It's Here! Mail Order Promises Has Arrived!

It has finally arrived!  Mail Order Promises is live on Amazon!  It's also uploaded to all the other retailers, though it may be a day or so for it to be live at some retailers.

Everyone has been writing, asking about it, and now it's here!  I am SO thrilled with this book.  Even my husband is loving it, and he's a big, burly dude!  There's extra action, a sweet heroine with a dark secret, and a burly, handsome blacksmith that just wants an honest woman to love!

Aaaaaannnd here's the cover...

Ta daaaa!

I ended up holding back on the cover reveal, because even though I loved the cover, I felt the girl was all wrong for "Lilly".  And I was right--this girl looks almost exactly as I envisioned Lilly.  So after a little more fuss (a.k.a. five more hours of photo editing!) I love this version even more!  The picture of the other girl was wonderfully sweet, though, and will adorn a future cover--I already have a character in mind.

And here's a little teaser for you:


 

The unspeakable happened, and her family shunned her…

When her world is turned upside down, Lilly Watkins escapes to Montana to become a mail order bride.  She longs to find a peaceful, safe haven in the arms of the blacksmith Jake Morgan, and never again speak of the outrage committed against her.

Jake has lived a bitter and lonely life for years, afraid to trust his broken heart to another woman.  Now that he's ready to give love one last try, the only thing he wants is an honest woman he can trust—and lovely, sweet Lilly seems to be the perfect fit.  But someone is watching Lilly, and her secret isn't the only thing that could destroy them…

Dun, dun, dun!

Yep, there's a little bit of intrigue mixed in with your sweet historical romance this time around, along with more action, more bad guys, and more of your favorite characters from Mail Order Regrets!  I hope you love it as much as my husband does.

For those who anxiously awaited the arrival of Mail Order Promises, you'll be happy to know that I have already sketched out the plots of the next three novels, plus a related short story, and I hope to be able to release a new book every month from now on--barring any crazy, unforeseen circumstance.  :-D

Reader Survey: Too Prudish, or Not Prudish Enough?

I've received some reviews lately criticizing my book for being overloaded with "sexual behavior"...

[Insert stunned emoticon here.]

Sex?!  In my book?  Are we reading the same book?  Because if you've read Mail Order Regrets, you already know there is not a single bit of sex in my book.  None.  Nada.  Not even the wedding night.

Now, what is in my book are two kissing scenes.  One that is  mildly passionate (only kissing, nothing more) that takes place around mid-book, and one that is pretty darn chaste, toward the end.  Throughout the book there are light references to the hero and heroine feeling attraction (yes, sexual attraction--GASP) for each other.  Basically, mild sexual tension. 

I was really confused as to some of the descriptions that these reviewers claim are in my book.  I can only imagine that either they accidentally got my book mixed up in their heads with another book they recently read, or else they consider that feeling attraction to another person or kissing another person to be the equivalent of "sexual behavior".  I don't.  I think most people--even conservative people--don't, either.  But everyone is different, and to each his own, as they say.

To avoid future confusion, I've included a content warning in my book description, now, to help buyers make a more informed choice. 


So here's my question:  how do you feel about the content of the book?  Do you feel it's too prudish, just right, or not prudish enough?  I know that often, it's the loudest people that get heard (the reviewers who say things in the harshest possible way), so this is your chance to speak up and let me know how you feel... 

Just contact me by email, using the email address at the end of Mail Order Regrets, if you want to share your opinion.  That way, you can remain anonymous, and we won't have to worry about "comment wars" between readers here on the blog.  ;-)  Also, feel free to let me know what you'd like to see more of in the future.  I may not be able to respond to every email, if I get a lot at once, but I will definitely read them all. 

I can't make every reader happy--no author can--but I will always take my readers' opinions very seriously, and I appreciate the time readers take to leave me a comment, whether it's a one-star review or a five-star. 


UPDATE:  Some readers have written (and thanks so much for writing!) and asked when Mail Order Promises will be out.  I'm in edits now, and if all goes well, it should be out before the end of this month.  (I updated Mail Order Regrets by changing the notification at the end, saying it would be out by late November.  That was a mistake, it was supposed to say late October.  I've since changed it again.)  I can't wait to release this book--I'm really exited about it!  And you'll get a glimpse into Clay and Madeline's life from time to time throughout the series, as well as other characters.

"I See the 'Sweet', But Where's the Faith?"

A few readers have complained that Mail Order Regrets had no "moral" to it, or that there was no religious subtext to the book.  I figured other readers might be curious, wondering the same thing.

First, as I mention both in the book description and in the very beginning of the book, Mail Order Regrets is NOT an inspirational book.  I'd say a majority of my readers are Christians of some type (whether conservative or more liberal, I couldn't say--but I suspect it runs the gamut), so because of Amazon's algorithms, it frequently ends up in the "also bought" recommendations on the book "buy" pages for many inspirational authors, as well as ending up in the bestseller and Hot New Releases lists for inspirationals.  But that doesn't change the fact that it's not inspirational--it's just a plain old sweet romance, and I try to make that clear in my description, so readers can make a well-informed buying decision.

Unfortunately, some people don't read the whole blurb before buying.  Or the warning at the front of the book, which can be clearly seen in the "look inside" preview.  :-(   Oh well.  I try.

So as I said, there is no religion in the book.  There may be a passing mention of God or prayer--as it may pertain to a particular character's general belief system--but religion, God, and spirituality are not the focus nor the theme of the book.

Why?

1.  I don't want it to.  I want to write whatever comes to mind, without having to be restricted by the unwritten "rules" of inspirationals (i.e. no gambling, drinking, dancing, etc).  While I try not to portray excessive gambling or drinking in a positive light, I want the choice of having such things happen in the book, when it feels right for the situation.  My personal belief is that dancing isn't a sin, nor is a glass of wine or buying a raffle ticket.  I understand some people disagree, and that's fine--that's why I don't write inspirationals, so we can avoid the debate.  :-)

2.  There is a dearth of historical books that don't have sex and are not inspirational.  It seems the big thing nowadays is to either have erotic/spicy historical romance, or inspirational historical romance.  Not a lot of "in between."  So I'm here to fill the "in between."  I read inspirationals all the time, but sometimes you just want a plain ol' romance, without a "moral" to the story, you know?  No conversion, no momentous life decisions about religion--just regular old romance and life problems.  Just for a change of pace.  Also, there are a lot of readers who enjoy a "sweet" romance (no sex), but either they aren't Christian, or don't make their Christianity a large part of their life.  So my books are a good fit for anyone who wants a sweet romance, but doesn't want (or wants a break from, or doesn't require) Christian themes.  If you must have a religious theme, I recommend any Bethany House author...they are wonderful.

3.  I like being able to include descriptions of the full range of emotions/feelings that a person in my character's place would be feeling.  I like characters that are more realistic, so for me to pretend that people never felt attraction back in the "old days" just seems...hollow.  I mean, just because society tells you not to give in to certain feelings doesn't mean you don't feel them, right?  People may have controlled their behavior and emotions, but they still had them!

So I slip in just enough attraction/sexual tension to give a hint of realism, without it being "too much"...at least, not too much for the average reader, I think.  That way, you get a well-rounded view into what the character is actually experiencing--the rush of hormones, the flush of excitement you get when you meet someone new, the embarrassment of feeling things that society says you shouldn't feel, and how it feels to be around someone you admire and are falling in love with, and not be able to just kiss them whenever you darn well feel like it!

And that's why I don't write inspirational romance!  Even though I love reading it.   :-)