My June newsletter went out last week and in it I asked if any of you were willing to be one of my Beta Readers for Book 10. And yea! You did. Thank you very much to the four people who stepped up. Charlotte Tomlinson, Celia Naples, Julie Miers, & Teresa Cromer. I appreciate you so much.
I also shared the Book 10 Title Reveal!
VULNERABLE!
No one objected to this. And many liked it. One person suggested Protection, sticking with the one-word title, but that doesn’t quite get it for me. So I guess I’m sticking with VULNERABLE unless someone here has another thought. Please be sure to let me know.
Here’s the Blurb:
Fort Worth Interior designer and junior college professor Maddy Crawford Crain wants to stand on her own after the unexpected death of her husband two years ago in a car wreck. Being sexually harassed at work makes her feel vulnerable and forces her to seek help.
Former LA Homicide Detective and now security expert David Bourland wants to protect his clients and protect his heart after seeing his wife gunned down. Maddy’s problems draw on all his protective instincts to keep her safe.
Will David’s fear of falling in love with someone who could die violently and Maddy’s determination to stand on her own keep them from finding each other?
David Bourland is the brother of the heroine in TRUTH BE TOLD.
I have to decide the Title because I can’t move forward with a cover without that! LOL
Speaking of covers: My intent when I began this book was to use one of my lake pictures because I saw the lake as being important to the story. However, while writing the story, I found I couldn’t make really bad stuff happen in the house, in the neighborhood yes, but not at the lake house. Bad stuff happens in a parking garage, along a rural road, in a grocery store parking lot. Then a final bad thing happens in the back yard of the house featured on the cover of TRUTH BE TOLD.
That house played more of a role in this book than I expected when I began the story. I’ve scattered a variety of pictures throughout this post to see if any of them especially catches your eye. The story is in the winter and a tiny bit of the spring. Love to hear your thoughts.
I’m working through the Over Used Words Search right now. It’s tedious and takes a long time. Let me give you a brief example.
Time began at 248 “times” down to 17
Going to went from 74 to 4
Well from 103 to 8
Just 191 to 10 (Sometimes you just have to say “just”! LOL)
Really 79 to 8
I’m currently working on being more specific with the word “something” or “anything” or “nothing” or “things.” Something showed up as 313. Very non-specific writing, which is okay in a rough draft, but isn’t okay later in the process.
The book is “just” over 71,000 words and ooches up with all of the rewrites in the word search.
The plan is to send the book to my Beta Readers by July 13. We’ll be on vacation after that for a while in Red River with family, and I don’t want to need to work on the book. Now I might take a swing at a short story I need have ready by January of 2023, but basically I’ll be walking, shopping, eating, reading, and playing games. Haven’t decided what to do about blog posts. I may recycle a couple of earlier ones. And I’ll send out the July newsletter before we leave. Gosh I’ve got a lot to do between now and July 14!
It’s entirely possible none of these will end up being on the cover, but I need to start somewhere. It’s also possible my cover folks can modify one of these pics or combine them someway to make it work.
In the June newsletter I asked for anyone who’d like a chance for their name to be included in VULNERABLE as a client of the heroine to follow me on Book Bub. Thanks to all of you who did that. The two names I drew randomly using a deck of cards are: Jackie O’Donnell and Lori Byrd. Congratulations ladies and thanks for playing along.
Asking for a lot of feedback today. Love to hear from you. 😊
I am now on Book Bub if you’d like to follow me there, I’d appreciate you doing so. Marsha R. West Books – BookBub
Blurbs for each of my books with links can be found on my website https://authormarsharwest.wordpress.com/ Where you can also sign up for my blog and my NEWSLETTER MRW Press LLC (list-manage.com)
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The second last darker photograph of your lake could look scary. That would be my favorite of the bunch for a cover. I like covers with photographs. And it would be cool to use one of your own photographs.
Good synopsis.
I have to decide between my photographs for my cover of my WIP hopefully coming out this year. Still have to do a synopsis also.
Best wishes on your upcoming romantic suspense.
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Hey, Susan. Thanks for the input on the pictures. We used a picture that my friend Susan Vaughn took for COMPROMISE. She gave me written permission to use it. 🙂 So yes, using one of my own would be fun. I’ll probably send several to my cover folks. I’ll look forward to seeing what you come up with for your next. Thanks so much for stopping by.:)
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