The post-launch phase
And 702 reasons why I'm smiling
There is so much emphasis on the pre-launch and launching of a book - beta-testing, generating excitement and anticipation, followed by a kick-off and celebration. And then we wait . . . and hope . . . and pray.
After letting Elizabeth’s Mountain out in the world, I had but one wish. To entertain readers with a story that would stay with them after they turned the last page - at least for a little while. Characters who became like family. The response and reviews have validated that wish. Some told me they didn’t want to say goodbye to the folks on Elizabeth’s Mountain. Others loved the setting. Unlike some writers who plan, I’m more of a ‘lets-see-where-it-goes’ type of person. A ‘pantser’ who writes by the seat of her pants.
Well, here it is . . . four months post-launch and my readers have spoken. For those who’ve asked, ‘Will there be a sequel?’ the answer is ‘Yes’. I now have 702 reasons for taking you back there, where hopefully, you’ll lose yourself in mountainous silhouettes of changing blues as you did when you read Elizabeth’s Mountain.
To celebrate, I’m giving signed copies with bookmarks to two newsletter subscribers (US only). All you need do is email me a copy of the review you posted for it on Amazon and any of the other book sites, and I will select my winners by August 31. You can email me at lucille.guarino@gmail.com. I’d love to hear what you have to say!
Thank you to all who took the time to write a review. Reviews are HUGE for authors.
I’m excited to announce my new, contemporary romance novel, Lunch Tales: Suellen, which will be out in February 2025. My stories are usually emotion-heavy as my characters deal with serious life issues, but hope is always at the forefront. Here is a glimpse of Lunch Tales: Suellen:
Old scars. New love?
Suellen Atkins’ trust fund has given her everything except love. As the youngest attorney in a major law firm, her life is filled with reckless spending and meaningless flings. But when she dumps her latest wild guy, he doesn’t leave quietly.
Unable to shake the feeling she’s being watched, Suellen runs into an old classmate at a colleague’s farewell. Adam Isaacson is one of the good guys — and that might be more scary than her stalker ex. With the echoes of her parents' tumultuous marriage still ringing in her ears, Suellen can’t imagine anything this promising.
When a shock medical diagnosis complicates things, her proclivity for self-sabotage goes into overdrive. As life turns upside down, her lunch friends at the law firm become a lifeline in the storm. But even they, with all their good intentions and well-meaning advice, can’t save Suellen from herself. Nor can the man who’s fallen in love with her. Only she can do that.
Lunch Tales: Suellen was the Grand Prize winner in the 2023 A Woman’s Write writing competition
Lunch Tales: Suellen is rich and engaging, embracing powerful issues that snag the lives of contemporary women by addressing Suellen’s world of work, love and a life-changing diagnosis. Lunch Tales: Suellen is tough to put down and worth the read. I promise you. - Editor Kristan Ryan, A Women’s Write
I hope everyone is enjoying the remainder of summer and getting in lots of reading. I am always grateful for the wonderful and supportive Black Rose Writing Community whose talented authors continue pulling me out of my comfort reading zone. Here are just a few of the different genre BRW books I recently escaped in:
For an edge-of-your-seat experience (I was forever looking over my shoulder with this one) . . .
A gripping detective story (there’s a little sleuth in all of us) . . .
A fast-paced medical thriller (this is one fearless doctor!) . . .
1960s nostalgic, women’s rights (a travel back to New York City for the Women’s Strike for Equality) . . .
17th century France (the grandeur and excesses during Louis XIV’s reign) . . .
With these five novels alone, I got the chance to visit Cape Cod, Cleveland, Houston’s Emergency Room, New York City, and 17th century Versailles. To my fellow authors . . . thanks for the ride!
Until next time . . . be well.