Allison Wells's Blog, page 2

New Life to Older Things

Years ago on this blog, I shared little short stories called The Chronicles of Kate & the Grit Girls. They were so much fun, but I really don’t blog anymore, so a friend convinced me to give Kindle Vella a try. Kate, Delia, and Frankie Ann will be given new life over on Kindle Vella!

(c) Allison Wells. Thanks to C, M, & M for modeling.

The first episode (an intro) came out on May 8th, and they will be coming out every Sunday! Please take a look and follow the story!
https://kdp.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story-details/Y3Z1M67ZJ9P

Where did the Grit Girls come from? Well, truth be told, from me and my friends!

Back in 2015, my best friend moved away. And much like an eight-year-old, I pouted. Michelle and I did everything together – even down to (inadvertently) having children together. So I took her moving very hard.

I spent a year feeling completely friendless. I prayed for friends to magically appear. On a whim, I started a Facebook group for area moms. The group has blossomed into an amazing community and such a wonderful mission field for encouragement. Through the group, I met two wonderful ladies – Marissa and Sarah. We were instant buddies. We share everything.

Through some word misunderstanding, I thought someone had called us the Bacon Tribe (she had actually said “Beacon of Light”) and the nickname stuck. We’ve been the Bacon Tribe for over five years now. We talk daily. We go on vacations together. We celebrate birthdays and Christmas and anything else we can think of to celebrate.

I wanted to write some shorts as magnets to put on my blog, and now they’re going to live on Vella.. With a little group brainstorming, the Bacon Tribe translated into the Grit Girls.

Now – please note that the Grit Girls are FICTION. The stories are FICTION. Yes, we went to Lake Lure, but nobody fell into the lake. No hunky firefighter married a gorgeous divorcee (that I know of), and I know not one single thing about the school district superintendent. Every storyline is made up in my head, albeit based on somewhat true events.

But they are fun to write, and hopefully they’re fun for you to read. I do hope you’re enjoying learning about Kate and the Grit Girls. They’re a sassy bunch, aren’t they?

Two Princes releases March 15th!

My 5th novel will be out on March 15th and I am giddy with excitement.

Two Princes is a sweet romance that centers on Hana Willis and the two gentlemen who find themselves pursuing her – Chas Rossi and Pace McCoy.

Here’s the back blurb:

   Hana Willis is too busy writing best-selling romance novels to worry about romance herself. But with her sister and her best friend walking down the aisle soon, Hana realizes it’s time to start looking for her own Prince Charming instead of just writing about them.
   Chas Rossi is the epitome of a successful businessman, but his parents’ nagging that he start a family has him looking over every unattached woman he meets. When Hana walks through his door, he finds a woman who might be just what he’s been looking for.
   Pace McCoy never slows down between owning a bar and operating a dog rescue. With a failed engagement in his past, Pace has sworn off love. That is, until he gets to know Hana and her dog Lulu. Soon all his thoughts are about her and he’s rethinking his take on love.
   When both Chas and Pace take interest in Hana, she finds herself in a love triangle unlike anything in the books she writes. Chas is polished and driven, while Pace is rugged and kindhearted. How will she know which one is the one for her?

This is a departure for me – this is not a heavy-hitting Christian novel. This is just a fun, light read that will have Christian elements. I hope readers new and previous will love it.

I’ll have the pre-order link ready to go soon, until then – happy reading!

Firebird Award Winner

I was thrilled to find out recently that I won the Firebird Book Award in Christian Fiction for Bell of the Night! I even got this snazzy emblem to put on my books and here on my website.

Bell’s story is so dear to me, so it gives me great pleasure to know she connects with others as well.

Monster Ivy League

Well hello there! I am THRILLED to tell y’all that I am starting a podcast along with some amazing authors! Sara Jo Cluff and Kristiana Sfirlea and I will be talking all things nitty and gritty about books. We’re hoping to bring you some amazing new books and talk with some fabulous authors.

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Do you have an author you would love to hear about? A book that hit you right in the feels? Let me know so we can add it to our calendar!

Check us out online!

Facebook

Instagram

On the Web

Roxie is Resonating!

Y’all. Roxie is really resonating with people! Living Water got up to #67 on the Amazon chart for Biblical Fiction which is just astounding.

I’ve recorded a few podcasts and live events talking about Living Water and Roxie and I have loved every minute. I’ll link those below. But the biggest takeaway is that Roxie is loved and people love her story. That is every writer’s dream come true.

I cannot thank the wonderful ladies from Monster Ivy Publishing enough for their support and love. Thanks to all the ARC readers and my launch team! I can write the story, but it’s these teams who make a book a success.

Check out Jen Lowry’s pocast – she is just a peach! You’ll want to follow her!

And listen to me at Books on the Mic with some of my MIP faves!

Lynn is one of my favorites and I loved hanging out with her on 2 Girls and a Book live this week!

Living Water Cover Reveal

Are you ready? The Living Water cover reveal is upon us!

Special thanks to Cammie Larsen of Monster Ivy Publishing for the gorgeous cover! We did a bit of back and forth on this, but I had utmost faith in your abilities and I could not be happier with how this turned out.

I can’t wait for you all to read about Roxie in May!

ACTS of Prayer

I wrote this for my publisher’s Spiritual Sunday post and thought I would share it here as well.

Steps on Prayer

Have you ever wondered how to pray? This is something my kids struggle with – they don’t feel comfortable praying out loud because they don’t know how. Of course, I tell them there is no right or wrong way to pray, God hears us regardless. 

Photo by Public Domain Pictures on Pexels.com

But I was introduced to a method that I really liked and I’m using with my kids, so I thought I would pass it along to you. It’s called ACTS.

First, you open your prayer with Adoration. Praise God for all that He is. Acknowledge that He is the Alpha and Omega.Second, Confession. This is where you admit your own shortcomings and ask for forgiveness. Following that is Thanksgiving. We have so much. Thank the Lord for everything, eleven if you’re not feeling it. Thank Him for the rain, your dishwasher, the roof over your head. Finally, end with Supplication. That’s just a fancy word for asking for things with a humble heart. Pray for your needs, but more than that, pray for the needs of others. 

This is a simple way to build up your prayer life and a great method for introducing prayer to those that might be unfamiliar with it. Like I said, I do this with my kids at night before bed. We might go out of order sometimes, but it’s a handy way to stay in tune with our creator. Added to reading the Bible and studying scripture, it can help with creating a fulfilling life walking with the Lord.

God bless you all! I’m praying for you!

Author Interview: Sara Jo Cluff

Sarah Jo Cluff is the most amazing author! I love it when a new book with her name on it comes out, so I am extra excited because she has a new release!

First, and most importantly – Sara Jo is Team No Pineapple on her pizza. She’s my BFF now. Her perfect date night, however, is watching sports and having snacks, which is not *my* personal jam, but that’s okay. She’s a sweet chick anyway. I will sit down with her and watch some amazing movie marathons, though.

Sara Jo’s new book is called Daphne’s Questionable Bet. I read an advanced copy of this book and it was so adorable. I loved the characters, I loved the love interests, and I love that it was clean enough for me to get for my teenager!

Here’s a little about the book:

Buy it on Amazon

When sixteen-year-old Daphne Richards moves from Utah back to California, she’s excited by the prospect of being reunited with her childhood best friend. But her excitement quickly dies when she learns her mom’s high school rival lives next door—with a daughter the same age as Daphne. Sierra Winters is a chip off the old block. Eager to redeem her mother’s name, Sierra offers Daphne a simple challenge: Who can get the gorgeous and charming Bentley Anderson to ask her to prom? Confident in her ability, and unable to turn down a challenge, Daphne takes the bet. Both girls quickly go to work, doing everything in their powers to woo Bentley—while sabotaging the other. Only, another guy at school quickly catches Daphne’s eye, and her ever-building anxiety mounts when a picture involving Care Bear underwear risks getting out.

Sara Jo says Daphne is totally her, only way cooler since she’s not afraid to dance in public.
Says Sara Jo, “So, this is like the third version of this book. It started out back in 2013 titled Socially Challenged. It was a release for me, to go through all the crazy/awkward things that happened to me as a teen. Then, it went through a massive rewrite, becoming Awkward Anonymous, and it had 12 steps for the MC to survive her junior year. It just wasn’t quite right. So, in 2019 I decided to do a massive overhaul of the whole project, because I felt the story still needed to be told. I took most of the same characters, the main premise, but almost everything else changed. It was so much fun to write, and I’m glad I finally got it right. Third time’s the charm, right?”

I’m so glad she figured it out because I also relate with Daphne in a major way. I don’t think any teen girl – or former teen girl – wouldn’t relate. My daughter was obsessed with Care Bears as a kid, and she loves Cherry Coke, so I really felt motherly towards Daphne as well.

Daphne’s Questionable Bet comes out tomorrow – Feb 2, 2021 – and you NEED to get it for yourself, for your teenager, and your local school library. I hope you love it!

Follow Sara Jo Cuff on her socials:
https://www.facebook.com/sarajocluff
https://www.instagram.com/sarajocluff/
https://www.sarajocluff.com/

New Year, New Happenings

So I’m a little late with the New Year’s wishes. Happy 2021, y’all!
It’s already starting out a doozy isn’t it?

This year I decided my word for the year would be Amity. Friendship, relationship, community. Those are the things I want to bring my focus to this year. I can only pray I can be as wonderful a friend to those around me as they have been to me.

In the book world – we have a cover for Living Water. You will get to see it in March! I’m starting a newsletter (totally new for me and I am CLUELESS), so if you want to see the cover a little early, newsletter subscribers will get a sneak peek early! Needless to say it’s gorgeous. Cammie at Monster Ivy Publishing did an amazing job with it.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

I’m working on three totally different projects right now. I can only hope to finish them some day. You all know about the book(s) I affectionately call the Roses. Book one is about halfway done.
I’ve also picked up a book I started a few years ago that’s a contemporary piece that has a love triangle. I’ve always loved a good “Who will she pick?” story, and this one is right up there.
And I started a brand new novel, this one also contemporary, that revolves around several different people’s views of the truth as they see it. I hope that one works out into something wonderful!

In addition to that, I am going to be posting more book reviews on my Instagram page (also in Goodreads). They will be a mix of Christian and non-Christian books, as I enjoy reading most anything. I hope you find a few new thing to read there!

Did you pick a word for 2021?
What are your reading and writing goals for this year?

I was featured on a Vlog!

I’ve done a few blog interviews, but just before Christmas I had the pleasure of being on a Vlog called “It’s About Writing” hosted by Terri Thompson. I had a great time chatting with her about the writing process, overcoming writer’s block and what’s coming up next.

Check it out here: