Sunny Side

Are you on my mailing list? If you have been on it since the beginning, you've already received three short stories, three deleted scenes, and notice of hundreds of free books (not all mine, of course!)

You can still get the latest freebie. When you sign up, you get a copy of my new novella, Sunny Side. It's Vancouver Vice 1.5, and takes place after The Tao of Hockey. It's the story of an optimistic hockey fan named Rosie, a tech genius named Peter, and the dating app that brings them together. Sign up on the sidebar on the right. 

I just wanted to add that the research for this book has resulted in my receiving ads to meet nice men in my area every time I go on the internet. Oh well, better than the email offers I get to meet Russian women.

Finally, if you're not already sold—did I mention free?—here's an excerpt:

Number 12 skated behind the net to make a pass to the next player and gave Louise a full view of his face.
    “Oh. My. God.”
    I smirked. “Told you so.”
    “He’s gorgeous. Like Chris Hemsworth hot. Those eyes, those cheekbones, those lips—everything. I can only see his neck, but it looks like he’s really built too.”
    “He is. I Googled him, and there’s a photo of him in a t-shirt and shorts at training camp and everything looks… amazing. And he’s got a huge package.”
    “What?” Louise dropped the binoculars and stared at me.
    I laughed. “Just kidding. You can’t tell that from a photo.” Unless his legs were positioned in just the right way and the shorts fabric was clingy, which they hadn’t been. 

The Relaunch

It's Kelly and Phil. Or K-Phil.

Well, my evil plans are coming to fruition. The relaunch of Hockey Is My Boyfriend is well under way, with new editions of Part One and Part Two uploading onto Amazon as I write this. A new cover for How The Cookie Crumbles is coming as well. And the only tasks remaining are a final read-through of Part Three and then off for some special formatting with the guru of formatting, Jaye Manus.

It's Kelly + Jimmy. Couple name: Jelly.

I also wanted to sing the praises of my cover designer, Murphy Rae. She’s at Indie Solutions by Murphy Rae. I found her ages ago while websurfing, but I didn’t pull the trigger on a redesign until I could see the end of Part Three. I have to confess it was hard to find a cover designer I really liked, since I’m pretty fussy. My day job is in visual arts, so I have strong opinions on what I like.

Imagine you’re a cover designer and your client says she needs three covers. And the girl has to look the same, but the two guys have to look different. Also, she’s half-Asian, athletic, and she can’t be wearing dresses or too much make-up. Um, if you could add a little hint of hockey, that would be good. If I were the designer, I’d be pulling the eject button, but Murphy Rae was extremely professional and came up with covers that I love. She even did surgery on one model so her nose looked more Asian.

Also, did you know if you search for half/Asian/women on stock photo sites, this is what you get:

 What’s really embarrassing is how long it took me to figure that out.

I am still writing the bridge story, but will get it to everyone on the mailing list this week. Meantime, reread Parts One and Two, and get ready for the awesomeness that is Part Three! (She said modestly. Hey, I’m just so excited for you to read it.)

It's Kelly + ?

Great News

Lots of good news! Hockey Is My Boyfriend, Part Three is finally done. It’s in copy-editing right now and unless there are drastic changes or formatting issues, I am planning to release the book on June 1. There will be no presales so I can get the book to you the soonest—after all, it’s only four months later then I said it would be.

I have been working and reworking this book for the last seven months, no lie. Part Three went through a lot of different iterations, but I believe it’s a lot stronger now and has some interesting structural quirks. I’m really excited to hear your reactions.

I am currently writing the bridge story, so I will send it out in my newsletter next week. And if you’re not like me—completely immersed in the life of Kelly Tanaka—it may be time to reread Parts One and Two. If you’re not on the email list yet, you can sign up right over there -----> 

And I have new covers too. I’ve been working with a fantastic cover designer and I’m redoing all my covers. I now have a marketing mentor, author Zoe York. Her first directive was to get my books looking more like other hockey romances. So I have done that, and I will do a full relaunch of my books on June 1st as well. Party! Confetti! Just in time for the Stanley Cup Finals too.

I want to thank everyone who took a chance on me when my covers were different. I like to think that you are all people who put writing first, which is what I do when I choose books. I think my book sales have been great and I’ve been been in touch so many lovely readers. However, Zoe thinks I can reach a wider audience. And that’s what all authors want, right?

I will reveal all the new covers soon, but here’s a sneak peek!

Yup, full wrap covers. That means real, live books too.

Coming soon... really!

Hello to all my patient readers!

If you’ve been holding your breath, waiting for Part Two of Hockey Is My Boyfriend, then you’ve probably passed out by now. And I’m really sorry about that. I know I promised this book for October, and I was aiming for the start of the hockey season. However, now it’s going to be closer to that other momentous October date, Hallowe’en. Still, it’s better than my first two books, which were both months behind schedule—something to do with that toxic mix of editing and perfectionism.

But enough of my psychological issues, I will have an official launch date and online presales later this week. In the next two weeks, I'll tell you lots more about the book. I have a special offer. And the blog will have a deleted scene from the book which will update you on everyone from Part One. And newsletter readers will get another deleted scene as well—so sign up on the right, if you haven't already.

And what’s the book about? Well, it takes place two years after the first book. Kelly has completed two years at McGill, and she’s come home for the summer. But she’s not staying in Vancouver for very long. She’s winging her way cross-country to a town in the Maritimes, called Fredericton. Do you know Fredericton? A quick poll of my on-line writing group found all the Americans scratching their heads and a few Canadians giving guarded “Yes, but don’t make me find it on a map” answers. One woman answered, “Of course,” but she lives there.

So if you don’t know it, Fredericton is a very pretty town and the capital of New Brunswick. Don’t make me explain New Brunswick. Let’s just say it’s in Eastern Canada. Take a left from Sidney Crosby’s house, drive five hours and you’re there. And Kelly’s there too. Well, she's nearby at the wholly fictional Lake Carswell, working at a hockey camp. And she’s going to meet someone there, because it’s a romance, right?

I don’t like to brag, but I genuinely feel that after all the writing, editing, and sweaty effort, this is my best book yet! I really hope you’ll enjoy it.