The Romance Review

The Romance Reviews

Monday, December 31, 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR! What I have Planned! What do you Have Planned?


Hello my friends! 

We made it through another year. My how time flies. And if you’re like me, you probably had a few New Year’s resolutions from last year. 

Did you keep them all? Or did you do half, or at the very least attempt at some? 

I was pretty good this year.  

My one New Year’s resolution, that had nothing to do with writing was losing weight. 

When I went to RT in 2011 and saw pictures of myself, I wanted to cry. I was a whopping 193 pounds! YIKES! I’m only 5’7” guys, so that was a lot of meat on this frame. 

The hubster, the sweetheart that he is didn’t say anything to me. As a matter of fact, when I asked him to help me lose the weight I wanted, he looked at me and said: (Bless his heart). “You look great! I don’t see it.” 

I know love is blind, but really. But then again the hubster and I have been together for over 25 years, not as a married couple, but just knowing each other. So I guess when you see someone every day you don’t really notice. 

Plus the fact I carried this weight pretty well, as well as can be expected for nearly 200 pounds! 

Now as some of you know, the hubster is an ex bodybuilder. He still works out regularly too, so for a 49 year old he looks damn good. 

I’m 48 and I wanted to look damn good too! So he put me on a strict exercise routine and modified my diet. The diet part was kinda hard. Being that he’s Sicilian and can cook his ass off, the food he makes is irresistible. 

But he taught me how to eat, not deprive myself and still lose the weight. 

I started this journey in February of 2011. 

I am happy to report that I am now a healthy and still curvy 143! Yes 50 pounds gone. 

But really losing the weight isn’t the hard part. It’s keeping it off. And that’s not going to be a New Year’s resolution, that is going to be a lifestyle! 

Okay, now on to book stuff resolutions. 

There were a couple of books that I wanted to get finished last year which I did, and one of them will be coming out January 18th

The title of the book is LOVE THY NEIGHBOR’S NEPHEW Here is the cover:
 

It’s a cougar story and it is smokin’! 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


My other book that is loooong over due is CABIN FEVER. Here is the cover for that one:

 

It’s still in the final editing stage. I don’t know when that one will be out, but it will be hopefully this Spring. 

It’s a Ménage a trois story. Super hot! Super kinky. 

Those two stories were my main concern, plus a couple of others I got out there and I will put the links to those below 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Here’s my main New Year’s resolution. 

Self-publishing!  

Yes, I plan to step out on my own with some books. What genre will these be? It will vary. 

If you’re like me you have several finished and unfinished manuscripts on your hard drive or sitting on your shelf as a hard copy.  I have four romance/erotica books that I am working on simultaneously. I also have a couple of mysteries and espionage stories (Those two genres are my passion) 

This is new for me and I don’t know what the hell I’m doing and how to go about doing it. But I see a lot of writers out there getting their books out so I said, why not me? 

In order to not jump in the pool with no life preserver, I did buy a book on the subject. In fact, I bought several books, but this one is the best one. It’s very inspiration. Not inspirational in the scene of being religious, but in a way that tells me: “Gee, I can do this!” 

It answers a lot of doubts that we as authors might have about self publishing too.  It’s a very simple read, not too technical. There is a section that goes techie, but that’s about how to format and upload your books and doing your covers. But that’s it.
 

So here’s the book and buy links. THE BUSINESS OF SELF-PUBLICATION. 
 
 

BUY LINK: AMAZON

BUY LINK: B&N

 

It’s worth the price. At least I think so. In fact, I am so sure and confidant now, that I know I will have at least five self pub books out by the end of Summer!
 
Am I scared to step out on my own like this. Sure am, and from what I read in this book, there is a lot of stuff that I will be doing on my own that my epublishers did for me.

 

Will I still go through epubs? Sure, every now and then I will have a book pop up with one of my epublishers. But I just want to see if I can do this on my own too. 

Now on the social network resolutions.

I go through this every year. I say that I’m going to update my blogs, post interesting stuff, go to my other hundreds of social networks and yadda, yadda, yadda. 

SIGH. We’re going to try this again. But this time I have help.

A mutual friend of the hubster and I has agreed to take dictation from me and post.

YAAAAYY!  

That is a big help, you just don’t know. 

So, how often are these posts going be? At the very least once a month. I mean, I think I can swing that.

What will my posts be about? 

First of all I need to finish some series I started already. The one being, Finding Love and Danger series about my relationship with my Israeli soldier man. 

I will also have more guest bloggers. AND by popular demand, a blog explaining my relationship with the hubster, and a mutual friend of ours. 

They both did on blog on Lady Isis’s website. Here are the links to those:


And people loved it. So it’s time for me to explain some things too. LOL! 

So that’s it folks my New Year’s Resolutions. I know we have the same ones over and over and we try to accomplish them, and I guess that’s the important thing. This time I plan to finish them. 

So what are yours? Leave a comment below and share. And leave a comment with what you would like to see more in my blog. 

Now for shameless plugs! Clink on the BUY LINK by eack book below for purchase if you like. They are all my books I have out. Some you already have others you’ve probably never heard of. 
 
 



BUY LINK: AMAZON




BUY LINK: AMAZON





BUY LINK: AMAZON


















BUY LINK: AMAZON



















BUY LINK: AMAZON




















BUY LINK: AMAZON



















BUY LINK: AMAZON


















BUY LINK: AMAZON




















BUY LINK: AMAZON

Also, Show my girl Madame TripleX some love. She has two raunchy sex books and will be coming out with another one by Spring. Here are her two:

 
 
















BUY LINK: AMAZON



BUY LINK: AMAZON



That’s it for now. Catch you cats later!

12 comments:

  1. lol hey Steph looks like you've been very busy last year and will be just as busy this new year. Happy New Year by the way looks like it's going to be very interesting.
    So far the only resolution I've made is to try to keep my books down this year to 5 so I can focus more on some of my full-length work. And like you I'm also going to be self-publishing some of those.
    Wishing you the best for 2013 and beyond.

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  2. Yep, 5 books a year looks good. Someone else is doing that too. I think that's all I can handle without driving myself, nuts. LOL

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  3. Congratulations on the weight loss, Stephanie! That's amazing, especially living with a man that can cook Italian food...

    CABIN FEVER is the book I critiqued for you. The one about the snow storm, right?

    I just want to encourage you on going indie. It's the only way to go! So far I've self-pubbed all six of my books, and I'm getting ready to release a novelette in March that was previously published in the WG2E Valentine's Day anthology. The freedom (and royalties) of being an indie author are wonderful!

    I'll be checking back here every chance I get to see what you're up to.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for the encouragement Chicki.The only fear I have, and the book I'm ready explains a lot, is the marketing aspect of it. And yes CABIN FEVER is the book. It's been held up, but I't back on track.

      Yeah, Italian food and losing weight---Hmmm, kinda doesn't go together. LOL

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  4. WOW! Congratulations on your journey to a healthy, happier Stephanie! I can relate. I lost forty pounds before you saw me at RT. I was 170 or more, now I'm 128. I kept it off. It's a change in the way you thing about food. I love to shop, now.

    You've been busy writing, and I'm happy for you. It's inspirational to me.

    My goal in 2013 is to continue to write full length and trying some shorts. I signed a contract for a Spring release! I need to blog more,and get going with a revamp of my website and promo stuff. Staying on track with gratitude for my blessings and trying to stay positive.

    All the best to you in 2013!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WOW! CONGRATS on the weight loss! It's a journey that's for sure. Like I said the real challenge is keeping it off now, but the hubster is here to help me.

      Congrats on the new release too!

      I have to get on the promo wagon too. I think this weekend I'm going to write out a schedual and get write out my blurbs for all my books and just make my virtual rounds.

      Bottom line---we need clones! LOL

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    2. It's wonderful to have support at home. My husband and I lost weight together, since we gained it together! hehe

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  5. Congratulations on the success of your weight loss Stephanie and all the other things you have accomplished and will be coming to pass this year. Personally i have never been a New Years Resolution type. I believe we sometimes we set too many goals at one time which become unattainable to master and when we fail to reach them we become disappointed in ourselves and start to doubt our ability to achieve. Happy New Year Stephanie and may you be BLESSED through it's entirety.

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    1. I agree, that's why I sometime start my resolutions before the New Year, that way I can carry it on, since I'm in the grove already. I've learned that had worked for me so far.

      If I just start off the bat on January 1st, I would probably never get things done. LOL

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  6. Wow, Stephanie Congratulations! It takes a lot of discipline to lose that much weight. I am so proud of you. Hey, if you did the weight loss thing, everything else should be smooth sailing from here on out (grin). I stopped doing resolutions because I would always do the opposite. Instead I am learning to go with the flow so to speak. My goal for 2013 is to be more productive and to practice discipline. Practice makes perfect. Must success to you in all of your endeavors and congratulations on the selp publishing :).

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    Replies
    1. You know what? That's the best way to do resolutions I think. Just be more productive in anything you tackle, be it writing, decorating your home, or weight loss!

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  7. Hi Stephanie, I just recently self-published for the first time and it's easier than you think. You'll see when the time comes. It's so cool being able to control every aspect of your book! In fact A Perfect Fit came out today.

    You have some beautiful book covers! I have a couple with Jimmy Thomas on them, too.

    You're question about New Year's Resolutions on the romance novel center caught my interest. My problem is I spend too much time networking and visiting my groups. For 2013 I plan to put myself on a writing schedule. I don't work so you would think that would be easy. NOT when you live in a house with two small children:)

    Good luck with your plans:)

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