Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 64

Updates for My Works In Progress

Ruined by the Earl is with my awesome Editing Team

I gave my team until April 3. ��I wanted to give them enough time because I know they have other projects to work on, and I don’t want them to feel rushed.

At the moment, my projected publishing time frame on this book is April 6-12.

This week and next, I’m going to work on the revision for Royal Hearts.

Since one kid is on Spring Break this week and my other three are on Spring Break next week, I plan to dedicate the next two weeks to revamping this book. ��I can’t get much written while the kids are home, but I can manage revisions and edits.

This is pretty light work. ��It’s mostly rewording things with minor adjustments to the main characters. ��I might actually be able to finish this one if I dedicate the full two weeks to it, which I’m planning to do.

This is why I like having multiple projects. ��In case I have to put one on hold, there’s always something else I can do. �� This is book 2 of a fantasy romance. ��I plan to work on book 3 (The Royal Pursuit) during this summer so it will be published this fall. ��That will wrap up the Enchanted Galaxy Series.

After the kids are done with Spring Break, this is what I am going to work on…

Even though I’m not doing the first draft blog, I am going to continue to write the sweet novelette/novella that is a prequel to Bride by Design. ��(This is under my pen name, Barbara Joan Russell, for sweet romances.) ��This is Sadie and Clark’s romance. ��I plan to make this free.

This probably won’t be out for a couple months because my focus is on the stuff I’m doing below.

I made a very brief mention at the end of Ruined by the Earl for this book that will feature Orlando (Lord Reddington) and Chloe (Lady Hawkins, who will be a new widow). The Regency time period had pretty strict rules for the mourning period, esp. for ladies. ��So I’m going to playing off this particular angle. ��One fun thing about Regencies is that there are so many rules a person can break.

I expect to have this book done before Wagon Trail Bride. ��I’m thinking it will be out in May or June.

Richard Larson will finally have his long-awaited story. ��He’s been nagging me to do it for years, but until recently, he didn’t offer me a compelling storyline. ��LOL ��Now that he has, he’ll get it. ��This should be out this summer. ��It’s hard to say exactly when yet since I have other projects going on, but I want it out before the kids go back to school in August.

Stephannie and I have picked back up on this, but we’re giving it a total rewrite. ��Some things we’re keeping, but most of it has to be adjusted to fit the new plot.

And this one isn’t expected out until January. ��It takes longer to get a book out when you co-author it.

I Have Really Bad News: I Can’t Do The First Draft Blog

This comes with a heavy heart because I was actually starting to schedule posts on the first draft blog I’d created last weekend. ��I don’t know what to do with it now. I already paid for it and got it set up. ��But I can no longer use it for what it was intended for.

And this is why. ��Fraud. ��There is a new scam running around out there I just learned about where people (for whatever reason) are going after��authors (both self-published and small press) and using a DCMA Takedown Notice to claim those books don’t really belong to the author. ��By US law, this requires Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks to remove the books.

Why? ��Because in the past people have actually stolen or plagiarized innocent authors’ books. ��Back in 2011 (and again in 2012), I had someone steal my books and post it as their own. ��So I’ve had to submit DCMA Takedown Notices in order to protect my work.

But recently, I learned of this new fraud going around where people are pretending the actual owner of the book really isn’t the owner. ��And this (sadly) is not an isolated incident. ��From recent talks with another author, I learned that a small publisher went through a similar situation with one of her books, and this happened to a different author with a traditionally published book.

I also recently discovered someone put an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of an author’s work on Amazon to sell as their own. ��(This is a good reason��to just gift the copy after it’s published.)

Yes, I get it. ��You can’t protect yourself 100%. ��Any time you put something out there, you’re going to expose yourself. ��But you don’t need to make things easier for scumbags who will lie in order to steal another author’s work or (for whatever vindictive reason) try to remove an author’s book.

So many times ��I hear, “That is rare. ��It’s not likely to happen to you.” Having had two incidences when my books were stolen and finding out other authors have had the same situation, AND now finding out all this other stuff, I believe this stuff is a lot more common. ��You just don’t hear about it because most authors won’t talk about it publicly when it happens to them. ��They quietly attack this stuff behind the scenes or give up and let the criminal get away with it.

That’s why you don’t often hear about this stuff. ��But I’m coming out and saying this stuff happens. ��And what’s more, I think with the global ebook market expanding, I suspect it’ll only get worse.

So after doing some thinking over this situation, I finally decided it’s better to be safe than sorry. ��There’s no reason to make it easier for someone to go after one of my books, and I feel by having a first draft blog, I’ll be opening myself to a greater potential for this.

Sadly, I remember how this was unheard of when I started out. ��Back in 2009 when I signed up for Amazon and Smashwords to publish my own books, this stuff was never on the radar. ��It was either in 2009 or 2010 when I started my first draft blog back then, and I never once thought any of this stuff was possible.

All I can say is 2015 is a totally different world for authors. ��Things we could take for granted (like the safety of our books) can’t be taken for granted anymore. ��In a lot of ways, the acceptance of self-publishing has been a great thing, but in others, it hasn’t. ��I guess like anything, you have to take the good with the bad.

I’m really sorry. ��I thought I had carefully weighed the pros and cons. ��But I just found out about all this other stuff (aside from stolen books) on March 3, right after I made the post about the first draft blog. ��And since then, I did more digging and research to find out how much this stuff is actually happening.

I just can’t take the risk. ��I don’t write books to make money. ��I write them because I love writing. ��They’re personal to me. ��I love my books as I love my children. ��They are a part of me. ��I’ll do everything I can to protect them. ��It’s a shame so many innocent people have to suffer for what to liars and thieves are doing. ��I don’t like it, but I have to do what’s best for the books.

First Draft of Ruined by the Earl is Done!

I finished it yesterday afternoon and am currently in the final stages of the initial edits. ��(I’ve been editing as I’ve been going on this book, which is why I am behind in my reading of Snake. ��Rami, I’m still reading it. :)��I just had to put it aside while I was finishing up this project.)

So next up, I’ll send the book out later this week to my editing team. ��I’m going to give them a full month to work on it, so this won’t be out until April. ��I had been shooting for March, but I don’t want to rush the editing because I want this book to be as polished up as possible before it goes into the world.

This is my favorite Regency to date of the ones I’ve done. ��The hero was so much fun to write. ��Yes, he was a bit on the conceited side, but he had some of the best lines (and thoughts) that had me laughing through most of the book. ��And the heroine was pretty cute, too, with the way she had to justify snooping around his things to learn more about him. ��This was one of the funnest couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of writing. ��If you get my sense of humor, I think you’ll enjoy it equally as much. ��(I know my type of humor isn’t for everyone.)

Anyway, I’m going to estimate the second week of April for this book’s release. :D

I already have plans for a third Regency series, even though I have one more book (The Earl’s Stolen Bride) to finish for this series. ��The next Regency series (Marriage by Arrangement) will feature the same group of characters that have shown up in the other Regency series I’ve done. ��I’m going to have Helena (heroine in Love Lessons with the Duke) arrange marriages based on different issues of compatibility, though the couples being fixed up may not agree she picked the right one for them. ��This should be a lot of fun. ��And already I have planned out Malcolm’s story for that series. ��(Malcolm is the heroine’s brother in Ruined by the Earl.)

I’ll go more into the next series next year. ��Right now I need to get The Earl’s Stolen Bride done then work on my novella in A Groom’s Promise, Wagon Trail Bride and finish up the Enchanted Galaxy Series. ��I’m also getting the first draft blog ready. ��(I heard Amazon may or may not have issues with people who do a first draft on a blog when they go to publish a book. ��I don’t know if that’s for authors who go into their Select program or for everyone. ��I never join Amazon’s Select program because I want my books to be available on the other book sites like Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, iBooks, and Flipkart.) ��Hopefully, there will be no issues that pop up with doing a first draft blog. ��If there is, I’ll have to take it back down, which isn’t something I want to do. ��So fingers crossed.

Will Be Doing the First Draft Blog Again (Probably Starting in April)

I’ve been thinking of resuming a first draft blog for about half a year. ��I wanted to make sure I really wanted to go through with it before I made this post. ��I was looking at Wattpad since it’s a place authors place chapters of their books for people to read, but in studying the site, I realized it wasn’t for me. ��I like Wattpad and what it offers, but it doesn’t fit what I want to do. ��I don’t want a critique. ��I’m not looking for a beta reader. ��Those things seem to be what Wattpad is all about, and those don’t interest me. ��(That’s what my current beta readers and editors are for, and I use them after the first draft is done.)

All I��really want is to be able to share my first draft with you guys. ��A couple of you have told me you used to look forward to those posts, and I never forgot that. ��It means a lot to me that you’d be willing to stick with me like that. ��And it means a lot that you continue to stick with me after all these years. ��I published my first romance on Amazon and Smashwords back in 2009. ��Though time has passed, often it feels like it was just yesterday. ��And I remember some of you contacted me early on to offer me encouragement. ��It made all the difference in March 2010 when I hit a particular low point and was ready to give up.

From that point, the encouragement and support has only grown, and words don’t adequately express how blessed I am because of all you’ve done for me.

So when I thought about doing a first draft blog again, I realized I wanted to do it so we could both have something to look forward to and enjoy together.

I’m still in the process of getting it set up. ��I’m planning on 500 words 5 days a week. ��(This will allow me some wiggle room in case the kids get sick.) ��I’ll be scheduling posts in advance so they can be on time Monday through Friday at 8am. ��(That is US Central Time. I know some of you are overseas, so it’ll be in the evening for some of you.)

To get myself back into the routine, I’m going to start with something short and easy, so I decided to write a prequel to the novella I did in Bride by Design under my pen name, Barbara Joan Russell. ��This will be Sadie and Clark’s romance, and I’m calling it “Betting On Love”. ��I figure it’ll either be a novelette or novella. ��I’m not sure yet.

After that, I should be warmed up to do longer stories, and I’ve decided Wagon Trail Bride will be the one I’ll post.

When I’m ready to start posting on the blog, I’ll give the link to it. ��Right now, I’m still getting it organized. ��I also need to finish and edit Ruined by the Earl before I can properly focus on another story. �� It’s looking like I’ll finish with the first draft this upcoming week, and I will hopefully have it published at the end of March. ��*fingers crossed* ��So I’m going to estimate early April is when I’ll have the first draft blog ready to go.

Updates on What I’m Doing

There’s so much going on, I hardly know where to begin. :)

Let’s see…

Here are my (hopefully) pre-July books…��

I’m about 10,000 words away from finishing Ruined by the Earl! ��This book has been so much fun to write. ��I love the hero and heroine. ��They have so much chemistry together, and the things the hero says to rile her up is funny. ��I’ve discovered it’s easy to mix in a lot of humor into Regencies because of how formal the Ton was. ��Pretty much anything was scandalous, and this leaves me open to so many fun ideas. ��If everything goes according to plan, I should finish the first draft by the end of this month. ��*fingers crossed* ��I really want this book out by the end of March.

I’m still in the beginning stages of this one, but it is the last one in the Marriage by Deceit Series. ��(The Earl’s Secret Bargain is #1, Love Lessons with the Duke is #2, Ruined by the Earl is #3, and this is #4.) ��Anyway, the hero in this book has been pining for the heroine for years, and in this book, he finally gets his chance to be with her. ��The catch? ��Her husband just died, so she’s still in the mourning period. ��Needless to say, her family isn’t going to be too happy because it is scandalous for her to marry someone so soon. ��See what I mean about the Ton making it fun to create these scenarios?

And of course, Janet and I just did a video post about this one. ��June is the hopeful publishing month on this book. ��*fingers crossed*

 

Then there’s Wagon Trail Bride. ��I haven’t been able to get back to this because of my focus on Ruined by the Earl. ��But I do want this out by this summer.

So I think it’s safe to say I have all of my books planned out up to this summer.

Now for other books….

I am going to work on finishing up the Enchanted Galaxy Series, so I can have it all out by the end of this year. ��

Fortunately, Royal Hearts and The Royal Pursuit only require some tweaking and minor scene changes. ��The first book in the series, A Royal Engagement, required pretty much a full rewrite to get it to where I wanted it.

Royal Hearts is pre-ordered for July 4.

The Royal Pursuit is expected to be out sometime later this year. ��I don’t know when yet, but I don’t know I can have it out by December (at the latest).

Stephannie Beman and I have returned to the drawing board on our co-authored projects.

��What made this whole process so difficult is that we weren’t sure where to take this story. ��It is book 2 in the Wild Hearts Series. �� We have received some inquiries about this series, and up to about Wednesday or so, our answer has been that we don’t know what to do with it so we had given up on it.

But…

We had a lightbulb moment, and suddenly everything about this book just fell into place. ��I don’t know how to explain it. ��We spent almost a year stalled out on the story, brainstorming tons of ways to get it to work and none worked. ��It was painful for both of us because we were trying to force the characters along, and the characters obviously didn’t want to do what we had in mind. ��But more than that, the characters weren’t even telling us what they wanted.

I do think putting it aside was the best thing to do because the story would have suffered if we’d pushed through it. ��But now, I’m happy to say we now know what to do with it. ��I need to finish up Ruined by the Earl and go through initial edits on it before I can do anything in The Rancher’s Wife. ��But I think we’ll be getting to it soon. ��Most of what we’ve already done can stay in the story, but there are things we need to adjust or take out.

I’m going to try my hand at horror with Stephannie as a co-author.

For the past couple years, I’ve been wanting to write something in the horror genre. ��This would just be for fun and to flex my creative muscles. ��I like experimenting with different genres, but my heart is (and always will be) with romances, especially historicals.

We will be combining our names to have the pen name R.S. Norman. ��At the moment, we’re working on a flash fiction piece. ��But our main project will be converting this book….

Remember this from way back when?

to a horror suspense story. ��And we’re going to retitle it His Brother’s Widow. ��(And yes, it’ll have a different cover.)

Now, when I say I want to do horror, I’m��talking about things that could actually happen. ��I’m not into occult horror or stuff with ghosts. ��I’m more into “why am I being tailed by this car late at night?” kind of horror. �� I love a high level of suspense. ��I do expect violent scenes to be a part of this. ��I’m not sure how violent, but I see suspense as being the bigger factor in it.

For example in this story, the hero (Thad) finds out his brother died, and he’s going to investigate the matter to see if he was murdered (and if so, why and by whom). ��But��someone isn’t going to like the fact that he’s there and will try to get rid of him. ��People will inevitably die, too, along the way.

I don’t expect to go into the horror side of my writing a whole lot on here since this blog is dedicated to romances. ��But I wanted to mention it because the story we’ll be working on is ��going to be His Brother’s Wife, and I have mentioned that work in progress on this blog in the past. ��Then, if anyone wonders, “Whatever happened to that idea for His Brother’s Wife?”, I can direct them to this post. :)

 

Could Love Develop From Knocking a Man with a Parasol? (Ruth Interviews Winifred Preston–a heroine in A Groom’s Promise

I recently interviewed Winifred Preston, heroine in “When the Whistle Blows” which is one of the novellas in our anthology A Groom’s Promise.

I start off by reading an excerpt from the story where Winifred knocks poor Hugh with her parasol, and from there, the two stumble around. ��I dare say Winifred even showed some ankle during this episode, and that is quite shocking when you consider her author is Janet Syas Nitsick.

But it is one of my favorite scenes because Hugh has a great sense of humor through the whole thing. ��I love a man who knows how to laugh. :)

Below is the video of our interview…

FB Party for Bride by Design Release is on February 17!

Catherine Lynn and I are hosting a party on Facebook to celebrate the release of our anthology! ��We hope you’ll hop on over to chat with us as we discuss weddings and anything else on your mind. :) ��The party is on February 17, and it’ll be an all-day event.

Where is the Party?
Here’s the link to the party!

We have lots of prizes to give out, so I’m going to post them on this blog for easy reference.

Where Do You Enter?

Please enter on the actual FB page. ��We are pinning this post to the very top and will have ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY on it. ��This is where you will enter for the giveaway. ��(We need to have one entry place to help keep everything organized. :D)

How Will We Pick Winners?

Through random.org.

When Will Winners Be Announced?

February 18 around 7-8pm Central Standard Time (United States). ��You can enter for the giveaway anywhere from February 16 when we post this on Facebook to February 18 7pm. We want to be sure people in other countries have a chance to win.

Some Prizes Are Open for International Winners

Please check to make sure the particular prize is open for people outside the United States. ��We will list which prizes are open to International winners. ��All prizes are open to US winners. ��(Gift cards don’t always work in other countries, which is why we can’t gift those to international winners.)

What Can You Win?

Below is a list of all the prizes. ��Just put in the # you want to enter for in your comment on the FB page. ��You can pick as many prizes as you want, but you can only win one of those numbers. ��For example, if you pick #3 and #5, random.org might only select you as the winner for #5.

If you have already purchased Bride by Design, then I’ll offer a copy of Ruined by the Earl when it comes out in either late March or early April. ��(I forgot to mention this party sooner on this blog, and I know some of you have already bought Bride by Design.)

Now for the Prizes….

#1: Necklace and Earrings + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US Winners

# 2: ��Necklace and Earrings + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US Winners

#3: Necklace and Earrings + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon and Smashwords): Open to US Winners

#4: Necklace and Earrings + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US Winners

#5: Choker + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US Winners

#6: Necklace + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US and International Winners

#7: Necklace + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US and International Winners

#8: Necklace + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US and International Winners

#9: Necklace and Earrings + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US and International Winners

#10: Earrings + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US and International Winners

#11: ��$25 Amazon Gift Card + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords) : Open to US Winners

#12: $25 Amazon Gift Card + Bride by Design Ebook (gifted from Amazon or Smashwords): Open to US Winners

Love Lessons With The Duke Is Now Available

I know I’m a little late in getting this out, but I spent a good portion of the weekend getting everything ready to send into my accountant. ��Since I’m not the most organized person on the planet, I’m sure I missed something. :)

Anyway, Love Lessons With the Duke is now out, and I’m going to post the links before I forget. ��On Tuesday, I need to get another post up, so I’m going to need to get this out tonight.

I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s!

This is book 2 in the Marriage by Deceit Series. ��

Camden Hollis, the Duke of Ashbourne, needs to pay off his brother���s debts, but all he has is a troubled estate. So when he hears that Lady Seyton is known for teaching ladies what to do to secure marriages by the end of the Season, he comes to her for help.

Helena Walter, the Lady of Seyton, doesn���t know what to think of Camden���s unusual request. How could a titled gentleman who is so good looking need help getting a wife? Her initial response is to turn him down, thinking he is merely wasting her time. But then she catches him bumbling through a conversation with a lady, and realizes he���more than anyone���needs her help.

And so the lessons begin. But before long, Camden is convinced she���s the perfect one for him. She, however, is a widow and is happy with her freedom. He might find it���ll require a scandal to get the two things he wants most: a love match and securing his estate.

Books in the Marriage by Deceit Series

Book 1: The Earl’s Secret Bargain

Book 2: Love Lessons With The Duke

Book 3: Ruined by the Earl – coming out either late March or early April

Book 4: The Earl’s Stolen Bride – coming out before June

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Kobo

Smashwords

Flipkart

 

Bride by Design is Available One Day Sooner Than I Expected

Since I was such a stinker in the last post, I thought it was only fair to let you know the book already went up. ��Parchment & Plume (my publisher) is quick!

So without further ado, here are the links:

Amazon

B&N

Kobo

Smashwords

Will be out in iBooks Soon (no link available yet)

Bride by Design: Excerpt from “Online Proposal”: Why Would Someone Do This?

This post is simply to tease you into wanting to read this book, which is due out on Valentine’s Day!

I’m not going to explain why Sadie did this, but��since it is my favorite scene, I wanted to share it.

Sadie stopped the car in the middle of the road. ���There is one thing I should do first.���

Before Colleen could ask what her friend was doing, Sadie pulled the lever to open the trunk and hopped out of the car. After a couple of seconds of sorting through the trunk, she went to the front of the car and dumped two gifts on the road. Despite the situation, Colleen couldn���t help but laugh when she realized those gifts were from Dot.

Sadie returned to the driver���s seat and glanced at her. ���Sometimes words aren���t enough to express what we���re truly thinking.��� She shifted into drive, drove over the gifts, backed up, drove over them again, and smiled. ���I don���t know about you, but I feel a lot better.���

���Are you going to return them to her?��� Colleen asked.

���No. I just wanted to get my frustrations out.���

���It���s not a bad way to do it,��� Colleen admitted.

If Sadie had been in the bedroom when Dot gave her the gift, she wondered if Sadie would have stomped all over it in front of her. That would have been fun to watch!

Sadie got out of the car and collected the ruined gifts. She threw them on the floor in the back then returned to the driver���s seat. ���There���s no reason to litter,��� she said. ���I���ll ditch them in the first trashcan we find.���

Colleen grinned at her. ���You know what I love most about you?���

���The fact that I���ll drive over gifts, no matter how expensive they are when the person who gave them to us is a you-know-what?���

���You got it.���

Sadie returned her smile. ���That���s what friends are for.���

***

I know, I know. ��I’m a big stinker for leaving you wondering why Sadie is running over gifts, but if I explained why Sadie ran over these gifts, then I’d spoil the book.