Monday, January 26, 2026

The Cowboy's Last Chance

Today, Wild Women Authors feature The Cowboy’s Last Chance, a contemporary western romance, written by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy and published by the Wild Rose Press.

First, a bit about The Cowboy’s Last Chance:

When Vivian Blackburn, recently returned to Southwest Missouri sets out to shoot pictures at a rodeo, she's not looking for a cowboy but when she meets bull rider Calhoun Kelly, she's found one. They have an instant attraction and rapport. They're compatible in every way but one – he has a strong Christian faith and she lost hers after her parents died.

When Vivian experiences strange dreams that seem to warn Calhoun of upcoming danger, she doesn't know what to think. Calhoun decides to hang up his spurs at the end of the season but before he does, he and Vivian are married. They decide they'll settle at her grandmother's old farmhouse but not until he rides his last rodeo. When he's critically injured, his life hangs in the balance. Will Vivian find her faith and pray? It's a close call but time will tell.

We will begin with Calhoun Kelly.

Good morning! Let’s begin with where you are from. Rusk, Texas.

Tell us a bit about The Cowboy’s Last Chance. It’s about me. I'm the cowboy—well, a bull rider really—but the “last Chance” is my younger brother, Chance, who died in a rodeo accident a few years ago.

What did you think the first time you saw Vivian? I thought she was beautiful, different from most of the gals who hang around rodeos.

What was your second thought? I stopped her from ordering a chili dog at the concessions stand so she wouldn't get sick. Those things can be deadly. I know I've suffered from a few.

Hah! So was it was love at first sight? Yes. I fell for Vivian that first night and she seemed to feel the same.

What do you like most about her? Vivian is so kind and sweet. She's looked out for me since the first and she's also very intelligent. I can count on her, no matter what.

Important qualities in a life partner, that’s for sure. How would you describe her? One of my nicknames for her is Pretty Lady and she is. She's the kind of gal I dreamed I'd find but never really thought I would.

How would Vivian describe you? She thinks I'm good looking and I like that. She calls me Cowboy - which I am.

What made you choose to do rodeos for a career? I started young. All three of us Kelly brothers did. It's all I know how to do and I've got a talent for sticking on the back of a thrashing bull for 8 seconds.

What is your biggest fear? Dying in the arena like my youngest brother.

How do you relax? Listening to music, mostly vintage country, especially Johnny Horton and Johnny Cash, and fishing.

Who is your favorite fictional character? Cullen Bohannon from that “Hell On Wheels” show.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? My older brother Lincoln urged me to quit rodeo before I got hurt more than I already have, got killed, or became too old. I finally listened to him but it took a long time.

Thank you for this, Calhoun. Now we’d like to chat with Lee Ann.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is one of the first adult novels I read although I was a child when I did. Betty Smith, the author, captured the Brooklyn of her own childhood in the novel. I often have set novels in my hometown of St Joseph. MO and even the ones set elsewhere are someplace I have been and loved. Rusk is one of those towns.

Is there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? I have two major things in common with Vivian. She's a former newspaper reporter and photographer - so am I. She's very close with her grandmother and so was I. I was also a broadcast journalist and covered a rodeo where one of my co-workers (who I was dating at the time) rode a bull as a publicity stunt. That was in the back of my mind when I first came up with this story.

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? Actually, I have three publishers, Evernight Publishing, World Castle Publishing, and The Wild Rose Press. The Cowboy's Last Chance is a Wild Rose Press book. I had heard positive things about them and decided to submit. I enjoy being one of the Roses in the garden and the support from the owners.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? A biography of the late singer Townes Van Zandt [Going Home In The Dark], Dean Koontz, and anything upcoming by Carolyn Brown, an Oklahoma author who is one of my favorites.

Last, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? Drake's Angel will be out in 2026 from Evernight Publishing. My Laredo series featuring the Wilson Family will continue. The fourth book, The Heart of Jacob Wilson, was released in November 2025 from World Castle Publishing. There are more books in that series, and I have three other novels in the submission process as well as two ongoing works in progress.

LeeAnn brought an excerpt for us:

Calhoun sprawled backward, pillows propped behind his back, and called his brother. It rang twice before he picked up the phone.

“It’s about time I heard from you.” Lincoln’s East Texas drawl was more pronounced. “What in tarnation is going on?”

“Same old, same old. Riding rodeo, like always.”

“First time I ever called you when a lady answered your phone,” Linc said. “And told me that you were worn out and sound asleep. She refused to wake you, man, but she told me you had a rough ride last night and wrecked. You all right?”

“Sore but fine, yeah.”

“She got me worried, little brother. I already told Sasha that if I didn’t hear from you today or if you didn’t sound right, I would head up that way.”

“Bro, I’m good.” Calhoun appreciated his brother’s concern, but he wanted to blow it off. He didn’t want Lincoln fussing over him. “Better than I’ve been in quite a while.” Although Linc laughed, Cal knew he hadn’t fooled his astute brother.

“I smell a rat, Cal. There’s more to this story. Either you’re hurt more than you’re letting me know or there’s something with this gal. Which is it?”

“Busted.” Calhoun laughed. He never could fool Linc for long. “I ain’t hurt bad or anything, but I landed on my shoulder last night so it’s sore as a bear. And I’m hurting like any bull rider but nothing serious.”

“I figured something like that. Is it the shoulder you dislocated over at Paducah? And the woman? I hope she’s not a buckle bunny.”

“You ought to know better than that.”

Linc had to be aware how little Calhoun thought of the pushy women with their scanty clothing and desire to take a cowboy home for the night, nothing more. “Same shoulder but it’s not dislocated this time. It just hurts. And she’s the farthest thing from a bunny you could find, Linc. Her name’s Vivian Bradburn. She’s a writer and photographer from Missouri.”

“Is she pretty?”

“Very.”

LeeAnn and The Cowboy’s Last Chance can be found at:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B004JPBM6I/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4543214.Lee_Ann_Sontheimer_Murphy

https://www.worldcastlepublishing.com/lee-ann-sontheimer-murphy

https://leeannsontheimer.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/leeann.sontheimermurphy

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Lee%20Ann%20Sontheimer%20Murphy%22;jsessionid=5E243BB6609F75989C2B8CE57CDE45F9

Friday, January 23, 2026

Bootleg Broadway by Diana Rubino

Wild Women Authors feature author Diana Rubino and Bootleg Broadway, a story of Prohibition: debauchery, a little romance, along with booze, music, sex, and murder.

Good morning, Diana. Tell us how Bootleg Broadway came to be born. After [my earlier novel] From Here to 14th Street, was set in 1894, I needed to set this book a generation later, which happened to be the 1930s—with Prohibition and the Great Depression as the backdrop. And since the 18^th Amendment, establishing Prohibition, was ratified 105 years ago this week, the timing was perfect.

This is the first book I ever wrote where I created the characters first, with nothing to do yet. The plot developed the way it did because of who they are. My goal was to get the protagonist Billy McGlory into one mess after another. This era couldn’t have been more suited to Billy’s adventures, a few of which he barely escaped with his life.

Tell us a bit about Bootleg Broadway. In this sequel to From Here to 14^TH Street, Vita and Tom McGlory and their three children are struggling to make ends meet. It's 1932. Prohibition rages, the Depression ravages, and Billy McGlory comes of age whether he wants to or not. Musical, and adventurous, Billy dreams of having his own ritzy supper club and big band. On the eve of Billy’s marriage to the pregnant Prudence, the shifty "businessman" Rosario Ingovito offers him all that and more. Fame, fortune, his own Broadway musical…it's all his for the taking, despite Pru's opposition to Rosie's ventures.

Meanwhile, Pru's artistic career gains momentum and their child is born. Can anything go wrong for Billy? Only when he gets in way over his head does he stop to wonder how his business partner really makes his millions, but by then it's far too late…

Tell us some nicknames from a few real life characters: As in From Here to 14^th Street, a lot of characters have nicknames like Piggy Balls and Dirty Neck Bruiso. I sat around the table with my surviving aunts and uncles who were then in their 80s and 90s, and they rattled off these nicknames from ‘the old days’ in Jersey City like they made them up yesterday. That was a standard Italian neighborhood custom, everybody had a nickname. Some were more descriptive than others. But you didn’t just ‘get’ a nickname. You had to earn it.

Some more nicknames from the old neighborhood included:

Bruno Chicken Body; Butta Jeans; Charlie Burp; Chick a la zoo; Dirty Dicky; Floody; Frankie Butch Butch; Gravel Gertie; Hoo Hoo; Jazzy Lou; Jiji Balls; Jinji; Johnny in for the pot; Juu-jo; Sloppy; and Vigi-Leak

This is my favorite passage from Bootleg Broadway [even though is made my aunt cringe]:

Pru had kept close-mouthed all day about what she was giving Billy for his birthday. He badgered and hounded her, but she wouldn’t give in.

As Ma began divvying up the rum cake, the doorbell rang, and Da came back with a long box. “This thing’s heavy. What’s in here, Pru? Billy’s tombstone?”

Billy cut the ribbon with the cake knife and slid the lid off. Wads of tissue paper filled the box. As he removed the last layer of covering and revealed what was inside, they all gasped—a sculpture of a naked man, in all his masculine glory—and fully aroused. He had one hand on his hip and one foot upon a pedestal on which was inscribed in bold letters, “BILLY.”

“Oh, crap.” His face turned red hot.

Here’s an excerpt:

Heading south on Madison Avenue, I heard the siren. I glanced into the rearview mirror and saw the unmistakable Greyhound radiator ornament of the Lincoln behind me. Cop car. All the gangsters drove Lincolns, which had a top speed of 80, so the cops had to get Lincolns to keep up with them. I tried to get the hell out of his way—he must've been going to a robbery or a diner or something. I pulled over, and he pulled up next to me. Oh, shit. It was me he was after.

I rolled down the window and asked sweetly, "Yes, sir, what can I do for you, sir?"

"License and registration please."

"Uh—what's wrong, officer? Did I commit a traffic violation?"

As the son of the ex-Chief of Police, I should have been real comfortable around cops, but to tell the truth, they scared the hell out of me. The cops my father knew weren't the crooked ones. They were the straight-assed ones, just like him, who fought Tammany and made a career out of busting crooks. They didn't have a price, like the rest of them. Hardnosed bastards, some were frustrated politicians and not smart enough to get into law school, so they enforced the laws from behind their badges. Hell, I was all for law and order, but these guys sometimes took it too far.

"Your back license plate is missing."

Relief drained me. "Oh, drat. It must've got stolen. You know this city—just crawlin' with thieves."

"License and registration, please," he repeated, in what passed for a more menacing cop voice. Now he assumed his cop stance, pudgy fists on meaty hips, waiting while I dug through the glove compartment, tossing aside all the crumpled up sheet music and junk crammed in there. Oh, that's where my emergency pack of cigarettes was, and that old box of prophylactics! But damned if I couldn't find the registration.

"Uh—I can't find it, but it's my car, honest. I mean, it was a gift to me, but it's been paid for, it's not stolen or anything. I can probably find it in my penthouse. You wanna follow me there? It's only two blocks aw—"

"Step out of the car, please."

Uh-oh. I felt my bowels burning. I had two briefcases bulging with two shitloads of money in the back seat.

He poked his head into the car. "What's in the briefcases?"

"Uh—I dunno. I'm doing an errand for somebody."

"Yeah, I'll bet you dunno. Step aside, please."

"Hey, you got a search warrant?" I demanded.

But demanding a search warrant from a New York City cop was like demanding a shot of Scotch from Satan in the middle of Hell.

I didn't want to look. I turned my head and flattened my palms on the roof of the car, like I was being searched. I heard the clicks as he sprang the latches and his not-so-surprised "mm-hmmm" as he checked out the contents.

"Who you doing this errand for, sonny boy?"

What was with the "sonny boy"? He wasn't much older than me. I knew he just wanted to put me down. Screw that. I've been called a lot worse by much better cops than him. He obviously didn't know who I was. "Uh—I'd better get a lawyer or something."

"You'd better come with me."

"Look, uh—you wanna just take a few bills outta there and forget it?” I asked, real generously. “I mean, uh—we're all in this mess together, ya know—"

"Bribing an officer of the law is a very serious offense, sonny boy. You'll have to come with me. Park your car there, please."

"Here? But there's a hydrant here. I'll get a ticket."

Here are other books about Prohibition your readers might enjoy:

The Stork Club - Ralph Blumenthal

Once Upon a Time in NY - Herbert Mitgang

Incredible NY: High Life & Low Life - Lloyd Morris and

The Night Club Era - Stanley Walker

Bootleg Broadway can be purchased at:

Amazon: getBook.at/NewYorkSagaBookTwo

Barnes & Noble Nook

iTunes

To learn more about Diana Rubino and the books she creates, go to:

Monday, January 19, 2026

Tetons By Morning by Lucy Kubash

Today, Wild Women Authors focus on: Tetons by Morning, North Star Legacy, book 2. This contemporary western romance, written by Lucy Kubash is a current release out of the Wild Rose Press.

About the Book: After a whirlwind summer romance, Casey Girard marries ex-rodeo champ Chance McCord and settles at the North Star, his family’s Wyoming ranch. Certain their love will last forever, she secretly harbors fear he will return to the rodeo circuit.

Chance never wanted the responsibility of running the ranch. When circumstances force him into that role, he must protect the North Star Legacy, as well as keep his promises to Casey. Loving and protecting her and his stepson are what matter most in his life.

But when their tragic pasts come back to haunt them, their love is tested to the limit. How will a summer romance survive the depths of winter?

Excerpt:

A moment later, Chance and the wind burst through the kitchen door. As always happened, his presence filled the room, and this morning, the pungent scent of lodgepole pine and saddle leather clung to his rugged physique. His broad shoulders filled out the fleece-lined denim jacket as well as the faded jeans fit his long legs.

At the sight of her handsome, dark-haired husband, Casey’s heart beat a little faster. She’d wondered where he’d gotten off to so early today. Now she knew. He was out riding.

“Casey, you won’t believe what I found.” He crossed the kitchen, his boot steps heavy on the floor. He stopped, pivoted, and saw her. His jaw tensed. “Casey, honey, what’s wrong?” He moved to stand in front of her and, with one chilly hand, lifted her chin.

His gaze flicked to the wall phone. “You were talking to your parents, weren’t you? Isn’t it a little early?”

He pushed back his cowboy hat and scanned her face. No sense in avoiding his question. In his uncanny way, Chance recognized the problem. She lifted her gaze to meet his deep-blue eyes. “You forget it’s two hours later in Michigan. Daddy still goes out to oversee the milking. I just thought…I’d see how they’re doing.”

“So you called them?”

Casey nodded. “Last time we talked, he wasn’t feeling well. I got…worried.” Tears welled in her eyes. She struggled not to let them fall.

Chance sighed and drew her against his chest, holding her close.

She slipped her arms around his middle and pressed her face into his jacket, breathing in the scent of autumn and the mountains. The scent soothed her a little, but a raw sadness still dwelled in her heart.

He stroked her hair with one hand. “I thought you decided not to talk to them for a while.”

“They’re my parents and my son’s grandparents.” She muffled her voice against his jacket. “I can’t just pretend they don’t exist.”

“Nor should you, but I don’t like seeing my wife cry, which seems to happen whenever you have a conversation with them.” He hesitated, took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. His hand stilled in her hair. “Are you sorry?”

Puzzled, Casey lifted her face. “For what?”

“Marrying me. Not taking more time to think about it. Do you wish…?”

She leaned back, taking in his rugged appearance. The past months had been an adjustment in learning to live with Chance and his family. The long Wyoming winter still stretched ahead, but the love that dwelled in her heart only grew stronger every day. “Not for a minute. This is my life now. You’re my life. Never doubt that.”

To prove what she said, Casey drew his head down and kissed him. She played her lips over his, evoking his soft groan. He tasted cold, like the wind, but his lips warmed as she deepened the kiss. His embrace could drive out every sensible thought from her head.

About Our Focus Author: Lucy Naylor Kubash has been writing for most of her life. She began her career writing short romance stories for Woman’s World magazine and now writes contemporary romance for The Wild Rose Press. Lucy has penned a column, The Pet Corner, for nearly 25 years, that advocates for homeless pets and animal rescue. She lives in Michigan, with her husband of 53 years, where they enjoy spending time with their two grown children, an assortment of pets, including Gracie the Beagle and Sandwich Kitty, and traveling whenever possible.

Find out more about Lucy’s books here:

Website: http://lucynaylorkubash.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucyNaylorKubash

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucykubash_author

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lkubash/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2966398.Lucy_Naylor_Kubash

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lucy-naylor-kubash

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/2t4k6x7j

Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/lucynaylorkubash.bsky.social

Tetons by Morning can be purchased at:

Tetons by Morning (North Star Legacy Book 2) - Kindle edition by Kubash, Lucy Naylor . Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Tetons By Morning by Lucy Kubash | eBook | Barnes & Noble®

Tetons by Morning by Lucy Naylor Kubash on Apple Books

Friday, January 16, 2026

The End of Promise by Rita A. Popp

The murder of an arrogant young professor puts an amateur detective to the test.

Wild Women Authors focus is on The End of Promise, book 2 in the Bethany Jarviss Mysteries series, written by Rita A. Popp, published by the Wild Rose Press.

About the book: Paul Kiefer enjoys a promising career at New Mexico University—until a murderer cancels his plans to fast track to full professor. Shocked at the sight of her colleague’s dead body, department head Eleanor Jarviss turns for comfort and aid to her daughter Bethany. When, as the Jarviss Family Foundation’s grants manager, Bethany goes to campus to award a student scholarship, she gets drawn into the murder investigation. With her mother’s help, and the support of her cowboy boyfriend, Nathan, she compiles a list of suspects stunned but not saddened by the scheming doc’s demise.

It’s academic that one of them is the killer.

An Excerpt:

“Do you think Lenny should tell the police?” Alma asked.

“No way,” Lenny protested. “Alma, you said I just had to talk to Ms. Jarviss and that she’d look into it without getting me involved.” His dark eyes conveyed alarm.

Bethany shook her head at Alma. “You promised him that without talking to me first? Alma, you shouldn’t have. You had no right.”

Annoyed, Alma said, “You asked me to get in touch if I thought of even the littlest detail about Dr. Kiefer.”

At that, Lenny looked even more troubled. “Ms. Jarviss, Alma told me you came to her asking questions because Dr. Jarviss is your mother. She’s a good professor. I had her in class. I considered talking to her about what Dr. Kiefer said about my topic. That day, I met with him, and he still dissed it. Now, I don’t want to bother her. She must be crazy with worry about Dr. Kiefer’s murder.”

“You should meet with her anyway,” Bethany said. “Obviously, you need another thesis adviser, one who’s on your wavelength.”

“What if Dr. Jarviss thinks I killed Dr. Kiefer? Offing somebody to solve a problem is what you expect from gangbangers. I used to be one of those guys, but I never saw anybody get killed. And I’d never hurt a soul.”

“My mom will appreciate that,” Bethany said. “Go see her.”

“Okay, but I don’t want to talk to any cops.”

Alma spoke up. “Somebody should find out what Dr. Lamont meant when she called Dr. Kiefer evil.”

“Yeah. That’s a heavy word,” Lenny said.

They fell silent as the waitress brought two green-chile enchilada dinners and made the usual comments about the plates being hot. Nathan dug into his meal. Bethany ate a bite and set down her fork as Lenny said, “Alma told me about you, Ms. Jarviss. That you’re some sort of amateur detective.”

Bethany swallowed hard. “I didn’t tell you that, Alma.”

“No, but you acted like one when you talked to Roxanne and me. I looked you up on the internet. You found out who was to blame for a girl’s death in Albuquerque. And you helped solve—what do they call it? A cold case. Yes, a cold case that involved your sister.”

Three sets of eyes focused on Bethany. She was the first to blink. “I’ve been lucky to piece together information that helped bring two killers to justice.”

Nathan nudged her. “Lucky? Maybe. Smart for sure.”

Lenny gazed to the back of the restaurant at his fellow mariachis. “My break’s over. Ms. Jarviss, please don’t go to the cops about what I said. You look into it yourself, okay? I don’t want to get Dr. Lamont in trouble if she didn’t do anything bad.”

A Bit About Our Focus Author:

Rita A. Popp writes light and twisty mysteries and other entertaining fiction. Her debut novel, The First Fiancée: A Bethany Jarviss Mystery, was released in 2022, followed by the second in the series, The End of Promise, in 2024. Both are published by The Wild Rose Press as well as her novelette, Passing on the Farm.

Her mystery short stories have appeared in online magazines and two Sisters in Crime Guppy anthologies. In 2022, she won the Six-Word Mystery Contest sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America Rocky Mountain Chapter. Her entries in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine’s Mysterious Photograph Contest have earned several honorable mentions.

Rita and her husband divide their time between their home in Colorado and cabin in the New Mexico mountains.

More information about Rita and the stories she writes can be found at:

https://ritapopp.com.

https://www.facebook.com/rita.popp

https://www.instagram.com/ritapopp72/?hl=en

The End of Promise: A Bethany Jarviss Mystery can be found at:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/End-Promise-Bethany-Jarviss-Mystery/dp/1509255435/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DTJISw4N9IaXY1jSBSHNbg.HOhF3QnIpFK2P0AR5OS61QnSfyLII2_u3mP8sn8sQ4o&qid=1761582452&sr=8-1

Walmart:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/A-Bethany-Jarviss-Mystery-The-End-of-Promise-Book-2-Paperback-9781509255436/6288118525?classType=REGULAR&from=/search

Target:

https://www.target.com/p/the-end-of-promise-a-bethany-jarviss-mystery-by-rita-a-popp-paperback/-/A-1005883578#lnk=sametab

BooksAMillion:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781509255436

Indie Bound:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-end-of-promise-rita-a-popp/a0f431324318a07a?ean=9781509255436&next=t&next=t&source=IndieBound&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwildrosepress.com%2F

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-end-of-promise-rita-a-popp/1145549886?ean=9781509255436

Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-end-of-promise?sId=94c31a61-30d8-41a5-b7f6-c44a85ee3f9c&ssId=1A_7sx-6Ye1S738R9MoP6

Google Books:

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rita_A_Popp_The_End_of_Promise?id=JyEUEQAAQBAJ

iTunes:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-end-of-promise/id6502705865

The Wild Rose Press:

https://wildrosepress.com/product/the-end-of-promise/

Monday, January 12, 2026

How to Write Compelling Romance Novels by Monique DeVere

The secret ingredient to writing unputdownable romance

Today, Wild Women Authors focus is on: How to Write Compelling Romance Novels. From emotional intimacy to breathless tension, this definitive guide shows romance writers how to build love stories readers devour in one sitting.

Publisher: Crystal Swan Publications, released December 2, 2025.

About the Book:

Looking to write a romance novel your readers will devour in one sitting? Look no further than How to Write Compelling Romance Novels, the must-have guide for any writer who wants to create page-turning love stories!

With its insider tips and practical advice, this guidebook will take your romance writing to the next level. You'll learn how to create emotional beats, build sexual tension, and craft conflict that will keep your readers hooked until the very end. And with detailed analyses of emotional stakes, subtext, and internal conflict, you'll have all the tools you need to craft a compelling love story that will leave your readers breathless.

How to Write Compelling Romance Novels will also show you how to create authentic emotional intimacy and chemistry between your characters, so your readers will be rooting for their happily-ever-after. And with examples created especially for this guidebook, you can see exactly how to put these concepts into practice.

Whether you're an experienced romance writer or just starting out, How to Write Compelling Romance Novels is the ultimate guidebook for writing unforgettable love stories. So why wait? Grab your copy today and discover the secrets to writing romance that will make your readers fall in love with your characters and beg for more!

An Excerpt:

Writing with Emotional Punch & Excitement

Have you ever had a novel declined for not having “that extra degree of emotional punch and excitement”? I have. My very first submission to Mills & Boon came back to me—by post! Yes, it was a long time ago—with a thoughtful rejection note that said my manuscript lacked emotional punch. I had no idea what that meant and immediately made it my goal to not only find out what this elusive emotional punch was, but to make sure I filled my future stories with it. If you struggle with this element of writing, I’m here to help you navigate the rough terrain.

Writing with emotional punch and excitement is all about creating a connection with your readers and keeping them engaged throughout your story. This means creating a strong opening that grabs the reader’s attention and hooks them into the story. Your opening should introduce your main characters and the conflict or problem they will face throughout the story.

Another key aspect of writing with emotional punch is creating multi-dimensional characters whom the reader can relate to and care about. Your characters should have their own unique personalities, motivations, and backstories that present them as real people. By crafting characters the reader cares about, you can create an emotional connection that will keep them invested in the story.

Whether you’re writing a novel, an essay, a novella, or a short story, the goal is to make your reader feel something. Writing with emotion is a crucial element of creating a successful romance novel. Romance novels are all about eliciting strong emotions from readers, whether it’s excitement, happiness, anger, heartbreak, or laughter. It requires you to be in touch with your own emotions and to be able to convey those emotions through your writing.

We asked our focus author why she wrote this book. Here’s her response: I’ve always had a teaching heart. I love learning new things, and I love sharing that knowledge. So it wasn’t a surprise when, several years ago, I felt the tug to write a book that shared what I’d learned along the way about writing romance. For a long time, I imagined that one day I might run a writers’ retreat on a little island somewhere, spending my days helping writers hone their craft. That dream never materialized, but in many ways this guidebook became its own version of that retreat, and I’m happy to be able to share my knowledge through it.

How to Write Compelling Romance Novels is a labour of love, and the book I truly wish I’d had when I first started writing. I wanted to help other writers shorten the learning curve in a way that’s encouraging. I’m a visual learner, which is why I’ve written examples to help writers see the elements put into practice. These are not excerpts from my or anyone else’s books, but examples created exclusively for How to Write Compelling Romance Novels. At its heart, this book is about understanding the mechanics that make romance work, and my hope is that it helps writers feel less overwhelmed and more excited about the stories they’re trying to tell.

This book can be purchased at:

AmazonUS | AmazonUK | AmazonCA | AmazonAU |

ASIN: B0G44KZVGH; ISBN: 979-8276238104

Raw Purchase Links:

AmazonUS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G3T9G9KK

AmazonUK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G3T9G9KK

AmazonCA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0G3T9G9KK

AmazonAU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0G3T9G9KK

Author Bio

Monique DeVere writes heart-pounding romantic suspense and funny, feel-good romances filled with faith, heart, hope, and a dash of sass. Her stories blend emotional depth, relatable characters, and the kind of love that endures forever.

Originally from the beautiful island of Barbados, Monique now lives in the UK with her real-life hero, their four children, five grandchildren, and an adorable, hilarious Yorkshire Terrier.

When she isn’t dreaming up stories of danger, faith, and forever love, Monique enjoys family time, shell collecting, boating, being near the sea, and learning something new—because curiosity, like love, keeps life exciting.

You can visit her at moniquedevere.com, harlequin.com, Facebook: moniquedevere.

Monique loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her through her website or by sending your email to monique@moniquedevere.com

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