Z.L. Arkadie's Blog, page 9

Literary Fiction And Life – POP-UP POST

POP-UP POST EXPIRED Every now and then, when the writer side of me is in a deeply contemplative mood, I’ll make a pop-up post. But just as the name suggests, pop-up posts only appear for a short time before the mood strikes me to delete them. I do save them for collection though. I’ll use them to write stories. So this pop-up post has been expired. If you missed this one, I hope you catch the next one! And now I’m off to a day of writing. I’ve been thinking of writing a hot genre book for Kindle Vella. That way I can publish as I write. Hmm… I take a stab at the first thousand or so words today. Have a wonderful day! Z.L.

The post Literary Fiction And Life – POP-UP POST appeared first on .

Her or Her – Zoey or Z.L. The Final Answer

Okay, so I may have spoken too soon. Today, I received my first round of edits back of Crossing the Line from the editor. Yay!!! The good news is she noticed that I’m going more “straightforward” romance. But the thing is, the voice and style are still the same. I’ve been pondering something in the past few days. I’ve been asking myself, “What if one of my favorite authors just upped and changed her name because she’s changing something about the sort of story she tells?” Frankly, I’d be confused. And probably turned off too. I’m thinking… Yes. Turned off. So, sorry about my last post. I didn’t mean to upset anyone. Yes. Zoey Locke looks sooooo good on a book cover though! I mean, it’s actually the number one reason why I want to change my name. LOL! Z.L. Arkadie is too serious. BUT. It’s the name I’ve been using for ten years. So I guess, it should keep it. I could see if I weren’t writing about billionaire brothers, family, and finding the one. That’s what I’ve been doing since the beginning. I don’t need a new name for that. I’m finally strongly incorporating romance tropes though–like forbidden lovers, soulmates, fake fiance, marriage mistake, and so forth. I know right??? It’s going to be fun! However, if I were doing something drastically different like writing about Dragons or Aliens, then I’d change my name. Although my new work will be more lighthearted and not dark at all. So get ready for that. That was another reason why I wanted to change my name. But LOVE in the USA wasn’t dark. There was just too much sex in that series as it stands. I’m still going to rewrite that series one day. Especially now that I’m more seasoned. I mean, like really, why did Vince have to have a vasectomy???? LOL! What was that about, Z? That was weird. I must admit. The rule is to never criticize yourself like this in public, but I’m criticizing myself for that. I have no idea why wrote that. I’ve taken it out of the book btw. Also, Maggie’s strange pep talk with Belmont has been revised. Sigh… I can’t wait to rewrite that series. I CANNOT WAIT. Anyway, never fear (Z.L. says to herself), I’m working on making Z.L. Arkadie appear more remarkable on book covers. It’s as if pragmatism is pulling Zoe Locke out of my death grip. Trying to toss her in the can and warn me to stay who I am. I hear you Ms. Pragmatism. I hear you. Coming soon though will be a sneak peek of Crossing The Line by Z.L. Arkadie and not Zoey Locke 😔. It’s the revised story about Hercules and Paisley. It’s one book, ending with the couples’ HEA. And I’m writing the next Valentine book now. I’ll be tacking on two Grove men stories at the end of the series! One beauty and the beast trope and one sports romance. Nice… I can’t wait! Talk soon. I want to get book two finished and in the hands of an editor prior to my already scheduled editing date of December 10th before I announce a release date for Crossing the Line. Wish me luck! Peace, Z.L. and NOT Zoey lol

The post Her or Her – Zoey or Z.L. The Final Answer appeared first on .

Publishing Update 10-2-2021

I want to introduce you to Zoey Locke. Zoey is Z.L. Arkadie but there’s a difference in the stories they write Z.L. Arkadie gave you mystery with your romance. She also genre hopped like crazy. However, the consistencies in her stories are depictions of family love and heroes who are brothers finding the love of their lives. But Zoey Locke will give you romance with your romance and still with engaging and unputdownable plots. And she too will write about hot billionaire brothers and family and friends love. Zoey’s first book will be Crossing the Line. Crossing the line is the revised story featuring Paisley Grove and Hercules Valentine. It’s the story I should’ve written the first time. It’s the story I want to tell. Also, it’s their story told in one book, and not three or two books like Z.L. Arkadie used to write. Zoey doesn’t write duets or trilogies that follow a single couple from beginning to end. She’ll write one book per couple in the series featuring the named brothers. I’ll also include a book on Max Grove because I want to see him win at love too. The Valentines are her first series but there are others to come. I’m going to finish The Forbidden Sommers. I’m also going to write the O’Bannon Brothers series. And I’m certain more will come after those are written. Zoey is going to do straight romance with romance. However, Z.L. Arkadie is going to remain a rebel, a smarter more informed one mind you, but Z.L. is going to tackle genres that I can’t get enough of.  Those similar to my favorite authors like Sally Rooney and Shari Lapena–talk about apples and oranges. I think I love those authors because I love stories about people, behavior, and how we relate to one another when the pressure is on, or when we’re knee-deep in the process of evolving. I think I capture that sort of essence in my own writing too. I’m learning to stay with the people and not go off on action-oriented tangents You know… houses blowing up or finding bodies in the wall or searching for a special poison that doesn’t exist in real life and by the way, Enu too. No more Enus. Because frankly, all of that is easy to do. The hard work is keeping my feet on the ground. For instance, Paisley is a true nerd, who’s down to earth. Hercules is a charismatic billionaire, a good guy, who’s loyal, consistent, strong, and sexy. He knows what he wants, and how to get it. He’s the man you’ll want to plan your forever with. Their families have other plans for them in the love department but Paisley and Hercules refuse to let love get away slip through their fingers this third and final time that fate has put them in each other’s lives. They’ll do whatever it takes because they’ve always loved each other they think, even when the first laid eyes on each other in high school. So, anyway, book one in the Tempting Valentine Brothers, featuring Hercules Valentine and Paisley Grove is with the editor! Its tropes are second chance romance, forbidden lovers, and soul mates. At the moment I’m writing book two. Featuring Treasure Grove and another Valentine brother. I know which one it is, but I can’t reveal it yet. I want you to read book one first. The trope for book two is fake fiance and enemies to lovers. I’m having a ball writing it. It’s going to be fun watching these two fall in love. And then the book featuring the third brother will be your classic marriage mistake. And finally, I can’t wait to write Max Grove’s book. The fates are working in his favor too. His love will form out of the ashes of heartache. I cannot WAIT to write it. So, for the next six or seven or maybe eight months, I am going to have fun, fun, fun writing the Valentine brothers! More one when Crossing the Line will be released is coming soon. And yes, you’re going to get a sneak peek after the manuscript clears proofing. So stay tuned for that as well. Until then… Much Love, Zoey

The post Publishing Update 10-2-2021 appeared first on .

Soul Mates and The Billionaire Christmas Brothers Updates – 8/19/2021

Soul Mates The free Bookfunnel version of Soul Mates will be available until tomorrow. After Friday, you’ll be able to purchase the book on Amazon or read it for free with Kindle Unlimited. The new story featuring Paisley and Hercules is coming along swimmingly. It will be titled Forbidden and will be the first book in The Billionaire Valentine Brothers series. I might put an adjective in the series title though. Like, for instance, The Forbidden Valentine Brothers. The Mighty Valentine Brothers. Or something else. I’ll see. The Billionaire Christmas Brothers series Okay. The marketplace has spoken and I am listening. Cliffhangers aren’t liked anymore. Since making a book-one in a series that ends on a cliffhanger free has lost all of its steam, I’ve decided to change strategies. I mean, it would still work if the algorithms gave us some help with pushing our books to most readers. And I suppose I could find power readers like my mother, who don’t give a damn if their book ends with a cliffhanger or not. But that will take more time fiddling with ads and targets than I have. Plus, I must admit that I actually prefer writing one book on one couple. First of all, it’s easy to submit for contests for one. And, it’s less taxing. Because I have to keep up the drama. People, writing beats for a trilogy or duet isn’t the easiest form of telling a story. We have to keep the action going. We have to keep you interested in a long story about one couple. That’s not easy. So. Basically. I’ve combined Intrigued, Desire, and Claimed into Beautifully Dark: Jasper Christmas (Book 1). Enthrall, Impulse and Bliss are Beautifully Freed: Spencer Christmas (Book 2) Exposed, Spencer Christmas the bonus book stays the same. It’s Book 3. Seduction and Embrace are now A Beautiful Desire. And, Crave and Destined are now A Beautiful Chance. Since the books are longer, Amazon’s Kindle Unlimted seems ideal for the series. It really is tough trying to maintain traction on the other stores these days. I’m too busy trying to revise my catalog to spend hours upon hours attempting to make sales stick on those other stores. It costs less for Amazon stickiness and I think it’ll pay off even better if I don’t give readers cliffhangers to contend with. Amazon KU readers HATE cliffhangers. And, that’s okay, because, I’ve studied the marketplace and have concluded that on Amazon, they are not necessary. On the contrary, cliffhangers have been working against me on Amazon. But there has to be a small cliffhanger leading to the next brother’s book, right? There’s a small tie-in at the end of Soul Mates. Forbidden will end with the same lead-in to the next book. Which reminds me. I have a heck of a lot of writing to do so I should end this post NOW. Oh, also, I hope you noticed that there are fewer swear words in my books. I’ve also stopped using the d-word and p-word. IDK, I never wanted to swear a lot in my writing, simply because I never used to talk that way. But the more I started writing those words, the more I started using them. I mean, it’s okay, I guess. I’m not one of those people who think cursing is bad. I had an ex-boyfriend, who’s cursing was pure poetry! LOL. But, still, it’s not for me. So… I’ve just decreased the number of swear words in my books. When I have a moment, I have to publish the new versions of books in the LOVE in the USA series which have f, s, d, p and I think “a” words sanitized out. Okay. Getting back to work. Talk soon. Much 😘 Z.L.

The post Soul Mates and The Billionaire Christmas Brothers Updates – 8/19/2021 appeared first on .

Read Soul Mates Now for Free!

As promised you can now read Soul Mates for free via Bookfunnel. Things to remember: The book contains the complete story. If you want to read Soul Mates only, then you should go directly to Part 3. I made this free because I’m rewriting Paisley and Hercules’s story. I want to streamline the story and make it more romance. The ending will lead into the next book in the series featuring the next brother. And now, I hope you enjoy! DOWNLOAD “SOUL MATES”

The post Read Soul Mates Now for Free! appeared first on .

Get Soulmates for Free!

I just wanted to remind you that Soul Mates, the ending of Tempting Fate and The Deception, will be available on Monday via Bookfunnel. All three parts will be put together to form one long story, which will be titled, Soul Mates. I know what I’m doing is unorthodox. And I’ve given it a lot of thought. I think I explained in a previous post what happened. I attended a conference and did some research romance reading to learn readers’ expectations. I certainly had a lot of fun writing what was initially Serendipity and The Ruse. Full disclosure, the stories flopped in the marketplace. And it wasn’t because of visibility. Serendipity/Tempting Fate had a lot of eyes on it. But the real romance meet-cute didn’t occur until The Ruse, which became The Deception. Book one was mostly backstory. And the thing is, I knew better than to write a book full of backstory! It was an amateurish thing to do. But if I take a beat and remember how stressful last year was, then I give myself a pass for writing what I wrote. The story is still good though. It’s just long. I also think the romance aspect isn’t strong enough. Plus, the version of Soul Mates I submitted to the editor, is not the story I want to tell. I threw everything, including the kitchen sink at that story. You’ll see what I mean. But, I don’t consider my efforts a wash.  The original story is helping me write a better newer story. I know who the characters are already. Also, I get to focus on the romance and use backstory in the right way. And, in a sense, you already know the backstory, well, sort of. A lot of what occurred in the original, won’t happen in the redux version. For instance, Paisley won’t go to that party because in the redux that never happend. But the college encounter with Hercules did occur. It’ll be written differently though. I’ll be using backstory to strengthen immediate intimacy. Don’t worry, you’ll see what I mean. Oh, and she’s not going to infiltrate his company. She actually has a job at GIT. She’s the Public Relations director. So we’ll see a lot of her and Max’s sibling relationship in real-time. You’ll also see more of the feud play out between the brothers. And there’s no mystery of why the feud exists. I won’t reveal it now though. 😏 So, to not be longwinded, if you want to know when Soul Mates is available, look out for my Monday post, which will contain the Book Funnel link. There are a lot of pirates out there looking to steal content, so I want to make sure my ducks are in a row before I make it available. People are so disturbed. Why would you steal people’s long, hard works of art? Anyway, I’ll send the link on Monday in the morning.  Toodles and enjoy your Saturday! Much Love, Z

The post Get Soulmates for Free! appeared first on .

Soul Mates Update – 8-5-2021

Alrighty… So. Introduction I have canceled the Soul Mates pre-order on Amazon because I changed the release date from 11/30/2021 to 8/13/2021. But the release date will certainly be 11/30/2021. But it’s not the story you think it’s going to be. The Decision I am writing Hercules and Paisley’s story as a standalone in the Valentine Brothers Series. It’s a friends-to-lovers novel. And I’m going to just stick to the romance Jack. My next editing date is September 24th. I’ll be submitting the new story then. Trying Something New Releasing the story about a couple as a standalone is somewhat new for me. I’ve released in trilogies or duets so that I can make a book free. That has always been my strategy to gain visibility. It has been so difficult for me to gain visibility otherwise. But I think I understand why. I haven’t written tropey content that sticks to readers’ expectations yet. Well, this next book will be on trope. And the beats will be true romance. Listen, I thought I had been writing real romance beats until I completed my assignment, which was reading more romance novels and gaining a better sense of readers’ expectations. “Oh, so they don’t want to read a whole section about Paisley building a game app with her team,” I said. Just stick to the romance, Jack. I mean, Z. LOL! How Do We Proceed From Here? At some point, I’m going to release a sneak peek of the new novel. Also, for those who just have to have an ending to the former content, which went from Serendipity and The Ruse to Tempting Fate and Seduction, I’ll make the half-edited version of Soul Mates available on Book Funnel soon. Just so you can finish. Because the book has been written, just not well. It’s not up to my standards. And after I’ve done my studying, I realize that my beats for the entire series are mostly out of the range of romance. I’m changing that. Like, right now. And once I pull those beats into line with real Friends to Lovers Romance, the story has the potential to be seriously gnarly. And so now it’s time for me to get a cup of Butterscotch Blondie tea by Tazo with oat milk and get to writing! Oh. Just so we’re clear, for those who want it, I’ll make the previous version of the Story about Hercules and Paisley available to you via Book Funnel. I’ll shoot to have it up by Monday. The first version of Soul Mates has cleared the first rounds of edits. But I ended the process as of today because there’s no use in wasting my editor’s time. The entire story will be a free book. That means, the Bookfunnl free book will combine books 1-3 into one book. Also, I’ll be canceling ALL pre-orders for the version of Soul Mates that’s connected with Tempting Fate and The Deception. Okay. Now I’ll go get that tea! Much Love, Z

The post Soul Mates Update – 8-5-2021 appeared first on .

Z.L.s Publishing Update 7-26-2021

You know those books I wrote during a pandemic that reflect how I was coping with this terrible era in our world’s history? That’s what’s going on with the Valentines. Did you know that The Billionaire Hercules and Valentine and I books are set in the year 2065? I put them in the future because I hated everything about the moment. I hated how we as a species were dealing with the pandemic. I wanted to run far away from the people of today. And I think the story is longer because I was living in that world with my characters and in a universe where none of what we were going through EVER occurred. Like, in the Hercules Valentine and I books, our species brains, are not what they are now. Do you know what I mean by that? I was just so fed up with us. So, I created a species of humans in 2065 who aren’t entitled, aren’t self-centered, aren’t mean, aren’t angry, aren’t un-empathetic, aren’t judgmental, value intellect, and value those who choose not to be intellectual. They’re not bitter on the inside because they made all the wrong decisions for their lives and so now they operate like crabs in a bucket. They’re not using sex as a numbing agent. They are untouched by all the crap, all the history, all the harmful influences, that make us, us. So I spent most of book one, Tempting Fate, make the characters their own species of human beings. I am so glad I finished The Christmases before the bottom fell out. I think we’re existing in this strange era where we are still very broken and we’re waiting for the newer generations to take their seats at the table. They’re more empathetic. Inclusive. Less judgmental. Tolerant. Believe in kindness as strength. Insightful. Emotionally brave. Openminded. Less violent. They like to have fun too. They will never kill themselves to be “perfect.” Because what the hell does that mean anyway? Basically, for me, the future can’t come fast enough, and that’s why I wrote that Utopia in the Valentines. However, it’s not going over so well in the marketplace. Because no one understands it. It’s TOO before its time. But the story was my indulgence. And I hate indulgent writing. And yet, I did it. Yes, I did it. So, as I said to my mom the other day regarding the Valentines–“I’ve got to know when to hold them. Know when to fold them. Know when to walk away. Know when to run.” “Why don’t you write the story the way you should’ve?” she said. Index finger pressed against my pinched lips, I replied, “Hmm…” Anyway, I don’t want this to go on too long because I have a lot of work to do today. Soul Mates is now with the editor. I’ve been working on figuring out what to do with the LOVE in the USA series. And I’ve been figuring out how to stay consistent. One thing I’ve been looking at is my backlist, which has to match the stories I tell today, i.e. The Christmases. But I don’t want to throw away those old characters. I love writing about members of families finding love by overcoming their wounds. I started outlining a new story featuring characters named Daisy Blanchard and Belmont Jack Lord. Everybody’s going to be different though. Heloise is going to be different. Belmont is going to have more brothers. His mother’s alive and… Sigh… You’ll have to read and see the rest. One of my assignments was reading reviews and listening to what readers like about my books and don’t like. You like my heroes. You like that they’re alpha but their power doesn’t come from bending the heroine to his will. Thank you for recognizing that. Real powerful men exist. And their sacred masculinity is not in brute power or being a caveman. What’s up these scenes in romance where he carries the young woman over his shoulder like a caveman???? So horrible. Just horrible. Sigh. You like the twists and turns, and the mental health aspects between two characters who are falling in love. I read people say that they DON’T like how fast the story goes. I kind of get it, but if I don’t stay in the body, then I’ll lose you. However, I know that staying too long in the body can make the story so stressful that you won’t want to have the experience again. In my next series, I’m looking to strike a balance. You also don’t like my crass language. I get that too. I didn’t start off writing that way. As a matter of fact, I had a problem with using curse words, as I didn’t curse. Also, I didn’t like writing pussy or dick.  I even sanitized those words, along with the f-word, from the entire Christmas series. I’ve taken them out of the LOVE in the USA series as well, but I haven’t published the sanitized versions yet. As I reading through those books, I just don’t… I mean… I don’t understand why Vince, a man with no children, has gotten a vasectomy. Like, dude, what was going on in my head when I wrote that??? That kind of stuff. You know. And some of the dialogs between Vince and Maggie feel strained. I just don’t want those books out there. One writer, I liked his new work and so I read his old work. I realized that if I would’ve read his old work first, I would’ve never read his new work. So what I have in the marketplace MATTERS. That means, LOVE in the  USA does not rise to my current standards. And yeah, I still don’t get the vasectomy. And Belmont is doing too much, too soon. It’s weird. Sigh… And Charlie. Gosh, he’s so… Immature. I think Vince is okay though. I like him in He’s So Bad. I don’t know. The jury is out on LOVE in the USA. I might condense the books, take out the OFFENSIVE parts, and then slap a pen name on them. I’ll let you know what that pen name is though. I just want to separate them from my current. Or, I can slap a pen name on my current work. I’ll see. Not many authors would judge their books this harshly, but I’m confident enough to say it. It is what it is. What you read from me, matters. I want to ALWAYS bring you my best. Anyway… I’m getting the new story featuring Daisy to the editor in September. As far as the Valentine goes. I want to continue with the next brother’s story, but I’ll have to see that you are really interested it. I mean, it’s so different from Christmases. It doesn’t fit into my library. BUT, I can make the story about the next brother fit. Maybe. Perhaps the characters are too evolved. Because as I said, they live in a Utopia. Sigh… Listen. If you want to escape into the Utopia, then read the Valentines and go on a mental vacation from everything, including romance expectations! LOL! Now back to work I go. I’ll keep you updated on my projects. There will definitely be a new release or two by the end of the year. I have to start writing the first book to get an idea of how the story will be told. I’m looking at the storyboarded beginning right now. It’ll start the same as Find Her, Keep Her, sort of. There will be the same offensive act from Daisy’s best friend and ex-boyfriend. And she will get away. But instead of going to Martha’s Vineyard, she’ll go to another island. I’ve made up an island. It’s more fun that way. You’ll learn more later. And now, I shall end this for real. Peace and Love, Z.L.  

The post Z.L.s Publishing Update 7-26-2021 appeared first on .

Soul Mates Release Update and Other Things

It’s Thursday evening and I’ve been working my behind off today. Sigh… It’s going to be a long rest of the month but I’ll get through it. I wanted to write this post this morning but I’m running late. I think it’s time to sign off and watch The Good Fight. Gosh, I love that show. Anyway, I wanted to inform you that there’s a slight delay in editing. Soul Mates will get to the editor next week on the 23rd! I’m still going to release on August 31st though! Also, I’ve been grappling with combining Tempting Fate with The Deception. My gut says I need to do it. I’ve done it, but then I pulled back. I hate that I made the mistake of releasing it too early. But I’ve done it, so I have to either live with it or fix it. I have to figure out what to do. Give me a few more days. Regarding, LOVE in the USA…. I so want to take that series off sale. Especially after I’ve been doing some listening to romance books for the past two weeks. I realize that like everybody else, I was trapped in the Fifty Shades of Grey revolution, and the only thing I got right was lots of sex and a horny hero. However, I missed the mark on not having an entitled, bossy, heroine with nothing going on other than the V this “very, very dangerous” man can’t live without. Oh, and he has to save her. And protect her like she’s a prized possession. That mutual respect stuff that I write, ain’t gonna cut it, Sam. I mean, I love Daisy and Belmont but if I weren’t trying to emulate the un-emulateable, then I would’ve written the story a lot differently. Because non of the copy-cats do it as well as E.L. James. If they did, then I would be able to get through their books. Because I got through Fifty Shades of Grey, the first book only. I couldn’t get through the others. It was over for me when she ran away from Mr. Crazy. And in my mind, that’s how it ended. Oh… I did come across a book that I am loving though! A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones. Check it out! It has it all! A truly intelligent heroine with class, style, and maturity and I don’t know who the hero is yet. It’s sort of mysterious in that way. I love the subtle lead into that character becoming our male lead. I think it’s the violin player but I’m not certain yet. Love it! Anyway, just about all the f-words, s-words, p-words, and d-words have been scrubbed from the LOVE in the USA series. It was just too much. I wrote like that because early in my career, I listened to criticism from reviewers. I want to get the cleaner copies of the books up ASAP. Then, I’ll deal with the content. I think Daisy and Belmont should’ve danced together or something before she just opened up for him. And maybe Belmont should be man enough to at least take her to dinner first. Ya know??? Lol! At least. So, you see where I’m going with this? I am going to make LOVE in the USA better gosh-darn it. But it’s going to take some time. I’m going to combine books. Throw out books. And I’ll stick to one book per character as I intended. And don’t get me wrong though. But if he’s going to be dangerous, please SHOW me how. And if he’s a billionaire, please show me HOW he makes his money. I did that in LOVE In the USA. I showed you Jasper, Vince, Robert Tango, and Charlie at work. I showed Daisy, Maggie, Angelina, and Carter working in their professions too. Shoptalk and all. That’s not going to change. But I do want to build up to the sex. Make sex more of the payoff. It’s going to be fun doing that. I can’t wait to get started! And I promise this, you are going to LOVE the reboot. Alright, now it’s 9:19 p.m. It’s definitely time for The Good Fight on Paramount Plus. Toodles, Z.L.

The post Soul Mates Release Update and Other Things appeared first on .

A Sunday Publishing Update!

SOUL MATES UPDATE So Soul Mates goes to the editor on Wednesday. I’m almost finished writing the book. Today, after reading-through to certain point, I’m deleting about 10k words and starting where I left off yesterday, because the story told me the REAL direction it wants to go in. And I love it! I’m going to admit that Tempting Fate and The Deception should’ve been one book.  Simply because Tempting Fate is basically the story of how Fate won’t let Paisley and Hercules forget each other. However, the Decetion is is the payoff where they heat up each other’s lives and the sheets. You can’t appreciate the story without reading them both. It all belongs together.  So after I get Soul Mates to the editor. I’m going to work on combining them. But I don’t think I messed up the story as bad as read-through from book one to two suggests. Book two is solid. Again, book one and two must be combined.   GENRE CHOICE PROGRESSION For the past month, I have been reading and listening to a lot fiction, a lot of genres. And I have to tell you, I LOVED/LOVE writing the Valentines. Romantic suspense, violence, fighting, murder and mayhem, all that stuff is depressing. I won’t be able to write it long-term. I will Peter-out within twoyears. I’m writing what I want write.  I want to be sort of longwinded. I want to write everything. I don’t want to create cliche cardboard cut-out characters and situations. And after spending some time learning about my craft from other authors, I don’t have to be cliche. I just have to be consisent. Franky, the Christmases and Valentines aren’t THAT much different. Within those realms, I’m going to find what you like the best, and serve you more of it. So bear with me. 💕 I’ll get it write, and you’ll be llike, “Yes, another Z.L. release, serving me more of  what I love.” My new self-care tactic is to not overload myself with tackling too much at once. Right now, my focus is solely on finishing Hercules Valentine and I, and then improving readibility. Then I’ll stare BLANK Valentine and I. The brother next book will be about is still a secret.   REGARDING MY BACKLIST I’m in the process of fixing LOVE in the USA. I’ve solicited some help. Thanks Mom! 😘 All the sex and cursing has got to be cleaned up. The plot had some failures too. Frankly, I think the stories ended after Say You Love Her. And Vince Adam’s should’ve never done what he done. I should’ve written other characters love stories after that instead of dragging out the main characters’s story until they became utterly unrecognizable and started making stupid mistakes. But I love those characters, that series. I’m not throwing them or it away. I’m fixing the series as soon as I can. Regarding the Hesters. Sigh… I don’t know what to do with them yet. Give me some time. And let’s not even talk about Parched. Maybe like Misty Black, its days have sadly come to an end. I was so different when I wrote those books. My belief system has changed. I don’t believe the world is full of doom and gloom or that humans are capable of screwing it up so badly that the future will be dystopian desertscapes full of bad people and destructive forces. I can write a whole textual analysis of why that kind of thinking and believing is so popular. But, I’m too busy. I had to really give it some thought. If you’ve been with me for a while, then you know how difficult it was for me to write vampires. Blood sucking creatures??? How ominous. Sigh…  I mean, really, aren’t we good enough???? Geesh. I had a great idea about rewriting Parched. Changing the name of the series, keeping the characters and their powers, but redirecting the story down a different avenue. However, that same feeling that made it so hard for me to start my first vampire series, reappears. I was chasing the money. I think if I would’ve kept at Parched, it would’ve worked! But, alas, I can’t. I stopped for a reason. No blood suckers. No, person with superhuman strength. No escpaing our own humanity. Let’s find the beauty in our own humanity instead. I think that’s what I do. People who escape insurmountable circumstances to allow the beatuiful things about falling in love with a PARTNER change their lives and set them on the road to Happily Ever After. Sure hot sex is involved (FYI, I never write sex I haven’t experienced. I don’t guess at it.) but a parnter is more than sex, they’re a friend. Experience is how I know hot sex fizzles and a man tires of woman who has nothing going on but beauty and expectations. The big money in romance is about making shoving those square pegs into round holes. But I feel like if I do that, then I’m lending to an illness that permeates our society today. Sacred, pure masculinity doesn’t a man naturally violent. Toxic masculinity does though. Lots of popular romance is full of toxic masuclinity and young women with no depth other than beauty. Not writing that. Never writing that. And give us ten to twenty years, romance readers won’t be reading that. I’m staying above the curve. But I learned recently, thanks to Alessandre Torre’s seminar that if I just do what I do, over and over, I’ll cull more readers.  And I’m ready to do that. Hey, I make a living at this, so enough of you like what I do to keep me going. And I know there are more of you out there. So, I’m going to try to make LOVE in the USA reflect my front list–the Christmases and Valentines. I think I can do it. And I think you’re going to like the series. My changes will allow me to keep writing in that series too! That’ll be fun! I had fun writing LOVE in the USA until I got off track. But now, I’m getting back on track! Okay… This post has taken longer than I planned. I have a lot of work to do today. After Wedneday, I’ll take a mini-vacation. But now! Off to work I go! Finishing Soul Mates! Toodles, Z.L.

The post A Sunday Publishing Update! appeared first on .