It’s too late for Christmas in July, but I’ll take it!

I received two pieces of good news within 24 hours…somebody pinch me.

First, No Regrets is finally available on Barnes & Noble’s website.  It was released through Amazon over a week ago, but some of my friends who have Nooks instead of Kindles have been patiently waiting.  The wait is finally over, and you can find it on B&N now!  Thanks for your patience.

Secondly, I just received word from Siren-BookStrand that they have accepted my third novel, The Christmas Dare, for publication!   Yay!  Last year I really enjoyed reading various Christmas themed books during the holidays (including Can’t Fake This, by my friend Casey Crow), and I set a goal for myself to try to get one of my own written for this year.  So I’m so excited that this is going to actually happen!

I will keep you posted!  Now time for my favorite part…thinking of ideas for the cover.  Hmmm, who is someone tall, athletic and handsome who can represent Ethan?  And I already have someone in mind for petite but perky, blonde Gia.  Feel free to make suggestions.  I welcome your input.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

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Happiness is contagious…Book Giveaway!

UPDATE!  Bflyzone and Herba are winners.  My daughter pulled out two names by mistake but I figured, what the heck?  I’ll send you both a book.  I sent a message to your individual blogs, but if you’ll email me a mailing address to joanchandler13@gmail.com, I will get those books in the mail right away!

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I’m feeling very festive today.  As you already know (if you read all my posts), there was a mistake made when BookStrand uploaded my new book, No Regrets.  All the italics were missing.  So names of books, foreign words and inner thoughts were all in regular font.  I reported it to the publisher, but didn’t expect them to be able to correct the problem since it was already available for purchase.  But thanks to Lena and Kathryn at BookStrand, they DID get it fixed, and have told me the correct version is now the one that will be downloaded for anyone who buys No Regrets.    That news makes me very happy.

Also, I just read a new review on Goodreads for my first book, Perfectly Imperfect.  It was a great review, and I’m on cloud nine after having read it.  Why was it so great?  It’s not that she had nothing but praise for my book because she definitely took the time to point out both pros and cons.  In fact, it was really honest.  She said it was a bit too “ooey-gooey” for her tastes, and compared it to Harlequin (which wasn’t a bad thing in my opinion!).  But she also highlighted some things she really did like in the book, which I certainly appreciated.  And finally, she gave it the highest compliment any author could hope for…she said she would read it again.  Is there any better review than for a reader to say that, having invested the time once already in your book, they will go back to page one and start all over, just to experience it a second time?  Yep, that’s the pinnacle!

So I am smiling today.  And I want to share my happiness.  To celebrate the release of No Regrets, I am giving away a paperback copy of my first book, Perfectly Imperfect.  All you have to do to be in the running is leave me a comment or “like” today’s post.  Then, tomorrow I’ll pick someone at random as the winner.  I will contact you through your blog to let you know you’ve won, and you can email me back the shipping details.  My email address is joanchandler13@gmail.com.

Before you enter, please be advised that my first release is categorized an erotic romance, rather than mainstream.  So it is still just a love story between one man and one woman, but the language is more graphic.  So if that offends anyone, you might not want to leave me a comment today.     :)

But I hope to hear from you all!  Have a wonderful Sunday.

RAinbow rose

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Expect the unexpected.

Two things caught me by surprise today.  First, and most spectacular, my second novel, No Regrets, was released by BookStrand Publishing, and debuted at #1 on their topsellers list.  What a dream come true!  Who would have ever thought?  It’s incredible to me, and I appreciate the early support more than you can know!

The second thing that surprised me today is that for some unknown reason, the formatting isn’t correct in the book.  There are some passages (including the opening line of the book!) that include inner thoughts, as well as some German words.  As we all know, proper format is for these things to be italicized.  The italics were there for both rounds of editing, and everything looked fine.  But yesterday I received my advanced reader copy, and guess what?  No italics!  I contacted the publisher, but with only a day until release date, they don’t appear to have been able to correct it.

So to all of you out there who might purchase the book, let me apologize if it gets a little confusing on occasion.   I hope it won’t interrupt the flow as you read.  Fortunately, most of the book is dialogue or narrative.  But when you run into something that reads as if it should be unspoken thought, please understand that that is exactly what it is supposed to be, and it was in proper format when it left my computer the last time and was delivered to the publisher.

That being said, I still have “no regrets” that I stayed with Siren-BookStrand and I’ve had a really great experience with them.  And one of the first lessons we authors are taught is to give our readers credit.  Trust them to “get it” as they read.  I hope in this case, you will all get it when you read the thoughts!

Enjoy, and once again, thank you for your continued support.

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No Regrets has a cover!!!

Jinger Heaston is officially on my list of favorite people right now.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the cover for my new book, No Regrets! And I have to say, I don’t think I would regret anything I did with that man either!

Release date has been moved up to July 11th.  Can’t wait!

Cover by Jinger Heaston

 

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No Regrets…is that possible?

I have a new book coming out mid-summer, and the title is No Regrets.  It’s about two people who meet and have instant chemistry, but they both know they have very limited time together.  They must make a choice.  They ask each other the question, Is it better to love you and have to leave you, than to never let myself love you at all and then live the rest of my life asking myself, what if?  You will have to read the book to see how they handle the cards they are dealt.  But my book is not what is foremost on my mind today.

In a strange twist, this week my own life took me face-to-face with people who once upon a time were in almost this exact predicament.  So as not to reveal secrets that belong to someone else, let me just say this.  The people involved now number far more than the original two who had to make that choice.  I believe that for many of those people, there definitely are at least some regrets.  I mean, who doesn’t want a “do-over”?  Haven’t we all made choices that – if we could magically go back in time and have the oppportunity to do so – we would make a 180 when we got to the point where the line is drawn in the sand and you know if you take one more step down that path, there is no turning back?

I think sometimes we have to look beyond the circumstances that lead TO an event, and instead focus on the way things were handled AFTER that point in time.  Certainly, feelings get hurt.  For some, their dreams get dashed.  For others, they realize the promises someone made to them will never be kept.  And yet someone else will do the best he can to try to “do right” by all parties involved, at least to the best of his ability, but that only means that no one is completely happy, as they are all forced to compromise.

But in all the emotion and drama, what a nice surprise to discover a silver lining out of all the chaos.  This week, new friends were made and one family has a “new” member.  And she is one thing that everyone is in agreement about…she is lovely and accomplished and delightful. The only regret is that they didn’t get to know her sooner.

So to all those involved, on this Cinco de Mayo, I raise my imaginary margarita and make a toast to looking ahead and living every day to the fullest.

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