Z.L. Arkadie's Blog, page 11

Coming Soon: My Next New Release!

Don’t forget that my next new release will be The Billionaire Hercules Valentine and I: Serendipity, book one of The Mighty Valentine Brothers. It will be available on Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, and more stores by May 11, 2021!   What am I bringing you? A hot hero/man of your dreams √ A smart and likable female protagonist√ A couple that was meant to be √ Slow-burn romance that leads to scorching hot sex √ A mystery that keeps you engaged √ A wholly unputdownable story that’ll take you away√   I haven’t had this much fun writing a book in a long time. I’m taking my time, crafting the Valentines and the Grove’s stories chapter by chapter. I even added a meatier excerpt. Tap here if you want to check it out! 🤞 You’ll love the story too! You can also Pre-order Serendipity at all e-tailer stores except Amazon. But it will be available for purchase at Amazon on May 10th or May 11th (It might even be ready for purchase on Amazon on May 9th.) Much Love, Z      

Good News! “The Billionaire Hercules Valentine and I” Release Update

The  Good news is that book one of my new series, The Billionaire Hercules Valentine and I, Serendipity, will be released on May 11, 2021! You can now read the first four chapters, which includes the prologue, on my website! Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day and a Treat!

    Today is SWEET Indeed! Since Barnes &  Noble makes it so easy to run giveaways, I  thought I would run one today! Today only, you can get The Dark Billionaire Jasper Christmas Trilogy for free at Barnes & Noble! Their store’s reader can be downloaded on any device. However, it just came to my attention that readers outside of the US aren’t able to participate in this promotion. I apologize for that. I promise a Google Play Free-for-All promotion in next month’s newsletter. If you want to participate in today’s Free-For-All promotion, then this one’s for you! FREE-FOR-ALL GIVEAWAY THE DARK BILLIONAIRE JASPER CHRISTMAS TRILOGY PROMO CODE: BNPVALOVE2021 APPLY THE CODE AT CHECKOUT GET IT NOW! Enjoy😘🌹

The Valentines vs. The Groves – An Exciting New Series Update!

Greetings Lovelies! I hope your New Year is chugging along swimmingly. Mine is going just fine. I’ve submitted most of a book I’ve written in the Valentines’ series to the editor last Monday. I say, “most of a book” because I hadn’t quite finished the read-through and dust-up before the editing deadline date so I submitted a few thousand words over the minimum that’s required. The thing is, as I said before, I don’t want to rush it. There are a lot of moving parts in this series, just as there were in The Christmas Brothers Series. Even though I’m very happy with the Christmases series, I went too fast and missed pivotal opportunities to make the story and their world richer. I don’t want to do that with this next series. For instance, I think, I should’ve started with Holly and Bryn in college instead of those details merely being backstory. In Valentines vs. Groves series (recognize how the series focus has changed from just the Valentines to include the Groves. The Groves and Valentines are clashing families and book one includes all of this backstory, interesting story details that would enhance the series if I write it all out before we arrive at Hercules and Paisley’s relationship. Because the thing is, I want you to FEEL the weight of why these two must fight to resist each other.  It’s like if I would’ve written Bryn and Holly’s college experience together and then transitioned into Holly’s career and a few of her failed romantic relationships, then you would’ve just felt it more when she arrived at the Christmas mansion and had her first interaction with Jasper. I wrote those books fast because I had to. But the next crop, I’m going to take my time. I’m going to give you all that I have. I’m going to lay it all out on the altar of sacrifice. Okay, like, was that melodramatic enough??? lol. Because I’m telling you, I’m feeling the melodrama here. So this is how it’s going to go. (Gosh, I want another cup of coffee) Sigh… I’ve been keeping to one a day, but I want two today. Hmm… I have this Panamanian light roast and I put about less than a half of tablespoon of Bailey’s Red Velvet liquor in it and about the same amount of Planet Oat, oat-milk, and OMG… Like, OMG… Delicious. 😋) Sorry for the digression. Anyway, all these creative thoughts are going through my head today, and I’ll have to reign them in at some point. But, I want to go back and tell the story of how Paisley came to be because her mother plays an integral role in giving the Groves the upper hand against the Valentines. There’s just so much beautiful and pulse-pounding backstory to capture. I’m going to try to write it out in one big book that’ll be released before the Hercules trilogy. As it stands, there are three Valentine brothers, Hercules (the youngest), Orion (in the middle), and Achilles (the eldest). Orion has his own forbidden relationship with Treasure Grove, Paisley’s cousin. And I have a few ideas about Achilles’ love interest. However, there’s also Max Grove, Paisley’s brother. He’s going to need his book(s) too. And maybe, just maybe, Max and Achilles have their eyes on the same woman. You see, I stumbled onto a remarkable world here, with great characters. I don’t want to squander these precious gifts. I want to give you a Z.L. Arkadie reading experience that you’ve never had. So please bear with me, and don’t forget about me. I’m writing my a** off! And I don’t want to have any regrets this time, NONE. Until my next update!😘 Z  

2021 Plans for Z.L. Arkadie!

Happy Thanksgiving!

So many of us are experiencing different life circumstances. Some are full of happiness and others are marked by heartache, mostly we’re experiencing everything in between. Wherever you are today, I see and my God bless you. Today, I’m wishing you and yours a blessed and safe Thanksgiving.  Peace, love and happiness, Z

A Writer’s Woes… Episode 11-11-2020

Sigh… So, this is a difficult time for me for sure. So… After Destined, I experience a serious bout of burnout brought on by several forces. I’ve been renting for many years, and now, it’s time to become a homebuyer. As I get things together to do that, as a large part of buying a house is saving money, I have to live at my mom’s. But the thing is, I’m sort of confused about where I want to live–still. Like, STILL. I have a VR, and one of the environments is a futuristic city. I can hear the traffic and see the lights and cars riding on the air, and seriously all I want to do is jump into that reality. I’m taking it as a sign that I want to be somewhere exciting, inspirational, and forward-moving. But where is that place? Does it really even exist? In the end, will the same old human beings bring their crap into that city and make it miserable too? Sigh… LOL. I know–dark, right? I say that because as long as I remained in the present, I found it difficult to write a story, so I set The Mighty Valentines in the future. Not like the Jetsons or anything; it’s twenty-five years in the future. It took 25 years to get my mind over the hurdle. Sigh… The story is going very well, like, very well.  I wrote the Christmas Family stories quite fast, and I’m taking my time with this one. Going back to how I started this post, I’m still writing mostly in a small room filled with big furniture, big, heavy, heavy bed, desk, TV on the wall… Like, I need my own furniture, my own refrigerator, my own big bed in a big room, my own yard, my own, my own, my own. And not having my own space/house aided in accelerating my burnout. But don’t get me wrong, I have mounds of gratitude to my mom for giving me a roof over my head while I get things together. Love her to the moon and back and then a few more laps. And then there’s my savior complex. Sigh… Like, after I got out of the Army, I went to college, and I was hellbent on being a lawyer because I wanted to save the world. Fast-forward to now and extreme sessions with my ninja therapist, I have the tools to trace back to where my save the world complex came from, and it’s not from a healthy place. And so I’m a writer. The road to getting here was definitely not a straight line. I love writing. As a matter of fact, all of my earlier feedback about what I should do when I grow up had been centered on writing. You know, teachers calling me to them so we could talk about something I wrote–telling me how talented I am. The thing was, I felt so inadequate as a young person that I couldn’t really take in their compliments. Life is a journey filled with multiple twists and turns. Every decision carrying me closer to my destiny. During this burnout/breakdown I’ve had in the last few months, I ordered the LSAT study guide and multiple actuals. I’m good at studying for the LSAT. And if I finish the book, I know I’ll ace that bad boy. But, I know that the stuff that’s happening in the world, the injustice, the grown people who lack integrity and love for fellow humans, trapped in the middle of extremes who are too far gone to meet rationally in the middle, all of that brought back Captainess Save the World. And I’m getting that this issue runs deeper than fighting it out in court or something. Prayer. Daily, prayer is the best fix. Gosh, it’s so hot in this dang little room. I’m almost there. Only months away from my house purchase. (Just breathe). Anyway, I’m writing this next series, and I’m not forcing myself to meet a difficult deadline. I’m supposed to send it to the editor in early January. I should meet that deadline with flying colors. I’m not completely 100% though. These times are trying indeed. But I am writing again and taking it one day at a time. Here’s a little sample of the working description: I never thought I’d be committing corporate espionage, especially in the company of the guy I had a serious crush on in high school. Hercules Valentine is his name and he’s the sort of man that sets a girls panties on fire. We always had chemistry, but we also knew that the Valentines and the Groves don’t mix. So we never crossed that line. Well… We did once.  But he was too drunk to remember that night. Now that I’m here to take back what rightfully belongs to us, will my mission be thwarted by love? So, yeah, something like that but a lot smoother. Sigh… Anyway, stay tuned! Much love, Z

Crave and Destined Are Now Live!

That’s right! You don’t have to wait to read the complete His Second Chance with Bry Christmas Duet. Both books are now live!

Read how I put the Christmas family siblings to rest!

I also took care of my brain and got the rest I needed, so tomorrow, I’ll start crafting the first book in a series about another family with a famous last name.

But for now, please enjoy the His Second Chance with Heiress Bryn Christmas Duet!

Great News!

First, Crave, His Second Chance with Heiress Bryn Christmas releases tomorrow!
Yay!
Do you want to hear even better news?

Destined (Book 2) has cleared proofing and is ready to go! So, Instead of September 2nd, Destined will be released on Tuesday, September 1st. Essentially, you’ll be able to read the entire story without pause! I left you a love note at the end of Destined. Thank you so much for indulging in all the books in the Billionaire Christmas family series. They may be Christmases, but they’re definitely not jolly!  That just came to me… Hmmm… lol!

So get on your mark and get set! Go time is only hours away!

Much Love,

Z.L.

Upcoming New Release Update!

Hello!

I hope everyone is staying healthy.