Zoe Ashwood's Blog, page 4

Publish and Thrive by Heart Breathings: A Course Review

A comprehensive review of the self-publishing course PUBLISH AND THRIVE by Sarra Cannon at Heart Breathings.

Thinking about self-publishing? Are you a writer in the beginning stages of your career? Or a more seasoned author wanting to revamp your author business and set up systems to simplify your publishing process? 

 

The Publish and Thrive course by Sarra Cannon at Heart Breathings is a comprehensive self-publishing course. In this review, I’ll go over some of the prons and cons you might be wondering about, and I’ll tell you all about my experience with taking it. 

 

A quick note: I’m an affiliate of this course because I love it and I found it helpful. Much like with the HB90 planning course, I decided to become an affiliate because I like spreading the word about products I enjoy and use in my writing career. This means that I get a small percentage of the price you pay, with no extra cost to you. Thanks!

 

So, spoiler alert: this is a very positive review of the course - I’ll go into more detail below - but I also added some potential downsides you might experience while taking it, because no course is perfect for everyone. 

 

Who will benefit from this course?

The Publish and Thrive course is great for beginner to intermediate writers and authors who intend to pursue the self-publishing path (or are already self-publishing). 

 

What’s included in the course?

Sarra Cannon’s course consists of five comprehensive modules on gearing up for success, publishing your novels, writing business, marketing, and creating lasting success in your author career. Let’s take a closer look at each of those.

 

Module One: Gearing up for success

This module takes you through the basics of any author’s career. There are lessons on genre, editing, cover art, social media, author websites, and, most importantly, your author strategy. These are the bare bones of what you’ll need in order to build a solid writing career. If you’re a more experienced author, you’ll be able to go through these more quickly and do a sort of audit of your setup to see whether you’ve missed something.

 

Module Two: Publishing your novels

This module includes lessons on keywords, metadata, all the minutiae of the self-publishing system, as well as step-by-step instructions for uploading your (finished) manuscript to various online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books etc. 

 

Module Three: Running your writing business

In this module, you’ll learn how to calculate ROI, to track your business budget, copyright, and more. Not the sexiest of things, but so, so necessary for having a successful career. There’s a special video about cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset that’s particularly useful. 

 

Module Four: Marketing your books

This is probably the most interesting module of the course for some people. The basic premise that Sarra teaches is that every part of your product is a marketing tool. She covers topics like your comp authors, newsletter promotions, preorders, as well as strategies for slow- and fast-writing authors. I love that her approach isn’t based on “how to make a quick buck” but rather focuses on creating the best possible book that will turn first-time readers into loyal fans.

 

Module Five: Creating success that lasts

If you ask me, this module alone is worth the price of the course. It features videos on time and energy management, goal setting, feeling discouraged, handling criticism, and more. It’s the “thrive” part of the course, and it’s incredibly important for creating a healthy career, not just a financially successful one. Writers, as creatives, are sometimes fragile creatures, and Sarra’s videos are great guidance for times of overwhelm and negativity.

 

At the end of each module you’ll also find comprehensive Q&A videos from previous rounds of the course. One of the things that’s very good about this course is the continuous support you’ll get from Sarra both during the actual course and later via email or in the private P&T Facebook group. There are so many writers who are willing to help, and Sarra herself is very prompt at answering any questions her students have.

 

When does the course open?

So far, the course has opened twice a year - in February and August. The next round will begin on February 8, 2021, and you can enrol here. She is also offering a special writing bundle that includes her HB90 course (the March round) and comes at a discount. You can also read my review of the HB90 course.

 

Any chance you will not benefit from this course?

If you’re looking for advice on traditional publishing, meaning you want to get your manuscript to an agent and then have it submitted to a traditional publishing house, this is probably not the best course for you. If you read the module breakdown, you’ll know that a lot of the lessons will still fit, though, especially the ones on crafting great stories, writing in series, setting up your author platform, and the entirety of Module Five, which deals with the more, shall we say it, spiritual side of being a writer (aka thriving when things get hard). 

 

But you won’t find advice on query letters in there, nor a breakdown of best publishing houses or agents to query. This is a course on publishing that presupposes that you kept the creative rights to your works, which means you can do with them what you want, and publish at your own schedule. 

 

Another consideration might be that the marketing module doesn’t include in-depth information on Amazon, Facebook, or BookBub ads. The single lesson on pay-per-click advertising covers the basics, but since there are entire courses devoted to this topic, Sarra has chosen not to include her instructions on these. So if that’s the primary content you want to learn, this won’t be a good fit for you. Check above to see what she does include in the marketing module.

 

The course is also time-intensive and merely watching the videos will take a significant amount of time. Following the instructions and implementing the lessons might take you months or even years - but that’s just how long it takes to create a good setup for your author career if you want to thrive long-term (no quick fixes and magic bullets here!). I found working through the videos twice was a good idea - once when the course was in progress so I could follow along and participate in Q&As and such, then again at a slower pace to implement specific elements.

 

To sum up...

Overall, if you’re looking for a comprehensive publishing course that will hold your hand as you start (or revamp and improve) your writing career, you can’t do better than this. There are other courses that either cover parts of what’s included in Publish and Thrive or deal with more specific topics (like advertising only), of course. But this one offers a very good overview of the self-publishing world as well as step-by-step guidance for building specific tiers and pillars of your writing career. 

 

Once again, if you’d like to enrol, you can do so here. If you’re also interested in the HB90 course and would like to take advantage of the special offer - the Thriving Author Course Bundle - head on over to this link (the HB90 course doesn’t begin until just before the start of a new quarter). 

 

I hope you found this helpful! Happy writing, friend!

xo,

Zoe

 

 

The Best Books I Read in 2020

I read so many books last year - and not all of them were great. But this is a list of the best books I read in 2020, and they're all fantastic.

Is it just me, or is the idea of disappearing into the pages of a book highly appealing in times like these? 

 

It’s the beginning of 2021, and with that, a time to look back on what books I’ve managed to read despite the craziness that was last year. Sometimes, when life gets super hard, the best thing to do is to escape into a book, and I’m pretty sure my reading choices for 2020 reflect that. 

 

I’ve put together a list of the best books I read this year, sorted by genre, and I’m convinced that if you pick up any of them, you’ll find a great new story to sink into. Whether it’s romance you want or a gripping thriller, there’s something here for everyone (even your kids if you check out the Fantasy section). 

 

I’ve also added short descriptions to help you out! 

 

*The links in this post are affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission from any purchases you make with zero additional cost to you. Read more about it here.*

 

 

Romance novels for the hopeless romantics like me


Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews (start the series with Burn for Me ) - Look, if you haven’t read this series yet, just DROP EVERYTHING, read it, and thank me later. :) It just keeps getting better and better, and I love Catalina’s trilogy as much as Nevada’s. When a new preorder in the series is announced, I preorder it, then over the course of the next couple of months, I try to panic-preorder it again and again, certain I’ve forgotten and I’m about to miss their release day.
Sweep With Me by Ilona Andrews (start the series with Clean Sweep ) - This sci-fi romance series is so good, I even managed to get my brother hooked on it. The worldbuilding is so good it makes me weep, and it’s laugh-out-loud funny. The plot is insanely well-written, and the subtlety of their characters is the source of much awe. 
Honeymoon Sweet by Allison Temple - Temple writes the perfect MM romances with humor, kick-in-the-gut tender moments, and loveable characters. This one was especially cute as it takes place on a cruise ship (a nightmare vacation for me, so I was doubly impressed that she managed to pull off a fantastic romance in such a setting)!
Whiteout by Adriana Anders - I loved the audiobook version of this (I listen to audiobooks on Scribd), but I’m going to reread it soon. It’s got one of my favorite tropes: a grumpy hero and a sunshine heroine, plus it’s set on Antarctica where the environment is harsh and unforgiving. This is romantic suspense at its best, and I can’t wait to read the second book.
When She Was Naughty by Tessa Dare - this was a freebie on the author’s site (check whether it's still free!) when I grabbed it and is a cute holiday novella that nevertheless packs a powerful punch of emotion and a ridiculously elaborate but perfect declaration of love. I’ve missed Dare’s books this year (I’ve read them all), so this was a very nice holiday surprise.

 

Reverse Harem Romance for those who want triple (or quadruple!) the fun


Dark Arts by Fiona Starr - this academy series really pulled me in, and has good worldbuilding. I read the second book in the series already and will definitely be reading more of Starr’s books. It’s also a rare academy series without bullying.
Seraphim Academy: Wicked Wings by Elizabeth Briggs - Briggs is quickly becoming one of my favorite reverse harem authors. She’s built a fantastic, sexy world with a succubus heroine, and I loved how she took no shit from her harem, even though they were mean bullies at the start, and paid them back with interest for every prank they pulled.
The Royals of Villain Academy series by Eva Chase - this was another academy reverse harem series (it seems like I’ve read a lot of them this year, haha!) that I liked. Chase is definitely a great find of 2020, and I also read Shadow Thief , which was great.

 

 

Fantasy novels to (literally) take you out of this world


The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - I’ve read Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown before but this was her first series I read, and it’s fantastic! It has a bully trope and takes place in Faerie. Since Fae are some of my favorite supernatural creatures, this was exactly right for me. So much intrigue and twisty angst! A perfect YA fantasy read.
Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab (start with City of Ghosts ) - I’m loving this series. It’s the right amount of scary even for me - it’s a Middle Grade story about a girl who sees ghosts and has parents who are ghost hunters. Really awesome worldbuilding!
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (start with Throne of Glass ) - this was a great undertaking as Kingdom of Ash is the last book in a 7-part series of massive books, haha! But I loved the conclusion and I’m definitely not sorry to have invested my time and money in reading it, which is more than I can say for a lot of series. The series turns from Young Adult to New Adult at about book four!
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) by Sarah J. Maas - a great, steamy beginning to a new series by one of my auto-buy authors. I’m really looking forward to reading the next one!
Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan - I reread the entire series this year and I love it just as much as I did when I was 17 and first discovered them. This is high school witchy drama at its finest, and Hunter is one of my OG book boyfriends, haha! Can’t recommend this enough! If you can’t find the books in print, try a used books shop - they have loads of options online and the books are super cheap. 

 

Miscellaneous books that proudly defy being stuffed into any of the above categories 


Five Years from Now by Paige Toon - this was a wonderful romantic story (not a romance, though!) that had me both crying and laughing. It hit me right in the chest and came at exactly the right moment.
Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong (start the series with City of the Lost) - I don’t often read thrillers but Kelley Armstrong’s series is one of my favorites! It’s so atmospheric and beautifully written, and after being immersed in the series for several books, I love it even more. Audiobooks are also awesome!
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley - another thriller on the list. This was a psychological one that I enjoyed a lot, and it kept me guessing right until the end! I’ll definitely be reading the next book by Lucy Foley.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt - I’ve been meaning to read a Tartt book for ages and finally managed to chew through this for an online book club I attended. I loved it! It’s so beautifully written, the characters are insanely compelling, and I had extreme writer’s envy as I marveled over her words.

 

Non-fiction for writers who want to take charge of their destiny


Writing and Marketing Systems by Elana Johnson - this was definitely the book that made the most impact on my writing career this year! In 2021, I’m planning on working through it and revamping the organization (or lack of it, rather) of my business. I’ve read all three books in the series, and they’re all great.

 

Go on, try one - you might just find a new favorite author. I hope you’ll give these amazing stories a chance! And if you’d like to follow along with what I read from week to week, follow me on Instagram where I often post short reviews of the books I’m loving at the moment. 

 

Happy reading!

xo, Zoe

 

Top Ten Books to Read if You Loved Bridgerton

So you've watched Bridgerton (the historical romance show on Netflix)? Here are ten books to read if you'd like to just keep living in the time of petticoats and horse-drawn carriages.

Have you watched Bridgertons yet? What’s that? You have, and you loved the series?

 

I’m going to go ahead and assume that you’ve already read Julia Quinn’s novels if you’ve managed to find your way to this blog post. It's her Bridgertons series that the Netflix show is based on, after all.

 

For my fellow historical romance fans, I’ve put together this quick list of books that will give you the same emotional punch as the scandalous, sizzling series you just binged, with all the petticoats and cravats and carriages you can imagine. 

 

Now, a note of warning: I have no idea whether these actually take place in the exact same decade as the series. I’ve never been great at history, and I get my early 19th-century British monarch confused, but the vibe of the books is the same, promise. 

 

Just give these a try, then come back to chat with me once you’ve read them! 

*The links in this post are affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission from any purchases you make with zero additional cost to you. Read more about it here.*

 

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare - Dare is one of my favorite historical romance authors, and she’s probably the most similar to Quinn. You can’t go wrong with any of her romances, but this is her most recent series, and it’s amazing.
A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare - this is my favorite historical romance of all time. Minerva is an amazing, unusual young woman, and I love how she comes into her own through the course of the story.
A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean - Sarah MacLean’s stories are hugely popular, and with good reason! These are sexy, scandalous romances that will have your heart beating faster.
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean - another great title by MacLean.
How to Capture a Countess by Karen Hawkins - now Hawkins writes Scottish heroes, but her books were some of the first I read when I first discovered historical romance (right after Julie Garwood, haha!), so they hold a special place in my heart.
Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens - Ahh, Laurens writes great alpha heroes. And amazing heroines who defy them on every step! I really need to reread these someday.
If You Dare by Kresley Cole - this one is definitely an outlier since it mostly takes place in Andorra, but it’s sexy and funny and I just love it! Highly recommended if you want a burly Scot instead of a starched Englishman as your hero. 
Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas - Lisa Kleypas is another historical romance powerhouse!
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - okay, I couldn’t help adding Jane Austen to the list - Mr. Darcy is, after all, the original hero we all know and love.
Ask For It by Sylvia Day - this is a little darker (and, dare I say it, smuttier - smut being a good word around here!) than the rest, but if your tastes run that way, definitely check out this series.

 

I hope you found a good book to satisfy your historical romance addiction on my list! Let me know if you’ve read any - and we can chat. I talk about the books I read over on my Instagram - and I have a feeling I'll need to do a good historical romance binge after finishing Bridgerton! I’d also love your recommendations as I’m always looking for new stories to read. 

 

Top Ten Books Set in Schools

These are my favorite school stories - dive in for a treat!

Don't you just love fall? And the first day of school?

 

I've always loved September and the new-school-year energy that comes with it. Here, the days are still hot but the mornings are crisp, and I get to break out my sweaters and cardigans. I've actually started enjoying hot tea in the mornings.

 

For me, fall was all about school supplies - I've always been a notebook addict. I used to love going to the shops at the end of summer to pick up everything I needed for that year. So it's no surprise at all that I also enjoy school settings in the books I'm reading. Here are some of my favorites for this season, sorted roughly by genre.

 

 

Romance

the Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy - steamy contemporary new adult college romance with hockey players, yes please! 

the Royals of Villain Academy series by Eva Chase - reverse harem academy romance with great worldbuilding. The characters are high-school-aged.

the Seraphim Academy series by Elizabeth Briggs - steamy reverse harem academy romance with college-aged harem.

the Dark Falls Academy series by Anya J Cosgrove - another academy series that's just great!

 

Young Adult

the Sweep series by Cate Tiernan - this is a witchy Young Adult series that I *love* - I recently reread it, and it's just as good as I remember!

Fangirl and Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - ohhh, I love Rowell's writing, and if you haven't read these two before, I highly recommend it!

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter - a contemporary series about girls who attend spy school. It’s great fun.

 

Fantasy

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - this one is a bit of a stretch, and it's high fantasy, but the University is amazing, and I'd totally attend it if I could!

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin - a definite classic in the genre.

 

Miscellaneous

The Secret History by Donna Tartt - I recently read this, and it’s a fantastic reverse-murder mystery with a dark academia vibe that’s just delicious.

 

I hope you’ll find a great school-themed read among these!

Have you read any of them? And do you have any recommendations for me?

 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links - this helps me run this site with no extra cost to you. Learn more here!

Tempted - Book One in the Sea Dragons of Amber Bay Trilogy

A brand new Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance from Zoe Ashwood

Hi, lovely reader,

 

I'm so happy to announce my brand new trilogy, Sea Dragons of Amber Bay! It's a Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance, meaning that one heroine has more than one love interest and she doesn't have to choose between them at all. 

 

 

Tempted is the first book in the series. First readers are loving it, and I hope you will, too! Here's the blurb:

 

Who knew one small mistake—that just happened to go viral—would result in being exiled from my family and shunned by my coven? 

Not me. Yet here I am, in nowhere, Alaska, armed only with a laptop and my Pomeranian.

But even witch magic can’t prepare a girl for the freezing temperatures, murderous moose, or the abundance of hot men.

Jack, Ty, and Aiden walked straight out of the freezing ocean like some mythical gods, water sluicing from their broad shoulders. What starts as burning attraction quickly turns into searing kisses and hot nights between the sheets. 

But something isn’t right in this tiny Alaskan village. There aren’t any tourists. There’s no internet, and the locals shoo their children away when I walk past in the streets. 

There are secrets here I long to uncover. But not if that means the risk of exposing my own. 

Tempted is a ‘why choose’ paranormal romance perfect for readers who enjoy sassy heroines, sexy sea dragon shifter heroes, and enough steamy scenes to heat up even a cold Alaskan night. This is the first book of an ongoing trilogy.

 

Doesn't it sound amazing?! You can order your copy right here: Amazon US - Amazon UK - Amazon CA - Amazon AU

 

And here's a close-up of the cover, created by the amazing Natasha Snow!

 

 

You can add Tempted on Goodreads and BookBub, as well as check out my Pinterest inspiration board for the series!

 

Read Chapter One right now!

 

 

Chapter One

Skye

 

 

The plane shudders, and I grip the armrest to my left so hard, my knuckles turn white. I hate flying, so much so that I once drove from San Diego all the way to Massachusetts, but I couldn’t take my car this time. Driving to Alaska is pretty much impossible if you own an old VW Beetle.

On the seat to my right, a man snores, oblivious to my distress and to the very real possibility that my freaky magic could erupt at any moment and send us all plummeting to our deaths. I glance down at my wrists. Okay, my bracelets are still in place, so we’re safe for now. Probably.

There are so many electrical appliances and gadgets on this plane, my power would tear through them in a second if I let it. Being in close proximity to so much tech is painful even without access to my magic.

I take deep breaths like my sister taught me. Inhale, one, two, three, four, exhale, one, two, three, four. The thought of Alice brings tears to my eyes. I wonder if our relationship will ever be the same after the last couple of months. It’s only been half a day since I left her house, but I miss her already.

Touchdown in Anchorage is uneventful, and I finally let myself believe that we made it. All the passengers and crew are still alive. Maybe I should get a bottle of champagne to celebrate. My budget won’t allow that until I finish the work I’ve come here to do, so I give myself a mental pat on the back and count my blessings.

The moment I step out of the airplane, I take my first gulp of Alaskan air. It’s fresh, crisp, and, most importantly, it doesn’t smell of unwashed socks. The job I’m here for required me to pack up my bags in less than two days, but after I’m done, I have no plans.

A harried mother with two children in tow clicks her tongue behind me, so I hustle down the steps and onto the cracked tarmac. I’ve just spent half the day on planes, and for the second leg of the journey, had to hold my breath. The man seated next to me apparently didn’t believe in showering.

The line of people leads me to the airport shuttle waiting to carry us to the terminal building. I take care to stand as far away from my former neighbor as possible and let an elderly woman have the last free seat. Princess Penny is snoozing safely in her carrier. She’d been a real trooper on both flights so far—probably because I’d given her enough doggie treats to send her into a food coma.

I clutch the carrier close to my chest and try not to jostle the other passengers. It’s a short ride to the terminal, where they herd us through to the luggage carousels. The screen above ours flickers to life, and I feel the electricity spark inside it. Being in close proximity to so many electronic appliances is torture. Their systems are all wired differently, and it’s jarring to sense them all around me. But the exits are almost within reach, and I only need to wait for my suitcases before I can escape.

The dog carrier gets heavier the longer I hold it, so I put it on the floor and dig my phone from my purple backpack. The case has Hello Kitty on it, a gift from my sister. It’s her I call as soon as the phone turns on.

“I’m here,” I say, keeping my voice down.

“Good.” The word comes on a sigh, as though Alice had been holding her breath for the entire time I’d been airborne. “How was your flight?”

“Smelly.” I wrinkle my nose even though she can’t see me. “But fine. I didn’t short-circuit the plane wiring by accident, so that’s a definite bonus.”

She chokes out a strangled laugh. “You’ve never short-circuited a plane.”

I relax my shoulders with a huge force of will. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.”

Electricity-related accidents happen a lot around me. But I’d put on my damper bracelets before the flights, so my almost nonexistent power was brought down to a complete halt. I’m itching to take them off, but not just yet. I need to be away from people. Sparks flying from my fingers are a definite possibility after wearing them for six hours straight.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Concern lines her voice, and I try not to cringe. She’s been mothering me for the past five months. I know she means well, and she’d saved my ass by letting me stay in her guest room, but I need to do this job on my own.

“Yep,” I say brightly. “All good. I’m excited about this project.”

“Hmm.” She must be puttering around her work room, cups clacking and paper shuffling. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Will do.” I put the phone between my ear and shoulder and pull the first pink suitcase from the carousel with a big oof of effort. “Gotta go now. I need to find my contact.”

“Call me when you get there,” she yells. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I disconnect and put the phone away, then wait for the other suitcase to drop from the maw of the carousel machine. Wheeling both down to the arrivals gate while carrying Princess Penny is a challenge, but I manage with minimum cursing, and only bang my shin once.

Then I spot the man standing behind the metal barrier, holding up a sign that says SKYE JONES.

And I stop.

I need a moment to just look at him.

His brown hair is closely cropped, his skin tan and golden as if he’s spent the short Alaskan summer outdoors. Even though it’s cool outside, he’s dressed in a gray t-shirt and jeans, the most basic of outfits, yet he wears it like a freaking model. The way his gaze darts around the crowd tells me he’s not comfortable here, and I can’t discern what color his eyes are, but there’s an intensity to him that draws me in.

Somebody jostles me from behind, muttering a swift apology, and I take my gaze off the man to move aside. When I glance at him again, he’s staring straight at me.

His eyebrows shoot up, and I see the moment he notices Princess Penny and my suitcases. The corner of his mouth twitches as though he’s trying not to laugh.

I straighten my spine, grit my teeth, and march toward him, prepared to withstand whatever smart remarks he’ll have about my Pomeranian and my pink luggage.

“Miss Jones?”

I shiver. I can’t help it. His voice, gravelly and deep, rolls down my spine like a caress, and words get stuck in my throat.

So instead of answering, I jerk my head in a curt nod. Making a great impression here, Skye.

“I’m Jack Thomas,” he says, extending his hand. “Aiden—Mr. Andrews—sent me to pick you up.”

I put my hand in his and shake it. My palm disappears in his larger one, and his skin is so warm, I’m sure my own seems clammy and cold in comparison. He gives my fingers a firm squeeze, then releases me, and I resist the urge to wipe my hand on my leggings.

He’s still staring at me, his gaze traveling up and down my body in a way that should feel intrusive, but he’s not leering or ogling my boobs.

In the end, he clears his throat. “Listen, uh, do you have anything more…weather-appropriate? Boots? A thicker jacket?”

I peer down at myself, then up at him. “This is the best I could come up with in two days. Mr. Andrews was insistent on bringing me here as fast as possible.” And I’m not completely unprepared. I brought my woolen mittens and scarf, as well as knee-high socks. Winter in Massachusetts is no walk in the park if you’re a SoCal kid, and I spent three winters there during my time at MIT.

“Give me a sec.” He turns his back on me and calls someone on the phone. “Hey, it’s me. Yeah, I got her. Listen, boss, she, um…”

He glances over his shoulder, his thick eyebrows knit together, and lowers his voice. The crowd of people coming off the Seattle flight I’d arrived on has dispersed, so his words are clearly audible.

“She’s wearing sneakers and leggings,” he mutters. “Yeah. No. I mean, I’m not sure.” He takes in the suitcases again, then squints at Princess Penny through the mesh on her carrier. “I’m betting that’s a no… Okay. Do I use the company card? Cool, thanks.”

He puts the phone away and faces me again. The conversation took less than a minute, and yet I somehow feel he has judged me in this time and passed a sentence based on first impressions only.

“What’s wrong with sneakers and leggings?” I ask.

The sneakers are my favorite pair, special edition teal high-top Adidas, and leggings are a part of my look, always. They’re not the height of fashion, but they’re comfortable, and I will not be judged by some mountain man.

“Uh.” He scratches the back of his head, and I can’t fail to notice the lines of a tattoo on the underside of his arm. “You’re going to need different gear where we’re going.”

“Oh, I have a jacket with me.” I pull it out of my backpack. It’s waterproof, warm, and lined with fleece, and I bought it specifically for this trip. “I checked the weather, and it’s supposed to be nice for the next two weeks.”

He snorts. “Okay, but this is Alaska.”

“Ye-es.” I drag the word out to two syllables. “It’s also August. I read about the average temperatures, and it says—”

“Miss Jones,” he interrupts. “This is an all-expenses paid work trip, yeah?”

I stop and stare at him. “Sure?” The contract I signed for the project had said as much, which was the only reason I’d flown two thousand miles, but I thought that meant airfare and lodging. “What about it?”

“You’re going to need warmer clothes.”

***

 

Tempted is available on Amazon and free in Kindle Unlimited: Amazon US - Amazon UK - Amazon CA - Amazon AU

 

Happy reading! 

xo,

Zoe

My Review of the HB90 Course by Heartbreathings

I'm an alumnus of the HB90 Course by Sarra Cannon at Heartbreathings, and I love it so much, I decided to write a full review.

Hi, dear reader,

 

If you're here, I'm going to go ahead and guess you're interested in attending the HB90 Course by Sarra Cannon, who runs the awesome Heartbreathings blog and YouTube channel, and you want to learn more before committing to it. 

 

I've been an alumna of the course since the last quarter of 2018, and following the course has streamlined my working and publishing process so much, I wanted to write a full review to help you understand whether this course is right for you. I love it so much, in fact, that I'm an affiliate for the course - this means I get a commission if you sign up using the links in this post, with no extra cost to you. I believe in the course that much. 

 

 

So, first of all: what's this course all about?

 

H90 is a course that explains Sarra's 90-day (or quarterly) planning system. It digs into mindwork as well as planning, which is invaluable. It has recently been renewed from a 3-day to a 7-day course because Sarra made it even more in-depth and functional. 

 

This round will take place from June 14 to 20, 2020, and we'll be planning the third quarter (Q3) of the year together. 

 

It's primarily geared at writers, and indie writers at that (those who self-publish), but it can be - and is - used by various other creatives as well. It works both if you're a full-time author/freelancer or if you have a full-time job, a family, or whatever, and you're trying to squeeze in your creative goals around that. In fact, I'd say it's especially good if you identify with that last option!

 

The course teaches you to prioritize your future pursuits and allows you to organize your life one quarter at a time. This was new to me - I'd always made yearly plans, only to get completely derailed by February, by which time I flailed around and didn't really follow any sort of plan for the rest of the year. Quarterly planning (Sarra opens up her course in late December, March, June, and September, so I follow along with the videos, usually) allows you to start fresh and check in with your priorities every three months, so you never veer too far off your path.

 

As Sarra herself says:

"There are so many ways we all feel out of control right now, and if the HB90 Method can help even a handful of people to focus and get to work in ways that will make a difference for themselves, their families, and their communities, then I want to offer that."

 

 

What I loved about the course:

The initial "Picture Your Ideal Life" exercises - this is where you create the perfect vision of the life you want to achieve, the life you want to work towards. This is what keeps me going, and I return to the exercise whenever things get tough (which they do, inevitably). 
The goal-project-task breakdown. The course leads you to create three separate goals that you're working towards each quarter, then you break those down into projects, then tasks. I didn't understand this at all before taking the course, so I didn't have a good strategy in place. This alone is worth so much!
Sarra. Lol, this sounds so strange, but if you've been watching her YouTube channel, you know she has an incredible sort of energy. She makes me want to be more productive and stick to my goals! :)
The kanban board system. I didn't set one up for this past quarter because we moved and I didn't have the time/space to do it, but I miss it so much! I'm definitely putting one up for the next quarter. 
The prioritization process. It hurts. Oh, it hurts so much to realize that you can't do it all, all at once. But once you prune your priorities down to the basics, it's beautiful. No more worrying about 102848 things at once. It's so freeing. 
The alumni-only FB group. I'm not a huge FB fan but this group is great. Apart from the weekly accountability posts, it has a ton of info and a great community.

 

Okay, so I'm a fan! But surely it's not all sunshine and rainbows? 

 

Where you could go wrong if you buy this course:

You think it will do the work for you. Sorry to disappoint, there's no such thing as a magic course out there. You'll have to do the work, both during the course and over the course of the quarter. But you'll know you're working towards your true ideals, so it's all worth it!
You hate planning and thinking about you future makes you cringe. Um, then maybe you're not in the right spot. But if this is you, and you want to change your wicked ways (lol), then this course will help because it gives you the entire process, as well as a planner to use. 

 

One thing to add: I don't actually use the HB90 planner that comes with the course. I don't like printing out my own pages, so I do the vision work, the prioritizing, and the planning, then stick to my lovely pink yearly planner. It's a tool you can use if you're into ring binders and stuff, but I prefer a more compact yearly planner. That said, Sarra puts a new quarterly planner into her Etsy shop every quarter (and also has an undated option), so if you are a fan of printing your own stuff, this will definitely make you happy!

 

I hope you got some good info on the course in this review. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to pop them in the comments or email me (at zoeashwoodwrites@gmail.com). I'm happy to help!

 

If you're in, sign up here, and I'll see you in the alumni group! ;)

Zoe

 

 

33 Self-care Ideas That Don't Break the Bank

33 Self-care ideas that don't break the bank - a list of cheap ideas you can do at home to take care of yourself!

It's my birthday!

 

I know it's bad practice to date your posts this way, but I turn 33 today. Celebrating a birthday in the middle of a global pandemic is a strange thing to do - I can't really see any of my extended family, but I am lucky enough to have my husband and my boys here with me. They're even making me a cake!

 

 

This is me! With quarantine-lenght hair and a happy smile. (Can you tell I dislike taking selfies? Haha!)

 

In order to start this new year of life off right, I put together a list of thirty-three self-care ideas that I'm going to go through in the following weeks. Was there ever a better time for focusing on yourself? 

 

Now, I'm a romance author, so quite a few of these will be book related, as you can probably guess, because my self-care usually begins and ends with great stories. But there are ideas here for everyone, so scroll down to check them out!

 

I also picked items that don't require you to spend a lot of money - or get out of the house, in most cases. Most of the ideas can be customized so you can do them wherever you are. I hope they help!

 

I'm challenging myself to do at least 3 of them each week - and you can follow me on Instagram to see my progress! If you'd like to join me, use #33selfcare and tag me @zoeashwood so I can see and share your posts! :) This is not limited to the pandemic, by the way - self-care is always an important part of our lives.

 

 

Let's get started with that list!

 

Read a book - obviously. :) Here's a list of books I recommend for pretty much every taste out there (except horror, because I'm too much of a chicken to read that, haha!). 
Go for a walk - during this lockdown, I've come to cherish nature even more than before. I've always been a tree-hugging hippie, but now I'm almost religious about going out every day. It's great for my mental health, and I can't recommend it enough.
Do an at-home facial - I don't know what your evening routine looks like, but slathering my face with cleansers, peelings, and moisturizers is very soothing for me. Scrub off those dead skin cells and see the glow! :)
Journal - I got back into the practice of journaling again, and it's very helpful for sorting out my thoughts. The more you do it, the better you get at it, too.
Do a gratitude practice - this goes hand-in-hand with journaling, but I write down ten things I'm grateful for almost every day (small stuff like good coffee and big stuff like my family), and it really allows me to focus on the positive.
Do yoga - I love this channel, but there are dozens out there, so browse a little and find a teacher that fits you!
Make soup - I don't care that it's getting warmer. A good soup is comfort food at its finest! Ideas here and here.
Make a smoothie - I love starting my day with a protein green smoothie (we're using vegan protein powders, and they're great). It's a good source of vitamins and keeps me from snacking all through the morning. Alternatively, if you don't have a blender, make a fruit salad! 
Go to bed one hour early - and get enough rest. Sure, staying up and binge-watching Netflix is fun, but you need sleep. This is definitely a challenge for me.
Listen to a helpful podcast - I have a number of favorite podcasts, but recently, I've been turning to Natalie Bacon's and Rachel Hollis' a lot!
Learn something new - whether it's cooking, French, knitting, or SEO, search for content online and learn something you've been wanting to do forever. I picked SEO and blogging, and I'm working my way through some courses.
Do a workout video - something to get your heartrate up! Whether it's pilates or HIIT, YouTube has endless choices for you.
Bake something - you're going to need all those workouts if you start baking every week, but it's so worth it. So far, I've had great success with bread, bagels, rhubarb crumble, cornbread biscuits, and cinnamon rolls!
Dress in fancy clothes - and do your makeup or hair or whatever makes you feel beautiful. Yes, even if there's no one to see you. It's important!
Have a "night out" - while staying at home, obviously. If you're self-isolating alone, get on Skype or Zoom with your friends and chat with them. If you have family or a partner at home, break out the nice plates and candles, and prepare a great meal! 
Have a movie night - prepare popcorn or buy candy, and put on a movie that you've been wanting to see (or alternatively, one that always makes you feel good!). If you have kiddos and haven't discovred Studio Ghibli yet, I highly recommend My Neighbor Totoro (it's on Netflix). 
Do a self-massage - in the absence of my favorite, most indulgent form of self-care, I'm going to give this one a try soon! I haven't tried any videos yet, but this one looks promising.
Meditate - either light a candle and just sit in silence or find a guided meditation online to take you into yourself. I've done a couple these past weeks, and they're very relaxing.
Try new food - if your grocery store is not stocked with your usual items, try something new, especially in the vegetable department. You never know, you might discover a favorite new dish!
Listen to an audiobook - this is great for doing chores! I love Scribd for this (my link will give you 60 days free instead of 30, and I'll get an additional 30 days myself), they're very affordable and their selection is great!
Clean your home - whether it's decluttering, deep cleaning the bathroom, or a comprehensive spring cleaning, this is likely the best time to do it. Your future self will thank you. :D
Do an at-home pedicure - I'm not going to link anything here, you can find your own videos of other people's feet, haha! But do a pedi and give yourself a foot massage while you're at it (and if you're watching Pulp Fiction  at the same time, you get all the bonus points from me). 
Try a new look - whether this is makeup, hair, or clothes, you can try out a new look in the safety of your home! 
Write a letter - it can be an email to a friend or a relative, but there's something so satisfying in writing an old-school letter on actual paper. And it's very nice to receive one, too, so you'll be making someone very happy.
Plan your week - I know this might sound ridiculous in this strange time, but it's good to have a plan! My favorite planning channel is here.
Listen to a whole album - from start to finish. My current favorites include Lover by Taylor Swift (duh), Meliora by Ghost, and the Love, Simon soundtrack!
Talk to your plants - ok, we're heading straight into kooky territory here, but hear me out. Taking care of your potted plants or garden is extra soothing, and if you give them a word of encouragement (and prune and water them, haha), they might just grow a little better. Hey, it's completely irrational, but I firmly believe my plants like my voice.
Have a bath - another self-care staple, baths are relaxing and soothing. Light some candles, throw in a fistful of bath salts if you have them, or a drop of essential oil. 
Go for a run - and just run however far you can. Fun fact: I hate running. But every time I do it, I feel like freaking ninja, because I didn't think I could do it before. :) It's a mindset thing, and I don't have a good explanation for it, but running is good for ya.
Check in with a friend you haven't spoken to in months - maybe they need it right now, and maybe you can have a great conversation and re-start that relationship. Pick someone you actually like, though, not a person you cut from your life because they were being horrible to you.
Do an at-home manicure - get your nails in shape, moisturize (if your skin is like mine, your hands are probably dry from all the hand-washing right now!), and give yourself a hand massage.
Create a list of things you want to in the next season - it's good to have something to look forward to! My summer to-do list will include eating watermelon and reading and lots of hiking.
Make a joy list - this is an idea I got from Rachel Hollis and her #next90challenge, but I think it's super useful! Make a list of small things that make you happy, like listening to your favorite song, and return to it when you need a pick-me-up. 

 

 

Whew! 

 

I'm really excited to get started on this list. I hope you'll join me (don't forget to tag me and use #33selfcare if you do) and that at least some of these ideas will be helpful to you. 

 

Wherever you are, and whatever situation you're in right now, I hope you're safe and healthy and focusing on yourself as much as on other people! It's imperative to take good care of yourself.

 

Do you have any self-care suggestions? Let me know in the comments below!

xo

Zoe

 

Top Tips To Get Out of a Reading Slump

My top tips to get out of a reading slump, when every book you read leaves you feeling blah.

Today I want to talk to you about the bane of readers, the scourge of bookworms, aka the dreaded reading slump.

 

If you're unfamiliar with the term, this is the feeling when you start several books but none of them pulls you in like you want it to, you feel dissatisfied with reading. You slog through half a novel and get annoyed with the heroine, after which you put your book/e-reader away and feel worse instead of relaxed, like you usually do when reading.

 

Does any of this ring a bell? 

 

 

Dear Reader, you are not alone. 

 

First of all, a big hug to you if that's what you're currently experiencing.

 

It happens to me quite often - sometimes, the books I'm trying to read are a bad match for me (usually when I force myself to read outside my preferred genres). Sometimes, I'll have a book hungover - meaning that I loved a book so much, everything that comes after it is meaningless (which is totally unfair to those books but can't be helped). Sometimes, I'm dealing with something in my life that's so engrossing that mediocre books just aren't enough to pull me in - hello, global pandemic! 

 

But I've been through this enough now that I catch myself pretty quickly whenever I fell into such a situation. Here are some of my preferred ways of dealing with reading slumps: 

 

Reread an old favorite. Whenever I find myself not finishing books, I grab one that I know I've loved before and immerse myself in my favorite story. 
Read in a new-to-you genre. It's good to step out of your comfort zone from time to time, and new genres can be fun to discover. Here's a list of my favorite books sorted by genre for you to try!
Read non-fiction. It acts like a palate-cleanser and helps me recalibrate. 
Listen to an audiobook. I'm a fan of Scribd for this. Sometimes, switching the format of the story is enough!
Stop reading for a couple of days. *gasp* I know, blasphemy! But by doing this, I catch up on my favorite series, listen to podcasts, or just sleep more, haha.

 

This way, when you return to your favorite genre, you'll be craving it - refreshed and with renewed interest. And you might discover a new favorite subgenre or author or learn something new by reading non-fiction! 

 

Do you have a technique for beating reading blues? Comment below to let me know!

 

Top Books to Read When You're Feeling Down

Do you need book recommendations that take you someplace else? You're in the right place, my friend.

Hi, dear reader!

 

It's March 2020, and the world is in the middle of a global pandemic. The Coronavirus is making the rounds, and people are forced to stay in and entertain both themselves and their children - while waiting out a disease that so far has no cure.

 

Scary times! 

 

But not everything is bad. I think it's important to keep a positive perspective, follow the instructions from healthcare officials, and just keep our heads down until the storm passes. Helping others is also a nice thing to do, so I thought what I could bring to you, my readers, even though we're worlds apart.

 

Here's a list of my favorite books to take your mind off things. It's not necessarily a list of fluffy books - there are books here that will make you cry. :) But all of these managed to pull me into their world so completely, I lost three hours before I realized my butt was numb, it was past my bedtime, and I really had to pee. 

 

Those are the very best books, right?

 

I separated them into rough categories and added bits of description. Links lead to Amazon US and are mostly affiliate (this means no extra cost to you but might help me put more of these posts together in the future). There are books for most tastes here - and a category for younger readers as well!

 

There are also some "obvious" choices on this list - because you might want to re-read those classics with your kids or just for yourselves.

 

Check the prices: some of the titles might be discounted, especially in ebook form! And paperback books might take longer to get to you during this time, so take that into consideration.

 

A lot of the classics (that have been out for close to a hundred years) are free as ebooks - their copyright will have expired, so you can get them free. This might be a good time to read those!

 

Additional tip: if you like audiobooks but Audible is too expensive for you, check out Scribd. It's a (completely legal!) subscription service that offers unlimited audibooks, ebooks, magazines etc for a very reasonable monthly rate. Not all audiobooks are on there because lots of authors are exclusive with Audible, but there's a good selection nonetheless! I use it a lot. Their app is good, and they even offer a 30-day trial, which might be enough (hopefully!) to get you through this pandemic. But it's great to use year-round. I do chores often while listening to audiobooks. This is not an affiliate, btw, I just like it a lot.

 

I hope you find your next favorite read here to take you on a journey. I hope you forget about anxiety and stress for a couple of hours. And I hope you get through this unscathed and healthy!

 

Contemporary and Historical Romance & Romantic Suspense

Whiteout by Adriana Anders - this is a fantastic romantic suspense novel, with a grumpy hero and a sunshine heroine. It's set in Antarctica and really atmospheric! (trigger warning in white: there's a virus in the plot!)
Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne - another grumpy hero/sunshine heroine pairing, only set in NYC! One of my favorite contemporary romances of all time.
The Deal by Elle Kennedy - super sexy hockey romance (set in college). (trigger warning in white: the heroine was raped before the story starts)
Work Love Balance  by Alison Temple - a really cute M/M romance! 
The Bookshop On the Corner  by Jenny Colgan - a feel-good romance and very cozy! Great for book lovers.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne - this one is great. An office-based enemies-to-lovers romance that takes the trope to a whole new level.
A Nordic King  by Karina Halle - super sexy royal romance set in Denmark.
A Week to be Wicked  by Tessa Dare - my favorite historical romance of all time.
Pride and Prejudice  by Jane Austen - a good one to reread! :) FREE on Kindle!
How Not to Fall  by Emily Foster - this is a really sexy romance that's super open about bondage and stuff - but fair warning, you need to read the entire duet for the Happily Ever After!
The Last Piece of My Heart by Paige Toon - I loved this one so much. It's heart-wrenching and beautiful (more chick-lit than regular contemporary romance).

 

Paranormal, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Romance

Burn For Me  by Ilona Andrews - this is one of my favorite series of all time! High-powered and sexy. 
Nightchaser  by Amanda Bouchet - a great Sci-Fi Romance (humans in space) that'll take you on a wild ride.
Magnetic  by Anya J. Cosgrave - this is a super sexy reverse harem paranormal romance!
How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf  by Molly Harper - this is funny and cute. Set in Alaska - I loved reading about the land!
Heartstone  by Elle Katharine White - this is a Pride and Prejudice retelling with dragons! I know it sounds funky but it's really good.

 

Fantasy & SciFi

Uprooted by Naomi Novik - a standalone fantasy novel that I couldn't put down! Inspired by Slavic mythology. 
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier - a beautiful fairytale of a book, with wonderful descriptions and a slow-burn romance subplot. (trigger warning in white: the heroine is raped, but it's handled very well and it's not gratuitous violence)
The Lies of Locke Lamora  by Scott Lynch - this is like Ocean's 11 but set in fantasy Venice. It's amazing. (trigger warning in white: there's a plague subplot and lots of mentions to quarantines)
City of Stairs  by Robert Jackson Bennett - one of the best-built worlds I've ever read! And the characters are fantastic.
The Name of the Wind  by Patrick Rothfuss - a beautiful high fantasy novel. Highly recommended!
Vicious  by V. E. Schwab - this one is about supervillains and I loved it so much.
The Martian by Andy Weir - set on Mars, and really fast-paced! Read the book, then watch the Matt Damon movie if you haven't yet.

 

 

Funny

One For the Money  by Janet Evanovich - the first book in the Stephanie Plum series. This is politically incorrect and hilarious. 
The Heist  by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg - this is like White Collar but with a female FBI agent. Really good stuff!
Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer - this is funny and crazy.

 

Other Adult Genres

Attachments  by Rainbow Rowell - this is another feel-good book that I highly recommend! It's contemporary fiction with a strong romantic plotline (trigger warning in white: one of the characters suffers a miscarriage. It's not graphic but I thought I should mention it).
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society  by Mary Ann Shaffer - don't let the weird title put you off. This is a beautiful novel written in letters, and a fantastic movie! This one might make you cry, but in a good way. 
The Girl You Left Behind  by Jojo Moyes - a beautiful novel, set in WWI France and present-day London. So good.
City of the Lost by Kelly Armstrong - this is my favorite thriller series, set in Yukon, Canada. So atmospheric.

 

Young Adult

Daughter of Smoke and Bone  by Laini Taylor - this is a great fantasy series with rich imagery and beautiful writing.
Fangirl  by Rainbow Rowell - this one is a fantastic feel-good book! One of my top four books of all time.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman - a totally overlooked standalone fantasy that delivers everything you need from an epic tale in under 300 pages. Read this first, then watch the movie! 
Book of Shadows  by Cate Tiernan - a witchy paranormal romance series set in high school - I loved it and just binge-read the entire series again. So good! All the angst and drama! 
Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda  by Becky Albertalli - if you haven't read this yet (somehow), do it now!
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown  by Holly Black - a horror/paranormal book that I read in a single sitting (once I got over myself and realized I can handle the scary bits, haha!)
The Raven Boys  by Maggie Stiefvater - a beautiful YA series. Very nicely written.
Sorcery of Thorns  by Margaret Rogerson - this is a bit scary and a lot captivating. I love stories like this one. Standalone but so rich!
Nimona  by Noelle Stevenson - my favorite graphic novel!
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett - a cute contemporary romance.
Autoboyography  by Christina Lauren - a heartfelt and touching story I recommend to everyone!
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer - this one sucked me in immediately. Really great writing.

 

 

Middle Grade

City of Ghosts  by Victoria Schwab - this is a horror/paranormal series, I'd say a good reader aged 12+ could read it easily. It's fantastic!
The Witches  by Roald Dahl - this is great, one of my favorite books from when I was a kid.
The Adventures of Captain Underpants - this is suitable for kids 5+, and the delightful poop-related jokes will make your kiddos laugh.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - one of my all-time favorites from my childhood. There's a new movie coming soon, but there's also an older one that's quite good.
Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge - I reread this one probably a dozen times when I was a kid.
The Hobbit  by J. R. R. Tolkien - a classic I can't wait to read with my kiddos! But take care: the new movies are not kid-appropriate! 
Ronia, the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren - I know this one is less-known in the English-speaking world, but it's wonderful!

 

Picture Books

I Want My Hat Back  by Jon Klassen 
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
A Visitor for Bear  by Bonny Becker

 

Non-Fiction

Girl, Wash Your Face  by Rachel Hollis - a great motivational book! 
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes - my favorite book for romance writers.

 

I hope this list helps you pass the time! Let me know your suggestions in the comments - both for your favorite books to read and for any similar posts you'd like to see from me. Tell us a little something about the book - why you loved it. I'd love to hear from you!

 

Stay healthy and safe!

xo

Zoe

 

 

Cold Temptation is Live!

Cold Temptation, Book Two of my Sci-Fi Romance series, is out today!

Hi, dear reader,

 

I'm so happy to announce that COLD TEMPTATION, the second book in my Alien Romance series is out today!

 

Dive back into the stunning world of Rendu:

 

Zoologist Mika Yadama has her hands full exploring a new alien world - the only problem is that the planet itself keeps trying to kill her. And the one male assigned to be her guide seems to be keeping his distance.

Kol ad Naals wants nothing more than to give in to temptation and drag Mika off to his bed, yet she’s leaving in six weeks. He’s lost enough people already, and he won’t allow himself to care for the human. 

That would be easier if she didn’t put herself in constant danger - rescuing her from certain death ties them together whether he likes it or not. 

But the environment and the lethal alien species aren’t the only threats to their relationship, and as a series of mysterious break-ins occurs in the capital, Kol’s duty to his queen and his nation must come first. If only it didn’t mean letting go of the only woman he ever wanted to keep.

Cold Temptation is a steamy Sci-Fi alien romance perfect for readers who like sexy alpha males and quirky, independent heroines. It can be read as a sequel to Cold Attraction or as a standalone, and it features a full HEA. Dive into this sexy series today!

 

Scroll down to read Chapter One or get it now: Amazon US - Amazon UK - Amazon AU - Amazon CA - International 

 

Chapter One

Mika

 

Icy wind swept across the frozen plain north of Volarun, the capital of Rendu. Flags snapped in the gale, the only sound to break the silence that had descended on the crowd gathered for the king’s funeral.

Mika shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. It didn’t help; the tiny snowflakes swirling through the air bit into her exposed cheeks and somehow found their way under layers upon layers of the best winter gear humans could produce. It still wasn’t enough to combat the persistent cold of this alien planet.

They had come at dusk to send the king on his final journey to join his ancestors, as the Rendians believed. The funeral pyre was built on a stone platform—only the royal family’s dead were burned there. The rest of the population carried out their cremations in special furnaces, then the ashes were given to the families and scattered into the wind.

But the king’s body would burn here, his last remains carried into the skies.

Mika shuffled from foot to foot. It was much too cold for humans to be standing still, but a vast number of Volarun residents had come out for the ceremony, and young Queen Zeema had invited the human delegation to participate.

Adriana, Mika’s American friend, was bouncing on her toes, trying her best to see above the crowd. The anthropologist was short and curvy and was fascinated with funerals as part of the culture. But Mika preferred her study subjects alive and kicking.

But she didn’t voice her complaints. Instead, she kept her gaze on Kol ad Naals who stood behind the queen with his two brothers, Taron and Lhett. His dress uniform was a marvel of Rendian engineering, completely impenetrable and yet molded to his strong, tall body.

She couldn’t help but admire his long, muscular legs and the sinewy strength of his arms, and that was just below his neck. He was one handsome male, with sharp, high cheekbones and serious blue eyes that turned her insides to liquid mush. The scientist in her said that he was simply a prime specimen, and her body was reacting to his, uh, manly hormones. But there was more to Kol than just his face.

Mika suppressed a sigh. She wished she could stand there beside him to offer him comfort, but she didn’t have any claim on Kol, so there was no reason for her to be joining the nobles at the front. Adriana, however, was Taron ad Naals’ partner.

“Hey,” Mika whispered to her friend. “Why aren’t you up there with Taron?”

Hanne, their Danish friend, the astrophysicist of the human delegation to Rendu, shushed her quietly. She was a stickler for rules, but Mika loved her all the same.

Adriana glanced around them. Nobody was paying them any attention, since all gazes were locked on the pyre.

She leaned close. “I figured this wasn’t the right time to make a spectacle. I didn’t want people staring at us instead of focusing on the funeral.”

Mika nodded, though she didn’t exactly understand. Fine, so Adriana and Taron were the first official human-Rendian couple, but Rendians were used to interracial relationships. They’d been communicating with other planets’ nations for centuries. In contrast, humans had only recently discovered that they weren’t alone in the universe. A Rendian trader ship found a space probe the Chinese had launched into space, and brought it back to Earth.

What had followed was a rapid recalibration of Earth’s priorities, and the first human expedition to Rendu was green-lighted. Mika had scored a place on it by both luck and extremely hard work, and there wasn’t a day she spent on Rendu that she wasn’t thankful for it. She would make history here.

Yet as much as she wanted to walk down to the harbor and convince one of the fishing vessels to take her out to sea to observe the giant creatures that resembled plesiosaurs, Adriana had told her that this was an important ceremony. And she trusted her friend to know better than her whether a social event was necessary to attend.

She shivered and rubbed her hands over her arms. They’d been standing here in absolute silence for the past ten minutes—Mika suspected this was a form of prayer or perhaps of remembering the late king and his work.

Then the queen stepped forward, nearing the pyre. An attendant approached her with a spear and handed it to her. The young woman inclined her head in thanks, then touched the electric spearhead to the kindling at one corner of the wood pile.

Wood was scarce on Rendu, and what gnarled trees grew were protected fiercely. Rendians used thermal energy for heating, cooking, and a number of other purposes, and Mika knew this pyre was an extravagance fit for a king.

The queen walked in a circle around her older brother’s body, her face pale and drawn. Wherever she touched the wood, smoky tendrils curled up in the air, soon stoked by the wind. By the time she returned to the Naals brothers, fire burned merrily, strange, greenish flames licking at the king’s shroud.

Within minutes, the pyre was ablaze, and the nobles retreated several steps to keep from the heat. The wind carried the sparks farther north, toward the massive half-circle of mountains that protected Volarun from the worst of the winter ice storms.

Mika still smelled the ashes in the air, and she knew her clothes would carry the scent afterward. It was strange, but she liked the thought: she would remember the king, even though she hadn’t known him.

They all remained silent, watching, until the queen bowed her head deeply, saluting her brother one last time. The crowd parted for her and her retinue as they passed, and soon, they disappeared from view. That seemed to be the unspoken signal that the funeral was over, even though the fire hadn’t yet died down. Mika cast a glance over her shoulder; there were several attendants on the dais now, minding the flames. Rendians were a practical nation, and staying outside longer than was strictly necessary wasn’t something they would do.

“What happens now?” Mika whispered to Adriana.

They made their way back to the palace, where the human delegation was still housed in an amazing, warm wing.

Adriana put her arm through Mika’s and grabbed Hanne with her other hand. “Taron is hoping the nobles will agree to crown the queen even though she hasn’t reached majority yet.”

Mika pursed her lips. From what she’d seen, the young monarch seemed like a responsible, smart woman. “Can’t she emancipate herself?”

But Hanne shook her head this time. “Lhett told me that the law forbids it. And she can’t change the law until she’s crowned and takes on all her duties.”

The ear-implant translators the Rendians had provided them with allowed them to each speak in their own language: Adriana spoke English, though Mika suspected some of her curses were in Portuguese, Hanne in Danish, and Mika in Japanese. She spoke fluent English and a smattering Icelandic from her studies abroad, but not having to think in another language was a gift. Rendian technology was far more sustainable and advanced than human, Mika had learned as soon as she’d stepped on Taron’s spaceship back on Earth. Above all, Rendians didn’t seem intent on colonizing and killing every nation that they encountered; apart from the recent coup, which was instigated by one power-hungry individual, their history was more or less peaceful for the past five hundred years.

Humans were luckier than they knew. If Rendians ever wished to harm them, Earth wouldn’t stand a chance.

Mika studied Hanne. It was unusual to see her awake during the day as her schedule had become completely reversed: she spent her days sleeping and her nights watching the stars. She and Lhett had been growing close, but nothing like Adriana and Taron’s clear devotion.

“And if they don’t crown her?” Mika persisted. “What happens then?”

Adriana’s dark brows furrowed. “They’d have to appoint another regent for her.”

“Ugh.”

Mika now hated the word regent. She’d come to associate it with Gilmar, the upstart who had killed the king and enslaved the queen in order to take over the power himself. The rebellion that had followed, over two weeks ago, had included most of the human delegation. They’d rescued the queen, and Taron had killed Gilmar, but not before the bastard had hurt both Adriana and Mika.

They were both mostly healed now, though Mika had a shiny pink scar at the edge of her scalp to show for her trouble. Ben, their Dutch doctor colleague, had done a fine job stitching her up, and had given her a clean bill of health the day before.

“Come on, we’ll be late for the feast.”

Adriana tugged their arms, and Mika didn’t have to be told twice: she was eager to get out of the cold. As much as she enjoyed exploring the fauna of Rendu, she didn’t think she could live in such conditions her entire life. She was leaving the planet in six short weeks and she’d travel to Morocco for a sunny vacation the moment she returned to Earth.

Do you really want to leave? Even if it means leaving Adriana behind?

At the thought, pain shot through her. She’d come to love and respect her two colleagues, and she’d thought they’d be friends forever, visiting each other in their respective countries every year. That was their plan, anyway, the one they’d concocted during the long month of travel that they’d had to endure while flying from Earth to Rendu in Taron’s beautiful, sleek spaceship.

But now Adriana, captivated by the Rendian culture and completely devoted to Taron, had decided to stay on Rendu forever. And as much as it was difficult to admit it, Adriana was the glue that held their trio together. Mika and Hanne were both slightly antisocial in their different ways: Mika because she was too straightforward and honest for anyone’s liking, and Hanne because she was generally too shy to make real connections.

Would their friendship survive if they were separated by light-years of deep space?

Mika squeezed Adriana’s hand. “I’m looking forward to the food.”

Hanne rolled her eyes. “Of course that’s what you’d think about.”

“Hey,” Mika defended herself. “If you were vegan, you’d have to eat all the time in this cold, too.” She’d had her vegan protein shake in the morning along with some mashed root vegetables that her friends in the kitchens had sent especially for her.

“You could just eat meat, you know,” Hanne said with a smirk.

They’d had this conversation before. Mika shook her head and returned her smile. She couldn’t eat meat—the animals she was studying sometimes seemed more real and approachable than humans. Or Rendians, for that matter.

“How’s Kol doing?” Adriana asked, her voice breezy.

Her sly grin betrayed the underlying intention of her question, though. She was fishing, and Mika was having none of it.

“I have no idea,” she said. “Since the regent was overthrown, Kol has barely talked to me.”

Which was true. He’d been assigned as her guard and guide at the human delegation’s arrival on Rendu because the former regent had wanted to keep the humans away from his illegal mining plans. Well, if she was being completely honest, she’d picked Kol out of the Rendian guards as soon as she saw him, and he’d sort of gotten stuck with her for the next month or so.

But she hadn’t thought he resented the position. Hell, he even brought her food sometimes, and he didn’t seem to mind too much if she asked him to show her around the city.

Yet she was certain he’d been avoiding her ever since the queen released the humans’ guards from their duties. And she missed him. Navigating a foreign city wasn’t as easy without his help, and while the locals were very friendly whenever she came to ask for information on the animals she was researching, Kol’s presence had always smoothed the way even more. He was a diplomat by nature, and his noble status was widely known.

As they passed through the main palace gate and entered the imposing obsidian structure, Mika sighed in relief. Warmth enveloped her, thawing her frozen extremities. But that odd, uncomfortable knot in her stomach remained. She didn’t just miss Kol for the way he charmed his fellow Rendians, but for the talks they’d had along the way. He’d explained details of their culture, clearly proud of everything they’d achieved. He’d even helped her in her explorations and was a passable lab assistant if she needed him.

In short, she’d thought he’d become her friend. It wasn’t the first time she’d mistaken an official relationship for friendship, though, and this proved no different. The instant he was officially off duty, he disappeared so completely, she couldn’t even locate him most days.

Which was why she was glad the queen had invited them to the feast. It was expected, Adriana had explained, that the new monarch feed their nation after the previous ruler’s death. It wasn’t a foreign concept—many Earth societies held wakes. But this would be a grand event, complete with music, speeches, and dancing to celebrate all the late king’s achievements. Food and drink were being distributed throughout the city, and even sent out to the remote communities such as the villages in the mountain foothills.

Back in their quarters, Hanne and Adriana disappeared to their rooms to get ready. Mika glanced down the corridor. Graham, one of the two American soldiers in the human delegation, slipped away from the mess hall and around the corner. She hadn’t seen a lot of him since her stay in Ben’s medical suite, which was fine with her. Though she’d found two amazing friends in the exploration team and got along well with most of the crew, it was statistically improbable that they would all become great colleagues. People were complicated, and she had enough work deciphering the thoughts and emotions of those closest to her.

She stopped in her room just long enough to dump her parka, hat, and the ski pants she wore over leggings, and exchange her thick-soled winter boots for a pair of Converse. This was what she was most comfortable in, and she hadn’t even brought clothes fancy enough for gala events.

On second thought, she shed her thermal t-shirt and put on a white button-down tunic that came to her mid-thighs. It was the only ‘nice’ thing she’d packed, and she wanted to look at least respectable for the evening that would likely mean a lot to Kol and his brothers. She swept her fingers through her hair and made a mental note to find a hair salon soon.

Her black hair was as different from the Rendians’ white locks as possible, and in fact, she was the least likely of their group to be confused for a local here.

She sighed. Maybe that was what was keeping Kol from hanging out with her. She wasn’t a six-foot-tall Rendian beauty but a five-foot-two Japanese woman. She suspected her weight and narrow hips alone made her undesirable for these strong, statuesque aliens, and her grating personality didn’t help with that.

Mika straightened her shoulders and gave her reflection a stern glower. Then she stomped into the corridor and banged on Hanne’s door to collect her friend and leave for the celebration.

There was no use in mourning her lack of suitors. She was here to do a job, and she would do it well. If Kol ad Naals didn’t have the time to chaperone her around the country, she’d ask for another guide, someone she wouldn’t get attached to. Someone she wouldn’t miss when she finally left the planet for good.

 

 

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