Lauri Robinson's Blog, page 7

Best Selling Lists and Other Happenings

The Wrong Cowboy is on sale for $.99 for a limited time, and it’s really making it’s way onto best-selling lists! Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all who has purchased this book! I sincerely appreciate your support, and I hope you enjoy Marie and Stafford’s story!
We had a lovely weekend at my brother’s cabin on the lake. There is nothing like watching the sun set from the deck of a pontoon boat.  And before we left home for the lake, we celebrated our granddog, Bear’s, birthday. He turned eight, and is such a good sport when it comes to the things Grandma makes him do. 
On Tuesday of this week the print version of The Bootlegger’s Daughter will be released! (Ebook version will be August 1st) Heroes and Heartbreakers shared a ‘First Look’ about the book and a wonderful review on their blog! And CataRomance provided a great review for The Runaway Daughter on their site this weekend. One last thing…Harlequin will feature The Bootlegger’s Daughteron their Facebook page with a Spot the Difference Cover on August 21st. 
I also have several book signings happening at Barnes and Noble in August and September. I’ll post the locations and dates when we get a bit closer!
On the writing side, I completed the final review of Saving Marina, the Salem Witch Trials story, and learned it will be released in February 2016. I’m currently working on the edits for the Cheyenne Indian story and the Spring wedding anthology. 
Oh, and I have company coming this week!
Keep counting your blessings, they are everywhere!!

Next Up...

June is speeding past, in part due to many fun events. The last two weekends we attended local parades, which are always fun, and also left me looking about the same shade of red as a boiled-lobster. I think I’ll start using the sun block made for kids, it seems to work better than the adult version. A touch of sunburn was worth all the fun and a good smearing of coconut oil when we got home took care of the sting. I do love coconut oil and use it for many, many things. Last Friday I decided to finally tear up the old floor in the upstairs bathroom and put down the tile squares I’d purchased eons ago. They are the foot square pre-glued tiles, so you just peal and stick. The glue managed to squeeze through a bit, so once I was done, I used coconut oil to wipe it away and it worked wonderfully. The floor looks nice and didn’t take long, which made me wonder why I kept putting it off.  
Next up...JULY! Summer is truly here! 
The arrival of July will bring several things, a family reunion, the fun celebration of our wonderful country on the 4th, and the release of the first Daughters of the Roaring Twenties books! The Runaway Daughter releases July 1st! I had so much fun researching and writing these books, and I love the covers the Harlequin art department created for them! 
Daughters of the Roaring Twenties: their hair is short and their skirts are even shorter!
The Runaway Daughter—
From stowaway…
After years of playing the local gin joint to pay off his father’s debts, talented musician Brock Ness has landed a radio gig in Chicago. Now he’s on the up-and-up, his next stop is securing the dame of his dreams, Ginger Nightingale…
…to Chicago celebrity!
If Brock is headed for fortune and fame, Ginger won’t be left behind! She may be the youngest of the Nightingale sisters, but she’s old enough to know what she wants. And Brock is right at the top of her wish list!


The Bootlegger’s Daughter—

Of all the speakeasies, in all the world…

Mysterious city slicker Ty Bradshaw might have won her father's trust, but everyone knows Norma Rose is the true boss of Nightingale's resort. And it'll take more than that charming smile to shake the feeling that Ty is not all he seems…

....He walks into hers. 

Ty is a federal agent on a personal mission of revenge. But he hasn't figured on falling for a bootlegger's daughter. Suddenly, flirting with headstrong Norma Rose seems far more exhilarating than chasing gangsters!




The Rebel Daughter—
For every wild child… 
No more watching from the sidelines for Twyla Nightingale: her feet are firmly on the dance floor! She won't let anyone sour the delicious taste of freedom—especially not Forrest Reynolds, back in town after all this time. 

…there's a guy who thinks she's the bee's knees. 

Forrest didn't expect a warm welcome from the Nightingale sisters, not after their lives had been so dramatically upturned. But seeing the challenge in Twyla's eyes, Forrest takes this rebel for a wild dance she won't forget!





The Forgotten Daughter—

Often the quietest people… 

Josie Nightingale has always been the odd girl out. While her sisters swoon over guys, she's busy trying to change the world! Which isn't easy with Eric "Scooter" Wilson watching her every move.

…have the biggest secrets! 

She may be out of his league, but the day Scooter rescued Josie from jail and discovered her secret, he vowed he'd do anything to protect her. And if keeping Josie safe means not letting this stubborn dame out of his sight—then so be it! 

Coming Soon and Fairy Houses

I am so excited book one in The Daughters of the Roaring Twenties , The Runaway Daughter will be released in just 18 days! I had so much fun writing these books and hope readers enjoy them! I also am excited to say the title for my Salem Witch Trial story has been finalized. Saving Marina will be released in 2016! This weekend I’m working on the edits for the Cheyenne Indian story…fun times all the way around. 

Speaking of fun times, I have to share what happened last night! The girls found a fairy house down in our woods. 
They were very excited, and Hayley claimed it was the ‘real thing’ because of the fairy dust on it and the ground around it. 
As you can see from the pictures, it has carpet a match-box bed and table/chair set. 
In about three hours last night I learned more about fairies than I ever imagined. Hayley is an expert considering Tinkerbell is somewhat of an idol for her. 

Magic, don’t you just love it?
Stay happy!

Cover Reveal

Here is the cover for The Runaway Daughter, the first story in the Daughter’s of the Roaring Twenties series. The Runaway Daughter is Ginger’s story, and will be released July 1st in ebook only. 
It will be followed by The Bootlegger’s Daughter in August, The Rebel Daughter in September, and The Forgotten Daughter in September. 
We’ve had some busy weekends around here. Our youngest bought a house, which needed a lot of cleaning and painting, and of course, now that summer is just around the corner, there are plenty of things to be seen to in the yard. It is rewarding though, to see a fresh coat of paint on walls and flowers opening up, and there is nothing like the smell of fresh cut grass. 
We’ve also had spring concerts and a Kindergarten graduation to attend. 
On the writing side, I’m happy to say my Cheyenne Indian story is with my editor and I’m almost done with the next one in my contract—a spring wedding story. Then I’ll start working on one about a lumber baron in Colorado. 
A Fortune for the Outlaw’s Daughter, which was released May 1st, continues to receive lovely reviews. I’m so happy about that, and sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to read it and write a review. I wasn’t sure how an Alaskan gold rush story would go over. 
The sun is shining here right now, so I’m heading out to transplant a few more flowers—some of my flower beds are too full, so I’m creating some new ones. Wish me luck—I’m not known for my green thumb!
I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend, and that you have a moment to reflect upon Memorial Day.
Stay happy!

The Greatest of These is LOVE

One of my brothers had been in a car accident 15 years ago that left him paralyzed. Due to an infection, he had to have his right leg amputated a few weeks ago, so my sister and I flew out to San Diego to see him last Sunday. Upon our arrival, other than offering moral support, there didn’t seem to be anything tangible we could do for him or his girlfriend, until they told us they were planning on getting married, but with his medical issues it just hadn’t happened yet. (The two had known each other in high school and re-connected again nine years ago off the website Classmates! How cool is that?)
Well, give two women from Minnesota a purpose, 48 hours, and VISA cards, and nothing is impossible! 
We hit the ground running—I mean driving. The first line of business was a rental car because the hotel shuttle van was not going to take us all the places we needed to go. With wheels, a GPS, and a list, there was no stopping us! Once the Pastor and marriage license were secured, the real fun began!
Word spread throughout the hospital, and let me tell you, nurses do a whole lot more than they will ever get credit for! Decorations were made, a room arranged, even a surgery rescheduled! The charge nurse’s husband rode his bike across town for a suit for the groom, the hospital kitchen made a three course meal, an ICU nurse (who is also a professional photographer) came in on his day off to take pictures, and the music…oh, my, but there are some talented singers at the UC Medical Center San Diego! The songs they sang didn’t leave a dry eye in the room!
My now sister-in-law and brother’s home is three hours away from the hospital (over the mountains), and her daughter told me as they were enroute to the hospital, they hit rain and then an accident had traffic at a standstill. She said she told her mother, “Come rain, wind, hail, even a tornado, nothing’s going to stop us. I’ll get you there in time!” And she did!
My brother hadn’t been out of bed in over a month, but the nurses arranged for a special chair so he could be wheeled to the conference room. As that happened, them wheeling him down the long hallways, he was surrounded by a parade of nursing staff singing, “We’re going to the chapel and we’re going to get married…” 
Although the preparations had been a whirlwind, every detail was covered. The ceremony was one of the most beautiful events I’ve ever attended, and solidifies if there is a dream, it can come true. If there is a possibility, it can happen. If there is will, there is a way. 
My brother and his wife have a long road ahead of them. He’ll remain in the hospital for several weeks, undergoing multiple surgeries, but, they’ll make it through it all—together. I know that in my heart, and so do they. 
Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.

Release Day!

The mass market paperback of A Fortune for the Outlaw’s Daughter releases tomorrow! The e-book will be May 1st, as well the full size paperback. CataRomance gave the book 4.5 stars! 

I also received the first cover for The Daughter’s of the Roaring Twenties series! This is Norma Rose’s story—The Bootlegger’s Daughter. It will be released in July/August.

April has brought us some wonderful Spring weather. The flowerbeds have all been cleaned and the flowers are peeking through the ground. I do love Spring. Seeing the trees budding out and the grass turning green made me want to spruce up the inside of the house too, so last week I painted the living room. I’m very happy with how it turned out. 
Besides all the stuff that needed attention around the house, I had to focus my attention on the final edits on the last story in the roaring twenties series. Now, I’m back to my WIP, and am happy to report I’m nearing the homestretch of ‘the end’. I will then turn all efforts over to a story based on a Spring wedding. Perfect timing. 
Keep smiling. Life is good.

Easter!

We love Easter. Celebrating the resurrection, the hope and love, and of course, that crazy bunny. He makes a great show at Grandma and Grandpa’s house every year. The girls are still amazed that he’d climbed way out on a tree branch a couple of years ago to hang up their tree swing. Last year he included a scavenger hunt with special eggs and prizes—and he’s busy trying to come up with something unique again this year. He also has to make a trip to the store to buy all the treats and tiny gifts to fill the 400+ eggs in the upstairs closet. The long term forecast looks like rain on Sunday, so the egg hunt will be in Grandpa’s shop again, which, in truth is easier—all can be done the night before. 

As you can see from the picture, painting the front of the freezer door with chalk board paint has been a hit. It has turned into a message board the kids rush to see what is on it every time they visit—and then create a message of their own before they leave.

On to writing news….In celebration of the wonderful 4-Star review A Fortune for the Outlaw’s Daughter received from RT Reviews,I hosted a couple of giveaways over on facebook last week. Congrats to Di, Joanne, LaVera, Jan, and Colleen. They all won early copies of A Fortune for the Outlaw’s Daughter . More giveaways will happen before the May 1st release date over there, so please pop over and like my author page for your chance to participate in future ones! 
 This week, from April 1 to April 8th there is a special Easter Egg Hunt going on at the Harlequin Reader Service Blog that includes prizes, so hop on over to read all about it!  One final thing…I don’t have cover art to share yet, but I do have the back blurbs for two of stories in the Daughters of the Roaring Twenties series that I must share!  

The Bootlegger’s Daughter (coming in August)   Of all the speakeasies, in all the world… Mysterious city slicker Ty Bradshaw might have won her father's trust, but everyone knows Norma Rose is the true boss of Nightingale's resort. And it'll take more than that charming smile to shake the feeling that Ty is not all he seems… 

He walks into hers Ty is a federal agent on a personal mission of revenge. But he hasn't figured on falling for a bootlegger's daughter. Suddenly, flirting with headstrong Norma Rose seems far more exhilarating than chasing gangsters!

  The Rebel Daughter (coming in September) For every wild child… 

No more watching from the sidelines for Twyla Nightingale: her feet are firmly on the dance floor! She won't let anyone sour the delicious taste of freedom—especially not Forrest Reynolds, back in town after all this time. 

…there's a guy who thinks she's the bee's knees. Forrest didn't expect a warm welcome from the Nightingale sisters, not after their lives had been so dramatically upturned. But seeing the challenge in Twyla's eyes, Forrest takes this rebel for a wild dance she won't forget!


The Runaway Daughter (coming in June) and The Forgotten Daughter (coming in October) will round up this series.

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Easter!

March Madness

That’s a bit of what it’s been around here…madness. A yearly visit to the doc turned in several others—nothing serious, just all those ones that we ‘have to get around to making an appointment for’.  I’m happy to say everything checked out wonderfully well, and glad most of those won’t need to be repeated for years. 
We’ve also had birthday parties and sleep overs, and the annual turkey federation banquet among other fun things. And everyone is looking forward to Easter! I’ll be stuffing 400+ plastic eggs this week.
Plenty of writing things are happening too…On March 31st, A Wife for Big John will be re-released by Amazon under their Encore line. April 21st is the release date of A Fortune for the Outlaw’s Daughter. On April 27th, The Sheriff’s Last Gamble will be re-released in a 2 in 1 Western Duo with the wonderful author Cathy Maxwell. And May 1st is the release date for the ebook version of A Fortune for the Outlaw’s Daughter.
I’ll also be participating in an Easter Egg Hunt for Harlequin Reader Service Blog. I’ll post more information on that later this week, so watch for it!
Until then, be good, be kind, and laugh!

Birthday Fun

Our middle granddaughter had her birthday party this weekend at 321 Jump. Needless to say the kids had a great time, and even some of the adults joined in now and again. I gave her one of her birthday gifts early this week so she would have them to share during her party—her very own business cards. She loves them. Last month she had taken home one of Papa’s business cards and then called the next day to make sure it worked. That created a new favorite pastime for her. Talking on the phone. Since then she has started doing so with friends from school.
Granddog Bear also had a trip to the vet yesterday, something he does not like. He’s good and behaves, but looks at me with such sadness in those big brown doggy eyes. He’s getting older—will be eight in July—and like most of us, has put on a bit of weight—116 pounds. Yep, a diet was suggested. 
The weather took a dip into the sub-zeroes again, and also presented us with a dusting of snow, which most of all, has everyone ‘getting tired’ of winter. However, our youngest son pulled his fish house off the lake today, so that does mean Spring is just around the corner. 
My latest story is coming along nicely, and I’m anxiously waiting for my advance copies of A Fortune for the Outlaw’s Daughter to arrive. I’ll be doing some giveaways once I get them on my facebook author page, so if you haven’t already, please pop over and like https://www.facebook.com/authorlaurirobinson.
Stay warm, keep smiling, and enjoy each day!

Happy Friday the 13th!

No matter what the date, it’s Friday, and that’s always a good thing. And tomorrow is Valentine’s Day! We received this adorable Valentine’s Day card in the mail today. Gotta love that lipstick! Tomorrow we will deliver her yummy Valentine’s Day gift to her, as well as gifts to the other grandkids. They make all holidays so much fun!


I know it’s a few months away, but I received the back cover blurb for Norma Rose’s story and wanted to share it with you…

The Bootlegger’s Daughter (Daughter’s of the Roaring Twenties)

Of all the speakeasies, in all the world…

Mysterious city slicker Ty Bradshaw might have won her father's trust, but everyone knows Norma Rose is the true boss of Nightingale's resort. And it'll take more than that charming smile to shake the feeling that Ty is not all he seems…

He walks into hers.

Ty is a federal agent on a personal mission of revenge. But he hasn't figured on falling for a bootlegger's daughter. Suddenly, flirting with headstrong Norma Rose seems far more exhilarating than chasing gangsters!

The book won't be released until August, but it is already up on Amazon, and available for pre-orders. I sincerely hope readers have as much fun reading this series as I did writing it!

On to other books…My WIP is once again making good progress, which feels wonderful. And my short story for a Spring Wedding Anthology that will be released in 2016 has been outlined—I worked on that while my WIP was simmering a bit this week. I was at a cross-road that needed to be fleshed out a bit.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, including a special Valentine’s Day!