Ah, The Life of a Writer!

 

By: Kathleen Lawless

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The life of a writer is a very solitary one.  We work away, just us and the computer screen and our imagination, creating worlds and characters and stories that we hope will enhance the reading pleasure of many.

 

I have never written a Christmas story, so when the call came to join with nine other writers and create the perfect New England Christmas town, I was ready for the fun.  Emails flew back and forth, fast and furious.  The Town Square, known as the Common was created.  A date agreed upon for the annual Christmas Tree Light Up Festivities.  Hot chocolate?  Of course.  Sleigh rides?  Absolutely!  Snowman building competition?  You bet! 

 

Shops and shopkeepers and their locations were shared and pinpointed.  A Christmas tree farm here.  A frozen skating pond there.  And what about a B&B, described in detail and given a prime location in our perfect town?

 

Once the setting was nailed down, each author gave birth to her story.  And thus, we presented to the world, CHRISTMAS COMES TO DICKENS.  WE hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing our stories in this unique setting.  https://books2read.com/DickensChristmas 

My Story, HOLLY’S WISH, was inspired by my favorite childhood Christmas book, The Story of Holly and Ivy.  I still read it every year during the holidays.  Because with Christmas magic in the air, anything is possible.

Excerpt from HOLLY’S WISH By Kathleen Lawless

“You should never underestimate the power of wishing for what you want. It always worked for me,” Kris said.

“Oh, I do,” Holly said blithely. “Every shooting star, new moon, and birthday candle.  You name it, I send my wish out there. It’s not my fault no one seems to be listening.”

“Your time will come,” Kris said.

As Kris spoke, the shop door opened with a tinkle of overhead bells. Holly looked over to see a tall, dark-hair man stamping snow off his feet. She took a second look, because, truthfully there weren’t a lot of good-looking men in town. Something about him seemed familiar, but before Holly could get a good look he turned away. She was left with an impression of a square jaw, pronounced cheekbones, with a straight, masculine nose nicely balanced above full lips. Maybe she had taken his photo at some point.

When he passed her in the aisle without a second look, she figured she must be mistaken. She paused at the door for one last look, but his back was toward her.  Typical man, doing his Christmas shopping at the last minute.

I hope you fall in love with every one of our Christmas stories and Dickens.

MILLIE’S AWESOME HOLIDAY MIRACLE by Top 100 Author Nancy Fraser - Can one little girl fill the holiday season with enough miracles for everyone? This story will warm your heart.

MIRACLE AT HOLLY HILL INN by Top 100 Author Maddie James - Ariana is looking for the perfect Christmas. Instead, she finds a Scrooge. Will two days snowbound at Holly Hill Inn bring them together?

HOLIDAY HEARTS by Top 100 Author Caroline Clemmons - Laura is funny, beautiful, and smart. She’s not about to date her boss. Can Ward convince her he’s not just looking for a holiday fling?

THE TINSEL TANGO by Best Selling Author Bonnie Edwards - She needs R&R. He teaches Tango. Or does he? Can love survive secrets & hidden agendas when a dance teacher is exposed as a wealthy tycoon?

WISDOM OF THE HEART by USA Today Best Selling Author Liz Flaherty - Best friends fell in love in high school. But life, families & distance happened along the way. Could they still be in love?

OPERATION SNOWBALL by Best Selling Author Kathryn Hills - Returning home to Dickens is hard for Army veteran, John Gridley. The last thing he expects to find is love with a pretty widow.

ANGEL KISSES AND HOLIDAY WISHES by Best Selling Author Peggy Jaeger - Sage left years ago, leaving Keith's heart in tatters. She's back as his grandmother’s doctor. Is there hope for them?

HOLLY’S WISH by Top 100 Author Kathleen Lawless - What if the girl who got away is standing right in front of you? Years ago, they shared one magical Christmas Eve. Is it too late for them now?

HOLIDAY HEART WISHES by Best Selling Author Lucinda Race - Vera picks up Tony, a stranded motorist, on her way back to Dickens. Will they discover their heart wishes can come true at Christmas?

SANTA’S WISH by Best Selling Author Jan Scarbrough - Will Christmas magic help them overcome the obstacles of her dashed career ambitions and his grief so they can find a second chance at love?

Since writing makes us hungry, we also compiled some of our favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes in IT’S A DICKENS OF A COOKIE.  Yours to download FREE.  https://books2read.com/dickens-cookie        Happy Thanksgiving All!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steamy or sweet, as long as there’s a romance, an alpha male or a cowboy Kathleen reads and writes them all One of her heroes, Steele, is a modern-day cowboy, so when she was dating on-line and met a man called Steel— Well, he’s not a cowboy but his is an alpha male and her forever hero. Which is why all of her stories end Happily Ever After. Not that she can ever stick to just one genre. So many stories to tell—never enough time. With close to 30 published novels to her credit, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional romance into historical romance, erotic romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction and stories for young adults. Something for everyone!

Get Yout Holiday Sparkle on!

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

December is around the corner and with it comes some amazing reads from some of your favorite authors.  It’s a time for feel good stories and true holiday miracles.

December is also one of my most favorite months. It’s a month of parties, giving, receiving and forgiving.  Love is in the air. Caring is sharing!

When I blogged two weeks ago, I gave you a preview of some of the holiday projects I’ve been working on.  As promised, I’ve returned to tell you more.

Last year, author Bettye Griffin and I put our heads together to come up with The Holiday Sparkle series; 4 novellas that all center around the magic of a rented red dress. At the time we had no idea how well received these novellas would be.

The first novella released at Thanksgiving was Bettye Griffin’s Love on Lakeshore Drive, followed by my Naughty in New York. Bettye’s Holiday in Houston followed, and the series concluded with my Loose in Las Vegas. These red dress stories took place over the holiday season, starting with a Thanksgiving wedding and ending with a New Year’s Eve bash in Las Vegas. Our heroines find love wearing a memorable red dress.

Keeping with this trend, in 2017 we bring you Rockin’ the Rockies set in both Aspen and Denver, and told from two points of view.

Heroines Sari Saunders and Bethany Gill attend a fundraising event in Aspen with their respective dates. Both women are wearing almost the same red dress.  Livingston Cox, Sari’s date, is the heir to L&L Markets; a chain of grocery stores in the Denver area.   Dante Martinez is the manager of one of Livingston’s most successful stores. He’s surprised to run into Sari, his twins’ nursery school teacher, and he’s even more surprised to discover how attracted he is to her.  Now Dante has plans, and those plans include Sari and his own store.

Livingston from the moment he sets eyes on beautiful Bethany wants her as his own.  And so, the two switch dates.  Will the red dress weave its usual magic?       

Rockin’ the Rockies will be available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in a few weeks. We’d be ever so grateful if you’d pick up a copy and give us a review.  

Next up this holiday season is By Design, my collaboration with New Times Bestseller, Sandra Kitt. Our story, set in the historical city of Philadelphia, has at its center Elle Stanford; a marketing executive who loses her job. To get through the holiday season she takes a position as a sales associate at H. E. Caldwell's; Philadelphia’s only black owned store; a store currently up for sale.

Elle runs into Miles Bradshaw for a second time, (a man she hooked up with years ago), at the store shopping for a gift for his son, and the romance is on. Can Elle and her innovative marketing ideas save H. E. Caldwell’s? Is Miles Bradshaw the upstanding man he purports to be?  Will this holiday season be the best one ever?

Readers of Romancing the Genres Blog are the first to see to the cover of By Design. This full-length novel will be available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in both  eform and in print.

Everyone loves a good holiday story and we hope we delivered. For more about me and my books, please visit me at https://www.goodreads.com/ or on my website http://www.lovemarcia.com/current.htm

This holiday season put a little love in your heart. Read, and get your sparkle on!.

Romantically Yours,

Marcia King-Gamble

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This former travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

It's beginning to feel a lot like the holidays!

By Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

It’s that time of year again. The holidays are upon us, and excitement is in the air. The older I get, the faster the years seem to go by. For those of you living in cooler climates amid changing leaves and snow flurries, I envy you.

Here in sunny Florida, we’re experiencing a chill, meaning it‘s no longer in the nineties. My air conditioning bill could use a break so I’m very grateful.  For us Floridians, it’s the time of year to start looking forward to the annual boat parade. This is quite a treat as it’s usually a night of serious partying as the decorated boats float by.

Usually the Grand Marshall is famous. This year its Big & Rich. I’m told they are popular country music artists. Boats of every size and type compete, and if you’re fortunate enough to live on the intracoastal, it’s an awesome sight with lots of music, lights and dancing. Think of the Rose Parade, except this is on the water.  

For me, ‘tis the season to cuddle up with a wonderful, feel good story, of which there are many, including the ones I write.  

Last year, author Bettye Griffin and I penned the Holiday Sparkle series, fondly dubbed, Get Your Sparkle on? My contributions were Naughty in New York and Loose in Las Vegas. We later boxed all 4 novellas. You can get them as a package here:   http://a.co/cenb83G

These stories all focus on a red dress that changes a woman’s life forever. Naturally, she’s wearing the dress when she meets her prince.

Naughty in New York, http://a.co/eUjuuSO, the second in the series, is a reunion story of love lost and hearts on the mend.  Here’s an excerpt below:

Theodora Johnston has worked all her life to get to where she is; Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Beau Visage; a major cosmetic house. She’s sacrificed having a personal life, and given up on finding love. Now she is seriously considering having a baby on her own.

Anderson MacDonald is the newly appointed COO, and her boss. Two decades ago they had a love affair that didn’t end well. There is unfinished business between them, and a love that remains. Can they get past the hurt created by a huge misunderstanding?

  Here’s what one reader had to say about Naughty in New York:

“Naughty In New York" was probably one of the best novellas that I have had the pleasure of reading in quite some time! What a fast paced, endearing romance that truly set the mood for the season! I loved it and can't wait for the next in the holiday sequel!!!”

Rounding out the anthologies last year, was Loose in Las Vegas, http://a.co/4nGcqKf,  a fun story about an Internet romance set in Sin City. It’s a story that has an unusual twist when the love interest turns out to be completely different than the person my heroine has been chatting with. Sound familiar?

Struggling dress designer, Lana Hunter finds herself at loose ends on New Years Eve. On a whim, she decides to head for Las Vegas to meet the guy she's been chatting with on an internet dating site. What happens in Las Vegas is supposed to stay in Las Vegas. But Lana gets far more than she bargained for when she meets Cato Tennille a successful software developer. 

Here’s what another reader had to say about Loose in Las Vegas:

“Another great Red Dress read!! Like the other 2 books; this one also takes you on a wonderful romantic journey via the red dress. Plus, the back story of finding a parent. Really great read!”

This season a fifth novella is about to be added to the Holiday Sparkle Series. Bettye Griffin and I are excited to present “Rockin’ the Rockies.”  This story starts off in Aspen, but is set in Denver, and told from two different points of view. The only thing I can tell you right now is that our couples switch partners. We are still in the writing and refining stages of this novella.

If that isn’t enough, I’m working on another joint venture with bestselling author Sandra Kitt. Our story is titled By Design and the storyline will be revealed on November 30th when I’m blogging again about holiday stories. I can then give you a sneak peek of the cover, which by the way I love.  

Be sure to join me on November 30^th when I ‘m going to introduce more holiday reads. I’ll be revealing book covers, sharing links, and telling tales out of school. Your choice whether you want me to be naughty or nice.

One holiday book that’s already released and available for purchase is that of fellow Generista, Kristin Wallace. It’s titled Loving you at Christmas. Here’s the link http://a.co/j3AVw9V

 

Happy Reading, happy fall, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving  all!

Romantically Yours,

Marcia King-Gamble

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This former travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

Making Spirits Bright

by Diana McCollum

You can’t beat the price of .99 cents for "Making Spirits Bright", a wonderful Christmas anthology. Four beautiful never before released novellas. The stories range from cozy mystery to romance. All are sure to get you in the Christmas spirit.

The following are the stories included in the anthology along with their blurbs.

Multi-published author Chautona Havig says: “Dreams are beautiful things, though; they never quite disappear. I began writing again, editing, writing, editing…more editing… and now I have over a hundred books in progress and a few dozen published. I write the stories of fictional people who have real problems, weaknesses, and triumphs. Through their stories, I try to share the Hope that is within me." (from Amazon bio)

Merri’s Christmas Mission by ChautonaHavig  

“Merri Zeiger is on a mission--create a fabulous Christmas for her three children on a dime. Well, that is if she can spare one. After six months of unemployment, her benefits have run out and so has her Christmas fund. 
But when she meets her rival in a giveaway for a pool table, things start to look a bit brighter.
"Barney" Barnett isn't supposed to have to do fundraising for The Mission, but until they replace the last guy, he's stuck on a daily trek to enter a giveaway for a pool table. Meeting Merri and hearing her story gives him a solution to both of their problems. Merri's Christmas Mission--one woman's quest to conquer Christmas.”

Author April Hayman  Amazon bio: “April Hayman lives in the high desert of California with her husband and their three sons. During the day, she focuses on homeschooling the boys and working on client projects. She writes at night when the temperature outside is only somewhat cooler than during the day.”

Lead a Merry Dance by April Hayman  

“FBI Agent Trip Devereaux' s time has run out: take his new wife, Libby, on a honeymoon (finally) or find out what it's like to live in the dog house. His solution? A Christmas Caribbean cruise! But when a jewelry thief strikes and Libby is - literally - left holding the bag, Trip's vacation is put on hold so he can prove his wife's innocence. Can he find the real thief in time? Or will their first shore excursion be a one-way trip to jail for Libby?”

Amazon author page: “Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness.”

A Sidelined Christmas by ToniShiloh        

“Sidelined with a career-ending injury, wide receiver Jahleel Walker is forced to return to his hometown of Peachwood Bay, Georgia to heal. Nothing shocks him more than running into his high-school sweetheart, Lucille “Bebe” Gordon.
Bebe Gordon returned to Peachwood Bay three years ago with a divorce certificate and her daughter, Hope. When Jahleel returns, all the memories of the past come rushing back. She can’t decide if he’s changed or if her heart is holding onto past hurts.
Will Jahleel and Bebe take a chance on love or let life sideline them at Christmas?”

Author Cathe Swanson Amazon bio: The long Wisconsin winters are perfect for writing and reading books! Cathe enjoys writing stories with eccentric characters of all ages. Her books will make you laugh and make you cry – and then make you laugh again.

Hope for the Holidays by CatheSwanson   

Newly arrived from her home in the Congo and armed with a brand-new degree in nonprofit management, Carrie Strough is eager to organize and improve the Unity Plenkiss Community Center. Unfortunately, no one wants to be organized, and only Micah Neresen, the charming and handsome pastor of the local church, is interested in her plans. Or is he just interested in Carrie?
With a cast of lively and eccentric characters including a homeless vet with PTSD, a con man, an elderly couple with an over-the-top Christmas display, a feisty committeewoman with a past of her own, and a police investigation, Micah and Carrie wonder if there is any hope for the holidays this year!”

I hope you will give this wonderful anthology a try! You won't be disappointed!

What do you prefer in a Christmas story? Sweet or Spicey?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anthology First #scifi #romance #SFRBrigade

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories to engage your emotions. I seem to have been unlucky when it comes to anthology calls. Of the several I've submitted to, most were cancelled due to too few submissions. In most cases, I've gone ahead and self published the short story I'd written anyway because why not? (They did get edited first - I never put something out without edits!).

A 2016 SFR Galaxy Award
winner

A Gulf Coast RWA 2013
Silken Sands Self-Published
Star Contest finalist

But in 2012, an author group I was part of (the Science Fiction Romance Brigade) decided to produce their own anthology - a collection of scifi romance shorts to promote the wide selection of stories that the still overlooked and under-appreciated genre had to offer. I really wanted to be a part of it...but I had no ideas. Despite an overflowing Plot Bunny Storage Facility, I wanted something really...well, that would be really something. I put out a call for help on Twitter, where I know several authors who sometimes look to rehome unwanted plot bunnies that they just don't have time to work on. A fellow author threw several ideas my way, and one stuck - a thief and a lawman. I hadn't really written any kind of anti-hero/reluctant hero before, so the idea of a reformed (or maybe not) thief appealed to me.

The second inspiration came from watching Mission Impossible 2. I'm not much of a Tom Cruise fan to be honest, but I loved the original series so I've watched the films. I'm not going to tell you what scene it was because it'll be kind of spoilery, but once I had that first line down, the rest seemed easy. Well, at least until the editor got hold of it anyway... :P

As you might have guessed, my story got chosen, along with seven others. Chuffed doesn't cover it! My assigned editor was a tough cookie (but that's the way I like 'em), and together we carved Imprint into shape. And then the shiny bonus - my story got picked to open the anthology! I was really proud, but also a little scared. What if my opening lines put readers off the whole collection? What if it put them off picking up the book at all?!

8 free SFR short stories in 1
WEBSITE | GOODREADS
Available for FREE from...
 Amazon | Smashwords 
 B&N |  Kobo
iBooks | Diesel Books

I needn't have worried. Since its release in 2013, Tales from the SFR Brigade has had almost 12000 downloads, AND was a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick, scoring 4.5 stars. It's currently 4.2 stars on Amazon US too. And it's completely free to download.

Experience love and adventure among the stars in TALES FROM THE SFR BRIGADE, a free digital anthology of eight Science Fiction Romance stories.

* A space captain discovers the cyborg she loves just might be her greatest enemy.

* A mind-wiped prostitute risks all when she recruits a dangerous stranger to help her escape a terrible fate.

* A prisoner-of-war confronts the comrade who loved her, then left her for dead.

* A space-obsessed physics teacher is kidnapped by a far-too-charming alien.

* An apocalypse survivor battles the biomech-enhanced hunter who seeks to capture her.

* A young artist must choose between her comfortable life on Earth or a war-torn space colony with her beloved.

* A daring thief is on the run from the alien law man who is determined to bring her to justice.

* A widowed rebel leader tries to save the last remnants of humanity, one stranger at a time.

From Earth to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, explore the worlds of Science Fiction Romance with stories from Linnea Sinclair, Marcella Burnard, Erica Hayes, Liana Brooks, Pippa Jay, Berinn Rae, Amy Laurens, and Kyndra Hatch.

Download TALES FROM THE SFR BRIGADE for free today.

Find out more HERE.

***

Since the release of Tales, the Brigade has gone on to do seven volumes of first chapter samplers - the Portals - and another anthology - Romancing the Stars - to further showcase the very best that our genre has to offer, and all free (bar RtS). Romance boldly going forth...

Covering the Cover

by Diana McCollum

I have been a part of two anthologies. The first was a collaboration with other Windtree Press authors. I wrote my story. It was edited by other authors. And I had no control over the cover or anything really but my story. One person handled each and some times more than one of the tasks in putting the anthology together.

In the anthology "Gifts from the Heart", released early January 2015, I wrote a very short story "Saved by the Ring". This story is based on a true story my father told me about. The incident took place during WWII. I updated it to a contemporary story.

I felt the book turned out great. I liked the cover. It's hard to please everyone, and the more authors involved the more differences there are of what would work and what wouldn't. So the fact that one person or maybe two were in charge of that aspect was great.

Fast forward a couple years and I had two short stories come out in the anthology "Love & Magick". All together there are six different short stories, from various genres, and by three different authors. There are historical, time travel, a grown up fairy tale, contemporary, western and paranormal.

In  the anthology, Love & Magick my first two short stories were published, "Ghost of a Chance" & "The Crystal Witch".

We all chimed in on what we wanted on the cover. When you think about it, covering all the different genres on one cover would be impossible.

Having three women with their own ideas, almost impossible.

Our cover went back to the cover artist half a dozen times until we finally settled on this one. And this last cover one of us didn't like the fact the lady looked like she was NOT wearing a swim suit.

Although, she could have been wearing a strapless bikini top. So it went back to the cover artist and Karen Duvall of Duvall Design photo shopped bathing suit ties around the ladies neck. A cover artist is an indispensable part of your publishing process. No matter who you hire, the money is well worth having a professional looking cover.

Our theme was romance and each story had some sort of magick in it. I believe our final cover suggests that.

The design of a book cover is so important since that is the first thing that grabs a reader to pick up your book and read the back copy/blurb and buy it. That initial emotional response, so important!

One thing you need to think about is the mood of your book. The colors, patterns, and type of lettering that resonates with your book theme.  "Love & Magick" I believe the cover mood shows mystery, magick and romance. The blues with the moon enhance the mood.

Another way is to check on the e-book outlets for covers in your genre. What is popular right now for suspense, historical, paranormal etc. You want your cover to stand out from the competition. Check out the covers of New York best sellers in your genre. Set up a file on your computer with all the covers you like. What is it that draws you to that cover? Then you have ideas to give your cover designer.

If you are creating your own book design it is better to go simple and sophisticated, rather than trying to cram too much on to the cover making it cluttered and too busy. If the reader's eye can't focus on the simple, she'll move on to another book. Fonts should be bold and clear for your title and your name. 

Always make sure you check your cover as a thumbnail size. Is the design show good as a thumbnail? Most people who buy online will see this thumbnail size first. You want your book to pop and show well in the small size.

Have you read books where you've wondered how on earth does the cover relate to the story?

When I write,  I weave elements of paranormal,  and fantasy into my stories. I always have a Happily Ever After, because I have to for my own satisfaction!  

My hope is that I am able to take you away from your everyday life for a journey that is both entertaining, and fun, and sometimes a little scary, then I've succeeded in my job as a writer.

To purchase click on links:
"Gifts of the Heart" by Windtree Press Authors
"Love & Magick" by Judith Ashley, Diana McCollum & Sarah Raplee

http://dianamccollum.weebly.com/books.html
http://bit.ly/2nld4AC  (visit my author page on Facebook)
@Dianasuemcc   Follow me on twitter

Not the Anthology of Your Childhood Anymore!

by M. L. Buchman

As a young reader I was totally addicted to anthologies, especially in science fiction. I read almost every single anthology of Issac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke short stories. I particularly loved their interstitial introductions to tell me the background of their stories. I also was a rabid reader of Hugo and Nebula Award anthologies.

Version 1: Anthology Magazine
Then I sidetracked into novels for a long time and actually forgot about my love of the short form. When I became a writer, that carried over. "I don't read short stories, why would I write them?" I kept saying that until an editor got sick of it and said, "I'm making you a lead name in an anthology magazine, get over it. It's title is Christmas Ghosts." "But I don't write ghosts!" I won't use the adjective fulminating to describe her look as she's also a friend...so I'll just go with "disgusted."

So I entered the land of anthologies and short fiction as a writer simultaneously:

Amazon

Okay, so this looks like a perfectly normal anthology from my childhood: a theme, an editor, and multiple authors who were all paid up front. Except it isn't. This is issue #4 in a bimonthly magazine that now is coming up on four years and I've been in several other issues and, I'm told, will be in more to come.

Less than ten years ago this would have been incomprehensible. There are no ads, they pay pro-rates (and no, sorry, they don't accept queries or submissions of any sort). This would have been insupportable in the past. Thanks to modern publishing (e-book and POD and DIY audio) it is now completely viable.

Version 2: My Own Yearly Best Of!
I then took that idea to heart and created my yearly Ides of Matt series. Once my "I don't write short" was busted over my friend's knee, I discovered that I loved writing short stories. For over three years now, I have been writing short stories and releasing them for free on my website (www.mlbuchman.com) at the same time I publish them. I've especially fallen in love with writing romance short stories.

Which had led me to creating my own annual anthologies with introductions for each story.

More Info / Buy Links

But it just keeps getting better:

Version 3: Cooperative Anthology (Box Set / Collection / Bundles)
We all know what they are now. A box set used to be a true rarity (the complete Anne of Green Gables for example), and they literally came in a box. Now authors are creating massive ones with thirty novels all by different authors and smaller ones by two.

I'm presently doing one of the latter with the amazing Regency author Grace Burrowes. As my specialty is military romantic suspense, common ground appeared illusive. But we both wanted to set a story in the ranch country beneath Montana's Big Sky.

Well, no one in traditional publishing would have touched us with a ten-foot pole. Frankly, we'd have been laughed from the room even though we both write contemporary romance series...it's just not either of our core audiences.

But this is the new age, so that didn't stop us.

More Info / Pre-order links

What's perhaps even more curious, we're doing it as a 90-day box set (as in"Grab It Now, Or It's Gone!" marketing mentality). Utterly impossible to our old mindset of how publishing works...worked. Hmm...

Version 4: Unbound Anthology
Sometimes the titles aren't even sold together! I recently participated in a project called Titan World. Ten authors writing separate titles, all linked to an eleventh author's world (Cristin Harber, by permission and with contracts in place). It is more a cooperative marketing tool than an anthology, but it still fits the definition of one...doesn't it? Common theme, multiple authors. But no longer one set? But it is an anthology, they're all set within a single world. Double hmmm...

More Info

Version 5: "Limited by Your Imagination" Anthology
With the changes in technology and delivery now available to authors, the possibilities of ways to anthologize are unlimited! I can't wait to see what happens next.

M.L. Buchman started the first of over 50 novels while flying from South Korea to ride his bicycle across the Australian Outback. Part of a solo around the world trip that ultimately launched his writing career.

All three of his military romantic suspense series—The Night Stalkers, Firehawks, and Delta Force—have had a title named “Top 10 Romance of the Year” by the American Library Association’s Booklist. NPR and Barnes & Noble have named other titles “Top 5 Romance of the Year.” In 2016 he was a finalist for Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA award. He also writes: contemporary romance, thrillers, and fantasy.

Past lives include: years as a project manager, rebuilding and single-handing a fifty-foot sailboat, both flying and jumping out of airplanes, and he has designed and built two houses. He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife and is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing and receive a free starter e-library by subscribing to his newsletter at: www.mlbuchman.com