My books have become teenagers!

It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this long enough for some of my books to become teenagers.

Having raised a couple kids through their teen years, I can say fairly confidently, the books are less worrisome. I never have to badger CONTENTMENT info putting the laundry away. The ghosts in PARAMOUR and INAMORATA don’t have to be reminded about bed times. Thankfully, I’m not in charge of the logistics for Ellie & Jack’s LONG DISTANCE LOVE. And worrying about Maggie from COMMITMENT is enough to keep any mother awake at night.

Last week, BoobBub (a book lover’s newsletter service) featured SEDUCING STEVE. Good old Steve is on sale at most US retailers for 99¢, and my favorite red-haired hunk still has it! He was even flagged as a Barnes & Noble Nook bestseller!

Infographic with arrows describing the tropes in the book that has become a teenager

Way to go, Steve! Not bad for a book who is a teenager!

I’m always happy when someone discovers some of my older works. If you’ve never read Steve, you can still get a digital copy for 99¢, so click now!

If you’re interested in buying ebooks of some of my re-released material, you can buy direct from me at my PayHip store, MagsRomance, or at your favorite online retailer.

At the moment, I’m working on having my 50th book published. I’m also working on writing books 51, 52, 53 – the upcoming Arkansas Special Agent: Cyber Crime Division series. Book #1 – SHADOWING HER STALKER – will be the 15th book I’ve written for Harlequin.

So many milestones!

Thanks so much for coming with me on this ride. It certainly has been — and continues to be — a roller coaster, but it’s been great having you beside me!

December 1, 2021

Hello, December

Hi friends. Can you believe it’s December already? Me either.

Truthfully, I won’t be sad to leave 2021 behind. This has been a hard year. Not that it’s been all bad – just a bit of a slog. Tons of good things happened, and I have been keeping up with my monthly #happythings lists. I’ll post the year-end wrapup here at the end of the month.

But a New Year is coming. I have high hopes for 2022, how about you? Is there anything you’re looking forward to?

If you’re looking for some holiday romance – I have some for you. I have a new one-hour short story called LOVE ON DELIVERY available in both ebook and audio formats, LONG DISTANCE LOVE is on sale, and our favorite New Year’s Eve gone wrong/right story, THE LAST FIRST DATE is always a fun way to spend a night in.

So, take some time to curl up in your cozies, maybe add a splash of “special coffee creamer” to your mug, and be sure to breathe deeply.

Peace, friends.

May 11, 2020May 11, 2020

Monday Mayhem – In case you’ve forgotten…

I have a new release this week! TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE will be live on all platforms on Thursday, May 14, 2020. Be sure to mark your calendar or pre-order now! Don’t forget, you can order digital copies directly from me by clicking the Buy Direct button on the menu above. Use this coupon code to get 25% off your direct purchase: 25OFFMAGGIE

Brittany Owens is a young woman on the brink.
As Brit’s career soars past up-and-coming and hurtles toward the stratosphere, she feels like she doesn’t have any control over its trajectory. Her grandfather is country music royalty. Her momager is determined to get Brit to the top at all costs. And then, there is the man she fell for when she was far too young to know any better.

Cash Dorsett once had stardom within his grasp.
But the excesses that come with a life in the spotlight had him landing flat on his face when he reached for the success he craved. Clean and sober now, he doesn’t let himself think about the blue-eyed girl he left in the wreckage of his career. Much.

A chance encounter leads to an intense collaboration.
But can Brit and Cash find a way to make beautiful music together without allowing her rising star to burn their love to the ground?

****PLUS****

HOMETOWN HOPE is still available!

If you have not downloaded your FREE copy of this collection of small-town romances (including HOME IN HEARTSFIELD), what are you waiting for?

Happy Monday, my friends. Stay safe. Be well.

March 24, 2020

Cover reveal

I did a cover reveal for my upcoming release. Did you see it? If not, it’s because you are not in my reader group. Why aren’t you in my reader group? I only send newsletters once or twice a month, and there’s usually a giveaway.

I’m ponying up a gift card in the one that just went out. Ten whole American dollars to spend at Amazon.

Definitely worth one more addition to your inbox, don’t you think? If you haven’t signed up, you can do so by entering your email address into the sidebar and I’ll catch you next time.

If you did receive my email and have not opened/responded, why not? Don’t you like free money? You can buy books with that, ya know… 😉

Anyhoo…

I hope you are well. I pray your families are healthy and you are finding ways to cope with the turbulence in our world.

Last weekend, I spent a good deal of time trying to look forward. Sunny days are coming. Flowers will bloom. We’ll feel hopeful again. I’m so convinced that we will, that I have a new book that will make it’s way into the world this spring, so how about that cover reveal?

Wanna see the art for TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE?

This time I decided to do something a little different and use two different images from the same session for the ebook and print editions.

So there you have it. I hope you like them.

Brittany Owens is a young woman on the brink. As Brit’s career soars past up-and-coming and hurtles toward the stratosphere, she feels like she doesn’t have any control over its trajectory. Her grandfather is country music royalty. Her momager is determined to get Brit to the top at all costs. And then, there is the man she fell for when she was far too young to know any better.

Cash Dorsett once had stardom within his grasp. But the excesses that come with a life in the spotlight had him landing flat on his face when he reached for the success he craved. Clean and sober now, he doesn’t let himself think about the blue-eyed girl he left in the wreckage of his career. Much.

A chance encounter leads to an intense collaboration. But can Brit and Cash find a way to make beautiful music together without allowing her rising star to burn their love to the ground?

To Make You Feel My Love will be live on May 14, 2020!

In the meantime, be well, be safe, and be kind to one another.

xoxo Mags

March 9, 2020

Monday Mayhem – It’s a kind of magic

I have a new project running around in my head. I don’t want to talk about it too much, because I’m not quite to the point of writing it. What if the kind of magic I have in my head doesn’t translate to the page? But I am excited about it. I’m just… waiting for that magic moment when I feel ready to start spinning the tale. Maybe this guy can help:

Illustration of an old wizard holding a book and a wand

In the meantime, work is coming along on TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE. No release date set yet, but we’re well into editorial and I have cover art, and I love it. Here’s a little hint of what’s to come. Reveal to come as soon as I set a release date. In the meantime, I’ve got plenty to keep you occupied on the My Books page.

Spring has come to Central Arkansas. Thank goodness. As much as I love and miss my friends and family up north, I do not miss the winters. There’s a fresh-cut hyacinth in my bud vase. Last week, Fodder clipped these beauties and brought a little sunshine into the house. We’re supposed to be entering into a rainy stretch over the next 10 days, so Sally and I sat outside soaking up the vitamin D over the weekend. Hopefully, the rain will help keep the green pollen monster at bay.

Speaking of Spring…I will be attending the Chicago North Spring Fling in Chicago again this year. There’s a multi-author book signing scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2020. If you’re in the Chicago area, be sure to mark your calendar!

How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?

February 18, 2019

Monday Mayhem – Buckle up!

Buckle up, friends, we’re at it again!

I have completed revisions on my Nashville story (Tentatively titled: Make You Feel My Love) and it is going out on submission. What does that mean? It means I’ll be a wreck for the next 3-6 months as we wait to see if any publishers bite.

What will I do while we wait? Start the next book!

I have an idea. A big idea. Something different from anything I’ve written before. There’s going to be some world building involved, and a bit of a leap out of my contemporary romance comfort zone and into a world of intrigue, but I’m pretty excited to give it a shot.

Right now, the ideas/details/possibilities are are swirling around in my head. I’ve tried to capture the higher concepts and work them out in notes, but I’ve never been an extensive plotter. I think I kind of want to let my imagination go wild on this one. So, I’ll be writing it in a sort of ‘go big or go home’ mindset.

Wish me luck!

In the meantime, keep a nervous author in Diet Coke – buy a book. Already read them all? Gift one to a friend! I’ve been spiffing up the website. You can check them all out here.

November 26, 2018

Monday Mayhem ~ Holiday Reads

The Holidays are Here

Well, gang, the holidays are officially underway. In our house, we don’t start anything Christmasy until after both Fodder and I have celebrated our birthdays and Thanksgiving. This year, his birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day, so we leapt that hurdle in one.

Now, we fall headlong into Christmas and I don’t feel the least bit prepared. Then again, I rarely do. And when that happens, I fall back on holiday-themed entertainment to get me in the mood.

My favorites are the old Bing Crosby movies – Going My Way and Holiday Inn in particular. I love Barry Fitzgerald in the first, and the music on the second. And it isn’t Christmas without a visit from The Grinch – Boris Karloff version, thankyouverymuch.

Soon, my girlfriends and I will schedule our annual Love Actually simulwatch. I know, I know, the movie is problematic – blah, blah, blah. I’m in it for the Firth, okay?

And Billy Mack.

Confession: I am not Hallmark Christmas movie fan

Friends keep track of the whole schedule, but if I am going to get sentimental over a holiday story, I prefer to do it between the pages. I also like stories where the holidays don’t always go to plan.

In the past, those types of holiday romances weren’t easy to come by, so I wrote some myself.

So, here is my holiday novel pimp:

Looking for love in all the wrong places? Go to the airport!

LONG DISTANCE LOVE starts out with Concourse Christmas – a story where two people find themselves snowed it at St. Louis’ Lambert Field on Christmas Eve.

Readers can follow the highs and lows of Jack and Ellie’s long distance romance as it unfolds over a year’s worth of holidays and other milestones.

Or, if you are in the mood for something slightly more cynical….

New Year’s Eve doesn’t always go to plan.

First date number forty-eight comes to a screeching halt for Detective Langley Sheppard when his date lifts a pack of gum from the local convenience store. But things start looking up when he encounters spunky damsel-in-distress Jessica Vickers, who’s stranded in the store parking lot. Now Lang is about to discover that on a night when everything goes wrong, falling for Jessica feels spectacularly right.

Or, if you’re already looking ahead to 2019, I have a steaming hot calendar for you.

When the St. Blaise Regional Medical Center Board of Directors decided to jump-start their fundraising and public relations, they never imagined she’d be stripping their most prominent doctors, nurses, and support staff down to their birthday suits in order to beef up the hospital’s bank account.

The HOT NIGHTS IN ST. BLAISE collection of twelve sizzling novellas is now on sale for only $1.99!

If that isn’t enough to get you in the mood to tackle the holidays, I don’t know what will. Now go forth and be festive!

November 19, 2018

Monday Mayhem – Nifty

I turned fifty last week.

I know, right? How did that happen?

It’s true. The big 5-OH! A full half century. I’m now officially eligible for AARP, not just some hanger-on who piggybacks on her husband’s DOB for 10 % off.

Sometimes, I wonder where the time went, but mostly, I think fifty is going to be nifty. I can feel it.

My forties were a big time of transition for me – personally, professionally, and creatively.

Looking back, I can’t say I didn’t accomplish anything. Ten years ago, I had not yet written my first book. Now, I have 40 novels and novellas under my belt and #41 halfway there.

At forty, I spent my days trying to climb a corporate ladder that was made out of rope and dental floss. I still thought money and accolades were important. I’m so glad I grew out of all that nonsense.

In my fifties, I plan to stand in my truth:

I have a better handle on who I am and what’s important to me. I also have a more limited quantity of fu@ks left to give about everything else. Other than the pocket issue, I can admit that I prefer elastic-waist leggings better than jeans these days. There are fleeting moments when I fret over the wrinkles that seem to be popping up all over, but then I laugh and remember where I got them. I look at old pictures of me and my friends and marvel at how young and fresh we were. I look at more recent pictures of me with those same friends and realize how incredibly blessed I have been.

So, yeah. Overall, I’m finding these middle years liberating.

I think fifty is going to be nifty.

Speaking of people in their fifties…

I was cruising the ‘Zon the other day and noticed that all of my Worth the Wait Romances are on sale for $1.99. If you like smoking hot stories about people in their *gasp* fifties, doing thing sure to make their grown children blush, snatch ’em up! https://amzn.to/2qOkAXY

November 5, 2018

Monday Mayhem – Back in the Saddle

I’m back in the saddle again!

Okay, maybe not actually IN the saddle. I’ve never ridden a horse. In truth, I’m a little afraid to get up close and personal with them, though I love them from afar. We have a number of miniature horses in the area and I check on them constantly…from my car. I love them and worry about them on days I don’t catch a glimpse.

Anyhoo, I digress. But that’s okay, because it’s November and in November digression is not only allowed, but encouraged. That’s right folks, it’s time for NaNoWriMo.

This is my 10th go at the 50,000 words in 30 days challenge.
I’ve managed to win bragging rights 9 times.
8 of those manuscripts started during NaNoWriMo have been published.
1 was shelved* even though I made it 67k words in. I couldn’t go on with that one because I just couldn’t get it to be what I wanted it to be. Maybe one day….

My NaNo projects have been:

Contentment – 2009
Commitment – 2010
Inamorata – 2011
Hot Nights in St. Blaise – 2012
Containment – 2013*
A Will and a Way – 2014
Love and Rockets – 2015
Easy Bake Lovin’ – 2016
Double Play – 2017

So you see why I need to round it out, right? 10 years, 10 wins.

Plus, I need the challenge. It’s been an okay writing year in terms of production, but not a great one. I’d like to finish strong.

I’m on track so far and will keep plugging away at it. Wish me luck!

Thank you to all who helped make the launch of DOUBLE PLAY such a success.

I appreciate your support and hope you are enjoying Avery and Dom’s story!

If you haven’t grabbed your copy, here are some handy-dandy links!

Amazon ~ Apple ~ Google Play~ B&N ~ Kobo~ Audible

October 29, 2018

Monday Mayhem – Last but not least…

At last!

Double Play is live at last! That’s right, it’s my turn to brag on myself. I know authors (like mothers) aren’t supposed to have favorites, but I really fell in love with Avery and Dom’s story.

It’s different.

It won’t be for everyone, and I am okay with that.

But I think it’s unique and sincere.

These are two people who were convinced they had everything just the way they liked it…until they discovered what they were missing. The problem is, as we get older, we’re all a little more resistant to change. These two are no exception.

I listened to the audio this weekend, and I have to say, Samantha Cook did a great job with the narration.

Here’s the scoop:

She knows what she wants, and how to get it
Avery Preston knows her mind. The Women’s Studies and Literature professor is the latest in a long line of feminist firebrands determined to break the mold at Wolcott University. When her biological clock tells her it’s time to bust a move, Avery does what she does best—she takes care of business all by herself. Or, so she thinks….

Dominic Mann is happy with his life just as it is
The widowed baseball coach is content and sees no point in changing his lineup this late in the game. Still, a man would have to be dead not to notice a live wire like Avery Preston. But a one night stand was all either of them wanted.

There’s only one complication

The clinic where Avery was inseminated has been hacked. Now, she not only knows who the father is, but she knowsthe father. In the biblical sense. Avery shows up on Dom’s doorstep with a bun in the oven, a bellyful of ethical righteousness, and the absolute conviction that she doesn’t need him, and soon, the two of them are caught in a rundown between their hearts and their heads.

DOUBLE PLAY is available now! Here are some handy-dandy links:

Amazon ~ Apple ~ Google Play~ B&N ~ Kobo~ Audible

Thanks to all my pals who let me pimp them during this release month. Be sure to look for these fabulous October reads when you’re grabbing your copy of DOUBLE PLAY!