Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 96

New Cover and Information for Substitute Bride

I wanted something playful and light since the book is supposed to be a fun read.  So while I found some great pictures to use for the cover, I finally picked the one that I believed represented the tone of the book the best.  Without further ado, here it is:

Why did I write the book?

I wanted to do a romance about two people who were best friends since “forever” and in this case, forever is since kindergarten.  :D

What is it about?

Kevin Edwards stands to inherit one million dollars.  The catch?  He must get married by Valentine’s Day.  With only a month to spare, he seeks out the first woman who catches his interest: Tammy.  But his best friend, Alexandra (Alex) Dixon is convinced he’s making the biggest mistake of his life.  So she decides she will take Tammy’s place and be his bride instead.  Can she convince him that things will be much better if they become more than friends or will he say “I do” to the wrong woman?

Is it deep and meaningful?

Nope.  It’s just supposed to be a cute and fun romance.  Nothing serious takes place.  It won’t change your life or give you deep insights into anything.  It’s only there for entertainment, and yes, this would be called “brain candy” or mere fluff.  But sometimes a fun, quick read is what I’m in the mood for.  :D

When will it be available?

It will be out soon.  I am done with touching it up since it was very light work I had to do to it.  Look for it around November 1st.

For those of you on my email list, I’ll send you the links when the book is up on Amazon, Smashwords, and B&N.  I’ll also make an announcement on this blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and my newsletter blog.

How long is it?

It’s just a little over 36,000 words long, so this is a novella.

And a disclaimer

In case you didn’t read my previous post about this book, it used to be Substitute Bride under Kate Page.  I dropped the pen name because I don’t have time to juggle that when I have books under Ruth Ann Nordin and a family (and all that goes with being a mom).  So if you read the Kate Page version, you’ve already read the book.  I have added a couple of scenes to it and deleted a couple of sexual scenes.  But otherwise, it is the same story.  I’ll add this disclaimer when I publish the book.  I don’t want anyone to say I didn’t warn them.  ;)

Inspiration for the Book: Loving Eliza and the Mute Hero

Of all the heroes I’ve done, none stood out as strong as John.  He might have been mute, but he was very “outspoken” in other ways.  And more than that, he came alive from the very first sentence I wrote to introduce him.

Originally, I intended to write a historical romance based in Alaska where a hero with a disability would be given a wife from a group of brothers who thought he was stupid.  They did it as a joke because they were mean.  Some day I might write that story, but John was nobody’s fool and he was much too strong of a character to have a wife dumped on him.  As soon as I introduced him, he wanted to marry Eliza, and nothing was going to change his mind.  So even though John never spoke, he was able to change the entire book to suit what he wanted it to be.  :D

I have a deaf son who is named John (named after my dad).  My son is profoundly deaf in both ears and has a cochlear implant.  In preschool, his teachers suspected he was either autistic or mentally retarded.  Though I knew neither was the case and testing cleared him of this, there was a stigma during that time that he was not as smart as the other kids.

This part from my real life led into a lot of the town’s people thinking the hero, John, wasn’t smart.  It was a stigma (and a frustration) the hero had to deal with.  A couple of people came around to realizing he had normal intelligence and treated him as such, but there were always a couple who didn’t.

(For anyone who is wondering, my son is now in the second grade, and his teacher realizes he’s smart.  In fact, last year when he was in the first grade, he ended up getting into second grade math because he’d already mastered first grade math.  Thankfully, he doesn’t let his disability hold him back.)

I could have chosen a hero who was deaf, seeing as how my own son is deaf, but I wanted to do something slightly different.  I wanted a hero could hear so he was aware of what people were saying.  But I also wanted a disability that would require facial expressions and hand gestures, things that are similar to someone who is deaf.  My goal was to get a better perspective of what my son goes through, what is it like for him to try to communicate to people without speaking?  So I chose for him to be mute.

I thought it would be hard to write a mute hero, but it was surprisingly easy.  Like I said, he was such a strong character that it didn’t require any effort on my part.  His facial expressions and gestures came without any effort.  I don’t know if it’s because I got used to picking up on what my own son was telling me during that time or what, but John’s actions were easy to write.

Sunday Story Sample: Loving Eliza (Introducing a Mute Hero)

 

Today’s Sunday Story Sample is from Loving Eliza where I introduce John, my mute hero.     I didn’t explain that he was mute until a little later, but from the moment he came into the story, he was very real with a strong personality, and he wasn’t about to let Eliza go.  :D

A strong hand caught Eliza by the arm and steadied her so she didn’t end up on the ground.

She quickly regained her composure and looked into the greenest eyes she’d ever seen.  She blinked in surprise, for they were beautiful.  The man in front of her stood a foot taller than her and had dark brown hair with bangs that fell neatly over his forehead.  The man had dressed in a clean blue shirt and black slacks.  He even wore a tie and a nice black vest.

Considering that he was better dressed than the other men she’d seen in town, she found him to be a strange curiosity.  “You look pretty fancy.  Are you getting hitched?” As soon as she said the words, she wished she hadn’t.  She needed to learn to bite her tongue.  “Sorry, Mister.  I meant no disrespect.”

She tried to move around him but he blocked her.  She frowned and gave him a good look.  She’d had her share of difficult men in her time.  She placed a hand on her hip.  She didn’t care if he was built like a tower.  He wouldn’t intimidate her.

“What do you want with me?” she demanded.

He motioned to the letter in his hand.

She rolled her eyes.  Great.  The strong silent type.  “Look, I don’t have time for this, Mister.  I came to find Melissa Peters.”

When she took another step to the side, he moved with her.

She took a deep breath.  “You are annoying me.”

He winced.

Her face softened.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to be harsh.  What is it you want me to do?  Read that letter?”

He nodded and handed it to her.

“You could just tell me what’s in it.”

He shook his head and pointed to his throat.

“Oh.  You’re sick.  I see.” Not that she believed him.  He didn’t look ill.  “It’s a good thing I know how to read.”

He smiled.

She hesitantly returned his smile before she read the letter.  As she did, it became clear to her that he thought she was the woman who had agreed to come out west to marry him.  No wonder he wouldn’t let her go around him.  He assumed that she was his mail-order bride.  Well, now that was easy enough.  She’d set him straight.  “I hate to break this to you, Mister, but I’m not Daphne O’Conner.  My name is Eliza.” She paused.  She couldn’t recall her last name.  It’d been so long ago since she used it.  “I’m not your bride.”

He frowned as she handed the paper back to him.

“I’m sorry.  I realize she was due to come in on the same stagecoach that I did, but my only traveling companions are over there.” She motioned to a very happy looking Charity and her aunt.  The marshal looked just as pleased.  As well they should, she reckoned.  They all seemed nice enough.  Turning back to him, she shrugged.  “I’m sorry.  Maybe she’ll come in on the next ride.”

He folded the paper in slow, methodical motions.

There didn’t seem to be anything else to say, so she took a step around him and headed for the houses lining the next road.  Wilkins Pike was the name of it, and that was the name of the road she needed.

To her surprise, he tapped her on the shoulder.

She stopped and stared at him, wondering what in the world he could possibly want now.

Works in Progress: Part 2

Other Books I’m Working On

I hesitate to mention the other stories I’ve got going.  I’ve been focusing on A Most Unsuitable Earl and Mitch’s Win, but there have been others I’ve been doing 100-200 words a day (more if the words are just flying from my brain).  These have been my backup stories for when I hit rough patches in the main two.  (I should add that I tend to focus on two stories at one time and the others are the “as time permits” ones.)

Please be aware that this is the tentative list of what I’m currently working on (as in 100-500 words a day so no real progress)…

1. The Write Husband

I’m thinking this might be a novella, but it’s too early to tell.  It’s a Regency and is the romance for Mister Robinson (the mischievous ward of Lord Clement who had to empty chamberpots for Lord Roderick).  Well, he’s just as mischievous as ever, except he’s no longer in danger of getting into a fight with another gentleman.  This time, he’s using his mischievous ways for good, and he’s pretty much bound and determined to marry a widow (Lady Richfield who is Ethan’s good friend in A Most Unsuitable Earl).  Lady Richfield is just as determined to remain single as Mister Robinson is to marry her, at least that’s the case at this point.  I’m almost at chapter 4 in the book.

As a side note: If this is a novella, I will price it lower than I would a full-length novel.

2.  Runaway Bride

It’s taking time to get back into the world I built up for Suddenly a Bride, so I’m only doing a little at a time.  I’m at chapter 2.  I’m finally getting to know the “doctor” (aka Lexie’s fiance Nick).  I honestly had no idea what the guy was like when I wrote Suddenly a Bride.  I just knew she’d end up with Mark instead.  Part of the fun of writing is finding out what the characters are like.  (I will add here that Catherine in A Most Unsuitable Earl is nothing like I thought she’d be.  :P)

3.  His Abducted Bride

I’m really excited about this one and have wanted to do this whole author-gets-sucked-into-her-story for about two years now, so this has been easier to get going than Runaway Bride since more of this story has been outlined in my head.  Also, the original idea for this book actually came when I was in college back in 1998, but back then it was a fantasy I had intended to write.

In 1998, I got my BA in Psychology and ditched the idea of writing the book.  (Well, that’s not true.  I did write the first chapter but didn’t go any further.)  In fact, I did no writing until 2002 after my first child was born and my father-in-law (who read my past books) encouraged me to pick up writing again.  Back then I did sci-fi, fantasies and a couple of YA thrillers.

Then I stumbled upon an old historical romance (which eventually became Falling In Love With Her Husband) that I had only written half of in 1998.  Why did I stop?  Well, I graduated college and moved to North Dakota.  (I was in Florida at the time.)  Anyway, I tucked it away in a bin.  I didn’t open that bin until the summer of 2007.  Sometimes it takes a while to get to where you’re supposed to be.  :D

Anyway, this book is now a romance, but the heroine is writing a fantasy.  So I’ve kept elements from the original idea that stemmed back from 1998.

Oh, and in case anyone wonders why the hero is faded, it’s because he comes from the story (as a work of fiction so he doesn’t really “exist”).  As for her, when I originally had her without any fade into the cover, it didn’t look natural so I had to fade her a little bit to better complement him and the background.  Otherwise, the white was a little overpowering.

***

But I have one more that I wrote and would like to bring back as a “Ruth” book.  Anyone remember my pen name, Kate Page and the book Substitute Bride?  Maybe the cover will get the memory going in case your mind is drawing a blank:

Well, I took it down from Smashwords and Amazon a while back because I was thinking of converting it to a “Ruth” romance.  It was an erotic romance under Kate Page.  I plan to tame it down to a regular romance.

I am going to change the cover and the name on the cover.  But I want to keep the title because when I try to think of a better title, nothing comes to mind.  

I will put in the description of the book that it used to be under the pen name “Kate Page” so those of you who’ve read the Kate Page version will know this is the same story.

I want to do light modifications to the actual story.  I’d like to put more in from Kevin’s (the hero’s) point of view, especially when he’s dating Tammy (not the heroine).  This story is a novella.  I’m sure it’ll stay a novella.  I’ll see how things go.  I’m going to work on this a little at a time as time permits.  I don’t expect much of it to change, so it could be done before the end of the year, but if it doesn’t come out until next year, then that’s how it goes.

I’m currently looking into possible new cover ideas, too, which I hope to post in the next couple of weeks.

And if anyone is wondering, I can’t handle having a pen name.  I’ve gotten a couple of questions about Kate Page and doing more under her, but the truth is, I can’t.  I’m swamped with work as it is, plus the husband, kids, household chores, and other stuff that goes on with real life.  While the idea of a pen name is fun, I only have enough time to be Ruth.  If I have an inkling to do something a little different, I’m just going to attach my name to it and put it out there like I did with Return of the Aliens.

Works in Progress: Part 1

I am working on and off with five (okay six) stories at the moment.  Now, it’s not as impressive as it sounds.  I hit some patches where I’m not sure where to go next in the story, so I’ll try to wade through with a hundred or two words to see if I can get “jump started” to keep going.  A hundred words only takes 5-10 minutes, so we’re not talking a huge amount of time.  Meanwhile, the stories that are easier to work through, I devote more time and attention to until I hit rough patches in one or two of those.  Then I do the same hundred word thing for those stories.  Sooner or later, the rough patch passes and I’m able to get more words in for the day.  Having more than two stories (I like 3-5) at a time to choose from helps me.  And you know, even a hundred or two words a day adds up nicely.  :D

However, when I’m editing, I might work on one other story (two tops) during that period.  At the moment, I’m free of editing and can devote all my time to creative endeavors.

I’m now over halfway through A Most Unsuitable Earl.  If all goes well, I’ll have this done before November 8 when I am due to head out to the conference in Kansas City.  So I think I can have this out around Christmas.  *fingers crossed*  If I do, this will be my 28 romance!  My current goal is to reach 30.  After that, 40.

Anyway, everything is going along great with this book.  I’m really enjoying this one.  The hero and heroine are so funny together.  :D  And it helps when the father-in-law keeps giving the hero grief…in a funny way, of course.

I hope to have a couple samples up pretty soon, an “inspiration for the book” post, and (if all goes well) a character interview or two.  But first, I’ll discuss Loving Eliza which is already scheduled for this Sunday and Monday.

I’m also halfway through Mitch’s Win, but I’ve hit a rough patch and have had to cut back to 100 words a day on it until I get the rough patch resolved.   I also need to write a book proposal for it that will be critiqued at the conference in November by someone in the publishing industry.  I haven’t done a book proposal since 2009, so I had to do some research and dust off the cobwebs in my brain that used to do the query and synopsis thing.  Two things I love about self-publishing (besides full control of the story) is making my own covers and crossing over characters from one series into another.  I’m not sure I can go through and put Mitch’s Win with a publisher because I’d lose that control I’ve enjoyed up to this point.  Something in the back of my mind tells me I need to pair Boaz (Mitch’s brother) with one of Dave and Mary’s children.  That’s what is making me think I need to self-publish it.

But I still feel compelled to get feedback from those in the industry to get a feel for how things have changed since 2009.  I do like to keep abreast on trends in publishing.   I didn’t go into self-publishing because I had no other option.  I went into it because it seemed to be the best way I could keep the story I wanted to tell the way it was meant to be told.

***

Since this post got too long, I’ll have to add Part 2 tomorrow.  I have a lot of other things going on I’d like to share.  :D

Announcing the Soul of a Vampire Giveaway!

Lauralynn Elliott is having a giveaway to celebrate the release of her latest book, Soul of a Vampire.  I beta read this, and I really enjoyed it!  What I most enjoyed was the unique twist on the vampire angle.  In this book, the vampire is looking to get his soul back before his vampire side takes over completely.  I loved the struggle between good and evil.  There is a romance in the book as well, but it’s not the kind of romance where the woman wants to with a vampire (like in Twilight).  Anyway, I don’t want to give the whole thing away.  I thought the book was a fresh new take on the vampire scenario and wanted to pass it along to anyone interested.  :D

Below I have copy Lauralynn’s post.

Remember to go to her blog and enter your favorite gem in the comment section to enter her giveaway!  

Here’s what she posted:

Now that Soul of a Vampire is up on Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble, it’s time to announce what I’m giving away to celebrate the release. At first, I was going to just give away swag, which is basically items with the book cover images or some other promo type items. I’m still going to send bookmarks to the winner, but I wanted to find something special. I searched and searched for the perfect thing I was looking for, and I finally found it. Everyone who comments on this post and tells me their favorite gem through October 23 will have their name entered into the drawing, which will be done by using random.org. The winner will receive a Smashwords coupon code for a free copy of Soul of a Vampire, some bookmarks with the cover picture, and……THIS:

Garnet Jewelry Mentioned in Book

This picture doesn’t do this necklace and earring set justice..it’s much prettier when you actually see it. There is a garnet jewelry set (sorry, there was no bracelet with the one I bought) in Soul of a Vampire. I know these aren’t real garnets, or I wouldn’t have been able to afford the necklace, but they LOOK like garnets. LOL. Anyway, good luck everyone. Please tell your friends how they can win this necklace and earring set. Remember, the only thing you have to do is comment and tell me your favorite gem. There is no obligation to review the book or Tweet or mention on Facebook or…. See, I’m easy to get along with.

Remember to go to her blog to comment and good luck!  :D

Inspiration for the Book: Return of the Aliens

Return of the Aliens is not a romance novel, though it has a romantic subplot between the two main characters, Autumn Daniels and Devon Patrick.  The story revolves around Autumn’s quest to find her sister who was one of millions of people who vanished in one moment.  This rabbit trail leads her into an awareness of the spiritual world where a war is going on around us–a world that’s invisible to us but coincides with our dimension.  It’s a theoretical look at Bible prophecy from the book of Revelation and how it might align with different conspiracy theories.  I label it a Christian Sci-Fi Thriller.

But what inspired the book?  How did the journey begin?

It all started back in October 2009 when I was browsing through You Tube videos and saw a conspiracy theory that claimed that US President Obama was going to announce the presence of aliens in November 2009.  I remember thinking, “Did I just step into the Twilight Zone?”  We all know this “official discloser” didn’t happen.  But from there, I looked up other You Tube videos and these branched out into other conspiracy theories.

At the same time, a friend was looking into the possibility of starting a publishing business specializing in science fiction and fantasy, and she was thinking of accepting submissions but wanted something short.  For fun, I decided to take the idea of the You Tube video about alien disclosure and make a 15,000 word story off of it to submit to her.  This was “The Vanishing” and in it, I gave the identity of the aliens, which was supposed to be the whole point.  The aliens were really demons, not beings from another planet.  That was all the story was supposed to be.  I finished it in a couple weeks.  It was just under 15,000 words, and 15,000 words is easy to do in two or three weeks.

Anyway, in that time, my friend decided not to pursue a publishing business, and I wondered if I should publish “The Vanishing” or let it sit in my hard drive.  I decided to publish it.  It was supposed to be it, but then I listened to podcasts (PID Radio and Coast to Coast, esp with shows featuring LA Marzulli, Tom Horn of Raiders News Network, Patrick Heron, Steve Quayle) and watched more You Tube videos (Chuck Missler, Russ Dizdar, Tom Horn and Steve Quayle, Prophecy in the News with Tom Horn and LA Marzulli).  Well, one thing led to another and I got more ideas which inspired the rest of the book.    The total time of research that went into the book was 15 months.

I never expected it to end up as long as it turned out to be, but I knew that if I didn’t see the whole story through, I wouldn’t feel complete.  What was supposed to be 15,000 words turned out to be a little over 100,000 words.  Even writing as much as I did, there was more stuff I could have included but didn’t because as a reader, I am reluctant to read even 100,000 words.  LOL  So I decided to keep it around the 100,000 word mark, and I feel it’s complete as is.

As for an epilogue, there really isn’t one.  Devon and Autumn have many children, and Autumn and her sister finally get to be reconnected.  :D

So that is an overview for the reason I wrote Return of the Aliens.

Sunday Story Sample: Return of the Aliens

Due to a request I had, I’m going to feature Return of the Aliens this week.

I’ll post a sample from the book that is my favorite scene.  As you probably guessed, it’s taken from the romantic subplot that involves the two main characters: Autumn and Devon.  This scene takes place right after a bomb went off in the mall where she works.  She recognized Devon (who is a bad guy at this point in the book) and followed him so she could confront him.

Tomorrow, I’ll give an overview of what inspired the book.  :D

Devon hung up on his current call and started to dial another number when he noticed Autumn.  He jerked and quickly shut the phone.  “What are you doing here?”

She couldn’t tell if he was alarmed or angry but finally decided he was probably both.  Crossing her arms to hide her slight trembling, she said, “You’re behind this explosion, aren’t you?  There is no terrorist attack.  You set this up.”

He stared at her for a moment, his face unreadable.

The only thing that held her in place was her anger over the needless destruction and suffering that he caused.  “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” Stupid.  What was she thinking by confronting him like this?  He obviously had important connections, and here she was invoking his wrath.  But something in her had snapped, making her unable to stop.  “Well?  What else have been false terror attacks?”

He calmly placed the phone into the breast pocket of his suit jacket.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb.” Her pulse raced with adrenaline.  Stupid.  She was stupid!  This man was dangerous.  She just knew it.  That was the only reason why a demon lurked around him.  And yet, losing her sister and having her entire world tossed upside down was taking its toll on her nerves.  She couldn’t stop.  Even if he pulled out a gun right now and threatened to kill her, she couldn’t stop.  “Do you know where those people disappeared to?  Was that another ploy to get the people to unite for this coming one world government?”

He took a step toward her and she instinctively backed up.  He grabbed her arm and shot her a warning look.  “I advise you to tread carefully.  You think you know what you’re dealing with but you don’t.  This goes much deeper than you can imagine.”

“You bastards took my sister from me.  I have nothing to lose.” And she didn’t.  She had nothing to live for.  Nothing to give up.  No reason to exist.

“No.  We didn’t.  We don’t know what caused that.”

She shook her head as her eyes filled with tears.  She’d wanted him to admit it.  But he didn’t.  “You’re lying,” she insisted, even though it was ridiculous.  She wanted him to be lying.  She wanted to be able to get to her sister and bring her home.

He shook his head.  “That wasn’t part of the plan, but it doesn’t matter because it’s done.  Look, do you want to live or not?”

She hesitated to answer.  After how close she came to dying just now…  If that bomb had been further down the mall…  Was she really prepared for death?

He sighed.  “This isn’t a game.  If you want to survive, you have to play by their rules.”

Shooting him a sharp look, she asked, “Whose rules?”

Before she knew what was happening, he pressed her up against the side of the mall and kissed her.  Stunned, she didn’t push him away.  How could she?  She didn’t have time to think.

He wasn’t demanding in the kiss, though he was insistent that the kiss happen.  His hands settled on her hips, and that was when she thought to push him away.  His mouth left hers and traveled the length of her jaw and to her neck.  Her heart raced, even as she figured that she would be able to push him away once she caught her breath.

He brought his lips to her ear.  “We’re being watched.  There are cameras everywhere.  Listening devices.  You’re being monitored.  You have to be careful.”

Her eyes flew open and a chill raced up her spine.  A warning.  She turned her head and saw that a security guard was watching.

Devon let go of her and stepped away and coughed.  Giving the older man a sheepish grin, he said, “Sorry.  Didn’t see you there.”

Stuff On My Mind

This is a post of random stuff on my mind.  I feel like posting, but I have no set theme in mind.  So I figure, why not just ramble and see what happens?  LOL

1.  National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

I’m NOT doing this this year.  In its place, I’m taking the 60 Days Writing Challenge created by Stephannie Beman.  My goal for that is 70,000 words.   So far I’m at 22,620 words.  :D  I’m happy with my progress.  Some of that is writing 100-200 words in stories like Runaway Bride, His Abducted Bride, and The Write Husband.  I focus most of my writing efforts on A Most Unsuitable Earl and Mitch’s Win.

2.  Taking a break on Wagon Trail Bride

I had started Wagon Trail Bride (only two chapters in), but I had to stop because I didn’t like the direction it was going in.  It was going way too dark.  I’ve done serious and all, but this is not what I want for Richard Larson and Amanda.  I don’t mind it being in similar to Eye of the Beholder or His Redeeming Bride (in terms of the tender overtone to the book and how serious those were), but there’s a fine line between serious and dark.  That book is on hold until I decide how to get Richard to marry Amanda when he’s in love with someone else.  There has to be a good reason.  I know something bad happened to her and that he took her out of New York to save her, but the key is the “what”.  In the meantime, I have five other books I’m working on, so don’t worry.  I won’t get bored while I wait for inspiration to strike on that story.  :D

3.  What would you like to see for the Sunday Sample this week?

My mind is somewhat blank on what to post for the Sunday Sample.  Anyone got any books I’ve published that you’ve always wondered where I got the inspiration of it from?  Any scenes that have stuck with you that made you wonder, “Where did she get that idea?” If not, then I’ll see what I can come up with on Sunday.

Runaway Bride (Sequel to Suddenly a Bride) and the Book I Had Planned After That

 

(I plan to update the cover to the one you see above when I publish Runaway Bride.)

After looking at the results of my poll, I’ve decided to write the sequel to Suddenly a Bride.  Now, there’s no promises on when it’ll be finished.  I can’t predict when inspiration will strike.  I can only write books as the urge to write them comes to me.

That being said, I will add it to my “To Write” list.

I’m calling this series “Across the Stars” because there’s either a sci-fi or fantasy type of theme to them, but in each case, the sci-fi and fantasy will be lightly placed in the books.  The focus on the books is the romance between the main characters, which is where I want the focus to be.

I have already made the cover.  I wanted something that compliments the cover to Suddenly a Bride so people know it’s in a series.

 

I do plan to do a third book, which is going to be Sandy’s romance (Sandy was Caitlyn’s best friend).  I was going to title it The Write Husband, but since I gave that title to a Regency I’m working on, I decided to make the title His Abducted Bride.

You see, the storyline isn’t about Sandy marrying a man who came from Pandoran where Chris and Mark came from.  Her hero comes from a book she’s writing.  She’s working on a fantasy and is nearing the end of the book where she (the queen of one kingdom) is at the final battle of the villain (the evil king who is trying to take over her kingdom).  Well, to make a long story short, before she can finish the book and kill him off, he pulls her into the book and sets out to rewrite her book his way.   So it’ll be a fun battle of wills as the author of the book gets to argue firsthand with her character.

Anyway, while I was sorting through pictures to make the cover, I decided the best background wasn’t the earth like with Suddenly a Bride or the moon and stars like Runaway Bride since the story takes place in the fantasy world in a castle.  So I decided to go with that background instead.  Then I found a picture of a man dressed up as a warrior holding a sword and thought he fit better than just using a picture of a man’s face like I did with the other two books.  So the format is a little different, but I think it still works as connecting the book to the trilogy.