SUSPENSE SISTERS: #animalshelters

I’m thrilled...and just a bit exhausted!

The Mistletoe Puppy, released last week, is the first of my six-novella Christmas series titled “Coupled by Christmas.” And now the second, A Montana Christmas, is out this week.

I loved to travel until the pandemic hit, and was able to use that as hands-on research for each of the novellas in this series. Oh, how I wish I could go back to those places again! It probably won’t happen, now that my husband has retired. But I can still "re-visit" them when I sit down to write a book and immerse myself in locations that I love.

If you’d like to learn more about the novellas shown to the left, just CLICK HERE.

Which brings me to the subject at hand.

I had all of these novellas written before starting the publishing process, but still. Wow, is there ever a lot to learn when one decides to try self-publishing!

I've published around forty books and novellas, most with my traditional publisher and some with several publishing services that did all of the work for me, but this Christmas novella series is my first effort at doing it all myself. There are so many steps along the way...from actually publishing an e-book, to getting the word out about it!

Just yesterday, I learned how to create hyperlinks (which means the reader of a blog post can click on words that are highlighted (like the CLICK HERE a few lines up), and be taken somewhere else. Perhaps to the author's web page, or a place where s/he can find out more about a book. The other authors here will probably laugh at my naivete, but the revelation of learning how to do these links was a great delight to me!

The process of "putting a book up" on Amazon and Draft2Digital (which can cover most online retailers, though I chose to do Amazon separately) was new to me as well. All those blanks to fill in, decisions to make...with the potential of making major errors looming like chasms along the road ahead. My head was reeling. I admit it--it was quite a learning curve, which involved reading books on self-publishing, watching Youtube videos, the printing of online how-to guides, and the tremendous patience (and kindness) of my long-time friend Lyn Cote. I really owe Lyn and her husband dinner--plus lots of favors! 💗

I also needed to find a proofing editor to hire for each manuscript. A cover artist. And--because my website was out-of-date and had nothing to do with my brand (country and small-town life, and books about warm, family relationships, in both romance and romantic suspense) I needed the patience of my web designer. We are still working on it, but if you'd like to see the progress so far, Click Here. Yes--here's another hyperlink! 😁

Even though the process is called self-publishing, I discovered that, for someone who is not tech-savvy, I sure can't do it all alone. It has taken many hours to learn the basics, and then to implement that knowledge, but it has also been great fun. And knowing there's so much more to learn makes it exciting!

What do you prefer to read--ebooks, or hard copy books? Do you have any comments or questions about publishing that you'd like to ask? I'll be drawing a name from those who leave comments, and that person will receive a free e-book.

Here are the release dates for the six Coupled by Christmas novellas ($0.99 each through December):
October 8^th – The Mistletoe Puppy
October 15^th – A Montana Christmas
October 29^th – An Irish Christmas
November 4^th – A London Christmas
November 18^th – A Scottish Christmas
December 2^nd – Christmas in Paris

Our fall colors are turning brilliant shades here in the Upper Midwest, and this week our temperatures will be dropping into the 30's at night and 50's during the day. I love sweater and jacket weather! Our horses are all putting on their winter jammies (winter coats) now and our hummingbirds have gone south. Signs of the season! Wherever you are, I hope you have been safe from the fires and hurricanes on our east and west coasts, and that you are enjoying a peaceful day.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you'll come again!

Blessings,
Roxanne

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Happy New Year!

I hope this finds you all in good health, with great goals and a happy outlook for the coming year.

Have you set any goals for 2020? I don't mean New Year's resolutions, but concrete goals. A newsletter from a local doctor's office suggested the following:

1. Make five short-term goals. Write "due dates" for each one on your calendar. Add five more when those are done.

2. Make five long-term goals.

3. For each goal, list three action steps that you can take.

4. Print a document listing all of these goals and post it where you can see it every day.

I've been working on two short-term goals already--decluttering the house after the holidays, and clearing out and organizing our cupboards. One of my long-term goals will probably take me until the end of summer--reaching the healthier weight I was at when I was thirty. :) Thirty pounds gone, but still far to go.

What are some of your own long-term or short-term goals for the coming year?

On another note, I am so excited about the release of my new Love Inspired novel, SNOWBOUND WITH THE COWBOY, which appeared in Walmarts, book stores, and online on January first.

I so loved writing this one and was sad to say farewell to the characters when I typed "The End." And I adore the cover. I always have dogs and/or a variety of other animals in my books, and perhaps it was just a subconscious thing when I added a golden retriever mix and a stray border collie to this one--but it was a poignant moment when I first saw my author copies a month or so ago.

I proved some generic dog photos from a photo site online, as an example. The cover artist painted two dogs that look exactly like our two rescues...and those books arrived just a day or so after we had to say a heart-wrenching farewell to our beloved border, Elmo. I will treasure this cover forever!

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful year! Leave a comment, and you'll be entered in a drawing for a free e-copy of SNOWBOUND WITH THE COWBOY!

Wishing you a year of happiness,

Roxanne Rustand