Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 51
July 8, 2016
Updates
Click here to pre-order!
It’s hard to believe, but it’s only nine days away from coming out. This is the last book in the Marriage by Agreement Series.
For those who like to wait until the entire series is complete before reading it, here’s the order:
Book 1: His Wicked Lady
Book 2: Her Devilish Marquess
Book 3: The Earl’s Wallflower Bride
The Marriage Agreement is off to my awesome publisher!
Click here to pre-order!
This one is still coming out August 7.
I just finished up with the edits (thanks to my terrific editing and beta reading team!), and I have emailed the book to my publisher this morning. This gives the publisher plenty of time to go over it and get it uploaded for the release date.
This is Book 2 in the Pioneer Series. I’m currently working on Groom For Hire, which is Book 3. (Wagon Trail Bride is Book 1.)
The Unofficial Epilogue to The Marriage Agreement will come out on August 7 as a flash fiction story! (It will be free.)
For those of you on my email list, I did do an epilogue featuring the hero and heroine in The Marriage Agreement. That epilogue goes off to those on my email list. If you’re not on my email list yet but would like to be, go here.
I won’t spoil The Marriage Agreement, but suffice it to say this 1,200-word story extends the happy ending for another character (rather than the hero and heroine). Since it is so short, it will be free.
I just finished the first draft for The Accidental Mail Order Bride!
Click here to pre-order!
And yes, I did reveal who killed Lydia Richie in The Mistaken Mail Order Bride.
Thanks to everyone for being patient with me for making you wait. I think when you read the book you’ll understand why the hero in this particular book had to have a hand in solving the mystery.
This book is due out September 4. I should have it ready for my editing and beta reading team next week.
The Accidental Mail Order Bride is Book 3 in the Chance at Love Series. (The Convenient Mail Order Bride is Book 1, and The Mistaken Mail Order Bride is Book 2.)
I’ve just started a new Regency series!
Click here to pre-order! (Only on iBooks right now. Will be on other sites soon.)
The new series is the Marriage by Bargain Series. This is book 1. I already have an idea for Book 2 and Book 3.
If you read The Earl’s Wallflower Bride when it comes out, you’ll be introduced to three characters who will play a major role in this series. There’s Lord Wosley, his sister, and his sister’s friend. Each one will be getting their own book, starting with Lord Worsley (aka. Anthony).
Groom For Hire will finish up the Pioneer Series!
I expect that this will be out in December. It is Joe’s story. Joe was the one who had wanted to marry Amanda Larson. I felt bad for the poor guy, so he’s getting his own story.
(This is Book 3 in the Pioneer Series.)
I will start The Bargain Mail Order Bride next week!
Click here to pre-order!
Finally, I will get to Carl Richie’s book. I’ve been itching to write this story ever since I was writing that scene where he and Abe Thomas got into the fist fight back in The Convenient Mail Order Bride. I love watching a “bad” character evolve into a hero, and this is one of those heroes.
June 19, 2016
The Emotionally Engaging Character is Now Available!
I’ll post the links to the sites this book is at, but I also want to share the Smashwords coupon so you can download it for free.
This book is short. It’s only 8,000 words.
The Smashwords coupon is KT94U, and it’s good for one month. Here’s the Smashwords link.
If you’d like to check it out on another site, here are the links for it:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
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Next up, we’ll be looking at Common Character Tropes in Fiction.[image error]
June 11, 2016
Books That Will Be Coming Out From June – August
I finally uploaded it, so right now it’s on pre-order.
PLEASE NOTE: Since this was composed of blog posts I did over here, I will be offering a Smashwords coupon on release day to download this for free. I’m asking $2.99 for this one. I want you guys to get it for free since you’ve been with me for a long time, and I appreciate all the support and encouragement you have given me over the years.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords
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I finally uploaded 11 Tips for New Writers to Amazon!
I revised the chapter on Backstory in this one (and uploaded the new version). That particular chapter kept bothering me because I was afraid it was confusing. Hopefully, I worked out the kinks in it.
I also got it up on Amazon now, and it price matched the book so it’s free on all channels!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords
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At the moment, I am preparing for my next series of writing posts, and the topic will be Familiar Character Tropes. If you have any you’d like me to address, please let me know in a comment below.
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The Earl’s Wallflower Bride will be out July 17!
Click here to pre-order!
Good news! I now have a release date for this book!
This will be the last book in the Marriage by Arrangement Series.
Here are all the books in this series if you’d like to read them at one time in the order they were written:
His Wicked Lady
Her Devilish Marquess
The Earl’s Wallflower Bride
After this, I am going to start on a brand new Regency series!
It’ll be on pre-order at Amazon soon, but right now, you can find it on pre-order at the other retailers. The new release date should take effect on those sites within a few days. You can click on the cover above to find the links or click directly from the links I’ll leave below.
Amazon COMING SOON | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords
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The Marriage Agreement is with my editing team!
Click here to pre-order!
I just sent it off last night to my editors and beta readers.
The release date is still set for August 7. My publisher is braver than I am when it comes to putting pre-orders on Amazon. I don’t do it until I have the finished version on hand. But since has it up, you can pre-order it now on all channels. You can find the links by clicking on the book cover above or on the links below.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
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At the moment, I am writing three more books which will be out before the end of this year. I’ll talk about those later. I don’t want to take up too much space in this post. Happy reading!
June 7, 2016
The Hero Least Likely Boxed Set is Now Available!
Perry Ambrose and his lovely wife, Paula, are happy to announce their book, The Earl’s Scandalous Wife, has been included in The Hero Least Likely Boxed Set. In honor of this occasion, they have come to this blog to make an appearance!
Lord and Lady Clement (made by my wonderful friend, April Gregory McPhillips)
Aren’t they adorable?
Here’s a picture April took of Perry with the paperback version of The Earl’s Scandalous Wife after she finished making him:
Lord Clement in front of his book!
Anyway, Perry and Paula are thrilled to be a part of this awesome opportunity because this boxed set includes these books by New York Times, USA Today, and Internationally Bestselling authors. I’m sure you’ll recognize their names. They’re excellent storytellers.[image error]
SCOUNDREL EVER AFTER ~ Darcy Burke
When wallflower Audrey Cheswick runs away with England’s most wanted criminal, she learns adventure comes with a price—not just her reputation or her virtue, but her heart. If Ethan Jagger can escape the hangman’s noose and start anew, will she consent to love a scoundrel ever after?
FOREVER BETROTHED, NEVER THE BRIDE ~ Christi Caldwell
War-torn veteran, Lord Drake devotes himself to forgetting his days on the Peninsula through an endless round of meaningless associations. He no longer wants to feel anything, but Lady Emmaline is making it hard to maintain a state of numbness. With her zest for life, she awakens his passion and desire for love.
DESIRES OF A BARON ~ Rose Gordon
Giles Goddard, Lord Norcourt is odd. Odder still, he has suddenly taken a fancy to his brother’s love interest, the fallen Lucy Whitaker. Lucy was once thrown over by a lord and she has little desire to let it happen again, but she’s about to learn that his desires just might be enough for the both of them.
ATHENA’S ORDEAL ~ Sue London
Quincy Telford, Duke of Beloin, has hated Viscount Bittlesworth as long as he can remember. Now the man’s daughter is constantly in his path. Can he escape her temptation and avoid peril in the increasingly dangerous game of cat and mouse he is playing with his blackmailer?
THE EARL’S SCANDALOUS WIFE ~ Ruth Ann Nordin
Season after Season of not being able to secure a wife, Lord Clement’s life changes for the better when a beautiful stranger kisses him. Now he has a wife who has it all: beauty, passion, and excitement. But it’s not over. Thanks to her tainted past, her newfound love with Perry is threatened when her brother comes back into her life. Can she protect Perry from finding out the truth or will her brother get the upper hand?
THE MAJOR’S FAUX FIANCEE ~ Erica Ridley
When Major Bartholomew Blackpool learns the girl-next-door from his childhood will be forced into an unwanted marriage, he returns home to play her pretend beau. He figures now that he’s missing a leg, a faux fiancée is the best an ex-soldier can get. He admires her pluck, but the lady deserves a whole man–and he’ll ensure she gets one.
CORINNA ~ Lauren & Devon Royal
What’s a colorblind Irishman to do when he’s blackmailed into impersonating a renowned landscape artist, lying to all of London society, and risking the TON’s collective wrath if he’s found out? Why, fall for the lovely and unattainable marquess’s daughter next door, of course. But his fetching neighbor is no simpleton and an artist in her own right. When she realizes his ruse, will she expose his misdeeds…or find herself drawn into the hoax?
Here’s where you can buy it!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play
June 1, 2016
Building a Fictional World (Guest Post by Rami Ungar)
Quick note from yours truly:
I’ve never had a post about world building before, so I’m really excited to feature someone who is excellent at this storytelling technique. Rami Ungar is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and if you enjoy thrillers and/or horror, why not check out one of the books listed below this post?
Thank you, Rami, for doing this post for this blog!
Now for Rami’s post:
Building a Fictional World
Setting is one of the most important aspects of writing any story, especially speculative fiction such as fantasy, science fiction, and horror. In many ways, the setting of a story is another character, because it interacts with the characters on almost every level of the story. Doesn’t matter whether it’s modern-day Columbus, Ohio, or Victorian England, or the moons of Jupiter, or the fantastical land across the waters that elves come from. One can’t write a great story by neglecting its setting.
This becomes more and more apparent to me the more and more I write. Luckily, I’ve come across a few techniques over the years that I feel might be helpful to authors of all genres and levels of experience. And the first one that I have to impart is this:
1. Be aware of how much setting shapes the story. And I really mean that when I say “shapes.” A setting is history, culture, fashion, literature, language, economy, government, religion, politics, and a whole lot more wrapped into one. Even if we include only a fraction of that in the stories we write—especially short stories, because seriously, where’s the room?—it still holds true. After all, all the stuff I’ve just mentioned shapes our own world, and isn’t all fiction some reflection of our world?
Now I’m not saying you have to think about every aspect I’ve just listed when deciding to write each and every story. I set a story partially in a beach-front property, I didn’t think about the real estate for Florida rentals near the beach or which beach I was going to set this property on. I think the farthest I went was looking into swimsuit fashions and styles. But if you’re creating a world where one in one-thousand people are born with animal features and it’s considered normal or a fantasy world in which biological sex is determined later in life, you’re going to want to consider how that would change society and the people in it. How were the animal-like people treated throughout history? Can you urge your children towards one sex or another? It’s something to think about.
This brings me to my next point:
2. Your world has to be believable. I cannot stress this enough. If you create a setting that has a huge logic hole in it, the readers will disconnect from the story so fast, it’ll make your head spin. A great example I’ve heard is a writer who says, “I’m going to write a story about a world where everyone has guns but nobody has ever thought to use them.” Well, why? That doesn’t make any sense. Why would no one use guns if everyone has them? They do know what guns are, right?
So you really want to be careful with creating these fantastic worlds and really think them through. Even worlds that seem to make sense on the surface can occasionally have huge logic gaps if you really think about them. For instance, one of the reasons I dislike the Hunger Games books is because if you really think about it, Panem doesn’t need the Hunger Games to keep the threat of rebellion at bay. They’re a technologically advanced society that can whip up genetically-engineered monsters in a short period of time. Instead of a gory death battle that takes away valuable human resources every year, they can just add an aggression-diffusing drug to the water supply. Problem solved! It’s that sort of logic pitfall that you want to avoid putting into your stories as an author, because they can come back to haunt you, and the best ways to make sure you don’t fall into these traps is the same way we grow as writers: constant practice, having our work critiqued by impartial readers who will be honest with us, and reading the works of other authors whose worlds have stood the test of time.
If you want an excellent contemporary example of a fantastic fictional universe where nearly every aspect is thought out and makes sense, I highly recommend the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown. The story’s whole premise centers on a society that created oppression on its lower classes precisely because it was the most economically sensible thing to do, and it works! I’m in the middle of the final book, and I still can’t find anything that doesn’t make sense in this story. It’s very well thought out, which is why I recommend it if you want a good example of logical world-building.
3. Research, research, research. Authors will debate what part of writing is the hardest. This usually isn’t one of them. In fact, I like to think research is one of the easier parts (and, depending on what you’re researching and how you’re researching it, one of the most fun). For many stories, you’ll have to do lots of research, and I advise you to not skip it or skimp on it. Believe me, the more research you do for a story, the better the story will turn out. Even if you continue researching throughout the writing process, and not everything you research appears in the final story.
Back in high school, I wrote a short story about a teen who was a member of Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany. At that time, I didn’t know a thing about the Hitler Youth, so I got a book from the library that gave me the information I needed. That story never got published, but it came out a great deal better because I did my research. A couple years later, I published my first novel, Reborn City (which is below), for which I did a ton of research into gang violence, Islam, and a variety of other subjects. To this day, it’s still my most popular novel, partially because my research into those subjects helped make the world of the story feel so real (though I’m hoping the sequel proves to be even more popular).
So definitely don’t miss out on the research stage. It can be one of the most important parts of creating a successful, believable world in your stories.
Above all, keep reading and working. As I mentioned earlier, checking the work of those who came before and practice makes us better at finding those holes in the logic of our stories. But they do so much more than that: they make us better writers in general. Reading other authors, finding what works or doesn’t work in the story, and then testing out what you’ve found is the best way to figure out how to create your own amazing fictional universe. You can read all the articles you want on the subject, but until you start writing, progress cannot be made.
So go out there and give it a go. You never know what’ll happen until you try.
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Where to buy Reborn City:
Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Smashwords | Kobo
Where to buy Video Rage:
Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Smashwords | Kobo
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About Rami:
From a young age, Rami Ungar has known that he’s wanted to write, and from his teens he’s known that he’s wanted to write scary stories. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Rami writes and blogs nearly every day. He’s published two novels, the sci-fi epic Reborn City and the terrifying thriller Snake, as well as a collection of short stories, The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones. In addition, he’s written and published many short stories, and is constantly working on something new.
In addition to blogging and writing and publishing horror fiction, Rami is also a writer and administrator for the blog Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors, where he gives advice to authors on writing and publishing. His bucket list includes collecting lots of weird and nerdy stuff, meeting his idols Stephen King and Anne Rice, and going ghost-hunting with the Ghost Adventures Crew.
But before he can get to any of that, he’s got a lot of projects to get through, and very little time to do it. Wish him luck!
Find him at:
Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors
May 23, 2016
Updates on What I’m Doing
Recently, I’ve been making myself go down to the local Barnes & Noble store in town to sit and write, and I noticed my word count almost tripled by doing this. As it turns out, when I’m not distracted by laundry, cleaning, and cooking, I can get a lot more done. Who knew?
I’ll try to be brief in this list of what I’m doing because it’s a lot.[image error]
I’ve had the honor of being asked to be a part of a boxed set with these amazing Regency authors!
This is due out June 7!
Click here to reserve your copy today!
The best part is that this is only $0.99! Click on the image above to find out more about the books in this boxed set.
I should finish the first draft of The Earl’s Wallflower Bride this week!
Due out Early July!
Click here to reserve your copy!
This is book 3 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series. His Wicked Lady is book 1. Her Devilish Marquess is book 2.
I won’t spoil it, but toward the end of this book, a plot twist came up that had me so excited that I was almost jumping up and down right in the Barnes & Noble cafe area. This is why I don’t plot. I get to come across unexpected twists, and it’s the most thrilling experience I get to have as a writer. Seriously, I did not see this particular ending coming. It’s much better than I would have thought possible.
The Emotionally Engaging Character is Done with Edits!
Click here to reserve your copy!
This is book 2 in the Writing Tips Series. 11 Tips for New Writers is book 1, and I will soon have 11 Tips for New Writers up on Amazon. I’ll put it up when I put the pre-order up for The Emotionally Engaging Character, which should be this weekend.
Remember all those blog posts I did about creating the emotionally engaging character? I put them into a book with some light revisions.
Next up, I’ll be looking at popular character tropes in stories.
I should be done with the first draft of The Marriage Agreement by June 15!
Due out August 7!
Click here to reserve your copy!
This is book 2 in the Pioneer Series. Wagon Trail Bride is book 1. Groom for Hire will be book 3.
Just like Wagon Trail Bride, I have to write scenes out of order. So every day I write in this book, I usually switch between three different scenes in the story, not sure where each will fit in the timeline. This book is like putting a puzzle together. I can see the individual pieces, but until I have enough of them, I can’t see the larger picture. But as it worked in Wagon Trail Bride, it’s also been working in this story, too, and I am happy with the story and how smoothly it plays out (once I get the scene in the right place).
The Accidental Mail Order Bride is almost 1/4 of the way through!
Due out September 4! (Not sure if I can make it sooner, but I’ll try.)
Click here to reserve your copy!
This is book 3 in the Chance at Love Series. The Convenient Mail Order Bride is book 1. The Mistaken Mail Order Bride is book 2. The Bargain Mail Order Bride will be book 4. I am looking into making a book 5 featuring Caleb (the orphan boy Caroline brings with her in book 2).
And the subplot with the murder of Carl Richie’s wife is going strong in this one. For all of you who wanted to see Carl suffer because of how he was in The Convenient Mail Order Bride, this is where he gets what’s been coming to him.
And as I promised, I will reveal Lydia Richie’s killer. Travis is going to be instrumental in it, which is why it has to be this book where it happens.
This book has been so much fun because I’ve been wanting to do a Beauty and the Beast type of story for years. Now I’m finally getting to do it, and it’s so much more exciting than I thought it’d be.
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Those are the main books I’m currently working on. I do have a preview of what’s coming up in my To-Write Plan:
I’ll be starting a new Regency series once I finish up with The Earl’s Wallflower Bride. The series takes place in the same world the other Regency books do, so we’ll get to continue to see our favorite characters. Book 1 in this new series will be The Viscount’s Runaway Bride.
I’ll be continuing with the Chance at Love Series. I originally planned for this to be three books. It then became four. And now I believe it may go on to be at least a couple more because the dynamics between the characters have been surprisingly powerful. I really want to write Caleb’s story when he becomes an adult.
I will finish up the Pioneer Series with Groom for Hire once done with The Marriage Agreement.
Once I finish Groom for Hire, I want to write Shane’s Deal (which will be book 4 in the Montana Collection). Mitch’s Win is book 1. Boaz’s Wager is book 2. Patty’s Gamble is book 3. Shane’s Deal with finish the Montana Collection.
After I finish with Shane’s Deal, I plan to start a new historical western series. Sep (from Shotgun Groom) will finally get his story in His Auctioned Bride which will be book 1. I’m not sure what other characters we’ll see in this series, but I’ll do my best to bring in some of the Larsons. I have to see where the characters are in the timeline to see who is old enough to fit in.
So that’s a quick sneak peak ahead of what you can expect for the rest of this year and going into the next.
May 15, 2016
The Mistaken Mail Order Bride is Now Available
Here’s a quick overview of the Chance at Love Series:
The Convenient Mail Order Bride (Book 1) – already available
The Mistaken Mail Order Bride (Book 2) – released today
The Accidental Mail Order Bride (Book 3) – due out September 4 (you can pre-order if you want)
The Bargain Mail Order Bride (Book 4) – due out January 7, 2017 (or sooner, depending on how things go, and yes, you can pre-order this, too)
Here are the links to buy The Mistaken Mail Order Bride:
Eric Johnson has been writing to his mail-order bride for months, and at long last, the day she’s due to arrive has come. Only, the young lady who comes off the stagecoach isn’t at all what he expected. She’s homely in appearance, and she has an orphan child with her.
However, he is a man of his word, so he’s going to marry her. He had enjoyed their correspondence over the past year, after all, and really, initial impressions aren’t everything. But when the preacher pronounces them husband and wife, he finds out she’s the wrong lady.
Caroline Benton’s just as shocked as he is, not realizing she’d gotten off at the wrong town and followed the wrong man home. Why, oh why, didn’t she think to ask him his name? Now she and the orphan child she brought with her are stuck in a strange town with a man who’d been waiting for someone else.
She can’t imagine he’s at all happy to be paired up with her for the rest of his life. Not only is she rather unattractive, but she doesn’t know the first thing about housekeeping. Just what is she supposed to do to convince him it’s not the end of the world that he married the wrong mail-order bride?
A couple more things:
I’d love to know your opinion about the email I just sent out to those of you on my email new release list.
If you’re on my email list, I am going to do something different this time. Instead of putting in an extra scene (prologue, epilogue, or deleted scene), I decided to explain the orphan’s backstory and then discuss the gun laws back in the historical old west (in the United States) from the research I did. Below, I am including a contact form you can fill out to let me know what you prefer. The most popular response will be the thing I’ll go with.
(If the form doesn’t work, you can leave a comment below this post.)
[contact-form]
Also, Janet Syas Nitsick and I have a private Facebook group.
It’s a casual group where we can talk about anything that’s on your mind. If you’d like to join, here’s the link. Just ask to join and we’ll let you in.
May 13, 2016
Day 3 of the 3 Day Quote Challenge
I got nominated by wivesrepublic to participate in the quote challenge. You can check out her blog posts here.
ID 53713504 © Ionescu Viorica | Dreamstime.com
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” (by Norman Vincent Peale)
This is my third favorite, and what I like most about it is that it encourages people to shoot for their dreams. I don’t want to live my life holding back because I let fear hold me back. I believe at the end of my life, I’ll only regret the changes I never took. So to me, it’s worth taking the risk. And I’m passing on this quote (and my reasoning for picking it) to anyone who might be inspired to shoot for their dreams.[image error]
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Wivesrepublic does a much better job with posting graphics than I do, so I don’t have a neat way of displaying the rules. What I’ll do instead is type them out:
Post for 3 consecutive days.
Select and share 1-3 quotes per day.
Challenge 3 bloggers to join each day.
I’m not sure who else might want to do this challenge, but I’ll pass it on to anyone who’d like to participate.
May 12, 2016
Day 2 of the 3 Day Quote Challenge
I got nominated by wivesrepublic to participate in the quote challenge. You can check out her blog posts here.
ID 49111827 © Djvstock | Dreamstime.com
“Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.” (by Eddie Rickenbacker)
This is my second favorite quote. As writers, we have to put our stories out into the public if we want to be read, and this is a frightening thing. We have to stick out from the crowd. Any time you take a risk and publish a book, you are showing courage. I’d take it as a badge of honor. Not everyone out there is willing to do it. So if you do publish a book, you are showing a lot of courage, and that’s something to be proud of.
***
Wivesrepublic does a much better job with posting graphics than I do, so I don’t have a neat way of displaying the rules. What I’ll do instead is type them out:
Post for 3 consecutive days.
Select and share 1-3 quotes per day.
Challenge 3 bloggers to join each day.
I nominate these bloggers to join the challenge:
May 11, 2016
Day 1 of the 3 Day Quote Challenge
I got nominated by wivesrepublic to participate in the quote challenge. You can check out her blog posts here.
ID 25875948 © Vladimir Pavlović | Dreamstime.com
Here’s my favorite quote of all times: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” by Toni Morrison
That’s not surprising since this is the very reason I started writing to begin with. In my opinion, this is one of the best reasons to become a writer. The story you desire most of all to read can be the very story that sparks a passion for a future of many books you’ll come up with.
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Wivesrepublic does a much better job with posting graphics than I do, so I don’t have a neat way of displaying the rules. What I’ll do instead is type them out:
Post for 3 consecutive days.
Select and share 1-3 quotes per day.
Challenge 3 bloggers to join each day.
I nominate these bloggers to join the challenge:
