My Broken but Undaunted is part of a promotion via BookFunnel that’s featuring short works.

I think it’s the only collection in the group, but don’t quote me on that!

My mom was a big fan of short stories. She repeatedly took a class via our local Osher program (well, one of them, as both Pitt and Carnegie Mellon have their own) that was all about short stories. And she wasn’t wrong; short stories are an art form of their own. When you take creative writing classes at the university (or graduate) level, that’s one of the first things that becomes blatantly apparent.

Now, this promo features a lot of novellas which are, again, their own art form. More complex than short stories, less complex than a novel. They can have subplots or not; it’s all a matter of what the piece demands and the skill of the reader.

So I’m glad to be part of this promotion. I love that it’s about short work.

But there’s one other thing that has me excited to be part of this: It’s multi-genre. And that means exploration is imminent.

I went and explored what was on offer. I downloaded a bunch of books, and I hope they’re all good. Some are tie-ins to existing series. Some aren’t. It’s a wide, exciting grouping of short works — perfect for this time of year when we’re all so time crunched.

Go and find something for yourself.

And as always, if your book budget doesn’t allow for everything you want, you can take my book out of your local library via the Overdrive/Libby app. (It’s not on Hoopla yet and I don’t know why, especially because Maybe the Bird Will Rise is) OR you can hit me up for a review copy — just remember to follow my rules of review copies (You must post a review online — and let me know! — within one year. One-star reviews are fine; people are treasures too and that means your opinions are valid and respected, at least by me and my team. But you only get one book at a time, and if you don’t get a review up, don’t ask for another review copy.)

If you choose the library route, I’m more than a fan of that — I still get paid! It’s not a lot, but who cares? It all adds up.

Also, remember to check out my books for others you may like. With the Sheep Farm coming out relatively quickly (Populated releases on Tuesday! Are you ready?), I’m going to be asking you to do a lot of reading. Go ahead. Use those library apps.

But mostly, check out the books in this promo with Broken but Undaunted. Expand your horizons with a good short story or novella — or collection of short stories, like Broken but Undaunted!

Woot! I have been sharing posts for books by Regina Jeffers for literal years and I’m so excited to host her today in the Featured New Book Spotlight. It’s always fun to get a better, closer look at a book I’ve seen bandied about on social media — and this is another reason why stopping in here is always a smart thing to do! I’m so ready to learn about your books, I can’t tell you.

So let’s get right to it, shall we? Regina Jeffers, what song makes you think of your new book, The Earl’s English Rose?

If I were to choose a song to accompany “The Earl’s English Rose,” I would choose Amanda McBroom’s “The Rose,” sung beautifully by Bette Midler as the soundtrack of a movie by the same name. Yes, I know, my choice seems so obvious, as such is the heroine’s first name, but there is more to the lyrics which speak of the “ease” of the young woman to give her heart to a man she realizes is both her savior and her nemesis and his “inherent” lack of trust in “LOVE” itself.

Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger
An endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower
And you, its only seed

The heroine, Miss Rose Vickers, although young, recognizes the fear of romantic heartbreak as real, but she does not avoid the possibility. Instead, she accepts what she cannot control and plunges head first into a relationship with a man dead set on only being her guardian.

It’s the heart, afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance
It’s the dream, afraid of waking
That never takes the chance
It’s the one who won’t be taken
Who cannot seem to give
And the soul, afraid of dying
That never learns to live

Meanwhile, Jacob Casper, the 13th Earl of Everwalt, believes his life of dissipation is all he requires until he must marry and provide the earldom the traditional “heir and a spare.” Love has nothing to do with begetting a child on his future wife. However, as Midler’s “The Rose” tells us, there are certain endeavors in life, including most importantly, falling in love, which require a considerable degree of courage on the part of participants.

When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun’s love
In the spring becomes the rose

So, although some consider this song has something to do with dying, as it is often played at funerals, and because such was the plot, which is loosely based on the rise and fall of Janis Joplin, I think otherwise. I dwell on the lines , “I say love, it is a flower, and you its only seed” in the first verse and the last two lines of the third verse, which say, “Lies the seed that with the sun’s love, in the spring becomes the rose.” The song speaks to the durability of love. Therefore, I offer the book’s tagline: The True Beauty of a Rose Lies in its Contradictions.

OOH! What an explanation! I love it! I also love where Regina says, “There are certain endeavors in life, including most importantly, falling in love, which require a considerable degree of courage on the part of the participants.”

So. Much. Yes.

If that’s not enough for you (yet), I’ve got more! And so does Regina, thankfully. Ready for the book’s official and actual description (although what we’ve already gotten is pretty darn good)?

The new Earl of Everwalt was not one to appreciate being bamboozled by an obstinate, headstrong girl, though pretty she may be. If he did not require her to repair his reputation, he would leave her to the schemes she had concocted to save her father’s estate.

Just because he was now her guardian, the Earl of Everwalt had no right to decide who she might marry. Therefore, Miss Rose Vickers sets out for London to provide the new earl a piece of her mind, only to run into a highwayman. As if scripted, the new earl proves to be her savior, but it would be some time before the suspicious Rose and the extremely susceptible Everwalt learn the depth of their connection and the true meaning of love.

Are you ready to grab your copy? I sure am!

“The Earl’s English Rose” is one of six tales in The Regency Summer Garden Anthology.

Amazon Paperback

Kindle

Also Available to Read for Free on Kindle Unlimited

And remember: the best way to show your appreciation for a book is to leave an online review for it. Some of my favorite reviews are short; others are thoughtful and perceptive. And other favorite reviews of mine are in between. There are no rights and wrongs — so long as you are honest.

Be sure to connect with Regina Jeffers! It’s free! It’s fun! It’ll let you learn about more of her books!
Every Woman Dreams (Blog)
Austen Authors (Blog)
Facebook
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Amazon Author Page
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BookBub
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You Tube Interview
Regina Jeffers’s Website

Remember if you’re an author or have a friend who’s an author, the Featured New Book Spotlight is waiting to be filled by you (or them)! This is my labor of love, my way of helping readers find new books. Join me. Grab one of the books you see featured here. Send your friends over. Fill out the form yourself, if it’s your book. Because no one can talk about your book if they don’t hear about your book!

Let’s welcome Frances Ive to West of Mars!

Frances shows why it pays to still be hanging out on Twitter; that’s how we connected and I invited her to join us here today. And she was gracious enough to accept the invitation! Yay! Now we all get to hear more about her book, Brown Eyes.

Let’s start with the most important question: Frances Ive, what song makes you think of your book?

Everything I Own – Bread

Is there someone you know
You’re loving them so
But taking them all for granted?
You may lose them one day
Someone takes them away
And they don’t hear the words you long to say

Many of us take those we love for granted, and it takes a special person to show appreciation and value their partner in the way they deserve all the time. Especially when someone dies, we realise how much they meant to us, and often feel guilty. Did I take them for granted? Did they know how much I loved them? Losing someone close can be a sea change in our attitudes and perspective on life.

Whoo boy, this is going to be a heart-string-tugger, isn’t it? It sure sounds like it, but check out the description. It gets really super interesting and I may need to read this one sooner rather than later.

Brown Eyes: The dog sees everything

A watchful eye as a marriage falls apart. The phone call, the rows, and the split are all observed by the family Labrador. He knows the habits and senses the moods of his beloved family members. Seeing them unhappy and hurting each other is unbearable. Where did his perfect life go?

Her marriage to Phil in crisis, two children at the challenging teenage stage, and a close friend in peril, Meriel’s world is falling apart. She finds solace in the arms of another man, but is this the answer for her? It is her stubbornness that threatens the family’s future together, until a major loss has a life-changing effect on her. A sliver of hope returns.

Like a fly on the wall, Benji the dog sees it all.

Narrated by both the dog and Meriel, Brown Eyes is written by the author of Finding Jo.

This is just… I’m intrigued. Aren’t you? A novella about a struggling marriage and two very disparate narrators… both the reader and the editor in me are intrigued.

Get your copy! See what you think! And remember to leave your review when you’re done, too.

Kindle
Paperback
And all bookstores including Barnes & Noble

There you go! Happy shopping!

And be sure to connect with Frances Ive, too. Our interactions have been limited so far, but I have enjoyed them.
Twitter
Facebook
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Website for books

And, of course, the spotlight is open to you, your friends, authors you know… It’s all good around here. I just want to tell you about books and the songs that are inspired by them. That’s it! That’s the agenda! And here’s the handy-dandy form for you to use to submit your own.

Some SFF for you to consider, although this is already published and not a novella, so it doesn’t fit the current call for submissions.

We’re in that time again. It’s happening.

No, not Mercury Retrograde, although that’s happening, too.

Tor is open for unagented novella submissions. They’re looking for between 20,000 and 40,000 words, and encourage you to take a close look at their current list to see the sorts of things they publish. (This means they’ll consider works that are different from what they currently publish, but not so far from their mainstream that they can’t comprehend. They are, after all, a for-profit publisher and are trying to maximize profits first and break new literary ground second. So be wise with your expectations.)

Now, to jump on the bandwagon, they are “actively” requesting submissions from writers “from underrepresented populations.”

I’ll leave that there and let you read the PC decisions behind that. It’s sad that a SFF publisher even has to say this when so many of the SFF greats of history have fallen into that “underrepresented populations” category.

Sigh.

But anyway, move FAST because this window is only open for a very short time — until August 13, to be exact.

If you’re not ready now, don’t fret. They last held an open call like this in May — and haven’t finished sorting through the submissions — and so are likely to do it again. Focus on making the best book possible.

And, as always, read the guidelines. Make sure you conform to them because no, they’re not going to make an exception for YOU. That’s narcissistic thinking and it’s wrong and it’s stupid and don’t go there, okay? Follow the damn guidelines. Here they are again, so you have zero excuse.

On the off chance that you start writing and your finished product doesn’t fit the stated guidelines? Check Submittable! There’s always good opportunities over there. (Just beware of the tool charging $85 for a manuscript evaluation. What the fuck?)

This is the spot in the post where I offer a last-minute go-over before you submit, at a steep discount. But… it’s summer and you can tell by my lack of regular posting that I’m swamped. Unusually so, even for summer. If you need me, drop me a note and we’ll talk and see what we can work out. You know I’m always glad to have your back and help make your words sparkle.

I’m biased. I’ll admit it. But… how can you NOT like the Running Wild Press? They’re new, they’re hungry, and I know a couple of the people behind them, which gives me confidence they’re being run right.

Back at the end of August, I put out a call for submissions to the Running Wild Press short story anthology they were putting together. Did any of you submit? If so, were you chosen?

We’ll be hearing more about this anthology. Much, much more.

And with anthology selections made and the book in progress, it’s time for them to turn their attention to novellas.

Yes, novellas.

You read that right! One of the hardest and least appreciated forms of fiction (and least celebrated, too) is getting its day over at Running Wild. And, because they are Running Wild Press and because fiction right now is all about pushing boundaries and crossing genres and opening up to ideas that should have been celebrated for a lot longer than is currently trendy. I’m grateful we’ve got folks like Running Wild who are willing to turn a trend into a new way of life.

Which means if you’ve got a novella, ship it on over to them! (What’s a novella? The submission guideline says at least 15,000 words)

Got a novella you think you’d like to send over but aren’t sure about? I’ll cut you a deal on an evaluation, and/or a deal on editing it… IF you are going to submit to Running Wild. Drop me a line and we’ll talk so you can make the best submission possible.

SOMETHING MORE (The Three Graces Book Three) by Nia Farrell. Rachel Givens is supposed to be dead. She has post-rape PTSD and a three-year-old autistic daughter, father unknown. When her former lovers walk into the diner where she works, this single mother learns just how much more she can handle. Nominated for Best BDSM Book of the Year, Ménage Category, 2016 Golden Flogger Awards.

Buy links to SOMETHING MORE (a BSDM MFM ménage secret baby erotic romance):
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Allromance
Smashwords
Dark Hollows Press

SOMETHING ELSE by Nia Farrell. Three soulmates forge a future from the flames of their pasts in an interracial MMF ménage erotic romance. “It’s part paranormal, part BDSM, part love story, but all good.”

Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Allromance
BookStrand
Smashwords *Affiliate link
Dark Hollows Press

SOMETHING MORE (The Three Graces Book Three) by Nia Farrell. Rachel Givens is supposed to be dead. She has post-rape PTSD and a three-year-old autistic daughter, father unknown. When her former lovers walk into the diner where she works, this single mother learns just how much more she can handle. Nominated for Best BDSM Book of the Year, Ménage Category, 2016 Golden Flogger Awards.

Buy links to SOMETHING MORE (a BSDM MFM ménage secret baby erotic romance):
Amazon  https://mybook.to/SomethingMore
Barnes and Noble  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-more-nia-farrell/1122797262?ean=2940151160094
Allromance  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-somethingmore-1905345-147.html
Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/585262
Dark Hollows Press  https://www.darkhollowspress.com/#!something-more/c1clr

SOMETHING DIFFERENT (The Three Graces Book Two) by Nia Farrell. Starving artist Anna James has sworn off men. Rock gods Jackson and Jacob Thomason just promised her the best sex of her life. Does Anna dare submit to the part-Comanche twins who perform as No Mercy?

Buy links to SOMETHING DIFFERENT (a BSDM MFM ménage rock star erotic romance):

Amazon ➔ https://mybook.to/SomethingDifferent

Barnes and Noble ➔ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-different-nia-farrell/1122718107?ean=2940150808072

Allromance ➔ https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-somethingdifferent-1897500-147.html

BookStrand ➔ https://www.bookstrand.com/something-different-0

Smashwords ➔ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/581142

Dark Hollows Press ➔ https://www.darkhollowspress.com/#!something-different/c13v4

SOMETHING MORE (The Three Graces Book Three) by Nia Farrell. Rachel Givens is supposed to be dead. She has post-rape PTSD and a three-year-old autistic daughter, father unknown. When her former lovers walk into the diner where she works, this single mother learns just how much more she can handle. Nominated for Best BDSM Book of the Year, Ménage Category, 2016 Golden Flogger Awards.

Buy links to SOMETHING MORE (a BSDM MFM ménage secret baby erotic romance):
Amazon  https://mybook.to/SomethingMore
Barnes and Noble  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-more-nia-farrell/1122797262?ean=2940151160094
Allromance  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-somethingmore-1905345-147.html
Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/585262
Dark Hollows Press  https://www.darkhollowspress.com/#!something-more/c1clr

SOMETHING DIFFERENT (The Three Graces Book Two) by Nia Farrell. Starving artist Anna James has sworn off men. Rock gods Jackson and Jacob Thomason just promised her the best sex of her life. Does Anna dare submit to the part-Comanche twins who perform as No Mercy?

Buy links to SOMETHING DIFFERENT (a BSDM MFM ménage rock star erotic romance):

Amazon ➔ https://mybook.to/SomethingDifferent

Barnes and Noble ➔ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-different-nia-farrell/1122718107?ean=2940150808072

Allromance ➔ https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-somethingdifferent-1897500-147.html

BookStrand ➔ https://www.bookstrand.com/something-different-0

Smashwords ➔ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/581142

Dark Hollows Press ➔ https://www.darkhollowspress.com/#!something-different/c13v4

SOMETHING DIFFERENT (The Three Graces Book Two) by Nia Farrell. Starving artist Anna James has sworn off men. Rock gods Jackson and Jacob Thomason just promised her the best sex of her life. Does Anna dare submit to the part-Comanche twins who perform as No Mercy?

Buy links to SOMETHING DIFFERENT (a BSDM MFM ménage rock star erotic romance):

Amazon ➔ https://mybook.to/SomethingDifferent

Barnes and Noble ➔ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-different-nia-farrell/1122718107?ean=2940150808072

Allromance ➔ https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-somethingdifferent-1897500-147.html

BookStrand ➔ https://www.bookstrand.com/something-different-0

Smashwords ➔ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/581142

Dark Hollows Press ➔ https://www.darkhollowspress.com/#!something-different/c13v4

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SOMETHING MORE (The Three Graces Book Three) by Nia Farrell. Rachel Givens is supposed to be dead. She has post-rape PTSD and a three-year-old autistic daughter, father unknown. When her former lovers walk into the diner where she works, this single mother learns just how much more she can handle. Nominated for Best BDSM Book of the Year, Ménage Category, 2016 Golden Flogger Awards.

Buy links to SOMETHING MORE (a BSDM MFM ménage secret baby erotic romance):
Amazon  https://mybook.to/SomethingMore
Barnes and Noble  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-more-nia-farrell/1122797262?ean=2940151160094
Allromance  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-somethingmore-1905345-147.html
Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/585262
Dark Hollows Press  https://www.darkhollowspress.com/#!something-more/c1clr

SOMETHING ELSE by Nia Farrell. Three soulmates forge a future from the flames of their pasts in an interracial MMF ménage erotic romance. “It’s part paranormal, part BDSM, part love story, but all good.”

Barnes and Noble ➔ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-else-nia-farrell/1122571287?ean=2940151122504
Amazon ➔ https://mybook.to/SomethingElse
Allromance ➔ https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-somethingelse-1874223-340.html
BookStrand ➔ https://www.bookstrand.com/something-else-mmf
Smashwords ➔ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/571934
Dark Hollows Press ➔ https://www.darkhollowspress.com/#!something-else/c1tdc

SOMETHING ELSE by Nia Farrell. Three soulmates forge a future from the flames of their pasts in an interracial MMF ménage erotic romance. “It’s part paranormal, part BDSM, part love story, but all good.”

Barnes and Noble ➔ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-else-nia-farrell/1122571287?ean=2940151122504
Amazon ➔ https://mybook.to/SomethingElse
Allromance ➔ https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-somethingelse-1874223-340.html
BookStrand ➔ https://www.bookstrand.com/something-else-mmf
Smashwords ➔ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/571934
Dark Hollows Press ➔ https://www.darkhollowspress.com/#!something-else/c1tdc