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Brand New Spring Romance: DESPERATE DAUGHTERS and CLAIMS OF THE HEART

March 28, 2022 by in category Quarter Days by Alina K. Field, Writing

Spring is in the Air!

I’m back with a Quarter Days’ post to tell you about a bevy of new Regency romances for your reading pleasure. Desperate Daughters, A Bluestocking Belles Collection With Friends releases May 8, 2022, and Claims of the Heart, the third book in my Macbeth Series, releases April 12, 2022.

Desperate Daughters includes my novella, Lady Twisden’s Picture Perfect Match.

And good news! You can preorder the collection and my standalone full-length novel today for only 99 cents each.

Desperate Daughters

Love Against the Odds

The Earl of Seahaven desperately wanted a son and heir but died leaving nine daughters and a fifth wife. Cruelly turned out by the new earl, they live hand-to-mouth in a small cottage.

The young dowager Countess’s one regret is that she cannot give Seahaven’s dear girls a chance at happiness.

When a cousin offers the use of her townhouse in York during the season, the Countess rallies her stepdaughters.

They will pool their resources so that the youngest marriageable daughters might make successful matches, thereby saving them all.

So they start their adventures in York, amid a whirl of balls, lectures, and al fresco picnics. Is it possible each of them might find love by the time the York horse races bring the season to a close?

Lady Dorothea’s Curate: by Caroline Warfield

Employed at a hotel, Lady Dorothea Bigglesworth had no use for a title. It would only invite scorn, or, worse, pity. Plain Miss Doro Bigglesworth suited her fine. Ben Clarke dedicated his life to helping the neediest. It gave his life meaning. He tended to forget the younger son of a viscount went by “Honorable.” Neither saw the need to mention it to the other, until they were formally introduced— in a ballroom in York. Shocked.

Concerto: By Mary Lancaster

At the age of 27, Lady Barbara has long accepted her position on the shelf. She is thrilled to put aside her music-teaching in order to help her beautiful young sisters find eligible husbands. But then, a chance encounter with an unconventional and mysterious young piano tuner has her heart in a spin. Can she trust him? And can she save him from the lethal threat hanging over them both?

The Butler and the Bluestocking: By Rue Allyn

On arriving in York to visit his godmother, the honorable Malcolm K. Marr did not expect to find her house locked and empty. Nor did he expect to have to break in to the house to find shelter. Least of all did he expect to be awakened at mid-day after the break in to find a woman with the bearing of an Egyptian goddess demanding to know what he was doing in her house.

The York Racetrack

The Four-to-One Fancy: By Elizabeth Ellen Carter

Fate has given twins Ivy and Iris Bigglesworth a season in York. They vow to marry only brothers so the sisters will never be apart. But what are the odds of finding and falling in love with two eligible brothers? Hearts race when they meet two handsome cousins who are betting their future on a risky racing venture. Soon the twins learn there are more than fortunes to be lost on a four-to-one fancy.

I’ll Always Be Yours: By Ella Quinn

All her life Miss Harriett Staunton believed she was the natural daughter of an earl. In the merchant society in which she was raised, that only garnered improper proposals. Knowing she would never wed, she moved to York, far away from her London family.

Lord Sextus Trevor needs to wed. Unbeknownst to him his father has arranged a marriage. But before he is even told about the betrothal, he’s whisked off to York, where he meets Harriett Staunton and must find a way to defy his father.

Lord Cuckoo Comes Home: By Jude Knight

Dom Finchley only came to York as a favor to his half-brother, who asked him to attend a meeting there. After a devastating break with the Finchley family followed by ten years at war, he is keen to get the favor done and then leave to build the home he’s never had. A place to call his own.

Then he meets Chloe.

Chloe Tavistock is past the age for the marriage market, and unfashionable in her shape, her opinions, and her enthusiasms. She is not going to find a husband in York, whatever her fond brother might think.

And then she meets Dom.

Two people who have never fitted in just might be a perfect fit.

Lady Twisden’s Picture Perfect Match: By Alina K. Field

He’s not just a perfect image of a soul-stirring hero, but a perfect-for-her match.

After years of putting up with her late husband’s rowdy friends, Honoria, Lady Twisden has escaped to York where she can paint, investigate antiquities, and enjoy freedom. Then her stepson appears with a long-lost relation in tow. Promised York’s marriage mart and the hospitality of his cousin’s doddering stepmother, Major August Kellborn is shocked to find that his fetching hostess is the one woman who stirs his heart.

A Duke For Josefina: By Meara Platt

Lady Josefina would much rather spend her time studying plants and their healing properties, but her father, the Earl of Seahaven, has died and left the family impoverished. Marriage seems her only alternative until she meets the handsome Duke of Bourne in an apothecary in York’s ancient Shambles. He offers her an intriguing proposition, a fake betrothal and a king’s ransom as reward if she returns with him to his estate and finds a cure for his sister’s illness. But will the true reward be his heart?

A Countess to Remember: By Sherry Ewing

Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it…

Patience, the young Dowager Countess of Seahaven cares for a bevy of stepdaughters, and a Season for each to find husbands seems out of reach. There’s been no chance for romance herself but fate intervenes in the form of Richard, Viscount Cranfield, in York for his sister’s Season. Will Patience allow herself time for love?

Find an excerpt from Lady Twisden’s Picture Perfect Match on my Desperate Daughters‘ book page.

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bMwL17

Claims of the Heart

Claims of the Heart, a brand new full-length novel, is the third story in my Macbeth series. If you read Fated Hearts and wondered what became of Macbeth’s daughter Lucie, this is her story:

Since a perilous fall, Lucie Macbeth has been seeing more than a settled future as the heiress to a Scottish barony. The visions plaguing her include a man—one far above her class and breeding, and English to boot. He’s engaged to a duke’s granddaughter as well, and thus wholly inappropriate. Though she can’t marry him, and she won’t become any man’s leman, when the Sight warns her of danger to him, her conscience and her heart tell her she can’t walk away.

Since returning from Waterloo, Major Lord Rudgwick has been rusticating in the country teaching himself how to live as a man with only one hand and pondering how to end the engagement he contracted before his world turned upside down. But then a letter arrives from an old army comrade, requesting Rudgwick’s aid for his daughter, Lucie Macbeth, the woman he met one year earlier, the woman whose claims on his heart he can’t deny.

Reserve your copy of Claims of the Heart today, only 99 cents:

Universal Buy Link

I wish you all happy reading, and I’ll see you in June for some Midsummer magic!

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Defining Default: it’s your choice

March 15, 2022 by in category The Write Life by Rebecca Forster, Writing tagged as , , ,

I love the word default. It is so definitive. It is authoritative when you’re on the right side of it; terrifying if you’re on the wrong side. Default on your loan. Default the game. You have failed to live up to your promise. Over! Done! Fini— unless you do something to change the situation PDQ and get back on track.

Then came computers and the word default got a makeover. It’s softer. Helpful. Kind. The word became synonymous with a do-over. Default is now your safety net. Screwed up your settings? Default.  Go back to the beginning. Get a do-over. It’s okay. We got your back.

Ah…

Well, don’t get too comfy with that default button, especially when you’re writing. I have a new book that I let lie fallow for two Covid-years because I took a creative hike, turning to manual hobbies like sewing and quilting, crafting and cooking. Now I’m back and making a sprint to complete the last 25%. I’m jazzed because it’s almost done. I proudly sent the first three quarters of the manuscript to my editor fully expecting the green light to cross the literary finish-line.

Sadly — and thankfully —her input was the exact opposite. I had dialed in my characters. I had been lazy with my red herrings. I had defaulted in the bad way, and not lived up to my promise to deliver my best work to my readers. On the other hand, she was offering me the chance to default in the kind way: reset, rethink, and rework. It was up to me to decide if I wanted to skate, shrug my shoulders, and publish a book that was ‘just okay’, or go back and make this the best book it can be.

I decided to go with option two. Reset. Rethink. Rework. That’s what author’s do. Thankfully, I have a great editor who is clear that how I define the word default — and how I respond to that definition— is up to me.

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The Lost Girl in Paris hit # 33 on the Kindle Charts & # 2 Fiction & Literature on Apple by Jina Bacarr

March 11, 2022 by in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as ,
@jinabacarrauthor

The Lost Girl in Paris hit 33 on #Amazon #kindle @boldwoodbooks #booktok #booksoftiktok #authorlife #authorsoftiktok #writer #author #histfictok

♬ original sound – Jina Bacarr Historical Author♥

Celebrating The Lost Girl in Paris hitting # 33 on the US Amazon Kindle List.

And # 2 in the Fiction & Literature category on Apple.

Amazing…

BookBub Deal:

99 cents/99p

My heroine, Angeline de Cadieux, is a Roma girl in WW2 Paris… she’s strong, fights in the Resistance… makes exquisite perfumes and comes up with an amazing marketing campaign during the war to boost morale in France.

Thank you!

UK https://amzn.to/3j7eU6S

US https://amzn.to/3aD9Jae

CA https://amzn.to/3IbaVRZ

AU https://amzn.to/3xtrF1A

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Love & Mud Puddles

March 9, 2022 by in category Writing tagged as , , ,

From the moment that Paul and I met, thirty-four years ago, our life has been a constant stream of planned and unplanned chaos, and the last year has been no exception. Since this time last year, we’ve had the joy of welcoming our beautiful grandson, Milo, I’ve had two total knee replacement surgeries, we’ve been making a slow move to our retirement home in Arizona, which will be complete in November, and preparing our current home to go on the market, a number of extended family situations that have been heartbreaking, and as you all know there’s been a pandemic.

With all that’s happened, good and challenging, I spent very little time at my desk working, but I did manage to write   one book this year, a holiday romcom titled Love & Mud Puddles. I’m excited to announce that I signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press, and Love & Mud Puddles will be released for the holidays this year.

This is not the book cover.

I had so much fun writing this Christmas cookie themed story about Hannah, a young woman who can’t bake, and is challenged to bring homemade Christmas cookies to her family Christmas Eve party. She and her best friend are on a mission to learn to make a fabulous holiday treat, and after several disastrous tries, they end up in a cookie baking class with an oh-so-cute instructor. Will Hannah learn to bake a fabulous cookie…or will they all go up in smoke? And why does the cute instructor always catch her in another disaster?

Mud Puddles are my name for my favorite double Chocolate Thumb Print cookies, and later this year I’ll share my recipe, and some of the other recipes that Hannah tries on her quest for the perfect holiday cookie. Actually, if you want it now, you can find it in my facebook group, Tari Lynn & Friends.

I’m pretty sure that for the rest of our marriage, Paul and I will continue with planned (and sometimes organized) and unplanned chaos, good, challenging and everything in between. In the meantime, I’m starting a new project, and I’m hoping to spend a little more time at my desk in 2022.

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March Check-In

March 5, 2022 by in category Writing

Happy March. I’ll keep this brief because I know everyone is focused on the turmoil that’s going on in the world right now. As a writer you are probably feeling a little guilty about writing romance. But we must remember, it’s our job to make people smile. I challenge you to write something that will make people smile and forget the crazy in the world and give readers an escape.

I’m coming off release month for The Good Girl Part Four. It didn’t pan out like I planned, but I’m pleased with the results. I didn’t meet my sales goal, but I exceeded my monthly sales goal by 3.7%. I missed out on money because this book and the next book in the series weren’t part of the price increase. I set these preorders up a while back and I didn’t feel good about raising the price when there were people who purchased at the lower price. This decision cost me money, but I know I’ll get the lost money back.

The Good Girl Part One and Girlfriends & Secrets were gifted some free advertising which pushed sales and preorders. I also did an author newsletter promo which generated sales and preorders. These ads put eyes on both series. I also ran a BookBub New Release For Less Ad. I hoped high for the day the ad ran, but fell a little short that day. But the ad had tails. Honestly, I think the tails are still growing. I love this BookBub new release tool and hope to use it with every release.

However, I over-estimated my writing schedule for my next release, the Good Girl Part Five. I thought I’d be finished with it by now, but I’m not. I’m pushing to complete the rough draft by March 19th. I’m hoping to end the series with book five, but it feels like there might be one more book. It also feels like the series might spin off.

As of this post, I’ve made some progress, but not as much as I would have liked for the month. I also added a couple of goals: release 3 books and increase BookBub US followers.

Here’s my updated goals list:
Get my letters
Triple my income
Triple my mailing list
Master Facebook ads – I made a change last month to how much I spend and it’s paying off. Last month, I scaled back to one ad and it’s paid off. This one ad for a first in series free has led to sales of the books in two of my other series. I’m going to ride this strategy for a little while before scaling up.
Update covers – 13 covers in total to update. 8 completed.
Learn how to write a sellable blurb
Use Ingram Spark
Direct distribution
Increase BookBub US Followers to 1000 – 1000 US are needed to qualify for a new release promotion alert
Increase my prices
Release 3 Books – One down, two to go.

How are you doing with your goals so far?

See you next month.

Tracy

Some Books by Tracy Reed

Tracy Reed

A California native, novelist Tracy Reed pushes the boundaries of her Christian foundation with her sometimes racy and often fiery tales.

After years of living in the Big Apple, this self proclaimed New Yorker draws from the city’s imagination, intrigue, and inspiration to cultivate characters and plot lines who breathe life to the words on every page.

Tracy’s passion for beautiful fashion and beautiful men direct her vivid creative power towards not only novels, but short stories, poetry, and podcasts. With something for every attention span.

Tracy Reed’s ability to capture an audience is unmatched. Her body of work has been described as a host of stimulating adventures and invigorating expression.

http://www.readtracyreed.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/readtracyreed 

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tracy-reed

https://www.instagram.com/readtracyreed/ 

https://twitter.com/readtracyreed

https://www.pinterest.com/readtracyreed/ 

THE GOOD GIRL PART FOUR

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THE GOOD GIRL PART FOUR

THE GOOD GIRL PART FIVE

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THE GOOD GIRL PART FIVE

THE GOOD GIRL Part Trois

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THE GOOD GIRL Part Trois

THE FIX UP

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THE FIX UP

A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN

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A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN

MISS MATCH

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MISS MATCH

THE GOOD GIRL PART DEUX

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THE GOOD GIRL PART DEUX

WHAT MY FRIENDS NEED TO KNOW

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WHAT MY FRIENDS NEED TO KNOW

WHAT MY FRIENDS DON’T KNOW

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WHAT MY FRIENDS DON’T KNOW

GIRLFRIENDS & SECRETS

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GIRLFRIENDS & SECRETS

DESPERATE DESIRE

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DESPERATE DESIRE

INTENTIONAL CURSE

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INTENTIONAL CURSE

GENERATIONAL CURSE

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GENERATIONAL CURSE

UNEXPECTED LOVE

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UNEXPECTED LOVE
GOD’S BOMBSHELL: LIVING A BEAUTIFUL SINGLE LIFE

LOVE NOTES

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LOVE NOTES

FIRST ENCOUNTERS OF LOVE

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FIRST ENCOUNTERS OF LOVE

THE GOOD GIRL PART ONE

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THE GOOD GIRL PART ONE

THE NIGHT I FELL IN LOVE

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THE NIGHT I FELL IN LOVE

THE FLING

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THE FLING

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