Dear Reader,

My life over the past couple of weeks has been so full of writing, reading, editing, coaching, and building that I hardly know where to start with this newsletter. So I'll just dive in.

Writing

Of course you no doubt know that the fifth book in my Double-Dilemma Romance series is now out: The Teacher's Noble Heart. I've been watching with gratitude as the wonderful reviews are posted and I see that readers are devouring the book. There is no greater satisfaction for a writer than knowing one's stories resonate with readers. I pour my heart into these books.

I have already started wrenching another story out of my heart and soul. This next book will be the final book in this series, and it brings together characters from the previous five books. I have a working title—which may or may not endure through the writing:

The Dowager's Quiet Triumph

I'd love to know what you think of this title, so here's a little poll:

Reading

I'm always excited when one of my favorite sweet Regency romance authors publishes a new book, which is exactly what Christina Dudley did this past week. 😊

It's Frances Sets the Fashion, book four in her series, Lord Dere's Dependents.

Here's the blurb:

Dudley's books are always fun, escapist, well-written reads. And we could all use a little escapism about now...

Marketing—sort of

I had so much fun last week as a guest host on Lady Catherine's Salon, a lively and interesting Facebook group full of avid Regency lovers. We had many conversations that covered corsets, slate quarries, research serendipity, and favorite lines from Regency romance. If you're at all interested in the period and the books set in it, I recommend joining this group!

I also gave my free prequel novella a cover refresh. This story takes you to Devonshire where you meet Augusta Hastings before her adventures in The Dressmaker's Secret Earl (book one in the series—which is only $.99 on Kindle at the moment 😊).

Here it is, and here's the link to get your free copy.

Building—something for writers

If you notice what I did with the versions of my cover above (note: this is the only cover I play around with. The actual book covers are professionally designed), you see I'm trying to make it fit more seamlessly into the look of the covers of all the other books. This is important for a series.

And especially in any kind of genre fiction—romance, mystery, thriller, fantasy—your covers have to signal instantly to a reader that they'll find the reading experience they crave in your story.

If you're interested in learning more about how to get your designer on the same page as you are before you spend any money, I've created a Cover Designer Brief Kit, which you can download free.

Finally: the giveaway! Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card!

I've joined forces with a fabulous group of historical fiction and historical romance authors through Bookish Events to offer this prize. They're featuring a great selection of books by award-winning and bestselling authors, and I believe whenever you click on one of the books you can enter again to win.

​Here's the link to enter!​

That's all I have for this week—which promises to be very busy for me. No matter how busy I am, however, there's always time for knitting!

Susanne