Back at it

WestStrandBooks.com is finally live, housing all the titles and noms de plume under one roof. This consolidation took place alongside my decision not to query THE BACKUP PLAN to a single traditional publisher. Querying sucks, and I'm under no illusions that I will make money either way. I also don't believe I have to go Big-5 to feel my work is any good. It's good, and it's getting better as I write more, not as I sell more.

When I had a little talk with myself, I laid it out there:

Girl. You write the books and you're just force-feeding them to people now instead of finishing them properly. Finish. Get over your crap, commit to a pen name, file the dang ISBN, and do it.

Meet Rebekah Reese. She's me, but with a lot of peanut butter cups.

I have a backlog of books to edit and publish, and they're just sitting here. I get better every time I write, and I like the momentum. At this phase in my writing career (embryonic), indie suits me. I'm so excited to bring Stadium Lights to life this year. Three books will be out by the end of 2024, and I have two more sketched out.

• THE BACKUP PLAN is getting new cover art and a final run-through on layout.

• THE ROUGH DRAFT is done and just chilling out for a while.

• THE FREE AGENT is about halfway drafted.

After those, Isaac/Sarabeth and Evan/Paige will get their stories. Maybe Justin/Elouise. Maybe Ethan/Kaia.

In a little less than two weeks, I get to attend a Meghan Quinn book signing. What I write doesn't have a lot in common with her work besides sports and HEA, but she was my gateway drug into contemporary romance, and her banter and brothers are divine. She's also been hugely successful in making the jump from indie to trad-pub, and manages to churn out new books for her own imprint and her traditional publisher's as well! The woman is a machine. I am the biggest dork, and will be wearing one of her book T-shirts (Save the Pigeons! from SO NOT MEANT TO BE) to meet her.

Cameron gets drunk and yells at a bumble bee in THE BACKUP PLAN as an homage to JP Cane and the indomitable pigeon, Kazoo.