It’s been a minute since I provided an update on my next WIP (and soon-to-be second novel), so it’s high time I share some exciting news with you… “Good Bones” – the first in my Savvy Homes Trilogy – will be available very soon in Kindle and paperback formats! I’ve been hard at work with my designer (the fabulous Natalie Keller Reinert), prepping and polishing this exciting new book baby, and it’s just about ready to share with you.
But first… an explanation for why I’ve been slow on the updates. I stumbled upon this post yesterday on one of my favorite writing social media accounts (“Writers Write”), and I shared it to my Facebook page. It rings really, really true for me.
To clarify:
- “your main book”: My Edward VI manuscript (finally submitted to my UK publisher on March 30th!)
- “sort of editing another”: Good Bones!
- “shiny new idea you’re pretending to ignore”: The second installment of my Savvy Homes Trilogy (only trying to ignore it while I focus on the tasks at hand!)
- “comfort wip”: The Regency romance novel that I started years ago (of which I shared chapter one with you last week). This is an oddly fun project for me, and the spark has been reignited because of (yep) Bridgerton.
- “that one you write in your head before sleep”: I could probably say this about every single one of my WIPs.
- “idea you’re ‘saving’ until you can do it justice”: That Young Adult paranormal romance that I haven’t stopped thinking about for ten years.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I always have my hands in too many pots. Story ideas fill my brain all the time. I even had trouble earlier today as I was trying to concentrate on listening to my audiobook… but instead my brain was busy puzzling together a storyline for book two in this series. Now I’ll have to re-listen to everything!
So… suffice to say, I find it hard to concentrate and actually get a single project done. If I found this to be easier, I likely would have published GOOD BONES months ago, but alas… here we are.
Still, progress is progress, and there IS progress! Natalie is working on the final formatting of my interior pages, and I’ve received the GORGEOUS front cover draft just this morning. I think you’re going to love it! I’ve initialized steps to create both the Kindle and paperback versions with Amazon KDP, and I’ll be uploading all of the content as soon as I receive it from Natalie. Pretty soon, I’ll have some fun promo images to share with you, too.
For one final update… I can actually tell you what GOOD BONES is going to be all about! I’ve got the back cover blurb here for you (still subject to revision before I officially hit “Publish”), and I hope it intrigues you enough to start getting excited to read this story.
Oh, and here’s a pretty picture of my setting (beautiful Savannah, Georgia), to help set the scene:
Nothing makes Carlee Murdoch feel more alive than when she’s bringing a sad old home back to its former glory. Hammer in hand and tool belt strapped to her waist, she takes enormous pride in the work she does as a home renovator – one branch of the successful house-flipping business she owns with her two best friends in the heart of historic Savannah, Georgia. Savvy Homes is her pride and joy, and starting a new house project one summer day shouldn’t feel any different than usual – except for the fact that her floor guy has just unexpectedly quit and she’s faced with his irritating – and irritatingly attractive – swift replacement.
Josh Winters hasn’t been in Savannah long, but he has a feeling he could settle in easily enough – especially as he snags a job as a handy-man with Savvy Homes. The only problem is, his boss has a way of making him feel like he doesn’t know up from down, and he’s never felt unsteady around a woman in all his life. Carlee’s a puzzle he’s decided he just might like to figure out, and certainly a challenge that gets his blood roiling. But he needs to make this job work one way or another, so he can finally prove that he can make something of himself after years of falling short.
As Carlee has learned over the years as a home renovation expert, even the best laid plans don’t always work out the way you’d expect. Josh has no problem getting under her skin, and yet the closer they work together, the more she finds she just might not be able to resist the charms that simmer deep beneath his frustrating surface. But the temptation she fights against is matched by the strain of certain family relationships, the meddling of her best friends, and even a few ghostly spirits who lurk around America’s most haunted city. Will it be just another hard-working summer for Carlee, or finally time to build a solid foundation for her own future?
More to come very soon!
-Stephanie
STEPHANIE KLINE 