Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 70
July 22, 2014
Going to do a Preorder for a Couple of Future Books
I haven’t done a preorder since last year, but then I was thinking that there could be some situations where having a book on preorder might be a good idea.
And this is why:
1. Some people don’t want to be on my email list for new releases. With all the emails flooding someone’s inbox, one more can be a pain to sort through. Also, it’d be easy to miss or end up in spam.
2. Maybe someone doesn’t want to be notified when a historical western comes out because they only want to read contemporaries? I write three sub-genres in romance, and not everyone wants to read all of them.
3. Some people might change email address and won’t receive the new release email.
4. Some people might prefer to get the book as soon as it’s out without waiting for me to find the book is available and go through the process of notifying everyone. I try to be quick when I publish books, but sometimes I don’t get to it for a couple days (thanks to kids or something else popping up).
Okay, so given all these very good reasons, I thought I’d start offering some books as a preorder on iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords and see how things go. I can’t offer it on Amazon or anywhere else at this point in time.
I want to make things as convenient and easy for you as I can, and I’m hoping this will be something that is useful. At least, it’s worth a try to see how things go. I’ll be posting links for the preorders soon.
July 20, 2014
Just Good Friends: First Draft Finished!
I just finished the first draft tonight, and like I am with all books, I’m really excited. :D
This didn’t go exactly the way I thought it would when I made the initial outline. The basic premise stayed the same: two best friends pretend to be romantically interested in each other in order to get her parents to back off about her finding a husband. But the way things played out didn’t really follow that outline.
There was a wrench my main characters threw my way that made me toss out 80% of the outline. (I can’t really say what in case I spoil the book.) But what I can say is that there were a few times when I was worried my hero and heroine weren’t going to pull off the romance like they were supposed to. Fortunately, they did in the end, but man, I had my doubts. LOL I am breathing a huge sigh of relief.
I spent most of my time writing by the seat of my pants and hoping everything would work out as I went along. I just can’t do it. I am not an outline type of writer. I know some writers swear by this, but it doesn’t work for me. And I’ve learned that until I’m at the 25,000 to 30,000 word point (which is about halfway) into a book, I can’t sprint it either.
I don’t know if I am scaring my editing team or not since I have another book done, but I wanted to warn them (since they read my blog posts) that I’ll be bugging them about going over this book in August. I’ve been working these poor people hard this summer. There was Patty’s Gamble, The Earl’s Secret Bargain, and A Royal Engagement. And I’m about to come at them with this book.
July 18, 2014
The Earl’s Secret Bargain: Link to iBooks
I checked this morning and saw The Earl’s Secret Bargain was already up on iBooks at Apple, so I thought I’d post the link below. I don’t see Patty’s Gamble there yet, but I’ll keep an eye out for it.
The Earl's Secret Bargain - Ruth Ann Nordin">iBooks
July 17, 2014
The Earl’s Secret Bargain is Now Available!
Do you remember the conversation in His Reluctant Lady where Christopher is trying to prove to Agatha that he trusts her enough to tell her a secret? In case you don’t, here’s a quick excerpt:
“All right,” he said, “I’ll concede to your challenge. You want to know something that only the gentlemen in White’s know? I’ll share a confidence with you. Lord Davenport has made a bet with Lord Pennella. The wager? The hand of Miss Giles. Whoever marries her first owes the loser his estate.”
Her jaw dropped and she made eye contact with him. “An entire estate for a marriage?”
“Now I don’t seem like such a bad gentleman, do I? I’d never make a wager on you.”
She couldn’t believe it. Poor Miss Giles. Agatha would hate it if someone made such a bet on her. Posting this in the Tittletattle would be a service to Miss Giles. She needed to know what Lords Davenport and Pennella were up to. Then she could send both earls off in disgust and find one who wouldn’t treat her no better than an object.
It was at that moment, I knew I’d be writing about Lord Davenport and Miss Giles.
And now their story is ready!
I’m not sure when it’ll be on other sites like Apple iBooks, Flipkart, Oyster, or Scribd. Those usually take longer.
***
Also, at last check Patty’s Gamble is still not on Apple iBooks. I will do a post when it is, and I’ll post when The Earl’s Secret Bargain is on Apple iBooks, too, since I know quite of a few of you read iBooks.
July 14, 2014
Patty’s Gamble is Now Available!
Patty’s Gamble is Now Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords. It should be up on Apple iBooks soon. I’ll be checking Apple iBooks to see when it’s up and let you know when I see it.
This is the third book in the Montana Collection. If you don’t have the others in the series, Mitch’s Win is Book 1 and Boaz’s Wager is Book 2. I am planning to write Shane’s Deal (which is Book 4) soon.
For now, you can go to these links to get it:
Special note to Debbie McCreary (a giveaway winner from the Facebook party Janet Syas Nitsick and I ran a couple months back): I will be sending you a paperback version of this book when it’s available. At the moment, it is only in ebook.
Special note to Glenda Harvey, Anusha S, Debra MacArthur, Bridget Frederiksen, Carrie Fisher (ebook winners from the Facebook party Janet Syas Nitsick and I ran a couple months back), I’ll be gifting you ebooks tonight so check your inbox.
July 7, 2014
Sorting Through The Series I Have (And Trying to Get a Look At Where I’m Going in Them and New Ones)
The first thing I want to get out of the way is a name change in the Regency series I’m currently working on. After feedback from my awesome beta reader, I realized “Marriage by Arrangement” isn’t going to best fit for the title of the series. I’ll use that for another series in the Regency Collection.
By the way, I want all of the Regencies to take place in the same world where characters from past books can emerge here and there in minor roles, but they won’t be dominant ones who share the spotlight. For example, I might bring in Nate (Lord Roderick) in one book but then bring Christopher (Mister Robinson) into another.
I really enjoy seeing the same characters pop up here and there if I can give them a valid reason to be there. Every character needs to add to the plot.
Series I Am One Book Away From Finishing
1. Omaha Contemporary Romances
This is Book 1
This is Book 2
This is Book 3
I’m currently writing Just Good Friends, so once I’m finished, I will be done with the series. Then I can finally put it off the “To Write” list. Currently, I am at chapter 9. I expect to be done with the first draft by the end of July/early August. But I won’t publish it until close to October or in October because it’s a holiday romance.
2. Montana Collection
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3 – will be out around July 15
Book 4
I haven’t started it yet because I sense it’ll do a lot better if it’s released at the beginning to middle of next year.
Series I am Two Books Away From Finishing
1. Enchanted Galaxy Series
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
I was surprised, but this is the only series I have two more books to do to finish it up.
Series I am Three Books Away From Finishing
1. Marriage by Deceit Series
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
The Earl’s Stolen Bride
Book 4
Not Yet Titled
2. Florida Contemporary Romances
Book 1
Book 2
Not Titled Yet
Book 3
Not Titled Yet
Book 4
Not Titled Yet
I’m not touching this one anytime soon. My contemporaries don’t sell well anyway. I write them to get a break from historicals to keep my mind fresh and creative, not because I expect anyone to actually be interested in them.
So while I have an interest in writing these books, they are very low on the priority list, and I’m going to spend my focus on other series I need to complete and series I want to start instead.
Series I Want to Start
1. The one that Richard Larson’s book will start
Book 1
This book will launch a series of other books. I expect Richard and Amanda to meet people who will be featured in other books. So while Richard Larson is the oldest son in the Larson family which is a big part of the Nebraska Historical Romance Series, his book doesn’t belong there. It belongs in a different series. I haven’t worked any details of this yet.
2. The one Vivian and Hugh’s book will start
From time to time, I get questions about Vivian and Hugh from His Heart’s Desire. Yes, I do plan to write their book, and their book would start a new series. I haven’t decided what the details should be. This is why I won’t start it until I do.
3. The one for Sep (who was April’s brother) in Shotgun Groom
This book will launch a new series all its own, too. And like Vivian’s book, I have no real plot for it. All I know is that Sep saves a woman from having to marry the wrong man. That’s it. And I can’t get a book going with such little information.
4. Another Regency series
After I finish with the Marriage by Deceit Series, I’ll want to start in on another 3-4 book series of Regencies that take place in the same world as other two series I have. So then I can have even more characters to bring back. But this isn’t even close to being worked on.
July 5, 2014
Updates on What I’m Doing
If I hear otherwise from my publisher, I’ll let you know. But for the time being, this date is still the anticipated release date.
Still Planning a July Release for The Earl’s Secret Bargain
I got this book back from my awesome beta reader and equally awesome editor. Now I’m waiting for my other awesome editor. :) I’m also going through it on my end for a final time. But this book will be out this month.
A Royal Engagement Will Be Out Next Month
After my kids go back to school around August 13, I’ll be getting this one published. Since I don’t talk about this one a whole lot, I just want to remind everyone it’s a contemporary romance about an ordinary Earth woman attending college who discovers she’s going to be the Queen on another planet. Technically, it’s a fantasy romance. It’s not exactly like the Across the Stars Series, but it has the same fantasy feel that Book 3 (His Abducted Bride) had, so if you enjoyed His Abducted Bride, I think this will be equally enjoyable.
Working on a Holiday Romance
I am finally (at long last) actually writing this one. I’ve had the hardest time figuring out how to work through the idea to make a full length book, and now I know what to do. I actually did an outline before I wrote it. So far, the outline has expanded to a couple more scenes I didn’t see coming, but everything is going according to plan. This is a holiday romance. It starts around Thanksgiving and continues on through New Year’s. So I have to publish this in October to best fit the season it’s written for.
This is a contemporary romance about two best friends who pretend to be dating when the heroine has to go to her sister’s wedding. This is the third and final book in the Omaha Contemporary Romance Series. Book 1 is With This Ring I Thee Dread and Book 2 is What Nathan Wants. I am bringing in all characters from the previous two books.
I haven’t decided whether to keep the cover as it is or change it.
I’m Getting Back His Convenient Wife
Now that I got the three main books (Patty’s Gamble, The Earl’s Secret Bargain, and A Royal Engagement) out of the way, I can get back to working on this one. I’d like to get this out this fall. I was thinking October, but we’ll see.
The Rancher’s Wife
Stephannie and I are back to working on this one. The plan is to publish it in February.
This marks the third book I’m working on at one time, and since three books is my limit, all other writing projects are on hold.
Update on His Brother’s Wife – Putting It Aside Indefinitely
Stephannie and I are putting this on hold. She has control over The Rancher’s Wife, so I’ve decided to focus on that. I have control over this one. I don’t know what I want to do with it, so I’m putting a temporary stop on it. Since this isn’t a part of a series, I can safely do that. No one is invested in any of the characters because they haven’t met them.
However, there are other books I need to go through and finish the series for, like Shane’s Deal (book 4 of the Montana Collection), Wagon Trail Bride (which I am going to start over and do a complete rewrite), Love Lessons With The Duke (a Regency that follows The Earl’s Secret Bargain), and Royal Hearts (book 2 in the Enchanted Galaxy Series).
My goal is to clean up as many series or books that lead to other books as possible. And the book mentioned in the paragraph above are the ones that are in the priority slot.
****
I learned that I can’t sprint a book at the beginning.
I can from the middle moving to the end, but when I’m at the beginning, I don’t know the book enough to be able to type 5,000 words a day in it. And since I have pretty much used that method to finish up Patty’s Gamble, The Earl’s Secret Bargain, and A Royal Engagement, I am reverting back to my “work on a couple books at a time method”. I am trying to outline (aka plan) ahead in the current works in progress, but it’s not as easy to make a certain word count when I’m anything less than 25,000 to 30,000 words into a book.
So it’s back to multiple books at a time and pacing myself every day.
June 26, 2014
iBooks Store First in a Series: Romance Books
For those of you who buy iBooks, I wanted to pass along a promotion that is taking place in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK and Ireland.
It features romance books that are the first book in a series. Not all authors are on it. I recognized a couple of authors but not all of them.
Here’s the direct link to the site. (I also put a link on the image above.)
One of my books, Her Heart’s Desire, is up there.
Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">USA | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">Canada | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">Australia | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">New Zealand | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">UK | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">Ireland
I know a lot of you enjoy Rose Gordon’s books, so I’ll post the links to Intentions of the Earl, too.
Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">USA | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">Canada | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">Australia | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">New Zealand | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">UK | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">Ireland
Patty’s Gamble Will Be Out Around July 15
I didn’t want this to get lost under an “updates” post because it’s important everyone is aware that the date has been pushed back to July 15. I apologize. I thought it was going to be out before the end of June, but I misunderstood what the publisher and I had agreed on. My contract does say July 15. This is an error on my part.
~~*~~*~~
In the meantime, I am working on the initial edits for The Earl’s Secret Bargain and A Royal Engagement. I can guarantee that The Earl’s Secret Bargain will be out in July, though I don’t have a publishing date set up yet.
A Royal Engagement will be pushed back to August. I can see having two books out in the same month but three is overkill.
June 23, 2014
A Royal Engagement is Done!
I just finished the first draft tonight! It wasn’t much to it, really. Remember, I was rewriting the original story so the plot stayed the same. But with the help of the sprinting method which really helps me focus in on one book at a time, I was able to get about 17,000 words in in less than a week.
I’d say that I ended up adding 30,000 words total to this book, though I probably deleted about 10,000. (This equates to four more chapters than I had before.) The biggest change was in the hero and heroine who changed in the course of the rewrite. While the plot stayed the same, extra scenes were added to enhance the development of the romance between the main characters.
I am very happy with the way this book turned out and am very glad I took the time to rewrite it instead of doing a light edit and putting it up.
I already “warned” my editing team this book will be coming right after I send them The Earl’s Secret Bargain. Now I can safely say this book will be out by August. I’m aiming for late July, but if it’s early August, then that’s fine.
