Content Strategy and Content Creation
Today is my birthday and I LOVE a day of reading. I thought you might like a free day of reading, too!
Compliments to the Chef is free today and available on Amazon.
Enjoy! Be sure to leave a review and share!
You can also find more books here.
As you already know, I have been exploring the possibility of self-publishing. As I weighed the pros and cons and read many articles on the subject, I thought how it would be nice if I had a book to experiment with before I pulled the trigger on my novel, Out of the Shadows.
About three weeks ago I woke up with a story idea playing in my head. I thought, “What if I wrote a Christmas Novella and had it drop December 1 on Amazon.”
I liked the idea! If you don’t know, generally a novella is between 17,000 and 40,000 words. I did the math and knew if I averaged 2000 words per day, I could be done in 10 days.
So, I sat down and began to write. 14,000 words in, the computer ate 10,000 words. I almost despaired. But, I wanted to meet that goal! So, I kept typing. Turns out, that was just an unexpected edit. I like this version better!
Now, I’m 26,000 words in and should be finished by Friday.
Yay, me!
Stay tuned, a cover reveal is on the way!
When you live with a first responder, you think about the “what if”. Not all the time, but frequently. At least I did. All in a vain attempt to make myself feel like I had a plan. There were times you had no choice, like when your husband needs to know how you want to be notified of his death. Would you like a phone call or a visit?
Anyway, this “what if” game carried on even after he was retired and working for Amazon. Now, he commuted everyday. Having been a first responder’s wife, I knew that getting in a car is the most dangerous thing we do everyday and the odds of us being killed in a car accident are higher than any other way to die.
You see, danger is ever present, we cannot safeguard everyone against any and all threats. We just have to live bravely.
During one of my episodes, I got fed up with myself. I said to myself, “Why don’t you use that active imagination and write that story- the what if that actually did- in that book you keep saying you will write one day.”
So I did. Brett Bentley lost the love of her life too soon. She is convinced no man will want to live in the shadow cast by Adrian Bentley. But, at a vulnerable time in her life, she needs protecting. In walks Alex. For the first time in 6 years Brett meets someone who makes her feel alive. But can she be brave enough to put her heart out there again?
Southern Women love their food and the men are no different.
Brett is the embodyment of a southern woman and she loves to cook- so much so she made a career out of it. Here’s just a bit about that southern cooking.
“Holy crap! You startled me!” she yelled then laughed. “Don’t you make any noise when you move?!”
“Sorry, I’ll try and do better, I just needed a closer look. I thought I recognized cornbread,” he smiled down at her.
“Yes, sir- what proper cookbook wouldn’t have a recipe for cornbread?” asked Brett
As she separated out the prepared batter into four bowls, she began to add things to the separate bowls.
“What are you doing?” exclaimed Alex, “You are messing it up!”
“Settle yourself down, I am not! I am showing variations to the recipe.”
“The only variation that cornbread needs is which food are you going to eat with it, like are you going to have greens with your cornbread or beans or soup. You don’t have any business adding peppers or nothing to that cornbread.”
“Well, I see that you are passionate about your cornbread, but I know what I’m doing. But just in case, I promise there will be a pan of cornbread made just the way your mama would have done it, right down to the bacon grease in the cast iron skillet.”
Holly K. Ross- Out of the Shadows
More to come…
Like and follow along as I make this journey to being a published author!
Here’s a little teaser:
Fierce- Beautiful- Unreasonable- Bulldog- Sexy- Unapologetic- Irreverent- Compassionate- Successful- Principled- all words used to describe Brett Bentley, all of them true.
Risk is not a word Brett runs from, frankly she likes it. After her husband and voice of reason dies, there is no one to stop her from building a team of hackers to hunt sex trafficers down and drain their bank accounts. Now trouble is stalking her. A case of mistaken identity or has someone discovered her secrets?
Help is a four letter word to Brett. When help shows up in the perfect form of a former Army Ranger, Brett’s first response is to have her Italian Mastiff clamp down on his family jewels. If this doesn’t serve as a warning, Alex Jensen only has himself to blame. Retirement has been a bore, he can’t resist taking a ride on Brett’s drama train. First impressions are deceptive, not only is Brett’s life really on the line, it becomes clear that neither of their hearts will be intact when this ride is over. A South American drug lord has Brett as the object of his rage and desire. Cornered and alone, Brett must be her own hero. Lethal is the word she needs now- does she have what it takes?
What do you think?
Holly K. Ross 