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    • The Steadfast Heart Cover Reveal

      Posted at 9:00 pm by arlemhawks, on January 26, 2019

      I can’t believe it. One more step toward my life-long dream of publishing.

      This is the cover for my novella, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out. Shaela Kay of Blue Water Books did an amazing job with it. This was one thing I was super stressed about, and I needn’t have been.

      What do you think?

      cover

      I almost cried when Shaela sent it to me the first time. I think it perfectly represents Holly, as well as my favorite setting in the book. Here’s the blurb—

      A broken sailor looking for a purpose, a jilted lady longing for the past, and a chance at happiness neither expected.

      After losing his foot in battle, Lieutenant Robert Brenton can’t find his place in the navy or society, where he fears he is seen only as a cripple. He retires to his small estate to find peace, not anticipating the distraction awaiting him.

      Holly Addison has the world at her feet, until her prized beau cancels their engagement and ruins her reputation. Banished to Cornwall, she finds herself a guest in Robert’s run-down manor by the sea. She writes repeatedly to her former love, trying to persuade him to take her back to society. But Robert’s charm and simple life make her consider what she really wants—a life of excess, or a life of meaning.

      As time runs out on their chance to be together, both are forced to examine their hearts and uncover a strength neither knew they had.

      The Steadfast Heart, a Regency novella based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” will release February 27th, but you can preorder it now on Amazon.

      Preorder Now!

      This novella is the third in a series of Regency fairy tale retellings. The first two novellas are fantastic! Check out Joanna Barker’s Beauty and the Baron (available now) and Sally Britton’s The Captain and Miss Winter (preorder now, available February 6th).

      Stay tuned for more updates and sneak peeks at The Steadfast Heart!

      Posted in Love Letter Press, writing | 0 Comments | Tagged Novella, Retellings, Series, The Steadfast Heart
    • Announcing Love Letter Press!

      Posted at 3:53 pm by arlemhawks, on December 5, 2018

      A year ago when I sat down to make my goals for 2018, I chose a word for the year: connect. I wanted to connect to the writing community in better ways than I had before, and I wanted to set myself up to connect with the publishing world.

      I started by signing up for conferences, then signing up for contests, then exchanging manuscripts with other writers. One of my biggest steps was joining a critique group. I was so scared to make that jump, to commit all that time, and to give my work to writers farther along the path than I was.

      But I did it. And the results were amazing.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Love Letter Press | 0 Comments | Tagged conference, goals, Love Letter Press, New Year's resolutions, owningit, Regency, Storymakers, writing
    • Conference!

      Posted at 3:41 pm by arlemhawks, on May 2, 2018
      the-climate-reality-project-349094-unsplash.jpg

      Photo by The Climate Reality Project on Unsplash

      This time tomorrow, I’ll be on a plane heading to my very first writing conference. I’m equal parts excited and scared out of my mind. Wish my luck. 😬

      I’m starting off with a workshop tomorrow afternoon, which is so out of my comfort zone. It sounded like such a good idea when I signed up. 🙄 My inner introvert has been freaking out ever since. My workshop is called “Pub and Polish.” It will be so good for me, but I thought I’d have my manuscript much further along than it is now. Though after reading my fellow students’ work, I’m a little more calm about it. Not because they’re bad (they’re great!), they just aren’t perfect yet. Just like mine. Continue reading →

      Posted in editing, writing | 0 Comments | Tagged conference, Storymakers
    • Updates

      Posted at 4:58 am by arlemhawks, on April 12, 2018

      It’s been a busy couple months, but progress is being made!

      Perhaps the biggest progress has been my invitation to join a Regency critique group. I felt like I got an invitation to the ball! 😆 It’s an amazing group of ladies, and they’ve already helped my writing so much. It gets me super excited to work on my story, knowing I have both cheerleaders and mentors to help me get it where it needs to be. These ladies have become instant friends, and I’m so excited to see where they take their writing careers.

      One, Sally Britton, has already published a book and a novella this year, and will be releasing a second novel in a week or two. Check her out on Goodreads! Two others have signed to be published later this year, and I can’t wait.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments
    • Part 1 is done (now come questions)

      Posted at 10:43 pm by arlemhawks, on January 20, 2018

      It seemed to take all week, but I finally finished Part 1 of my Regency romance. I’m pretty excited about it. The female main character’s life is kind of in shambles right now, despite some good news she received. One male lead ran away from everything, and the other got shot down and needs to figure out what to do. I might need to add a scene or two, but for now I think I’ll leave it where it is and advance to the Part 2.

      But finishing it brought on some interesting questions. The first part is almost 64,000 words long… And I feel like I don’t have a ton of stuff to cut. Maybe words, but I at least don’t have many scenes to cut, because I try really hard to not have fluff or filler scenes. (Which is actually hard when writing romance, I’ve decided. The flirting scenes tend to feel a little fluffy.) Romance books tend to be around 70,000 words on the short end… Which means half of my book is almost as long as a full novel. Oops.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged death, funerals, Regency, research, writing
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      • The Steadfast Heart Cover Reveal
      • Announcing Love Letter Press!
      • Conference!
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      Naval Regency — First draft, editing

      Novella — Third draft, with beta readers

      Standalone Regency — 20,000 words

      Regency Series, Book 1 — Second draft

      Regency Series, Book 2 — 13,000 words

      B&B Fantasy — Second draft, with beta readers

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