https://christinahovland.com/aprilmayfall



April May Fall
April Davis totally has her life in order. Ha! Not really. Yes, she’s the Calm Mom—a social influencer with a reputation for showing moms how to stay calm and collected through yoga—but behind the scenes, she’s barely holding it all together. Raising tiny humans alone is exhausting, but that’s just the chewed-up cherry on the melted sundae of her life. Her kids aren’t behaving, her husband left her for his skydiving instructor, and her top knot proves she hasn’t showered in days.

Then a live video of the “always calm” April goes viral...and she’s most definitely not. Enter Jack Gibson, April’s contact at the media conglomerate that has purchased April’s brand. The too-sexy-for-his-own-good Jack will help clean up April’s viral mess, and even work with her to expand her influence, but toddler tea parties and a dog with a penchant for peeing on his shoes were definitely not part of the deal.

Now April’s calm has jumped ship quicker than her kids running from their vegetables. Not to mention, the sparks flying between her and Jack have her completely out of her depth. Forget finding her calm—April’s going to need a boatload of margaritas just to find her way back to herself again.

3 Inspiring Ways to Unlock the Book Inside You

​Attentive writers will already know that stories are all around us. I bet your next-door neighbor has a story or two to tell, and that great old oak tree behind your house has witnessed its fair share as well. And you? You might be harboring thousands of stories waiting to be written — and hopefully some you’ve already started putting down on the page!
 
But just because there’s an endless supply of stories already out there in the world, doesn’t always mean that the mining and refining comes easy. In fact, in my experience, it’s often more like trying to draw blood from a stone.
 
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to unlock the door to your best ideas and shape them into books. If you’re convinced you’ve got a beloved bestseller inside you, but are struggling to bring it to fruition, I’ve compiled three inspiring and effective tactics to unlock your book ideas. (And if you’re looking for more inspiration, be sure to check out that post!)
1. Turn up the volumeOne of my favorite ways to find inspiration for a new story is to turn to music. Storytelling doesn’t stop with leather-bound novels or fireside fairytales, and music is a fantastic way to access the emotions and personal experiences that help you discover your voice.
 
Picture this: you’re riding the bus listening to a sad song. It’s dark and rainy outside. You watch the drops racing across the window and imagine yourself in a music video. Then you shift your perspective to that of a character, and start building their backstory. Why are they alone and sad? Did something happen to them? Where are they going? That’s how it starts. Just like that, you’re laying down the puzzle pieces for your next novel.
 
Indeed, one of the most impressive traits of music is its ability to convey deep emotions — not even necessarily through words, but through feeling. Sadly, you can’t just hop on a bus in the rain each time you want to draw from this creative wellspring. So in order to harvest music’s potential in any situation, here are a few steps you can follow:
 
●      Pick a mood to define the contours of your novel or protagonist.
○      For example: angsty, melancholy, adventurous, etc.
●      Curate a playlist that captures that mood in different ways.
○      If you’re struggling to find songs, most streaming services will have options to explore according to mood, or related artists to those who have really nailed your desired “vibe.”
●      Explore the different components of the songs and incorporate at least one element from each into your story structure.
○      Start by looking at the lyrics. Does any particular phrasing stand out to you? Is the song using interesting imagery or symbols?
○      Which other elements of the song are contributing to the mood? How can you recreate them in your writing?
●      Once you’ve gone through these songs, you should have a list of at least 10 elements to base your story on, which you can move around and piece together as you please.
2. Dig through the archivesA slightly more conventional (but equally helpful) way to find inspiration is to turn to existing stories. The public domain is your friend here — and there are a few different ways you can use it to your advantage.
 
Looking up old myths, for instance, is a great way to learn about successful story structures. From there, you can either adapt a common one like the Hero’s Journey to suit your purposes, or go ahead and rewrite the myth itself!
 
Two examples of contemporary novels based on myths include Ponti by Sharlene Teo, which is partly based on a Malay myth, and Circe by Madeline Miller, a Greek myth retelling from the perspective of Circe, the daughter of Helios. Without a doubt, a huge part of these books’ success came from building on established stories to create super-strong, well-structured narratives that were both familiar and surprising to readers.
 
Another method is to turn to more recent public domain literature. This is a tried-and-tested method for bestsellers — just think of all the different adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels, like Bridget Jones’s Diary or even Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. As with myths, there’s a lot to be said about the evergreen qualities of classics and the power of intertextuality, but I prefer turning to the public domain with a slight twist.
 
On that note, try this: instead of choosing your favorite work in the public domain, choose one of your least favorites. Anger, frustration, and annoyance are all incredibly potent emotions that you can use to write a book that corrects or interrogates the things that bother you the most. Then, when you have your outline or first draft down, you can take a step back and add some more nuance.
 
For a perfect example, take Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea. This Jane Eyre-inspired novel redeems and dimensionalizes the character of Bertha/Antoinette, all the while unpacking the horrific consequences of issues like stigmatized mental health, the patriarchy, and colonialism. I’m not saying you must write a book that tackles quite so much — but also, if you’re going to modernize a classic, you may as well try to fix what’s regressive or harmful.
3. Get out from behind your deskMy final tip is a reminder that the romanticized idea of author-as-lonely-suffering-genius is not conducive to unlocking the masterpiece inside you. Don’t make the mistake of shackling yourself to your desk; some of the best writing happens when you’re inspired by an experience, people, or events in everyday life. Essentially, if you’re feeling uninspired, that’s unlikely to change unless you stop punishing yourself with the sight of the blank page.
 
Stepping out of your writing chair, your apartment, and (preferably) your comfort zone not only allows you to relax and regain some processing power, but also to experience inspiring real-life moments, both big and small. Just remember to record your frustration as you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, or the exhilarating smell of the pine trees when you’re out in the forest — even these small efforts can result in some truly brilliant creative writing.
 
Lastly, you can turn your attention to real-life (current or past) events, like Han Kang did in Human Acts, which closely follows the Gwangju Uprising in the 1980s in South Korea. Or, to use a more mainstream example, think of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, loosely inspired by reality TV.
 
You never know when inspiration will strike, but with these tips and tricks, you can significantly increase your chances of harnessing it! May all your best seeds of ideas blossom into books.
 


Savannah Cordova is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects self-publishing authors with the best editors, designers, and marketers in the business. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories.
​

Have you heard of BookBub? They do a lot, but one thing they do is send out daily emails with book sales. IT's hard to get a spot on their email, but my publisher has secured one for The Leftover! Therefore, this book (my latest romantic comedy) will be 0.99 May 15-29! It's a great chance to get a fun summer read for a very low price.

Grab it HERE and pass the news along to your friends. This is a big sale, down from 3.99 and one that doesn't happen often!

On another note,...my first novel Someone Always Loved You is now in audio form! If you have audible (or want to try it for one month free and choose my book as your freebie), grab it HERE. I have 25 FREE codes for the book,email authorbrookewilliams@gmail.com telling me you'd like one and it's yours! For the first 25, of course. And please leave a review when you're done listening, if you would!

I also have 25 more FREE codes for The First Backwards Christmas in audio form. If you want one of those, reply Christmas to authorbrookewilliams@gmail.com and I'll get you one (for the first 25 replies)!

And my next novel, The Dating Itinerary, is in the works as well. More details to come!!!

Chat Soon!

Historical Romance: Stories of Rebels,
Adventure, and Mystery
 
My favorite time period is historical because it’s during a time when men defended a lady’s honor and treated women with respect. The women, on the other hand, were not frail by any means. I love strong women characters who fight for what they believe. I love to write stories with a mixture of romance and adventure. My favorite loves stories are about a man and woman who know they are meant for one another, even though there are trials along the way.
 
The Rebel Series is a Historical Mystery/Adventure Romance set in the 1700s. Many people have asked me why I wrote a story about rebels. Simple! I love a rogue who fights for justice and for the people. It was a bunch of rebels who fought for their freedom in America. They wanted to be free from the dictatorship of a king. How about Robin Hood? He and a bunch of men did the same thing as they helped the needy and poor. Liberty is something that I cherish. So I decided to write about a small country that struggles to be free.
 
THE REBELS OF CORDOVIA: “This creative take on a Robin Hood-like story is charming and touching, and teaches some great morals about agency and choice. It reminded me of childhood fairytales of good versus evil, with a nice romance weaved into it.” --Author Charissa Stastny
 
In The Rebels of Cordovia, Robin’s Rebels realize they must fight against the tyranny of a wicked king and help the people survive the oppression. In this battle for freedom, a tender love story begins to blossom. Daniel, a rogue and a leader of the Freemen, doesn’t realize that the sweet feminine woman he has met and is falling for happens to be the leader of Robin’s Rebels. Realizing the importance of uniting all the rebel groups, Daniel tries to recruit Robin’s Rebels but they refuse. Now he has to find a way to convince them. When he finds out the leader is actually a woman, what will his reaction be?
 
To watch a Book Trailer for The Rebels of Cordovia, click on the link below:
https://youtu.be/-Nd2vqNYqSA
 
THE HIGHWAYMAN OF CORDOVIA: “Austin and Christine had been friends, as youth, and separated through the years. As their paths cross again after many years, things spark up between them. Yet their lives do not appear to be headed in the same direction. The twists and turns will keep you turning the pages.” --Sunnie Reivews
 
In book 2, The Highwayman of Cordovia, the people enjoy their new-found liberty, but all is not well. A group of powerful men plan to take over the small country and replace the leader with a king. With the help of a bold highwayman and a pastor’s daughter, they try to save their country from being taken over by a power-hungry leader. As they strive to stop the Kingmen and thwart their plans, Christine finds herself falling in love with Austin Knight. The only problem with their relationship is that she thinks he is her knight in shining armor instead of a highwayman. If she finds out his trade, what will her reaction be? As a pastor’s daughter, will love override her values?
 
To watch a Book Trailer for The Highwayman of Cordovia, click on the link below:
https://youtu.be/UtHY-DPjfFE
 
THE FOX OF CORDOVIA: “I loved this book. It is full of adventure, drama, intrigue and suspense. We've got kidnapping plots, pirate ships, daring rescues and romance. The author weaves an exciting tale and a sweet romance together in a way that will appeal to all readers.” --Inishowen Cailín
 
In book 3, The Fox of Cordovia, a sinister plot has just been uncovered and its up to a former patriot and a young nurse to discover who is behind it. Caroline is engaged to the future mayor of Laketown, a man of influence and greatly respected. But all that changes when she overhears a conspiracy behind closed doors. After being discovered, she runs for her life. Caroline needs to report her findings, but whom can she trust? When she asks Jesse Conover for help, the adventure begins.
 
To watch a Book Trailer for The Fox of Cordovia, click on the link below:
https://youtu.be/mCgwRF5nzQ8
 
I love research. When I did some research about the “waltz” for The Highwayman of Cordovia, I was surprised at what I found. The peasants were the first to dance the waltz. It was such fun that bored noblemen would sneak out and go to the country-dances. The Oxford English Dictionary back then called the waltz “riotous and indecent.”
 
In a 1771 German novel, someone complains about the “newly-introduced waltz” among the aristocrats. He wrote: “When he put his arm around her, pressed her to his breast, cavorted with her in the shameless, indecent whirling-dance of the Germans and engaged in a familiarity that broke all the bounds of good breeding—then my silent misery turned into burning rage.” I was so intrigued by this description. The waltz finally became fashionable when the wife of a Russian ambassador endorsed it.
 
To read a sample chapter from each of my books in The Rebel Series, go to http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/historicalromance.html and click on the TITLE.
To purchase a book from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Audible Audiobooks, go to http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/purchasebook.html.
 
About Author: Linda Weaver Clarke was raised among the Rocky Mountains of southern Idaho and now lives among the red mountains of southern Utah. Linda is the mother of six daughters and the author of 23 books. She has written in several different genres, which include: historical romances, romantic cozy mysteries, a mystery suspense series, a children’s book, and non-fiction. All her books are family friendly. She has also traveled throughout the U.S. and taught audiences how to write their family history, giving more than 500 workshops.

I have so much to tell you, I'm not even sure where to start! So I guess I'll just start! :)

THANK YOU!
First of all, thank you to those of you who have come out to book signings and to those I met at Penned Con in St. Louis this year. I've had a lot of fun traveling around and doing those. There's a few more left and I might add one or two more before the end of the year. The schedule is on the front page of my website. And pictures from the signings I've been doing are on the contact page HERE in case you want to see any! Just scroll down to the bottom and there's a slide show.

NEW KIDS BOOK...BY MY DAUGHTER!
My oldest, Kaelyn (age 8) has had an idea about a duck learning how to speak human. One weekend this summer we were camping and she disappeared into her bed to actually finally put the story down on paper. She wrote and wrote and wrote and then for the rest of the weekend, she read the story to anyone who would listen. I wanted to encourage that so now, I present to you, "Duck's Hard Year of Trying!" You can get it on kindle if you read to your kids that way. We have paperbacks ordered as well. You can order them through amazon or let me know if you want one and we can mail it to you (signed by the author herself!) We can work out a paypal payment or whatever works! She's very proud of her work and excited that it's a real book now! And I'm proud of her as well!!!

NEW CHRISTMAS STORY
I'm putting out another short Christmas story on November 29th called "Another Backwards Christmas." I don't have the pre-order link ready yet, but will towards the end of this month. In the meantime, you can see the cover on the front page of my website here. I love it! If you happened to read "Backwards Christmas," another short story of mine, "Another Backwards Christmas" takes place in the same town (South Pole, Alaska...get it?) with different characters. I hope you'll enjoy it as the holiday season comes upon us!

BOOK CONVENTION GIVEAWAY!!!
I will be attending Show Me Your Books in Kansas City next September. Check out their website and the dates etc to make sure you can/want to go. I have 4 VIP tickets to giveaway!!! If you'd like a pair of them, email be back and tell me why you want to attend. I'll collect the emails and do a random drawing in the mid to late this week and get the winners information on how to redeem the tickets and get ready for a fanastic book convention!!

THE LEFTOVER
And I have to mention The Leftover in passing as well. If you haven't already read it, or have yet to leave a review, I'd love to have you do so! I truly love this book and want to turn the idea into a whole series in the future once both my girls are in school. We'll see how that goes!

Thank you again for your support! Feel free to reply or reach out to me any time! I love to hear from you!!!

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!

And I'm not excited at all (insert sarcasm here).

I honestly don't remember writing The Leftover, but I do remember sitting on the bathroom counter at my parents' house (trying to find privacy for the conversation) talking to the owner of BQB Publishing. That's when my excitement grew as we chatted about the possibilities and the publishing process. The next day, I signed the contract and that was well over a year ago.

So now I'm thrilled to have the finished product officially OUT!!!

And I have plenty to tell you so buckle down. I'll try to be concise, but that's not my strong suit.

Today:

You have options if you get bored today. First, I have an online release party going HERE of my own. My girls get out of school early today so I don't expect to do much this afternoon/evening, but I'll post some tidbits and giveaways so check in from time to time!

I'll also be hosting a two hour party on the Red Coat PR Reader page from 11-1pm central time HERE so pop in and say hi there too!

And I'm getting roasted HERE, which should be fun!!!

What Can You Do?

If you'd like to support my authorship, there are several things you can do. First, if you haven't gotten the book yet, grab it!

http://amzn.to/2pQ8Mm6

If you pre-ordered it already, THANK YOU! You can still help by sharing the link on social media, emailing friends, whatever.

If you got a review copy, you can leave a review on amazon, barned and noble, goodreads, wherever you can. I want to rack up as many reviews as possible. It's important for visibility.

This is the first book I have that is easy to get into bookstores. So you can also visit your local Barnes and Noble or other book stores and ASK FOR IT! And be sure to stop by the book signings I have set up. Check the schedule on my website to see what's close to you. Even if you have the book, don't leave me hanging alone. Come by!


I wrote "The Leftover" to prove to everyone everywhere that you (yes you!!!) are more capable of things than you think. Putting yourself into uncomfortable situations can surprise you, as it did my main character. Did she ever see herself on a reality show? A Survivor-like show, no less? Heavens no! But she ended up on one and it changed her life. You never know what life will bring. Let it! :)

Please let me know your thoughts on the book, if you have any questions about anything, if you have a book club, whatever. I'm here and I love email!

Hope to see you at the release parties AND book signings!!!

Brooke

AuthorBrookeWilliams.com

The Leftover is my latest romantic comedy and it comes out September 1 with BQB Publishing. I am especially excited about this release because BQB works with a distributor so you could see The Leftover in bookstores. That'll be different as I'll be able to do book signings etc. I'm working on a fall schedule for that this summer.

Though it doesn't release till Sept, The Leftover is available for pre-order now! Just click HERE to see it on amazon. It's also available at barnes and noble, kobo, itunes, etc. I'll include the blurb for the book below. Share the link/blurb on social media, if you would!!!

Megan Malone is the ultimate homebody. When her sister talks her into going on The Leftover, a local version of the TV show Survivor, she isn’t sure she’ll make it past the first vote. Cane Trevino is nursing a broken heart by joining the show as a medic. With time away from his regular job and a dozen contestants to distract him, he hopes he can finally get over the woman he thought was “the one.”


Thank you for your continued support! We'll chat again soon!

Brooke
AuthorBrookeWilliams.com

So much news, so little time. I apologize for not being more regular with these updates. I have some new freelance writing clients that are keeping me hopping. But I have some things I needed to share so here goes!

Do you live near St. Louis?
If you live near St. Louis, or you are willing to travel there, I have some cool news for you. Have you ever heard of Penned Con? If not, visit their website and check out the details. It's basically a huge, 2-day author signing event with speakers and all sorts of other cool things. The even better news is that I'll be one of those authors at the signing this year! The BEST news is that as a participating author, they're letting me give 6 general admission tickets away! So shoot me an email if you'd like to go and I'll do a random drawing.

Wrong Place, Right Time...on the way!
The re-release of Wrong Place, Right Time is on the way June 11! If you've read the book already, this is the same story with a new cover. If you haven't, it's my first romantic comedy ever and you might want to grab it cheap at 0.99 in pre-order. Just click HERE.

The Leftover...details
I'm looking ahead to by big release of the year, The Leftover! I couldn't be more excited. This summer, I'll be working with bookstores to set up as many signings as possible this fall. I'll be sure to let you know when/where those are so you can come grab a book from me in person. You don't want to leave me sitting there all alone, do you? But the kindle version is up for pre-sale already!!! See it HERE. And watch for the paperback on the horizon soon! My publisher sent out Advanced Reader Copies to all sorts of big reviewers (we're talking New York Times, here, people!) so hopefully you'll see it pop up here and there this fall! Fingers crossed! This could be huge for me!

Gotta get back to mommy duties. Stay in touch! :)

Brooke

Hey everyone! I realized it's been a while since I sent out an email so I thought I better update all of you on the happenings recently. Stay tuned for information overload! :)

Wrong Place, Right Time
My first romantic comedy is re-releasing in June. You can pre-order it now HERE. If you've already read this book, I want to be sure you know that this is the same book. It just has a different cover and has been re-formatted. If you read it in its previous form, you don't need to buy it again...unless you want to give a copy to a friend!

The Leftover
My BIG big release this year takes place in September (see quote above, I made the graphic myself...like it?) I'm currently seeking bloggers/reviewers/book clubs etc with an interest in promoting the book. If you are one or know one, let me know! It'll probably be up for pre-order relatively soon. SO excited!

Events
I'll be speaking at The Wordsowers Writer's Conference in Bellevue next weekend April 28-29. If you live in the area and want to go, check out their website for details HERE. I'll be speaking on TV and Radio Interviews and helping out in other ways during the event.

Penned Con
I'm super excited to go to my first large signing in St. Louis this September. If you haven't heard about Penned Con, check out the details HERE. I know it's far away, but they're already selling out of certain tickets, so if you have an interest in going, grab one soon!

Clients
I've been keeping up with a number of clients for my freelance writing business. I write for a company in England that has been sending me short 50 word descriptions and some strange research projects. I have no idea where they end up. :) I also do quite a bit of blog and proofreading work for a marketing company. I have been enjoying writing listicle-type articles as well for the website TheThings.com. I will share my articles on facebook and twitter when they are published. If you really want to help me out, click on those links! The more views they get, the better. Here's an example of one such article...it's a funny one! Click HERE to see it.

That's about all for now, I think! Are you overloaded? I think I am too... :) Talk to you soon! As always, contact me anytime!