade 4 teacher at Petite Riviere Elementary School, Mrs. Hache, told me I had a knack for spinning a tale.

Another thing I loved doing was drawing. I was drawing since I was about six or seven years old, and always seemed to draw something to go with any of the short stories I wrote for my teachers, notably from about grade 2 and up through elementary school. I can still see one story about my longtime pal Cindy and me going to a Bryan Adams concert hanging on Mrs. Hache’s bulletin board in her classroom, she loved it so much, and there was a picture I drew of me and Cindy included with it.

Unfortunately, I gave it up after a while. I got so many hateful and downright mean comments about it that when I got in with the rougher crowd (think the ones who smoked, didn’t do their school work and more) in junior high that I gave it up. It seemed that only the geeky kids took stuff like art class in the higher grades, and some told me I didn’t have what it takes to be an artist. That upset me because my great uncle Howard (Shankle) was a well-known woodlands painter in Canada and parts of the United States, and he was one of the few people who encouraged me – along with my mom and some of my teachers – to keep up with the art, they thought I had a lot of potential. So I set aside my pencils and pens, and started focusing more on the writing.

All of you know how the writing turned out… My debut novel, Stricken (which is now the first book of The Feathered Tartan series!), came out in March 2017, and I am seeing my seventh book, Could Have Been (Feathered Tartan 4), published by Extasy Books later this spring… Two of my published books, Away to Me and Honestly (Feathered Tartan 3), have received the Extasy Books’ Editor’s Choice Seal of Excellence, meaning they are among the cream of the crop when it comes to Extasy’s expansive top of the line stories… which is saying something considering we have tons of talented authors with amazing books published via Extasy!

Recently, I realized that in order to expand my itty bitty art business, I’d better get on the ball and start making ultra-unique items, like drawings and more, all created by me. On paper. Not AI generated (I don’t like it, anyone who knows me knows why!) and I do not want to use stock photos or anything else generated by another human. I want to be able to create one of a kind drawings and paintings with my own hands, for book cover art, and even unique pieces for prints, and more – think selling stuff on art sites as a designer.

My ultimate goal is to be able to draw my own characters like Ewan, Dana and Joshua Campbell (for example), so my readers and others can see them as I do… One of my author and art pals is in the middle of creating a webtoon for their debut novel, a science fiction/dystopian story, and it’s so cool seeing their characters as they see them.

I’d love to be able to do that, but it won’t be for a long, long time.

For one, I have to learn a few techniques. There’s more to drawing than just lines. You have to learn things like shading, blending colors, and more. It’s overwhelming at first, but I’m slowly getting used to holding a pencil different ways, and looking at objects and people to see the shapes in them, plus shading and different shades of colors, etc.

I recently purchased a large art pencil set from Amazon. It includes various pencils in varying hardness for drawing, outlining, shading and more; metallic and regular color pencils; charcoal in white, black and green with various hardness and softness; erasers, two pads (one for watercolors, one for plain sketching); and the most coolest of all – watercolor pencils which you draw with, then activate with water. It’s so awesome!

My new art pencil set... SO PRETTY!!!

I’ve played with shading and drawing with the regular pencils, and recently did a drawing using the black and green charcoals. Today is a fun day, I’m playing with the watercolor pencils. They are so much fun to use! I love it.

I’m not confident or good enough to share my work yet. It’s been ages since I last picked up a drawing pencil or paint, and I’m so rusty that I’m creaking loudly… Worse than a squeaky wheel.

It does feel great to be doing it again after so long. I find it relaxing, and it’s so nice to be able to see how much I’m improving even after a few tries at something. I still have light years to go but I’m willing to walk that distance.

Having a few great friends and art mentors cheering me on is a huge help too. I can’t thank them enough for their love and support!

I am so happy right now. I’m expanding my horizons back to what they were when I was a child. I’m writing, doing art on the computer as a graphics designer, and on my own with pencils and paper.

Life is so beautiful! I love this!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone! I leave you with a new single from Godsmack, who are one of my favorite bands. I can’t thank my longtime friend Lorrie L for introducing them to me. I love Godsmack! Here’s the video for Truth.

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!

Veridian Rose Graphics and Author PA Services is Now LIVE and More!

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since my last update, so there’s a bit to cover. Literally…

The big news…

I’ve put out my shingle as an Author Personal/Virtual Assistant. My fees will be listed on the webpage sometime soon, they are up on the Veridian Rose Graphics & Author PA Services page in Facebook. My services include creating promotional posters, FB cover banners, and posting to various social media sites, as well as helping out with an author’s blog and doing takeovers for them. I’ll be using my real name as a PA, that way I don’t steal anyone’s thunder as an author. I’m probably going to have to start a special page for the PA side of things in time, but for now, it’s under the Veridian Rose banner.

Why did I start it?

I guess I am not busy enough with writing, editing, beta reads for friends, helping out as a moderator in Book Carousel (FB group for Extasy Authors and their readers), promoting my own stuff (takeovers, etc), hosting takeovers in V.J.’s VIP Lounge, and real life stuff. For starters.

Sleep? What’s that?

I’ve been plugging away at more premade covers, this time in a “Rose” theme. I also have a few premade holiday covers up for sale, just posted on my Veridian Rose Graphics page in Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/VeridianRoseGraphicsDesign/

All covers are $50 USD ($60 CDN) for a 6 x 9 inch ebook cover. Packages are $100 USD ($115 CDN) for an ebook cover, a 13 x 9 paperback wraparound, two 1000 x 1000 pixel matching promotional posters, and a matching FB banner - addition of author logo is free of charge.

***All covers ©2022 Veridian Rose Graphics. All rights reserved. No use without permission from the creator. Message designer for purchase details and pricing.***

***All covers ©2022 Veridian Rose Graphics. All rights reserved. No use without permission from the creator. Message designer for purchase details and pricing.*** All elements have full/extended licensing.***

And the best news of all?

I was chatting with some friends in my author profile on Monday when I received a message from one of the top people at Extasy Books. Apparently, my editor and good friend, Jon Bradbury, nominated Honestly for the Extasy Books’ Editor’s Choice Seal, and Honestly got it.

Say what?????? 🤯

This is an honor that I never expected that book to get. Away to Me received the seal in 2019 (Thank you Trish, love ya!), so I wasn’t expecting another one of my books to get it, even 3 years later.

Surprise.

Needless to say I am thrilled to have another Editor’s Choice Seal added to one of my stories! Whoo hoo!!!!!

Check it out on the blog at Extasy Books: https://www.extasybooks.com/blogs/editors-choice?post_id=12

I have to admit, Honestly wasn’t an easy book to write. If you know me, you know I’m one of these people who accept others pretty much as they are. The only thing I care about is that you are a good person, and have a loving heart. Writing up things spewed by a bigot was upsetting for me. Those words made me feel icky as they were flying out of my fingers. I had to get it done – ASAP – or get disgusted and walk away from the book, for good. Let's just say my word count for some days while writing that one was over 11K due to the subject matter.

Check out the cover with the seal on it. Sooooooooooo pretty!

Thank you Jon Bradbury, Angela Waters, Tina Havemen, Jay Austin, and everyone else at Extasy Books! I’m so honored to be a part of the family! SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone… Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American fans, friends, and family who celebrate it. Don’t overdose on turkey!

I leave you with “Don’t Tell Me” (Featuring Ann Wilson from Heart), off of Divisive by Disturbed, which was released just last week. It’s so pretty, I love this song!

HONESTLY (Feathered Tartan 3) is Now Live and WIDE!

Hi Everyone! 

Sorry I haven’t been updating the blogs like I should be, but it’s been so crazy around here. School starts on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, so my son is bouncing around the house like a squirrel on crack because he’s so excited, and I’m also trying to get ready for that. All I can say is his poor teachers and TA. I pity them… LOL

 

Honestly (Feathered Tartan 3)

 

HONESTLY (Feathered Tartan 3) hit Extasy Books on August 19, 2022 – happy birthday to me! – and it went live on Amazon on August 27, meaning it’s now available in print on demand paperback. It finally went wide on September 1, 2022 to places like Barnes & Noble (Nook, ebook), Smashwords, Apple Books and of course, Kobo. I’m not sure when it’ll be up on other places, but hopefully soon.

I’m hoping everyone who has purchased or won a copy so far enjoys it. It’s not the easiest book to read – it deals with a lot of issues we see with the LGBTAQ+ community – but it’s some of my best work to date. Or I think it is.

I’ve been up to the eyeballs in promoting it, and making posters for it and the other books in the series. I’m also in the final stages of preparation for getting the next two books in the Feathered Tartan Series off of the ground – a short story and a novel – that are a duology within the series.

Like I said in the Hot off the Press 79 from Con-Tinual (podcast) a couple of weeks ago, you have to read Honestly before you hit Books 4 and 5. A huge catalyst happens in Honestly, which leads into the two next books of the series. I’m not saying what happens… To quote River Song from Doctor Who, “Spoilers!”

Watch it here:

 

Anyway, I am so glad it’s live and wide. I’m just waiting for the reviews to come in… If anyone is kind enough to post one. (HINT, HINT!)

You can find Honestly at your favorite store here: V.J. Allison on Books2Read.

Honestly on Extasy Books.

GoodReads: Honestly (Feathered Tartan 3)

Feathered Tartan Series on Extasy Books

Feathered Tartan Series on Amazon

 

*All of my backlist books, Stricken, Sweet Child of Mine, Away to Me and Under Your Scars, are on sale for 40% off e-books on Extasy Books’ site. You won’t get any books published by Extasy Books any cheaper than this sale! www.extasybooks.com

V.J. Allison on Extasy Books

 

**Honestly is not part of the sale. It is a New Release, and won’t be classed as a backlist book for a while.

 

Other News:

 

I already have names for Joshua and Lauren’s duology, even though the books are not finished yet. I started Book 5 before I even had the idea for Honestly, so it needs to be redone and refurbished to show canon from the other books in the series. I have “Super Secret Project the Second” in the works, but that won’t be ready for a while, and at least two more ideas I’m starting to build. So I have plenty to keep my butt out of hot water for a while writing wise.

With a little luck, Joshua and Lauren’s duology will be available from Extasy Books within the next couple of years. I hope to get a lot of it written over the coming school year, starting this week. Hubby works a lot of daytimes into the evenings – his schedule at the grocery store is loaded with a lot of 9 hour (or more) shifts – so I’m hoping to dive right into things the instant it’s just me and Marnie (the world’s craziest Maine Coon kitty!) in the house for a few hours. I see a lot of pacing, cussing, and tons of blue clouds hanging over the house…

"Feed me, Mama!" Marnie supurrvises me and demands treats for her work.

As for the graphics design end of work, I’m slowly improving my skills in creating covers and other graphics. It’s slow going because I’ve been going nuts with book promos and Halloween graphics (from scratch) for my own areas and Book Carousel (the FB Group for Extasy Books readers to mingle with their favorite authors!), prepping for at least a few upcoming takeovers in Book Carousel and other spots, as well as podcasts with Con-Tinual. (I love them!)

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg for me.

Today I leave you with a song that resonates loudly with Honestly – “Born this Way” by the amazing Lady Gaga. I have so much respect and admiration for this talented singer... She's wonderful!

Crunch Time!

It’s been a wild few weeks for me. Honestly is now in its final stages of being proofed for publication, and I’ve been going insane promoting it with posters including a countdown, making promos for it, organizing another takeover bash in V.J.’s VIP Lounge, and even setting up a few more takeovers around Facebook to help promote it even more.

We are six days away from it hitting the shelves at Extasy Books, and although I’m really excited to have another release with them, I’m also a bit nervous. Honestly is my first venture into the LGBTAQ+ romance realm, and although I was told I handled the topics featured in it with sensitivity and respect, I’m hoping those in the LGBTAQ+ community think I handled things the right way. People have told me they were happy to see me representing pansexuality, bisexuality and people who were assigned the wrong gender at birth – in Avery’s case, assigned female when in reality, he’s a guy – so hopefully it goes over well with others out there, ones who are just finding my work. Fingers crossed that people like it, and they fall in love with Avery and Dana.

 

This story was not an easy one to write, but at the same time, I am glad I wrote it. I’m hoping this book will help open the door to have trans, non-binary, genderfluid and two spirited people as leading characters in more mainstream romance novels, and others out there will see at least a few of the problems they face with acceptance and such for just being themselves.

 

As Dana’s cousin Ewan says in Honestly, “It’s not a crime to be yourself, no matter what others think.”

 

I just wish the misguided and misinformed people out there would see that instead of insisting everyone be in some neat little boxes the misguided ones have in their minds…

 

Honestly was featured in a blog entry on Extasy Books main site this weekend. If you want a sneak peek, click here: https://www.extasybooks.com/blogs?post_id=11

 

Thanks to the staff at Extasy Books for featuring it this time! I am so tickled and honored to be featured this week!

 

I’m hosting a release day party and birthday takeover bash in my group, V.J.’s VIP Lounge on August 19, 2022 from 10 AM to 10 PM Eastern Time. Honestly is coming out on my birthday this year, and I’m beyond excited. It’s a double celebration, so I plan on living it up and having a blast with a lot of my friends, new and old, and hopefully some readers that day.

 

Honestly Release Day Party

and V.J.’s Birthday Takeover Bash

Date: August 19, 2022

Where: V.J.’s VIP Lounge

https://www.facebook.com/groups/vjsvips

Time: NOON to 10 PM Eastern (Free Promo Hour starting at 10 AM EDT)

 

Participating Authors include:

 

Ø      D.S. Dehel

Ø      Maggie Blackbird

Ø      Tim Smith

Ø      Kat Blackthorne

Ø      Cameron Allie

Ø      Scarlet Blackwell

Ø      Deja Black

Ø      Bre Rose

Ø      Adalynd Grayves

Ø      Kris Jacen

Ø      Stephanie Nichole

Ø      Lyndell Williams

Ø      V.J. Allison

 

Special appearance by Extasy Books.

Special giveaway by Gabriella Bradley and Taryn Jameson.

 

I will be giving away at least one ebook copy of Honestly via Extasy Books site. I can’t wait! It’s going to be so much fun!

 

Last chance to sign up! I will be handing out mod status to anyone who doesn’t have it yet on Monday, so get in there now!

 

SIGN UP HERE!!

 

Everyone is welcome to come in and join in the fun. My group is for authors and readers!

 

I will also be doing a Meet the Author in Book Carousel on August 22, 2022, and I will be featuring Honestly, as well as my other books published by Extasy Books.

 

To join in the fun, you can join Book Carousel here:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/bookcarousel

 

Upcoming takeovers in Book Carousel include Maggie Blackbird on August 15, 2022 and Kat Blackthorne on September 19^th.

As for my other work, I’m almost finished the preliminary work on Feathered Tartan 4, which is a short story and it is the first part of a duology within the series. It features Joshua Campbell (Dana and Ewan’s cousin) who is dealing with a lot of issues. He meets fiery redhead Lauren at a tropical resort, and one thing leads to another…

Warning: Feathered Tartan 4 will not be a romance so to speak. It will not have a happy ever after or even a happy for now. It will wrap up in Feathered Tartan 5, which I hope to write immediately after Book 4 is drafted, so I can keep things rolling smoothly and submit the two stories within a month of each other, IF I can do it. If not, I’ll just have to hold back on submitting Book 4 until Book 5 is ready.

 

I’m so ready for Honestly to hit the shelves. It was over 3 years in the making, and I’m so happy everyone is finally going to see how amazing Dana and Avery are. I love them dearly, and I hope all of you love them as much as I do.

Don’t forget to check out Maggie Blackbird’s hot new release, His Proposition, available now from Extasy Books!

https://www.extasybooks.com/His-Proposition

 

Have an amazing weekend everyone! My favorite band, Disturbed, recently released a new track, Hey You, from their upcoming album that will be out later this year. I love it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do… Check it out!