Why, hello! It’s been a while, I know… it’s like I’ve fallen off the face of the earth and neglected posting or updating anything related to my writing. That’s because life has gotten crazy and I’ve had quite a lot to occupy my time. Of course, it’s also the holiday season. Is it just me, or did the pace of life really pick up at the beginning of October? … So much so that I can’t actually believe it’s the end of the year and Christmas is just ten days away. How did that happen?
Anyway, I wanted to write a brief update to let anyone reading this know that I am, in fact, still very much writing and preparing to publish my second novel. I have not stopped – in fact, the polished draft was “finished” in late September and I’ve recently gotten back in touch with my fabulous designer, Natalie Keller Reinert, to start talking cover design! As I type this, the PDF version of the manuscript is sitting on my iPad awaiting my husband’s meticulous proofreading. (This is something I really wish I’d had him do with WILD HEARTS, but I had no idea how good he was at picking out typos. He found a ton of them after the book had been published… which was just great). This time, I’ve learned my lesson. I’m going to have him comb through this next novel before I send the final draft to be formatted for publishing… and maybe then we’ll have a few fewer typos in the finished product.
Here’s a sneak peek:
Hah! Isn’t that plain white cover page tantalizing?? Hey, the point is that the full manuscript is on the iPad, and we’re just a few more steps away from publication. I had said a few months back that I had hoped to have this guy out in the world sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas – well, silly me for thinking I’d have any free time during this part of the year. My new, more realistic, goal is sometime in February(ish) 2022.
As you can see, the title of this novel is GOOD BONES, and it’s going to be Book One in a trilogy called “Savvy Homes.” I’ll share more about this in due time – once I’ve finalized the draft and know none of the content is changing. But get excited, because a trilogy means there is a LOT of fun for these characters ahead. I’ve had such a great time finishing book number one, and I’m well on my way to completing the first draft of number two. Let’s see how long that one takes me (I can’t even think about it yet).
On the WILD HEARTS front, things are going well! I’m thrilled with the average 4.70 rating on Goodreads (5 stars on Amazon!) and the lovely reviews it’s received so far. I’m always excited to hear that someone new has enjoyed the story, and I can only hope that it’s being shared among friends! Hey… in case you didn’t know, Christmas is just around the corner, and maybe WILD HEARTS is the perfect gift for someone in your life! (Amazon tells me it’ll be delivered by Christmas if you order today. 🙂 )
That’s all from me (for now). I promise I’ll try to update more frequently once the holidays are behind us and I can breathe again. Maybe by then GOOD BONES will be in the hands of my designer and I’ll have more exciting news to share!
Until then… enjoy this festive, cozy time of year, cuddle up with a good book, and have yourself a merry little Christmas (and a happy New Year).
WILD HEARTS can be purchased in Kindle and paperback formats at Amazon!
STEPHANIE KLINE 