As 2017 draws to a close, I’m reflecting back and peering at the road forward and my writing plans for 2018. Lots of exciting projects are in the works!
This past year started slowly for me with publishing, largely because I was lucky enough to take a six-week trip through Australia with my mom. It was absolutely a dream come true. My dad had always wanted to visit Australia and never did in the end, and I’m so grateful to have shared the experience with my mom. I backpacked through Oz twenty years ago, and it was lovely to revisit some places and explore new ones.
I published a single father/kidnapping adventure, Road to the Sun, in May, republished my spy caper, The Chimera Affair, in June, and spent the summer writing, writing, writing. The last part of 2017 really ramped up after I published Kidnapped by the Pirate at the end of October.
I never know how a book will be received, and historicals tend not to sell as well as contemporary. Yet this book exceeded all my expectations, which has been a real treat. I grew up on bodice-rippers, and it was such a pleasure to write a breeches-ripper! I’m thrilled by how much readers seem to have enjoyed the story.
In November and December, I published two holiday romances, In Case of Emergency, and Eight Nights in December, which was a reworking of two old stories. I was lucky enough to have Emergency go to #1 on Amazon’s gay romance charts, which was a milestone for me and a wonderful way to close out the year. I also added a few new translations to my growing collection.
Coming down the road in 2018
- I’ll be re-releasing my Australian historical adventure The Station in mid-January. Dar Albert has made a gorgeous new cover I’ll be sharing with you in the next week or so!
- I’ll also be re-releasing two figure skating novellas, Cold War and Holding the Edge, in one new volume in early February just in time for the Olympics.
- I’m delighted to announce that I’ve signed a contract with Tantor to release Kidnapped by the Pirate in audio in 2018. It’s still early stages, but I’ll share more info when I have it. I’m absolutely delighted to finally be delving into the world of audio books.
- My first German translation, of Beyond the Sea, is coming quite soon! Stay tuned for more details.
- There will also be more French and Italian translations coming this year.
- My next new novel will be the as-yet-untitled sequel to Valor on the Move. I have about 14,000 words, and I’ll be working on it for the next couple months. Planning to release in March or April.
- Then I’ll be writing the third book in the Kick at the Darkness series. Yes, more Adam and Parker! I also really want to write a fourth book that would take place several years later and center on Jacob. My plan is to write these books this summer and release them in Sept and October. Fingers crossed! We’ll see how it goes.
- I’ll definitely be writing a Christmas romance, and I’d love to do a full novel instead of a novella.
- Since my former publisher, Loose Id, is closing its doors in May, I’ll have the rights back to my final book with them—Love Match. This was my very first novel, published in 2006. I will definitely be republishing it, but I want to take some time to revise and re-edit it. I think I’ve learned a lot about writing in the last 10+ years, and I’m sure Luke and Jesse’s story can be strengthened. So I’ll be poking at that when time permits, and I definitely want to have it back up for sale before the end of the year.
- I’ll be attending the RT convention in Reno in May and my first GRL in October in Virginia. Hope to see you there!
You know what they say about the best-laid plans, but I’m knocking on wood that everything on my list will go smoothly! Thank you so much for your support, and here’s to an outstanding 2018. Wishing you health and happiness on the road ahead. <3
p.s. I’d hoped to write a fourth novel for my Amish boys, Isaac and David, this year. It looks like it’ll be 2019, but it’s still very much on my to-do list!
I’m so excited for a Valor on the Move sequel!! I’m so upset I have to wait until Sept or October for the 3rd Kick at the Darkness book.
Sorry about the wait! Glad you’re excited for the Valor sequel. Thank you, and happy new year!
I’ve only recently discovered your work and absolutely love everything I’ve been able to read to date! I’m so glad you have titles in Kindle Unlimited I’ve been able to read while on disability. I’m hoping to grab The Station when it comes out because I’d wanted to read it upon first reading the blurb; I’m on a historical kick at present which doesn’t seem to be willing to let me go for a while. All your Christmas/Holiday reads were fantastic! They greatly brightened my own holiday so I’m very happy to hear you’ll do a new one for Christmas 2018. Thanks so much for sharing your work!
Hi Shandra! Sorry, I’m only seeing your comment now. Thank you so much for reading! It’s wonderful to hear that you’re enjoying my stories, and I’m so glad you can take advantage of Kindle Unlimited. THE STATION will be out on Thursday, so not long now. I hope you enjoy it as well, and thank you again for your lovely comment. <3
So looking forward to the next Kick at the Darkness installment – been patiently waiting!!
You said Kick at Darkness part 3 hopefully around September or October?? Has the date been pushed back??
You said Sept or Oct hopefully for part 3, Kick at Darkness!?!? Has date been pushed back??
Hi Robert,
Yes, I’m afraid it has been pushed back. This year was much more challenging than expected due to several eye surgeries (all is well now). I’m sorry! It is still a priority and I look forward to working on it again in 2019. Thank you for reading. <3
Hi! I hope all is well. I just just wanted to thank you. I just finished the second book in your Kick at the Darkness series. I couldn’t put it down. As a gay guy, I’ve sort of resigned myself to pretty much every gay fiction book turning into a clichéd love story that pretty much rehashes the same plot with porn as filler. I think that’s why I was so delighted to discover Kick at the Darkness. I’ve been a horror fan since my early teen years and never did I actually think I’d find a gay story about a (not quite) zombie apocalypse, let alone one that was actually interesting and well-written. I absolutely fell in love with Parker and Adam’s story, and I really hope there’s a third. You literally wrote the books I’ve been searching for my entire life. So, again, thank you. Those words seem so insufficient, but I don’t know the right ones to say. You’ll never know how much this means to me.
Hi Richard! Wow, thank you so much for your kind words. I’m delighted that you connect so strongly with Adam and Parker’s story. It really is wonderful to hear! I am definitely working on the third book in the trilogy, and I’m sorry it’s been so delayed. I appreciate your support, and you really made my day. Thank you again! I hope you and your family are well.
Keira
<3
Yay!! I just can’t wait for the 3rd book!! I actually re-read the first 2 this weekend.
Thank you so much! I’m working on it. It will likely be 2021 at this point–the pandemic really put a wrinkle in my plans. But I swear it is coming! <3